(A/N: I apologize for the month long wait. I offer you this 14pg chappie. Ahem. There may be spoilers depending on if you've watched the OVA KID in Trap Island or the second Detective Conan movie The Fourteenth Target…)
Kaito gazed blankly out the window, not really seeing the scenery that whooshed by as the train picked up speed. The car was very nearly empty, only two or three others spaced out around the quiet space, and the sleepy silence made it easy for the immortal to get lost in his thoughts.
It had taken him four years to free up the time to go and visit his 'adopted' family. Honestly, it wasn't that strange that it had taken this long to come back and meet the newest addition to Suki's family. He was always a bit reluctant to meet the children as he knew he would eventually have to say goodbye; would have to keep distant so he wouldn't be so upset when they left him behind to move on to the afterlife.
Of course in the past it hadn't taken that long for him to convince himself to be there at their birth, to see their arrival on Earth. This two year break was an extreme but the way Suki talked about her child… It was as if she was describing a mini-Hakuba. He had been joking when he'd suggested she name him Saguru but now it was as if fate had taken the name as a cue to mold him into another Hakuba.
Kaito had wanted to stay away for longer, hiding behind his night job as an excuse, but his damnable curiosity had decided to force its way to the front. Suddenly he would find himself aching to compare this child to his old friend. He wanted to know if what he was waiting for could truly happen. If his Tantei-kun could be reborn.
So here he was. On this train heading towards his answer. He could only hope he wasn't wasting his time.
(He isn't!)
As the train pulled into the station Kaito rose out of his seat, scanning the gathering crowd outside for someone recognizable. He couldn't help but snicker as his eye caught sight of someone with a mop of dyed orange hair that was waving their arms wildly in hello.
It seems Suki would be the one to take him home.
The magician waved back to the woman effectively stopping her insistent flailing and grabbed his duffel bag before getting off of the train. He made his way over to the excited woman and laughed when she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Hello to you too." Kaito felt Suki's arms squeeze him tightly though he showed no discomfort.
"It's been so long, Niichan!" Suki let him go in favor of crossing her arms and giving him a pouty look.
"We just talked on the phone this morning." Kaito pointed out, an eyebrow raised in amusement.
"But I haven't seen you in years!" Suki couldn't help but whine.
"You know my night job requires a lot of travel." Kaito smiled as he led the woman out of the crowded station.
"And you know as well as I do that you could take a vacation at any time." Suki obviously wasn't going to let his thievery be an excuse but Kaito knew how to manipulate and distract.
"I am terribly, terribly sorry my dear flower!" Kaito moved to stand in front of her before bowing deeply. A flick of the wrist and a small puff of smoke effectively threw the prying female off balance as Kaito pulled a bouquet of tiger lilies out of thin air. "This simple magician was unaware of just how much his garden was missing him. He sincerely hopes the beautiful lily will take this small favor as a token of his most heartfelt wish for amends."
"…" Suki blinked at the sudden theatrics before snorting. She snatched the bouquet from his hand and clutched it close to her. "Get in the car."
"Hai Hime-sama." Kaito sank into another deep bow, skipping out of the way as she tried to thwack him on the head with the lilies. He laughed at the blush on her face as the woman glanced around at the strangers giving them odd looks.
Another swing of the flowers had Kaito backtracking around the car to slide into the passenger side seat. Suki climbed into the driver's seat grumbling about 'stupid, embarrassing thieves' and how she hoped that Roo would lay into him as soon as they got home.
Kaito smiled fondly at the girl's mumbled threats that reminded him of Aoko after he had flipped her skirt. Thoughts of his old friends started rising in his mind making his hand grasp the side pocket of his duffel bag where three small boxes could be felt through the canvas fabric.
(Boxes?)
"Grandmother! I finished my part!" Saguru tugged on Roo's shirt before pointing to the completed puzzle corner, printed images of autumn leaves.
"Good job Sagu-chan!" Roo ruffled the boy's silky blond hair making him beam at her. "Want to help me with this part? I'm afraid grandma isn't very good at puzzles."
"Sure!" The little boy chirped in excitement. Roo watched the boy start on the small cardboard pieces fondly. Her grandson was too smart for those child-oriented, 25 piece puzzles but he loved them. Although she was horrible at them, she liked to watch that serious, confident glimmer enter his eyes as he put the pieces together. The grandmother let her gaze drift to the large puzzle outline on the floor, as the table had been too small. Roo was sure Saguru would have it completed within the hour.
The sound of a car pulling up the driveway made both of them jump and glance at the doorway, toward the garage. Roo caught Saguru's eye before holding up a finger with a wink as she got up. The boy watched his grandmother leave the room with narrow eyes. A glance toward the old grandfather clock made him frown.
His mother was a half an hour late. He wondered what could have caused such a deviation from schedule; traffic couldn't have been that bad. Saguru pondered the reason for a moment before a thought struck him making him groan.
That clock ran about 15 minutes slow; he only said 'about' because he didn't have anything to base the delay on. Sure he could use the digital clock in the foyer but he liked analogue clocks better. The sound of the second hand was the one thing he always knew would calm him. Usually after daycare, where there was only stupid children and even stupider adults, Saguru would spend countless hours in the library where he would lean against the old grandfather clock and look at his father's photograph books (his favorites were the astronomy books that had many pictures of galaxies and stars and the art books with painting ranging from classical to modern).
He knew he was so much smarter than the other children but he hated having to shrink his vocabulary and dumb down his thoughts for lesser minds. But his mother had to work and his father was constantly being called out by clients. Grandmother Roo couldn't come here every day either; she had a life that she needed to live too. Those were the only reasons that he tolerated going to that hellhole.
Saguru shook his head to get rid of those dark thoughts before he turned back to the puzzle.
(I have a feeling that all of the Gosho boys were like Conan only a lot more innocent and naïve)
Kaito smiled to himself as he gazed around the foyer. It really had been a long time since he had been anywhere that felt like home.
"Tadaima." He mumbled with a soft smile.
"Okaerinasa." Suki patted his back as she passed him, a satisfied smile on her lips.
"Kaito-niichan." Kaito looked up to face Roo when she called his name. His eyes softened as he took in her long grey hair and the laugh lines that creased her face.
"Roo-chan, still as beautiful as ever!" Kaito grinned and jogged over to hug her.
"I didn't know you liked older looking women Niichan!" Roo teased with an innocent smile.
"Age has never mattered to me madam." Kaito laughed flirtatiously as he pulled a rose from thin air to tuck behind her ear, much like a pencil.
"Sorry darling, but I'm spoken for." Roo snickered, covering her mouth with her left hand. Kaito caught sight of her wedding ring making him smile softly when he remembered who had given it to her.
A sudden elbow to the ribs made him jump with a yelp. Kaito glanced toward his attacker, smiling sheepishly when he took in Suki's glare.
"And you're also old enough to be her grandfather." Suki pointed out giving him a warning look before turning to hug her mother. "Hi mom. Where is Sagu-chan?"
"In the library working on the puzzle Will bought him." Roo kissed her daughter's forehead.
"How far along is it?" Kaito blinked at the amusement in Suki's voice.
"When I left it was about one-fourth of the way done." Roo said.
"So he'll be done soon?"
"I assume so."
"Let's go then." Suki grabbed Kaito's wrist and pulled him into the house. Kaito internally chuckled at the girl's excitement as he stumbled after her.
(Kaito is such a flirt!)
Saguru looked up in surprise when his mother burst into the room with an unfamiliar man trailing behind her. He slowly put down the puzzle piece in his hand and got up.
"Sagu-chan! I'm home!" Suki sang.
"Welcome home mother." The boy walked over until the woman could sweep him up into a tight hug.
"So cute!" Suki squealed.
"Who are you?" Saguru asked when he caught sight of the man staring at him.
"…" The man blinked before shaking his head with a smile. "Nice too meet you Saguru-chan! My name is Kaito Kuroba but you can call me Kaito-niichan!"
"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Kuroba." Saguru smiled childishly.
"Please, Saguru-chan, call me Kaito-niichan." Kaito twitched but didn't lose his smile. Saguru held down the smug grin that wanted to take over, instead he let an innocent 'who-me?' expression slip onto his face.
"… Mr. Kaito?" The boy tipped his head to the side as if he was confused.
"No, no bouya. Kaito-niichan." The insistent man leaned forward so he was at Saguru's level.
"Mr. Niichan?" Kaito's smile slipped into an annoyed frown.
"Kaito-niichan."
"Kaito-ojichan?"
"Niichan!"
"Kuroba?" Suki burst out laughing making the boys look up at her.
"What?" They said together before glaring at each other.
"Nothing, nothing." Suki shifted Saguru so she could wipe the tears from her eyes. "Didn't you have something to give Sagu-chan, Niichan?"
"Oh right!" Kaito straightened up.
"To give me?" Saguru wriggled out of his mother's hold to follow Kaito as the man walked to the center of the room.
"Yep!" Kaito spun on his heel to face Saguru before falling into a crouch. The child blinked at the grace of the man's movement.
"What is it?" Saguru chirped, childishly excitement making his reddish brown eyes glimmer.
"I'll show you. Sit." Kaito pointed down and Saguru obeyed instantly. "Good."
"Well?" Saguru said impatiently.
Kaito grinned and snapped his finger. Three small black boxes fell out of a puff of smoke that had appeared after the snap. Kaito easily caught the boxes; juggling them before laying each in front of the awed child.
"Now you can only choose one so think carefully." The magician warned before pulling the tops off of the boxes.
Saguru gasped. In front of him laid three beautiful pocket watches cushioned in their boxes by white velvet cloths.
The first one was made of perfectly polished silver, shining brightly in the light form the window. The second one was golden, the cover carved with clockwork etchings that enticed him to look deeper into the carving. The third watch was gold as well but seemed older, like an antique or an heirloom; the cover's rim had a narrow pattern tracing around it.
The child shook his head and reached for the first watch. He examined it, opening the cover and listening to the second hand's lag compared to the length in his head. After a moment he replaced the watch and grabbed the second one. He went through the same steps before replacing that one as well.
As soon as he touched the third watch he felt a sense of peace wash over him. He opened the cover easily and listened to the sound of the gears with a smile. Saguru slowly closed the watch, opening his eyes when the cover latched with a snap.
"This one." The child looked up at Kaito with a bright smile. "This one is mine."
"Yes. That one is yours." Kaito murmured making Saguru blink. The air around Kaito was somber and his smile was nostalgic.
"Eh?" The boy asked.
"Nothing.~" Kaito sat down next to Saguru with a fond grin. "So Sagu-chan, what do you like to do?"
(Finally another true DCMK Character to write!)
"How cute!" Suki giggled from behind the door as she watched her son bond with Kaito. The two of them were lying on their backs with their heads next to each other. Saguru was explaining something with a deep concentration, using his hands to describe the scenario to the best of his ability. Kaito looked like he was hanging on the boy's every word.
"Suki?" The eavesdropping woman jumped and whipped around to look at her mother. Roo stared at her in surprise, her hand outstretched to touch her shoulder.
"Mom." Suki sighed and pressed a hand to the spot over her heart. "Don't do that!"
"What are you doing?" Roo smiled in amusement at her daughter's reaction.
"Spying on Niichan and Sagu-chan." Suki peered back into the room. Now Kaito was laughing at the surprised look on Saguru's face as three doves used him as a perch. "It looks like they are going to be best friends."
"They will be." Roo sound so sure that Suki looked at her in confusion.
"… Are you sure you aren't psychic?" Suki raised an eyebrow.
"The watch Kaito gave to Saguru was your great grandfather's." Roo explained. "Hakuba Saguru-san was Kaito's classmate and one of his best friends."
"What?" Suki blinked, still confused.
"Never mind sweetheart." Roo smiled kindly. "Come on. Let's go get dinner started."
"R-right." Suki looked back into the room longingly before turning to follow her mother.
(Suki's a bit like Yukiko, ne?)
"… Of course Nakamori-keibu tried to lock the gem in some kind of airtight, bullet-proof box." Kaito snorted to himself. "As if that could keep KID away."
"How did KID get it?" Saguru asked, his voice a little awed. The dove in his hands ruffled its feathers anxiously when Kaito leaned forward a bit.
"M-a-g-i-c.~" The magician clapped his hands and opened them quickly to reveal a small string of banners as he spoke. Saguru gasped before setting down the dove to clap in amazement.
"He tricked the silly keibu into opening the box before he swiped the gem and revealed himself. The he jumped out of the window and flew away on his hang-glider. The task force tried to chase him in their cruisers only KID had already planned for that. All of their tires burst and they had to chase him on foot."
"So he got away?" Saguru breathed.
"Yup! But not in the way you're thinking." Kaito winked and held a finger to his lips. "As the police chased the hang-glider they thought KID was riding the real KID was reappearing back in the jewel room. He had hidden behind a mirror, the perfect camouflage because the room was walled with windows. He thought he was home free, then-." Kaito suddenly cut himself off making Saguru blink.
"Then?" The boy prompted impatiently.
"Then… he left." Kaito's voice was suddenly wistful and sad.
"Liar!" Saguru pouted though the insult held no malice. He gazed up at the older boy with concern. His mother had told him, before Kaito arrived, that their visitor had lived through many bad memories and that he shouldn't bring up anything upsetting. But Grandmother Roo had told him once that bad memories stayed bad until you talked about them and then they just became memories.
If mother was right, Kaito had many bad memories. So Saguru was going to make him talk.
"Tell me." The child's solemn tone made the magician look down at him.
Ah. He had nearly forgotten how Hakuba could communicate his every demand and thought with his eyes. It had been one of the main reasons why he had been famous for getting murderers and thieves to turn themselves in. One look from him made them want to confess their reasons to him, to explain why they had done what they had done.
And right now Saguru was telling him to 'get it off of your chest and let me understand.'
Kaito had once heard that Shi- Tantei-kun (he couldn't even think his detective's name right now as he was sure he would crack) was regarded to be the ace of spades, a roll over from a case about a sommelier* and a grudge. If Tantei-kun was the ace of spades then Kaito was the ace of clubs, a card that represented life and luck. The detective's quick-tempered Osakan friend would be the ace of hearts, the card of emotion was perfect for the passionate sleuth. And Hakuba…
Hakuba would be the ace of diamonds. The card of values, of ethics, of principles.
Suddenly this little child wasn't Saguru but Hakuba, his Tantei-san and best friend. One of the two people who hadn't let him distance himself from others. Who understood his line of thought. Only two other people had been able to keep up with him, Tantei-kun and Tantei-han. Although he hadn't really even had any kind of in-depth conversation with Tantei-han as they had been too caught up in the-.
No!
A quick shake of the head brought him out of his thoughts and away from that urge to spill everything to this small, mini-Hakuba. It was too heavy a subject to tell this boy.
"Sorry Sagu-chan!~" Kaito stood quickly, throwing off the boy's concentration.
"B-but!" Saguru leapt up to follow as the magician started for the door.
"…" Kaito glanced back at him then sighed. "How about this. I'll tell you a riddle and if you can tell me the answer by tomorrow I will tell you one secret of mine."
"… A secret of my choice?" Saguru narrowed his eyes.
"Yes." Kaito agreed while cursing internally. Well, it was stupid to expect that Hakuba would be tricked by that.
"Fine." Saguru padded over to the desk in the corner and drew a pan and notebook out of the drawer. After checking to see if the pen had ink he ran back.
"Here. I want that promise in writing." The boy demanded.
"Oh? Why?" Kaito grinned at the boy's suspicion.
"My father always tells me about what can happen if someone doesn't follow a promise, so I decided to get every promise in writing." Saguru held up the pen and paper again.
"Lawyers…" Kaito sighed but took the paper anyway. "If we're drawing up a contract I want to add a line stating that if you can't answer than I can choose a secret of yours that you have to tell me."
"Fine." Saguru scowled at the challenge.
"Good." Kaito wrote out the arrangement, making sure that it was loophole-free, before handing it over to Saguru. The boy scanned the document as he moved to get a dictionary.
"You don't trust me?" Kaito teased.
"'Let every eye negotiate for itself and trust no agent.'" Saguru quoted as he opened the large tome.
"William Shakespeare?" Kaito blinked.
"It's something my father had told me many times." The boy said before nodding and scratching his initials on his signature line. Kaito signed it as well and the child grinned before putting it in a filing cabinet by the desk.
"Do you want to hear to riddle now?" Kaito asked.
"Yes." Saguru focused solely on Kaito.
"Ok. I turn my head and you may go where you want. I turn again, you will stay till you rot. I have no face, but I live or die by my crooked teeth. What am I?" Kaito quoted. "I can write it down."
"Please do." Saguru nodded. Kaito smiled fondly when he saw the boy's pose. He was cupping his chin in thought. The magician jotted down the riddle and handed it to him.
"Answer by tomorrow." Kaito reminded the boy before leaving him to think.
(*A sommelier is a professional wine taster, Detective Conan movie number two: The Fourteenth target)
Dinner was relatively quiet from Saguru's point of view as his thoughts were completely focused on Kaito's riddle. In fact he wouldn't have eaten at all if it wasn't for his mother who had taken to tapping his plate to remind him to eat. The boy just couldn't seem to concentrate because of the chatter around the table.
Kaito and Saguru's father were in a deep discussion about ethics. Kaito was on the side that what seemed unethical to some could be moral to others. William was stating that ethics were something that was classed to a group of people as a whole and, while each person had their own morals, the specialized reasons wouldn't hold up in court. Suki and Roo traded sides constantly, giving support to one side then disproving the ideas just as fast.
While on a normal night Saguru would be right in the middle of the debate, tonight he just wanted to solve the riddle. When the noise became too much the boy left the table and headed for his room, just missing the humorous scene of a puff of smoke surrounding William's head and turning hair green.
Once Saguru got to his room he climbed onto his bed and took out the watch Kaito had given him. After admiring the antique appearance one more time he opened the cover. At once the soft sound of the second hand's ticking filled the room. Saguru relaxed as the staccato beats fell into that oh so familiar pattern, taking away his stress and frustration.
Really, considering he was only four he was handling himself very well but he knew he wouldn't get any sleep tonight. Saguru was that type of person who focused all of his energy on his problem, even if he didn't have any. He just couldn't understand those people who said that the key to understanding something was to not think about it. How could you solve something of you didn't-?
Wait…
'Turn my head and you may go'. 'Turn again and you will stay'. ''I live or die by my crooked teeth'.
Saguru smirked smugly.
"Solved it!"
(Did you catch that irony in that last paragraph? Also the italics in the next section are Kaito's story.)
The next morning found Kaito humming pleasantly as he scanned the shelves of the library. In his hands he held an assortment of crime, mystery, and fantasy novels. When he'd woken up he'd decided to take a page out of his beloved Tantei-kun's book and read the day away.
His fingers twitched when they landed on the name 'Sir Arthur Conan Doyle'. Kaito hesitated for a moment before pulling out A Study in Scarlet.
Just as he was settling into one of the plushy sofas by the window the door slammed open to reveal a panting Saguru. Kaito blinked at the sudden appearance; a part of his brain that was all thief made a note of the frog patterned pajamas the boy wore (just in case!~).
"… Morning Sagu-chan!" Kaito waved. "Sleep well?"
"I solved it!" Saguru smirked as he stalked over to the magician. "That riddle you gave me. I have the answer!"
"Really?" Kaito grinned.
"The answer is 'a key'. The 'head' is the main part and the 'crooked teeth' are the notches. It's 'a key'." Saguru stood in front of Kaito with his arms crossed in smug satisfaction.
"Very good!" Kaito clapped making the child nod.
"Now about your payment…" Saguru trailed off pointedly, raising an eyebrow.
"… Alright. The 'secret' you want is the end to that tale, yes?" Kaito sighed.
"Yes." Saguru grinned. Kaito shook his head in mock exasperation but moved over so Saguru could sit next to him.
"Where did I leave off?" The thief asked as the child got comfortable.
"KID was coming out from behind the mirror." Saguru reminded.
"Right." Kaito narrowed his eyes, remembering, before he started. "KID grinned to his reflection in the mirror.
'They fall for that silly dummy trick-.'
'Every time. Sometimes it's just too easy.' KID turned in shock. He hadn't said that! 'Ne, KID-san?'"
Saguru blinked when Kaito's voice changed from the calm voice of KID, one he was familiar with from the televised heists, to the higher pitch of a small boy.
"KID grinned, barely masking his fond smile, as Tantei-kun appeared from the top of the stairs with his silly voice-change bowtie near his mouth. They stared at each other for a time, drinking in the other's features, looking for injuries or discomfort.
'Long time no see, Tantei-kun.' KID finally said. 'Are you here because of my notice?'
'No.' KID deflated a bit at that. 'Sonoko invited us out here so she and Ran could attend that party downstairs. It was only luck that I saw Nakamori-keibu leading some task force members to the elevators.'
Which kind of luck? KID wanted to ask but cringed instead when Tantei-kun bent down to turn the dial on his right shoe. As he did that shoe suddenly began to emit large sparks.
'Not that hellish soccer ball of yours!' KID groaned.
'Give me the jewel KID.' Tantei-kun reached up to press the button on his belt.
When KID saw this he felt a spark of panic and clicked the remote in his hand. The glass shattered as a series of small explosives went off at the remote's signal.
The flurry of falling glass made Tantei-kun raise his hand to cover his head. KID took that window of opportunity to dive out of one at of the broken panes.
After a small moment of free fall KID opened his hang-glider and sailed away. He flew for a time, content that he was able to claim his prize as well as see his Tantei-kun, before something caused him to crash in a forest.
With a groan KID shed his coat and tie as well as his top hat; just in time too because at that time that Shounen Tantei, some of Tantei-kun's friends, arrived.
They mistook KID as their Niichan and decided that they should work together to find and capture KID.
Despite the hilarity of the situation KID needed to leave. These were Tantei-kun's friends and he was sure to find them soon. But he couldn't just leave so they explored the forest.
Soon enough they stumbled across a cave with a counterfeit jewel operation going on inside. It turned out that the gem KID had stolen was a counterfeit as well. The owner had planned for KID to steal the false gem, or leave it so he could claim that KID had switched them, and take the insurance money for himself while still having the real gem.
Of course the boss couldn't let them leave alive and held them at gun point.
Suddenly Tantei-kun, who had ended up following the owner there, burst into the room on his jet powered skateboard.
He hit most of them guards, making them fall unconscious, while KID used his card gun to send the real gem, that the owner had been taunting him with, flying toward him. KID caught it and, after making sure all of the bad guys were out, ran out of the room.
Tantei-kun eventually found him by the shore as he stood on a high rock, holding the gem up to the moon.
'Hey KID.' The boy's voice made the thief smile.
'Yo Tantei-kun." KID answered, spinning around to look at him. His monocle paired with the shadow that the moon's light caused covered his face well enough.
'Give me the gem and I'll let you go free as payment for keeping my friends safe.' KID smiled to himself.
'Oh.~ You don't want to be in my debt Tantei-kun?' KID cooed.
'No sane person would.' Tantei-kun rolled his eyes.
'I'm not hearing a 'no', mon cher.' KID teased, the child looking up in surprise at the French words. The thief tossed the detective the gem. 'Take it. I have no use for it anymore.'
Tantei-kun caught the gem and stared at it before the words sunk in. The detective jerked up to question the thief only to find that he had vanished."
Kaito finished the story and closed his eyes. Saguru stared at the magician with wide eyes, millions of questions circling in his mind.
"Who was Tantei-kun?" The boy asked, unknowingly pulling Kaito away from his memories.
"Ah, ah.~" Kaito grinned. "Only one secret per answer.~"
"Then tell me another riddle!" Saguru demanded. Kaito stared at him for a moment before smiling softly.
Maybe he could stay around here for a while…
(Eleven years later…)
"Hey Sagu-chan?" Kaito looked over at the 16-year-old from his position lying on the teen's bed. The blond was hunched over his desk working on his homework, the light of the desk lamp creating a glowing outline around the boy's figure. Kaito sighed when the other didn't respond and rolled so his head hung off of the edge. He kicked his legs up in the air like a bored child.
"You are such a Hakuba…" Kaito rolled his eyes. Honestly, the British detective might have been reborn but it seems not even reincarnation could shake the sleuth's crazy strong focus.
The magician paused at that thought. Actually, that seemed to be a characteristic of all detectives. He knew from experience that Tantei-kun had to be cut off early before he got too deep into the plot of the book. He could also recall Tantei-han's girlfriend complaining about the Osakan's tendency to ignore her during Kendo practice.
"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves and this is how it goes.~" Kaito sang in a high pitched, nasally voice that he knew irritated Saguru to no end.
"What do you want, Kuroba?!" Saguru snarled, whipping around to pin a glare on the magician.
"Just to tell you I have to leave for a little while." Kaito smiled innocently.
"How long will you be gone?" Saguru raised an eyebrow.
"About three days."
"When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow afternoon."
"… Ok." Saguru shrugged before turning back to his homework. Kaito stared at him with wide eyes.
"What? No protest? No 'take me with you'? No 'don't leave me Niichan'?" Kaito asked, looking shocked.
"Tch. You've been watching too many movies." Saguru scoffed.
"…" Kaito blinked. "Holy shizzle, you really are a Hakuba."
"What does that mean?" Saguru looked back over his shoulder.
"… Nothing." Kaito pouted and looked away.
" I have the answer to that riddle you told me yesterday." Saguru sighed.
"Which one was that?" Kaito grumbled childishly.
"'A boy falls off a 100 foot tall ladder and survived. How did he do it?'" Saguru quoted.
"Oh yeah." The magician nodded. "What's the answer then?"
"He fell off the first step." Saguru said.
"Right!" Kaito threw up his hands making confetti rain down on them.
"… You're cleaning that up you realize." The teen sighed.
"What secret do you want?" Kaito asked.
"Why are you leaving?" Saguru flinched as the magician's grin grew a touch more manic.
"I'm checking the space I rented in Beika, Japan. I'm coming back here to get my stuff." Kaito's grin was in full KID mode as he saw the realization dawn on Saguru's face.
"… You're moving?" A blank look slid onto the teen's face.
"Yup." Kaito nodded casually.
"…" Saguru closed his eyes for a second before opening them again. "You know, I have always wanted to do a bit of schooling in Japan…"
"Great!" Kaito flipped off of the bed. "I already have your passport and stuff updated! Your clothes and toiletries are packed! I'll go tell Suki and Will!"
Saguru blinked in confusion as Kaito sprinted out of the room. "Eh?"
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a small puff of smoke. His eyes widened and he paled as his gazed flicked to the mirror above his dresser. Neon orange made his eyes water, though he barely noticed as he shot out of the bedroom in hot pursuit of the thief.
"KUROBA!"
"Ooo.~ I like that orange/red combo you have going on there, Sagu-chan!"
"DIE!"
(Finally they're going to Japan!)
I am so very sorry for the late update.
Ahem. No sadness at all! Next chapter you're going to meet a few of the rearranged characters. Maybe Kaito will drop off a heist note but it's mostly going to be about them settling in.
I've decided on HakubaxShiho. Mostly because I feel that I write Shiho better than I do Aoko and I've also realized that that pairing doesn't really get any love. I mean, I know it is absolute, hands down, crack but still…