Disclaimers: Kingdom Hearts, Detective Conan, and Magic Kaitou all belong to much richer and more creative people than I.
Warnings: All of the main characters have been under varying levels of stress, so beware the occasional swear word. More major spoilers for the entire Kingdom Hearts series follow.
Dedications: To Ellen Brand and Snickerer, for being the best plotbunnie-bouncers-cum-editors a girl could ask for. Much of this chapter only exists because of you. To Alli, for making time to beta around an insane schedule. And to Candy-chan, because the penguin is All Your Fault. Enjoy. :grins:
Please note: Originally, Kaito seemed to have gained power of illusion. This has been ret-conned out for greater consistency with canon. His further abilities will be made clear in later chapters. Yes, Promenade tends to get edited a lot. I have a habit of revising my writing constantly, and my betas do the same… Especially as the complicated details get further hammered out.
For the sake of my sanity, Kaito's mother required a name. I've chosen Mizuki, 'beautiful moon.'
Thanks for your patience, readers. You guys are all awesome.
Chapter 8: Homecoming
Spring breezes played through one of Tokyo's many public parks, disheveling hair and toying with skirts as they grew and faded in turn. Several ruffled Kaito's unruly spikes where he lay in the shade of a blooming cherry tree, loose petals blowing haphazardly into his eyes and bangs. Riku leaned against the trunk, one leg bent, amber eyes focused on nothing. A small playground was situated a short distance away from them, bright colors surrounded by greenery. Children ran about in loosely controlled chaos, voices muffled just enough by distance to fade into the background.
"Well," Kaito began conversationally in English, when the silence became unbearable, "I have a few ideas about what might have happened to you, but I'd rather not start hazarding guesses. Would it help if I promised not to interrupt?"
Riku slowly exhaled, pensive. "It might, actually. I've never had to tell anyone – they either know most of it already, or not enough to even ask. I don't know if I could stop and restart very easily."
"No questions, then, at least not till after. I'll try not to pry into stuff that's not important, too. It's not my place to know everything about you all at once." He flashed Riku a quick smile. "I plan to annoy the rest of your quirks out of you later."
Despite the serious air surrounding them, Riku couldn't stop a quiet snort of amusement. "We'll see."
Kaito rolled onto his stomach, resting his chin on the back of his overlapping hands.
"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."
His firm tone attracted Riku's attention, and he let his determination bore into the other man's gaze.
Kaito focused so intently he almost thought he saw Riku's dark exterior fade away into an altogether different face, before speech broke his concentration.
"Starting from the beginning… I do know Sora a lot better that I admitted to. We grew up together, he and I and a girl named Kairi. I was always the best at everything, but I was never content like they were. I wanted a life beyond what we had so badly, eventually I didn't care how I got it. Desires like that, where the means don't matter any more… it calls to the darkness, to the heartless. In seeking a way out, I gave them a way in.
"I lost myself in the darkness. First to escape our too-small world, then to find my friends… to save Kairi, stuck in a coma… and then from jealousy of Sora's new friends and the power of his keyblade. I kidnapped and hurt people, even tried to seriously harm Sora. I tried to steal the keyblade from him, too, with some justification—the keyblade had chosen me first, before I opened myself to the dark—but Sora reclaimed it, and defeated me at my strongest. I was desperate to beat him, so when a voice told me to open myself to the darkness completely, I didn't hesitate.
"You see, a heartless is born when darkness consumes a heart and then controls whatever spark of instinct remains. Without the heart, which holds light and darkness, the body and the soul—basically the consciousness, a person's mind and will—vanish into the nothingness between light and dark. They act as a conduit to give rise to a nobody, a creature with some kind of mind, but no emotions or memories of who they used to be. Someone with a strong enough soul, however, if he chooses to embrace the darkness, can keep both familiar form and a sense of will as a heartless. In which case, the nobody created from the cast off body and soul also has strong will and intact memories, though still no emotions.
"One man who did that was named Ansem."
Kaito's eyebrow involuntarily twitched at the name, and he couldn't help mumbling 'Of course," under his breath.
The corner of Riku's mouth quirked up for a moment before he continued, more somberly, "The heartless that Ansem became whispered to me that the darkness would grant me the power I sought, only to possess me when I followed his counsel. Too late, I tried to throw away the darkness, just as I had previously thrown away everything important to me. I failed.
"Ansem's heartless used my body to seek the door to Kingdom Hearts, the heart of the entire universe, for the power of the darkness there. He would have killed Sora, Kairi… anyone who got in his way.
"Ironically, my cast out heart appeared beyond the door. The strength of my will held out against the darkness, but I couldn't reclaim my body and leave. All I wanted…"
He trailed off, clenching and unclenching his fists. Kaito said nothing, merely waiting for him to continue.
"I just wanted to see Sora and Kairi again, know they were safe. That was when the King found me—the keyblade had chosen him before I'd ever met him, but he left the realm of light to claim the keyblade of the dark realm for his own."
Well, that explains part of the whole keyblade weirdness… They aren't—or at least the ability to wield one isn't—necessarily given out like candy, and so far there's one for the light and the dark. Can there be multiple wielders for a given side? I'll have to remember to ask about that later…
"He managed to find another entrance to Kingdom Hearts, braving its vast darkness with only his own light. When Ansem's heartless opened the door, Sora called upon the light hidden deep within Kingdom Hearts, and defeated him. Together, he and I and Mickey closed that door for good… but Mickey and I were stuck behind the door."
He chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"I still don't know exactly how I reclaimed my body, but DiZ and his choices were involved. Sora and I appeared separately in a castle controlled by the group of nobodies DiZ and I told you about, Organization XIII. Ansem's nobody is their leader, by the way. That—"
Riku clamped his mouth shut, glowering.
"Bastard?" Kaito suggested helpfully.
"Yeah. Doesn't have the decency to die properly. He has to be killed in bits and pieces. Anyway, Sora's memories were manipulated by a unique nobody named Naminé, a girl held prisoner to their will. In the end he won, but to regain his true memories he had to sleep while Naminé replaced what she had stolen. I faced the darkness left within me with Mickey's help, and eventually defeated the remnants of Ansem's will in my heart.
"He couldn't control me any more, but traces of him remained in the darkness I had claimed as my own. I traveled for several months with Mickey, looking for a way to purge my heart and thwart the remains of Organization XIII, but eventually my worry about Ansem led me to leave and wander the dark alone for a while, until I met DiZ again. He needed a favor."
Riku ran a hand through his hair, a bitter smile on his face. Kaito raised an eyebrow, but remained silent.
"Before he defeated Ansem's heartless, Sora temporarily became a heartless and then regained his body with Kairi's help. He unknowingly left behind a nobody without memories but with a portion of his power, Roxas. Roxas could wield the keyblade, so Organization XIII snapped him up. Of course, typical Sora-stubbornness eventually led him to leave in search of why he was a keybearer, knowing no more about his other self than Sora's name. DiZ believed Sora needed Roxas in order to be able to regain himself completely and defeat the Organization. He asked me to capture Roxas.
"I couldn't beat Roxas as myself any more than I could Sora. I… I got desperate. I called on the darkness I had accepted as part of myself, reached so far that my body remembered what it was like to wear Ansem's likeness, and changed to more effectively accommodate the dark. I won, but this was the price." He gestured at his now-brooding visage. "Myself, now become my worst enemy. His worst enemy."
Kaito didn't need to ask to who the 'he' was. Riku took a deep breath, looking exhausted.
"I don't—I don't want them to see me like this. I don't know why they'd want to see me at all, really. I betrayed them, and now exist as a living memorial for the one I betrayed them to." His expression twisted painfully, eyes closing. "The trade was worth it, but I'm not me any more, not properly. I'm Ansem. I still want to help Sora—that's why I've been traveling like this in the first place—but unless a miracle happens…"
Kaito got the distinct impression that Riku had no idea what he was going to do with himself. More than anything, the stress of not knowing what would happen or what to do probably contributed to why Riku rarely rested. If he worked himself into total exhaustion, he wouldn't have the energy to worry about the future.
"I can't face them."
Sitting up cross-legged, Kaito cupped a hand around his chin, letting his arm rest on one knee.
"I think I know why Sora puts up with you. You may be a stubborn idiot, but you're a likeable stubborn idiot."
Whatever Riku had been expecting Kaito to say, Kaito felt fairly certain that wasn't it.
"Look," he went on, taking advantage of Riku's temporary speechlessness, "the way you've described Sora, he's an extremely nice guy. If he put up with you for his whole life, I don't think much would change his opinion of you, particularly since you've rediscovered what's really important. However, you're letting what you believe you deserve—which is a load of crock, by the way—also become what Sora would think you deserve, in your mind. You seem fatalistically determined to think the worst of the both of you."
"Weren't you listening? I'm the one who completely screwed up. Sora played the perfect hero, all goodness and light and hopelessly optimistic."
Kaito smirked. "Are you listening to yourself? If Sora is half the hero and all-around champion you claim he is—"
"It's not just what I claim, it's what he's done!"
"—then what kind of hero would condemn his best friend for making a mistake? Especially one he regrets?"
Riku went silent, attention turning inward, then grunted noncommittally. "It's not that simple."
Arsène Lupin help me if I ever act this pig-headed.
"I think it is. Tell me this. If you had stayed the Keyblade master, and Sora had embraced the darkness but seen the error of his ways… Would you abandon him?"
Riku actually flinched. "No."
Kaito leaned forward, pressing his point home. "Has Sora ever done anything to justify your opinion of his character, or are you refusing to hope solely because you don't want to face how much it would hurt if the one-in-a-million chance came true and Sora rejected you?"
Riku slumped against the tree. "I'm afraid to lose my last hope to keep going, all right?" He glared at Kaito, now-petulant expression the most like a teenager Kaito had ever seen from him. "Why do I put up with guys like you? You and Sora are the most aggravating people I've ever met."
A sly smile spread across Kaito's face. He looked sidelong at Riku. "It's because we refuse to let you get away with brooding alone."
Riku looked startled again, and then after a moment he started to laugh. Not a dark chuckle or amused snicker, but full on, unrestrained laughter. Kaito watched in satisfaction, letting the other boy release tension held in check for far too long. (A small part of him was also infinitely relieved that they made it through their entire conversation without the threat of tears—Aoko crying was bad enough, let alone a fellow guy.)
After a few minutes, Riku showed signs of subsiding, and Kaito spoke again. "Now. We've established that Sora is not one to hold grudges or abandon his friends, yes?"
A genuine smile, slow and the most relaxed Kaito had ever seen from him. "Yes."
"I've heard the worst you can throw at me, and rather than drop you like a ton of bricks I'm sitting here, two feet away, trying to knock some sense back into your head."
"No sense of self-preservation."
Banter. Good. About time, too.
"We've proven empirically that you aren't better off trying to do everything alone—it's not weakness to work together with someone. If you'd really believed that, you would never have let me join you in the first place."
Consideration. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Of course I'm right. So, you just told me that Sora and I are quite similar in the way we treat you. Using the rules of simple logic, we can come to what conclusion?"
Come on, you've been wanting to believe this all along, you've just needed someone else to tell you that it's true.
Riku sighed, but in relief rather than frustration.
"Sora'd put the past behind him. Kairi too," he added, and Kaito cheered mentally.
He learns! He can make independent conclusions! He can extend applicability!
…He really brings out the sarcasm in me.
"Excellent deductive reasoning, grasshopper," Kaito settled on saying aloud.
Riku snickered, the strain in his demeanor all but vanished. Abruptly, a yawn escaped him. He blinked owlishly.
"Funny, I didn't feel this tired an hour ago…"
"You've been running on adrenaline for who knows how long, and your body has decided it doesn't need to any more." Kaito stood and tugged Riku upright. "Come on. There's a futon with your name on it, if you can stay awake till we get home."
Riku swayed slightly, but managed to stand and walk unassisted. "You still owe me your story. 'S not fair if you know so much about me and I only know bits about you."
"Later, I promise. In fact, you'll probably know more than you ever wanted to, by the time we finally leave again."
"We shouldn't stay too long, there's too much…" Another yawn. "…To do."
"Sora's survived all right so far with minimal meddling from you. He can keep for at least a few more days."
"A few days!"
"Yes. You need a break; I need a break. You need to spend some quality time with people who aren't out to kill or manipulate you, I need to reassure quite a few people that I'm not dead, and we both need time to sleep, eat, and unwind."
"But Xigbar," Riku protested weakly.
"Creepy eye-patch guy can wait."
They made it to the bus for Kaito's house, and conversation suspended as Kaito rummaged through the satchel holding his suit and gadgets for his public transportation pass. It was crowded, but they managed to find one free seat. Kaito let Riku collapse into the seat, and stood beside him. Riku's unusual appearance earned them a few strange looks from the people nearby, but Kaito ignored them.
"Okay, this has been bothering me," he said as the bus lurched forward. "There's the original Ansem. Who was an idiot and turned himself into a heartless and a nobody and is therefore effectively dead. That's one. Then there's his heartless, also now dead, thanks to Sora. That's two. And then there's you, who looks like he did but isn't actually named Ansem, initial introductions to the contrary, so that's not three. I suppose that would actually be his nobody—"
"Xemnas."
"...What?"
"Ansem's nobody is named Xemnas."
"Not Ansem."
"No."
"...Okay, that's good, I guess. So...Xemnas is not four. And then there's the other Ansem Mickey's off trying to find."
"Yes."
"Okay. So...we actually have exactly one Ansem, who we haven't actually found yet and who therefore hasn't ticked anyone off. Then there's one who's dead, plus the sort-of Ansem who's also dead. And then a Xemnas, and you."
"Pretty much."
"Good. This finally makes sense. One other question, then. Sora's supposed to be the hero of light and all, defeating the bad guys wherever they are?" A nod. "Then why assume that he won't get the better of them no matter where they go? Your world-hunting has been nothing but an excuse to avoid Sora and feel useful while you're at it."
Riku sighed, glaring up at Kaito again, but without malice.
"All right, all right. Himura's was the first place I've found the Organization without Sora soon catching up, and the world took care of itself, anyway. Sora's method of travel is tied directly to his heart and given how badly he wants to protect people it's unlikely, if not downright impossible, that he'll miss them. And cut it out, will you?" He knocked Kaito's leg with a foot.
"Cut what out?" Kaito shot back, hanging on to the bar above his head.
"Ferreting out my character flaws. I've been rather attached to them, I'll have you know."
"I would never have found them if I hadn't met you, so it's entirely your fault for letting me tag along in the first place."
"Damn. I was hoping I could blame you."
They shared a grin.
"My turn for a question. What do you plan to tell your mother and friends about me?"
"Um. Very good question." Kaito grimaced. "Mom would understand if I said you'd rather not talk about yourself, but anyone else… no. I can't exactly explain that tall, old, dark and brooding is actually younger, shorter, paler, and brooding, can I?"
Riku looked surprised. "Paler?"
"I mean—well, yeah. You're not naturally that color, are you?"
"No, but I've no idea where you could have gotten the idea into your head."
Kaito shrugged.
"Well, since I'd rather not haunt your house and talking with decent people again is growing in attractiveness, we need a plan."
"Yeah. Thinking..."
Recalling DiZ's cover stories from however long ago, the pair spent the rest of the bus ride and walk to Kaito's house hashing out a believable background. Riku became Yuushi Riku, a half-Brazilian aspiring magician's apprentice and general gopher for the traveling ensemble with whom Kaito supposedly was touring. Said show was taking a few days sabbatical, and Kaito'd invited his friend to spend the interim at his house.
"I'll try teaching you a few of the basics, in case anybody asks for a trick." Kaito eyed Riku critically. "Does your hair naturally do that?"
Riku ran a hand through his silver hair, temporarily flattening the gravity-defying locks. "As far as I can tell, yes. Any ideas?"
"Some sort of hat, and a story about prematurely greyed hair. You look at least near thirty, so it's believable."
"Do I? I don't spend much time in front of a mirror. Oh, and I draw the line at top hats."
Kaito snickered. "I should give you one just for that. But you don't get to be a master of disguise without costume accessories, so you should find something sufficiently inoffensive for your tastes. We'll find you some amber-tinted sunglasses, too, because no offense, but your eyes are a shade of near-orange that really that shouldn't exist."
"How kind," Riku replied as they reached the front door to the Kuroba home. No one answered Kaito's knock, but his spare lock picks had survived intact and made short work of gaining entry.
"No key?"
"Not on heists," Kaito answered, mind already elsewhere. "No trace of who I am that can be left behind at a scene." He walked inside, looking around the front room. "Mom?" he called, switching flawlessly from English to Japanese.
Silence, and then a breathless, "Kaito?"
Kuroba Mizuki appeared in the entrance to the kitchen. She stopped dead at seeing Kaito, hand flying to her mouth. After an endless moment, she darted forward, crying Kaito's name again and enveloping her only son in a fervent hug. Kaito stiffened in surprise as she buried her face in his shoulder, silent tears leaking from her eyes.
"Mom?" He tentatively folded his arms around her.
When did you become so fragile? You feel smaller, older. Or have I just grown?
You haven't cried like this since Dad… died…
"Six weeks, Kaito, without knowing if you would ever come home. Bad enough when it was your father, bad enough when you followed in his footsteps and I could only watch, but this, not even knowing what you're doing, no news if you or the Kid anywhere… I'm not that strong."
"I'm sorry, Mom," he whispered. "I didn't mean to worry you."
She pulled back and smiled bravely at him. "You're here now, and you're alive and well. I know what you do, what your father did, is important. I could never stop either of you. Just don't ever do that to me again!" she scolded.
"I won't, I promise." Even if it means dragging Riku-kun back with me. "But…" he hesitated. "I can't stay long."
Her face fell. "How soon?"
"Maybe a week. It's not directly related to the Kid," and this is unbelievably disconcerting, talking openly about my night job, "but it's not something I can ignore."
Several emotions flashed across his mother's face, but in the end she nodded. "You have your father's spirit. You won't be happy unless you see it through, but please, say goodbye this time. Let me know you're all right when you're gone."
"I'll try." Kaito looked over his shoulder, where Riku had hung back by the door.
"Mom, I'd like you to meet a—"
"Friend," Riku said, also switching to Japanese, briefly meeting Kaito's gaze with an ironic smile. He bowed. "Yuushi Riku. I'm honored to meet the mother of such an impressive young man."
Kaito tried to conceal his surprise at Riku's statement, but it didn't make much difference because no one was looking at him anyway. His mother laughed softly.
"A pleasure, Riku-san. Please, call me Mizuki. Welcome to our home. Someone from the so-called magician's troupe Aoko-chan told me about?" she asked Kaito.
"Right as always. Riku-kun's between houses right now because of what we're trying to accomplish, so I was hoping you wouldn't mind a guest for a while."
"In my opinion, you've never had your friends over often enough," she declared. "I was just making dinner. Why don't you pull out the extra futon while I finish?" She chuckled. "I'm afraid that tonight I'm making sushi, Kaito."
Kaito stiffened. "What?!"
"I didn't expect you home to complain. I'll make eel and tempura and extra rice, too, so you'll manage nicely. I haven't forgotten how much men eat."
Kaito groaned. "But, Mom… fish!"
Already walking back to the kitchen, she paused at the door to say, "Really, after what you do all the time, fish is nothing to be afraid of. I still don't know where you picked up such a phobia."
Too late, Kaito realized that their exchange had an observer. "Is it too much to hope that you didn't hear that?"
"Yes," Riku said, humor evident in his voice. "So… fish?"
Kaito headed to the chest of linens. "If you breathe a word of this, I will be forced to harm you. You, Aoko, Mom, and maybe Inspector Nakamori know. I admit to it, I disavow any memory of how it began, and I'd be happiest if it never came up again."
To Kaito's chagrin, Riku teased him all the way through airing out Kaito's room and setting up the extra futon in the den. Once they sat down to dinner, however, he faded into the background, allowing Kaito and his mother time to reconnect. She told him stories from the hospital where she worked as a nurse, and how Aoko had occasionally visited and asked for news. Kaito couldn't reveal too much information, but he did tell her about some of the people they'd met traveling.
After a while a yawn from Riku interrupted them, reminding Kaito why they'd come home in the first place. "Mom, do you work tomorrow?"
She shook her head. "I have night shift in a few hours, but tomorrow is my day off."
Kaito blinked. "What day is it, anyway?"
"Thursday," she laughed.
"Well, I think we both need to get some sleep. We've been traveling for a while."
"Until morning, then." She gave Kaito a fond smile and began clearing dishes. He squeezed her hand briefly, and shooed Riku ahead of him.
"You. Shower. Clean towel on the bar, and I'll rummage up a change of clothes for you by the time you're done."
"I'll be shocked if anything in your house fits someone over 5'8"."
Kaito snickered at the deadpan and pointed at himself. "Phantom thief. Disguises come with the job."
"Oh?"
"Yep. Hey," Kaito added as a thought occurred to him, "why do you wear those cloaks, anyway? Stealing fashion from the bad guys is a good way to get a keyblade upside the head."
Riku cocked his head thoughtfully. "The people who wear these belong neither to the light or the darkness. And even though I don't possess their nothingness, I don't belong, either. It helped remind me."
Kaito's brow furrowed. "Why let me temporarily force a change of attire on you right after we met, then?"
A wicked smile appeared on Riku's face. "To stop your overbearing cheerfulness for awhile."
"Hey!"
Riku disappeared into the bathroom, chuckling. Kaito shook his head after him. Once alone, he walked to the picture in the living room of his father in full magician's regalia, complete with several doves.
"I'm home, Dad." He brushed his fingers against Kuroba Toichi's enigmatic face, and stepped through the rotating portrait into the hideout of the Kaitou Kid.
Everything was exactly the way he had left it. Not a surprise, given that his mother, the only other person to know of its existence, probably hadn't entered since before his father's untimely death. Knowing he'd have time to come back, Kaito rummaged through the collection of various disguises he'd inherited and added to over previous months, finally finding a satisfactory outfit for Riku's stature and apparent age. He decided to let Riku pick out a hat for himself later, and dropped the clothes outside the bathroom door.
Riku still occupied the shower, so Kaito took his mom's laptop computer into his bedroom and began catching up on relevant news. The articles decrying his disappearance and a subsequent police newscast were the most amusing, but the recent human-interest article on a large ruby on display until the end of the month really caught his eye. Plans already taking shape in his head, Kaito became so engrossed in research that he didn't sense Riku's approach until the other boy spoke.
"Kaito-kun?"
He waved absently at the unoccupied part of his bed. "Have a seat. Got to finish this note and deliver it to the police before old Inspector Nakamori goes home tonight."
"Say what?"
Kaito stopped typing mid-sentence, hands hovering over the keyboard. "I never did tell you what my night job entails, did I?"
"No, nor your reasons for gallivanting around stealing jewels in a white cape and top hat in the first place."
"Can it wait?"
A yawn. "Given that I'm likely to fall asleep mid-explanation, yes. But I'd like one tomorrow."
"Deal."
Riku wandered off to sleep, leaving Kaito to scheme in silence. If he wanted to return as both Kid and himself, he needed Kid to appear first. Not that Hakuba would accept them both returning at the same time as a coincidence. Only obsessive attention to detail, luck, and some outside help has prevented Hakuba from getting conclusive proof already. Kaito's next best option was plausible deniability to everyone else.
The next morning, the boys were so tired that Kaito's mother returned from her shift at the hospital, snatched a few hours of sleep, and made breakfast before either one began to stir. Kaito checked the newspaper over their late morning brunch. Kid's mysterious disappearance and the new note announcing his return had made the front page. Kaito grinned and cut out the article once they finished the meal.
"Why did you do that?" Riku asked as they washed the breakfast dishes.
"Two reasons: For the Kid's records, and because my civilian identity is an avowed Kid fan."
Riku nodded. "Since you've persuaded me to take a sabbatical from the show," he smiled slightly at the alias, "what do you expect me to do while you return to school?"
"First of all, I'm not going back to school yet. The heist is tomorrow night, and I'm going to need most of the time until then to make sure I won't get caught. You can help me out with that if you feel like it. Mostly, though…" Kaito flicked some soapsuds in Riku's direction. "I thought you'd like to simply relax. Read a book, take a walk, do all the things you haven't felt able to do for so long. You need some normalcy for a while."
Riku half-smiled. "I suppose I do. That sounds rather nice, actually."
"I'll introduce you to my friends when they get out of school tomorrow. I can use the Kid heist as an excuse for a temporary reappearance—they'll believe I'd take an absence of leave to be in Japan for one, after such a long break."
I hope.
A knock at the door interrupted them, and a very familiar voice called, "Hello? Mizuki-obachan?"
Kaito grabbed Riku by the arm and shot out of the kitchen, waving to his mother as she approached the door. "We're not here!" he hissed, and hustled Riku through Toichi's portrait.
"Should've known," he muttered once they were safely concealed. "Aoko would come over on Mom's day off, to keep her company and catch up on news." For all her boyish behavior, Aoko could be surprisingly feminine and thoughtful when she wanted to be.
Riku ignored him, staring at the Kid's lair: Kid costumes, mirrors, various pieces of a normal magician's stock in trade, boxes and chests holding the more select tools of a phantom thief, a bookshelf stuffed full of books and another beside it of notebooks, stairs leading up to a loft with a miniature lab, various mechanical setups designed to keep the room secret, and, of course, the car.
"This is… impressive." He sat down on the foot of the stars and looked at Kaito. "Tell me."
Kaito's mouth went dry. Much like Riku, he'd never had to tell anyone either. Old man Jii had already known from being dad's assistant, his mom never talked about it, and he'd never admitted to Akako or Hakuba that their suspicions were correct.
Riku noticed his expression. "Fair trade," he added good-naturedly. "Only what's important for me to know. 'I'll annoy the rest of your quirks out of you later,' wasn't it?"
Kaito grinned. "Yeah."
Walking around the room, touching various objects here and there for silent support, Kaito shared how over fifteen years ago, the Kaitou Kid stole jewels and returned them in an elaborate game with police all over the world. Then of nine years ago, when world-famous magician Kuroba Toichi died in an apparent accident during a show, and the Kid vanished.
He told about the legendary jewel with the power of immortality that Toichi had died trying to find and protect from a ruthless, mafia-like organization. And how almost a year ago, his son stumbled upon the Kid's legacy, learned Toichi had been murdered, and took up the mantle himself to find his father's killers.
Finally, he described the nature of a heist—the note, the show for the inevitable crowd, the police chases, and some of the tricks he'd used to avoid being caught. When he reached the increasingly odd dynamic between himself, Inspector Nakamori, Aoko, Hakuba Saguru, and even Koizumi Akako, he became even more subdued, but persevered through the tangled threads of friendship and loathing that tied both his personas to the people he was closest to.
His friendly enemies led inevitably to Conan, the child-who-wasn't-a-child with no tie to Kaito outside of the Kid, but with whom another strange accord of cat-and-mouse had developed. Out of professional courtesy Kaito avoided mentioning that Conan wasn't the child he appeared to be, but he felt able to share how they'd even occasionally helped each other in matters outside of a heist proper. Similar to Hakuba, Conan wanted nothing more than to see the Kid behind bars, but (to Kaito's slight bewilderment) both detectives were territorially protective of the one quarry they'd never been able to catch. Conan was also refreshingly determined to leave out the innocents.
Kaito enjoyed the rare challenge Conan's appearance brought, and smiled reminiscently over telling some of the ways he'd managed to tease the miniature detective. He added in a few stories that had Nakamori as the main antagonist, and the times he'd masqueraded as Hakuba or Aoko to keep from getting caught.
"You actually pulled off impersonating his own daughter?" Riku chortled quietly, mindful of the guest potentially still in the house.
"Seeing her nearly every day for close to a decade means I know her mannerisms better than almost anyone else. Voices are easy." Kaito shrugged, grateful that Riku seemed to have taken everything in stride. He'd looked slightly grim upon learning about Kaito's atypical social life, but made very little comment. A good thing, because Kaito knew just how absurd his life sounded, just like he knew that unless something changed drastically, there was no other way to proceed.
Which was part of why he'd conveniently forgotten to mention that people occasionally shot at him during heists, and lately the ones he could detect had all been wearing excessive amounts of monochrome.
"And Hakuba-san?"
"Arrogant, smug, obsessed with details, and a slightly British lilt to his Japanese that he still hasn't managed to get rid of. Although," Kaito added contemplatively, "he's lost some of the arrogance. If it didn't mean the world was coming to an end, I'd almost say he's loosened up a little." He grinned.
"I'll take your word for it." Riku paused. "Kaito-kun? Are you really sure this is what you have to do? Especially alone?"
"I won't put anyone else in danger. Even if someone I told believed me and didn't turn me in or arrest me on the spot, they could do nothing. Except worry, the way mom does. And this has to be done."
"If you think so, then if there's anything I can do to help..." he trailed off.
Kaito nodded, hoping that after this Riku would be able to leave everything alone.
"I mean it. Anything."
Kaito smiled slightly. "I'll keep it in mind. Thanks."
A voice sounded through the wall. "If anyone were able to hear me, I'd tell them that Aoko-chan just finished eating lunch with me and there's more where it came from. Of course, now that she's gone home, there's no one around to hear…"
Riku smirked at Kaito. "I think I like your mom."
"Best in the world," Kaito agreed quietly, walking towards the portrait door.
For the rest of the day, Kaito stayed busy preparing for Saturday night. Riku puttered around the house, in and out of the Kid's lair. Kaito couldn't begrudge him the opportunity to explore; he had his own difficulties with staying put or not having something to stay occupied with. Eventually the other boy settled in front of the TV, a book in one hand and the remote in the other. He kept the volume down in deference to Kaito's need to think, and after a while Kaito thought he heard some faint snores.
The guy must have really stretched himself thin before I got to him.
Hm, light rain tomorrow night…
Kaito scrutinized the website's weather report, trying to decide whether it was worth risking the chance of too much rain to fly in, or if it would be better to try and form an alternate escape route. In the end, the glider won.
Familiar, confirmedly successful as an escape route, and my luck usually holds for little things like that.
But some familiar little things had changed, Kaito remembered abruptly. He pulled his card gun out, wondering what of the outside worlds he'd managed to bring home with him. The playing cards looked no more than laminated pasteboard, until he scrutinized the edges carefully and found a faint silver glow.
I wonder if that's always been there, and I've just never been able to see it before? I never did figure out why only my own shots could cut into concrete, not that I plan to complain…
Aoko had fired his card gun once, just before he'd retired it from Kuroba Kaito's life in favor of using it as a heist tool. The cards had sliced through the air with ease, but slapped flat against the wall, fluttering to the floor. Everyone had accepted that the unique qualities of his projectiles were one more magic trick, and he'd seen no reason to dissuade them. He'd usually tried not to think about it.
On impulse he found his Duel Cards. As he touched them, the tug at his consciousness was almost imperceptible, vague threads of connection constricted still more by the nature of his world. Unless he could find a way to easier draw through those pathways, no assistance from the Shadow Realm's denizens was likely to be forthcoming.
Although, come to think of it… If he could still feel the threads of the Shadow Realm here on this world, there must be something there. Darkness and light seemed to be everywhere in and among the worlds—why not the shadows, as well? The inventor of Duel Monsters had probably never existed in this Japan, but that didn't mean the Shadow Realm didn't. Akako called her power black magic, but since real darkness would probably have chewed her up and spat her out years ago, what if she had found a way to access the shadows without Duel Cards?
The style of her favorite regalia tended toward Ancient Egyptian, and there was probably a card somewhere that explained her irresistible allure to any male beyond puberty. Attractiveness to anyone but him, of course. He had a growing suspicion that his own connection to the shadows had something to do with that. And maybe Hakuba, but he personally wondered if the blond boy felt much at all, let alone enough for Akako to manipulate.
…I wonder if I'm going crazy. But if I'm right, I wonder which monster it is that's masquerading as that 'Luci' guy she says she summons to talk to…
Kaito couldn't help himself, and began snickering madly. The look on Akako's face if he was right, and she ever found out…
Note to self: For whatever reason, this world's channels are minimal outside of augmenting natural human talent. When you leave again, practice what you can so that when you come home, you'll know how best to access it.
Maybe I can convince Riku-kun to visit Yugi-san again. I wouldn't mind a few more tips about how to summon the shadows without passing out.
And I really, really don't want to ask Koizumi-kun about something like that, no matter how much more familiar she is with non-legerdemain magic.
Kaito shook himself free of his train of thought. He needed to worry about the here and now—there would be plenty of time to worry about everything else later. Wandering back to his laptop, he went back to work.
There were some worrying rumors floating around the less-than-legal circles that warranted investigating, about a strange new wild card calling himself 'Nightmare'…
By the time Saturday morning rolled around, Kaito could see Riku getting antsy. Since he felt reasonably sure of success—it helped that the ruby was being displayed in a museum he had previously infiltrated—Kaito felt justified in taking the rest of the day off.
They walked around town for a while, Kaito pointing out landmarks and his favorite hangouts and slowly gravitating towards his school. Riku blended well into the crowd in casual clothes, a newsboy cap, and amber-tinted sunglasses to disguise the orange-gold glow of his eyes. Kaito opted against wearing his school uniform to avoid accusations of skipping school. Of course, he technically was, but Kaito never let little details like that get in the way. When he said as much to Riku, the other boy chuckled.
"You're insane."
"I prefer the term reality-challenged, thank you very much. It's easier to change reality when you see what else could be there instead."
"And you're good at seeing what isn't there?"
"Why, it's a core part of being a magician—your audience can only see what you choose to show them. I'm surprised more people don't do the same, really."
"You're still crazy."
Kaito grinned unrepentantly. "I never said I wasn't."
Impeccable sense of timing intact, they showed up just as the bell signaled the end of the school's half-day study session. Soon students streamed past them, groups chattering and laughing as they made plans for the afternoon. They waited beside the entrance to the campus, chatting casually, waiting for the inevitable.
Sure enough, Aoko, Hakuba and Akako appeared among a knot of other students, Hakuba and Aoko bickering good-naturedly over the Kaitou Kid's heist, and whether Hakuba or Aoko's father would manage to catch the thief first. Akako walked along with a faint smile on her face, watching them. They were so intent on arguing that they had passed him by completely before Akako paused, and turned, dark eyes wide.
"Kuroba-kun?"
I seem to be getting that a lot.
Any further thoughts were interrupted by Aoko's shriek, and she instantly set about hugging him so hard that he was absolutely certain she'd bruised a few ribs.
"You idiot! Inconsiderate jerk! Going off without warning, no calls or letters or anything to let us know you were okay…" She sniffled ominously.
"Gah! Aoko, no, don't cry." Unable to think of anything else to do, he conjured a white rosebud and tucked its thornless stem behind her ear. He could practically feel Riku's surprised gaze on him at that, but he did indeed carry the necessary elements for several magic tricks at all times. "I'm fine, all right? I've just been busy with shows and all."
Aoko blushed and let go of him, looking down at her feet. Akako raised an eyebrow, less than convinced, while Hakuba looked on with a remarkably unreadable expression.
Kaito eyed him, surprised that no outburst or accusation was forthcoming. Hakuba generally didn't just stand and watch him in silence.
Hakuba… had just handcuffed his left hand to the bicycle rack he'd been standing beside.
"You are staying put until I get a satisfactory answer for why you up and vanished without telling us and made your classmates worry both before and after your little telegram."
Kaito blinked innocently, trying to reach more familiar ground. "You were worried about me? Aww, I didn't know you cared!"
"Only about what you could possibly getting up to, if that's what you mean, but Aoko-kun and—" Hakuba stopped abruptly, registering exactly what Kaito was now playing with in his hands. "And I expect those back from you reassembled and in working order by the end of the afternoon."
"Planning to use them on Kid? Hey, are these a new style? I thought the spring was a little tougher than usual." Kaito brought the handful of curved metal and chain closer to his eyes, surreptitiously watching Hakuba pinch the bridge of his nose, the blond boy's tell for when Kaito's antics were having an effect.
I'd almost forgotten how much I've missed this. Too easy…
He decided to play nice for once, and answer Hakuba. "Well, like I told the school, I've been working with other magicians and performing here and there, mostly around different parts of Japan. When word of the heist got out, though, I got an absence of leave to be home for it."
The best part was, it was almost entirely true. Except for the magicians bit, but Riku had magic, so it could count…
True to form, Aoko glowered at mention of the thief, Akako narrowed her eyes, and Hakuba seemed to mentally scrutinize his excuse before giving Kaito a silent look of frank disbelief.
Well, not like I expected him to trust anything I say in regards to the Kid, anyway…
"Hey, I have proof!" He grabbed Riku by the arm and dragged him into the spotlight. "I brought him home with me." He gave a summary of Riku's fabricated background, ignoring Riku's frozen expression upon being shown off like a souvenir, then continued: "Riku-kun, meet the most dedicated Kid-chasers of Japan outside of the official Kid Task Force."
Once Kaito had introduced the trio with slightly more detail, Riku bowed politely. "A pleasure to meet you. It's a wonder you put up with such an enthusiastic fan."
"Oh, this idiot and I grew up together. I'm pretty much stuck with him." Aoko sniffed disdainfully, turning her head up and away.
"And there's so much more to him than a simple fan of Kid," Akako added with an enigmatic smile.
Hakuba didn't respond, evaluating Riku instead. "Aspiring magician, are you?"
Kaito watched Hakuba warily as Riku nodded.
"What sort of tricks do you have up your sleeve, then?"
Kaito hid a grimace behind a poker-face grin. He knew he'd forgotten something in the past few days, but he'd been too busy planning the heist to remember his promise to teach Riku some simple magic tricks. He glanced up at Riku, unable to say anything with their audience present.
"Well, I don't know much, since I'm more an aspiring gopher, but I do have one trick I'm fairly proud of." A snap of his fingers conjured a flash of dark fire above his hand, there and gone in an instant. "I'm rather fond of fire. If I ever become good enough, I'd like to create a show around it."
Hakuba seemed slightly mollified, but still suspicious, while Akako gave Riku an intrigued look. Kaito glanced sidelong at the self-proclaimed magic user.
Damn. She probably knows that he didn't do that by sleight of hand.
Aoko saved them from any increasing awkwardness. "Kaito, when did you get back? Have you seen your mother yet? She's been worried sick about you, and she said yesterday she still hadn't heard anything from you!"
"We just got in, and Mom's working today."
Aoko put her hands on her hips. "Fine, then. You spend the afternoon with us, today, and then go home to spend the evening with her. No excuses!"
Kaito saluted. "Ma'am, yes ma'am!"
"Hey!" Aoko laughed, smacking him lightly on the arm.
"I'm afraid I'll have to bow out," Akako announced. "I've some things to do at home that can't wait."
"Are you sure, Akako-chan? Just for a while?"
"Not this time. I'm sure Kuroba-kun won't run off by tomorrow. Will you?"
"Er, no…" Kaito never felt comfortable when Akako turned her full attention on him. He always felt vaguely like a piece of meat. It didn't help that he suspected she was going home in order to use her own vaunted magic to investigate Riku's powers.
"Well, then, enjoy your afternoon together." Sparing one last look to share between Riku and Kaito, she drifted off into the thinning pack of students.
"You'll come, won't you, Saguru-kun?" Aoko asked hurriedly.
Kaito blinked. While he'd been gone, Aoko'd started calling Hakuba by his first name. He wasn't sure what he thought of that.
"I wouldn't dream of being anywhere else, Aoko-kun." Hakuba's words felt unusually serious, at least until he smiled. The smile could have been stolen from a shark.
Translation: You're hoping to keep an eye on me for evidence of my being the Kid, or prevent me from any last-minute preparations for tonight's heist. Tough luck, Hakuba-kun.
Because the way Kaito had simply disappeared had been so mean, and he'd supposedly been making money the whole time, Aoko demanded Kaito treat her to an amusement park. Surprised both by the request and by her vehemence, Kaito agreed almost automatically. He paid for Riku's ticket as well, though Hakuba calmly insisted on buying his own.
They wandered around for a while at first, the boys following Aoko's undisputed lead. Conversation continued to revolve around the Kid heist, and she seemed determined to drag Riku into the argument, asking his opinion or confirmation repeatedly. She seemed to think that because he was Kaito's senior in the magic troupe, he might have some kind of authority over Kaito, because at one point she demanded, "Yuushi-san, tell Kaito it's true that Kid's thieving hurts people!"
Startled, Riku looked between Kaito and Aoko, unsure how to respond to such an accusation towards Kaito's alter ego. After a moment, he came to a decision and smirked slightly, pushing his up his sunglasses. "Aoko-san, Kaito-kun doesn't listen to me, either."
Aoko pouted. "Well, he should! He doesn't listen to anyone."
"Hey, I resemble that remark."
"The correct quote is 'resent', not 'resemble', Kuroba-kun," Hakuba interjected.
"But I do resemble it!" Kaito grinned. Aoko stuck the tip of her tongue out at him.
"Just for that, you get to buy me soda."
Girls have no business being this manipulative. If only they didn't look so irresistibly cute when they did…
Placated with her drink, Aoko dragged the boys onto a few rides, then suggested going to the Haunted House.
Kaito took one look at Riku's expression and realized this would be a Bad Idea. The sole purpose behind a haunted house was to surprise, startle and scare—and even knowing he was home, and safe, Kaito still jumped at movement in the shadows and fought combat-honed instinct to keep from pulling his card gun. Riku's instincts were likely even deeper ingrained.
The sound of flowing water attracted his attention, an ornamental fountain in the center of the plaza. The work of a moment brought him over outward-aimed water jets to the apex of wrought metal, still perfectly dry, and he grinned cheekily down at the earthbound trio.
"This has a nicer view!"
Aoko put her hands on her hips. "All of that water is being spouted out of fish, Kaito," she announced, unusually serene.
Kaito's grin froze. Very cautiously, he tilted his head further down to confirm that yes, he was perched directly above a ring of exquisitely detailed copper-green fish. Abandoning all ideas of avoiding the haunted house in favor of getting as far away from fish as possible, Kaito launched himself upward and outward, dropping lightly to the ground back into his friends' company. He earned a surprised glance from Hakuba.
"Rejoining us so soon?"
"Oh, didn't you know?" Aoko laughed. Laughed. "Kaito's horribly afraid of fish."
Oh, no. No. You did not just tell Hakuba that.
Hakuba eyed Kaito speculatively. "Is he now?"
He's going to do something at the heist tonight; he's going to do something at the heist tonight…
Kaito mentally swore, but kept his grin pasted on. He was going to have to work 'dealing with extremely unpleasant surprises' into his contingency plans.
"Shall we go, Aoko-san?" Riku asked, saving Kaito from having to think of anything distracting to say. He still looked anxious about the prospect of the haunted house, and Kaito decided to return the favor.
He sauntered ahead of the group, using every trick he knew to anticipate where the next scare would come from, and relentlessly spoiled every one, either with a trick of his own or a mere, "Hey, Riku-kun, come look at this one!"
Aoko finally lost her temper at his purposeful obnoxiousness, storming past Kaito towards the exit. "Hmph! If you want me mad at you again, you got it!"
"Hey, Aoko…" Kaito hurried after her, still tripping all the supposed surprises along the way. Riku and Hakuba trailed after them. Once they reached sunshine again, Kaito saw from Riku's faintly relieved expression and slight nod that the other boy knew and appreciated what he'd done.
He turned his attention to remedying Aoko's volatile temper, missing Hakuba's questioning glance darting between the two boys.
When they continued onward, a game booth grabbed Aoko's attention.
"So cute!" She clasped her hands together, staring starry-eyed at the massive penguin displayed as the grand prize, then turned to Riku. "Please, Yuushi-san, will you win that for me?"
Riku raised his eyebrows. "Why ask me?"
"Because it's a carnival game, and magicians would be good at that sort of thing, right? Kaito's too much of a screw-up about stuff like this, but you're part of the magic troupe and older so you'd be better at it, right?"
Riku looked startled, then shrugged and looked over the game, which required good enough aim to knock down five targets with as many throws to earn the grand prize. Kaito, though glaring good-naturedly at Aoko, paid the operator and Riku hefted one of the balls. After an embarrassing total miss for his first throw and a partial hit for the second, Riku paused, mentally recalculated, and proceeded to knock down the last three in rapid succession.
Aoko squealed over the medium-sized penguin Riku presented her with, beaming at the taller man. Kaito scoffed.
"Too easy."
"If you could do better then why didn't you play, hmm?"
"I'm a magician, not a game player!"
"I've seen your game playing, Kaito… it's terrible."
"Fine, I'll show you what I mean." Kaito looked around until a prize offered nearby caught his eye, and he bounded over to the game, a shooting challenge. Kaito paid, took the imitation gun, and fired away—to miss every single target.
Aoko turned to him in confusion, but he winked at her. Paying again, he narrowed his eyes, adjusted his stance… and won a grand prize. "You just have to figure you how they're rigged," he declared with a grin at Aoko's astonishment. "…Or it could just be luck."
When the proprietor moved to get down the huge stuffed figure, Kaito waved his hand. "I want to split it into four mini-prizes. It's just a reversal of trade-ins, right?"
The man shrugged, silently handing over Kaito's quarry: four plush dolls of the white-costumed Kaitou Kid, complete with hat and a button monocle. He gave one to Riku, pushed another into Aoko's hands despite her protests, and paused as he realized Hakuba had disappeared into the crowd.
"Where'd he go?"
All three looked around briefly, without success, so Kaito did the next natural thing, finding a high place to look from. Of course, most people usually stood on a bench, not ten feet above the ground on the rounded dome of an old-fashioned street lamp. He shaded his eyes, letting his balance hold him steady on the uneven surface as he peered over the crowd. In this case, blond hair stood out amid the crowd like a beacon.
"Oi! Hakuba-kun! Get your rear back here, you're not escaping that easily!" He shook his fist in the air, not caring that he was attracting attention. Any good magician enjoyed an audience. "If I have to suffer through this afternoon so do you!"
"Hey!" Aoko cried from below. "What are you calling suffering?"
Riku crossed his arms. "…Why am I with you people? Maybe Hakuba-san had the right idea…"
Kaito ignored them. "Oh, no you don't. Hey, Hakuba-kun!" He raised his voice. "Stop pretending you can't hear me!"
Hakuba shrank down behind a hotdog cart, trying to look inconspicuous.
"I can still see you! Hey, can you guys over there tell the blond guy to get back here?"
That finally earned a reaction from Hakuba, who seemed to have finally hit his limit. "Stop yelling at me in public, you're making a scene!"
"You're yelling too! So get back over here!"
"No! You're a bloody nuisance!"
"Well, you're not doing any better! And you're the one who agreed to this in the first place, so you are going to come over here, you are going to experience it with the rest of us, and you are going to like it!"
Hakuba briefly buried his face in his hands, then slunk towards the group, trying not to look at anyone. Quite a lot of the crowd was staring at this point. Aoko had decided a glare was more appropriate. "Suffering through an amusement park, are you?"
Kaito flashed her a grin and hopped off the light pole. "It got him back, didn't it?" Hakuba stalked up to them, glowering at Kaito. The magician laughed and tossed him the third Kid plushie, staying safely out of arm's reach. "Here, Hakuba-kun. Now you can say you caught the Kid!"
Hakuba caught the doll reflexively, registered what he was holding, and opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the arrival of park security. There was a moment of confusion as Aoko automatically looked to Riku to take charge and Hakuba followed her lead, and Kaito realized that he would have to play along as well. Given Riku's appearance and cover story, it would look odd if he tried to take charge himself, so he let himself fade back slightly rather than have to deal with a lot of awkward explanations. Riku glared at him upon suddenly finding himself at the front of the group in the apparent position of Responsible Adult, and Kaito offered a faint apologetic shrug in reply.
Riku seemed to decide against bringing the matter up while they were in public, because he turned to the newly arrived security guard and slid smoothly into the air of authority that he'd had to assume often enough on the other worlds. He was actually doing quite well right up until the guard asked to see his identification, and he discreetly froze. Given the variety of worlds they'd been through, Kaito doubted that he even knew what that consisted of here. Fortunately, Kaito himself was far better prepared, a habit without which he would never have made it this far.
Scratching his head sheepishly, he pulled out a wallet and handed it over to Riku.
"Sorry, looks like I have it."
Riku took it without missing a beat, and pulled out a flawless ID with his picture. He handed it over without comment, but Kaito caught a glance that promised some sort of retribution in the future for the lack of warning.
"What have I told you about practicing your pickpocket routine on me? Save it for the other magicians!"
"Hah! Thief!" Hakuba crowed, though with a surprisingly good-natured undertone.
"Magician, thank you," he retorted.
"Sir, what is your relationship to these young people?"
"Er…" Riku opened and closed his mouth several times. "Babysitter?" he managed weakly.
"Chaperone," Kaito chimed in easily. "Because Aoko's father doesn't want her spending the day alone with two boys."
"And you did not prevent them from disturbing the peace because…?"
"I'm afraid they caught me off-guard," Riku replied, giving Kaito a sufficiently forbidding expression. "It shouldn't happen again."
Aoko turned her most pleading face on the guard. "Please let us stay! We never go to places like this, and we've hardly been here any time at all."
Kaito was pleased to see that he wasn't the only one affected by Aoko's mostly unconscious efforts at manipulation. The guard, a young man not much older than they were, sighed.
"Take this visit as a warning. Anything further and we'll be forced to escort you from the park."
"Oh, thank you!" After the security guard left, Aoko turned on Hakuba and Kaito. "You two. Behave!"
Riku put a hand on Kaito's shoulder. "Why don't you take that one, and I'll take this one?"
Aoko smiled. "All right. Here, Saguru-kun, as punishment you get to carry my Kid doll for me."
"What? Two of them?"
As Aoko explained what Hakuba had missed, Riku turned to Kaito. "Why did you have a fake ID with my picture with you?"
"Because it seemed like a good idea to make one yesterday, in case something ever came up?"
Riku crossed his arms. "And why would you think something would come up that would require an ID for me?"
"Narrative causality?" Riku stared blankly at Kaito. "No, seriously," Kaito continued as they trailed after Hakuba and Aoko, who had begun arguing amiably about the Kid again. "I know odds. Looking like you do, if you were going to spend time with us you would be considered the one in charge. Therefore, ID necessary."
"The way your mind works is somewhat scary. And why didn't you warn me about any of it?"
"Didn't want to worry you if I was wrong?"
"Yuushi-san!" Both boys turned to see Aoko waving them over to a souvenir shop. They approached just in time to see Aoko buying a ridiculously bright-colored shirt with a jungle pattern, complete with monkeys and a few parrots. Once hers, she turned and held it out to Riku. "Because you won my penguin, and you're from Brazil!"
Riku stared at the shirt in concealed horror, and Kaito barely restrained his laughter. At his hesitation Hakuba leveled a 'Don't you dare hurt her feelings' glare at him, and Kaito decided to intervene.
He sidled up behind Riku and discreetly murmured, "If you make her sad, I'm telling Kairi-san on you."
At the threat, Riku accepted the shirt with apparent good grace, but insisted on the day being too brisk for such short sleeves and thin fabric. This seemed to satisfy Aoko, and she hurried them all off towards another attraction.
"This is not incentive for me to ever take you to meet Sora or Kairi, you realize," he said quietly to Kaito when the others weren't paying attention.
Kaito grinned in response. "Trust me, I'll find a way."
"…How did you talk me into this again?"
"By showing you good sense, of course!"
"Oh, of course."
The rest of the afternoon passed relatively smoothly. When they reached the roller coaster, Riku went through the line but flatly refused to get on when he saw the ride restraints. No amount of cajoling from Aoko could change his mind. Hakuba volunteered to wait with him at the exit, leaving Kaito and Aoko to ride together. As the train climbed to the first apex, Kaito remembered the last time he had rode on one: hanging on to the outside of a car in his Kid costume, trying to make it back from a heist before Aoko noticed he had disappeared from the dark movie theatre. He grinned at Aoko, who smiled back, and then they were rushing down in semi-controlled freefall.
Had Kaito known of the conversation taking place below, he might have been tempted to leave a blowup doll in his place and eavesdrop instead. By the time they made it to the exit, Riku was staring thoughtfully at Hakuba, who waited calmly with his hands in his pockets.
"What'd we miss?" Kaito asked curiously.
"Nothing," Hakuba replied, smug smile intact.
Aoko shook her head. "Boys. Come on, it's getting late. I want to watch the sunset from the Ferris wheel before we go home!"
The massive wheel had semi-enclosed cars capable of carrying four people comfortably, with room to stand and move around. They piled into one just as setting sun turned the sky into a beautiful palette of colors. After a few cycles around, admiring the view, they stopped as passengers unloaded below.
"What's that?" Riku suddenly asked, craning his neck to try and see around the wheel-spokes blocking from view whatever had caught his eye.
"What's what?" Aoko replied.
"I'm not sure. Hm…" Before any of them could react, Riku swung himself gracefully out of the car and flipped onto the flat roof. "I was right, that is the ocean!"
Aoko stared up at the car's ceiling, looking betrayed. "You're as crazy as he is!"
Hakuba pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering quietly, "Oh, no…"
"Really? Where?" Kaito duplicated Riku's move, crouching beside him. There was nothing to hang on to, but since Riku seemed to have equally perfect balance and no more fear of heights than he did, Kaito wasn't worried.
"Oi, Hakuba, come see the ocean! Hey… I think I can see your house from here!"
Hakuba didn't deign to respond, but Kaito thought he heard a sotto voce mutter: "Yes, you would know."
"Which one is it?" Riku asked, interested.
"The big smarmy mansion down that way, y'see?"
"Oh, yeah. Nice place!"
A yell from below attracted their attention, and they peered down at where the ride operator was gesticulating wildly.
"Whoops! Time to get back inside," Kaito announced.
"Why was he doing that?" Riku asked as the ride rapidly descended.
"Truthfully? Because we both just broke park-ride rules, and they're afraid if we somehow get hurt trying crazy stunts we'll try to sue them anyway."
"We what?!"
"Honestly, no one ever listens to safety warnings," Hakuba sighed.
"But we weren't about to fall," Riku protested weakly.
"Ah, but they don't know that."
As they exited the ride, security arrived for the second time.
"You lot again?" It was the same guard as before, this time with a partner.
"Security guard-san! Fancy meeting you here," Kaito began brightly. "How has your afternoon been?"
Riku tried to hide in the background, quite a feat for a man standing almost a head taller than the entire crowd. Kaito suspected that an embarrassed blush hid beneath his dark skin. Hakuba merely covered his eyes with a hand, and Aoko glowered at Kaito and Riku.
"Mostly? Containing you. We've reason to believe you also caused trouble around the haunted house, given your description and tendency for trouble."
Kaito grinned cheerily. "So it's been a good afternoon, then?"
"Possibly for some very rare definitions of 'good'."
"Now, Yuushi-san…" began his partner, an older man with a severe expression.
"Yes?"
"As you do not seem able to take responsibility for your own safety or the safety of those in your care, I'm afraid we must insist that you leave. And you, young man," the older guard continued to Kaito, "have shown flagrant disregard for the rules of this park. You're very lucky we aren't banning you from returning."
Kaito smiled, all innocence.
"Kaiiitooooo…" Aoko growled dangerously. She bowed deeply to the security guards. "Accept my sincerest apologies for my friends' behavior, sirs. We were just going to be leaving anyway."
Letting her previous respect for Riku's elder status fall by the wayside, she hooked an arm through one of his and her other through one of Kaito's, dragging them towards the nearby exit. Hakuba gave the two guards a helpless shrug as the three fell in step behind them. The guards ended their escort once they reached the edge of park grounds, leaving Aoko to give a lecture on behavior.
"Aww, Aoko, we were just having fun…"
She crossed her arms. "Hmph. You need to go home anyway, your mother should be home by now. Is it too much to hope you can stay out of trouble on a trip across town?"
"I've got an errand to do first, but we'll be good! Scout's honor," Kaito added with a mischievous grin.
Aoko blinked, confused. "What?"
"Another one of Kuroba-kun's references to the United States, Aoko-kun," Hakuba said wearily, and explained, muttering, "Should never have let him borrow those American movies, 'studying English' or not…" under his breath.
"Oh. Thank you. I need to go, I promised Daddy that I'd be home for dinner. If you won't be going back with us, I'll see you tomorrow, Kaito. I'll tell Daddy you're back; he'll be glad to hear you're okay."
"Sure, Aoko. Be sure to show him your Kid. You too, Hakuba-kun!"
"Oh, you." Aoko made a face, but she hugged both penguin and Kid doll tightly. Hakuba smirked, tucking the doll inside his jacket.
"I'm sure the Kid is overjoyed to know that manufacturers are making a killing from merchandizing his likeness."
"Well, it's not like he can do much about it, is there? Come on, Riku-kun. See you!"
They parted ways, Hakuba and Aoko to the subway, and Riku and Kaito to the nearest place out of sight. A few steps through one of the dark corridors, and the two boys reappeared outside Kaito's house.
Kaito bounded through the front door, enthusiastically greeting his mother and the prospect of dinner. She in turn challenged him to spend the intervening time between dinner and the heist relaxing rather than obsessing over last-minute details. Feeling slightly chastened for neglecting her since his return, Kaito agreed.
Both Kurobas laughed at Riku's obvious surprise when she suggested poker. Once assured that she was serious, and a formidable player in her own right—after all, she and Kaito both learned to bluff from Toichi, who was a master card shark—Riku settled at the card table with a grin.
"I won't feel like I have to go easy on you, then."
"You wish." Kaito grinned. "You're going down."
All things considered, Kaito would have done better if he hadn't been so distracted by the looming prospect of fish.
Fans of KH2 may have noticed that Kaito's assessment of the various Ansems is not, in fact, entirely accurate. But they don't know that yet.
5/07