Mikau: Hey guys! Yes, I know this took forever. One of my coworkers has been on vacation the past two weeks, so I've been getting double the hours I usually do. Oh well. What matters is I'm able to post now. Thanks so much to Raifuujin, Sirastar, and Shara Raizel for your reviews. I really appreciate your support. Enjoy the new chapter!
Disclaimer: If I owned it, I would fire the person who designs Ran's clothes. Everyone else has gotten a fashion upgrade throughout the progression of the series, so why not Ran? Why must she suffer? I don't really care one way or another for her, but…still. No one should have to wear half the stuff they've put her in. I'm really picky about clothes, though, so maybe it's just me.
….
Being Set Up
(or: If You Love It, Set It Free)
The next morning, Hakuba Saguru was very surprised to find a ghost in his bed, curled up in a ball, rather like a kitten.
At first he thought he was still sleeping, so he reached out and gently stroked his darling's cheek, whispering, "Kaito…"
The apparition's eyes fluttered open as Saguru's hand went through his face, and the detective jumped.
"K-Kuroba! I'm terribly sorry. I thought I was still…Pray tell, why are you in my bed?"
The thief blushed, sitting up but casting his eyes down. "I…uh…I was just kind of tired…um, after everything that happened last night, so I kind of just stayed here after your dream ended, but ghosts don't sleep, so…"
Saguru blinked, not having the foggiest what his companion was talking about.
"Listen, about what happened on the beach last night," Kaito continued with a gulp.
"Beach?" the detective echoed. "What beach?"
"The one in your dream," Kaito replied as he looked up, face mostly blank with a twinge of equal parts confusion and embarrassment. "You…don't remember what you dreamed last night?"
"Human beings go through several sleep cycles per night and, thus, have multiple dreams. It isn't uncommon to not remember every single one." Saguru blushed. "I remember…I solved your murder. We brought down the organization, and then my father retired so that he could spend more time with me. My mother moved to Japan, and some scientist found a way to bring you back to life.
"I also think I dreamed something about…going to a circus? Maybe it was a heist; they're very similar." Saguru sat up, pursing his lips and furrowing his brow. "I don't think I remember a beach."
Kaito blinked. Just when he'd thought his luck had run out, he received a get out of jail free card.
While he was slightly insulted that Hakuba had forgotten their sultry make-out session in the sand, he was infinitely more relieved that his friend didn't remember.
Kaito had known that it was wrong to fraternize with the blonde, but he'd made excuses like, "It's only a dream," "He said 'no strings attached,'" and "I may never get another chance to try this" and just enjoyed the experience; however, as soon as the dream ended, Kaito had started to deeply regret his actions.
He'd been filled with dread as he thought, "Did I just ruin our friendship?" "What if he expects stuff from me from now on?" and "What if he gets the wrong idea?"
Now all of his worries and fears were relieved.
"What were you about to say about it?" Saguru's question brought Kaito back to the here and now.
"Uh…nothing much," the thief began to flounder but did his best to keep up his poker face. "I just wanted to say sorry for interrupting your date with my relationship drama."
"Relationship drama?" the detective repeated.
"Yeah." Kaito's cheeks went a little rosy. "It was pretty ugly. I went to see Aoko, and I kind of realized that I was never gonna be able to fall in love and have a family and all that, and I was kind of torn up about it. You and the other Kaito were busy making out on the beach, but I kind of cut in and cried on your shoulder. I just wanted to say sorry…and thanks. I was in pretty bad shape, and you were really there for me. It means a lot to me, but I've gotta say, I'm really glad you don't remember it, since it was so embarrassing, you know?"
"Now that you mention it, I think I do remember you crying…the making out part too. We don't usually kiss that…passionately. You didn't happen to see that, did you?" Saguru's face turned bright red.
"Uh…a little," Kaito confessed, rolling off the bed. "Anyway, we should probably get to work on my murder. Daylight's a-wasting, after all. So…uh…where do we start, Tantei-san?"
"Well, some of us need to shower, get dressed, and have breakfast before the crime solving starts, but after I've eaten, I plan to narrow down my list of crime scenes based upon your testimony and the data that's been gathered," the Brit summarized as he climbed out of bed. "How's that sound?"
"Sounds just peachy," Kaito sighed, taking a seat on the couch. "I'll wait here, I suppose, since I don't require as much maintenance as you living folk do."
Saguru flinched at the sharp, bitter tone to his crush's voice. "I'm sorry, Kuroba. That was rather insensitive of me. I'll have Baaya bring me up something so that we can get started right away. Okay?"
"No," the apparition sighed deeply once again, running a hand through his hair. "No, it's fine. Do your thing, Hakuba; don't worry about me. Seriously. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me lately. It's like I'm PMSing; my emotions are all over the place. I didn't mean to…just…I'll wait here."
"Kuroba…" Saguru bit his lip as he awkwardly stood to the side. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around the boy he loved, hold him, and comfort him, but he had a feeling that his attentions would only freak his friend out and make him even more agitated.
"I said, don't worry. It's fine," the deceased assured, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his shins.
"Kuroba, no, it's not." Saguru finally got up the nerve to go to his beloved. He sat down next to the ghost, placing a supportive hand on Kaito's intangible shoulder. "You're dead. You have every reason to be upset and act crazy…crazier than usual. You're the one who shouldn't worry about it. Just…let me know what you need." The detective's face went fire-engine red, but he forced himself to look the other teen in the eye. "You know I'd do anything for you."
The very tips of Kaito's ears went scarlet, but he kept his poker face on. "Don't go all gay on me, Hakuba," he chuckled.
"Too late," Saguru responded, getting a little braver.
It was then that Kaito noticed the glow in his rival's eyes—pure, sweet, and simple love. He pulled back. "Look, I know you like me, and I've come to be okay with that, but…you've gotta let me go, Hakuba. Even if I was interested in you, I'm dead. Nothing can happen between us, and I don't want to hurt you anymore, so…forget about me. 'Kay?"
"I'll never forget about you," the detective swore, getting up and going to his closet to pick out clothes for the day. "Besides, I've got a bit of a masochistic streak in me."
"I've noticed," the frustrated phantom muttered, absent-mindedly watching the living half of their duo dress.
He also happened to notice that Hakuba didn't have a six pack like he had had in the dream.
The detective seemed larger—taller and more bulky—than the Hakuba that Kaito had made out with on the beach. His hair was duller and his eyes were darker—not as bright and entrancing as they had been the previous night.
Kaito hummed in thought as he contemplated Hakuba's dream-self. He considered the blonde to be good looking. Sure, he wasn't the best judge of male beauty, but Hakuba seemed to measure up to all of the girls at school's standards. Kaito never would have thought that the detective would want (subconsciously or otherwise) to change something about his appearance.
Then again, in the past week, Kaito had learned a truck full of things about his rival that he never would have guessed before.
"S-Something the matter, Kuroba?" Saguru tentatively inquired when he turned and found his crush eying him.
Kaito blinked. "No. Just noticing that you look different in your dreams than you do in real life."
"D-Do I?" The Brit blushed.
"Yeah." The magician shrugged. "You're smaller, for one, and you've got washboard abs."
"Oh?" Saguru gulped, turning back around to search for a different tie. "Well, one can look however one wishes in a dream. I'm sure many people alter their appearances in dreams."
"I don't." Kaito shrugged again, shifting so that he was hanging off of the couch, upside down. "I don't really have anything I'd want to change. I mean, sometimes I wish my hair was a little…more tame, maybe…nah, then I'd look like Kudo Shinichi, but…why do you think that is? That people change the way they look, I mean?"
"Not everyone can be as confident as you, Kuroba. Some people wish to fit in…be popular…be accepted. Some people…" Saguru took a deep, cleansing breath before going on. "Some people are dissatisfied with the way they look."
"You mean you?" Kaito blinked, flipping so that he was once again right side up.
"I'm going to take a bath. We'll work on your case after breakfast," the detective muttered, making a beeline for the door.
"What's wrong with the way you look?" the magician asked out of curiosity. "Sure you look different from most people, but I think different is good. It makes you interesting, and most of the girls at school think you look dreamy—their words, not mine. Besides, everyone thinks that foreigners are cool—"
"—I am NOT a foreigner," Saguru snapped so viciously and so suddenly that it made the thief jump. The blonde whipped around and glared down his houseguest. "You have NO idea what it feels like to be treated like an outsider in your own country. You don't know what it feels like to have people speak slowly to you in Japanese like you're a child or, worse, try to speak to you in broken English because they assume you can't speak a word of your own mother tongue. You've never had people talk about you within earshot because they think you won't understand. Your family doesn't ostracize you because you're the mud-blooded, half-bred black sheep.
"And it's not even just in Japan! Do you know how many times some bloody cabby has asked me, 'This your first time in England?' You have no idea how it feels to be an outcast! You have no idea what it feels like to not belong anywhere! You don't—" Hakuba stopped, face going white when he realized what he was doing.
He clapped a hand over his mouth, bowed, and muttered, "Excuse me," as he fled.
Kaito just sat there, gapping open-mouthed for a while afterwards.
000
Saguru took a loooong bath, opting to spend most of it submerged up to his nostrils soaking in the tub.
For ten years he had kept that rant bottled up inside, and at the least opportune moment possible, it had finally slipped out.
"Yes, Saguru. Go ahead. Shout at the guy you like. That'll work."
He sighed, putting the rest of his face into the water and blowing bubbles of frustration.
He raised his head and wiped the leftover water droplets from his face.
His hands were wrinkly.
Time to get out and face the big, scary world.
Another sigh, and then he stood up, dried off, got dressed, and went down for breakfast.
Baaya had made an omelet, toast, and sausages this morning. She'd left it out on the table with a cover over it to keep it warm. She was always very thoughtful that way.
Perceptive too.
She took one look at him and demanded, "Saguru, what's wrong?"
The young master shook his head, taking a seat and starting his first meal of the day. "I may have yelled at Kuroba and scared him off."
"I was wondering where he was this morning." Baaya nodded, taking the seat opposite her charge. "Usually he floats around…gazing in envy at your food, I imagine?"
"Yes," Saguru chuckled. "He does that. Food seems to be the thing he misses the most. He's a simple creature, deep down." The smile faded from Hakuba's face. "You're trying to distract me?"
His foster mother nodded. "You're probably making it out to be more than it is, Sweetheart. Kuroba-kun most likely shook it off while you were in the shower. A spirit as bright and bouncy as that more often than not isn't one to dwell on little disputes. Eat your breakfast and then go up and say sorry, Saguru. It'll be just fine."
"How can you be so sure of everything, Baaya?" Saguru sighed, trying to shrug off his worries and eat his omelet.
"When you've lived as long as I have, Sweetheart, you start knowing things," the sage assured. "You think you're smart now? Well, just wait until you get to be my age."
"You're not that old, Baaya," Saguru snorted.
"I'm triple your age, you young whippersnapper," Baaya snorted back.
Saguru smiled. "But you still look lovely."
"Charmer," the matronly woman chuckled, swatting her charge with one of the cloth napkins. "Eat your breakfast and go make up with your boyfriend."
"Yes, Madam."
000
Kaito was sitting on the couch's arm when Hakuba gathered up enough courage to open the door a crack and peer inside his room.
"You're still here," he replied rather stupidly, gawking at the ghost.
The apparition in question shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Saguru blushed, tentatively inching his way into the bedroom. "I thought…I yelled at…before…I'm sorry, Kuroba. I shouldn't have—"
"—Don't sweat it," the magician urged, cutting his host off. "Please. You don't have to feel bad about it. It's not your fault that I pushed your buttons the wrong way. Sorry, by the way. Let's just forgive and forget on this one, okay?"
Saguru nodded. "Thank you…. Then…shall we get started on the search for the crime scene?"
"Can we do something else first?" Kaito bit his lip as he hopped down from his perch. "I kind of need a favor."
"Sure. What is it?" Hakuba readily agreed.
"Will you go visit Aoko for me?" Kaito asked, crossing his fingers, holding his breath, and pleading with his eyes.
000
Despite being Aoko's classmate and Nakamori-keibu's coworker, Hakuba had never seen their house. He didn't even know where it was; Kaito had to guide him.
"This is it." The magician motioned to the quaint little house in front of them.
Saguru was unimpressed.
Obviously the head of the Kaitou Kid Taskforce didn't make a lot of money. Not like the Superintendent of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, anyway.
The Inspector opened the door and was quite surprised to find Hakuba standing there with a small bouquet of flowers.
"Good afternoon, Sir. I came to see how your daughter was doing. I thought some company might make her feel—"
Before Saguru could even finish the sentence, a loud crash was heard in the background along with sobs and shrieks. The words themselves were inaudible.
The cop just shook his head slowly in exhaustion, stepping out of the way to grant the sleuth entry. "Good luck."
"This way," Kaito sighed, leading Hakuba to Aoko's room.
As they got closer, the sobs became easier to discern, "BaKaito! You idiot! Wh-Wh-Why'd ya have to go and leave?!" among other obscenities that she had probably learned from her father.
"Aoko-kun?" Saguru called softly as he rapped on the door. He tried again, a little louder, when she didn't reply.
All at once, the noise within came to a halt, and the door slowly opened a tad after a good minute or three.
"Ha-Ha-Hakuba-kun?" a puzzled Aoko hiccupped as she peeked through the crack at her visitor.
"Aoko-kun. Sorry to come all of a sudden, but…I just wanted to check up on you…make sure that you were okay," Saguru explained nervously. "A-Are you okay?"
The strange, spacy look in the normally bright and bubbly girl's eyes was a little disturbing.
She blinked, the lights coming on abruptly. "Hakuba-kun! W-W-W-Wait here!"
The door snapped closed, and the boys were left to wait in the hallway while what sounded like major remodeling went on inside.
Ten to twelve minutes later, the door opened fully, and there stood a rather disheveled, but nicely dressed, Nakamori Aoko.
She wore a cute little dress, but her hair was a veritable rat's nest, and her face was completely red. Her eyes were bloodshot, and it looked like she'd been crying for hours on end instead of sleeping.
"Oh, Aoko-kun." Saguru dug out his handkerchief and began to work damage control.
Aoko began to cry anew. "Ao-Ao-Aoko's…s-sorry. I-I-I don't…Aoko can't…" and then she deteriorated into sobs once more.
"Shh…I know. Believe me, I know," Saguru assured. "He was very important to me too. I'm not going to pretend to know exactly how you feel since you obviously knew him better and longer than I did, but…I know how it made me feel. Don't worry about appearances in front of me; I won't judge you, so just scream, cry…do whatever you need to do. It's okay—healthy even—to grieve."
Aoko paused and considered what she'd been told for a minute before collapsing into her visitor's arms and bawling uncontrollably about the loss and sadness and abandonment she felt.
Saguru held and comforted her until she finally tired herself out. All the while, Saguru watched his beloved pace endlessly, like a majestic feline going mad in a zoo.
"I'm in hell. This is what hell's like," Kaito muttered under his breath as he listened to his darling wail, knowing that there was nothing he could do.
"S-Sorry," Aoko sniffled, pulling back and going to sit on her bed. "T-Thank you."
"Don't worry about it." Saguru smiled, easily shrugging it off. "Are you feeling a little better now, Aoko-kun?"
"Y-Yes," Aoko stuttered as she caught her breath. "Yeah, actually. For the past week, everyone's been telling Aoko not to cry because Kaito wouldn't want her to be sad, but…the more she heard that she shouldn't, the more it made her want to. Hakuba-kun, you're the first person that's told Aoko that it was okay to cry."
"I think it's easier for people to tell you not to cry. When you cry, it makes them feel awkward. They love you and want to see you happy, so it hurts them when you're hurting. Don't blame them for not wanting you to be sad; it just means that they care about you." Saguru took a seat in the desk chair. "I, however, have experienced a lot of loss. Thus, I've gone through a lot of counseling. I know it's best to grieve—but only for a little while."
"How long is a little while?" Aoko sighed, rubbing at her eyes.
"You get a month to cry and carry on like you have been," the expert informed her. "After a month, you have to start getting back to reality. Don't get me wrong, you can still be sad and hurt, and you can break down every once in a while, but you can't let grief take over your life. As much as Kuroba doesn't want to be forgotten, he wouldn't want your holding onto him to ruin your future happiness. All he ever wanted was to make you smile…and chase him with a mop, but…he was the kind of person that wanted to make others happy."
Kaito nodded, taking a seat on the bed beside his life-long love.
Saguru's aside got a giggle out of the devastated girl, causing him to smile as well.
"Thank you, Hakuba-kun," Aoko whispered.
He shook his head. "It's the least I can do for the both of you."
"Both?" Aoko blinked those beautiful sapphire eyes that had become dull over the past week.
"You and Kuroba. He's probably floating around in utter despair, watching you cry and knowing he can't do anything about it."
Aoko blushed. "Aoko hopes not. She looks terrible."
"Tell her she looks adorable," Kaito begged, gazing sadly at the sovereign of his heart, not a foot away, yet still he was unable to touch her.
Saguru blushed. "You look rather…adorable, Aoko-kun."
Aoko blushed. "Y-You think so?"
"Y-Yes," the detective continued after receiving a death-threat-glare from the ghost. "In a sort of damsel in distress sort of way. Very feminine and…and delicate."
"Offer to take her out somewhere," Kaito commanded. "Like…for ice cream or something. I bet she hasn't left the house since the funeral."
"Aoko-kun? Would you like to go somewhere? Maybe for ice cream? I think some fresh air would be good for you. It might make you feel a little better," Saguru suggested, trying to make it sound like the farthest thing from a date that he could.
Aoko blinked. She smiled and, surprisingly, nodded. "Aoko…would like that, but…would you mind waiting a bit, Hakuba-kun? Aoko needs to shower."
"Uh…certainly. I'll be in the parlor."
"What about the flowers?" Kaito rolled his eyes, reminding the detective.
"Oh. Right. Aoko-kun, I almost forgot, but…I got these flowers for you. They're not much, but…if you like…"
Aoko's eyes lit up, and then they began to tear up, but she was still smiling. "Thank you."
Saguru went to the parlor to wait, glad that Kaito had talked him out of roses.
"How did it go?" Nakamori-keibu inquired from his armchair. "I hear that the screaming and sobbing has stopped. What happened? Did she conk out?"
"She cried, we talked, and now she's getting ready so that we can go for ice cream," Saguru explained.
The Inspector stared at his guest in absolute shock. "Son, you're a miracle worker."
000
"Aoko used to get ice cream with Kaito," the magician's sweetheart sighed, giving her cone a half-hearted lick.
"You should smile when you say that," Saguru urged. "Don't let your memories of him make you sad. Remember how happy you were and smile."
"But…Kaito's never going to eat ice cream again," Aoko choked, beginning to tear up.
"Don't remind me," Kaito sighed, letting his head thunk against the table.
"So you'll just have to eat enough for the both of you," Hakuba suggested.
"Just don't get fat, Aoko," the ghost snickered.
"He'd probably tease me about getting fat, if I did that," Aoko snorted, puffing out her cheeks like a child.
Hakuba couldn't help but laugh. They knew each other so well; he was a little jealous.
"He was such a jerk," Aoko began to rant. "Just like ice cream…so cold…but…he was really sweet sometimes. Then he'd go and ruin everything when he'd look at Aoko's panties or flip her skirt or call her fat or insult her father. He just made me so mad sometimes."
"Because you're beautiful when you're angry," Kaito chuckled, looking up longingly at his beloved.
Saguru smiled sadly, wishing that Kuroba would look at him that way. "You know, Aoko-kun, boys are often mean to the girls they like. I wouldn't be surprised if he only pranked you because he resented the power you had over him or was afraid of his feelings for you or wanted to protect your friendship by keeping his emotional distance or something like that."
"Hey, don't psychoanalyze me," Kaito grumbled, blushing madly.
"Y-You think that Kaito…l-l-liked Aoko?" The poor girl turned the same hue as her crush.
"I know he did," Saguru replied confidently. "We used to butt heads and compete over you all of the time," he chuckled.
"H-Hakuba-kun…do you…do you like Aoko?" the startled school girl whispered.
Saguru blinked then turned purple. "M-Me? A-A little. I mean, not…not like…like Kuroba did. Please don't get me wrong; you're a very charming young lady, but…"
"Then why did you compete with Kaito over Aoko if you don't like her like her?" Aoko asked with sparkling eyes.
"Yeah. Why is that?" Kaito jumped in.
Saguru's face rapidly raced through the red-purple color spectrum. "I…I…I mean…at first I did it for your sake. Above all, I endeavor to be a gentleman, and a gentleman always assists a lady. At the time, before my own heart was involved in this mess, I saw it as my duty to make Kuroba treat you the way you deserved to be treated. By offering myself as a rival, I thought perhaps Kuroba would wise up and confess to you. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and after a short time my motives became more self-serving. I continued to compete with Kuroba in hopes of winning you over and keeping the two of you apart. I'm sorry. I'm not very proud of what I did."
"But…why?" Aoko insisted while Kaito nodded in understanding. "Why would you want to keep Kaito and Aoko apart if you didn't like Aoko?"
"Let's just put it this way," Saguru whispered, dropping his gaze into his sundae in shame. "even though I was pretending to be Kuroba's rival, I was actually yours, Aoko-kun."
Aoko blinked. It took a moment for her to process the information, but then her mouth fell open, and a giant, "Eeeeeeehhhh?!" came out. "Y-Y-You l-liked Kaito too, Hakuba-kun?!"
"Yes. I do," the detective confessed, just waiting for her to scream "Gross!" or call him some horrible name.
"Did Kaito know?" Instead he was met with genuine interest.
"Y-Yes. He'd just found out recently, though."
Aoko nodded slowly. "And…what did he say about it?"
"Thanks, but no thanks," Saguru sighed, taking a bite of his butterscotch ice cream. "Sadly, he seems to prefer women. I never stood a chance."
Kaito shifted uncomfortably, looking anywhere but at his friend.
"I'm sorry," Aoko replied gently, feeling a twinge of guilt.
"It's not your fault," Saguru assured both her and himself. "Even if you weren't around, he wouldn't have given me a second look anyway. All of my charm, money, and wonderful personality never would have made up for the fact that I was born male. There's not much I can do about it. I mean, I'd change, but I know I'd make a hideous woman. I'd have to have a lot of work done before I'd even be presentable….
"One night I went so far as to draw up a list of what I'd have to change in order to be pretty, and it included everything from a new nose to taking a chunk out of my legs in order to make me shorter. That time I went back to England a half a year ago, I was seriously considering it, but…more than the cost and the excruciating pain, I didn't go through with it because I was afraid it still wouldn't be enough.
"If I mutilated myself beyond recognition and he still told me, 'I can't love you,' or, worse, laughed at me and called me a freak, I knew I'd never be able to get over it. So…it's not your fault, Aoko-kun. I could have tried harder, but I didn't have the guts to."
"Hakuba…" Kaito whispered, heart breaking for his friend.
"Hakuba-kun…" Aoko echoed. "You must be hurting too. Aoko's just been thinking about herself, but other people are hurting too because of Kaito's death."
Saguru nodded.
"How do you go on, Hakuba-kun? You loved him just as much as Aoko did, but you're not locked in your room sobbing and wailing."
"No, but I'm still grieving. I just have another way to channel that grief. I'm working to catch the murderer, and when I find the people responsible for Kuroba's death, I'm going to make sure they rot in jail," Saguru responded with determination. "You know, Aoko-kun, there's an old saying that goes, 'When life throws a dagger at you, there are two ways you can catch it: by the blade, or by the handle.' You can either let Kuroba's death wound and cripple you, or you can use it as a tool to make yourself stronger. I prefer the latter."
"But…how can Aoko use Kaito's death as a tool?" Aoko asked, a puzzled look on her face. "What can she do?"
"You could use this experience as fuel to make yourself a better cop, if you choose to go down that road in the future. You could learn how to let someone go and carry on on your own. There's really a lot of opportunities for growth here. Just…make some positive change come out of this tragedy because, really, your loved ones are right when they tell you not to cry because Kuroba wants you to be happy. He loved you whole-heartedly, and he wanted a bright and happy future for you. I'm sure that hasn't changed even though he'll no longer be a part of it. Don't be afraid to move on and fall in love again. Never forget him, but don't let your memories of him hold you back. He wouldn't want that," Saguru preached as he watched the magician nod in agreement out of the corner of his eye.
"You too, Hakuba-kun," Aoko urged, to the detective's mild surprise. "Even though Kaito didn't love you, you were still very important to him. Aoko's never seen Kaito warm up so quickly to another person before. Sure, he's friendly with everyone, but he really only has a few real friends. Hakuba-kun, you were one of them, and he treasured his friends above everything else. Even though you may not think that he did, he cared about you, and he wouldn't want you to give up on future happiness because of him either."
"She's right, you know," Kaito whispered. "I never would have admitted it at the time, but you've been my best friend for a long time now."
Saguru blinked, utterly gobsmacked. "R-Really?"
"Of course!" Aoko cried.
"Really, really," Kaito chuckled.
000
Aoko was treated to a movie after ice cream, and then the boys escorted her home, Kaito making Saguru promise to come visit again.
An extremely grateful Nakamori-keibu extended an open invitation to the detective brat that he hadn't been able to stand a few hours prior.
"You two make a cute couple," Kaito hummed as they made their own way home.
If Saguru had been drinking something, he would have spit it out. "What?"
"You heard me. You and Aoko make a good couple; you have my blessing." Kaito jumped up on a chain-link fence and continued to walk as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
"You want to set me up with Aoko-kun?" Hakuba's mouth fell open, and he stopped in his tracks.
"Yeah. Why? Is she not good enough for you?" The protective best friend glared down his darling's potential suitor.
"No. She's a lovely, charming girl. I'm just confused as to why you'd want to set the love of your life up with someone like me." Saguru shook his head as he trotted to catch up with the phantom.
"Because you're exactly the kind of person I'd want her to end up with." Kaito shrugged but still managed to keep his balance. "You're well-off, intelligent, good looking, kind, honest, principled, loyal, and dedicated. If it can't be me, you're my second choice. You're the kind of person that's worthy of her, and…more than that, she's the type of person that you deserved to be loved by."
Saguru paused as Kaito hopped down from the fence in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"And Hakuba? You don't need to change to become good enough; you're already fine the way you are. I'm the one at fault here. I'm the one that can't see past something as trivial as biological sex. I'm sorry that I'm so shallow, and I really hope you fall for someone better—like Aoko—next time. So…don't feel so down, okay?"
Saguru nodded, feeling minutely better.
"Would it be any condolence if I told you that I think you'd make a scandalously gorgeous woman?"
That coaxed a small smile onto the teenage sleuth's face. "Thank you, Kuroba."
"Seriously. I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off you," the magician chuckled and began walking once more.
….
v(AwA)v
Mikau: So, I've decided that his name is Herman. He's a gremlin. Don't ask. Also, I just happened to look at my Story Stats today, and I realized that a lot more people read this than I thought. I had no idea that so many people liked this story since I'd only gotten a few reviews per chapter. I wanted to thank you guys for your support, but I am interested in why so many people favorite and are following this fic. Take care guys! See you next week!