Mikau: Hello everyone! Thanks for dropping by once again. It's been a pretty busy week for me, but I've got a day off tomorrow! …and Pilates class. Anyway, I want to thank Athie Lestrade, Sirastar, Shara Raizel, and reviewer74 for your reviews for last chapter. Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: If I owned it, I would probably be caught up on the series. As it stands, there are probably one hundred chapters and three hundred episodes I've missed. It's hard to catch up because I've tuned in here and there throughout the years, so I'm not sure which episodes and chapters I've missed. -.-
….
Blind Rage and Bloodlust
(or: The Condemning Evidence)
"I'm a classmate of your son's, come to offer my condolences. My name is—"
"—I know who you are," Chikage hissed, cutting off the blonde's self-introduction. "You're that pesky British brat that's always getting in Kid's way."
"Uh…y-yes. That would be me," Saguru gulped. "Um…I brought a gift. I hope you like—"
"—Just come in," Chikage snapped, snatching the parcel out of Saguru's hands. "Did you want tea?"
"N-No. No thank you. I'm fine," Hakuba politely declined the first time as was expected.
Strangely enough, there was no second, third, or even fourth offer. Maybe she was assuming that he wasn't familiar with the Japanese custom since he looked so…unique.
"I'm really sorry, Hakuba." Kaito bowed sheepishly, embarrassed by his mother's behavior. "She's normally not like this at all. Usually she'd usher you in and stuff you full of cookies before you could say, 'Platypus.' …She blames herself for my death."
Saguru gave a small nod of acknowledgement as he took a seat on the couch. "Mrs. Kuroba, I'm terribly sorry for your loss, and I know this probably isn't the best time, but I've come here today to warn you."
"Warn me?" Chikage snorted, sinking down into the armchair across the coffee table from her guest.
"Yes, Madame. I don't want to take up too much of your time, so I'll be brief, but…I know what happened to your son…how he was killed and by whom. I'm investigating the case, and I believe I'm about to uncover critical evidence that will lead to the capture of the murderer and the criminal syndicate that Kid was after."
Saguru carefully studied his hostess's face for any minute change or sign of recognition.
Chikage's expression remained unaltered; poker face ran in the family.
"Unfortunately, this evidence is rather…condemning on your son's part as well." Saguru bit his lip.
"Oh, you mean you think that you're finally going to prove that Kaito was Kid?" Chikage scoffed. "You just like adding insult to injury, don't you? Kaito told me about how you were always so desperate to frame him. Can't you just let your obsession die with him?"
"I'm terribly sorry, Kuroba-san, to pour salt in your wounds when you're already going through so much, but I can assure you that this is not about me or even Kuroba-kun being the Kaitou Kid. This is a matter of your safety," Saguru tried his best to placate the grieving mother. "Kuroba-kun's true identity will be revealed, and—"
"—Get out!" Chikage screeched, snapping like a slingshot to her feet. "I won't hear any more of this nonsense. My son was not a criminal, and I don't have to sit here in my own home and listen to you calling him one until you have some solid proof!"
"Geez, Mom," Kaito sighed. "Just listen to him!"
After realizing that his mother couldn't hear his pleas, the magician turned to his friend. "Hakuba, follow me. We'll show her some proof."
Saguru groaned, but followed the apparition up to the second floor. "Please pardon the intrusion, Madame. It's for your own good."
"Where are you going?!" Chikage squealed, storming after the teens. "You're not allowed up there! Leave at once, or I'm calling the police."
"Lot of good it would do you; my father's the Superintendent," Saguru sighed, following Kaito through the last door on the left and into his room.
"Over here." The magician pointed to the portrait of what must have been his father at twenty-something. "Push the painting."
The detective blinked, but did what he was told.
Nothing happened.
"Get away from there!" Chikage carried on. "This is my son's room; get out!"
"Hmm." Kaito and Saguru hummed in unison.
"Just what were you expecting to happen?" the surviving member of the Kuroba family scoffed.
"I wasn't really expecting anything in particular," Saguru sighed. "You're going to think I'm nutters, but your son's ghost has been haunting me, and we're working together to bust the organization that he and your husband had been fighting as Kid and Kaitou 1412 respectively. We've got a great lead, but the evidence I spoke of earlier will reveal Kid's true identity. We came to warn you ahead of time because your house will be crawling with cops as soon as they find out, and there is the chance that the organization baddies could come after you too.
"Unfortunately, you weren't listening to me before, so Kuroba-kun said he'd show us some proof and led us up to his room. He told me to press on the painting, and I did so with blind faith. That's all I know, Mrs. Kuroba. These past couple of weeks have been a little crazy for me, so I don't know exactly what to expect anymore."
"It's supposed to be a door into the Kid Cave," Kaito grumbled, glaring at the photo.
"A door?" Saguru turned to his partner and asked, not really caring if the woman who would never be his mother-in-law thought he was a bit touched in the head. "Maybe it's got some kind of fingerprint scanner," he suggested. "Wouldn't want just anyone to be able to get in. Do you think your mum's prints would work?"
Kaito shrugged.
Chikage gapped incredulously. "K-Kaito's here?"
"Yes. Right here." Hakuba nodded to his right. "He says, 'Hey, Mom. Be nice to my friend.'"
"He's a sweetheart," Kaito added.
Saguru didn't translate.
"Say it," the magician urged.
"Kuroba, I'm not saying that," Saguru wouldn't budge.
"Say it, or I start reaching my ghostly hand through you," the apparition threatened.
"He also says, 'He's a sweetheart.' Are you happy, Kuroba?" The Englishman blushed the color of Kaito's favorite shade of lipstick.
"Yep." Kaito pressed his hand to his father's portrait and concentrated on making it solid.
The door opened.
"Holy…Kuroba, you have a bloody car!" the detective squeaked.
"Proof enough for ya?" the thief chuckled. "Welcome to the Kid Cave. You should feel special; you're the only one I've ever let in here."
"Wow. Thank you, Kuroba; I'm honored, and, yes, this should be enough evidence." Saguru fought back a grin as he began to look around.
"Kaito?" Chikage called out as she stepped into her husband's lair.
"Hey, Hakuba? Could you grab a sheet of paper off of the desk and write out the alphabet for me?" Kaito asked with tired, pleading eyes. "And can I borrow a yen?"
"Of course, Kuroba."
The mother and child conversed via Ouija board for nearly an hour before Chikage started to pack up for her escape.
Saguru tried to remain in the background, being as unobtrusive as possible in order to give them their space. He was the one intruding here, after all.
"Hakuba-kun?" Chikage called out to him.
"Y-Yes, Kuroba-san?" Saguru stood up with a jolt.
"I have to get ready to go. I'll be out in about two or three hours, so you two can head to pick up the tapes shortly after you leave here, but…I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I also wanted to thank you for looking after my boy and sticking your neck out to help complete my husband and son's mission. And…thank you for helping me find closure," she said with a serene smile.
"I'm only too happy to help, Madame," the sleuth responded honestly.
"Before I go, there are some things that Kaito wanted you to have. Actually, you can see him; he can show you what they are. Farewell, Hakuba-kun, and good luck with my son. I know what a handful he can be." She laughed as she turned to where she had left her boy. "Goodbye, Sweetheart. Come and visit me sometime; you know where to find me."
"Bye, Mom." Kaito smiled sadly and waved, even though he knew she couldn't see him. He sighed and turned to Saguru. "Come on. The police are going to search this place high and low, and I've got some straightening to do before then. Could you help a fellow out?"
"Of course," Saguru chuckled, pulling out a pair of gloves.
000
They left an hour later with a bag full of various things Kuroba didn't want the police going through and an assortment of books and trinkets Kaito had wanted Hakuba to have.
"I suppose there's no fear of them finding the Kid Cave, though, if the entrance is fingerprint locked," Saguru sighed as they made their way to a café for lunch.
"Yeah. It makes me feel a lot better now that I know no one will be able to mess with my dad's stuff." Kaito fell in step beside the living half of their duo.
"I'm still wondering how he got that car in there," Hakuba muttered under his breath.
"Dude, you can have the car, if you want. No use to me now," Kaito chuckled.
"It's alright," Saguru sighed with a little shrug of his right shoulder. "It's more the fact that your father left you a car. I could buy my own car if I wanted, but…my father's never given me anything that cool. …Besides, I have no idea how I'd go about getting it out of the Kid Cave."
"Are you…not very close with your father?" Kaito asked hesitantly.
"I'm not very close to anyone." Saguru pretended to be distracted by an advertisement posted on a shop window.
"You know, if you marry Aoko, you could start your own family. Then you'd have plenty of people to be close to," Kaito put in a shameless plug.
"You're really serious about this Aoko and me dating thing, aren't you?"
"Yeah. What? Did you think I was kidding?" Kaito gave a small snort.
"A little bit," Hakuba replied honestly.
"Well, I wasn't," the magician replied in all seriousness. "Before I can move on, I want to be sure that my two most important people are taken care of, and I think you two will do a good job of taking care of each other."
Saguru stopped dead in his tracks, mouth dropping open. "I'm your…?"
Kaito smiled, reaching up to tousle his friend's hair. "Come on. You're hungry; let's go get you some lunch."
Saguru just nodded and followed.
000
Right around three o'clock the boys headed to the police headquarters and presented their evidence.
Saguru explained how he had found the scene of the crime by studying the particulates on Kaito's skin, clothing, and under his fingernails.
This led the police to the rooftop where they discovered Kaito's phone with a bullet through it.
Saguru next pointed out the surveillance cameras, and the tapes were procured.
"I don't want you to watch," Kaito whispered, tugging on Saguru's sleeve as he was about to enter the viewing room.
"I'll be fine, Kuroba," Saguru replied as quietly as he could so that the other officers didn't hear. "I'm a detective; this is my job…. Besides, I've probably seen much, much worse."
"Yeah, but none of it was personal," the deceased muttered, following his detective through the double doors.
"It will be fine," Saguru assured again.
000
The video provided ample evidence. Snake entered about an hour before the murder itself, and fifteen minutes later on the tape an additional two men joined the main villain.
They were both tall, wearing what looked like black trench coats and fedoras, though the picture quality wasn't the best, and it was dark, so it could be possible that their clothing was a dark charcoal grey instead. The broader thug sported mirrored shades, while the other had long, silvery-blonde hair.
"I don't recognize those goons, though, usually Snake does have a bunch of cronies in trench coats with him…. They don't really do much, though, and their aim's atrocious," Kaito commented as the video played.
"Perhaps they're other operatives from the evil syndicate," Hakuba muttered under his breath as he watched the exchange.
The men conversed with Snake for a while, seemingly arguing until the blonde pulled out a small rectangular box and handed it to the mustachioed gunman.
Snake opened it, revealing the contents to be nearly a dozen red and white capsules.
"That's the poison," Kaito whispered.
The men in black (or perhaps charcoal grey) left, and the police fast forwarded until they came to the main act.
Snake fired his pistol into the sky, and down came the Kaitou Kid.
Kid slowly recovered from the crash, freeing himself from his wrecked hang glider and struggling to his feet. He swayed as he got out his card gun, eventually having to prop himself up against the wall to remain upright.
Snake shot the gun out of Kid's hand, and it flew to the ground, shattering upon impact.
Kid too was knocked over by the force of the bullet, and he cringed as he fought to scoot back and away from his attacker.
Snake was saying something, and Kid spit something back, but there was no audio.
Snake slowly approached as Kid riffled through his coat for something, anything that would help him escape.
He came upon his phone—Kaito's phone. The same one that they had found an hour or so earlier—and managed to push some buttons before Snake shot that out of his hand as well.
Snake descended upon Kid, and they began to struggle.
The monocle and top hat came off, and suddenly it was Kaito fighting for his life on screen.
Some of the officers gasped softly, utterly astounded to be seeing a young boy behind the mask of the great phantom thief.
In the "empty" seat next to him, Kaito reached out and grabbed Saguru's hand.
He squeezed back, unsure who was supposed to be comforted by the gesture.
The Kaito in the film hit and bit and kicked for all that he was worth, but Snake was stronger.
He grabbed Kaito by the throat and forced the poison capsule into his mouth.
Kaito flailed for a minute or so longer, but then he fell still.
Snake took out his phone, and a cleanup crew arrived not ten minutes later. They got rid of the blood, the bullet casings, Kid's clothing—everything.
Kaito, in his own street clothes, was put into a laundry sack and taken away by the cleaners while the large amethyst he had had in his possession as Kid was given to Snake.
000
The Kaitou Kid Taskforce was called in and given the news; they looked to their leader for some indication or how to act, but Nakamori-keibu said nothing.
He stared straight ahead and nodded sadly. He had known somewhere deep inside that Toichi was dead and that it had been Kaito carrying on their cat and mouse game, but now he was forced to face the facts and accept reality.
"So, what, detective brat?" he growled. "Ya gonna say 'I told ya so,' or something?"
"No," Saguru whispered, shaking his head sadly. "You have no idea just how much I would give to have been wrong, Inspector."
They moved to a conference room, and Detective Hakuba debriefed the taskforce and the officers on Kaito's case, telling them about what he had uncovered about the syndicate and Kid's mission.
One of the officers gave Saguru (and Kaito by default) a ride home, and they arrived just in time to catch the six o'clock news. It looked like there hadn't yet been a leak about Kid's true identity, but Saguru suspected that it would come any day now. Even though it was an extremely classified case, it was only a matter of time before somebody blabbed a little bit and it ended up on the news.
Dinner was a quiet, solemn affair.
Baaya sensed the foreboding atmosphere and kindly refrained from asking about it. Instead, she chatted about her day, providing neutral background noise in place of the grave silence.
After twenty minutes of pushing his food around on his plate, Saguru finally pushed the plate away and sighed. "Baaya, I think I'm going to retire for the night. Thank you for dinner."
"Good night, Bocchama. Sleep well," his caretaker replied softly, giving his forearm a gentle pat.
Kaito followed behind as quiet as a ghost, sitting down and curling into a ball on the couch while his friend got out his laptop and other case-related notebooks and papers.
"Hakuba?" he called, startling the detective.
It was then that Saguru realized how long it had been since his companion had spoken.
"Yes, Kuroba?"
"Hakuba, let's watch a movie," Kaito proposed with a carefully blank expression—poker face at its finest.
Saguru closed his computer and stowed all of his papers and files inside his desk drawer. "Was watching yourself get killed very traumatizing?"
"About as traumatizing as watching your own autopsy…but I'm over it. That's not what I'm upset about," the spirit responded with an indifferent shrug.
"Oh?"
"It's your face. Your face when we were watching the tape was really scary, Hakuba. You were looking at Snake like you'd fill him full of lead without a second thought, given half the chance."
Saguru bit his lip, buying time while he decided whether to tell the truth, lie, or say nothing. "Given the opportunity, I'm not sure that I could, but I'd very much like to."
"Don't," Kaito whispered. "I wouldn't want you to get blood on your hands for me."
Saguru hesitated again. "It wouldn't exactly be for; it would be because of you. I wouldn't be avenging you; I'd be getting my own revenge. That monster stole something very precious from me, and right now I can't decide whether putting an entire magazine of bullets through his skull or seeing him rot behind bars would make me feel better."
"Hmm," Kaito made a thoughtful little noise. "You know, on the outside you seem fairly pure and innocent, but you've really got some dark places in that brilliant mind of yours, don't you?"
"Sorry to disappoint," Hakuba muttered, turning back around and fiddling with some papers.
"I'm not disappointed; I'm interested," Kaito assured with a chuckle. "I can be pretty dark at times too. I think it's good to have layers."
"Hmm," Saguru hummed with a thoughtful nod. He then realized that his crush had just called him brilliant and said that he found Saguru interesting. "Hmm. What kind of movie did you have in mind?"
"Dog movie," Kuroba replied without missing a beat.
Saguru pursed his lips and frowned. "I don't really feel like crying my eyes out at the moment."
"Comedy then. Something absolutely ridiculous," Kaito compromised.
"I have something, but it's in English." Hakuba glanced at his shelf of DVDs, trying to locate the film he was thinking of.
"It's fine; I speak English well enough to watch a movie," Kuroba assured.
"Are you sure?" Saguru stifled a laugh. "Case and point: 'Redizu ando gentarumen.'"
"Okay, so my accent sucks, but I read, write, and understand enough to be able to compose heist notes. I can watch a movie in English, Hakuba," Kaito snorted playfully.
The thief had a point.
"So you do. Have you ever heard of Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail?"
000
A few hours later, Kaito had a new favorite movie, and Saguru was absolutely exhausted. That day had taken a lot out of him, so he turned in early without working on the case any further.
Kaito snuck off to have a chat with Nakamori while Saguru got ready for bed, but the rest of the night he remained by his rival's side, fighting off nightmares as he saw them coming.
The imp switched off the alarm clock and let his host sleep for as long as he would.
It was about nine-thirty when the detective finally came around, and he was not happy when he realized that he had over-slept.
"You needed the extra rest." Kaito shrugged, a lopsided grin on his lips. "You've got a text, by the way."
"Text?" Saguru yawned as he climbed out of bed and prepared for the day. "Oh. It's from that hot-headed, dim-witted…it's from Hattori Heiji."
"Was that disdain and contempt that I just heard in your voice?" Kaito tittered, taking up his perch on the arm of the couch.
"…No," Saguru lied.
Kaito smirked harder. "Is there a story behind your disdain and contempt for Hattori Heiji?"
"…No," the sleuth lied again, cheeks turning a faint salmon color. He really didn't want to get into the events that transpired on that accursed island. To have been outsmarted…it still made his face burn in shame.
"I think somebody's got a grudge." Kuroba just kept picking at the subject. "Does someone have another rival? Are you double-timing me, Hakuba? What? Is he more annoying than me or something? What's he got that I don't?"
"Just a heartbeat, as far as I can tell," Saguru snorted softly. "A corporal form, maybe more money, but no, Kuroba, no one will ever be more annoying than you. No one can take that place in my heart away from you."
"Aww…how sweet. I'm blushing," Kaito snickered, nearly falling from his place on the couch arm. "So what's Mr. Medium Height, Dark, and Average Looks want?"
Saguru blinked. It had flowed so naturally off of that silver tongue that the detective was having a hard time believing that Kuroba had made it up on the spot. "Do you…usually refer to him like that?"
"Sometimes he's Mr. Accent, Dark, and Kendo. Sometimes it's accent, dark, and temper tantrum." Kaito shrugged.
"And…who am I?" Saguru bit his lip, not sure if he wanted to know.
"Tall, Blonde, and British when I'm feeling neutral; Know-It-All, Cute, and Snarky when I'm not."
"Cute?" Saguru's cheeks went vermillion.
"Not as in, 'Oh, look at the cute puppy!' It's more like, 'Oh, look. He's flustered; how cute." The way Kuroba said it, it sounded more like someone chuckling as they watched a mouse run around a maze looking for cheese.
"Hmm." Somehow it was less amusing now.
"Oh, come on, Hakuba. Lighten up. I like your 'I can't believe the Kaitou freaking Kid turned my hair bloody orange again.' face," Kaito snickered. "…So why is Hattori Heiji texting you, if you two don't get along? Hm?"
Saguru rolled his eyes and opened the message. "I was merely consulting him as a fellow detective on any mysterious possible poisoning cases and this evil organization. It's called networking; sometimes you have to talk to people you don't like for the greater good."
"Any luck?" Kaito asked as he stretched, arching his back like a cat before changing positions.
"He says that we might try Kudo Shinichi. He should be of help if, one, we can find him, and, two, he's willing to share information. Hattori says he'll contact Kudo-kun for us. I suppose we'll just have to wait to hear back, but Hattori was more help than I thought he would be."
"Kudo Shinichi?" Kaito mumbled.
"Yes. You're acquaintances, aren't you?" Saguru replied without interest as he went about his morning routine.
"Oh my god. Lucky bastard!" Kaito snorted. "I could never figure it out before, but that son of a gun…man, that must be how it works…"
"Um…may I take part in this conversation as well, Kuroba?" Hakuba raised an eyebrow at the ghost.
"Hakuba!" Kaito suddenly snapped out of his monologue and stared, bright-eyed, at the detective. "We're going to visit the Mouri Detective Agency!"
"We are?" Saguru was having trouble connecting the dots, and it was more than a little frustrating.
"Yeah, now hurry up and get dressed!"
….
^,^ "Hohoho!"
Mikau: This emot looks extremely pleased with itself. I can just imagine it laughing like Akako. Tuesday night I worked late, and then Wednesday morning I had to get up at 5:45 to be at work again. We were setting up the big Christmas display, and it took all five of us about thirteen hours to get it done. I only worked ten of those hours, but still…. It's been a tiresome last couple of days. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. There should be about two more and an epilogue, I think. Take care, and have a great week!