"Please." Aoko tugged onto Kaito's jacket for the fifth time after they met up. "Just show me that trick you used on Hakuba already."

"No." Kaito repeated the same answer over and over again. "Even if I perform that trick, I need new audiences."

"Why not? Isn't it the same if I'm the audience? You can show it to me." Aoko pleaded. "Please, I really want to see it again."

"I prefer using my tricks on something like this." Kaito stopped on his tracks and Aoko followed, not sure what her best friend was up to. He waved his hand above Aoko's head and all of a sudden, two doves appeared on her head and started flapping their wings. Feathers began to litter on Aoko like snow and she shrieked in surprise, earning curious glances from several passer-by while Kaito was giggling at his successful prank. He snapped his fingers and the doves disappeared with a poof!

"You're an asshole!" Aoko exclaimed, collecting all the feathers from her shoulder and clothes.

"Didn't you say that you wanted to see my tricks? I've let you seen one."

Aoko snarled as she raised her fist that was filled with feathers. "Not this one!"

They continued their way down the streets, Aoko was still picking the feathers on her jacket and pants while Kaito helped to take some from her hair although he still made fun of her along the way. They entered the cafe they were planning to go in the first place and settled down inside before ordering their drinks.

"It's freezing." Kaito rubbed both of his hands together.

"Is there a reason why you couldn't show me your magic tricks? It's not like I'm asking you to swim across the Atlantic Ocean." Aoko continued the conversation although she knew that Kaito was trying to distract her so she could stop already.

"Why the hell do you even want to see that trick again?" Kaito grumbled. "You were the first one to yell at me to stop making a fool out of that Hakuba."

Aoko started fiddling with her thumb while licking her dry and cracked lips. "For... reference?"

"Reference?" Kaito raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Since when are you into magic?"

"I don't know?" Aoko scratched her cheeks and looked out of the window, not daring to look into his eyes. "Maybe like, last week or something."

"Yeah right." Kaito scoffed. "If you have so much time, you might want to look up on how to increase the size of your chest."

"Stop reminding me about my chest!" Aoko huffed.

Their hot drinks finally arrived and the conversation came to a stop. Without saying anything, their hands encircled around the ceramic cup to transform the warmth to their skin and they heaved a sigh of relief in union. It was a habit the both of them came up with when the weather was cold a few years ago. They were still in middle school and both of them ordered a hot chocolate in this same exact cafe. It was snowing and even when they were indoors, the cold within their body never went away. Without thinking much, Aoko immediately went and covered the waist of the cup with her hands and Kaito followed when he saw that pleasant look on her face and since then, they concluded that this was the best method to keep them warm during the cold period in Tokyo.

Aoko closed her eyes and her lips tugged to form a smile as the warmth surged within her body while the memories flooded back. She always looked forward to the days when both of them would meet up to enjoy a small break like this when it was cold. This tradition hadn't break although years had passed, but she wouldn't be surprise if that day ever happen. Yes, Kaito was her best friend, but how long could this last? Aoko never tried to bring this matter up, but if they ever went on their separate paths, be it studies, career or even relationship, would Kaito ever miss her?

She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Kaito who was still enjoying his little heater within his hands. Aoko sighed inwardly. She once kiddingly imagined that their friendship actually developed into something more than that, but how was that possible? Kaito was always in his own world and magic had always been his passion and life, whereas love wasn't something he was ever interested in. Aoko then lowered her gaze.

Kaito was a pervert, but other than flipping up her skirt and peeking into girl's locker room, no one managed to catch his eyes in a romantic way. Aoko never once heard him compliment anyone for their looks before and she wondered what his standards were. But since he always mentioned about her chest, he probably liked girls with big boobs or something.

"So what's up with the sudden enthusiasm to know about tricks and magics?"

Her thoughts were immediately cut off as she blinked, her attention went back to Kaito. He was already sipping his coffee, something that he started drinking since last year when he began his sleeping patterns in class.

"Well," Aoko gave a pause and picked up her cup to take a slow sip as well, using this chance to gather her thoughts and reply a good answer. "I'm just a little curious about how magic works."

Kaito scoffed. "And? Are you actually trying to see through my tricks once I show them to you?"

"So what if I am?" Aoko sneered back.

He rolled his eyes. "That gives me ten extra reasons why I shouldn't show you any, stupid. We have our magicians' rule, you know. How can we just show you our tricks twice for you to figure out the methods?"

Aoko slumped back onto her seat. "That's the thing. That's why my father can never catch him. That's why he's been suffering in this entire crazy loop, neglecting his own health to catch that arrogant ass... That's why I'm always..." She couldn't continue anymore as she fought back the tears that gathered in her eyes whenever she thought of this particular subject, even worse when it was in front of Kaito.

"You referring to Kid?"

That sudden interruption shocked her a little, but Aoko regained her composure soon enough as she glared down at her reflection in her drink. "That's right." She blurted, her temper rose at the mention of that very name.

"You really hate Kid that much, huh?" It sounded more of a statement than a question.

Aoko flicked her gaze over to Kaito. "Does the desire to see a person behind bars equivalent to hating that person?"

"Pretty much the same." Kaito shrugged carelessly.

Aoko shrugged back. "I guess that's my answer."

"But maybe... you know, that guy isn't as bad as he seems. He didn't steal the jewel for money, he still returned them in the end."

"That doesn't cancel the fact that he's still a criminal and making a fool out of my father when he is always trying his best!" Aoko snapped, trying to calm herself down when she realized she was almost yelling at her best friend. After a short pause, she continued with a small pout. "Why do you always side with him anyway?" She mumbled softly.

He glanced up abruptly, showing a bewildered look but it was quickly wiped away for his usual poker face. "It's true that he's a criminal, but there's probably a reason to what he is doing."

Aoko didn't lose her father in a way that Kaito did, but she always thought that he might understand her pain of losing those precious time with her father because of a stupid thief. Although Aoko always felt this way, she never said her thoughts out loud, at least not to remind Kaito about his father's death again. Having her father taken away and feeling lonely by herself was enough, she didn't need Kaito to remember those painful moments he had to go through when he was young again.

Dismissing those thoughts, Aoko crossed her arms. "No matter the reason, he still-" Aoko blinked as an image flashed across her mind. That moment when she thought she was going to die, to leave this world without getting to see her father or even Kaito for the last time. But instead, she was being cradled in the arms of that person, safe and sound.

Those memories were as clear as water to her and she was never able to forget that night even if she tried her hardest to. But since that debt was returned, she repeatedly reminded herself that it was alright to loathe Kid like how she used to because that fact that he stole her father away from her could never be changed.

"Hey, Earth to Ahoko, Ahoko?" Kaito snapped his fingers.

"Let's just drop it." Aoko turned to her bag, ignoring that idiotic nickname that Kaito used to call her. "The reason why we even meet up is to talk about the Christmas Party that we are supposed to organize for the class." She started rummaging the content inside, searching for the brochures she collected and brought to discuss with.

Kaito immediately groaned. "All thanks to you."

"Thanks to me?" Aoko hollered as she set her bags aside when she heard of the accusation. "If you didn't flip up my skirt, none of this would have happen!"

"You were the one who threw the freaking mop out of the window. Because of that, we are picked to be responsible for this stupid event." He argued back.

"The mop wouldn't have flew out if you stand right there for me to hit."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Did the cold freeze your brain? I could have got a concussion if that mop struck me."

"And maybe you might become less perverted after that!" Aoko gritted her teeth.

The cafe was suddenly filled with angry curses and yells, their hot drinks left forgotten.

.o.

Aoko reached home in the late afternoon, completely worn out from fighting with Kaito while discussing about the plans for the Christmas party. She kicked off her shoes and set them aside, to surprise herself when a pair of worn out shoes was placed nicely by the door. Aoko beamed and quickly walked into her house, looking around to find her father sitting on the sofa and reading his newspaper.

"You're home!" Aoko exclaimed.

"It's a Sunday." He muttered as he flipped to the next page.

Aoko rolled her eyes. "Does Sunday even matters to you before? Furthermore it was Kid's heist yesterday, I thought you'll be busy writing reports in the office or maybe party till you're dead drunk."

"Now that you mentioned about that..." He placed the newspaper on his lap and stared hard at her daughter. "Why are you in the mansion, and in one of my squads' uniform?"

"Well," Aoko rubbed her cold nose as she tugged off her sweater, trying to buy time to think of a response. "I want to see how you work. I never got to see it by myself other than on television."

"You shouldn't even be there." Her father stated. "What if you run into Kid? Do you even know how to manage him?"

I've met him, twice even. "But I want to stop Kid too." Aoko said in a brittle voice. I want to stop him so badly, so, so badly...

"No." He insisted and Aoko's heart sank. "Leave Kid to me. You should be focusing on studying, and it's too dangerous."

"I'll go when I'm free, really. I won't ever neglect my studies." Aoko assured as clasped her two hands together and gave a pleading look. "I'll be fine! I promise. I won't do anything reckless. Don't you want to catch Kid as soon as possible? I might be able to do it if you let me be involved!"

Nakamori sighed. "This is not a game, Aoko-"

"I know." She cut in. "I know that it's a little dangerous to face off with Kid. But you once told me that Kid never let any blood shed during his heist. I'll be fine."

Her father looked down at his lap, seeming to ponder for a bit. Her request wasn't something bad; her presence might even increase the chance to capture Kid and that would be all the Task Force wanted. Aoko knew all she needed was just one more push and she'll definitely able to convince him to let her be part of their pursuit for Kid. She smiled at the thought and continued talking when her father made no comment.

"If you ever feel that I'm not suitable to continue, you can ban me from participating again."

After a long silence, he sighed again. "Alright, I'll let you in. Just don't interrupt my plans to stop Kid or you're out."

Aoko jumped up from her seat and pulled her father to his feet, hugging him before she started dancing on her own, elated. "Thank you Dad!"

He silently scratched his head, watching her daughter bouncing up and down animatedly in the living room.

.o.

"Here's a walkie talkie." Her father handed the hand-held radio as Aoko preciously took it and kept it inside the pocket of her warm jacket.

"Got it."

"For now, I'll let you act on your own but I won't hesitate to send you back home if anything unpleasant happens." He reminded for the eighth time since they left the house together but Aoko never stopped her father's nagging. In fact, it pleased her that he was spending his time to repeat his words over and over again for her, even though the matter was related to Kid.

"Understood." A small smile formed on her lips.

"Good." The Inspector glanced around the museum, a few dozens of the squad members were in their position and ready for their mission. He turned away, leaving his daughter alone and started commanding his Task Force to report and some other rambles that Aoko didn't bother to hear.

Her eyes moved to Kid's target for the night. A national treasure that was supposed to be exhibited this Sunday; Heart of the Sea, an old blue diamond with a long ancient history. She scrutinized the gem inside the electrified cage, along with the usual four guards standing around it, back facing the priceless diamond.

She had thought a lot for the past two days after Kid sent his note to the police. If she had to think of how Kid would steal the jewel, she could take weeks to uncover his tricks if she wasn't lucky enough to recognize it like how she did during the Scarlet's heist.

That was the difference between how smart Kid was compared to Aoko. His knowledge and experiences with magic and tricks were definitely infinite, whereas all Aoko knew were just some small tricks and pranks that Kaito made on her and other people, if she could even remember all of it since Kaito firmly insisted that he wouldn't repeat his tricks twice with the same audience. Aoko did admit to herself that it was just pure luck that she coincidentally noticed the trick Kid used when he was stealing Scarlet just last Saturday and if there was a need, some credits should go to Kaito since the reason how she managed to unravel Kid's tricks so easily was because of him.

And no matter how much Aoko wished for Kid's failure, she knew that by the time the clock hit Thursday's midnight; the exact moment when Kid stated that the jewel would be his, the Heart of the Sea would be gone from the cage like what he said. Aoko glanced and moved away from the gem. Her plan for tonight was not to stop Kid from taking his prize, but to stop Kid from leaving with his prize. It sounded nearly impossible for both, but it was worth a shot for the latter since she was slightly better at that.

Just around the corner of the hall, Aoko noticed a few cameraman loitering about, along with their own TV station's news reporter, broadcasting live at the museum. Aoko slowly backed away, hoping none of the cameras had captured her face. She never told Keiko and her other friends about her new night job, although she wasn't exactly paid for it.

And most importantly, Kaito.

It was him that worried Aoko the most. She knew how Kaito liked that stupid thief although she could never seem to understand it in his point of view. Maybe it was because Kid was also a magician like him, and liking someone who was similar to you wasn't that surprising. But nonetheless, Aoko really didn't want to argue with her best friend too much just because of Kid. She had lost her father to a criminal, there was no need for her best friend to be taken away as well.

Clearing her mind, she skipped away to the other parts of the museum, greeting the squad members along the way. Her father had notified everyone about her recruitment and she felt welcomed by all of them. At least that was what she hoped and no one would change their opinion, finding her to be a burden like what her father originally thought she would be.

She came to this museum before, a few months ago with the class for some History field trip and she roughly remembered the routes and layout of it. There weren't any doors compared to the last heist, only a couple of large rooms that displayed several artifacts, rare gems and paintings. There wasn't really a spot for Kid to hide if he wanted to, neither was there any vents for him to escape like what he did last time.

Roof. Aoko nodded to herself. It was common for Kid to escape from the roof because the glider was definitely part of his costume for some reason. But there were chances when he would use those dummies to fake his escape, and ended up taking the stairs and going through the back door instead, just like her first encounter with Kid.

Aoko stroked her chin, trying to straighten out her thoughts. There were just too many ways Kid would escape and Aoko wasn't sure which one he would use. It was as if she had to think like a magician, think like criminal, think like a playful and arrogant jerk who liked the play with the police force in the palms of his hands but she just couldn't fit herself in any of these roles. She never had the talent for acting, which was why she found lying hard, not only because it was a bad thing, she couldn't lie without being seen through it easily as well.

While Aoko was thinking to herself, she was still walking pointlessly, not really having a place in mind but eventually, she came across one of the stairs that lead to the top of the museum. After considering for a while, she finally decided to make use of this as a sign that Kid would be using the roof. Even if he was going to use it as his escape plan or a distraction from his real escape route, there might be a chance they would cross paths.

She looked down at her watch. Ten more minutes to twelve. Without thinking much anymore, Aoko rushed up the stairs without any second wasted, estimating that Kid should be done with his thievery in just five minutes and ready to escape after he finished his work.

When Aoko reached the top, she pushed the metal door open, stepping outside and it immediately slammed right back into place due to the strong gust of wind blowing across the roof. Her ears and hands were immediately cold against the stinging wind, the air that escaped her mouth turned into white smoke and she quickly stuck her hands into the pocket of her sweater, giving a shiver.

"It's so cold." She spoke to no one, or maybe just to the Mother Nature. She hastily inspected her surrounding and rushed over to the huge ventilation fan that was located at the corner of the roof. Aoko snuck behind it and squatted down, grunting heavily when the cold metal brushed against her sweater and she shivered again, but it was the only spot Aoko could hide in the vast and empty roof. There were faint shouts and chattering below and Aoko could picture Kid's fans gathering outside the museum, holding those fan boards and cheering for the thief.

Aoko could never understand them.

As she was trying to settle down in the cold weather, Aoko almost got a heart attack when her walkie-talkie in her pocket came to life. The sound of her father yelling orders to his squad was blasting in the windy night.

"He's heading to the roof! Get him!" Her father's command crackled on her radio.

Kid is coming, he's really coming this way. Aoko stared at her watch, the needle hands showing 12:08. She sucked in a huge breath and her hands quickly fumbled into her pocket and she fished out the small hand-held radio. She checked the radio for a few second and finally found the button to switch it off. The last thing she needed was Kid to find out about her location before she could even find his.

Not even a minute passed and the door burst open and Aoko was too startled that she dropped her walkie-talkie onto the ground with a small thud. She scrambled to pick it up swiftly as she winced to herself for her carelessness, praying that the rumbling wind could disguise the noise. There were echoes of footsteps approaching and then there was a yell.

"Kid! You won't get away!"

"It seems to me like it's the opposite."

Aoko slowly lifted herself from her squatting position, her head popping out from the back of the ventilation fan until her eyes managed to see what was behind it. Kid was already standing on the railing that was surrounding the roof, the jewel was nowhere to be found but Aoko knew it must be somewhere on his body. Her father and the rest of the Task Force were standing a few metres away from the thief, their body very tensed, as if they were watching a marble balancing itself on the tip of an iceberg.

"Kaitou Kid!"

"It's Kaitou Kid! He's on the roof!"

"Kaitou Kid! Kaitou Kid! Kaitou Kid!"

Everyone below started screeching like mad but no one on the roof seemed to care about the noise or the distractions, their eyes solely on the relaxed Kid. Aoko's attention was set upon her father once again. She knew how hard her father had been racking his brains everyday and using his entire lifetime chasing Kid, giving up his career as a homicide detective for this endless chasing and never once rest or take a day off when Kid turned up, be it a prank or a real heist. Aoko softened her eyes.

Her father was getting older every second but despite that, he never lost his focus and pride in his will to capture Kid. But all Aoko wanted was for her father to stop, give it a rest, and maybe spend just a little time with his only daughter and not to use half of the day making plans and collaborating with owners to catch Kid and the other half of the day writing reports and getting himself drunk with his colleagues after every heist.

"Tackle him!" He abruptly yelled and everyone rushed forward. Aoko almost stood up from her position, not expecting her father to even give out that order. Kid was standing on the railing, if they were to catch him, wouldn't everyone fall?!

As usual, Kid was fast, or even faster than everyone. He slowly leaned back and dived down, head first. Aoko gasped and everyone immediately stopped on their tracks, contemplating what they should do next. Within the very next seconds, Kid was already flying in his glider and away from the museum, not even looking back once. She let out a breath, feeling a little at ease that Kid didn't actually went to commit suicide.

What the hell was she even thinking?

"Damn it!" The Inspector cursed and stormed towards the staircase, rambling some incoherent words into his walkie-talkie while the squad members rushed down as well and the door slammed tightly shut behind all of them. After a few seconds when she was sure she was alone on the roof, she sneaked out from her hiding place and took a few tentative steps towards the spot where Kid leapt from the building.

Aoko looked down at the crowd. It had nearly dispersed to almost nothing in front of the museum's entrance. Some hard core fans might be chasing after Kid, some may be returning back home to sleep after watching the performance…

Yes, performance.

Her dad's failure had been broadcasted all over Japan, and the next day, it would be published in newspaper and all over the internet for the world to see. It meant nothing to the audience because it was all a performance for them. Kid was just a charming and smart magician that outwitted and made a fool out of Japan's police force, stealing jewels from famous or rich people but nothing else was taken away from those Kid's supporters, those onlookers... nothing.

But Kid had stolen everything from Aoko, her father, her childhood that was supposed to be filled with fatherly love, her time that was supposed to be spent with her only kin... No one was able to understand her feelings, not even Kaito who was also one of the thousands of people who worshiped Kid like he was doing some righteous thing.

She gripped around the metal railing and shut her eyes tightly, the cold stinging her palm but she didn't care. At least this pain could distract her from that aching feeling in her heart.

"Stupid Kaitou Kid!" She cried out. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Aoko immediately whirled around, letting the wind to drown her shouts as she stormed towards the exit. She wouldn't mind staying here and bawl the entire night to vent her anger and stress, but she felt that sleeping might be the better choice since she still had school in hours time.

Just as her hands were about to reach for the door handle that lead to the stairs, something caught her eyes, something shiny and bright, reflecting the light like how a jewel worked. She widened her eyes at the thought and spun to her side.

It was none other than the white magician thief, leaning onto one of the railings at the side of the roof. His arm was in the air and the blue gem in his hands, the moonlight was shining right through it, reflecting that very light that Aoko saw at the corner of her eyes beforehand. Kid was staring at it for a while, as if he was expecting something to happen.

It was impossible. Aoko swore that she saw Kid gliding away from this very place although she recalled that when he jumped, there was a split second when she couldn't see him before he appeared again in his gliders. Was it even possible for him to change a dummy to his position so fast like lightning and then climb back to the roof?

But this was Kaitou Kid, someone who once teleported from one place to another and also walked in mid-air like nothing. She really shouldn't be so surprise by a minor switch of place that Kid had done to trick the police millions of times.

Aoko had no idea how long she'd been standing there or if Kid even noticed her presence. Once she realized she probably looked really foolish, she quickly straightened her posture and directed her shouts at him.

"K-Kid!" She yelled, her voice slightly cracked even though she tried her hardest not to. She prayed that Kid would regard it as the result of the cold instead of the fact that she was utterly shocked or nervous.

He calmly pushed himself from the railings and the blue gem disappeared once Aoko's eyes left his hand. Kid bowed, his white silky cape flowed along with the wind.

"Hello Nakamori-san." Kid greeted, completing his bow and tipping his hat forward before looking up at the dark sky. Aoko could strain her eyes to get a better look at Kid's features, but the shadow of his hat and the monocle made her think twice about the effort. Furthermore, the roof wasn't really well-lit in the first place. "Nice to meet you again. Admiring the full moon?" He gave a suave smile, his head still held high.

"Yea, I'm also imagining the image when the handcuffs are around your wrists." Aoko hissed.

He looked down at her. "So are you officially part of the Task Force?"

"It doesn't matter if I'm in or not, I'll still see you in a cell very soon." She spat.

"But don't forget that your health is still very important. You'll catch a cold in this chilly weather." Kid said, completely nonchalant to Aoko's threats.

"Thank you very much." Aoko muttered dryily. She was boiling with rage and the coldness she felt previously was almost forgotten.

When the sound of the police siren blasted in the almost silent night, Kid leaned back against the railing and watched the scene below. Aoko couldn't see from where she was standing, but it was probably her father and the rest of the squad members boarding the police cars and preparing to chase foolishly at the dummy like they always did.

"Aren't you going to tell Inspector Nakamori that I'm here instead of the one that just flew away?" Kid was still looking down, back leaning against the cool metal, his hands in his pocket and an ankle crossed over the other.

"I'll be glad to do it right this second. But I'm pretty sure once I even hold the walkie-talkie, you'll be flying off." Aoko snarled.

Kid turned to stare at Aoko and slowly nodded his head, as if he was trying to register what she had just said. "Since you are not doing so, are you anticipating for a little chat session with me instead?" He spoke innocently.

Aoko gritted her teeth, her fists clenched tightly together. "That is the worst insult I've ever received."

"That's true. Many must have called you pretty and cute."

"Are you mocking me now?" Aoko growled.

"I'm not." Kid smiled. "You look amazing right there."

"In sweater and jeans?" Aoko rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You must be trying really hard to compliment me. Like I said before, I'm not your typical group of fan girls."

Kid chuckled softly. "Of course, you're the special one. But really, I like how sporty you look tonight."

That was it, Aoko quickly grabbed the radio in the pocket of her sweater and was about to switch it on when Kid made a sudden move in his standing position. He took out one of his gloved hands and waved, the blue gem that was missing up till now appeared right between his fingers. Just one careless move and that jewel could have slipped and fell right to the bottom.

"Catch." He said smoothly when the jewel left his hand as he threw the precious gem up into the air.

"Wait no-!" Aoko dropped her walkie-talkie as she frantically watched the Heart of the Sea flying in the air and towards her direction. She spread her arms, ready to even use her life to catch that palm-sized jewel that probably worth more than a million times of her entire family assets. Once the cold gem landed safely in her hands, she heaved a sigh of relief and her head shot up. Kid was no longer there like she expected to be.

Aoko ran towards the railing and glanced around, not even the slightest sign of Kid could be seen. She peered down at the jewel she caught before she ran her other hand through her bushy hair, a little annoyed.

She definitely had a lot of explaining to do.

What a long chapter phew... So for the past three chapters, I've been writing Aoko's POV and I was thinking if I should change it to narrator's POV or maybe even Kaito's POV in some chapters in the future. It's actually really interesting to write these character's POV in many situations and I hope to explore more of it in the future. Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated hehe.