Other than Hakuba who was currently out of town and that small detective who recently didn't attend any of his heists, Aoko was able to give Kaito the slight thrill he anticipated. She would always threaten him with her fists, her swears, her vengeful promises that she would catch him the next time they crossed path and it was fun to see her so flustered every singe time.
And Aoko came to the heist again.
Kaito could see her running all around the building like her father, the only difference was she was a tad better at knowing what she was doing and where she should be going.
He entertained her, not because he had to but because he wanted to. Kuroba Kaito thought about the risk of this interaction a lot of times and always made a note to himself to not get so close to her as Kid, but he couldn't pass up that chance whenever he came across her and it was another repeated cycle. Kaitou Kid shouldn't have ties, shouldn't have any relationship with anyone but Kuroba Kaito had slipped up and let his little personal feelings get in his way of his other identity, allowing some girl Kaitou Kid shouldn't care about to mess up his life even more.
It was wrong, really damn, darn, freaking wrong of him to be doing this. He never wanted Aoko to be hurt, at least not physically hurt. He knew she was always upset and hateful towards Kid for stealing her father away, but he couldn't help it either.
He was thinking of complimenting her new brown coat; it was the first time he saw her wearing it too. Aoko would surely get pissed about it and, but at least she could vent her anger at him with her curses and shouts. This could make him feel less guilty too.
However for today, there was a slight change of plans. The police were still running around, trying to find where he was and he was already ready to put his escape route to good use, not until a shot was fired and men in grey cloaks began running after him. He knew he couldn't use that plan because Aoko might be there and there was no way in hell he would allow Snake to ever notice Aoko's presence.
So he changed his direction and went to the basement which the two buildings shared, making sure that Snake and the rest were following him before he ran up the stairs and to the roof of the building, beside the one he was supposed to be using. He opened the door and reached the top after a few minutes of consistent running and touched his chest, feeling his heart beating against the hard diamond that was nestled in his breast pocket.
The men finally caught up before he could settle down. Their guns pointing right at him.
"Give it up Kaitou Kid. This is your fate and you'll die tonight." Snake roared
"Just for your information, I haven't checked this." Kid waved the jewel in his hand playfully in the air and Snake narrowed his eyes. "Shoot me and this jewel, or maybe Pandora, will fall with me."
All of the sudden, he noticed a movement at the corner of his eyes so he glanced to look out of curiosity. Kaito really tried to keep his poker face, but when he saw Aoko across the next building, staring at him and the rest of the men that were going to kill him, he widened his eyes.
Fear.
He felt such intense fear for the first time in so many years. Thousands of thoughts and possibilities flashed across his mind in an instant, so fast that he almost failed to register what was happening. One of the scenarios that caught his attention was when Aoko was lying on the cold floor, her blood spreading across the ground and he couldn't do anything about it because his magic, magic, didn't have the ability to save a life.
Snake was about to turn to see what he was looking when Kaito snapped his own neck back into position, raising the jewel high up in the air and earning Snake's attention again. "Don't look away because before you knew it, I could smash this jewel right into pieces if it's Pandora."
"Let's see's who's faster. Your magic or my bullet." Snake hollered.
He looked up, the moonlight was piercing right through the jewel in his hand. A second passed and nothing happened.
"What a pity," He smirked. "It isn't what we are looking for."
"Then it's goodbye to you." Snake aimed.
The flash bomb slipped out from his sleeve, dropping onto the ground as he turned away, leaping towards the edge of the roof. He could hear the angry shouts behind him and shots randomly fired while they were blinded by the sudden light. All of the bullets missed and Kid readied himself to fly.
But Kaito stopped.
He shouldn't have stopped. He shouldn't have paused to even spare a second to glance at the roof beside him. But he did, because he couldn't help it. When his eyes reached to his side, Aoko was gone and he felt relief surging through his body before he realized the need to escape right at that moment.
Kaito jumped, his white fluttering cape immediately solidified into wings and he took flight. But because of that one second he wasted, he noted that Snake had reached to the side of the roof, aiming the gun right at him. The distance wasn't too great for him to miss if he tried a couple of lucky shots.
Snake didn't miss, just like what he thought because he was always right. He felt an impact on his back, though his mind couldn't register which part of his back got the hit as he clicked his tongue and his glider broke. The cold wind managed to push him further up, but because of the weight, he fell. He thought he was falling for an eternity until he smashed into a window of the building, opposite of the roof he jumped.
He rolled across the ground, crushing into the office tables and chairs. Papers flew up like feathers and slowly floated to the ground. Kid's hat had toppled over and his monocle was somewhere underneath all those white piece of papers but all Kid- Kaito cared about was the pain on his back.
"Shit." Kaito cursed and struggled to stand but he fell right on his stomach again. He brought a hand to his left shoulder before bringing it forward for him to see. His glove was moist, stained with a color which was too dark to tell, but it scented like metal, like blood. He hissed and forced himself to stand using his uninjured side and only succeeded after a few times of trying. He put his hand over his wound again, hoping that he wouldn't leave any drop of blood behind while he tried to surpass a painful yelp.
Need to get out of here. He was screaming in his head and every nerve in his body was forcing him to run away, to escape to somewhere safe. The police would come any time and there were chances that Snake and his men might come as well. Kaito stumbled and tripped a few times but he managed to notice the flashy green light that showed the exit. He bent forward and picked up his hat with his other hand and made his way towards the door and down the stairs.
Along the way, he called Jii.
.o.
It was already two in the morning, exactly six hours after she last saw Kid crashing into the next building.
Aoko shivered at the memory and cuddled her pillow tightly to her chest. She didn't know what to do back then, other then hiding behind a low wall on the roof, all alone while some gang of criminals were shooting at Kid when he escaped. She managed to take a peep at what was going on without revealing her entire self and when she witnessed Kid plunging through the windows, she almost cried.
There was no need for him to get hurt or to die even if he stole her father away.
She slowly straightened her fingers and opened her hand, staring down at the lightning crack on the glass of the monocle. Her dad and the others got to the opposite building and she followed as well, after making sure those criminals were already gone. It was a mess, a few tables were pushed away from their positions, some chairs were flipped and papers were everywhere. No sign of Kaitou Kid, no blood either. There was no trace of his existence, other than the monocle she found on the floor under a pile of papers. She kept it and hugged that small round thing to her chest the entire way home.
Aoko should have given it to her father, as an evidence or some sort, but she didn't and she never really regret about it either. She never even mention to him about those shooters and how they were going after Kid. She didn't have the proof and she didn't know enough to tell her dad and it would be just pointless anyway. Aoko sighed, her finger slowly caressed the smooth crack and she closed her eyes. At least there wasn't any body there, which clearly means that Kid was still alive. Unless those man reached there faster than any of them and taken him away.
"No, that couldn't be." Aoko bit her lips and shook her head. Being negative about everything didn't help at all.
There was a soft tap on the window and Aoko frowned. She turned her head tiredly before her eyes widened so much that her eyeballs could have just fallen out.
"Ohmygod!" Aoko shrieked.
Even with little light outside, she could see him smirking at her. She flushed in embarrassment, leaving her bed and quickly wore the jacket that was hanging on the chair. Aoko slid the glass door open and stepped out before closing the window door behind her. She wouldn't want the cold air to turn her room into a freezer later on.
"Kaitou Kid..." She furrowed her brows in worry and began to scrutinize the white thief.
"Right here." He casually leaned against the railing and stood an arm away from her.
"Are you alright?" That was the first thing she said, of all the other thousands questions that were in her mind right now. She stared at both of his shoulders, but she couldn't tell where he had been shot. Maybe he didn't even got shot and it was his glider that got snapped instead.
"I'm fine, Nakamori-san." Kid gave a small smile. It wasn't faint actually, in fact, it looked rather weak to Aoko. She decided not to press on either, knowing that he wouldn't reveal it even if she forced him to tell her.
She began to rest her tense shoulders, trying to calm herself or she would look like a worried fool. "I'm glad you're okay." Aoko muttered.
His smile never falter. "I'm honored that you care about me, Nakamori-san. Although you can rest assure, I'm really fine."
Aoko stared at him, not sure of what to say. There were millions of things she wanted to ask and understand back when she was in her room. But now when Kid was standing right there, so vulnerable from being captured by her, she didn't know what to say. Her fists tightened and she looked down at her hand, realizing the existence of the monocle that she longed forgotten about.
"This... is yours." Aoko handed out her hand, the monocle lying on her flat palm.
He stared at it with an unreadable expression and took it carefully from her weak grasp. With a wave of his hand, it was gone from her sight. "Thank you for picking it up for me."
Aoko blinked, his words striking a sudden thought in her mind. She put her hand back to her side and glanced down. "I-I want to thank you too. For saving my father when he fell of the ship that night." Her gaze never left her feet because it was so much better than having to see Kid in the eye. But he was unusually quiet at that moment and she raised her head, to find him staring intently at her. She looked away in discomfort, the back of her neck became so hot that she felt herself burning.
"You don't have to thank me. It's what I'm suppose to do." He said softly after the short silence.
"But I don't want to owe you anything-"
"You don't owe me anything, Nakamori-san."
Aoko stopped before she could manage to say another word. She gaped at him and he let her. Only after a while then Aoko found the need to break the cold silence between them.
"Why are you here anyway?" She questioned him.
"I was wondering when you'll ask."
She scowled and he continued.
"I'm here to warn you, Nakamori-san." He voice suddenly turned low and serious. "I suppose you've seen what you shouldn't see, but I shall just get straight to the point. Don't attend any of my heists anymore."
Aoko scoffed. "Why should I listen to you when I don't even know what's happening? Do you expect me to actually do what you tell me to?"
"I don't." He admitted. "But I thought that maybe you value your life enough to make you reconsider your choice."
She glared at him. "I value my life. What about you? Don't you value your own life?" Aoko felt like screaming so badly.
He stared at her plainly, his face completely wiped from emotions. "You don't have to worry about me. I can handle them myself."
"Who are they?"
"It's none of your concern, Nakamori-san. All I wish is that you wouldn't go-"
She gritted her teeth. "I will go whenever I want. You're still doing all this stealing when your own life is at risk, I don't see why I should stop coming." Aoko challenged him.
"Nakamori-san." It was the first time Aoko heard Kid sounded impatient and agitated. It was like he was so desperate, so so desperate that he could have just begged her. "Please heed my warnings. They are dangerous and they will kill anyone in their way."
"I can take care of myself." She snapped.
So he came all the way to her house in the middle of the night, right after he crashed right through a building, just to warn her not to get involve? She didn't understand! Was her existence such a hindrance to him that he couldn't tell her the next time they see each other? All Aoko wanted was to know what on earth was happening but Kid just refused to tell her anything.
He peered at her beneath the shade of his hat. "I guess there isn't a choice." He said wearily. "You said you don't want to owe me anything, right? Now you can repay the favor. Stop coming to the heist, don't even go near there anymore. Stay at home, watch it through your television and you can continue to hate me all you want."
There was a knock on the door.
Aoko turned back. "It must be Dad." She whispered before looking back at Kid. His face was unreadable and both of his gloved hands were already on the railings, preparing to make a move any second.
She scrambled to slid open her glass door and for no apparent reason, she began to panic, as if she was hiding some body she found. But really, if her father saw how she was chatting with Kid right now, he could flip the entire house. Aoko tried not to think of the joke about the Romeo and Juliet play her school hosted just a few months ago.
Her father swung open the door. "Aoko, why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Wait- Dad! I didn't even say if you can come in!" She blurted out and huffed angrily before hastily peeking at her already empty balcony.
Her father ignored her and frowned. "Why did you open the window, it's still cold."
Aoko rubbed the back of her head awkwardly before she began to twist her waist. "I need to stretch."
"Not at this timing. Go to bed."
"I'm already 17."
"Aoko, no one stretches at three in the morning. You have school tomorrow too." He waved her off before leaving her room to have his usual bath.
She quickly rushed to her balcony and leaned forward, staring at the darkness below her before gazing up at the night sky. She sighed. What was she even expecting anyway?
Aoko trudged back to her room and took her own sweet time to shut the window. She stayed there in the position, her palm against the cold and clear glass as she closed her eyes.
"...and you can continue to hate me all you want."
Setting her forehead on the glass, her heart became heavier and heavier as she repeated that sentence over and over in her head. She wasn't even given a chance to reply him and she felt rather uncomfortable to leave their conversation hanging like that. But what could she do? What should she do?
And it wasn't exactly helping when she didn't feel the intensity to agree with that particular phrase anymore.
.o.
The sound of the door slamming shut could be heard and Jii looked up, pushing the tools away. He looked down at his watch. So many hours had passed and he wondered if Kaito's bandage could last him for the day at school. Hopefully everything was alright.
Jii approached to the living room, only expecting Kaito to be loitering in the kitchen or somewhat, but the scene he witnessed right now was something he never thought of.
"I'm already fine, Aoko- And what the hell are you doing?!"
"Bringing you up to your room of course, you're so weak you can barely stand!"
Jii blinked, staring at the two teenagers struggling with each other. Aoko was holding onto Kaito's arms, playing tug of war between each other as she wanted to drag him to the stairs. Kaito turned his head abruptly to Jii's direction and blinked before he gave a desperate look.
"J-Jii!"
Aoko turned too, her face fell lax before she beamed. "Ah Jii-san!"
"Aoko-chan." Jii greeted back.
Kaito hastily separated their arms and almost stumbled down the small slight of stairs until Aoko caught him by his hand. She pulled him back up as he clumsily leaned against the wall instead of falling right into her.
"Look, you're so weak that you can't even climb the stairs."
"No one climbs the stairs with two people linking arm by arm!"
Jii softly chuckled, watching their two faces flushed with anger and mild embarrassment as they continued their quibbling.
Kaito closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm tired now. Jii, please send this mother out. Goodbye."
Aoko balled her hand into a fist before she put them down in a huff. "I'm going to the bathroom for a while." She turned and headed to the kitchen while Jii followed Kaito up the stairs and to his bedroom instead. He closed the door behind them while Kaito threw his bag down and slowly touched the his left shoulder.
"Is it still painful?" Jii walked over to Kaito in concern, watching him slowly rubbing his back as his face showed no pain or relief.
"It's better than yesterday." He merely said.
Jii slowly brought Kaito to his bed with a frown. "Your body is hot." He touched his forehead. "There's a slight fever. You really shouldn't have gone to school today."
"I thought it'll be fine." Kaito muttered. "I can't miss school twice in a row either. She'll get suspicious."
It was weird how Kaito mentioned a she instead of her name instead, as if this could make anything less obvious. Kaito was always worried about Aoko and even if he himself didn't notice it, Jii could see it as clear as day. When he found Kaito in the dark alley, nearly unconscious and weak from blood loss, Jii thought he'll be too weak to even say a word and he hurriedly bring him to his car as police cars were nearly everywhere. But Kaito pulled him and stopped him from going anywhere until he finished saying his question.
"Aoko... did you s-see Aoko? She's alright, right?"
Kaito only fainted when he replied him a yes.
They couldn't go to the hospital but Jii did the best he could to take out the bullet and tend to his wound. And that same night after he regained consciousness a few hours later, the first thing he wanted to do was to go to Aoko's place, to confirm that she was safe and also to warn her about her safety. Jii thought Kaito was out of his mind, but there was nothing he could do to stop his stubborn young master. So he watched him bringing out his spare costume and glider and flew there as Kaitou Kid. Kaito only returned after an hour, sweaty and panting and he fainted when he reached his bed. He only woke up the next afternoon.
"I'll bring some ice. I'll change your bandage out too." Jii took the blanket and let it fall on Kaito's lap, hoping to keep him warm. Kaito made no sound and Jii left the room.
As Jii walked down the stairs, he was expecting Aoko to be around and he was right. She was in the kitchen, opening cabinets after cabinets in the kitchen, looking as if she was searching for some gold.
"I can't believe this. There isn't even a grain of rice in this house!" Aoko shook her head exasperatedly. She picked up the trashcan on the floor, which was filled with empty cup noodles and Jii thought she was actually glaring at the innocent looking trashcan. "No wonder he fell sick, he's not even getting a proper meal." She grumbled to herself.
He gave a soft laugh to himself, watching Aoko opening the next cabinet and tiptoeing to inspect what was inside. He suddenly felt the urge to tease the teenager and he walked towards the kitchen and approached her. "It can't be helped. He doesn't have any girlfriend to cook for him."
Aoko gasped and turned around, her cheeks tinted pink. "J-Jii-san!" She stuttered.
"Looking for something?"
"If I can find any." She put her hands to her hips. "There's no egg either!" Aoko sighed and looked up at the clock on the wall. "There's still time left to buy some groceries and cook something proper for him to eat. Jii-san, do you want to have dinner? I can whip up something within an hour or so."
"That's really sweet of you, Aoko-chan."
"No worries! My dad won't be home anyway so I'll be eating alone too. It's like killing two birds with one stone." She skipped out of the kitchen and grabbed her bag before turning around. "I was thinking about fried rice, is fried rice alright?"
"Sure." Jii nodded.
Aoko flashed a grin and made her way out.
After he made sure she left, Jii proceeded to get the medical kit, bandages and other necessary item, along with a tub of ice water and a towel hanging from it. He climbed all the way up the stairs and pushed the door open to find Kaito still sitting at his position, not moving a single inch.
He set the tub on Kaito's desk and brought the bandages and medical kit to the bed, laying them all out neatly before helping Kaito to take off his school uniform so he wouldn't strain his shoulder.
"Have she gone home?" Kaito asked.
Jii shook his head as he carefully removed the used bandage and left it aside. "She went out to get groceries to make dinner for us."
"What?!" Kaito immediately grimaced in pain when he turned his body too quickly.
"Be careful! We wouldn't want to reopen that wound again." Jii almost shouted as he watched Kaito relaxed.
"What the hell is she doing?" He closed his eyes and groaned.
"Don't you think Aoko-chan is such a sweet and caring girl?" Jii stopped for a moment to see Kaito's reaction, but he didn't get any so he continued. "She made the effort to send you back home because you seemed unwell and even planned to make dinner because there isn't anything nutritious food for you to eat."
Kaito peeled open his eyes and scratched his forehead lazily. After a long while, he finally replied with a short and simple sentence that Jii wasn't expecting.
"She's acting like my mother." He said, his tone drained from any emotions.
Jii thought he would hear Kaito's endless rambling about Aoko from that amount of time he kept silent to himself, but he was never always right about what Kaito was really thinking, attributed by his poker face skills. Even though Jii knew it was a sign that the conversation should be stopped right there, he finished his one last sentence that he felt the need to say.
"Aoko-chan wouldn't do all these if you are not a person she cares about."
The silence lasted so long that Jii almost forgotten that he even mentioned that sentence.
After completely cleaning Kaito's wound and giving him a fresh new bandage, Jii let him lay on the bed after putting a shirt on and placed a cold towel on his head. He was about to leave the room for Kaito to rest when he stopped him.
"Jii, I need you to research on Suzuki's latest exhibition. The one that is going to be held this coming Saturday."
He was nearly dumbfounded to even say a word. Clearing his throat, Jii stated the very obvious fact that Kaito was deliberately missing out. "But Kaito-bocchama, it's in a few days time! Your shoulder would not recover by then even if you rest for the entire period."
"There isn't time for me to rest." Kaito said wearily, his eyes closed. "They are on the move and I have to find Pandora before they do. I can't stop just because of a bullet."
Jii opened his mouth but no words came out. He sighed and decided to keep the rest of his pleas to himself. There was no reason to deny what Kaito had said and it would be pointless to argue with him when he was so insistent on it. Furthermore, if he didn't agree to research for him, he swore the next second he blinked, Kaito would be out of his bed and heading to his computer already.
"I'll do it." Jii complied instead.
"Thanks." Kaito fully sunk his head on his soft pillow. It was just two seconds and he was already asleep, a soft snore coming from his parted lips.
Jii quietly leave the room and headed to the spare room right next to Kaito's bedroom. He set up his computer and began his research on the location, the jewel, the people and every few brief details that Kaitou Kid needed to know. He printed the papers and put them accordingly into a new file and slotted it into a secret shelf at the corner of the room so that Kaito could go and read it after he got slightly better from his fever.
He stretched and relaxed his body, deciding to get a drink after shutting himself in the room for nearly an hour. As he opened the door, a heavenly smell struck him and Jii immediately broke into a smile as he followed to fragrance and all the way to the kitchen. There, was Aoko, nicely setting the utensils and the plates of food on the dining table as she wiped her hand on an old-looking apron and smiling all to herself.
"The fried rice looks amazing, Aoko-chan."
Aoko looked up, her smile never leaving her face for a second. "Thank you Jii-san. And well, It's the best I can do with the ingredients I can get at this timing." She rushed back into the kitchen and brought out a bowl of piping hot porridge and set it carefully on the table. She blew on her red-looking hands that were probably scalded when she was holding onto the bowl of porridge.
Jii inspected her hands from afar. "Are you alright? There should be gloves in one of the cabinets."
"All I can find is this apron." She chortled and waved her hands around. "I'm fine anyway, no need to worry. It's just a little hot."
Jii stared intently at the food, at Aoko's hands and then at her. "Kaito-bocchama is really lucky to have a friend like you."
She shook her head, tugging the ribbon behind her back and loosened the apron for her to take if off easier. "I'm the one that is blessed to have him as my friend." She whispered, only loud enough for the two of them to hear. "He's infuriating sometimes, but that's what makes him the Kaito I know. He helped me in many different ways and I don't know what to do if he isn't there."
Jii felt his lips cracked into a smile. It's love. He felt like saying but he remained silent.
"Don't tell Kaito that I said all these." Aoko gave a pleading look.
"I promise."
She heaved a sigh of relief before directing her gaze to the stairs. "I should go and get him down to eat."
"He's still asleep though." Jii informed.
"But Kaito hasn't eaten for the whole day; He didn't have the appetite during lunch. Even if he's tired and sleeping, he'll never get better with an empty stomach."
There was nothing Jii could say to go against Aoko as she was already heading towards Kaito's room. He intended to follow, hoping that things wouldn't turn out bad but he stopped in the middle of the stairs as he watched Aoko already dragging a sleepy Kaito in her arms.
"Where the hell are you bringing me to?" Kaito mumbled with little energy, his eyelids were half open.
"It's time for dinner."
"I don't want to eat your burnt crisp of death." He pushed her away weakly.
Aoko growled. "My cooking is not burnt crisp of death. It's edible!"
Jii coughed, deciding to butt in to the conversation that would turn into an endless war if he actually decided not to intervene. "Kaito-bocchama, Aoko-chan have made us dinner and you should have some. It can make you feel better with some food in your stomach."
Kaito glanced over, seeming to be pondering for a second before he voluntarily made his way down. Aoko was smiling behind him and joyfully followed closely behind Kaito as Jii walked down as well to make way for them. He noticed Kaito widened his eyes by a small fraction when he reached the dining table. He stared down at the fried rice and was about to sit in front of the plate when Aoko stopped him, pushing him to the head of the table and set him down in front of the bowl of porridge.
"What is this white thing?" Kaito judged the bowl.
"It's porridge you idiot."
"What's inside?"
"Don't worry, it's not fish."
Kaito narrowed his eyes.
Jii shook his head with a smile on his lips and took a seat across Aoko. They said their thanks to the meal and began eating. For the entire time, Jii could sense that Aoko was more concern over Kaito eating his food rather than her own plate.
"So is it to your liking?" Aoko asked, her eyes wide with anticipation for his answer.
Kaito blew over his spoon and brought the porridge to his mouth and gave a small nod. She beamed at his response and began to eat her food with a very good mood that evening.
They talked over dinner for a while until everyone finished the food on their plates. Even Kaito's bowl of porridge was empty by the time Aoko brought it to the kitchen to wash.
.o.
"Thank you for the meal Aoko-chan."
Aoko grinned. "It's no big deal." She turned to Kaito who was leaning against the door, glancing impassively at the ground. Her smile changed into a concern look as she stared at him for a while before looking back at Jii. "I shall leave Kaito to your care Jii-san."
"Of course."
"I can take care of myself." Kaito muttered and headed back into the house without looking back.
Jii wanted to call him back but he guessed it wouldn't make a difference now. He turned back to Aoko. "He's still a bit grumpy for being woken up from his sleep. Let me send you home Aoko-chan."
"Oh it's okay. It's just a few minutes walk from here. I'll be fine." She bowed and waved goodbye before turning away to leave.
Jii only closed the door when he couldn't see Aoko anymore. He sighed and walked into the house, watching Kaito who was standing beside the dining table, his back facing him. After a short silence, Jii spoke. "You could have thanked Aoko-chan at least. She brought you home and even made dinner just for you."
He noticed how Kaito's grip tightened on the wooden chair. "I would rather if she doesn't do all these things." He mumbled. "There's nothing to thank her about when she's the one making it so complicated."
"Kaito-bocchama..." That was all Jii could muster to say at the moment as he watched the young man sloping in his position. It could have been the wound, or maybe he was too tired, but Jii never once saw Kaito looking so burdened before. He had watched Kaito growing up, from an infant till now and even just by looking at his back, Jii could almost see the heavy weights pushing Kaito further and further into the current misery he was feeling and it broke Jii's heart into pieces.
Jii contemplated for a long time and decided to ask in the end. "Have you ever thought of confessing to Aoko-chan?"
Kaito froze in place. Slowly, he shifted his position and faced him, his poker face in place. "Confess about what?"
"You like Aoko-chan." Jii stated. It was a fact. Other than magic and any other things related to his father and Kaitou Kid, he would talk about Aoko and only Aoko. And the way he chuckled while he recounted the times when he pranked her and times when he just hung out with her, his eyes were brighter, gentler and very different. He thought a smart man like Kaito should be able to know about his feelings much more than anyone else and he didn't need to remind Kaito about it. But this time, Jii couldn't hold back anymore.
Kaito glanced away and he stared at the table, his eyes grew distant. "How can I when I'm still Kaitou Kid?"
Jii felt a cringe in his chest.
"There were times when I wanted to tell her I'm the person she hated the most; Kaitou Kid. But..." Kaito's hand set upon the table and Jii noticed that spot was the one where Aoko sat a while ago, but he wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence.
"But?" Jii asked.
Kaito lowered his gaze and glanced away. "If I tell her, she'll never turn up at any of my heists again, which is what I really wanted. The last thing I need is for her to be there, right in the open and in danger. I'm alright with her hating on Kaitou Kid, but if I really did admit my identity to her, she'll hate me too. And when I think about it, I don't have the courage to tell her in the end."
Jii wanted to do something, to comfort his young master that it would be alright, but the words got stuck in his throat because he knew those were just empty and meaningless words. Kaito spun around and ruffled his tousled hair, showing a crooked smile.
"I'll head to bed now. I could have slept till morning if Aoko didn't wake me up." Kaito turned away again and headed to the stairs. "Lock the door for me if you're going home."
"I will." Jii said and watched Kaito disappear up the second floor.
The room was suddenly filled with the silence, so loud that Jii found it uncomfortable. He glanced across the dining table and remembered the lighthearted and innocent conversations they were engaged in during dinner. His gaze moved towards the family portrait set on the corner of the table right beside the front door.
It was just like then. The innocence was so strong and Kaito's smile was filled with nothing but genuine happiness, no worries in the world. His life was perfect back then and he didn't have to worry about getting killed, getting caught or getting hated by his best friend.
"Toichi-sama..." Jii mumbled hoarsely. He wondered when would all this end. All these rubbish about immortality or some jewel named Pandora. It could have been just a myth, a rumor and this probably non-existent gem was the core problem of everything that turned Kaito's life upside down. The death of Kaito's father and how he had to continue to pretend to be his ghost... Jii shut his eyes tightly in anger.
He decided it was time to continue back on altering some of Kid's equipment. Jii never got the chance to ask, but once he dies and joins his master in heaven, he would question him if it was ever the right choice to leave such a heavy burden to his only son.
The loooooooooong chapter 5 is done! I can't believe I'm still continuing this story at such a moderate pace compared to my other regular updates. Thank you for the kind and nice reviews and I hope you'll anticipate for the next installment I have in mind:)
Reviews are appreciated!