"Let me take that."

"Keiko, it's just a bag of chocolate chips."

"Exactly. So let me take that."

It wasn't easy to convince Keiko that she would be fine to go out and buy some stuff, so Aoko finally decided to compromise and handed the plastic bag over to her best friend after giving a defeated sigh.

"My arms are fine already. The cast was removed a month ago. Look." She began waving her arm in the air to prove her point.

"Just in case, you know." Keiko wagged her finger. "Besides, Kuroba-kun would have done the same too."

Aoko frowned. "What's this got to do with him again?"

"Because everything's got to do with him." Keiko shook the bag of chocolate chips and several other bags of goodies, which she refused to let Aoko carry as well. "Didn't you buy all these for him?"

It was already summer break. The weather was getting terribly hot and Aoko decided to let the conversation go instead of arguing in such a weather as they continued walking down the streets. Besides, she didn't know what else to say since Keiko was right. She glanced down at the few bags of stuff Keiko was helping her to carry.

Today was 21st June; Kaito's birthday.

Until now, she hadn't seen or talked to him yet, much less wishing him a happy birthday. But Aoko was pretty sure he forgotten about his own birthday too, if no one reminded him yet. She always wondered how he could remember all those math formula yet he couldn't remember simple dates like this.

Aoko sighed inwardly. Kaito also did say he wouldn't be free to have dinner over at her place tonight so there wasn't a need to cook his portion. To hell with that. No matter if he liked it or not, she would make sure he have at least have a proper meal on his birthday.

And a cake too.

She bit her lips. Baking a cake wasn't her specialty but she was willing to try. It was an easy feat, compared to the time when Kaito put so much effort in cooking that fish porridge for her. Even till today, she still couldn't forget those disgusted faces he made while he was in the kitchen. It made her laugh sometimes at the memory, and happy too.

Very happy.

"Hey, it's Kaitou Kid."

Aoko blinked and glanced at Keiko who was looking up. She followed her gaze and stared at the large TV screen on a shopping mall. A news reporter was animatedly pointing at a large picture of Kaitou kid on a white board, with a microphone in his hand.

"Tonight, Kaitou Kid announced that he would be the stealing the Sapphire Eye from the infamous Krishima museum! Will the police be able to capture him or will he escape again this time?!"

"Kid's been pretty active lately. He just stolen a jewel a few days ago."

Keiko was right. Kaitou Kid had been really hardworking during these period of time and she couldn't get to spend her holiday properly with her father at all, not even a simple trip to Osaka she yearned for ages. And now that she couldn't participate in any of the heist anymore, she was always stuck at home, with a remote control in one hand and a pillow in another, almost at the verge of being ripped off.

Her lips pursed. She hadn't seen Kaitou Kid face to face for a very long time too, not like she wanted but it irked her that she couldn't give him a piece of her mind before cutting all threads of connection between him and her.

She refused to let their last moment to be the time when she was about to cry in front of him because of the cold war she had with Kaito months ago. She refused to show that side of her to him, of all people. She refused.

Aoko wanted a conclusion, at least get her debts fully repaid and not left it hanging and letting everything ended so abruptly like that.

Not like that.

"Earth to Aoko?"

Aoko's thoughts were immediately snapped away and her wandering mind came straight back to her instead. She afforded a sheepish smile and shook her head when Keiko continued giving her a strange look.

"Are you alright? You looked pretty dazed."

"I'm fine." She paused. "Just a little fed up with Kaitou Kid."

"Your father must be tired, huh?"

Aoko narrowed her eyes at the TV screen and sighed as they continued walking again. "Can't help it."

.o.

The coating of the chocolate cream was finally done. Aoko massaged her shoulders for a moment before heading to the fridge to take out the goodies and sweets to decorate on the cake. Keiko watched her from the counter the entire time.

"Are you bored? You can go watch TV or something. There should be lots of Kaitou Kid's news at this timing." Aoko gave a pointed look. "Your favourite."

"I'll be going to the museum with Sayaka-chan later so it's fine." Keiko stared at the stuff Aoko poured out from the fridge and gaped. "All those for the cake?"

"He likes it." She shrugged. "And I guess that's all that matters."

"He's such a sweet person."

"Sweet, literally." Aoko smiled before it faltered away. "Sweet but cold sometimes."

Keiko raised an eyebrow. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing."

Her best friend approached her and began nudging her in the ribs. "Come on, spit it out! You always kept things to yourself unless asked. This time, you don't even want to talk about it?"

"But nothing happened!"

Keiko eyed her sceptically as Aoko shrugged and continued decorating. It was true, nothing happened much between them. There were the usual bickers and arguments over random things, like him disregarding the importance of having proper meals. But other than that, small conversations just lingered here and there... nothing else special. What else could Aoko say about them?

"You know, Kuroba-kun talked to me about you."

That definitely caught her attention. She glanced up hastily and Keiko smirked at her action.

"When was that and what did you two talked about?" Aoko said, horrified. Sometimes, she was afraid that Keiko might speak too much. "Don't tell me-"

"It was during the time when your arm was injured. It wasn't anything much." She assured. "He just asked me to keep an eye on you, in case you get yourself hurt even further."

Aoko's eyes widened.

"I don't need him to remind me about it, but don't you think it was sweet of him to do that?" Keiko continued and added a soft snicker behind her hands. "He sounded awkward back then, I remembered."

She couldn't picture that image of an awkward looking Kaito asking Keiko to look out for her. Somehow, it just didn't click in her mind. But still, her heart was racing with joy when she managed to register what Keiko said to her. Partially she was happy that he cared about her, or at least her safety meant something to him. And then partially, she was a little happy that even when she wasn't around him, she was still in a fragment of his mind. Aoko always reminded herself not to over think unnecessary, in the end she still couldn't help it.

Trying not to show that twinkle of happiness in her eyes, Aoko lowered her gaze and focused on the cake. She didn't need more teasing from Keiko.

"That's... kinda what I meant, I guess. About how he's sweet and cold." She fiddled with a chocolate candy. "Kaito's nice sometimes and then he can become distant all of the sudden. He's hard to understand."

"Maybe that's how he is." Keiko could only afford a shrug. "Sorry, I can't help you with analysing what is going though Kuroba-kun's head. If you can't figure it out, how can I?"

Aoko scoffed to herself. Analysing Kaito? If she could even get past his poker face and read his mind for a split second, it was good enough for her.

"But if you need some help with the cake, I can." Keiko offered for the umpteenth times since Aoko started baking.

She shook her head. "You did your part by carrying all those ingredients for me back home. I want to at least finish this cake myself."

"Alright."

For the rest of the time, Aoko was so concentrated in squeezing as much sweets and chocolates onto the cake to notice Keiko dozing off in her seat. She just had one goal in her mind, and that was to decorate the cake as nicely as she could. Creativity was one thing but skill was another.

After several adjustment, she finally managed to finish her final product as she sighed.

"Do you think he'll like it?" Aoko spoke out loud as she glanced over at Keiko, expecting for a comment or two but the latter was just woken up from her short nap.

"H-Huh?" Keiko rubbed her eyes.

Aoko smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, it must be boring for you to stare at me the entire time."

"I should be the one saying sorry." Keiko's attention was then directed to the cake, her tired face disappeared and was replaced to a bewildered look. "Seriously, if Kuroba-kun loves sweets, he'd definitely love your cake."

Wiping her forehead, Aoko's mouth curled up on its own.

"Well, I hope so too."

.o.

Other than his mother, Kaito remembered a few other women that occasionally popped up in his life when he was young; Aoko's mother and two other women whose names remained a mystery to him.

Kaito recalled one of them was a beautiful actress who raged at him when he called her an old hag, and another was an elegant and pretty lady who had this eerie air around her. Although he rarely associated with the latter, she still came by often to his house a few times for tea and brought him sweets.

Were those women my father's apprentices?

Of all memories, he didn't know why he suddenly brought this up. It could have been just an intuition or a gut feeling of his. Besides, he was too young back then to remember their voices and the way they speak to distinguish who the disguised policeman could be, and without enough research and evidence, he didn't dare to confirm that suspicion of his.

Scary. He must have been contaminated by those detectives.

Maybe his mother could provide him with some information, though he decided to postpone that video call for later.

He was really tired.

After Kaitou Kid brought Haibara to somewhere safe, he disappeared with a new disguise and lingered among the crowd until he was safe enough to change back to the phantom thief and took flight in the night. The museum was too far from his home and only by air, it would save him a lot of time for travelling. But the ride wasn't a pleasant one.

When he reached the ground, he unclipped his glider and dropped the broken side onto the floor. It was the winds fault, he would blame. But tonight, he couldn't be bothered to care about his pride or whatever dignity that was left in him.

Kaito changed out of his suit before he solemnly picked up the glider and trudged silently into the backdoor of Jii's bar. He could hear some soft music and the sound of billiard balls knocking against each other. Jii's business had been getting busier and busier each day and Kaito began to conduct the heist on his own, using careful methods which didn't require any assistant. Jii was against it for his safety at first, but Kaito didn't care.

And he was glad he was firm in his decision. He didn't want Jii to see what happened tonight.

He snaked his way through a secret pathway behind the restroom and into a room where he put some parts of his magic equipment and toys in. He then deposited the glider on the table in the middle of the room, with a short note that scribbled his apology and request in wanting his glider fixed before the next heist. Afterwards he left the bar, not bothering to say a hello. He wasn't in the mood either.

Though the air was still, it was still much cooler and more bearable for a small walk. Kaito dug his hands deep into his pocket, strolling in the silence of the night and inwardly decided to take the longer route home.

As the number of steps increased, more thoughts began surrounding him. The father he loved, the father he admired, the father he wished to become... who exactly was he? Until now, there were still many things Kaito couldn't understand. Eight years after his death then Kaito realized his father's other identity. Was he going to take another eight years to realize other secrets his father left behind?

Kaito suddenly broke into a run. His back was already aching from the flying but he didn't care. He just wanted to run away, run to a place where everything didn't matter, to a place where he was free, to a place where he didn't have to remember the voice of his father-

He was suddenly so scared of it.

Finally, the house he called home came to view. He reached to the front gates and panted hard, trying to catch his breath. Kaito realized it had been long since he ran so fast, and with that thought, he glanced over to another house a distance away.

Aoko's house was dark and quiet tonight, as if almost empty. Kaito straightened his back and stared a little while longer than he should. Summer break didn't feel like summer break for him. He organized more heists than usual and it suddenly dawned him that he had been interacting with the Inspector more than his daughter.

But that's good. He muttered in his head. It's better if she doesn't go to those heists anymore. She don't belong there.

And then he shook his head. No, that isn't good. He was Kuroba Kaito. Kuroba Kaito should be hanging out more with his childhood best friend and not her father.

It sounded so wrong.

Kaito sighed, deciding to push those thoughts to the back of his head. He had enough thinking today and he was too exhausted to do so anymore. He began fiddling with his keys as he approached to the door. When he finally entered his home, he instantly frowned at the smell of something... familiar.

Food? Is that hamburger steak…?

He could tell there was someone in the house, not just from the smell. There was also a warm presence he felt in his usually cold and empty house, but he couldn't see anything in the darkness.

Could it be that disguised policeman?

As Kaito tentatively took of his shoes, he heard a flicking sound and instantly, his hand reached out to the light switch but another source of light stopped him before he managed to do so.

A wavering flame was dancing brightly on its own and before it were two blue eyes staring intently at it.

He recognized those eyes since a decade ago.

Aoko glanced up from the flame and she beamed.

"Happy Birthday Kaito!"

What...?

And then realization dawned upon him. Today was his birthday and he had forgotten all about it. It was in the middle of a holiday so he didn't bother to remember the dates or days of the week, saved for the time when he wanted to be precise in his heist notes. Furthermore, he hadn't make any video call with his mom or check his phone today to see his messages. Of course he would forget.

But not for Aoko.

Kaito gave a light scoff and as he watched Aoko, with the cake in her hand and walking slowly towards him while singing that childish song he was too embarrassed to hear.

"Happy Birthday to you." She finally finished the song as she stood in front of him, the light from the flame clearly showing her bright smile.

"How did you come in here?" It didn't make sense. He thought he already...

"Jii-san helped a bit with the decoations. Anyway, make a wish!"

So it was Jii.

He would have wished for world peace, as a joke. But if this wish would mean something... Kaito closed his eyes. He wanted to wish for many things and he knew it wasn't enough for just one blow of a candle. Still, he decided.

I hope it all ends.

Gently, he blew the flame and the living room instantly turned dark. Although it was hard to see anything, he could sense Aoko's movement in front of him. She set the cake on the dining table and was heading straight to the wall to switch on the lights.

He wasn't sure what overwhelmed him when his hand reached out for Aoko's arm and instantly stopped her tracks. She let him.

"Aoko."

She glanced back over her shoulders "Yeah?

Kaito released his grip and lowered his head onto her shoulder as gently as he could, as if she was made of fragile glass. At that moment, he could feel her tense up and this made him smile a little.

"Let me rest for a while, like this."

"O-Oh… O-Okay."

He could feel the warmth of her skin, the texture of her shirt, the smell of her usual strawberry soap and her hair that tickled his face. Kaito closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, taking every bits of Aoko into his body and mind. Weirdly, this position managed to calm him down a lot more than he expected. He thought of standing here for the whole night if Aoko didn't mind, but a sound he kept on hearing made him decide to break the original silence.

"Aoko." Kaito muttered into back her neck.

"Ye-Yeah?"

"Is that the sound of your heart beating or your stomach growling?" He paused. "Or both?"

She turned in her position so fast that he wasn't able to react quick enough to dodge that hit on his head. He groaned and before he knew it, the lights came back on.

Glancing up painfully, Aoko was glaring at him with a red face with hands on her hips.

"Stupid Kaito!"

"What did I do now?!"

Still with her red face, she bit her lips and rushed towards the door while quickly putting on her shoes. "Happy Birthday you jerk!" With that shout, she flung open his door and slammed it shut the next second.

The living room became quiet like how it originally should be. Kaito blinked, still rubbing his sore head as he began taking in the interior of his house.

He was surprised that she didn't decorate his home with balloons or streamers like what he thought she would. The only thing different was his dining table, with it simply filled with food and a cake in the middle.

Kaito trudged to the table and stared at it for a moment, capturing the details of the food when he realized they were all his favourite dishes. And definitely no fish.

The medium sized cake was coated with a layer of chocolate, with sweets, chocolates, biscuits and whipped cream sprawling messily on it. Unable to help it, his lips twitched into a smile.

For plants, they required sunlight to survive. No matter what kind of corner you placed the potted plant, it will definitely grow towards the direction where they can receive the most sunlight. Aoko was like the plant and he was the sun. While he was lost in the vast and empty sky, she could still be able to stretch out and find him in the end, no matter where or how far he was.

He imagined the green leaves poking from behind a wall, appearing before him when he least expected it. And it was just like Aoko.

Kaito softly chortled to himself and pinched the bridge of his nose. At this point, he knew that once he started comparing Aoko and himself to Mother Nature, he really needed to go to sleep.

But not until he finished at least half of the food first.

Just changed the summary because I thought it would be better hehe
Anyway, hope you guys like it. Reviews are appreciated!