Chrysanthemum (3)

In a cafe located on the highest floor of the building just beside the famous cross junction of Kinza street, Kaito eyed down at the hundreds of people crossing the road while he tapped his pen rhythmically on the table. Sitting at his chosen position by the viewing glass window, he only needed a glance to see the entire area at one go and it was basically the perfect place for him to finalize the plans for his heist occurring tomorrow night.

He took a sip off his coffee and scrutinized his sketch again, being in the midst of wondering if there was anything to add when he noted two ladies and a waiter approaching to his direction and sat on a table that was around 10 o' clock of his spot. It wasn't surprising for him to see two girls resting their legs after a shopping spree in such a nice cafe, but the problem now was they weren't any girls.

"This is gorgeous!"

"As recommended! I wonder if those pastries I've learnt to make from the baking lessons were even half of the standards here."

"Kudo-kun wouldn't dare to say no to ya."

"You're probably right."

Their joint laughter filled the air.

Kaito pinched the bridge of his nose and tilted his head away. What a joy, meeting the women belonging to two detectives he didn't want to see, at least as his true form. This must be the twisted karma for the spider he killed at home. It must be it. He noted there were two empty chairs before them and silently prayed to himself it wasn't the worst case scenario that just flashed across his mind.

When the thought finished in his head, he heard a faint, soft voice coming from the entrance.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Caught up in a class."

"It's fine." Ran waved a hand. "We've just reached anyway."

He heard a chair being dragged and his eyes moved to the reflection of the glass window, perfectly showing who the third person that came was. On the cue, he widened his eyes, the pen slipped out from his hand as he watched Aoko swiping her hair off her shoulders and giving a smile he never think he would ever see again. Wanting to confirm that it wasn't a delusion, Kaito snapped his neck to his side. Apparently his eyes didn't lie.

What a joke. He muttered in his mind, but his gaze refused to look any other way. Just when I wanted-

"Here's the catalogue." Aoko showed a book over to Kazuha as the latter merrily accepted it. She read each pages with glee and occasionally pointed at one before commenting over to Ran.

"I can't pick ya." Kazuha groaned. "All of it is so pretty."

"Ah, this is the one Shinichi and I choose for our wedding!" Ran gestured at a page. "Everyone said the macaroons tasted really good."

Aoko beamed. "I'm glad the dessert table was well-received."

Oh. Kaito blinked. Those macaroons he tried back then really tasted perfect. He didn't know it was made by...

He looked back at the paper on his table, deciding he had stayed long enough for a cup of coffee and should leave. Besides, it would be best if he wasn't spotted or unintentionally recognized, especially when his face looked so similar to one of their husband. And most importantly, he would rather die than see Aoko's current brilliance to disappear.

Taking the last gulp of his drink, Kaito stuffed his belongings into his pockets, signaled for the bill and took a longer route to the entrance of the cafe, just to avoid passing by the table of the three.

.o.

The night class ended a tad later than Aoko expected, and being in charge of closing up today, it was near midnight when she finally left the baking studio.

Aoko closed the glass door and kept the keys safely inside her sling-bag before turning to trudge down the quiet dark street. Knowing her way home by heart, she took out her phone and browsed through her social media to keep herself occupied. It seemed Keiko ate BBQ today and Sayaka went to Tropical Land with her boyfriend. She smiled at the pictures and happy captions, until her finger scrolled and hovered over the Japan's News page, which she followed to keep herself up to date.

Kaitou Kid have claimed the Crystal Angel! Posted ten minutes ago.

Her smile faltered and she stopped in her tracks, her eyes scanning through the sentence over and over till the words became blur. It took her nearly ten seconds to get her legs moving again and she switched her phone off and placed it back into her bag, no longer interested in anything else but to get herself home.

For the sake of forgetting, Aoko moved to town and far away from her past. But no matter what, Kuroba Kaito-u Kid always lingered like a ghost around her. The chants from the television, the newspapers' headlines, the social medias, the gossips and whispers from his fans on the streets... Nothing had changed.

Aoko pursed her lips, her stride grew a little faster. She really needed a long bath tonight.

The checklist she nicely planned in her head instantly disappeared when she felt a hand grabbed one of her arms, pulling her into a dark alley that she passed by a millisecond ago. Her intended shouts were muffled as the same hand that dragged and shoved her against the wall covered her mouth.

Although two years had passed, Aoko hadn't forgotten the lessons she got while she was at the Police Academy, all trained and ready to be deployed to Division 2. She swiftly wrapped her hands around the hand over her mouth and twisted, earning a short yelp from her attacker. She was about to restrain his arm and tackle him to the ground when a cool metal suddenly pressed against her neck, forcing her back onto the walls instead.

"Move an inch or make a noise and I'll kill you."

Though the attacker couldn't be seen in the dark, the knife stuck on her neck glimmered brightly enough to let her know it wasn't a joke. She swallowed hard, her throat briefly touched the blade when she did. Having no choice, her hands slowly unwrapped the man's wrist that wasn't holding the knife and let her arms fell to her side.

"Give me all your valuables if you don't want to die." He hushed.

"I can't-" The knife threateningly poked a little deeper and she winced. "I-I can't move when you're holding me in this position."

The attacker wasn't stupid. "Drop your bag."

Aoko cautiously lifted an arm, preparing to unhook the sling bag around her body when she took the chance that the knife left her neck for a moment and head-butted the thief. She groaned inwardly at the throbbing pain on her head, but it was the same for him. He clutched his head, yowling and cursing and Aoko took the chance to escape while shouting for help.

There was no way in hell she would let herself be robbed when she was not-so-officially-but-nearly-became a policewoman dispatched to Kaitou Kid's squad, furthermore being the daughter of the Inspector belonging to that department. It wouldn't be a disgrace to herself, but her father too.

Though perhaps, those righteous thoughts in her mind would be the reason why her life ended today, in addition of the stubbornness and recklessness genes she inherited from her father. Before she managed to step out of the darkness and onto the pavement to get help, Aoko felt her hair being yanked back and she slammed right onto the ground, her bag flew out of her reach. It took her a second to regain her composure so she could stand up, and it was that one second that determined everything.

When she saw the knife hanging over her head, her blue eyes widened to the point it could have fallen out at the moment. She remembered someone once told her that when we die, our life would flash across our eyes and it happened to be true. Aoko had forgotten what kind of life she had been living all these while, but there was only one thing that appeared in her vision, thought it wasn't exactly wrong either.

Kuroba Kaito.

Aoko's scream blasted through the dark alley, all prepared for the blow. But the pain didn't come and instead, she heard a sharp sound of wind, along with a growl and metal clanking onto the ground. She tentatively peeled open her eyes, which she didn't even know she had closed them the entire time and witnessed the attacker charging to the direction of her back. She twisted her head with all the energy she had and saw the robber pulling out another knife he hidden in his back pocket and slashed his way out.

The new intruder barely dodged and gave a couple of fast blow that Aoko couldn't catch up with until the second knife finally dropped. Having no other choice, the attacker pushed his way through to get out of the alley and Aoko's saviour made a stance, as if he wanted to chase after him, but stopped when he turned and dashed to her direction.

He skidded across the floor and dropped to her side. Now that the man was closer to her view, Aoko noted he was wearing a jacket and jeans with a cap that covered nearly all of his face. His attire was the same as the attacker from before and it caused her to lean away by instinct. She was happy that someone came to her rescue, but the feeling of doubt and uncertainty won over her.

"Are you alright?" The man finally spoke in the cool voice that seemed to ring a little memory bell in her head.

Aoko frowned ominously, the new thought that sprang in her mind wasn't something she was happy about. Her trembling hand moved away from the ground and she daringly whipped the hat off roughly.

Her gut feeling was right.

Blue eyes blinked at her bold attempt before Kuroba Kaito replaced everything about him with a simple poker face. He lowered his eyes, seeming like he was afraid to look at her. Taking opportunity to her stunned silence, he put himself to good use and reached for her sling bag that was a few feet away and handed it to her.

She took it from his hand, her eyes refusing to move from his face. The terror she previously felt about losing her life was gone and what replaced were confusion and disbelief of what she was seeing now. Aoko once believed wishes and shooting stars were true, but those days died when her heart was shattered by the very man before her. She now wondered if it really was some kind angel who answered her prayers.

"Why are you here?" Her voice cracked.

"I just finished a heist nearby." He said softly.

Like usual, his answer never explain anything to her. It was the same as before, but Aoko wouldn't beg like she once did. She grudgingly remembered the cringe-worthy memory of her crying and asking for a simple reason to why he became Kaitou Kid and sacrificing everything they had. Now, she decided not to care anymore.

Aoko took in a deep breath and lifted herself up. He watched her and followed suit only after she stabled herself successfully on her own. She cringed at the pain on her butt and wobbled a little out to the street, where the bigger space made her feel safer by a ton. She slung the bag around her shoulder and took a glance to see what the damage were when she gasped out loud.

There was patches of blood at the corner of the bag, and she was hundred percent sure it wasn't hers.

She whirled around, just in time to see Kaito walking to the other end of the alley, about to disappear from her sight. Aoko yelled out his full name, feeling the weird feeling at the tip of her tongue as he stopped in his movement. She stomped over and took the hand she remembered he used to return the bag to her.

"Your hand-" Aoko's eyes twitched at the long cut on the palm, blood still oozing out little by little. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"It's nothing big."

"How is this-" She closed her eyes and prayed the oncoming headache would go away. Deciding to give up explaining her thoughts and worries, Aoko jabbed her thumb to the direction of the baking studio. "Come with me. You need to patch up."

"It's alri-"

"I want to." Aoko said, her voice firm. "As a way of thanking you for saving me."

Not allowing any time for his excuses, Kaito sighed as he let his wrist to be dragged by Aoko. For a moment, she thought the silence would prolong till the end of her treatment, but he proved her wrong.

"When are you ever going to learn to stop being reckless and act on your own?"

She glared at him over her shoulder. "Worry about your hand first."

Seeming to ignore her, he continued. "What if I wasn't there to save you?"

"Maybe it's better this way."

This time, he stopped and Aoko almost felt like she was pulling a huge boulder that wouldn't bulge. She turned around, annoyed masking her appearance, but her face fell lax when she realized two fiery-looking eyes she never expect to see were piercing through her gaze.

"What they hell are you saying?" He snapped.

Aoko glanced away, all her retorts stuck in her throat. She wasn't used to the way Kaito was looking at her so furiously. Anger and Kaito rarely came together, or in fact, never. Even that time she pranked him and filled his bathtub with fishes, he didn't look like how he was now. And seeing him like this, Aoko felt a pang of guilt hitting her chest. Of course she didn't mean her words literally. She didn't want to die yet when she had so many things left unfulfilled...

But how was this any of his concern when they were over?

She still refused to look at him.

It was unclear how long they had been standing there like fools until Kaito sighed. "Is your first-aid kit good enough to fix my hand?"

"Yeah. I've seen worse." It was a good change of conversation that Aoko was willing to play along. She gave a small tug and realized he had allowed her to pull him with ease again.

Once they reached, she gently released her grip around his wrist, hoping her movement wouldn't affect his wound. Aoko unlocked the door and gestured him inside to sit on the receptionist chair as she headed to the storage room to retrieve the things she needed.

When Aoko came back with the box, she watched him looking through the photos and Polaroids pasted on the wall behind the counter, where she took pictures with other baking teachers and the students. She naturally cleared her throat, gaining his attention and then instructed him to show his hand.

Aoko switched on the tiny lamp on the desk and began her work of cleaning the wound, making sure there would be no infection before she bandaged his hand. She could feel his gaze on her the entire time, and she let him, just to pretend she didn't notice. At the moment when she was trying to perfect a knot, a whisper that resembled a breeze broke the chilling silence.

"I'm glad you're happy."

She scoffed, her eyes still focused on her task. "From the photos?"

"Yeah."

"Those smiles were necessary for the cameras." She unconsciously admitted.

He paused. "Then I hope one day, you're as happy as you're pretending to be."

His words struck her as painful as the way the attacker pulled her hair to the ground, but her pursed lips successfully refrained her from leaking any emotions that were not needed for her to show, especially to Kaito. Aoko did learn a thing or two about poker-faces.

"You don't have to worry about that." She said.

They walked out of the baking studio after they were down and Aoko locked the door with the same procedures as before. She secured and kept the keys, inwardly reminding herself to wash away the blood on her bag if she didn't want to be suspected of committing a murder the next day at work.

"Thanks for saving me." Aoko glanced up at him. Beating around the bush was of no use and she certainly was not interested to owe him a debt because of her pride. She was tired and really tired. Did she mention she was tired? Aoko thought she would wake up early tomorrow to go to the police to report the matter before her 10am lesson. As of now, she just wanted her bed.

Kaito didn't reply her gratitude. Instead, he stared down the streets, a little unconvinced about something as he looked back at Aoko without a word spoken.

Aoko obviously sensed his weird behaviour. "What is it?" She muttered.

He scratched the back of his ears, giving a pause in between until he took a deep breath and spoke. "Can I walk you home?"

She blinked, a little much awake than before. It might have been her imaginations, though it looked as if Kaito was mustering some courage for him to ask her that question. Come on, this crazy and playful magician that risked his life for the sake of magic and his bloody night activity... Courage? His veins probably contained more courage than blood cells. Nonetheless, she ignored her observations and dismissed it as the lighting problem along the dim-lit street.

Aoko pretty much guessed the attacker would have to grow at least two balls if he tried to attack her again, but likewise, he was a major dick to target and threaten her life and it wouldn't be surprising if he had more than the balls a normal man should have. She groaned inwardly, deciding that once she started thinking dirty in her head, she really needed her sleep.

"Whatever you want. Just don't talk to me. I'm tired."

Kaito merely nodded.

Her droopy eyes turned away from his and she began her journey back home. At first, she was a little awkward about the entire situation, but it took her little time to get use to the sound of his shuffling feet, in fact, she felt much safer to know he was there with her. Kuroba Kaito-u Kid had the talent to hide his presence, so Aoko could only guess he did this on purpose for her. She had nothing to complain about.

After fifteen minute of sloppy walking, Aoko finally reached her home situated on the second floor of an apartment building. Climbing up the stairs, she forced her eyes to remain open for another promised five minutes while she searched for the keys in her bag. It was that moment of silence when she realized something was weirdly wrong. Her head shot up and she spun around, finally realizing that the quietness was louder than the missing comfortable sound of Kaito's shuffling feet.

Like what she thought. He was gone. True to his name, just like a phantom.

If he didn't appear in her dreams tonight, perhaps this was the last time she would ever see him again, and Aoko wasn't sure if she considered that a good or a bad thing. For now, she shrugged off all her thoughts and opened the door to get inside of her house. What she truly needed was to get herself ready for bed and leave everything to tomorrow's worries.