Chrysanthemum (7)

Two years... Two years could mean a lot of things had changed, or not.

He casually suggested western for tonight's dinner, and Aoko didn't disagree. It may be out of politeness, or it could mean her taste remained the same and she still favoured food like hamburger steaks and those disgusting fish and chips she always ordered when they were together in the past. He smiled at the memory, and remembered those moments when she contemplated on whether to have dessert or not after every meal. He would give her a little push and she'll order a sundae every single time without fail. Besides stealing some spoonful of ice cream, he liked the way her smile turned as sweet as the chocolates he tasted.

Now... where should he bring her to? That old restaurant they usually hung out or-

"Excuse me, sir?"

His thoughts were cut off as he began to focus his attention to the surrounding.

"Your order?" The barista smiled.

"Oh, uh..." He squinted at the menu again. "One cappuccino."

After he made his payment, he stood aside, holding onto his receipt for clarification purposes later on. Alright, where was he? He had an hour more to think before-

"Ice latte for Kaitou Kid."

Wait. What? The very said man turned his head towards the counter and promptly, a teenage boy bounced towards the barista to collect his drink. He watched the puny kid with narrowed eyes as the latter animatedly exited the shop while sucking his straw. He knew his fan base was huge, but seriously-

"Cappuccino for Kuroba."

He made his way around the slightly crowded coffeehouse, eyes moving around to find a quiet spot and away from anyone who could potentially disturb his thoughts. It was then his eyes fell upon a horizontal wall cabinet that was filled with books for customers to read, but what caught his attention was the thing that was placed on top of it.

The fish bowl looked extremely familiar. He wrinkled his nose and gritted his teeth when realization dawned upon him. It was the exact fish bowl Aoko used to threaten him months ago and he would never forget that horrible experience of sitting by the horrendous creature for two freaking hours. He stuck out a tongue in disapproval and headed to the other side of the coffeehouse without hesitation, even when there were more empty seats there. He found an isolated table solely meant for one and decided it would be the place for him to think of his spontaneous dinner ideas for tonight.

Kaito occasionally wouldn't mind distractions when he was trying to brainstorm. He told himself it was a test to his patience and ability to multitask, but at the rate he was going now, it was unacceptable. He probably wouldn't have minded or cared if he wasn't planning something as important as this, and at the same time, he only had one more hour to get his shit together before Aoko knocked off from work. He grudgingly wondered what his shit luck would bring to ruin him the next moment-

The phone he used solely for communicating with the Detective of the East suddenly rung on the cue. He closed his eyes and counted to ten, but gave up when he reached three.

"What?"

"Someone's in a foul mood."

"Because someone is calling at the wrong timing, duh."

"I wouldn't if it isn't important. And you know it."

That was why Kaito only counted till three. "So what is it?"

"We've got the bigger fish." There was a pause. "It's ridiculous of me to be asking this, but you might want to consider participating for the sake of success."

Shinichi shot him down with a bunch of things only Kaitou Kid could do, or rather because of the abilities Kaitou Kid had. Snake had finally confessed after long hours of interrogation and negotiation and they were currently instructing and sending their best teams to a man-made island just south of Nagoya, where it was said that the headquarters and most of the members of the organization occupied and worked at. The police couldn't afford any more time to waste if the news of Snake's capture reached them. They would definitely try to escape with everything on the island.

Kaito clutched onto the phone. He hadn't say a word, or more like he didn't know what to say. This should be something he expected sooner or later, that was why he brought this extra phone out with him wherever he went, in case the detective needed him and his assistance in whatever they were handling. He should be prepared, but why wasn't he now?

"Oi, are you there?"

"Send me the detailed geographical coordinates of the island."

"In two seconds."

He cut the call. Just as promised, the numbers came in two seconds later.

Just his luck, just his luck. He closed his eyes and kept the phone away, to retrieve another one from his other pocket. He only have two minutes to spare before he needed to go back and get his uniform and his disguise checked. There was no way he could go with his face like this. Clenching his jaw as he stared at his personal phone, he only had one minute and fifty seconds left.

What to say? What could he say? He had so much things to say to Aoko, and he had been so anxious about it that he came to the studio the next morning, despite his fatigue body aches and weary eyes, in hopes he could reach to her as fast as possible. But he was too eager even though the trial period of Snake's Organization hadn't ended, and eventually landed himself into greater disappointment for his inability to truly resume his original life. Or maybe fate was trying to give him a chance to think twice about the choices he was about to make with Aoko. Maybe.

He began typing.

Sorry, something cropped up. See you next lesson.

Sent.

So stupid. So, so stupid-

His phone lit up.

No problem.

The two minutes was up. He abandoned his untouched drink and sprinted out of the coffeehouse and down the streets. It wasn't a coincidence he avoided running past the baking studio.

.o.

Kaito, indeed, wasn't interested in baking. He had tons of unexplored tricks and magic to come up with than to idle around with a mixer and flour. But here he was, the most dedicated student anyone could ever ask for.

However this time, Aoko wasn't the teacher he expected to see today.

The two hour lesson was the draggiest one he ever had to suffer through. Yes, beat the egg whites. Yessssss, sift the flour. YESSSSS, turn the bowl while folding to make sure the mixture would be evenly distributed. He knew all these typical, beginner steps by heart already, from the practice of baking almost a dozen of cakes for the past few months. But if it wasn't by the voice of Aoko telling him that, he grew impatient almost immediately.

When the lesson finally ended, he stomped over to the reception counter. He would have argued and demanded for a refund of his time because his time was basically money, but he had other important matters in mind.

"Where's Aoko? Why isn't she teaching today?"

Kyoko almost looked unwilling to tell him. "Aoko-chan called in sick since days ago."

"Sick?" He echoed dumbly.

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "By the way, you're a jerk for ditching the dinner you initiated."

I know, and- "I don't need you to tell me that."

Without much consideration, he headed to the direction of Aoko's house after skipping out of the studio. The chances of her being at home was high, but the bet he was placing on was whether she would want to see him at all. Still, he dropped by a restaurant to get some food for her before dashing over. He wouldn't want the food to turn cold.

When he reached outside her door, his finger hovered over the doorbell. It was a last minute decision he decided on the wimp and he would be lying if he wasn't a teeny-little nervous. It had been four days since he destroyed Pandora, four days since he last saw her, four days since he hated himself for suddenly appearing in front of Aoko after his disappearance of two weeks, only to disappear on her again. This situation was no different from those sob-stories he heard from Edogawa Conan.

Maybe the reason for her sickness was his fault. He shook his head. He shouldn't give himself so much credit. His finger curled back into a fist. Would today be the day he finally...?

With that, he slammed his fist into the doorbell.

There was no sound at first, but soon, soft and uneven footsteps became louder and louder until the door opened.

Clad in a T-shirt and shorts, Aoko blinked, adding a little sniff behind.

"Kaito? What are you doing here?"

She looked utterly pale that for a moment, Kaito wasn't sure if he knocked on the correct door. Worry etched on his face and an overwhelming power within him moved his hand, almost reaching out for her cheek when she afforded a little grin that looked conflicted between genuine and mocking and it instantly stopped the mistake he almost made. Somehow, this sight instantly broke away all the thoughts running in his head and caught his breath like magic.

"You seemed pretty surprise for the one who rang my bell." Aoko placed a hand on her hip.

Only her smile, Kaito inwardly justified, was capable of making him dumb and dead for two seconds. Remarkable. He always knew she had been a wild and dangerous woman, but not till this extent.

He resumed his poker face. "I've thought I just saw a ghost."

"Funny." She glared and stepped aside. "I supposed you've heard from Kyoko about my cold?"

"Yeah."

Kaito kicked off his shoes and set it by the entrance. She took her time to lock the door before gesturing him inside. After the little corridor they walked through, they reached the bright-lit living room.

It was a habit he caught on when he was Kaitou Kid. Using the precious seconds he had, he would professionally scan over the interior, observing and remembering every tiny important detail of the place and sketching it into his brain. The house was in a spick-and-span condition, with an appropriate number of mini decorations on the walls and tables. She had arranged her furniture in a smart manner, which made the house spacious enough for at least two even though it was intended for one.

A TV was placed on a long table, and before it was a rectangular coffee table on a woolly mat and a couch meant for three. Directly behind the sofa was a counter the separated the kitchen area and the living room. It looked like a typical family kitchen, with a medium sized refrigerator, oven and several plates and pans sitting by the sink. The only difference was the large marble table situated in the middle of the kitchen, taking up nearly half of the place. He suspected it was meant for Aoko's baking practice or something like that.

His little spying activity ended there when Aoko cleared her throat and he spun towards her. She drowsily stared at him.

"Coffee or tea?"

"Neither. Have you taken you medication?"

"I did a while ago." She ironically coughed on the cue. "I'm actually in the midst of finding some food in the fridge."

"Save your effort." He raised the plastic bag in his hand, wondering if his appearance was not obvious enough.

She raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"Porridge. Not instant." He took the warm disposable bowl out of the plastic bag and held it by the bottom, trying to ignore the heat penetrating his skin. "It's from a restaurant I've passed by."

It took her a while to react. Was it the medication's fault? "That's really nice of you, for a person who preferred convenience than health."

Because it's for you. He almost wanted to say. Instead, he held his tongue and pretended to glance around, as if searching for a dining table when he knew there was none. "Do you have a place to eat or something?"

"I don't have a dining table since it's silly if I'm the only one using it." She pointed at the coffee table. "I always eat on the floor while watching TV."

"How uncouth."

"Says the one."

He took careful steps and placed the porridge on the glass table and gave Aoko some space for her to sit on the floor before the food. He considered choosing the couch, thinking it would be best to give her comfort and space, but his hesitancy caused him to poised in between the floor and the sofa until Aoko noticed his unusual behaviour.

"What's wrong? Is your butt itchy or something?"

"No."

"Then sit down." She patted on the rug underneath her. "It's fluffy by the way. Good quality."

Of course he couldn't reject her suggestion. He sat beside her, their crossed legs almost touching.

She rummaged through the plastic bag he left on the table and took out a plastic spoon. While she was at it, he silently offered his help by removing the plastic cover for her. She thanked for the meal and tucked in.

"How is it?"

"Not bad. I thought it'll be bland for my taste bud."

Her lips seemed to regain back some colour after more spoonful of porridge and he inwardly felt happy for that observations.

And there they sat, side by side, only her slurping sound echoing the small apartment. He didn't mind the silence since he was more accustomed to it more than anything else. Besides, he was too focused on the sight in front of him than to care about the sound. But Aoko didn't think so. She searched for the remote in the drawers of the coffee table and switched on the television.

The first channel that came up was the news.

"Now, we will be talking about the latest updates regarding the Organization that was raided four days ago."

"This had been going on for days." She softly said. "They must have done really terrible things to receive such attention."

Really terrible. "Perhaps."

"I remember there was a huge case similar to this years ago." Aoko took a mouthful of porridge. "Black Organization, or whatever they called it. Illegal drug abuse, drug trafficking, assassinations..." Unable to continue, she focused on her food.

Kaito slouched. If he had to admit, the BO was indeed tough to handle. His perfect disguise and magic had aided Kudo Shinichi, or rather, Edogawa Conan in various situation. Kaitou Kid wasn't kind enough to do a job that would risk his life and identity for nothing in return. And the price the Detective of the East had to pay was happening on the screen right now; the fall of his enemy too.

"Edogawa Conan. Remember him?"

Aoko glanced towards him, her eyes looking as hazy as her memory. It didn't take her long to recollect when the little brat had always been her idol since their high-school days.

"Kid-killer." She showed a wry smile. "Of course."

He contemplated his decisions for a second and decided to speak again. "If I tell you there's this pill that can make a teenager shrink into a kid. Will you believe me?"

This was the only time she reacted the fastest out of all the response she gave. "I've always believed you."

Kaito blinked. This wasn't the point he was trying to put across. Did she even hear what he said? He intended to repeat his words again, but her soft eyes stopped him short. It took him a little while to finally realize it was he who didn't understand the point she was putting across. She had always believed him, trusted him no matter what kind of lies and ridiculous bailing excuses he made. And when she did doubt him once (he couldn't face a roller coaster for at least half a year after that incident), she was actually trying to prove to her father, her precious father that he was wrong all along.

This, was another reason why he could never forgive himself.

He let out a sharp breath that resembled a laugh. "How about a gem that can bring immortality?"

Aoko widened her eyes before her head slowly faced the screen, the newscaster had currently switched the focus from the criminal syndicate and began reporting the related events of the night.

"The Child of the Moon has yet to be returned to billionaire owner, Satoshi Hyuuga and the police couldn't find any trace of the stolen jewel at the moment. Is KID enchanted by the legendary diamond and has decided to keep it as his treasure?"

"For me, I don't believe in immortality." Kaito's eyes were still glued on Aoko, watching her every movement as closely as possible. "I don't even care about it at all."

She turned towards him again, her spoon now left in the bowl. "Why not?"

"There're more things than myths and stupid treasures I care about." This time, he couldn't find the will to face Aoko. It hurts to even speak what he thought he would never say to anyone, even if it was the truth. "But I've lost them in the end."

She suddenly leaned closer to him and he unwilling glanced towards her to see what she was up to. How egotistic of him to think she was looking at him; her blue shimmering eyes were staring at the side of his cheek instead. He was no longer using the obvious and ugly gauze but a thinner and good-size band aid to cover up his wound. After a long while, she then looked him into the eye "It must be painful."

"Yeah." It wasn't just the wound he was referring about.

"But everything is alright now, right?"

He nodded, inwardly hoping that he was right this time too.

"That's good." She stared down at her bowl, unmoving. "That's good..."

The commercial break started and both of them elapsed into silence. Kaito watched a couple of bunnies jumping across the screen, introducing some sort of new carrot juice in the market. It was ridiculous, but he still fixated his eyes on the television. Was this the right moment to speak the words he wanted to say? Were the cute bunnies enough to distract her to say a yes? Aoko was right. His lies and acts were often scripted, and this sentence he was about to speak was one of it. He had planned it since a millennium ago, engraving it onto his brain and recited it more times than anything in the world. And he hoped it would all play out well like he wished for.

Kaito took in a deep breath.

"Aoko." He whispered, his eyes lowered to his legs. His heart gradually thumped faster, even faster than the time he remembered falling of the roof for the first time as Kaitou Kid. "Maybe if there's any chance... If, just saying. If there's any chance, can we go back to the time when we-"

He suddenly felt a plop on one side of his shoulder, the one that was nearer to Aoko.

His neck would snap if he turned it any faster. The sudden weight on his shoulder belonged to her head, along with her messy strands of hair that sprawled over his shirt. He sighed. Just when he was about to- Fate really was testing him.

"Hey?" Kaito inclined his head to have a better view of Aoko's face. Just to make sure, his hand slowly moved the lock of hair that covered her features and pushed it to the back of her ear, revealing the suspected sleeping face he imagined. If he had to commend Aoko about one thing, out of all the beautiful facts he known about her, it would be that she was one of the humblest person he knew. But now, she was the biggest show-off in history. Her closed eyes were heavily emphasizing her long and curled eyelashes. The way she parted her lips was basically taunting him to feel how soft they were...

Shit. He glanced away and tried to swallow the lump that was stuck in his throat. With how hot he was feeling now, he should probably check his temperature too.

Now that he thought about it, he slowly moved a hand to her forehead, feeling a healthy amount of heat passing through his skin. He smiled. The medication was definitely kicking in.

He stayed in the position for a little while more until he was sure Aoko was in a deep sleep before adjusting her body and carrying her, bridal style. There was only one room beside the living room and he wouldn't even need a brain to know it must be her bedroom. She didn't close the door, but the curtains were shut and only light from the living room helped to dimly illuminate what was inside.

It wasn't big like he expected, just a comfortable setting of a normal bedroom with simple furniture. He slowly marched towards the bed that leaned against the wall under the window and he laid Aoko's body on it with the same care as a diamond. He tucked her in, making sure to do it as gently as he could so she wouldn't accidentally wake up. She stirred once, and that was it.

He straightened his posture after he was done and glanced around, taking his time to register his surroundings. Other than a bed, there was a wardrobe and a normal desk with a compatible colour-matching chair. Nothing else. He had the decency to not peek her clothes, so instead, he checked out the table. It was definitely much neater, compared to the past since she was no longer studying. But there were a couple of papers scattered around, and sensing it was not something as sensitive as a diary, he picked it up to read, realizing it was some notes she was taking about her recipe's draft. His finger caressed over the words, feeling the little bumps on the paper.

She had always been so hardworking, always trying her best in everything she could. So much for him and her father, so little for herself. He still remembered the little book she once showed him, about all the so-called exciting and cringe-worthy couple date ideas and adventures to go, stapled with several coupons and some 1-for-1 entrance tickets offers. The memory caused him to look around the desk again, his eyes searching for the little book he'd always seen. Of course, it couldn't be found.

Why would it be anyway?

Deciding he had invaded Aoko's privacy enough, he placed the notes back to where it was supposed to be and peered over his shoulder. His body began moving on its own. He slowly bent down and settled on the floor beside the bed, propping his elbow on the soft white sheets and set his chin on his palm, silently watching the covers over her chest rose and fell. Despite how meaningless it was, he felt a weird feeling of satisfaction inside him. A small smile unconsciously reached his lips.

How stupid of him, he should have checked how big the hole was before jumping in. Now he was in far too deep to get out. He was so, God damn, in love with this girl and he had no idea what to do about it but to stare at her like this.

He slowly inched his hand over to Aoko's and began outlining her fingers, his skin barely touching hers. This was the same hand that destroyed the Child of the Moon, the same hand that shoot card guns at tyres of Inspector Nakamori's police car, the same hand that turned Aoko away so he would be shot instead of her. It was also the same hand that gave her the rose during their first meeting, and the same hand that was slapped away from her as she was crying and screaming that she never want to see him ever again.

His hand returned to his side.

Becoming the ghost of his father to lure the bad guys out, what a perfect plan, he thought. But instead of the bad guys, he ended up hurting the wrong people.

He crossed his arms and set it on the bed sheets, acting it as a cushion for his head. "I'm not the smart Kuroba Kaito you've thought I was." He muttered. He was just a liar. "I'm sorry."

After a few more minutes of watching how Aoko's chest rose and fell again, he realized he was about to be hypnotized by the rhythm and lullaby of her soft snore and he quickly woke himself up by standing, deciding he couldn't stay any longer or he'd be stepping out of the boundaries of friends. If he tried hard enough, he would've forgotten about their status for a while, but he wanted to respect Aoko and she deserved it.

He checked her temperature for one last time, to see a satisfying result that made him more comfortable and determine to leave. Afterwards, he walked to the living room to clean up the food Aoko didn't finish. It was the least he could do.

When everything was done, he left for the door. Kaito wondered if he should leave a rose behind, but thought otherwise.

Next time, perhaps.