Hey guys! Thank you guys for your reviews and your favorites and follows. It always makes me happy to see you all like something I can create. I also realized my writing of both point of views of Conan and Kaito is a little off so I will work on it, so the switch isn't so jarring. Hopefully it will be more like A Friend in Need. We will see though.
The door to the Kudo manor shut softly with a click, and the disguised boys collectively heaved a quiet sigh of relief. They had driven around for awhile to check and make sure no one had followed them, turning the thirty-minute drive to almost an hour. They were safe, for now.
Conan glanced over at the disguised thief. He was still in his blond woman costume and was looking around the mansion observantly. Conan spoke up first.
"I need to go and grab some things from Agasa Hakase's house."
He needed to replenish his belt and his tranquilizer watch, as well as grab a few more gadgets. If he was going up against an organization, he needed all the resources he could get. KID nodded seriously.
"I need to call my assistant to let them know it went ok."
That made sense. The assistant was probably worried about KID, especially if they knew about this syndicate KID was fighting. Conan pointed off down the hall.
"The living room is down that way. I will meet you there is a few minutes."
Conan turned and snuck out the front door again, fighting hard to not sprint across to the professor's house. He just wanted to be behind shut locked doors for a few minutes, at least enough time to plan and get his bearings, then go out and attack strongly. He was almost regretting leaving that one last member at the museum, but he had understood the purpose of the tactical retreat; they had to make sure this gem was safe first, then worry about the enemy.
Conan pushed open the door easily to the dark house. It felt empty without Agasa Hakase bustling around his experiments and Haibara's sass and snarky attitude, but Conan was glad they were gone. Haibara was still paranoid and terrified of her own organization; he couldn't just throw her in the warpath of another one.
This just felt so surreal. This night in general was such a blur of activity that had allowed no time to actually think about any of it, but now in the stillness of Agasa Hakase's house, Conan finally had the opportunity to digest all of it. First, Kaitou KID had asked him for help, and he had complied every step of the way, stealing the gem, evading the police, and most importantly keeping both bullet free. Now the internationally wanted thief was in his house, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Conan took a deep breath as he refilled his tranquilizer watch to the brim and grabbed a box of extras to reload on the run. He was not as conflicted as he thought he would be about helping the thief. As thief and detective, they had always followed their rules of escape and chase. Then that heist a few months ago had blurred the line, but now though, their dividing line had disappeared completely.
The old Kudo Shinichi would have pursued the truth, the criminal, and put them in jail no matter the circumstances. Now though he was not just letting the thief go, but actively collaborating with him in order to meet a bigger goal. After this case was over, he doubted their relationship would ever be the same, and Conan was ok with that.
Usually the principles of a detective would cause him to recoil from helping a criminal, but this was KID. He was in a category all of his own, a nonviolent, good person. As for capturing or anything else after this case was over, Conan would cross that bridge when they came to it. Right now though...he needed to focus on the task at hand.
Conan glanced around the living room. Was there anything else he needed? He had found an old backpack and had shoved a lot of the supplies in there, ready to travel in a moment's notice. He had a thought and grimaced. That was something he could bring, but…no. Better safe than sorry, and he had to pull out all the stops on this one. He doubled back to grab it, and whisked out the door, already planning for his confrontation with KID.
He strode swiftly into the living room of his mansion and paused. There he was, back in his black long-sleeved shirt, black jeans, baseball cap and monocle. He was backlit by a lamp so Conan could only see the shadows of his undisguised face as his dark indigo eyes focused in on him intently. Even with the shadows, there was a barely conceivable lines of exhaustion, fear, and concern haunted his calm face. It was hard to spot, but Conan could definitely still see it. Conan glanced down at the table to see two mugs, one obviously coffee, and the other hot chocolate. He raised his eyebrows as he gingerly sat across from the thief.
"Should I be concerned that you knew where the cups and coffee were in my house?"
KID's smirk widened, previously seen negative emotions vanishing like one of KID's tricks.
"How do you think I get your clothes and disguise as you?"
An irritated vein popped out of Conan's forehead, only for him to take a deep breath to smooth it out. Right, focus on the important details. KID was annoying, but right now, he was a client.
"And the hot chocolate, did you bring it?"
KID shrugged.
"Nope, found it stuffed back in the back of the cabinet."
Conan decided not to dwell too much on it. Maybe Subaru or his mother had gotten it, but not him. He grabbed his mug and took a delighted sip, slightly creeped out that KID knew about his black coffee preference. Nobody stalked like KID.
They sat there for a minute in silence, nursing their drinks, not really knowing how to start. Conan asked first.
"Was your assistant ok?"
KID gave a simple nod.
"Worried, but relieved we were ok. Told them I was staying with you. Made them a little more worried but they trust me not to mess up around you."
Probably smart. Conan clammed up again, taking another sip, postponing the inevitable. During the heist in the spring, Conan had unraveled part of the mystery of KID, making the phantom a human for a short time. Now though, he was about to completely rip off the mask again, asking for information. He was about the ruin the greatest mystery, and he was hesitant about doing it.
He opened his mouth again when KID interrupted him.
"Wait, before we get started, can I see the jewel to make sure it is the one I think it is?"
Conan blinked. Of course, before they went all gung-ho about planning to topple a syndicate, they should make sure the gem was the one they wanted. He nodded slowly, reaching into his pocket.
Kaito watched with impatient anticipation as Conan pulled the gem the size of his hand out of his pocket. He held it up, but still far enough away that Kaito couldn't reach, looking at it with conflict in his eyes. Kaito slipped on his white gloves carefully and held out his hand. He wanted to snatch the jewel from the detective, but he held back. He knew what this meant for Conan. So far, he hadn't committed a crime, but as soon as he gave the jewel to him, he was an accomplice to a criminal. It was going to be hard for him to go against his ideals, but he would do it; Kaito knew he would. So he didn't ask again, or push or try to take it. He simply held out his hand and waited.
Conan swallowed thickly, before carefully placing the gem into the gloved hand. Kaito drew back instantly, twirling the gem in his fingers to remove any dust, and Conan's fingerprints. He stood up, excitement pulsing through his being as he walked over to the window, holding the gem down. This was it. He prayed with all his being that he wasn't wrong, that his search was finally over, but he refused to hope too hard; too many times that hope had been destroyed as another failure lit up with the moon's light. No, he needed to check.
Slowly he brought it up to the light of the full moon, holding it between his thumb and index finger gently, using it as a lens to filter the milky light.
The blue sapphire was beautiful, twinkling like starlight on an open sea, but Kaito had to keep from sinking to his knees with an emotion that was a mixture of relief, excitement, and satisfaction. There in the middle of the sea of blue, a red light pulsed within, almost like a living breathing thing. This was it. He had found Pandora.
"Is that a doublet?"
He turned slightly to see Conan standing behind him, looking up at the gem with unbridled curiosity. Kaito grinned at him.
"Yes Tantei-kun. This is the gem we were trying to find for years."
Conan cocked his head to the side as he stepped forward, trying to get a closer look.
"I had heard of doublet gems before, but have never seen them in person. Aren't they just authentic gems with cheaper materials crafted to them to make it bigger?"
Kaito smiled as he made his way back over to the couch where he was sitting.
"Yes, but there are a few natural formed doublets. There was a diamond in Siberia that was unearthed that had a diamond inside a diamond, and I think this is the same. This stone is called Pandora, and this is the reason I steal jewels; all to find this beauty."
Conan sat across from him again and Kaito almost chuckled. Gone was the look of uncertainty he had had before; now he looked like he was about to bombard him with questions. Nothing could try to control a detective's inquisitiveness.
"So they were looking for it too?"
Kaito confirmed with a smirk and a wink of cards into existence. He set the gem down on his knee, not ready to part with it yet, comforted by the weight of it.
"Yes. That is why we got into such high stakes face offs over the years."
Conan leaned forward in his chair, sipping his coffee.
"KID-san."
Kaito looked up from his card shuffling to see the boy looking at him with an unknown emotion in his cerulean eyes.
"For this to work…I need information. I need to know all that you know about them."
Kaito froze for a moment, a slight pause in his dexterous hands before resuming. Yes, this was the night KID's identity, motives, origin, and past were all going to be thrust into the limelight. He had prepared for this outcome, but still. This was too similar to an interrogation room, where he would be spilling his secrets to a detective of all people. After so many secrets, so many lies, for so long, this was going to be difficult to say the least. He had to choose his words meticulously so he couldn't incriminate himself. Conan continued.
"I know that we have an…unique relationship, and I know that I like to get carried away with asking questions."
He took a deep breath.
"But we aren't thief and detective right now. This is a detective, listening to his client's case, over drinks."
He gestured down at the table at the two cups. He gave Kaito a clear look.
"You can tell me what you want me to know and can withhold any information you want as well. However, with that, as a detective, I need as much information as I can get. I will try my best not to get into your personal life and find out your identity, but it isn't guaranteed. Does this sound agreeable?"
Kaito felt warmth fill his chest as he looked over at his companion. Once again, their similar situations had saved him a little. Conan understood what it was like to be accosted over lies and secrets that had been held in place for so long, and understood it was delicate matter. Even now, he wasn't trying to find out his identity, just trying to figure out their true enemies. The fact he was trying to comfort his rival touched Kaito. He smirked his signature smirk.
"Don't worry Tantei-kun, I will give you all the information I have. What would you like to ask first?"
He had resigned himself to the fact that this would happen yesterday, when he had decided to let Conan participate with this. He knew what he was getting into from the get-go, and he wanted the detective's help to destroy this evil syndicate once and for all. If they succeeded, Kaitou KID would no longer exist anyway, so spilling some things short of his true identity was not going to worry him.
Conan's eyes gleamed predatorily and Kaito almost flinched. Even though Conan wanted to take this nice and easy, Kaito knew better. The boy would get carried away, and he would have to reign him back in, but he had to remember, that predator instinct wasn't trained on him this time. Conan seemed to try to collect his thoughts for a moment before asking.
"Let's start with that jewel. Why do both of you want it?"
Ah, an easy nonincriminating one. Kaito flicked the cards into a deck and started to deal out the cards into an unknown game.
"Ah, well there is a legend behind this gem. Its true name is Pandora, and the red gem inside is supposed to have magical powers."
Conan narrowed his eyes. Magic, as in real magic, not the kind the magician thief used? He asked incredulously.
"Do you really believe that?"
Kaito looked up from his card game with himself.
"No, but they certainly do. Legend has it, that when a comet comes near earth every few centuries or so, this gem will 'shed tears'. When you drink those tears, you can gain immortality."
Conan cocked his head to the side. The fact that a modern day crime organization truly believed this, and went so far as to try to murder people for their belief was astounding. This sounded more like a cult then a crime syndicate. Now though, another question burned in his mind.
"Do you want immortality too?"
Kaito chuckled easily.
"No, not at all. I want to destroy it."
He looked wistfully down at the gem resting in his lap, sorrow leaking into his tone.
"This stupid gem has caused the murders of so many people, and I don't want these evil bastards to get to be immortal, committing atrocious acts until the end of time."
Kaito shuddered, thinking of Snake or Spider committing crimes for eternity, before laughing it off with a smile.
"This of course if under the assumption it really is a magical gem, but I don't want to be wrong. I have seen too many strange things to truly write off true magic."
Conan paused pensively for a moment. He had sensed the emotion from KID last time when he mentioned his mission; this was personal for him. Getting this gem was important for him, getting these criminals was important for him. More questions and curiosity filled his overactive mind, focusing on the mystery in front of him, the puzzle pieces trying to desperately fit together.
"Why do you want to catch them so badly?"
Kaito smirked.
"What? Tantei-kun, I thought you of all people would understand the need to put criminals behind bars."
Conan shook his head.
"No KID that isn't what I meant, and you know it."
Kaito froze, smirk still on his face, even though he was inwardly conflicted. He wasn't ready to talk about his father just yet. Conan was leaning forward, interrogation mode engaged to the max as he asked in a frenzy.
"Did they do something to you? Is this revenge? You mentioned murders. Did they murder someone close to you?"
Kaito raised his eyebrows. Looks like he needed to give the miniature detective a friendly reminder.
"Conan-kun. No prying into my personal life, remember?"
Conan blinked and pulled back. Right, his goal for this was the syndicate, not KID. He apologized disappointedly.
"Sorry."
Kaito waited a few moments, straightening and leaning back into the couch. He took a deep breath. He hadn't talked about this…well for a long time. Not even since he took up the KID mantle.
"Tantei-kun, what number am I to hold the title of Kaitou KID?"
Conan froze. Wait, was he going to answer his question? After a moment, he answered.
"Third I think. There was one that had a few years hiatus, then another one popped up, but was different from you. Had a mask and a different style of heist."
Kaito smiled faintly. Of course Conan had noticed the differences between him and Jii-chan. Sounds like he did his research.
Why was he answering this question? The detective didn't need to know anything else that convicted him, but no. Conan was dedicated to the mystery of KID. From the first heist, to this one, he had been trying to build the profile of KID, religiously pursuing him to catch him and finally quench his mystery thirst. He didn't intend to give any names or anything like that, just enough so that Conan could get an accurate depiction of his motives for getting them behind bars. It was the least the boy deserved for helping him.
"Yes, I am the third one. The first one was my father."
Conan only responded by raising his eyebrows in surprise slightly but didn't dare speak. KID was actually laying down his mask, and he wasn't going to disturb him and cause him to throw it back on again. He had assumed that someone close to him was killed by this organization, and he was right. Kaito continued hesitantly.
"He first formed Kaitou KID as a response to take attention off of the Phantom Lady. She was forced to steal real jewels and leave replicas in their place, and he went around fixing that. Soon though, when starting to steal big gems, these guys approached him, telling him to back off of their turf or someone was going to get hurt. They didn't want him to find Pandora. They also offered for him to work for them, which he refused."
Kaito swallowed hard. Damn, even after almost ten years, it was still painful.
"He didn't stop, trying to get the gem before them. They…didn't take kindly to that."
Conan watched as inconceivable sorrow wrinkled the phantom thief's face, only for it to be ironed out again.
"He died, in an accident. The accident should have never happened, and it wasn't until years later that I found out from the organization they had set it up."
He clasped his hands, for once they were completely still, nothing flitting between them or appearing.
"I have been chasing them ever since, trying to take the thing from them that they cared about."
Kaito gave Conan a small smile.
"So yes, it is kind of a revenge quest. They shouldn't get away with it."
Conan narrowed his eyes in anger. What an awful motive, not because it was unjustified, but because KID had to suffer so. Knowing that this open and shut case was indeed very open, and his father's murder had gone forgotten and his killers not brought to justice. He remembered the first KID, from the quest with Ran, not well, but he remembered he was an intelligent man, someone that had rivaled his father. The fact he was done in by someone like Gin and Vodka, the same way they had killed Akemi, that made Conan incredibly peeved.
"No they shouldn't."
Kaito looked over at the mini detective. Righteous fire gleamed in the cerulean orbs.
"And they won't."
Kaito smirked. Ah, there was the fierce and unstoppable detective. Suddenly he felt a lot better. Whether it was the telling of his motive, or the realization that after almost ten years, his father's death was finally going to be solved, he wasn't sure, but something about the small and but capable detective's aura across from him was reassuring.
Conan felt that questioning KID about KID was enough, at least for the time being. He needed to learn about his enemies now.
"Tell me about the operatives you know of, and anything else about them you have gathered."
Kaito easily flipped his cards back into his hands into one stack.
"I know the syndicate as a whole is not very big, as they have sent a lot of their operatives after me."
He held up a Jack of Clubs.
"Snake, the one we met tonight, that tried to shoot us. A truly stubborn maniac, one that I am almost positive murdered the previous KID. He is the one that I see the most at my heists. In fact, I think he was partially behind the sniping incident in the spring. He is just a normal everyday assassin, using normal guns and knives as weapons."
He laid it down gently on the table. Conan eyed it, easily pulling up the image of the irritated man with the gun and handlebar mustache.
"How dangerous is he?"
Kaito smirked.
"I can take care of him with medium difficulty on a good night. Between the two of us, we could easily take him. He is not the one I am worried about."
He pulled a Jack of Spades from the deck, narrowing his eyes.
"The next one that I fear more than Snake is Spider."
He laid it next to the other jack, straightening it meticulously. Conan waited patiently for KID to explain.
"Snake almost never works alone, working with minions that helps him overwhelm with numbers, because Snake's strength is leading a group I suppose. Spider is the opposite. Spider is an assassin through and through. I have only met him at a couple of heists, but he was…terrifying."
Conan raised an eyebrow. What kind of person could cause KID to panic? KID's indigo eyes had a sharp edge to them.
"He also uses magic like I do, except his specialty is illusions, not mere slight of hand or tricks. When I say illusions, I mean something borderline hallucinations. It was so strong I couldn't break out by myself. I couldn't move, hear, or see correctly. He was about to stab me in the back when Hakuba poured water over me and brought me out of the trance I was in. He also uses throwing needles as his weapon of choice."
Conan glanced at the jack apprehensively.
"Have you figured out his trick, how he does it?"
Kaito regretfully shook his head.
"I have theories but no solid proof. It could be a mixture of hypnotism and digital effects, but I had also considered drugs too. He is a master at psychological warfare and can even turn your own allies into enemies. I know Hakuba has been chasing him a long time, with little to no success in the matter. As you can tell, he is a bit of a problem."
Conan gulped. Yes, this seemed like a very different criminal then he had ever faced. At least with Gin, or Vodka, or any of his organization members, they were pretty predictable; they would shoot you and try to go all out to kill you. No underhanded tactics. The only thing you would have to worry about would be moving and disabling them fast enough not to get caught by a bullet. This sounded like a true assassin, one who killed from the shadows, with different tactics. This would be unlike any criminal he had ever faced.
"We will have to be careful not to let our guard down around him."
Kaito nodded in agreement.
"Yes. Since he is a magician, I can see through most of his tricks, but the opposite is also true."
He smirked confidently.
"He hasn't gotten to me yet though. We can handle him."
Conan managed a small smile at the certainty in KID's aura. As per usual, the thief made any impossible task seem improbable, doable even. Go up against a deadly assassin? Do it with a cocky grin and card gun ready to fight. It was because of this characteristic that KID seemed untouchable, gave him his name of Phantom Thief.
KID pulled out a Queen of Spade, spinning it between his fingers.
"Snake and Spider both report to the second in command. I have met him before, and from what I could tell, leadership is all he is good at, and escaping. He has no fighting abilities from what I can see, besides shooting a gun I suppose. I don't think he will be much of a challenge if we manage to tie him down long enough for the police to take him into custody."
KID lay out the queen besides the other jacks and whipped out the King of Spades in a flash, small frown on his face.
"Last enemy is the final boss. Identity, strengths, weapons, and difficulty are all unknown. I just know the second in command mentioned reporting to a higher up."
Both boys looked at the cards in silence. Kaito glanced over at Conan. The detective was sitting there, eyes focused completely on the cards laid across the table. Slowly the hand that was laying still on his lap came up to cradle his chin as he frowned in concentration, already thinking several steps into the future. KID smiled as he leaned back, silently watching as plan after plan flitted across the miniature detective's face.
Conan was totally immersed in his planning for several minutes. He almost didn't hear KID ask quietly.
"Yen for your thoughts, Tantei-kun?"
Conan jerked his eyes up, flashing in the faint lamp light. He relaxed and took a deep breath. Right, he should try to think out loud so KID could be kept in the loop.
"What would you like to do KID-san?"
Kaito raised an eyebrow. He thought his motives were quite clear. Conan noticed the questions in his eyes, and he clarified.
"The jewel. We could hide it, keeping it safe until the whole ordeal is over, or we could keep it with us and use it to draw out the crows in the darkness."
Kaito tilted his head back, considering it.
"Hiding it would probably be the best. I don't want there to be any chance that it might fall into enemy hands."
Conan smirked. He thought that was what the thief would go with, which led to the next part of his plan.
"Then give it to me."
He held out his hand. Kaito hesitated, eyes narrowing.
"Why should you hide it?"
Conan noticed the protective look and noticed how KID's hand dropped to cover the gem. He wasn't going to give it up without a fight.
"Think about it KID. They know you. They know how you are willing to do anything to protect the people around you, and they could use a hostage against you. Do you really want to deal with the decision to save a loved one or to give up the jewel you have spent several years trying to find?"
He pointed to himself.
"They have nothing on me. They don't know me as well, and if they try to threaten me, I know I can stay strong and keep the information away from them."
Kaito's eyes widened. Conan was trying to make this easier on him, with his stupidly self-sacrificing self. He knew that KID would do anything in a hostage to save both the gem and the hostage, but he was taking that pressure off of him, redirecting the entire organization's wrath to himself. He smirked, poker face slamming into place to cover the misgivings of throwing the small sleuth to the wolves.
"Are you kidding Tantei-kun? Of the both of us, the one who is most reckless with saving people's lives is you. I trust you less to give up the secret in the face of a hostage situation then me."
Conan narrowed his eyes.
"No, you can trust me. I don't want the organization to become immortal either. There is too much at stake right now. I can make the hard decisions."
He glanced down, averting his gaze.
"Besides, this is too important to you."
Kaito paused. As he suspected, Conan was already totally invested in this case. This is what he feared would happen. Conan had a way of giving two thousand percent into cases, disregarding personal safety along the way. This was what he was worried about when they had sat around the campfire in the woods, Conan questioning about the organization and learning more information. It really touched him that he wanted to help out this much, but he was not going to put him in any excess danger. There was a distinct difference between helping Kaito out, and straight up being the only person that called down the entire organization on him. Kaito held up his arms in an X, commanding firmly.
"No way. I am hiding the jewel."
Conan stiffened for a moment. This wasn't going to work. Time for plan B. Almost instantly, a new idea filled Conan's brain. That would work, and kill two birds with one stone. Now to put it into action. Inwardly he grinned, while on the outside he flopped back against the couch cushions, pouting childishly as he watched KID carefully.
"Fine, have it your way."
Kaito relaxed his stance, sighing in relief at the nonthreatening childish personality. Suddenly, he felt something prick his arm. He looked down to see the tranquilizer dart sticking out of his hand. He looked up, horrified at the grinning detective as he lowered his watch.
"I bet last night was exhausting planning for tonight's heist KID. Why don't you take a nap? You need to rest up for tomorrow anyway."
Kaito clutched desperately at the jewel as he fought the sedative in his system. Luckily he had built up a little bit of immunity because of his own anesthetic smoke bombs, but it wasn't enough.
"No Tantei—"
He slid back against the couch, muscles relaxing involuntarily. That was his mistake; he should have known something was up when Conan reverted into a childish personality. He told himself he wouldn't fall for that again. He should have known the stubborn boy wouldn't back down when he wanted something.
He fought against the drug trying to pull his eyes shut. Blearily he could make out Conan standing over him, blurred in the semi darkness. Kaito hissed, as he reached in his pocket, trying to reach for his own sedative bomb, but his hand felt numb, unmoving. He felt smaller fingers cover his hand, the one that held Pandora.
"Trust me KID."
Trust the detective. Hard to do considering he just tranquilized him, and could do anything like find out his identity or steal Pandora back, but sure, easy enough to do. Kaito fought for a few more seconds before unconsciousness swamped his mind like an inky tide.
Conan watched as KID finally relinquished his hold on consciousness, head lulling to the side. Conan sighed exasperatedly.
"Troublesome thief."
This wouldn't have happened if KID had just accepted his proposal. But then again, this was good for him. Now that he could kind of see his face, the thief's tight stress lines and poker face fell away, relaxing him probably for the first time since he had discovered this jewel's identity. Worry and panic didn't exactly make for sweet dreams; Conan knew that from experience.
Conan repositioned KID into a more comfortable position with difficulty, cursing his tiny body and muscles all the way, until KID was lying on the couch cozily. The detective hopped up and went deeper into the house, retrieving a blanket and throwing it over the phantom, who was now snoring softly. He couldn't let him get a cold before the showdown. The tranquilizer dart helped send KID to sleep, and his exhaustion would keep him there, giving Conan some time to continue where he left off.
He gave Kid an almost remorseful glance. He did feel bad about betraying what little trust the thief had in him, but this was necessary. Plans with more people knowing all the parts just meant a higher fail rate. He squared his shoulders, eyes darkening with excitement and ideas. He headed toward the kitchen; he would need some more coffee for this long night.