It was an ordinary day of high school for our favorite phantom thief, Kuroba Kaito…until it wasn't.

Suddenly, some guys in black show up with guns. The whole class, no… the whole school is at a standstill.

'Are they here for Hakuba?' Kaito guesses.

The teacher tries to calm down everyone. Some students ducking underneath their desks, some cowering in fear, etc. Only Hakuba, Akako, and Kaito are completely calm and watching, calculating a strategy to get out of this mess.

Then… a man with a handlebar mustache shows up.

'Snake?!' Kaito quietly growls, instantly hostile the moment he sees him.

"Alright… where's the Kuroba brat?!" Snake demands, "Bring him over here!"

That gets everyone's attention and causes commotion among the students. Mostly asking why Kuroba, of all people?

"Hakuba…get everyone out safely," Kaito whispers.

"But what about you?" Hakuba asks at the same volume.

"Don't get involved," Kaito glares, his eyes narrowed, "This is my battlefield."

'Battlefield…' Hakuba flinches at that word but sighs, "OK…but you better not die."

"Not planning on it," Kaito mutters as he stands up, his hands up in surrender, "...fine! I'll cooperate. Just let everyone else go. They have nothing to do with this."

"Fine," Snake nods as everyone except the goons and Kuroba, run out of the school.

"Kaito?!" Aoko yells in shock.

"Just GO!" Kuroba growls at her, causing her to flinch back

"Kuroba-kun can handle himself," Akako comforts her, holding her hand.

"...I know…but still…" Aoko mutters as they leave.

Once everyone else is gone, Kaito just glares at Snake.

"Now then… you're coming with us. And if you know what's good for you, I suggest you not struggle," Snake grin evilly.

Kaito's unimpressed though. Then he sighs, "...fine. But before we go, I have to use the bathroom."

Snake growls, "...can't it wait?"

"Nope! Please~? I really~ need to go~!" Kaito whines like a child, annoying the crap out of him.

"Fine! Just go!" Having had enough, Snake yells, sending Kaito out to the halls with two men to guard him.

Big mistake.

Once in the bathroom, Kaito pretends to need help, and then knocks them out with a spray of sleeping gas.

After tying them up, unloading their guns and tossing them aside, he gets out his card gun from somewhere.

Eyes narrowing, Kaito grips his gun tight. He's not scared at all. Of Snake, or of being shot (again). But now that Snake brought the fight to his daytime life, all bets are off.

'He'll pay for messing with me!' Kaito growls as he enters the halls, senses on high alert as he begins taking down every last one of Snake's men…before the big man himself.

Meanwhile…

Of course, several calls were made to the police. Hakuba even called his father this time. Police cars were surrounding the school in no time, the students escorted to safety.

In a white RX-7, Furuya Rei was called to the scene.

As Kazami informs him of the situation at Edoka High School. An international criminal, who was identified as Jackal, was reported barging into the school, and is now holding a student, Kuroba Kaito, hostage.

Furuya's brow furrows before speeding up.

When he got there, the whole school was surrounded by police, and he could hear gunfire and screams inside.

Kazami, having arrived before him, had taken command of the other officers. He salutes Furuya, "Furuya-san… will you be needing help?"

"No…" Furuya sighs, "Just keep the building locked down. No one gets in or out."

"Hai!" Kazami nods.

He readies his gun, preparing for a firefight as he heads inside the school.

As he walks the halls, he immediately notices something strange. Some men in black are knocked out cold and tied up, and others are just bleeding, having fainted from shock and fear.

Checking the wound of one, he realizes that it's a non-fatal wound despite the large amount of blood pooling around him. Sliced up by something sharp. Then he sees the bloodstained cards embedded in the concrete. Touching one, it's hard and sharp like a knife.

'The only person I can think of that uses cards like this is Kaitou KID,' Furuya's eyes narrow, 'But why is he here?'

Then he senses a faint presence, and immediately points his gun at it.

His opponent follows suit, pointing his gun at Furuya.

Furuya sees…the student, Kuroba Kaito, who was supposed to have been held hostage covered in gunshot wounds, grazes and scratches really, bleeding a bit but otherwise… is glaring at him like a predator, specifically a cat, on the hunt.

They stay like that for a moment, eyes locked onto each other before blinking in surprise, lowering their guns.

'This is… KID's true form?' Furuya guesses.

Still sensitive to their surroundings, they sense more enemies. Turning around, backs to each other, they shoot at them without hesitation. One shot in the leg and arm, the other shot in the gun and leg, blood spilling. No mercy or words exchanged between them in silent understanding as their enemies are taken down.

Turning back, they look at each other, Kaito tilting his head at him.

'Has he been fighting alone this whole time?' Furuya frowns.

"You knew you were being targeted, weren't you?" Furuya asks.

Kaito sighs, "Somewhat...I didn't think he'd be this stupid or desperate enough to do this though."

By this, he meant, kidnap him in broad daylight.

"You know who caused this?"

Nodding, Kaito explains, "I know him as Snake. You'd probably know him as-"

Back with Kazami, who was in the midst of calming down Inspector Nakamori…

"-Jackal, an international criminal. We don't know why he's here, but we'll arrest him," Kazami says.

"And Kaito-kun?" Inspector Nakamori asks in worry.

"My compatriot will retrieve him. Don't worry," Kazami smiles.

Meanwhile…

Kaito and Furuya had taken out all of Snake's men, and located Snake in the gym. However, Kaito insists on going alone.

"He'll be expecting me…" Kaito muses, "But not you."

Furuya sighs, "...fine. But I have the right to step in if you can't handle it."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Furuya-san," Kaito smiles.

'I never told him my name…' Furuya blinks before noticing that the boy is gone, "Dammit!"

'Is this how Kazami feels when I disappear on him?' Furuya questions as he kills his presence and sneaks into the back of the gym.

Entering the gym, Kaito smirks, "Hi!" as he points his gun at Snake.

"Ha! You really are your father's kid," Snake sneers as he points his gun right back at the boy.

Kaito glares, "Well…I wouldn't know. You killed him."

This startles Snake for a moment before he smirks, "I did…didn't I? And you inherited Kaitou KID to take revenge?"

"What of it?" Kaito growls as he shoots, a card cutting through the air and disarming Snake's gun from his hand. Practically cutting the gun in half, making it completely useless.

Seeing Snake tremble before him, Kaito held no mercy in his eyes, "And you just had to brag about it, didn't you?"

Another card shot off, slicing Snake's arm as he screams in pain. Barely standing, the card gun was pointed at his heart.

Snake whimpers in fear, staring up at Kaito's unwavering eyes, his poker face flawless.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger to end all this, Snake was knocked out by a blow to the head…by the back of Furuya's gun.

Sighing in relief that he'd made it in time, Furuya stares at Kaito.

"How much did you hear?" Kaito sighs, eyes narrowed like a cat.

"Enough," Furuya replies as hugs the boy, who stiffens.

"...you don't have to fight alone anymore."

Kaito quietly cries, tears flowing down, burying his face into Furuya's shoulder. Furuya just holds him, rubbing his back as he just lets Kaito cry.

After a while, Kaito sniffs, backing away from Furuya, his eyes still a bit red, but at least he's calmed down some.

Furuya was about to approach the fallen criminal when Kaito hands him a pair of handcuffs.

"...is that my-" Furuya asks, his eyes narrowed at the handcuffs in Kaito's hand.

"I took Hakuba's," Kaito sheepishly smiles.

Furuya sighs, shaking his head but takes them anyway to handcuff Snake.

By the time Furuya and Kaito were outside the school, it was already sunset.

They were covered in wounds, but otherwise still alive and OK. The ambulance that was called patched them up, at least.

As the criminals and Snake were rounded up and arrested, one question invaded Inspector Nakamori's mind.

Why was Kaito-kun being targeted?

When he asks that question to Kaito, he replies, "An old grudge against my father…" but not elaborating on anything else.

As Snake was being taken away by Public Security Police Officers, Kaito's eyes narrowed, glaring coldly at the man as he quietly growled, "Please interrogate him thoroughly. He belongs to an organization you guys would be interested in taking down."

"You know more than you let on, don't you?" Furuya asks, his eyes narrowed like sharp knives.

Kaito smiles sheepishly, "…maybe~." He grits his teeth, "Plus, I'm trying very hard not to stab him right now…so please, take him out of my sight."

At Kaito's threat of violence, the officers quickly transported Snake out of there.

Once all the police cars drove off with their quarry, it left only Inspector Nakamori, Furuya, and Kazami with Kaito.

"C'mon, Kaito-kun! I'll escort you home!" Inspector Nakamori offers, but…

"No," Furuya and Kaito say at the same time.

"I'll be safer in Public Security custody," Kaito insists.

"I'll guarantee his safety," Furuya agrees.

"Besides…" They look at each other, "We have a lot to talk about," smile at the same time.

"A-Alright then…" Inspector Nakamori frowns, a bit disappointed.

After the Inspector left…

"Kazami, you go on ahead. We'll catch up," Furuya suggests.

"Eh?" Kazami blinks, a bit nervous to leave his boss with the kid, "If you're sure…"

"I'm sure," Furuya smiles.

Nodding, Kazami leaves as well, leaving the two of them alone.

As they prepare to leave for the National Police Agency, Kaito tugs on Furuya's jacket like a child. A sign of trust.

"I'll be more talkative if there's chocolate ice cream," Kaito mutters, a slight blush on his face.

Furuya blinks in surprise before chuckling, "...OK. I'll pick up some on the way there."

Kaito ends up napping in the RX-7 as Furuya drives. He's had a long day…and feels safe with Furuya for some reason.

While stopped at a red light, Furuya looks over at the passenger seat, glancing at the sleeping Kaito. He absent-mindedly strokes his curly hair.

'Still…who would've thought that the infamous Kaitou KID would be a high schooler…'

While in Public Security custody, Kaito would only talk to Furuya and Kazami. Furuya because he's practically his equal, and Kazami over their shared love of chocolate.

Trusting Furuya-san, Kazami could understand, but himself? When asked why, Kaito just shrugs, "Because you smell like chocolate."

That stunned them both before Furuya started laughing. Leaving Kazami to blush in embarrassment.

They might've become collaborators, or simply made a deal. Who knows? But Kaito at least has two adults he can count on now.