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Title: The White Collar Phantom Thief – The Secret of Pandora

Fandom: Detective Conan / Magic Kaito

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Gosho Aoyama for he created the awesomeness that is Kaitou KID. Ah, and Detective Conan, too. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Tags: m/m, future fic, post-Conan Shinichi, secret reveals, slow-burn, hurt/comfort, canon-typical violence/death, canon-typical magic, canon-typical crossdressing, fake relationship, fluff, adoption, found family, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, f/f, m/f

Main Pairing: Kaito/Shinichi

Side Pairings: Sera/Ran, Saguru/Aoko, Heiji/Kazuha, Makoto/Sonoko, Takagi/Sato

DC/MK Characters:

Task Force: Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou KID | Tsukino Guinevere, Kudou Shinichi, Hakuba Saguru, Nakamori Aoko, Hattori Heiji, Sera Masumi, Koizumi Akako, Furuya Rei | Amuro Tooru | Bourbon, Akai Shuuichi, Takagi Wataru, Sato Miwato, Jii Konosuke

Others: Mouri Ran, Suzuki Sonoko, Kyogoku Makoto, Tooyama Kazuha, Suzuki Jirokichi, Nakamori Ginzo, Megure Juzo, Mouri Kogoro, Kuroba Chikage, Kudou Yuusaku, Kudou Yukiko

Detective Boys: Agasa Hiroshi, Haibara Ai, Yoshida Ayumi, Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko, Kojima Genta

Black Organization: Gunther von Goldberg II | Spider, Snake, Rose

Summary: Akako gives Kaito a prophecy: If KID is not captured by the demon of light, both of them would die and only if he gets captured will he be able to reach his goal. Kaito would rather go to jail than risk Shinichi's life

With Kaitou KID gone, Snake starts going after the jewels more actively and people get killed. It doesn't take Shinichi long to see a connection to KID – and that this is the last branch left of the BO he had taken down.

Shinichi forms a special task-force to end the BO for good. And for that, he needs Kaitou KID's help.

The White Collar Phantom Thief

The Secret of Pandora

Case 6: Where Threats Are Being Made

Kaito had slept like a baby. It had been too long since he'd gotten to sleep in an actual bed like this. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Kid-chan. The white kitten was curled together on the pillow right next to Kaito, sleeping peacefully. With a grin did he reach out to caress her soft fur. It was still a bit strange to think that Shinichi had named his kitten after Kaito.

"Oi, KID," loud knocking on the door. "Get up and get ready. Everyone's coming over in an hour."

"I'm awake," Kaito yawned. "Wait. Who's 'everyone'?"

"Everyone I want to help us with this case. So get ready, you hear me?"

Great. Big visit. Kaito yawned and stretched. Time to shower and mentally – and physically – prepare. It's been over a year since he'd last donned the KID get-up, but he would feel safer and more comfortable wearing it when facing cops and detectives, even if everybody knew that Kuroba Kaito was Kaitou KID. Besides, it'd help him get used to the new suit. Apparently, the professor had tinkered a little with it. The weight-distribution may be off, different from how he was used to.

"Ah, Kid-chan, to be a kitten and get to curl together and sleep all day instead of facing real responsibilities. Oh, how I envy you," Kaito heaved a sigh, his eyes on the cat.

/break\

Heiji stood tensely in the corner of the room, his arms crossed. Though he didn't like Hakuba on a daily base, right now he considered him an ally. Hakuba too was very skeptical about all of this, or more precisely about the fact that Kaitou KID was in this too. A criminal who had already been in prison – a criminal Shinichi had broken out of prison. And yes, Heiji had put that together.

"Kudou-kun," Takagi was the one to speak up. "I'm still unsure what this is going to be about?"

"Yes. You were quite vague," agreed Sato next to him.

Sera sat on the couch, next to her older brother. Heiji was aware that there was another member of the team, sitting in another room and listening in through the surveillance camera.

"During the time I was... gone, I investigated a crime syndicate," replied Shinichi patiently as he paced in front of them. "I thought... we had taken them all down, but it has recently come to my attention that this may not be the case after all."

Heiji's eyes drifted over to Hakuba's girlfriend. Aoko was a nice girl, Heiji knew she'd really hit it off with Kazuha and Ran, Heiji himself didn't mind spending time with her either. There was a tenseness to her right now, because she knew where this was headed, much like Hakuba and Heiji.

"There has been a series of robberies in the richest homes of Tokyo, as you may have heard," Shinichi typed away on his laptop before a presentation popped up, projected against the wall.

He clicked through a couple slides, with the newspaper articles on said robberies. Heiji felt his own attention slip away, because he knew all of this already. The robberies that all targeted Big Jewels, the kind that Kaitou KID had been after too. The reason Shinichi had first linked this to KID.

"My father... Nakamori-keibu's task-force has been on these cases," Aoko stepped forward as she spoke up. "Though he doesn't see much of a link. There hasn't been any evidence. Bullets and shell-casings were all removed, no prints or DNA left behind."

And now Shinichi brought up everything that Hakuba had on Snake, what little there was. Since this was mostly to the benefit of Sato and Takagi, and later on when they'd reach the part about KID also to catch up Akai, Sera and the mystery team-member in the other room, Heiji started wandering around. Curious if he could spot KID before the thief's big entrance.

"I think that's going to get you a 'tardy' from the teacher. You're skipping his lecture."

Ah. Found him. Heiji rolled his eyes as he turned around to face the white-clad thief. Perched on the top of the stairs. The ever-same manic grin on his lips as he looked down at Heiji.

"I know the pitch," Heiji shrugged. "I can't believe he broke you out of prison."

"Heh," KID tilted his head. "We are on the same page there. I can't believe that part either. Yet here I am. Out and helping a bunch of detectives solve crimes and such."

A dismissive hand-gesture, a casual tone to his voice. But Heiji could tell there was a certain seriousness to the thief. There was a reason Shinichi trusted this guy. Had trusted him a lot in the past. Still, between being stuck together and working together out of convenience's reason and actually breaking the thief out of prison, there was a difference. And Heiji didn't know what to think of that. Of the hold that KID had on Shinichi.

"You better be useful," Heiji warned the thief as he turned around again. "And you better not hurt Kudou again, ya hear me? He didn't cope well with yer incarceration."

"What? Are you giving me a shovel-talk, tantei-han?" KID chuckled amused. "Are you going to threaten to hurt me if I ever hurt him again, mh?"

Heiji huffed out a weak laugh and shook his head. "I'm not the one you should be afraid of. You should be afraid of nee-chan. We both know she's capable of breaking you in half like a twig. And if you ever hurt Kudou, now that she knows your face, you should be afraid."

Looking over his shoulder, Heiji caught a glimpse of KID's poker-face cracking. Heh. Good. Mouri Ran's punches could put the thief in his place then. Maybe he'd be more careful from hereon out then. Because Kudou had been a mess back then, even if he pretended he wasn't.

/break\

Before his big entrance in the living room, Kaito checked in on the waiter in the other room. The officer from the PSB officer who had helped Shinichi take down the main branch of the BO. Though by now Kaito knew this – knew the man was one of the 'good guys', was a cop who had helped Shinichi – he couldn't say he liked the guy. The first time he had met Amuro Tooru came to mind. It was hard to forget a gun pointed at one's face, after all. Even if it hadn't been his face, technically. Kaito's best guess was that it had been the face of a fully grown Haibara Ai, but he didn't pry into that. He never had. Even when he'd learned that Edogawa Conan was actually a shrunken version of Kudou Shinichi, he had never flat-out asked how that was possible. And the same went for the scary little nee-chan; Kaito never asked if her situation was the same, he just... well, he deduced that. Heh. His detective should be proud of him for that.

And okay, yes, perhaps Kaito's dislike of Amuro rooted from more than just the gun pointed at his face – even though Kaito would like to argue that this should suffice as a reason to dislike a guy. No, their second meeting factored in too. Seeing the way tantei-kun had fawned over Amuro's stupid little trick while they stood in line waiting to reach Kaito's heist. Magic was Kaito's realm. How dare this guy used magic, and a cheap trick at that, to put awe on tantei-kun's face!

Or, to put it shortly: Kaito was jealous. And yes, by now he was willing to admit that. After all, by now he was willing to confront his feelings for Shinichi and their romantic nature. To him, Amuro was a rival – and not for his cheap magic. No, for the fact that he could hold Shinichi's attention and had gotten praised by Shinichi for his little trick.

"I'm fairly sure that you're expected in the other room, thief."

Kaito narrowed his eyes at Amuro and crossed his arms defensively. The blonde sat in a guest room, watching Shinichi and the gathering in the living room through his laptop. Because the officer's cover as Amuro Tooru, aka Bourbon, had not been blown. And it'd be more useful to them if the number of people knowing his real identity stayed small. Exposing him to the rest of the team would be a risk. They had by now been informed that there was another member of the team who would remain anonymous for now because they were deep undercover. As well as another yet unseen member – Kaito himself. Mh, it seemed he really was expected downstairs.

"I just wanted you to know that I know you're here," informed Kaito in a chipper voice. "And I'm keeping a close eye on you, because I do not trust you."

"Well," Amuro looked up, amusement in his eyes as he regarded Kaito. "That fits then, because I do not trust you either. You're a criminal, Kaitou KID."

The amusement was betrayed by an edge to his gaze though. Like he was aware that Kaito was a clown but one with a very sharp, protective nature. He'd done crazy things in his life so far for sure, they were all over the news, so Amuro too was well aware of them. With a skip in his steps did Kaito make his way down toward the living room, appearing in the middle of it in a puff of smoke.

"Thank you for your patience," Kaito bowed slightly. "And thank you for your aid."

Takagi, Kaito liked that one. There was eager excitement in the officer's eyes. A fan, Kaito knew. The man's fiance however looked more skeptical. Sato was another one of the very dangerous and scary ladies his tantei-kun tended to hang around. And yes, fiance – Kaito had spotted the sparkly ring on Sato's finger the moment he entered the room. Jewelry just caught his eyes.

"So the plan is to use Kaitou KID as bait?" asked Sato, eyes darting from Kaito to Shinichi.

"More or less," Shinichi didn't look pleased when he said that. "For the most part, we're using KID to get to the gems before these men. To stop the killings because his flashy, flashy nature draws too much attention and they wouldn't be able to operate in their cloak and dagger manner anymore."

"So you essentially want KID to continue how he did before he was arrested?" asked Akai.

The man's eyes laid heavy on Kaito. Something about his gaze was unsettling, but then these were the all-seeing eyes of a sharp-shooter. Someone who had killed before. Kaito didn't like that. He also didn't like how close this one was to Shinichi either and yes, perhaps Kaito's jealousy might become a problem. He couldn't help it, these two – Akai and Amuro – they were suspicious, they had taken lives in the past, they were older and shady and close to his tantei-kun.

"Essentially," conceded Shinichi, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "KID has never kept the gems he stole. The same will continue now. He'll check to confirm that it's not the gem they are looking for and then return it. If we... do get lucky and find the gem that is being hunted for... Well, considering it's been looked for for two decades, let's say that's a bridge we'll cross if we ever actually reach it, I'd say. We will act like we are not linked to KID, hunt him or... stay away, if that is what some of us have been doing so far. Behind the screen, we'll stay in communication with KID and we will stake out his heists to watch out for the men in black."

"That... sounds risky," Takagi frowned in concern.

"I'm aware of all the risks," assured Kaito. "But thank you for your concerns."

"It also sounds risky for us," argued Sato. "You're a criminal. And currently a wanted fugitive."

"I'm sure deals can be made once the matter is cleared and he proved useful in stopping a criminal syndicate that regularly murders people," Shinichi's voice was so delightfully dry.

Ah, how Kaito had missed his detective. This was going to be a lot of fun.

/break\

Shinichi was tired. The kind that came with a headache and burning eyes. Yet it seemed impossible to tear himself away from the books in front of him. Now that KID was out of prison and staying here, Shinichi was trying to find anything that was there to find about Pandora.

A sensitive starting point seemed to be the Greek mythology around the figure. A jewel's name most of the time had a reason, after all. So it was best to be prepared. Naturally, he hadn't found anything about a gem named Pandora directly. That would have been too easy – and KID would have been able to do that himself, he would have done that already a long time ago then.

"Ta—antei-ku—un," there was chiding in KID's voice. "Little detectives need to sleep."

"Not a little detective anymore," argued Shinichi on autopilot.

"Well. Grown-up detectives need sleep too," now KID sounded amused. "Come on. Everyone you invited to our little group project came, listened and agreed to give it a shot. Because you're a great detective, Great Detective. You presented them with enough evidence to have them curious."

"But it's not enough evidence to convict anyone," Shinichi made an annoyed noise when the book in his hand disappeared. "Unhand my research material, sneak thief."

Kaito grinned and folded the book to put it aside. "Come on. You are the one who set us up for a triple date tomorrow and if you fall asleep, I will be very displeased."

For a second, Shinichi frowned. Then he remembered. Tsukino Guinevere, his lovely fiance. Who was all over the news. And had him gotten yelled at by Sonoko and Ran, until he agreed to introduce them to the woman who supposedly stole his heart. Thankfully enough, Hattori kept out of this and managed to convince Kazuha to not tag along either. Sonoko and Ran were going to be tough enough. The toughest, actually. Another lie he was going to tell Ran. With a heavy sigh did he close his eyes and lean back against the couch. Before he noticed, he fell asleep.

/break\

The grand debut of Tsukino Guinevere. Kaito had studied the file that Yuusaku had written for him and he had talked to Yukiko, who had been playing the part up until now, to see what kind of characteristics she had given the persona. He picked out a pretty green dress and put the red hair up loosely before attaching himself to Shinichi's arm. This was going to be so much fun.

"Hey, Ran! Sonoko, Sera, Makoto-kun," Shinichi smiled thin-lipped.

"Don't 'hey' us!" Sonoko glared and swatted at Shinichi's upper arm before zooming in on Kaito. "Oh, she is gorgeous! You are gorgeous! Why are you dating the detective geek? You can do better."

"Sonoko!" Ran sounded exasperated and embarrassed on her account. "You must be Tsukino-san. It's a pleasure to meet you. Let's head inside, mh? It's quite chilly tonight."

"Yes, it is," agreed Kaito in the fake voice he'd chosen for the role. "It's so nice to finally meet you in person, Mouri-chan! My Shin-chan talks about you so much, I feel like I already know you."

Kaito hugged her enthusiastically and then went in for a hug with Sera and Sonoko too, already being bombarded with questions from Sonoko. Mostly about living in Paris. Rapid-fire questions. Of course, to the rich heiress, Paris sounded like a dream yet to come. Makoto next to Sonoko smiled at her oh so lovingly. It was something that Kaito found very endearing, the way this very terrifying martial artist would melt and be so flustered around the girl he loved.

Well, woman by now. They had gotten engaged recently, which – in Kaito's observations – had been in the making for a while. He still remembered the tests Sonoko's mom put the poor guy through to check if he was worthy of the Suzuki family name. To the parents, this had never just been a teenage romance. It was the family's future in the making. The fact that that had never intimidated Makoto or chased him away spoke to his devotion to Sonoko. That, Kaito could respect, even if he was still deadly afraid of the guy. Which was a feeling he had to suppress right now, because he wasn't KID. He was the cute sweet fiance of one of Sonoko's best friends, so there was no way Makoto would threaten him, not as long as Kaito could keep the act of Guinevere up.

"Oh, oh, that is a beautiful ring, Suzuki-chan!" Kaito gasped and took her hand to look at the ring. "My, your man has great taste in women and in jewelry I see."

He aimed a very charming smile at Makoto, watching the man blush brightly while Sonoko preened at the compliment on both the jewelry and her fiance. The six of them sat down and Kaito could hear the way Sera and Shinichi slipped into an animated conversation about a case.

"Your Japanese is very good, considering you grew up overseas," observed Makoto.

"Ah, ah, ah," Kaito tried to sound coy and flattered. "My father always talked Japanese with me at home. I always wanted to come to Japan. And when I met Shin-chan, well..."

"How did the two of you meet?" asked Sonoko eagerly, leaning halfway over Ran.

Shinichi curled his hand under his chin. That was the cute thinking gesture, Kaito loved it. Right now, he was probably going over their story in his head himself once more. Something Kaito had no need for, his memory was perfect enough to recite the thing in his sleep.

"I was out for lunch with some friends from college, we were at this lovely little cáfe when suddenly, someone yelled 'murder!'," started Kaito, linking his fingers with Shinichi and looking at him lovingly. "I spent the next three hours in that café, watching Shin-chan here solve it. It was absolutely captivating, the way he is when he solves a case. After, I was bold enough to give him my number and ask him to give me a call so we could go to a cáfe together."

"And he actually called you?" asked Sonoko surprised, her eyebrows raised.

"Well, no," Kaito chuckled. "I ran into him on campus a few days later. Only after the third time we met, he actually was ready to give me a call. And the rest, as they say, is history."

Sonoko laughed when Kaito giggled and the whole mood was set into relaxed and fun as they ordered. Conversation shifted into mostly Kaito asking questions, relearning things he already knew about the two couples. At one point, naturally, did lunch get interrupted by a murder. Going somewhere with Shinichi and Sera was just tempting fate. Though Kaito had to admit, he found a special kind of glee in watching Shinichi work with Sera, the way he'd bounce off ideas, how the two would exchange theories. It was nice to see Shinichi have someone on his wave-length.

"While Shinichi is busy, I think the two of us should talk," Ran sounded calm, but in an unnerving manner, as she rested a hand on Kaito's knee. "I don't know why you are here. And I don't know why Shinichi is lying about all of this and covering for you. But I do know that you're KID."

"W... What are you talking about, Mouri-chan?" Kaito laughed nervously.

Ran's hand on his knee tightened, that alone was enough to make him nervous. "You have impersonated people dear to me often enough over the years. I've gotten very good at spotting when it's you, KID. And... I know that Shinichi wasn't in France. I know he was here, in Japan. The times we talked on the phone, he wasn't seven hours behind us. And he would have told me if he'd met someone. Even more so if he'd gotten engaged to someone. You're a lie. I don't know why he is lying, but I've gotten very good at noticing when he's lying to me."

Well, being surrounded by detectives had apparently rubbed off on her. Kaito smiled one of his KID smiles and Ran seemed quite pleased by that. Her grip, however, didn't ease off.

"I don't understand why he came back from his big case so obsessed with you. He wouldn't tell me. He claims it's not an obsession. But he went to so many of your heists," Ran paused, as though she was considering her words. "I've learned not to push him when he doesn't want to tell me the truth, because I don't want to push him into lying directly to my face. But... you... Whatever this is, I need you to promise me that you're keeping him safe, do you understand?"

That part was unexpected. Kaito blinked a couple of times in surprise. Her dark-purple eyes were so serious, but shimmering as though there were suppressed tears. Fears. For good reason, he supposed. Shinichi was prone for getting himself in trouble. Nearly dying.

"You always do," whispered Ran, her eyebrows slowly drawing together. "Protect him, that is. I know that. I know of the times you two got in trouble during heists. And even before Shinichi, I always... I didn't like when Conan-kun investigated murders, but I didn't mind the heists, not just because they weren't gruesome but also because I knew that you'd watch over him. KID, I need you to watch over Shinichi now, the way you used to watch over Conan-kun. Promise me."

For a moment, Kaito's throat felt quite tight. The way he used to protect Conan-kun, huh? That wouldn't be a hard thing to promise. When he looked at Ran, it was with sincerity.

"I promise you that I'll do everything in my power to protect our troublemaker, okay?"

The smile on her lips was easy as she nodded. "I believe you."


Author's note: Next up, we're going to our first heist! Kaito can't wait ;D