AN: The idea for the story had come to me when we had known way too little about the Phantom Lady to be able to imagine anything we wanted. For example her being Aoko's mother, since we hadn't known a thing about her as well. Now it's more than clear that infamous Phantom Lady was in fact, Kuroba Chikage, Kaito's mom. And for a huge surprise (I was floored with this chapter), Aoko's mom, Nakamori Midoriko is as alive as me (literally, I also do sleep a lot whenever I have a chance). Hence the whole plot we had shared with Shadow-chan seems to be the hell of AU.

And yet I grew attached to the idea of Kuroba Tōichi being Nakamori Midoriko's childhood friend whom she had taught the art of phantom thievery. I like the idea of them getting apart for the sake of their real identities while during heists they were working together or meeting to made some plans and preparations. Not as Kuroba Tōichi and Nakamori Midoriko but as Kaitō Kid and Phantom Lady. I like the idea of Aoko, who has been rised by her father, one day stands before the choice what to do, when she finds out that her mother wasn't this proper citizen she had always thought about her, and more, she was not only working with Aoko's "worst enemy", she actually had taught him this art and to top it up, she was murdered.

The whole story might hold some resemblance to this first version I've started writing with Shadow-chan, but it's completely changed. Some pieces I liked to hold and they'll find themselves in this revised one… But when I happened to read this first story it turned to me as rushed, not well thought, and filled with some unnecessary characters.

The second attempt is at least thought out a little bit better.

And there will be no rush.

All in all, it supposed to be savoured, not gulped down.

And probably is not as good as the previous one, but without help of Shadow-chan I was unabled to finish it anyway.

EDIT: I know right now the story contains only MK characters, but due to the fact that it will change in the future I decided to switch the genre from MK to DC.

WARNING: I suck at criminal plots, so please don't lynch me if you notice huge resemblances to what you already read in some books. I'll put a disclaimer anyway.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own neither Detective Conan nor Magic Kaito, those two belongs to Gosho Aoyama – if they were mine, at some point in those 1000 chapters I would definitely let Kuroba Kaito, Nakamori Aoko and Saguru Hakuba (the way we do know them) appear in Detective Conan series so by now at least Kid and Conan would be cooperating to destroy Black Organisation. And I definitely want to see Shinichi/Conan noticing Aoko's and Ran's resemblance – damn this would be my favourite part ;)

Prologue

This alley was quite dark and quiet.

Especially in comparison to overcrowded centre with still loud cheers for the Phantom Thieves. A moment ago the horde of police task force run through the cross street, lured by the flying dummy.

Tōichi sighed with relief. They were quite safe here now.

But not everything was all right.

Actually, judging be the shortness and unevenness of his companion's breath, maybe it would be better if they were found by police.

He had to support her during their escape, but now she slipped out of his grasp and leaned over the wall. He noticed how pale her face was in where the bandages weren't covering it.

It must be really bad.

Midoriko was always the stubborn one, she wouldn't let herself to "rest" before she reached the safe place, that was planned for her cover.

"No." she whispered, practically gulping for air.

"How bad it is?" Tōichi asked with a worry, trying to examine his partner's silhouette, to see where she had been hit by the bullet.

"I... I d-don't... think... I can m-make it." she stuttered between coughs.

She was coughing blood!

'Damn, damn, damn!' - Tōichi cursed in his thoughts, scanning the nearest surroundings for the presence of the telephone.

She slid down slowly, now sitting on the ground. Her right hand was held tight to her midriff. Gently he grabbed it and shifted to see by himself, how bad it really was.

The front of her shirt was almost completely covered in blood. It was black, so he wasn't able to see it, especially not in this shadow, but he could feel where the fabric was wet and sticky.

"Midoriko...?" His usual poker face cracked.

This wasn't bad, it was disastrous!

He helped her to lay down on the pavement. The bandages, that covered most part of her face, disappeared so breathing wouldn't be that difficult for her.

"You can make it, you stubborn witch." he told her lightly, hoping that she wouldn't see through him so easily and she would believe that it really wasn't that bad.

"It hurts like hell, Tōichi." she breathed out barely audible.

"I'll call the ambulance. Just wait here. The telephone is just across the street."

Something like a weak snort escaped her lips. "Like I would go anywhere."

Just in case, he covered her silhouette with his cape and with one, swift movement changed her clothes into the same one she supposed to be dressed on her meeting with her Osakan friend.

She couldn't be dressed as Phantom Lady while the ambulance come.

Before he stood up, to run to the phone, she grabbed his hand. "Tō-chan... do you have some paper and pen?"

He blinked.

"I... I want to write a message."

"Oh, good, because I thought you felt like making some origami figures." he muttered a bit sarcastically, trying this way to cover his nervousness.

She chuckled weakly.

A piece of paper and fountain pen found itself in her hands in no time. Trying to not be hit by the passing cars Kuroba Tōichi almost flew to the phone.

While making a call, he changed his clothes, his white outfit was now safe in his backpack. 'Like a f*ing superman', he thought bitterly, leaving the phone booth already in casual clothes.

Seeing her closed eyes he got scared that it was too late for the ambulance. But she must heard him, even though he was moving quietly like a cat, because when he came closer, her eyes opened slightly.

"Tō-chan, l-last favour I w-want to a-ask."

"Shut up, dummy. You mustn't talk. It weakens you." he hushed her.

She smiled.

"Y-you're q-quite handsome." she noticed with a tint of amusement in her voice.

"Now, you've noticed." he sneered. "When it's dark."

Her palms were sweaty, she really wasn't doing good. 'Damn ambulance! Hurry up!' he thought angrily. It was a hard job to keep this sneering posture and to not scare her even more.

"Too bad I love Gin-chan... We would make a cute couple, my childhood friend." She now sounded better, like speaking wasn't causing so much pain to her any more.

His hopes went up.

"Who knows, maybe in another universe we're happily married, My Lady." he joked, observing her carefully. He felt that his nerves were stressed almost to the breaking point, not being sure if she really got help on time and if she got better. "With twin kids, Kaito and Aoko." he added, recalling her little daughter's name.

"Don't tell Chikage-san I told you that, she would be so upset." Midoriko smiled delicately.

"Chikage probably would ask if you were blind." he muttered with false annoyance. He tried to keep this conversation light, since if she really must be talking, then at least the topic should be relaxing. "So-o..." he elongated the vowel teasingly. "You mean that I'm more handsome than your husband."

"Nah." Her voice held warm laughter. "If not those odd looking moustaches, he would be the best looking man in the world."

"Hey, I also have moustaches." Tōichi noticed.

"Right. So take a hint." she chuckled, but then the chuckle turned into cough.

Tōichi looked at her with a worry. Her jacket already got stained with blood, even though he was pressing her spare shirt to her wound, to decrease the blood loss. And he had just barely changed her clothes.

"Shhhh..." he hushed her. "You bleed more when you talk, Midoriko." he sighed.

A while passed. The distant sound of ambulance rose his hopes up. Before it neared them Tōichi felt the rough texture of a paper replacing Midoriko's palm in his hand.

"Tō-chan." Her voice weakened. "Please... Give it to my Aoko."

"You'll get better." he tried to reassure her, he was quite sure she wrote her last goodbye to her daughter. "It won't be necessary." He added firmly, trying to convince himself as well.

"I know." she agreed, but Tōichi had known her for long enough to read her like an open book, she just wanted to calm him. "But just in case... Don't give it to her now... Maybe when she's at least 17... So she could understand... And Tō-chan..."

Tōichi looked at his friend with a worry. The way she spoke his name, it was so emotional. Like she was already tired of keeping up her own poker face or like she gave in...

"Midoriko?" he whispered trying to reject all bad feelings that suddenly started storming him. This one moment Tōichi understood that things might not finish the way he wanted them to finish. What if she wouldn't make it...?

"Please, take care of my Aoko." she muttered barely audible, closing her eyes.

She fainted.

"Promise." answered Tōichi, voice stuck in his throat.

Next instant he vanished. The ambulance stopped at the alley opening, two medics got out, rushing towards the feminine figure laying on the pavement.

From the roof of the nearby building Tōichi watched the rush. His eyes followed the movement of the ambulance. Now he let his heart sunk.

Dear Lord, don't take her, I'm begging you, he prayed, wrapping his fingers tightly over the piece of paper she had just given him. He felt the cold touch of metal, when the paper unfolded a little bit from his grip.

A key.

Please, not yet.