Chapter Text
Kaito fought to keep the goofy grin off his face as he swung himself up and onto the roof’s narrow railing. This had been a fun heist. The pranks, the spectacle—and of course the breathless game of chase with the one detective clever and skilled enough to keep up.
Clashing with Kudou Shinichi had always been fun. Even before the detective had returned to his true form, back when he’d gone by “Conan”, his presence at a heist was a guarantee that the night would be especially entertaining. Sure, that excitement often went hand in hand with the inevitable danger that followed in Kudou’s wake, but if it meant being able to match wits with the cheeky little detective then Kaito was more than willing to take the added risk.
And now that he’d found the cure for his condition? If Edogawa Conan had been a welcome dash of spice to liven up KID’s heists, then the real Kudou Shinichi was a mad chef’s super zesty curry surprise. Intense—perhaps too intense to really be toying with like this, but that was half the fun, wasn’t it? It took real effort to keep a step ahead of him now, and while his acrobatics would never be a match for KID’s, it certainly didn’t hurt that he now had the strength and height of an adult to match his quarry’s pace in a direct pursuit.
Hence, the current rooftop standoff.
It was something close to a tradition of theirs by now, to pause just before KID’s final disappearing act of the night, at least for long enough to toss a few playful barbs at the other’s performance. This time, Kaito expected a scathing critique of his speed in this race to the roof, but he already had a rebuttal prepared regarding one of the illusions the detective had fallen for earlier.
Kaito succeeded in maintaining his mask of arrogant amusement, though the giddy, floaty feeling in his gut would probably stick around for another couple of hours.
He tossed his cape in a wide flourish and dropped into a sarcastic bow. “We meet again in the moonlight, Meitantei. What can this humble thief do for you?”
Kudou’s mouth twitched and he raised an eyebrow. “You have something that doesn’t belong to you, KID.”
“I do?” Kaito gasped in mock surprise. “But all I have on my person are some travel essentials—” he began producing flowers, cards, and doves from every pocket of his suit, “—and this dusty old box that I found in a room full of useless junk!”
That earned a tiny smile and an eye roll. “It may be useless, but that junk is under the jurisdiction of the MPD until the rightful owner of the collection can be found.”
“What’s that?” Kaito raised a hand to his ear. “There’s no owner to be found? My dear detective, I believe that means the sacred rule of Finders Keepers is at play!”
“KID,” Kudou warned, still smiling.
“No?” He sighed dramatically. “As always, you detective types have no sense of fun.”
“Sorry to bore you.”
“Now, I didn’t say that.”
“So this is your idea of a good time, thief?”
The question was posed lightly—just their usual harmless banter—but it struck so close to Kaito’s earlier train of thought that he couldn’t help but answer honestly: “It’s always more worthwhile when you’re here, Meitantei.”
The sincerity—the depth of meaning—must have been apparent in his tone because Kudou actually seemed taken aback. He started to say something, some witty rejoinder that would have launched the conversation back into their familiar verbal sparring, but he hesitated, and the pause dragged out long enough to skirt the edge of awkward.
Kaito, uncomfortable, cleared his throat. “Of course, what I—”
“Why are you doing all this?”
Kaito froze. “I beg your pardon?”
Kudou gestured vaguely. “Stealing jewels. You go to all this trouble only to return them. What is it you’re looking for?”
This wasn’t the first time he’d asked. Kaito heaved a sigh. It was tempting, as always, to just explain everything. To let someone else in on the plan. But, he reminded himself for the thousandth time, there were plenty of reasons for keeping it secret.
He flicked the latch open on the plain little box containing tonight’s prize. “I’m not sure you’d believe me even if I told you.”
“Excuse me?” Kudou looked affronted. “Did you forget who you’re speaking to? I was an elementary schooler this time last year.”
Kaito flashed a cheeky grin he knew would only annoy the detective more. “And yet!”
As expected, Kudou let out an irritated huff. It would have been adorable on his child face. As he looked now… all right, it was still adorable, Kaito admitted to himself.
“If it’s so serious,” Kudou pressed, all traces of levity gone, “then why is it taking you so long? When we met, we both had impossible goals. I’ve reached mine—I got my body and my life back.” He clenched his hands into fists. “KID, are you really doing everything you can to catch up to me?”
Kaito blinked, stunned. It was obvious that there was more being said than just what was on the surface.
“You’re being unfair,” he finally said. “Of course I’m trying my best. It’s just that I’ve had to act toward my goal alone, which places some unfortunate limits on how much ground I can cover.”
“Why do you have to do it alone? At this point, I think we both know that you’re not up to anything truly nefarious—” Kaito’s heart stuttered at the casual acknowledgement, “—and if you would just explain what it is you’re trying to find…”
“It’s not that I think you’d disapprove, Meitantei,” Kaito offered gently. He absently lifted the thumb-sized stone from its container. It was oddly shaped: thick and round, almost spherical, but slightly tapered on one end. Combined with the gaudy size, it wasn’t the prettiest jewel he’d ever stolen, that was certain. “On the contrary, I would appreciate your input… on…”
The wooden box fell to the concrete with a clatter.
“Is that—” Kudou began. Then, barely a whisper: “You’re kidding.”
The gem, clear and colorless under the harsh fluorescent lighting of the warehouse, now glittered with an inexplicable crimson hue. It appeared to be literally glowing, as if lit from the inside by a burning ember.
Kaito realized he’d stopped breathing and took in a shaky inhale. “It’s—Pandora?”
“This is the one you’ve been searching for?”
“Y-yes, it’s…”
Before he could properly explain, react, do anything, an intense feeling of vertigo nearly pitched him sideways.
“KID!?”
Kudou’s voice sounded echoey and strange.
Kaito righted himself, clutching Pandora to his chest, only to stumble again when the off-balance sensation worsened in another sudden lurch. This time, the world seemed to flicker at the edges of his vision, the moonlit rooftop replaced with a sunny corridor.
He tried to blink the images away, but the very air seemed to be wavering in and out of that other place. Colors and shapes flashed nauseatingly back and forth.
He noticed a concerned hand reaching toward him and batted it away, shuffling back a step. “Get back! I don’t know what’s—”
The world lurched.
Then, just as quickly, it settled back into place.
Only, this wasn’t the warehouse roof.
~
Kaito flailed his free arm outward to steady himself. As the last of the disorientation faded, he found himself leaning against a cool stone wall in a narrow corridor he couldn’t remember ever seeing before. He appeared to be at the end of a dead-end hallway. Bright sunlight filtered in through a row of tall, narrow windows.
…Sunlight? Shouldn’t it be just after midnight?
He stood in stunned bafflement for a moment before he remembered the object currently clutched in his right hand.
Before, the stone—Pandora—had flickered like a smoldering ember. Now, the red light within it seemed to burn, a steady thrum of scarlet pulsing like the heart of a living thing.
Kaito frowned and, experimentally, inched it nearer to the windows. The light intensified noticeably.
He jerked his arm back, his pulse racing as he weighed the consequences of shattering the damn thing now versus keeping it hidden until he knew what the hell was going on. He hesitated, palms sweating as he visualized the glittering stone shattering into a thousand pieces on the stone floor, never to seduce anyone down its dark paths ever again.
He wanted to. He needed to. Destroying this gem had been the driving force in his life since he was sixteen years old.
But the harsh midday sunlight streaming in through the windows surrounded him in an inescapable aura of wrongness, one he was afraid to provoke by acting rashly. More than anything, this situation required that he maintain a cool head and consider all contingencies.
Decision made, he grit his teeth and shoved the gem into a padded case that would keep it protected and out of sight. As soon as he was back in familiar territory, he’d be able to finish the job within seconds.
He started at the sound of echoing footsteps, distant but quickly growing louder. Biting back a curse, he scrambled about for an escape route. He couldn’t get caught now, right when he’d finally found it!
But there was nowhere to go—the walls and floor were solid and bare, and the windows lacked any opening mechanism. And anyway, even if he broke the glass, the windows on this side of the building appeared to only look out upon an endless expanse of water—a last-resort escape route if he’d ever seen one. What was this place?
Taking a steadying breath, he felt to reassure himself the card gun was in its place before making his way down the corridor as quickly and silently as possible. If he could reach the nearest intersection before the other person, it was possible he would be able to keep from getting cornered again.
The path was gently curved, in an arc that suggested the corridor might form a large circle or, more likely considering the dead end he’d started from, a semicircle.
He quickly reached a junction which included a staircase spiraling downward.
The footsteps were extremely close now, apparently racing up the stairs. There was still no furniture or decoration to be seen, so he did the only thing he could think to do and clambered up the wall to wedge himself near the ceiling. Hopefully, with the corner of the wall blocking the view, he would remain out of sight just long enough to make the first move.
He held his breath as the person finally reached the intersection. A tall, slim figure in a black cloak and hood paused at the top of the stairs, catching their breath. Kaito seized his opportunity.
He hurled a smoke bomb at the figure’s feet—all canisters of sleeping gas sadly having been depleted during the heist—and dropped down with catlike stealth to maneuver around them.
The person let out a startled yelp, but as Kaito moved to slip past them toward the stairs, a black-gloved hand shot out and snatched a handful of his cape. “Oi-!” they growled, coughing.
Kaito twisted away, heart thundering in his ears as he realized the element of surprise had failed. Either this person was well trained in dealing with ambushes, or their mental fortitude and reaction time were simply that strong.
He managed to free his cape but was left with his back to the wall and his opponent blocking the staircase. The smoke was starting to dissipate, and he was running out of options. “Sorry about this, whoever you are,” he began, settling back into KID’s easygoing slouch.
The other person visibly tensed, their shoulders going rigid at the sound of his voice.
Kaito raised an eyebrow slightly but kept talking, surreptitiously shifting to a position that would allow him to draw the card gun quickly. “I was hoping to avoid this kind of conflict—I don’t care for violence, you know—and I—”
A sword—an honest-to-goodness sword—flashed toward him, and it might have taken his arm off at the wrist if he hadn’t managed to dodge in time. How was this person so fast?!
“Hey, watch where you’re—!”
The attacker swung at him once again, but this time Kaito was ready. He caught the blade on a thin metal wire drawn from his sleeve, yanking the sword sideways out of the person’s hand.
With this, they were sure to retreat backward a step or two. He’d just disarmed them with a surprise attack, which in most cases was more than enough to frighten or distract an opponent long enough for him to escape. Worst case scenario, the person’s panicked fight-or-flight response would land on fight, and he’d have to duck a few punches as he maneuvered around them to the stairs.
The cloaked figure did not retreat.
The moment the sword left their hands, they lunged bodily toward him, as if they’d been anticipating the move.
Their hood fell back with the motion, and gloved fingers encircled Kaito’s wrist like a vice.
“Nice try,” an all-too-familiar voice scoffed from an all-too-familiar face, “but you’re not leaving this place until I get some answers.”
“You’re—Meitantei!?” Kaito was reeling. Kudou Shinichi had just attacked him? With a sword?? “What the hell is—”
“Stop talking,” Kudou snapped, and a bright blue light flashed from between his fingers, where he still held Kaito’s wrist.
A jolt of energy passed from Kaito’s arm to the rest of him, a dizzy, disorienting sensation that was a little too reminiscent of whatever it was that had brought him here in the first place.
Did you just cast a spell on me? he demanded, or tried to, but no sound escaped his throat.
“Better,” Kudou—no, definitely not Kudou Shinichi—sneered. “You sure do babble a lot for someone trying to go undetected.”