So I've been hinting at this for a while. But I wanted to write more before I did. However, I decided I've been making you wait long enough.

I love writing this fiction!

Shout out to CG, Dreamlight Violet, and allietheepic7

Akako was not pleased with her progress, or lack there of, with Kaitou KID. Kuroba Kaito remained impervious to her charm. A large part of her dissatisfaction was derived from a magazine quiz that Keiko-chan had brought to school. The quiz was entitled "Does He Like You?" the other girls had laughingly told her that she didn't need to take the quiz. Akako agreed with her arrogant laugh, then borrowed the magazine on some pretense. She very nearly set the thing on fire when she read the results. The rag of a magazine stated that she, Koizumi Akako, had been friendzoned. FRIENDZONED! It was absolutely unacceptable and she needed to take immediate steps to rectify it.

The question was how? Her usual methods had no affect. She had no doubt that the tips the magazine had offered would be useless (as if dressing up to see him would help the most beautiful woman in the world). Akako needed something smart. How could she gain Kaitou KID's heart? How did anyone gain anything from the thief? Wait… Akako began to smile. Why hadn't she thought of it sooner? The best way to control Kaito KID was to control the people he cared about. Kuroba was impervious to her charms, but those he was close to were not.

"Prepare my mirror!" The witch barked at her butler like henchman. She considered her options as she changed into clothing more appropriate for a witch's ritual. Akako knew better than to interfere with the thief's family. She thought it would be more worth her while to focus on those who had won the thief's affection. Friends would serve her purposes just as well, if not better, with less risk of the thief realizing what she was up to. Akako walked into the room and stood before the mirror. She waved her hand, and her lovely refection vanished. There was no sentience in the mirror today. Good, Akako could do without distracting prophecies tonight. "Show me those close to Kaitou KID!" She demanded. "Show me the friends who have crept into his heart and made a home there." The mirror rippled as multiple scenes began to appear on its surface. All of the people Kaitou KID held most dear, and what they were doing at that moment. Akako hurriedly swept aside the image of Aoko (who was cackling over a fish for no apparent reason). Akako knew better than to involve the girl… at first anyway.

Akako frowned at the two remaining images. Was that all? She had thought there would be more, many more. It seemed the magician kept his heart more closely guarded than she had thought. She should not have been surprised to find Hakuba Saguru reflected in the mirror. The blond detective was reading a book in English. It irritated her that someone she had protected Kuroba from had somehow wormed his way into the magician's heart while Akako failed. She doubted Hakuba knew just how much the thief cared about him. Akako tapped her lips thoughtfully. Kuroba would probably become protective if she moved on him too fast. Perhaps she would invite him out, rather than deal with him at school. That way she could get a better idea of their relationship and decide how best to use him against the magician.

Akako turned her gaze to the other image. "Well, well," She raised an eyebrow. "What's this?" A young boy was tugging someone's pant leg and pointing at something on the ground. "I didn't know Kuroba had a brother…" But, no, that wasn't right. Akako had asked for friends, she wasn't interested in family. So who was the little boy with the glasses that looked so much like Kuroba? Wait; was that a body he was looking at so intently? Akako smiled. Well, that was interesting. She almost wished the mirror was possessed so she could ask who the boy was, even if she'd just get a riddle. She would have to ask Aoko if she knew a young boy with glasses. If he was close to Kuroba, Aoko as his childhood friend probably knew him as well. In the meantime…

Akako snapped her fingers at her butler. "Get me a phone." She ordered without looking at him. An old-fashioned phone appeared at her elbow on a silver tray. When Akako picked up the receiver it began to ring. In the mirror, Hakuba glanced up and grabbed the cell phone from the table. He went back to the book as he answered it.

"Hello?" He said in English.

"Hakuba-kun?" Akako smiled in her flirty voice. "It's Koizumi Akako."

"Ah, Koizumi-san," Akako was pleased to see a light blush adorn the detective's cheeks, but annoyed that he did not put down the book. "How may I help you?" Hakuba frowned as something occurred to him. "How did you get my number?"

"Oh ho ho!" Akako laughed, half irritated, half impressed that Hakuba managed to keep enough presence of mind to realize that even when talking to her. "Aoko-chan gave it to me." She lied. "Would you mind meeting me for dinner Saturday? I have a favor I'd like to ask of you. My treat."

"I don't see why not…" Hakuba hesitated. "But a gentleman never lets a lady pay. Seven o'clock? At Hudson's?"

"It's a date." Akako said in broken English. She smirked as Hakuba's face turned brought red and he finally dropped the book.

"R- right." He stuttered.

Kaito stared at Hakuba in abject horror. "You have a date with Koizumi?" He choked.

"Not a date." Hakuba corrected, with only the lightest blush. "She said she wants to ask me something."

"Why can't she ask you at school?" Kaito demanded.

"I assume she didn't want her admirers to murder me." Hakuba stated dryly. Probably better that than what she has planned! Kaito shuddered. He could not allow that witch to be alone with Hakuba. Since the detective was not going to listen to him if he told him Akako was dangerous. He'd have to find another way to keep them apart and figure out what the witch was up to.

"I thought you were going to be busy with work Saturday." Kaito commented off handedly.

"Nothing that I can't take care of earlier in the day. Unless you have something planned." Hakuba gave him a look.

"Me?" Kaito feigned innocence. "Why would my plans involve you? Or your work?"

"Right…" Hakuba eyed him dubiously. Okay, so it might have been a bit risky to bait the detective like this, but it would make Hakuba think the heist was already planned. He wouldn't think Kaito was trying to keep him away from Akako, so he wouldn't go out of his way to see her to spite the thief. Perhaps more importantly, tidbits like these were the only reason Hakuba talked to him. Kaito had to drop a hint every now and then to keep the detective interested. Kaito put a hand in his pocket and texted Jii-chan to locate a target for Saturday (without removing the phone). Then Kaito engaged the detective in a fierce debate about heist movies. Aoko joined in (on Hakuba's side, arguing against the thieves) and Kaito got chased with a mop after he stole Aoko and Hakuba's bentos to make a point.

Akako was not surprised when a Kaitou KID heist was announced for the coming Saturday. She had prepared for it. Before the note even arrived, she called Hakuba and rescheduled to Friday evening. No doubt the detective would be clever enough to keep it from the thief now that he suspected he would interfere.

"Changing your target?" The being inside the mirror cackled as she watched Hakuba explain Kaitou KID's riddle to the Taskforce. She gave the mirror a good solid thump. It yelped, as if harming its corporeal form somehow harmed it.

"Be silent and show me the other one dear to Kaitou KID's heart." She demanded. The mirror displayed Aoko, waiting impatiently at a table set for two (it was futile, Akako had just seen Nakamori-keibu at the meeting with Hakuba). "Not her!" Akako snapped, striking the mirror again. The mirror did a decent imitation of a shudder before the image shifted to the elementary school boy playing soccer with friends in a darkening park. The boy was proving to be quite the mystery. Akako had successfully brought up the subject of children while Keiko was complaining about her younger brother. She asked Aoko if she had any siblings. "Aoko wishes." The girl responded. After a bit of probing Akako learned that there weren't any children close to either Aoko or Kaito.

"Who are you?" Akako murmured, reaching out towards the boy. Akako addressed the intelligence in the mirror. "Care to shed any light?" The normally chatty entity was quiet. Akako frowned. That was strange… "What aren't you saying?" The witch inquired. She kept her voice neutral. She wasn't certain whether the being was about to mess with her or… something else. She'd never seen this behavior from it before.

"The boy is unnatural." The mirror finally answered. Akako's frown deepened.

"How so?" She pressed. The mirror shuddered. "What is strange about him?" The mirror was trembling now. If she didn't know better, she'd say it was frightened. For the first time in their long association Akako gave the being its space. "What can you tell me?" Her voice wasn't gentle, but it was the closest she'd ever come.

"He is not a danger to you." The mirror stated in something akin to relief. "He is more than he appears. Something happened to him. Something-" The mirror cut itself off.

"What is wrong?" The witch asked.

"I can't determine what happened to him." The mirror seemed to shiver. "It's as if something is mimicking magic but… it's wrong!" The glass cracked and Akako jumped. She stared at the fractured reflection of the boy. "…Sorry." The mirror said sheepishly. The glass mended itself. "The boy is safe, but whatever affected him isn't."

"And you can't tell me who he is?" Akako clarified.

"His identity is related to this… thing." The mirror said more freely now that it was clear that its mistress was not going to harm it for its unwillingness to delve deeper.

"I'll just have to find out for myself." Akako murmured. She studied the image of the boy intently, searching for a landmark, a nametag, some clue to who he was.

"Mistress…" The mirror spoke hesitantly. Akako inclined her head to indicate she was listening. "I see no problem with your interest in the boy, but his secret… It's dangerous. Please don't try to uncover it." The mirror pleaded. Akako stared at the mirror, as if trying to look past its surface to the entity. Its concern was… surprising. She considered it.

"I will leave it be, for now." She promised. "But I have to find him first…"

The answer came, surprisingly enough, from Hakuba Saguru. Akako met him at the restaurant wearing a long purple dress that accented the purple shine to her hair and clung to her every curve in a way that made her appear both modest and sensual. She smirked at the jealous glares tossed her way by women showing far more skin for a less seductive result.

"You look lovely." Hakuba complimented her with a light blush. She tilted her head. Most boys would be flushed and stammering at this point. Akako turned to the man seating them.

"Could we have a booth?" She asked in a low voice that sounded more seductive than the words did. The man had the proper response, turning bright red and fumbling with his words. Akako requested that Kimiko serve them. She didn't want to be distracted, male servers were either incompetent or overly attentive around her. Hakuba was her focus today, and Kimiko was the one waitress that she could depend on to be both efficient and mature enough not to spit in her food or try to ruin her dinner.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Hakuba asked pleasantly as he settled in the booth. Akako had of course prepared a topic.

"I've been doing some research into my family history." She said pleasantly. The witch lifted the leather portfolio case in her hand and opened it. "It seems that I have some roots in England on my paternal grandmother's side." Hakuba raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" Hakuba looked surprised without being insulting. Akako was aware that she was distinctly Japanese in appearance.

"It was a few generations back." Akako smiled. "I've found some documents, but, as you might have noticed, my English not good." She switched to her poor English again for that sentence. Hakuba was too much of a gentleman to wince. Akako laughed. "I thought I'd be able to translate it given time." She continued. "But some of the letters are strange… and I don't think I understand the words. I'd hoped that you'd be able to help me, given your time in England." A genuine grin flickered across Hakuba's face. Akako didn't realize it was because she'd referenced his time in Britain as her reason for asking his help, rather than his mixed parentage. He disliked people assuming he was fluent in all things European because his mother was English.

"Certainly." Hakuba said, more warmly than she'd ever heard the analytical detective speak before. "If I may?" He held out his hand. Akako removed a few sheets of aging yellow parchment and offered them to him. Hakuba drew back. Akako blinked.

"Is something wrong?" She asked uncertainly. She'd gone through these papers looking for any specific mention of 'magic', 'witchcraft', or 'enchantment' (three words she'd know in any language). There wasn't anything that she saw. Even if there was, wasn't the detective too logical to realize the significance of the phrases? Surely he'd chalk it up to superstition of the writer, wouldn't he?

"You really ought to have those in plastic." Hakuba eyed them apprehensively. "Judging by the age of the parchment, handling them might make them deteriorate."

"Oh, I see." Akako relaxed. "I didn't realize. I have a lot of old books and papers from my family and I've always just read them." Hakuba pulled a pair of gloves from his pockets, and slipped them on. He offered Akako a pair as he accepted the parchment. Akako frowned but accepted the latex gloves. Who brought gloves to dinner with a beautiful woman? She supposed that he was a detective, so it might just be something he carried with him… Still…

Akako didn't like the appearance of the latex gloves, but she could make anything look good, so she pulled them on. Hakuba was entirely engrossed in the pages. "I'm not surprised you had trouble with these." Hakuba remarked. "They are written in calligraphy. Nice calligraphy too. It would be hard to read for someone who wasn't familiar with it." Hakuba set one of the pages aside gently. "The terminology is also pretty archaic."

"You seem to understand it perfectly well." Akako smiled.

"Archaeology is a hobby." Hakuba replied. "It's a lot like detective work, but without the stress of victims and witnesses." Without the stress of people you mean. Akako thought in amusement.

"You are a man of many talents." Akako remarked, leaning her cheek on her hand.

"Thank you." Hakuba replied, habitually. Akako frowned. She hadn't made him lose his train of thought. He was still pouring over those manuscripts like they were more interesting than… her!

"Find any clues there?" She asked. Hakuba finally looked up and Akako was triumphant when she saw him blush.

"You seem to be descended from a very powerful woman." He stated. "If these truly belong to your ancestors, I believe that you are related to Barbara Palmer, first Duchess of Cleveland and mistress to the King during the seventeenth century."

"Oh?" Akako was genuinely pleased. She'd known that her ancestors had made it to high places, and that these documents were significant, even if she hadn't know precisely what they held. "Does that mean that I am royalty?"

"That depends on who you ask." Hakuba said easily, with a smile. "You are most certainly descended from nobility. These documents would indicate that you are related to her oldest daughter, Countess Anne Lennard Fitzroy."

"Interesting." Akako smiled coyly, encouraging Hakuba to continue, while becoming confident that the detective wouldn't be reduced to a blundering fool by a mere smile. She was beginning to feel comfortable with his reactions. "So, she wasn't the king's daughter?"

"Officially King Charles the Second claimed her as his daughter, but there is still some debate about that." Hakuba answered. "She probably wasn't in terms of blood… but officially, yes. You are royal."

"Fabulous." Akako purred, and Hakuba fumbled with the sheets.

"Hello, you two." Kimiko walked up to the table and grinned at them. "Can I get you anything to drink?" Hakuba insisted that they put the pages away when the drinks arrived. He handled them gently, as if they were incredibly precious.

"You should have someone come and look through your papers and books." Hakuba told her. "They really should be preserved."

"I'm not sure that I'm comfortable having a stranger go through my heirlooms." Akako said, casually stirring her drink with her straw. She gazed at him slyly. "Perhaps you could do it." Akako murmured, flirtatiously. Hakuba blushed furiously and shook his head quickly. He waved away the offer with his concern that he would damage something. He wasn't trained for that kind of work. Akako smiled. So she could still get to him easily, even if he didn't trip over himself at the snap of her fingers like most boys.

They began to talk. Akako was genuinely surprised at how much she was enjoying herself. Hakuba was quite knowledgeable. They talked about her ancestor. He told her about different elements of social hierarchy in England. She told him a little bit about the magic (or as she phrased it for his benefit "folk beliefs") that she'd heard about from England and how she thought they paralleled ones in Japan. He seemed genuinely interested in her ideas. The food came before Akako remembered that she wanted to talk to him about Kaitou KID.

"I know that you work other cases." Akako said aloud. "But you certainly seem focused on Kaitou KID. That's the only reason you are in Japan."

"It's not the only reason." Hakuba denied. "But it is a big one. I'm quite looking forward to the heist tomorrow."

"Do you think that you'll catch him?" Akako asked, genuinely curious.

"Not tomorrow." Hakuba sighed. "It's too short notice, he's had more time to plan, and we haven't had enough to prepare."

"But you are still looking forward to it." Akako pointed out.

"Of course," Hakuba clasped his hands in front of him. "Every heist has its clues. Every clue gets me closer to understanding him."

"Why do you want to catch him so much?" Akako was genuinely curious. "Is it just the fame? You are pretty well known right now. Not as much as Kudo Shinichi or that Hattori Heiji," Akako paused as Hakuba visibly twitched. "But you are a celebrity in several circles."

"It started out that way." Hakuba said thoughtfully. "The prestige, the challenge, and the doors that catching him would open."

"But now?" Akako prompted him. Hakuba stared thoughtfully over her left shoulder.

"He's an interesting person." Hakuba said. "I want to know what makes him do something he knows is wrong." Hakuba was certain that KID knew that what he did was wrong, even if he enjoyed the thrill. Hakuba smiled. "Besides, even if I seem like a gentleman I'm rather vindictive. I don't enjoy being pranked any more than you do." Akako smirked evilly.

"That's a rather petty reason to want to put someone in prison, isn't it?"

"It really is." Hakuba laughed. "But frankly, something about him doing something that he knows is wrong really bothers me and makes me want him to be punished."

"So it wouldn't bother you as much if he thought he wasn't doing anything wrong?" Akako asked. Hakuba cocked his head and genuinely considered her question.

"You know… I don't think it would. I'd still try to catch him, of course." He added. "But I don't think he would get under my skin the way he does."

"Well, if anyone is going to catch him, it will probably be you." Akako said casually. Or me. She mentally added. "You have come the closest to catching him so far."

"I'm afraid not." Hakuba corrected her, looking well and truly embarrassed. "That honor goes to an eight year old boy named Edogawa Conan." Akako blinked.

"I'm sorry, what?" Hakuba grinned.

"It is surprising, I know." He said. "But that boy is really exceptional. It seems that he takes my place at KID's heists whenever I am in England. The papers have even nicknamed him the 'KID Killer', I'd be more insulted if I hadn't met him myself." Akako sat back, her world spinning. Of course, she hadn't been able to find any connection to Kuroba Kaito because the child was important to Kaitou KID! No wonder Aoko had no idea who he was!

"He sounds interesting." Akako leaned toward him with a smile, resting her chin on her hand. "When did you meet him?"

"Let's see," Hakuba laced his fingers together and stared over them pensively. "I first met him during a detective gathering. It was a bit absurd actually. The murderer was trying to frame Kaito KID but the set up was not in line with KID's MO at all. I'm still uncertain as to why they thought that was a good idea." Hakuba shook himself, cutting off his rambling. "Edogawa-kun was there with his guardian, Mouri Kogoro-san." Hakuba laughed. "He's a detective as well, but seemed to be of a… lower caliber than the others there."

"His guardian or the child?" Akako joked. She blinked. That was strange, she never joked. She teased and flirted, but joking was something done with friends…

"His guardian." Hakuba chuckled. "Though it did turn out to be KID in disguise, so it might not be fair to judge." Hakuba straightened, eyes contemplative. "Edogawa Conan, on the other hand, was able to hold his own in terms of deductions and strategic planning with myself and several other accomplished detectives." His eyes weren't looking at anything she could see, more like they were closely examining a memory. "He also realizes his limitations. He'll play up his childishness and point out the obvious to lead people to his deductions."

"You almost sound as if you admire him." Akako commented.

"I do." Hakuba admitted. "It's hard enough to be a high school detective, yet he has worked out a way to be an elementary school detective." He thoughtfully linked his hands together in front of his mouth. "I didn't spend much time with him. But from what I've seen, he's at about my level of intelligence. I can't help but think it must be frustrating for him."

"Frustrating to be smart?" Akako asked flatly. Hakuba chuckled.

"Frustrating that no one realizes just how smart he is." Hakuba amended. "As far as I can tell, the only ones who might treat him as an equal is the high school detective of the West, Hattori Heiji," Something like disgust flickered across his face. "And perhaps Kaitou KID."

"Oh~?" Akako leaned on elbows. "So, how did you meet? At a KID heist?"

"No, now that you mention it." Hakuba tilted his head thoughtfully. "We've actually never both been at a heist. I'm only making my assumptions based on the media coverage and my personal knowledge of KID." Akako leaned back, disappointed. She'd been hoping he could tell her about how Kaitou KID and Conan interacted. "Perhaps Conan will attend tomorrow's heist." Akako considered that. If he was there she could go to meet him and also interact a bit more with Hakuba. No doubt Hakuba would arrange for her attendance and introduce them. However, if KID saw her with the child it would put his guard up. She already had to worry about him interfering with her observations of (and intentions with) Hakuba. It would be best to ensure that Kaito was unaware of her interest in the boy as well.

"Curious. He sounds like an unusual boy." She smiled at Hakuba. "Rather like you were I imagine. Solving mysteries and getting into trouble." Hakuba laughed again and began to tell a story about one of his earliest cases; how, at age 5, he'd thought he'd stumbled on a murder but had only wound up discovering who what stealing the cook's jam. Akako listened with amusement, occasionally taking a bite of her food, and making a few sardonic comments as Hakuba told his tale. Their conversation moved from there to places they'd traveled, their classmates (Akako was surprised that Hakuba made deductions about some of her favorite followers that she herself hadn't been aware of), and back to Barbara Palmer, her notorious ancestor.

It was only when Kimiko brought their dessert that Akako realized she liked spending time with Hakuba. She'd been having fun talking to a boy who wasn't completely enamored with her… It was strange but somewhat nice. It didn't do any harm to her or her goal. After all, it seemed like he'd been enjoying himself too. She sensed that compelling Hakuba to feel something for her would only put him on guard, even if it worked. Hakuba would be more likely to agree to do something like this again if he felt natural around her. Akako nodded slightly, satisfied as she took a bite of strawberry cheesecake.

"Jii-chan, it doesn't have to be anything spectacular. It's not like I'm trying to impress anyone." Kaito rolled his eyes. "It's just Hakuba." He tilted his chair back on two legs, resting his head back on his interlaced hands and closed his eyes. The old man smiled indulgently at his young charge.

"Yes, but if you can impress him, don't you think you should? It'll be hard to set the trick up. But you did say that he had to think that you'd been planning it for a while." Jii-chan pressed. He wasn't sure why Kaito wanted to throw a heist on such short notice, but he knew it had to be important. Besides, the boy was brooding; something that never fared well for anyone. Better to keep him busy and get his mind off whatever was bothering him.

Kaito opened one eye and peered up at Jii-chan. He had a point. Why shouldn't he blow Hakuba's mind? If he made his heist interesting enough, surely the British detective would be too absorbed in paperwork and working out the trick to give Akako any thought. "Alright," Kaito let the chair fall on all four legs with a clatter. "What did you have in mind, Jii-chan?"

As Kaito went over the plans for the heist, making improvements to Jii-chan's overall scheme, he had no inkling that it was already too late. Hakuba Saguru was at that moment bidding Koizumi Akako good night. Kaito remained blissfully unaware, wrapped up in the preparations for his heist, that Akako's plans were already in motion. Worse, he had no idea that it wasn't just one of his detectives the witch was after… It was both.

Author's Notes

In case you were wondering, Jii-chan didn't show up because Kaito considers him family, and Akako was only interested in friends.

By the way, the title is a play on the words. Making Plans, as in plotting evilly, or Making Plans as in making plans with Hakuba.

More on the way. Please comment. Seriously, I love this fiction.