Part 2 of the back to back release: Night of the heist

Lets hope things go as Kudo, novice KID, planned... with Hakuba around...

"it's anytime now! Keep on the alert!" Nakamori the officer in charge of the KID heist once again yelled.

"Aye!" came the unison respond of the KID taskforce.

The museum was having its peak day. The number of tickets sold on that day itself for entry was double the total of the ticket sales for the last 5 months added together. The hall which held the sapphire stone was jam packed with people. Only the immediate vicinity of the sapphire display case was empty with only the armed forces of the taskforce and Nakamori-keibu shouting orders above the dim of the room.

The sapphire stone was held in the central hall. The central hall was the largest of hall displaying only the largest of crystals and gems from Europe. The room was designed after a cathedral with high ceilings and glass art windows.

The notice from KID had arrived 5 days ago. It was decoded after 1 day by the acclaimed High School Detective Kudo Shinichi.

In a widely publicized TV interview, 'Kudo' had made his deductions.

'Under the starlit evening of the creator's birth,

The glimmer of blue echoes its longing,

For the warmth that no longer caress its chill

A memory.

Kaitou Kid'

"The target is the sapphire stone from the Beika European Museum. The keywords of' glimmer of blue' and 'chill' points towards a blue crystal or clear gem." Kaito had said to the camera.

"The hint for the location comes in the 3rd line. The 'warmth' and the 'chill'. Initially I thought that it meant the coolness of the sapphire stone, but if so, this line and the specific keyword of the 'warmth' would be unnecessary since the 2nd line already points clearly to a sapphire.

Putting the 3rd line and the 4th line together, it links the keyword of warmth and memory. A suggestion of the past. A historical event.

At this point, I did a research on the historical events regarding a sapphire. Only one jumps quickly to mind - the sapphire crafted by Artisan Hughes. It matches all the keywords of the location and points towards a specific event that happened in London in the past.'

"The London Fires." the reporter filled in.

Kaito nodded.

"for those unfamiliar with London history, this happened in 1966. It swept through the central London and lasted for 3 days. Official death toll was only 6 but this number has been challenged as the death toll of the poor and middle-classes were not recorded and it was in this, poorer areas that the fire was the worst. The sapphire stone of Artisan Hughes was created at this time. In fact, Hughes claimed that this stone was purified by the natural blazing flames of this London fire when the fire consumed his house and his workplace. Therefore, this sapphire stone in the Beika Museum, also otherwise known as the London blue fire stone in London, is the target."

A chorus of "ohh" resounded as Kaito explained.

"So a simple search for the Hughes Lond blue fire stone brought me to Beika European Museum who only recently bought the stone over from London for display." Kaito finished.

'Then what about the time and date, Kudo-san?" The reported asked again, shoving the microphone to Kaito's face.

"The date and time can be easily deduced from the first line. 'The creator's birth' "

"You mean on the birthday of Finase Hughes?"

Kaito shook his head. "It has been a common misconception." Kaito said, looking sideways at Kogoro who had given that wrong deduction previously before. "The creator by no means refer to Finase Hughes."

"Remember, gemstones are found not created. Therefore, if KID was referring to Hughes, creator would be inappropriate. These stones are a natural part of nature only nature 'creates' them. Therefore the creator would refer to nature, an event and that would link back nicely to the London fire. 5th September, the end of the fire where the 'warmth of the fire would no longer caress the chill of the sapphire stone." Kaito gave a smirk.

OhhH~

So at that finale, the cameras clicked and flashed.

"Today is 5th September and the time of starlight evening by astrology has been deduced to have 8.25pm. It is now 8.15pm and with only 10 minutes left the crowd is reaching the peak of excitement." came the news commentator on Nichiju television, one of the many TV broadcasters responsible for broadcasting the heist live.

Kudo smiled as he watched the TV program on his smartphone. So far, everything's going according to plan.

He was already at scene since 2 hours ago, mixing amongst the earliest of KID supporters into the hall to do all the final checks.

~Two hours ago~

"Bocchan." came the voice of an elderly gentleman, Jii. Kudo had been surprised to find that the only accomplice that KID had was this elderly old man. Kudo had expected a group of thieves or something when he finally found the hideout. But Jii was the only one and apparently, he called Kaito 'bocchan."

Kudo wondered if Kaito was some heir to some family.

"What is it Jii?" He answered back as he was preparing all this final equipments for the heist.

"Master Toichii had always said, don't forget your…"

"Poker face. Right?" Kudo replied smoothly.

"yes right. You sure everything is fine? You are really not going to bring your handglider?" Jii asked worriedly. It was the first time Kaito had gone through his plans with him for the heist slowly and in great detail. Jii had been shocked out of this seat. Usually kaito would insist on playing it as and how he saw it at the moment. Now, Kaito had actually said he was not going to bring his handglider, his usual and always trump card ending.

"yep bringing such a thing for today will only be cumbersome." Kudo answered back. Well even if it was him, he couldn't possible be able to control a handglider of that unique make without practice and practice was something he didn't have the luxury off, given the time he took to plan in detail and research.

Plus tonight's magic show required no need for flying.

"alright.. If you say so." Jii said as kudo was all set to leave.

"Take care bocchan."

~Present~

"Achho!" Kaito sneezed. Someone must be talking about him, Kaito thought as he rubbed his nose.

Oh. He suddenly had a curious thought. If he sneezes, is someone talking about him (kaito) or Kudo his persona?

In whichever case, Kaito wished the person who stop. Sneezing in the crammed room full of KID supporters and police was uncomfortable.

Kaito was never comfortable with the police and he had never been on the ground in one of his heists. Now, crammed in that hall, much as he appreciated his supporters showing up for 'his' magic show, he did not like being crammed from all directions at all.

"Kudo, you fine?" came a concerned voice from beside him, a female keiji…

"Right. Right. I'm fine." Kaito replied as he was jostled and pushed from another direction. He positively felt someone's elbow in his kidneys OUCH.

"Oi Ran. You ok?" Kaito asked as he turned to his other side where Mouri Ran was standing with him. Ran was likewise jammed and crammed between people. The heat and smell of sweat was insufferable.

"I'm.. Ok." She managed to squeeze out over the din of the room.

Maybe bringing Ran was not a good idea after all, Kaito thought to himself.

"saa.. The countdown as began. It is only seconds more before 8.25pm, the promised time." the TV commenter said in a loud and excited voice.

"Tighten up the SECURITY!" Nakamori yelled along with the crowd's chorus of countdown.

5….

4…

3…

2…

1…!

On the dot of 8.25pm, all lights in the museum blacked out. From the blinding white of the lights, the hall was plunged into sudden darkness with only the full moon shining from the glass windows. The second as the light blew out, Kaito as with everyone else was momentarily blinded.

"Ladies and gentlemen." came a voice Kaito was so familiar with. Kaito, like all the other people in the room, tried to find the source of the voice. But their eyes haven't recovered from the sudden blackout yet.

As their eyes adjusted to the dim hall bathed in blue light from the moon, they saw a glowing figure, clad in perfect white, a monocle, a tall white hat and a grin that undoubtedly belonged to the infamous KID. The glowing figure stood hovering directly above the case which displayed the sapphire stone. Standing in midair in perfect ease.

"Welcome to tonight's magic show." the figure in white gave a bow. His white cape was draped gently and gracefully over his shoulders.

The crowd went wild.

"KID! KID! KID!" the crowd began to chant.

"Shhhh." KID in midair gave a gentle and mysterious hush that brought the hall to silence. The crowd looked on expectantly almost as if in a trance. No sound was audible.

"YOU KID!" came the sole voice of Nakamori breaking the magical trance in the hall. "GET YOUR ARSE DOWN HERE AND I'LL NAB YOU MYSELF!" His sole voice in the room seemed loud and ominous. The ground bounded keiji shook a fist angrily into the air.

Kudo gave a hearty and loud laugh. One that sounded completely confident and KID-like.

"Sorry to disappoint keibu, I won't be coming down" Kudo said with a mysterious grin.

"harh? You have to come down or you wont get the stone!." Nakamori continue shouting to KID standing in midair.

"I don't have to go down to get it, my dear keibu. I'll levitate it to me." Kudo announced.

In response to that declaration, the whole room erupted into excited whispers. "Levitation!?"!

"Oi." Nakamori barked to his taskforce. "Keep guard of the display. There is not way he could levitate something. Surround the box. His accomplice most likely will nab it from below and throw it to him or something."

Kaito watched the show with fascination. So far, he could easily see through the trick at Kudo was using to suspend himself into mid air but levitation was something kaito was curious. How was Kudo going to levitate the sapphire stone?

"Ja. There goes." Kudo said with a grin. He opened his palms wide and from there a cool blue glow erupted from his hands. The light radiated out from his palms, travelling down in a straight line to the case.

The crowd watched with fixated admiration and anticipation.

The light danced the way from the midair where Kudo stood towards the case and surrounded the sapphire stone. As the light enveloped the sapphire stone, the brilliance of the blue sapphire became every bluer under the dazzling blue light.

The light trail from Kudo's hands to the stone then began to shorten as if the stone was moving up towards KID. The crowd watched in amazement as the sapphire stone slowly but surely climbed its way up towards the hands of KID with nothing but the blue light holding it.

"WOAH!" erupted the crowd as the sapphire stone reached the hands of KID. Cheers soon followed suit.

"Sugoi. It really levitated!"

"the sapphire stone as promised will be taken by me." Kudo said and it held up the gem, letting the blue glimmer of the stone glitter one last time before setting it into his KID costume pocket.

"Don't panic." Nakamori continued to shout. "He has to come down in order to leave this place. Surround him from below. In an enclosed hall, he can't use his handglider either. Just nab him when he comes down."

"Tsk tsk. Naïve. Keibu. I said I won't be coming down. I am going to walk away from here."

"HARH? Walk?"

Kudo grinned but before he could go on to further explain, on the balcony of the 2nd floor, a media reporter shoved a microphone over the railings into Kudo's face and fired a question, "Why did you choose Hughes-san's sapphire stone? It seems an unusual choice given your record of going only after BIGGEST of jewels, heirlooms and collections."

'Tsk tsk." Kudo repeated in KID voice, waving a gloved white and slender finger in front of his only visible eye. "How can this stone be inferior in value to the ones I have stolen before?" Kudo said into the mic.

"Value can be measured in terms of the money and the precious-ness of the stone and material. But this stone is extremely valuable in the history that it represents." Kudo explained into the camera. "It symbolizes a time in history, a major event and more importantly, the survival through it."

"Sou (indeed)." He turned to the awe-struck crowd and opened his arms in a grandiose manner, causing his white cape to flutter behind him. "It is like refinement through flames, perfection at its best."

Following that loud declaration, the crowd erupted into cheers. Kudo smiled at the crowd. Objective 2 achieved. Kudo thought to himself.

"KID, you stay right there. I'm going to nab you now." came a very familiar loud voice from beside the media reporter at the balcony. Nakamori had somehow managed to squeeze through the crowd below and made his way to the 2nd floor balcony. He reached his hands over the railings and attempted to grab the fluttering white cape of KID.

Kudo laughed and danced out of his reach in mid air, stepping on nothing but air.

"It is time for the curtain call, my dear guests. I bid you all farewell!" Kudo announced as he gave a gentlemanly bow. Strolling in style, Kudo walked towards the side of a wall, still suspended in midair. Reaching the coloured glass art window, he placed one gloved hand gently on the chilly window and walked towards it, or rather into it. A tiny pink puff of smoke erupted and momentarily obstructed the view of the crowd. When it dispersed, Kid was gone as if he had just stepped through the wall out of the hall into the night.

Amazement stunned the crowd for a few seconds before loud cheers and applause broke out from the crowd.

"TO THE ROOF!" Nakamori yelled to his subordinates. "He must be using his handglider to getaway. ROOF PEOPLE. ROOF!"

Roughly shoving aside the TV people, he leapt through the doors of the balcony and dashed up the nearest flight of stairs he saw, making a beeline towards the roof.

When he finally reached, all he could see was a white clad triangular handglider already some distance away. "DAMN IT. He got away."

"That's a dummy." a new voice spoke from the shadows of the roof.

Nakamori turned around to see a slender, young blonde hair male - Hakuba.

"I have been laying in wait for KID here since the start of the heist. He has never came to the roof." Hakuba explained.

"JA where is HE?" Nakamori snapped at the high school detective.

Hakuba shrugged and did not give an answer. This man was not just dumb but rude. The type of people Hakuba didn't like dealing with.

Leaning against the wall of the roof, Hakuba pondered the events of that night thoroughly. He had been so sure that KID who use the roof as always, his ever-present source of escape - hand glider. But he hadn't. Has his deductions be wrong?