…

Chapter Seventeen

…

Kaito dared a peek behind him before gritting his teeth in frustration and fear. It just confirmed what he already knew; the helicopters are getting near.

To his embarrassment, he felt scared to death. He was an open target in the air, he was dressed outrageously in all white, police are out after his head, and there is no escape in sight. Sooner or later, the helicopters will be close enough for the wind to get disrupted, causing his glider to crash. The police cars chasing him below makes it difficult to land, and there aren't any nearby buildings that can hide him either. In short, he's royally screwed.

Beads of sweat formed in his forehead amidst the cool night air, his eyes darting everywhere in a panic. He can't think of anything that would save him from this mess, and it angered him because he was supposed to be Kaitou KID! And KID always finds a way out.

What to do… what to do… His hands twitched towards his hidden pockets and he did a mental inventory of the items within. Smoke bombs won't work from high up here, especially with the strong wind. Neither would sleeping gas, tasers, card gun, rope, lockpicks…

"Nothing…" Kaito whispered in defeat and his hands fell away from his pockets in defeat. He smiled bitterly to himself; perhaps this is the price he must pay for knowing the whole truth. Kuroba Toichi was a world-renowned phantom thief, and it wasn't an accident that caused his death all those years ago like he originally thought. He was murdered.

By whom? is still a question, though he's confident that Jii could answer that. Does his mother know? is a question he's not entirely sure he wants to know.

Though he doesn't know why he's still fretting over that, he'll see his father soon enough. He can ask those questions to him personally. After all, Kaito will never allow himself to be caught and identified and possibly risk his mother's and Kagami's lives. If all it takes is to fall down to the ground and become an unrecognizable bloody mess so that he will no longer endanger his family, then so be it.

'At least Jii got away safely,' he reassured himself. The old man has spent longer in the business; he would surely know how to escape from the police. On the other hand, his mother will certainly get over it soon. She already lost a husband, so what difference is a wayward son?

Kagami is the unknown equation.

He thought back to the little girl he left at home. She's probably worried sick about him right now, since it's almost midnight. He smiled bitterly, she'll be all alone now. He's sure Nakamori-keibu and Aoko will take good care of her, but she will lose a brother. He wonders how she'll cope.

His grip loosened on the glider's handle; any minute now, the helicopters will be here.

It's now or never…

But just as he was about to release himself from the glider's straps and let go, a red light suddenly flashed off his monocle, quickly catching his attention.

To his surprise, the light had not come from something random, but from a laser pointer in the possession of a small boy. He watched in confusion as the boy waved, pointed at him, and then mimed a landing before flashing the laser pointer at his monocle again, as if to prove a point.

"He wants me to land?" Kaito whispered to himself in disbelief. Skeptic, he tried to ignore him. To his surprise and slight irritation, the laser flashed again for the third time and he involuntarily looked at the boy again. With a jolt, Kaito found that he can't quite tear his gaze off the moment he met the boy's hard but extremely determined eyes.

The distance between them seemed to disappear at that moment, the noise of the helicopters chasing him slowly fading into the background.

F-For some reason… his gut feeling told him to trust the kid.

"That's it. I'm officially going crazy." There's no doubting it, his sanity seems to have completely left him. Even he knew it was laughably stupid to trust a child to somehow get him out of this mess.

However, said mess has got him cornered beyond reason already, so what could possibly hurt from accepting a little help? Literally.

"Okay, here goes." He took a deep breath before quickly urging the glider to drift down, the child patiently waiting for his descent below. He could see the police cars heading towards the oblivious child's position while doing so, and he almost changed his mind. However, one quick look at the child's eyes strengthened his resolve.

My life is in your hands, kid. Get me out of here.

He jumped and switched off the glider the moment the ground was near, kneeling down to absorb the impact. However, he barely had time to open his mouth to talk to the child before he was already running off, waving at him to follow.

Well, he could certainly admire the kid's determination and promptness.

Questioning his sanity for the second time that day, Kaito followed the kid, confident he'll be able to get away the moment he tries anything funny, like lead him towards more police.

.

~oOo~

.

They have been running from the police for quite some time now. The good news is he could hear the sounds of the police cars fading away. Bad news is, he still doesn't know if he could trust the kid.

He also noticed that they kept sticking to the alleys and away from the busy streets, which is a really good thing, in his opinion.

He inwardly snorted; after all, what would the people think when they saw the Kaitou KID himself running like the hounds of hell are right on his heels; his too long cape flapping like crazy behind him, whipping everyone's faces as he passed?

Even now, his too large clothes are causing him to stumble after the kid instead of running gracefully like he first imagined. His top hat also kept falling off his head, which prompted him to keep a hand on it at all times.

He made a mental note to get Jii to make him his own costume as soon as possible. After all, he sure as hell wouldn't want to go around performing as Kaitou KID with such ridiculously large clothes hindering him in every way.

Snorting silently at the mental image, he didn't notice that someone was readying himself to barrel towards him until it was too late. Kaito let out an involuntary cry of surprise as the kid suddenly rammed into his side, causing him to teeter dangerously off-balance.

He would have been able to steady himself too if not for those large clothes. Like a fool, he tripped himself on his too long pant legs before proceeding to collapse behind a loaded dumpster. In desperation, he quickly reached out a hand to catch himself, but missed and instead grazed himself on the sharp side of it.

He hissed when he felt a sharp stab of pain in his arm but had no time to inspect it before the kid rammed into him yet again, causing him to fall further back, severely disorienting him. He growled in anger at the cheap move and made to stand up, but was cut off when the boy suddenly stood over him with the light from the streets on his back, annoyingly encasing his face with deep shadows that was too dark for him to observe.

Realizing this, Kaito just settled on snarling at him in frustration – all the while silently berating himself for not paying enough attention – but he quickly fell silent in surprise when the boy snarled right back.

"Change to black." He snapped. Kaito noted distractedly that his voice was unnaturally low, rough, and tinged with urgency. "And stay there!"

Kaito blinked once at the extremely strange request before hurrying to obey.

He was starting to understand the plan…

Kaito quickly changed into the spare clothes he brought with him – thanking his foresight for choosing black – though he kept the monocle and a black cap on with its brim low, casting a dark shadow on his face and thereby making him unrecognizable. He then made himself as small as possible and watched as the boy nodded in satisfaction before hurrying off to the mouth of the alley; hopefully to provide a distraction.

The boy had just barely made it to the mouth of the alley before a police car suddenly skidded to a halt right in front of him, its headlights casting a dim glow in the dark alleyway. Kaito quickly curled in on himself in an attempt to hide from the light just as the window of the car rolled down, an officer leaning on it to talk to the kid.

To his frustration, Kaito couldn't quite make out what they were saying because of how far they were, but he could just observe their body language. He watched as the boy nodded slowly at what the officer was saying and proceeded to point at a random direction almost indifferently, as if he really couldn't care less about the conversation.

He watched as they both exchanged pleasantries before the car finally drove away, leaving the kid to stare after them. That done, he then whirled around before stalking back towards his hiding place.

"They're gone." He told him unnecessarily and without preamble as he came to a stop in front of him, the light again casting shadows on his face. Kaito was just starting to think he was doing it on purpose before he spoke again, "Next time, please make sure you have an escape route in mind, KID-san."

Eyebrows raised, Kaito watched as the boy stared at him almost curiously and said with a small voice…

"You know, you look different than what I expected."

"Do I?" He asked curiously, barely remembering to change his own voice a little.

"You do." The kid stated matter-of-factly, before falling silent. KID quirked an eyebrow, his gut was practically roaring at him now about something... "Where are your parents, boy?"

"Home." He answered dismissively. He cocked his head to the side, "That's a pretty cool trick earlier KID-san, you aren't hurt?"

"I never get hurt." He assured him, discreetly hiding his wounded arm from his view as he did so. He then stood and dusted himself off (lying behind a dumpster is definitely not one of his favorite past times), but to his surprise, the boy abruptly turned and began walking away.

"Hey wait!" He called in surprise, mouth slightly gaping at the kid's disinterest. Most people would die for the chance of being in Kaitou KID's presence, and here is a little kid not even caring in the slightest that he has one of Japan's most renowned thief in his grasp. "Where are you going?"

"Home." The strange kid said again, not even bothering to stop. "I'm out late enough as it is."

Makes sense, Kaito grimaced. The kid's parents must be worried. He just hoped the boy has enough sense not to begin telling everyone that he single-handedly saved the infamous Kaitou KID from a lifetime of prison.

Then again, nobody's gonna believe him if he tried. Thank god for small mercies.

"What's your name?" He asked instead. The tone came out a bit demanding, and he cringed internally. The boy paused as well.

… "None of your business." The boy said before walking away again, causing Kaito to huff in disappointment. Isn't it natural to know the identity of his 'savior'? (Meanwhile, he desperately tried to ignore how his savior is actually just a little kid.)

"Wait, stop!" He called again, vaguely feeling that he needed to continue talking to the kid. Besides, he still got a strange niggling feeling at the back of his mind, like something's off. He tried brushing it off; it will come to him soon enough.

To his surprise, the kid did stop, before turning halfway. A bright brown eye stared back at him curiously as Kaito continued wracking his brain for anything to say. He then brightened as he thought of the perfect thing, "You saved me, and I am in your debt. One favor, as long as it's within my power. If you need to call it in, flash me with your laser pointer like you did earlier. I'll come to you."

He got the pleasure of seeing the kid's eye widen in surprise at his declaration. It might be risky telling him that, but after successfully saving the KID on his first night on the job (though he doesn't really know that) he more than deserves it.

He smiled brilliantly when the kid nodded, though he looked slightly dazed. Perhaps a criminal owing him a favor is probably a bit too much for him to handle. He nodded in satisfaction before straightening. "I apologize for cutting this short, but I'm afraid I must be off now." Oh god, Kagami is going to kill him! "Go home little boy, or your parents will worry."

Without waiting for a reply, Kaitou KID quickly dropped a smoke bomb before disappearing into the night, leaving the boy all alone in the dark alley.

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~oOo~

.

Kagami waited until she was sure he was truly gone before collapsing against the wall shakily, bringing a hand up to wearily drag it down her sweaty face. She was highly tempted to remove the itchy wig but scared to do so in case he's still here. After all, she doesn't want all her acting to go to waste just because of something so trivial.

Acting so much in such a long period of time drained her; she doesn't know how Kaito does it whenever he goes out in disguise for a heist. There is nothing exciting about this as she first thought. It just made her feel like a jerk for lying to her brother, and the constant acting and worry of being found out exhausted her to the point that she'll gladly sleep for a week.

It kind of amazed her that her brother didn't suspect for a moment who she is. (Though perhaps he actually did and was waiting in their house at this very moment to catch her in the act) The short black hair, brown eyes, and rugged clothes probably set her apart completely from the brown-haired, indigo-eyed, levelheaded Kuroba Kagami he had known his whole life. That probably created a sort of protection Kagami was glad she had.

Besides, she made sure she always had her back against the light, so that shadows would cast over and cover her face. It certainly helped to make her unrecognizable.

Her thoughts then fell on the events that resulted to all of this exhaustion. He was almost caught. Kagami clenched her fists in frustration. He was lucky she was there, or she'll be seeing him in jail the next time around, and how will she explain that to their mother?

It was certainly fortunate she realized it was not him that descended from the building earlier like she initially thought…

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~oOo~

.

Earlier that night…

Kagami watched anxiously as the helicopters started approaching fast from the direction of the police headquarters, and there's still no sign of anyone escaping from the rooftop. In spite of herself, she wondered if Kaito would be able to think up a plan to escape this time. Does he have enough experience in his belt to think up new ideas or did she completely botch that up too?

Turns out, Kagami needn't have worried.

She watched as a cloud of smoke suddenly appeared at the edge of the building's roof, confusing the police above. However, what they didn't notice but she could clearly see from below is KID descending from the roof using a rope from a crane. Kagami smiled proudly, Kaito will be brilliant no matter what age he is.

Except… that's not him, isn't it? Kagami stared in shock as someone she knew for a fact was not her brother landed lightly in front of her. However, while he is wearing KID's clothes, there's just something terribly off about him.

It's Jii-chan. She realized. She watched as the old man turned to look around him hastily and, finding no one, began running away from the building. He was incredibly fast for someone his age, she absently thought.

However, that begs the question: where's her brother?!

"…split into two? Can you please repeat that?"

Kagami frowned as she heard a disbelieving yell coming from the police nearby. She hurriedly approached two officers who are staring in incredulity at their radios.

-"Affirmative. KID split into two right in front of our eyes and escaped to the opposite sides of the building. Choppers are chasing one who was flying with a hang glider while another disappeared near your location. Search the area."- Someone reported over the radio while the two officers immediately scanned the area around them.

"Copy that!"

Kagami quickly ducked down to avoid getting spotted; all the while, her mind was rapidly whirling to process that piece of information.

Somehow, Kaito got it into his head to do a whole new kind of escape altogether. She didn't know the reason, but it was clear that Jii used the one that was meant for him, while Kaito just used the hang glider.

Something roaring above made her look up, and she watched as a group of helicopters suddenly flew by. Remembering what the police said about 'choppers chasing after the KID using the hang glider', Kagami immediately took off in a run, desperately hoping that she was not too late.

…

Kaito was really lucky. It terrified her that everything could have ended drastically if she wasn't present. She didn't want to lose a brother so soon! Currently, she was thanking every deity she could think of for allowing her to save her brother in time.

Though the favor her brother offered in return for helping him was definitely an unexpected albeit welcome action. It surprised her, because he never offered one to Conan in the series (although that's probably because he treated Conan as a rival while she just saved him without any catch.) That will certainly be useful in the future.

'Now…' she slowly pushed herself off the wall and stared at the full moon above with a tired look. Her stomach then chose that moment to growl, making her chuckle. 'How to get back home before he does and finally cook the damn noodles…'

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~oOo~

.

"I'm home." Kaito called wearily, patting himself for anything he missed at the last minute. It would be bad if Kagami were to be suspicious…

"Welcome back onii-chan." His sister called back from the table where a half-eaten bowl of noodles sat. "Where did you go?"

Kaito froze in spite of himself – though he should've expected this line of questioning – he stared nervously at his sister who was patiently waiting for an answer. Can he lie to her?

The truth or the lie?

"Onii-chan?" Kagami frowned.

Can she even handle the truth?

"…"

Isn't she too young to know how their father died and about his 'other' nighttime activity?

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, just tired." He smiled reassuringly, though Kagami doesn't look convinced at all. His sister has always been sharp. It doesn't help that he's a horrible liar when it comes to her. "I just came back to school to get something I left. I was in such a hurry earlier that I totally forgot." He laughed sheepishly and showed her the cards he had flung to the blackboard earlier that day. He made a detour before coming home just for this excuse.

"Oh. Okay." She blinked in astonishment before smiling warmly, "Come on onii-chan, let's eat."

"Sure!" After the night's events, he's starving!

He collapsed on the chair wearily while Kagami prepared another bowl of noodles for him. He'll probably be out like a light the moment his head touched a pillow for how exhausted he was.

Though there's still the matter of Jii. He already informed him to reschedule their meeting tomorrow. He also planned to introduce Jii and Kagami again after five long years. But what should he say to him? What secrets will he reveal next?

Do I really want to know…?

"Onii-chan! What happened to your arm?!"

Kaito blinked in surprise before glancing at said arm, which was indeed swollen and a bit bloody. He faintly recalled grazing his arm against the side of the dumpster when the boy pushed him. To be honest, he had forgotten about it.

"This? I must've scratched it when I tried climbing to our classroom. You know the doors and gates are locked at this time." He told her, internally cringing at how horrible that lie was. He made a mental note to teach himself to start lying to her, no matter how hard it was to do so. It frankly made him guilty just by thinking about it.

"Let me see." Kagami ordered before proceeding to take his arm and putting pressure on it. Kaito watched her fondly as she began treating it, leading him to the sink to clean the wound with warm water and mild soap before proceeding to apply antibiotic on it. She then finished it off by wrapping it up in clean bandages she got from their first aid kit. To be honest, it doesn't surprise him one bit that she learned (or probably taught herself) to do first aid. She's practical like that.

With the wrapping done, his sister then looked up at him worriedly. "Next time, please be careful, nii-chan."

…"Next time, please make sure you have an escape route in mind, KID-san."…

Kaito blinked, the image of the rough-looking little boy suddenly appearing in his mind's eye before disappearing just as quickly. What was that?

"Promise me?"

Kaito jolted back to reality to see his sister looking so concerned. He flashed her a quick reassuring smile. "I will."

She clearly meant something else, but Kaito was thinking more about his upcoming heists instead.

He slowly pulled her to him for a hug, his guilt making his arms around her tighten. "Thanks Mi-chan." And please forgive me.

Kagami nuzzled her head to his chest and responded in kind, "You're welcome, nii-chan."