Bombshell

She was one of a kind, a kind that Kaito didn't mind. AU

NOTE: As the summary didn't say much, I thought I'll explain further here. This takes place in a universe where the fateful clock tower meeting didn't happen, Edogawa Conan didn't happen, and the bad people aren't important. It's a Police-Force setting, and more will be explained. If you're still with me, that's good!

"Kudo."

Kuroba Kaito lifted his head, his eyes narrowed at the sight of the blonde detective he wasn't keen to see in his life. Hakuba smiled and Kaito wondered what would happen if he pulled his front teeth out. By then, Kaito would see if Hakuba would ever smile like this again.

"Can you stop calling me that?" Kaito gritted. "It's annoying."

"Pardon me." Hakuba looked unapologetic. "A slip of tongue."

"It's been 6 months. I supposed your tongue should have slipped out by now."

"You're so humorous, Kuroba."

"Thanks."

Without an invitation, Hakuba sat across his table in the cafeteria. It wasn't like Kaito had a say anyway. The latter sipped his coffee nonchalantly, refusing to start any polite conversation even if a gun was pointed at his head. Today was not a good day for him and the last thing he needed was a bothersome horse yapping around his head.

But alas, Hakuba always loved to do things Kaito dreaded the most.

"Have you heard that someone is going to be transferred into your Division?"

"Don't know. Don't care."

"If you ask me nicely, I will kindly tell you."

"Does it even concern me? People transfer in and out of Division 1 anyway."

Hakuba smirked. "This one is special. Especially for you."

All these stupid double meanings and indirect answers was annoying the hell out of Kaito right now. It was like watching his favourite movie with a person that had already seen it (a.k.a Hakuba Saguru), who constantly gave those nudges and remarks the entire time, especially during the climax. And did he mention that today wasn't a great day for him?

He stared at his coffee, deciding that it tasted terrible ever since Hakuba came to view. Kaito pushed the Styrofoam cup towards the blonde and smiled wearily. "Here's my treat. Take care." He stood up and headed to the exit of the cafeteria.

Kaito was half-expecting him to follow. He didn't, which was of course a better outcome. And for some reason, Kaito could feel Hakuba's signature crooked grin piercing at the back of his head, though he choose to pretend that it was his imagination.

As Kaito walked along the corridor to get back to his office, he bumped into a couple of officers and they exchanged brief greetings and acknowledgements. The fact that no one mistaken him as Kudo Shinichi was something that pleased him for a while.

He had been working in Division 1 more than six months ago after he graduated from the police academy. His results was by far the best back then, and being transferred straight into the department was an easy feat. Though at first, people wondered if Kaito's great achievements was because he was related to Shinichi by blood, and it was an accusation that Kaito could never live down.

Besides, the reason why he was even in the police force was because of that stupid Holmes' freak fault-

"Chief's asking for you."

Kaito blinked. He didn't expect himself to be so deep in thought to not know he had reached the department. The colleague that called out for him was leaning against a table and pointing at the room, which belonged to no one but Kudo Shinichi.

"Noted. Thanks."

The main reason for his surprise wasn't because of realizing how uncommonly distracted he was today. It was rare for Shinichi to look for him, at least not so openly that he even informed his colleague about it. His cheeks twitched and an uncomfortable feeling swirled in his stomach. Just great, what else was going to ruin his day?

He swiftly picked up a random file from his table, preparing to use it as a prop in case he needed to bail out from the scene by faking he had business somewhere else. Despite how naive and easy-going the rest of the policemen were here, Shinichi was another level that Kaito always had trouble with.

Tentatively, Kaito approached the room and gave a knock. After hearing a muffled answer, he swung open the tinted door.

"So what's the matter?"

His blue eyes moved from Shinichi's desk to a lady standing before it. Her back was originally facing him, but once he spoke, she turned around in response. Her dark brown, wavy hair swung from her neck, a simple motion that was unusually slow at the moment, until Kaito realized it was because time had stood still for him.

"You're finally done with your unauthorized, self-proclaimed break." Shinichi stood up from his seat. "I presumed you've read your email about this. Here's your partner, who you will be taking care of at the same time as she just transferred from Division 2."

Her pursed lips broke into a smile and she put out her hand. "Nakamori Aoko. Nice to meet you."

Is this a joke?!

Kaito glared over at Shinichi, who also gave him an equally stern look back before gazing firmly at the hand that Aoko had reached out. Kaito took in a deep breath and accepted the hand with a shake.

"Nice to meet you. Kuroba Kaito."

Aoko widened her eyes. He instantly got the message she was sending him, even if it was unintentional.

"No, not Kaitou Kid. Kaito as in kite."

"Sorry, don't be mistaken." Her cheeks flushed. "It's been long since I've heard that name, and it sounded similar so it instantly ring a bell in my head."

"Like a warning?"

"Like a warning."

"I'm glad you two have found a common topic." Shinichi intercepted. "After you've finished setting up your desk beside Kaito's, he'll also be giving you a few introductory rounds around the building. It's big, you'll get lost easily without some warming up." He stared pointedly at Kaito. "Kuroba Kaito, you wouldn't mind, right?"

Kaito clenched his teeth. If he got some laxatives pill right now, he would definitely drop some into Shinichi's cup of coffee on his table. But as quick as the anger that came, it went away just as fast, even if he had to force himself. He got to keep the happy facade on or his mask would eventually slip.

"Of course not, sir." Smiling like the gentleman he was (or pretended to be), he gestured Aoko out of the room. "After you."

She quirked an eyebrow amusingly and headed out. "Thanks for the trouble."

Before Kaito followed her, he wagged a finger threateningly over at his supposedly Chief.

Shinichi smirked back.

.o.

"You can't tie me up like this, I've got a life. A personal life I would like to live."

Shinichi pushed his clean plate aside. "What? Rob the bank?"

Kaito's fingers twitched, dropping his utensil back on his plate. He could really pull out a dozen of doves and get them to shit on Shinichi's head right now but he thought otherwise, since Shinichi got the upper hand after all. Besides, there wasn't a need to directly or indirectly reply to his question. He remained silent.

"I'll give you back the evidence when the time is right." The detective added.

The way he said evidence sounded like it was worth a piece of carrot out of the entire buffet table. That evidence mattered a lot to Kaito, if he didn't want to end up being sent to jail because of his thieving ways. It was all because of a brutal mistake he made for resting his wings on a roof that he thought would be safe. Who knew this stupid busybody would be lying in wait, with a bloody tranquilizer?!

"You've said the same thing two months ago."

"And if you understood, why are you still asking me this?"

"Because I'm tired of waiting."

"Just keep your itchy hands to yourself for a little more until we've captured them. It's for your goddamn sake; you're on their top-five list to kill." Shinichi lowered his voice. "And we shouldn't even be talking about this here."

Kaito scowled.

It wasn't on purpose that Kaito or Kaitou Kid offended a criminal organization and got himself into a heap of mess. He accidentally got in their way and stolen the jewel the syndicate was targeting for a long while. Ever since then, death frequently knocked on his door whenever he set out on heists. Coincidentally, this organization was one that Shinichi, Hakuba and someone from the west was trying to put down and Kaito somehow got dragged into all this mess.

For supervision's sake, Kaito ended up becoming a police officer, which was the last thing he ever thought he would work as in his life.

"So how's your first week working with Nakamori?"

He bared his teeth. "You are definitely enjoying this, just like Hakuba."

Shinichi couldn't hide his smile. "Isn't this good? You can relieve your old memories, even if you can't be who you are for now."

"Why is she even here? She should be transferred to Hakuba's team, they'll probably hit off pretty well."

"You'll be surprised, but I suspect she's here to protect your honor."

He was right, Kaito was indeed surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll see."

Abruptly. Shinichi raised his hand and waved. Kaito wrinkled his nose, half praying it wasn't Hakuba and turned, to find a confused-looking woman standing in the middle of the cafeteria with her food in the hand. As their blue eyes met, she gave an awkward grin and approached their table.

"Hello." Aoko nervously said.

"Take a seat." Shinichi gestured to an empty chair beside Kaito.

"Thanks."

Shinichi flicked his gaze towards him. "Haven't your senior invited you to lunch at all?"

"He's busy." Aoko explained. "We're both busy at different times."

It really wasn't a lie. Kaito sat his chin heavily onto the palm of his hand. "I guess someone thinks we're so free when he's the one who gave us so much work and reports to do every single day."

"About that," Shinichi took his plate. "I'll take note. As for now, that someone has to leave for his equally busy schedule for the day."

As he left the table, Kaito noticed the way Aoko watched his back intensely and a thought sparked in his mind.

"Stop gawking at him. He's taken." It wasn't unusual for girls to fall for Shinichi so easily anyway.

Aoko leaned forward cautiously. "By you?"

This answer was not what he expected to hear. She sounded too teasing to be disappointed. Though... What the hell-!

"By your foot." Kaito snapped and stuck out his tongue, disgusted. "That's the worst insult I've ever heard."

Aoko chuckled and his frown grew deeper.

Kaito was expecting a different answer, or at least for her to continue after her stupid remark, but she didn't. It was the first time they properly sat on a table and talked about something that wasn't work-related, so maybe she was shy...? How could that be? The ferocious tiger-like human he knew that always chased him to the end of the world was the same person right here.

Perhaps it was the typical police habit, often sealing their mouths, as if everything about their life had to be kept confidential like the files in the office. He decided to continue the conversation. It had potential to unlock some friendship levels he often had to play with other people in this workforce.

"Aren't you interested about who it is?"

She shrugged. "It'll be pointless for you to say if I don't know the person, and I guess that's probably the case since I've just transferred here last week,"

Well, she did have a point. Though the way she sounded, it seemed as though she was lonely.

He decided to ignore those thoughts. "Mouri Ran, in-charge of the Police Self Defence Training."

"Oh!" She perked up. "I know her!"

"Expected. Everyone here have suffered by her fist at least once."

Aoko's smile didn't falter. "I've met her yesterday. She's so friendly."

"Yeah."

"They're both lucky to have each other."

Lucky? A cold shiver went down his spine.

"You'll see her often. Try not to eat before that. You might puke at how lovey-dovey they are." Kaito rubbed his temple. He didn't mean it the literal way, but seeing that detective being so in love, it just didn't fit him.

She scoffed. "You aren't a romantic person, are you?"

"I know what girls like."

"What?"

"Roses."

"That's such an easy answer. I know what guys like too." Aoko challenged.

"Really?" Kaito scorned. "What?"

"Money."

"That's cheating. Who doesn't like money?"

When he was Kaitou Kid, he always thought this feisty, number one hater of his was too bold and crazy for his taste. Jumping off the helicopter, off the roof, and even down the smelly sewer hole once, just to get a millisecond touch of his white cape. He tried to be easy on his plans for her sake, but he was so used to it that he couldn't be bothered in the end. She had been wearing a parachute in every single of his heist after all.

On the day he saw her again after so long, he was honestly a little scared. For a moment, he was expecting her to suddenly pounce on him and cuff his hands and feet.

He always gave people nicknames using mostly negative terms, even if he inwardly acknowledged their strength; Holmes' freak, noisy horse and crazy bimbo. The last was the one he used on Nakamori Aoko when she was the leader of the Kaitou Kid's squad. They only shared a few minutes of hateful insults whenever they crossed path, or when she was lucky to chance upon him on the roof.

Until today.

It took Kaito an hour into their random conversation to realize this wasn't some kind of friendship game he was playing anymore. She was unlike those gossiping meter-maids, arrogant guards...

He could no longer choose any words to describe his partner.

She was... one of a kind.

A kind that Kaito didn't mind.

.o.

The first time Kaito caught her staring at the photo in her wallet, he thought it would be uncomfortable to ask. It had been the fifth time that week since Kaito saw her gazing gently at the photo. And since only the two of them were responsible for any call-ins for the day while everyone was out for lunch, he thought it was an appropriate moment to ask.

He stretched his neck over to his side. "You missed your old team?"

Aoko slapped her wallet shut and stared up at Kaito, her eyes widened in shock. It was the same moment when Kaito suddenly felt a little guilty for invading her little privacy. He did understand her feelings, since he had to suffer that fate every time Hakuba was around.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

"No, it's okay. I'm just surprised you knew they were my old team."

"Uh-" Kaito scratched the back of his ear. "Your team is the only Kaitou Kid squad. Everyone's bound to know. And you guys have been on TV too."

"Oh. Yeah." Aoko nodded as she peered down back at her wallet. "And to you question. Of course I do. All the blood, sweat and tears... Those moments got to mean something."

"Then why are you here? In such a foreign place that you don't like?"

"It's not that I don't like here!" She quickly jumped in to defend herself, a sudden reaction that Kaito tried his best not to laugh at. "It's hard to forget the past, you know?"

I know. "Then what brings you here? The salary?"

"Division 1, Kudo Shinichi." Aoko pursed her lips and glanced around, making sure no one was around before looking back at him. "He's the one who declared Kaitou Kid was dead."

Kaito blinked. He... didn't expect her to suddenly mention this old news. Her serious demeanor made Kaito a little unwilling to bring up any of his silly jokes to tease her, so all he could do was to remain silent.

It seemed she had mistaken his courtesy of letting her continue to be a sign of distrust. She waved her hands frantically, hastily defending herself again as she explained.

"I'm not here to seek revenge! Don't over-imagine."

"If you're out for revenge, I might consider supporting you."

She glared at him.

"Please go on." Kaito prompted innocently.

Aoko sighed. "I've worked hard to reach here because I refuse to believe Kaitou Kid died. There's no body, the most concrete evidence that he's dead. So I want to find it out myself and only Division 1 can do it."

"So how's your progress?"

"Still firm in my belief."

Kaito watched her carefully and took in a deep breath. "Well," He exhaled heavily. "You don't have concrete evidence that he's alive either. He's been missing for more than a year."

"I know." Aoko's lips curled downwards. "But his sudden disappearance upsets me, and it's not in an angry way. I couldn't believe he would go without a confirmed ending to his play. That stupid thief always made fanciful entrance and honorable exits in all his heists."

Until now, Kaito still couldn't believe what he was hearing. He never know that Kaitou Kid, him, would give such an impact to her life that she was actually concerned for his well-being. Somehow, he was conflicted between being happy and confused for her feelings towards his night-time identity.

Aoko glanced up to him. "You must think I'm crazy, right? I'm the leader of the Kaitou Kid squad and yet I wished he would continue thieving instead."

"I-" Kaito bit his lips. Quickly, he afforded his usual grin to cover for the mistake he almost made. "Of course not. Actually, I think you're pretty similar to our lovely Chief."

She blinked. "Am I?"

"We, as the police, hoped to see peace. As for him, he loved it when things happen, especially murder."

Aoko chortled.

Kaito's lips tugged and he couldn't help but puffed up his chest a little, feeling a small glow at being the reason for her little joy.

"What about you? Why did you join the police force?" Aoko sheepishly moved her eyes away before peeking a look at him. "Sometimes, I've noticed your little unhappiness and reluctance in doing assigned task."

"There's a difference between hating the job and hating your boss." Though these words came out from his mouth so naturally, Kaito was a little amazed that she noticed his true feelings that easily, more easily than anyone he worked with before. Had he been so obvious? He reminded himself to be careful, after all, she did work against his alter ego for so long. He guessed it wouldn't be surprising when she was quick to notice him, or something about him that the rest of his department didn't, including Kudo Shinichi.

Aoko gave a dry look. "So which is it? Or both?"

Oh, she's definitely on to him.

"Maybe we'll save that for next time."

.o.

Kaito knew sooner or later, Aoko's crazy instinct would ultimately show up in Division 1.

It happened one sunny Tuesday when they were on their way back to the office after solving a case of murder. Kaito usually gave some quiet space and time for her to regain her composure once they were finished. She once openly showed her appreciation for his effort, claiming she still wasn't used to all these death and cruelty among humans. He didn't mind.

The silence was broken when a man suddenly skipped across the road and Kaito screeched to a halt, just in time before running over the man.

"What the hell?" He clicked his tongue before their attention were brought to an old lady who was standing on the pavement, far behind the runner. She continuously waved around, trying to attract attention around her. Her mouth was moving, but they couldn't hear anything from inside the car.

Kaito rolled down the window.

"A robber! Somebody help!" Her voice finally reached them.

Before Kaito could react, he heard the door beside him slammed shut and his neck snapped over to the direction of the sound, eyes noticeably went wide at the empty seat. He thought his eyes could no longer go any bigger, until when his gaze drifted to the window, to witness Aoko dashing across the road as well, ignoring the horns and yells from the drivers on the road.

"This girl!" Kaito moved his car to the side of the road to park temporarily before he jumped out of his car. Two patrolling officers appeared and was in the middle of calming the old woman down when Kaito flashed out his hidden badge. He assured that his other partner was on her way to capture the theft before he instructed one of the men to follow him while the other stayed with the victim. They then made a sprint towards the direction where he last saw Aoko.

At least he watched the cars.

Opposite the road lead to an isolated park. As Kaito continued running, he spotted the abandoned bag on the ground and further up was a handcuff that Kaito recognized as Aoko's, which had a signature chip in the corner of the cuffs. He picked it up, his knuckles tightening till they were striped red and white.

There was no more clues for him to follow.

"Ahouko!" He yelled, a hint of desperation seeping through his concealed mask. "Where the hell are you?!"

"I'm here!" A faint shout came from his side, followed by an irritated glower. "Stop squirming already!"

Kaito spun to his left and ran as fast as his legs could carry him, the other policeman barely catching up. After jumping over several bushes, he finally spotted her in a kneeling position over the back of the agitated robber. The grip around her handcuffs loosened and he was finally able to breathe.

He stomped over.

"Ah, you picked up my handcuffs. Thanks." Aoko focused her strength on one hand to put his two wrists in a place and stretched out her other hand towards Kaito, gesturing him for her cuffs.

Kaito didn't move.

"I need the cuffs." She stated.

He just stared at her and she stared back.

After a short while, the policeman finally reached their side, with the old woman's bag slung across his chest. Aoko broke the eye contact, handing the job over as the policeman used his own cuffs to secure the man's hands behind his back. He gave a thanks and pulled the robber up to get him out of the park and to the nearby police station.

Now that they were left alone in the quiet park, it was obviously loud enough for Aoko to sense his silent rage from the beginning. All she did for the full minute was to tentatively approach to his side while rubbing the side of her arm. And as if she wasn't expressing her nervousness enough, her hands eventually moved to the back of her neck. He remained rooted to the ground.

"I'm sorry."

His anger had subsided enough for him to speak. "...What's our team name?"

Aoko raised an eyebrow but didn't question. "Team Peanut-Butter." She said softly.

"We're supposed to stick like one." Kaito finally met her droopy gaze. "Now it's as if you're solely Peanut and I'm Butter."

"That's not it-"

"I know. Your brain and legs are still used to the formula of Division 2." Kaito sighed and ruffled his already tousled hair. "At least don't abandon me and act on your own."

You made me worry.

"Sorry." She said again, her tone of sincerity didn't lessen from her first apology.

"I'm glad you aren't hurt."

"He isn't armed."

"And you should count yourself lucky." Kaito handed the cuffs.

"Thanks, Bakaito."

Kaito moved his hand away before Aoko could reach for it. She pouted.

"Hey!"

"What did you just call me?"

"You called me Ahouko. Don't think I didn't hear that."

"I called you that because you deserve it."

Ignoring him, Aoko gave a second try to snatch her cuffs back, but as usual, Kaito was always faster than her. He only stopped and gave a time-out sign when he sensed a vibration in his pocket. He fished out his phone while making sure Aoko wouldn't make any surprise attack, turned out he was still surprised when he realized who was calling him.

"Shit." Kaito threw the cuffs over and Aoko caught it with a hand. She tilted her head at his sudden change of game and her puzzlement turned to a moment of shock once Kaito showed the name of the caller.

Holmes's freak.

After a second, Shinichi hung up.

"We're late for the meeting!" Aoko exclaimed.

"I wonder why you are even surprised."

She made her last failed attempt to give a kick to his knee before they scrambled out of the park.

.o.

Kaito cringed at the sight of Aoko when she flipped open her mirror and prepared her lipstick stance. He judged her the entire time, but Aoko was bluntly ignoring him, as much as he could tell. Those purposeful moment to irk him was definitely working because his curiosity couldn't be contained anymore.

"What the hell are you up to?"

She smiled into her mirror, puckering out her rosy lips until she was satisfied with her touch-up. For the briefest moment in Kaito's life, he wanted to test the taste of her lips to know whether it was strawberry or cherry flavor. That sinful thought was instantly gone when she shut the mirror with a click.

"How do I look?"

"Pretty. Pretty ugly."

Aoko wasn't affected; her smile still kept in place. She began packing up her belongings on her table until their heads turned back at the voice that was sent to their direction.

"Nakamori, are you ready?"

"Just going to finish packing up."

Shinichi gave a thumbs up. "I'll get my car. Meet you at the lobby."

"Is there a case?" Kaito spoke up.

"It's the welcome dinner I've owed her."

Kaito scowled. "And why don't I have one when I first joined?"

"And would you like to have one?"

This asshole had a point. He didn't want it at all.

Shinichi laughed and walked away, victorious. As Aoko zipped her bag close, Kaito sighed, unnecessarily loud that it halted her movement. She turned towards him and sighed equally as loud.

"Are you jealous or something?"

Kaito shuddered at the word. "Jealous of what?"

"I don't know." Aoko scoffed. "Ask yourself."

"I'm not jealous of anything, idiot." Who the hell had the time to feel that kind of worthless emotion? "I'm just feeling sorrowful for you."

"What an honor."

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to hang out with him."

"Why not?"

"He's a murder magnet, attracting crimes wherever he goes. With all these death going around him, I sometimes wonder if he's a Shinigami or something."

"You can't be serious." Aoko shook her head amusingly, which offended Kaito because he had been speaking in the most serious tone he had ever used in his life.

"Fine." Kaito twirled his seat away from her as he began typing onto his computer. "Suit yourself."

Aoko still didn't go. She stared at him for a moment and shrugged casually. "It's been a while since anyone treated me to dinner. I really can't refuse."

"Are you poor?" Kaito drawled. He knew that wasn't the case at all. He did research every single member of the Kaitou Kid squad before, and Aoko was far from poor. Living alone with a steady income, there was no way she couldn't afford a luxurious dinner once every week. She even bought many insurance that could-

Kaito shook his head inwardly. He didn't need to recollect his memory for this.

"No. It's about the companionship, you know?"

Kaito's hand froze above his keyboard. He quickly moved his arms back to his side, pretending he was done with his work.

"I can treat you."

Shit! What am I saying-?

Aoko chuckled. "Really?"

His lips parted, and it took all his will power to swallow the answer he really wanted to say. All he could do was to flick her forehead, much to her displeasure.

"Maybe not. I've spent the entire day seeing your face. Dinner is the only time my appetite isn't ruined."

She grudgingly attempted a flick on Kaito's forehead too, but he dodged on his roller chair without much effort. Giving up, she stuck out her tongue. "Then enjoy your dinner." She stood up and took her bag. "See you around."

.o.

When Aoko said See you around, they really did.

After an hour passed the time Aoko left the office, his department was called in. Kaito was half-expecting the venue for report was a restaurant, and he was right.

With his other colleague, they reached the crime scene and witnessed a crowd in the middle of the restaurant. Kaito approached the commotion and sighed at once.

He knew he was not needed here.

"You're the murderer, Sakamoto-san." Shinichi pointed at a man in the middle of a trio. The said man broke down a second later, wailing about revenge and his hatred for the dead victim.

All that didn't matter anyway as his teammate placed the handcuff around the man's wrists and lead him back to the car. As for Kaito, he was in charge of moving the rest of the people away so the retrieval of the corpse was much more successful.

"You're really a Shinigami." Kaito muttered over to Shinichi.

"And you're really going to write this report for the murder, by yourself."

"What the heck? I don't even know what the hell happened."

Shinichi placed his hand on his shoulder and smiled comfortingly. "And that's for you to find out for the rest of the night back at the headquarters." He turned over to Aoko and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I apologize for leaving the table so abruptly."

"It's the right thing to do." Aoko nodded understandingly. "Who knows what tampering could happen if a second was wasted."

Kaito rolled his eyes and focused on his task, ignoring the other two.

"Shall we proceed with the dinner?"

"Oh, it's alright." She waved a hand. "It's a little late. Besides, you mentioned your fifth anniversary with Mouri-san is around the corner. I think you should go and prepare ahead for this important event."

"Really? We've been putting off this dinner for a long time."

"It's the thought that counts."

Shinichi considered for a moment, and obviously, his love for his wife-to-be took over him. "Sorry. Shall I send you home?"

Kaito wished they could continue their conversation somewhere else, far away from him. As a matter of fact, he couldn't wait to see them out of the restaurant. This negative, bubbling feeling in his chest just couldn't go away ever since he stepped into the restaurant and spotted the two standing so close together.

However, the last thing he expected right now was to feel a tug of his sleeve. Kaito spun around to stare at Aoko, who was looking at him thoughtfully.

"I'll go back to the office with them in their car. I think I left something behind."

I thought her table was pretty empty...?

"If that's the case," Shinichi turned to Kaito. "Take good care of your little junior for me."

"Yeah yeah."

While Kaito was still waiting for the forensic team to finish clearing up, he pretended to not see Aoko watching Shinichi's back intensely as the latter left the restaurant. And because much of his effort was put into the pretense, he didn't notice Aoko was leaning closely to him until she spoke in a whisper.

"Aren't you going to laugh at me?"

Weirdly, that thought didn't cross his mind before. Seeing the two's interaction, he was too busy thinking about nothing and laughing was the thing he least wanted to do.

Of course he wasn't going to admit that. Instead, he smiled wearily. "I really can't when I'm going to be stuck in the office for the entire night to fill up the report."

She paused for a moment. "Is the cafeteria back there open?"

"All day and night."

"How about after I help you with the report, you'll treat me for supper? I was here, I know what's up."

Kaito widened his eyes.

"Don't worry. The things in the cafeteria is cheap, your pocket won't burn a hole." Aoko chortled, seeming to notice his tensed shoulders.

If only she knew the real reason behind it-

He coughed, regaining his composure in a split second. "That'll depends on how much your help will benefit me."

Aoko gave him a childish peace sign, along with a merry smile. "We'll see."

.o.

In the past two months, Division 1 had been keeping track on a suspected serial killer that wasn't convicted due to the lack of evidence.

When a trend of the victim started showing up, Shinichi began constructing his plans into action. The entire department often worked overnight for this under their Chief's strict supervision, making sure there was no space for failure. Personally, Kaito felt the extra hard work the Detective of the East was putting in was because he wasn't happy to be stumped by a case for so long, not like he dare to admit that out loud. Kaito knew there were times when his jokes had to stop.

But it wasn't like he was complaining about this matter; he did want to bring this criminal to justice too. It was just one thing about Shinichi's plan that made him a little agitated.

The entire Division 1 were tasked to go undercover on a Saturday evening. One of the members, Mimiko, who coincidentally had a beauty mark near the eye, was to play as the bait to lure and attract the murderer out. Part one of the act went successfully, so moving on to part two, the venue of the meet up for their agreed date would be...

A bloody sea aquarium.

Of course, there was always reasons for every move Shinichi made. He validated that it was a perfect place for most of the team to blend in, and it was the only worthy dating-like place that was constructed in a way if any arrest was necessary, it would be made easier there, compared to a shopping mall or an amusement park.

Kaito had nothing to say, and he would rather die than to admit his phobia to anyone.

He had to accept his fate.

Most of them pretended to be visitors or the staff working there. As for Kaito and his faithful partner, they played as a couple.

Aoko wore a blue buttoned-down shirt with jeans, an attire Kaito saw no difference from the usual ones she wore to work. As for him, he wore a simple grey shirt and jeans, one that matched Aoko coincidentally. This probably made their act a little more convincing.

They were currently browsing at the souvenir shop and Kaito had manipulatively pulled Aoko to the stationary section, far from the entrance of the aquarium. If the job remained like this, Kaito wouldn't mind. But once Shinichi's voice crackled in their hidden Bluetooth, instructing them to head to their planned position, Kaito wondered if this was any different from hearing a Shinigami calling him to walk his way to hell.

He was still deep in thought, wondering if there was some way to get him out of this mess when he felt a ball of warmth engulfing his cold hand. He glanced down sharply, staring at Aoko's hand that was intertwined with his.

She gave a light squeeze.

"Are you alright?"

His eyes darted to hers.

"I'm fine."

He wasn't fine, but honestly, he felt better.

"You're weird today. Don't tell me you're nervous about the plan."

"Don't be crazy. I should be the one saying that to you."

Aoko was unconvinced; there were times when she was wary towards him, no matter how hard he tried to keep the needed grin or poker face for better effect in lying well. For Kudo Shinichi, Kaito needed props and a believable story to get a pass. For Nakamori Aoko, it was another level. The props or a good story didn't matter, even if he had them or not. Sometimes, she was more observant in a different kind of way, and Kaito wasn't confident to ask her what she deciphered on him. It would be admitting that she was right all along.

They held hands for a few minutes while sitting at the last row of the large aquarium viewing area. Their standby location was the last part of the attraction and they had to wait till Mimiko and the murderer to appear before taking any needed action. Until now, they were just there, doing absolutely nothing.

That was the case for Kaito. As Aoko was busying admiring the view since she had the chance, he had been closing his eyes the entire time, listening to the findings and reports in the Bluetooth instead. It was a while later when Aoko nudged him in the ribs and he groaned.

"What?" According to the updates, he was sure Mimiko hadn't approach the viewing yet.

"Don't close your eyes, you're going to react slower."

He didn't have any good answer to reply to that.

"...Fine." He choose to stare at his lap.

"I don't know what's wrong, but if it makes you any better. Focus on me instead." Aoko made him turn towards her, her eyes that were as bright as the water around them pierced through his gaze. "Though it might destroy your appetite later, you can use my expression to estimate your needed reaction for the act."

"People might think I'm a creep."

"We're a couple. As my boyfriend, you're supposed to be staring at me all the time."

"Is that why you're single?"

She sent an annoyed look.

It was that exact moment when her pupils dilated and she widened her eyes at the direction of Kaito's back. Only a second later, his Bluetooth came to life.

"Team Peanut-Butter, Mimiko is heading to your area."

Knowing the reason behind her quick change of expression, Kaito was about to boast that the report was a tad slow when all of the sudden, Aoko, who he had been staring at the entire time, pounced towards him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, instantly shutting him up. He was forced to turn and sit sideways, facing Aoko in order to make the hug less awkward and believable.

Alright, it was just an act, there was no need for him to lose his cool, which he almost did for a split second. This had always been their usual tactic after all, though this time was the first for such an intimate position. He pursed his lips and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath to calm himself down, only to be welcomed by a heavenly lemon soap smell that engulfed his whole lungs. He opened his eyes to see her hair brushing across his face.

He took in another deep breath.

Someone should definitely bottle the scent of shampoo on her hair and make a fortune on it.

"Team Peanut-Butter? Update the situation."

Before Kaito could say anything, he felt a soft tap on his ear, the one where the Bluetooth was hidden. His Bluetooth's microphone was activated.

"Roger. Fox and Rabbit have entered. None to report at the moment." Aoko muttered closely by his cheeks, her breath tickling his ear and freezing his entire nerve system.

What the-

When the mike was automatically turned off, Aoko hugged a little tighter. "The murderer noticed us when he came into the viewing room. It seemed he's suspecting something. We'll just stay like this and I'll do the reporting. Your head is blocking my mouth movement anyway, so it's perfect."

No it's not no it's not. Stop. Stop. Stop- Stop breathing into my ear.

Even if he still want to (creepily) smell the fragrance on her hair, he couldn't. Aoko didn't hug him tightly to prevent him from breathing, it was his own accord that he couldn't breathe on his own. The pricking sensation on his ear was burning and spreading like fire on his skin, causing heat to rise from the back of his neck to his head.

He prayed hard she couldn't feel the heat from his face. But it wasn't helping when she constantly kept updating the team whenever the Fox made the slightest bit of movement, and Kaito had to suffer the funny feeling swirling in his body every single time.

This Nakamori Aoko... Sometimes, he had underestimated her ability to wreck him up in many ways.

After an eternity or technically, ten minutes had passed, Mimiko left the viewing area for the exit and the two finally broke contact. The plan was moved onto the next part and everyone was abandoning their disguise to head out.

But Kaito couldn't move.

Aoko stretched her back and shifted her gaze, her eyes softened once they made eye contact. He was still keeping that agreement to look at her and only her. If he tilted to the right, it was the aquarium of fishes, if he turned to the left, there were picture boards of real fishes and information about them. There was nowhere else he could look without feeling like he had to piss himself.

But now... even she was making him uncomfortable too, of course not in a way he wanted to piss himself.

He lowered his head.

"You're pale." Aoko frowned. "Maybe you should head home."

"I'm okay."

"Did you eat something wrong this morning?"

"I'm really okay."

She gave a defeated sighed. "Fine, let's go. We need to meet the rest."

He stood up with trembling feet and followed her to the exit.

It could be his phobia problem, or because he ate a bowl of spicy ramen early in the morning. It could be anything, but Kaito refused to believe Aoko would be the cause of mess in his entire body and mind. He could still remember the prickling sensation and how his hair stand on end. No one managed to do this to him before...

Kaito watched the back of Nakamori Aoko.

Damn.

.o.

It had been a long time since Kaito wore a suit.

Kaito took a sip of his cocktail at the corner of the ballroom alone, watching countless people chattering all over the place. The hall was covered with white laces, flowers and cloth, a colour theme Shinichi and Ran decided for their wedding celebration. Of course, the guests abide to this request of wearing only light-colored attire so that everyone was synchronized and be part of a family, or some sort.

Surrounded by many people working closely or in the police force, he was ironically wearing Kaitou Kid's suit and pants, the only white ones he had. He wasn't going to spend his money just for the sake of a one-time event. Instead of his signature blue dress shirt and red tie, he matched it with a white shirt and a simple black bow tie instead.

Kaito thought Shinichi didn't need his blessing for this joyous event; he should have plenty from everyone else. Besides, their relationship was pretty complex to be understood by anyone, and sometime between them too. That was why he wasn't sure why he was here in the first place, hiding himself from the spotlight whenever he could. Did he regret coming here? Kaito sighed and set his drink on the counter.

Maybe y-

"Hey."

Maybe no.

Kaito blinked. With all the colors of the same merging together, it was hard to see anyone closing towards him. But when Kaito saw how beautiful the lady that approached him was, he wondered why he didn't spot her sooner than before.

He blinked again.

This beautiful- This lady- This woman-!

Wait a second...

"Nakamori Aoko?"

"Yes, Kuroba Kaito." Aoko sneered. "Do you have to say my full name?"

"Just to make sure."

Aoko huffed and swiped her wavy hair across her collarbone and over her smooth and shiny shoulders that her strapless blue dress didn't cover. She blinked her long eyelashes, blue eyes darting from left to right until she set her attention on the drink Kaito had left on the counter beside them. She picked it up and raised it to her rosy lips, savoring the cocktail. With every gulp, a lump went down Aoko throat, and again, and again...

"I need more of this." Aoko sighed heavenly and glanced up at Kaito. "Aren't you thirsty?"

"You've drank mine."

Aoko widened her eyes and frantically passed the nearly empty glass back to him. "I'm sorry! I thought it didn't belong to anyone."

It took Kaito an ounce of energy to ignore the lipstick stain on the glass.

"It's fine. I'm not thirsty."

She sheepishly smiled and set the cup on the counter again. "It was hard to find you, by the way."

Kaito quirked an eyebrow. Just a few days ago, Aoko did comment how infuriating he was when he made a joke out of her. It was weird that she was here with him in the first place. In fact, she always puzzled him in many ways.

"You're searching for me?"

"Yeah." She admitted, rather quickly. "Other than the busy bride and groom, there isn't anyone I'm familiar or comfortable with here."

He let out a sharp breath that resembled a laugh. "Same. Not like I really care."

"I guess it's good we have each other."

Her simple words twisted his stomach into a knot. He straightened his posture and tugged onto his collar of his shirt calmly, trying to get some heat out of him. How ridiculous, he hadn't even finished his glass of cocktail. What the hell was wrong with him?

He thought it was a perfect time to start a new conversation. A change of topic would be great.

"Is your favourite colour blue?" He gestured over to her dress, pointedly showing the hint he got. "You often wore blue to work too."

"Yeah. It reminds me of the sea my father often brought me to." She caressed the edge of her dress and her gaze softened like magic. He watched her the entire moment until she looked back up at him and he pretended to be staring at her dress instead. "What about you? Is it white?"

"Because I'm wearing the colour today?"

"Not really." She paused, her eyes started travelling all over the corners of his attire, causing Kaito to feel naked all of the sudden. "I thought white... really suits you."

Kaito decided to make a bold decision, one that he hoped would cause a paradox effect.

"Are you thinking about Kaitou Kid?"

Aoko shot up her head and he thought he was right. She blurted a nervous "No!" and waved him off. It would have been a convincing performance if every muscle of her body wasn't visibly tensed. At least now this would disrupt her thoughts and prevent any possible link Kaito was afraid would sprout in her mind.

For her sake, he pretended not to notice how hard she was still trying to ignore his words as he shrugged off his white suit and placed it around her shoulders. She jumped a little at the sudden weight and moved her eyes to his, feeling the fabric in her hands.

"You seem cold." He explained.

She wrapped it closer to her body, her face relaxed. "Thanks."

Recently, they didn't talk much about Kaitou Kid. But when they did, Aoko always looked conflicted and confused. Kaito suspected Shinichi had done something in the files to lead her to dead ends, although the data wasn't intentionally just for her to see (It was a measure Shinichi took to make sure the criminal organization was convinced with his deduction of Kaito Kid's death and bla bla bla excuses that Kaito couldn't care anymore). Still, it was disheartening to see her mood dampened by something Kaito could easily fix, though it had to be done.

The suit around Aoko... he hoped his warmth would comfort her in some way or another.

Two minutes of silence was broken when the music changed and the host began announcing the next event for the day. Not so surprisingly, it was a slow dance solely meant for couples and a huge space in the middle of the hall had been created for it. Gradually, many pairs, including Shinichi and Ran, sashayed their way into the limelight, earning envious stares and smiles from the others who were still hesitant to participate.

Naturally, the two turned to each other in sync.

"Dance?" Kaito cringed.

Aoko shook her head. "Not for me."

"Same."

She then gleefully gestured over to the other side of the ballroom and Kaito glimpsed over before he laughed, agreeing with a nod of his head. He leaned forward and showed his hand.

"Partner?"

Aoko gracefully accepted it. "Partner."

They made their way to the buffet table.

.o.

It was over a year after Kaito's transfer to Division 1 when he was finally free. As promised, Shinichi handed the only item to have contained all the evidence that pinpointed Kuroba Kaito to be Kaitou Kid and he clutched the black thumb-drive tightly, as if his life strongly depended on it. Though ironically, it was true.

"The case is over." Shinichi leaned against the railing of the roof, the agreed place for the meet up. "We're done."

"Took you long enough."

Shinichi narrowed his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bothered trying to save you and your stupid ass."

"I guess everyone loves me too much, can't help it." Kaito waved his hand, the thumb drive disappeared into the hidden pocket of his sleeve. He'll make sure it would be properly destroyed later. And since Shinichi no longer had anything against him, he finally decided to question the descendant of Sherlock Holmes about something he had wondered for a while.

"Why didn't you turn me in?"

"I'm honoring my promise."

"And you're breaking the law."

"Do you want me to turn you in that badly?"

"Just curious."

Shinichi stared up at the blue sky over their head. "Your tricks are fascinating enough to satisfy me once in a while. For those fun time's sake, I'll spare you from prison. Though I'm pretty sure the days you spent here could be considered jail time already."

"You're a bastard." Kaito clenched his teeth.

"And because of your kind corporation to keep Kaitou Kid dead," Shinichi continued, choosing to ignore the insubordination act that obviously happened. "We managed to uncover the spies who were keeping track of your records. It made our job much easier."

Kaito widened his eyes and Shinichi understood.

"Don't worry, we've cancelled Nakamori out of the list. We know she isn't one of them."

His back relaxed as he turned away and leaned against the railings, refusing to acknowledge the sly smile on Shinichi's face.

"So what's your plan?"

Without a doubt, Kaito would have the answer if he received this thumb drive a year ago. Now, he was questioning himself about this too, while trying hard to pretend the image of Aoko didn't flash across his mind at all.

.o.

A week had already passed since Kaito destroyed the thumb drive and that conclusion never came for the question. To be honest, he almost forgot all about it during his busy week, not until when Shinichi suddenly approached to Kaito's desk, where the latter was trying to finish up the report that he had purposely neglected for a long time. He would have continued to ignore even longer if the deadline wasn't tomorrow morning.

He clicked his tongue when he saw Shinichi peered over his back. "I'm working overtime for this already. Buzz off."

"I was wondering why I've yet to receive your resignation letter."

His eyes unconsciously travelled away from his computer and to Aoko's desk. He looked away before Shinichi caught on. "I supposed you haven't."

"Should I not be expecting one?"

"I wonder." Kaito's eyes twitched. Great, now he had lost track of what's he's typing. "Go home and make some babies."

Shinichi pat his back and headed out. "You're right. I expect the report to be on my desk tomorrow."

Kaito gave a disgruntled noise as he stared at his screen again. On a bright note, he had something to focus on instead of having to worry about other things, like the troublesome thought of seeing less of Aoko if he really left.

On one particular morning, Shinichi came to work unusually later than everyone else. Instead of going into his own room, he stood in the middle of the office and everyone instantly stopped their work and fell into a deep silence. They knew something was up and tried to read the expression on their chief's face, but none seemed to be able to do so. Kaito was having difficulty guessing between confusion and disbelief.

"Kudo...?" Mimiko gently interrupted the silence.

Shinichi was still staring at the ground.

While Kaito was still trying to decipher what was going on, Aoko tensely turned towards him with a worried look.

"What happened?" She whispered.

"Maybe he finally realizes that Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character." Kaito muttered back.

She rolled her eyes and was about to give Kaito's chest a slap with her folder when Shinichi cleared his throat.

"I'm going to be a father."

Aoko, along with the rest of the colleagues jumped off their seats in an instant, each and every one, except for Kaito, wore the same expression of delight.

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you."

"Congrats!"

"Thanks."

"When will you know if it's a girl or a boy?"

"Not that soon." The soon-to-be father said, still smiling.

Ignoring everyone's elated response, Kaito remained in his seat, trying hard not to wonder if Shinichi really took his advice to go home and make babies on the night he remembered jokingly suggesting him to. He shivered at the thought and only realized in fact, a couple of months had already passed since then; when he was finally freed from all this shit he supposedly hated. Yet he was still here, with this police badge, lousy computer and always dutifully reporting to his desk beside Aoko's every day.

He sunk further into his seat. Maybe-

"Dinner's on me tonight." Shinichi declared after the round of excited question were finished firing at him.

After hearing that, Kaito finally found the energy to join in the celebratory dance everyone was doing.

.o.

Donned in Kaitou Kid's uniform, he adjusted his hat for one last time before he stepped into the role of the Phantom Thief, abandoning all unnecessary emotions that belonged to Kuroba Kaito and jumped off the top of the roof, his cape solidified into wings as he flew into the dark night.

He hadn't been sending heist notice for two years, and he wasn't heading to town where all the mansions or museums were located tonight. Instead, he twisted through the wind and dived straight into the quiet part of the neighborhood, one he knew by heart.

As his shiny white shoes tapped silently on the balcony of the two-storey house, his glider changed back into his white cape and slowly floated to Kid's back. He raised his arm, preparing to tap on the sliding glass behind the curtains when the lights suddenly came on and the curtains was swiped aside.

Those blue, angry eyes that Kuroba Kaito never seen, but one which Kaitou Kid saw every night were glaring at him with a passion like fire. He stepped behind as the sliding door was pushed open and Nakamori Aoko stomped right out and stood in the cold winds, with nothing but a T-shirt and shorts.

"You- You!" Aoko yelled.

He made sure there was a good distance between them before he relaxed his shoulders and gave a crooked smile.

"Good evening Inspector Nakamori. It's been long."

"It's been real long! I thought- I gave up thinking you're alive."

Her trembling tone made him winced inwardly, but his smile was still professionally plastered on his face, unwavering. "Have you been thinking about me?"

"Yes," She spat after a short pause and quickly continued. "They weren't good thoughts, at all."

"Pity."

"Where have you been? Why are you here now? What the hell are you up to again? Are you coming back or what? Is this a warning, a challenge to me?"

He tried not to laugh when she finally stopped to catch her breath. "Which one should I answer first?"

"All of it."

Kaitou Kid smiled. "This will be the last time you see me. I hope this answers everything."

Aoko widened her eyes and only regained her composure after a full three seconds had passed (He had been counting). The look of disbelief disappeared, to be replaced by a brief moment of anger and then confusion. "That doesn't answer anything."

"This identity had earned me a living, and made me enjoy magic even more." Kaitou Kid, or rather, Kaito said. He placed an arm on the railings and watched the starry night. "But I've found something even better."

Her eyes refused to leave him despite him showing interest of the sky. It didn't take her long till she spoke again.

"As crazy as it sounds, I'm glad for you." She softly said, yet her voice was ringing so loudly in Kaito's ear. He slowly glanced back at her, hoping that his poker face hadn't slip and leaked out the astonishment that washed over him.

He didn't think she would believe him at all, but she did, though those words had really been the truest truth he ever said to her as Kaitou Kid and she somehow understood him.

"I'm grateful for your kind words-"

"However," Aoko interrupted. "I hope it isn't something more illegal than what you've been doing all along."

Oh, if only she knew. Kaito wondered what her reaction would have been.

"That, you don't have to worry."

Aoko crossed her arms and stood at the opposite end of the balcony. "I'm no longer the Inspector Nakamori from Division 2's Kaitou Kid squad." He noticed her chest puffed up a little at the mention of her old team. "Therefore, your capture is not of my concern anymore, if you know what I mean."

He smirked, loving every precious moments he could use to tease her. "I don't."

She scowled and sighed, her hands on her hips now. Kaito was almost too distracted by her obvious waistline to hear what she was about to say. "As a form of gratitude too, for giving me a closure."

"I should have done it a long time ago." Kaitou Kid's voice admitted, though this was truly Kuroba Kaito's words.

I didn't know this would be my ultimate choice.

Kaito could see her mouth open, possibly about to question what he meant when he intercepted again. He obviously didn't want to answer her question for that.

"So how's your new life in Division 1?" He quickly, yet casually said.

Her eyes narrowed. "You've been stalking me?"

"Since you said you're no longer in Division 2, I hoped it didn't mean you've been demoted to somewhere else like the traffic department."

She contemplated his words for a moment and softened her gaze. "I'm now in Division 1, yes. And it's... nice."

Nice wasn't what he expected to hear; he probably didn't know what to expect at all. But the word nice just wasn't enough for him, and he wanted more words for her answer. He decided to try his luck and pry even further, even if it wasn't suitable for his current role. In fact, there had been a question he kept inside him for a very, very long time. One that he didn't dare to ask, or feel like it was an answer he didn't have the rights to know.

"If I've decided to return instead. Would you consider going back as the leader of Kaitou Kid's squad?"

Aoko stared at him, her blue eyes wavered under the dim light coming through her bedroom. It was the first time she moved her eyes away from him.

"I... don't think so." She looked back at him again.

He didn't realize he was anticipating the answer so much till his shoulder slacked, feeling a heavy weight lifting off his body instantly. He pulled down his hat a little, hoping to conceal a smile that naturally came to his lips. He didn't know if Aoko notice it, but he wasn't going to take any risk.

"Ouch, I'm hurt." He feigned a painful sound and touched his chest with his other hand. "Feeling attached to your new team already?"

"None of your business."

He would love to continue the conversation, but he was Kaitou Kid now. There was no way he could idle any longer without raising suspicion, not just from Aoko, but possible passer-by or neighbours who happened to look at her balcony for a second. In a swift, he lifted himself off the floor and stood on top of the railing, two fingers on his right brow.

"Well, I wish you all the best. It's been a pleasure knowing you, Nakamori-san."

She watched him, lips pursed with no visible expression that Kaito could recognize. He gave a casual salute and was about to jump when Aoko's words stopped his track.

"Will we... see each other again?"

"Maybe." Maybe we've even met. He caught his tongue, preventing his thoughts from spilling into words. It was unnecessary for her to know.

He took a leap and flew away, forcing every nerve in his body to not look back.

.o.

There was once when Kaito had to memorize a 300 hectare mansion's blueprints and follow up his plans for one important heist that happened a long time ago, which ultimately set a record of not sleeping for two days straight. Today marked a new record for him; He hadn't slept for two days, one hour and 24 minutes.

Being the best man Shinichi claimed he was, Kaito was temporarily transferred over to Hakuba's team for a week to conduct a raid on a crime syndicate, due to the lack of manpower Hakuba had been facing at the time. Everything went smoothly (his participation had helped to increase the chance of success by three percent, as casually mentioned by that ungrateful horse), and Kaito was back to his original position.

He was about to demand a day off when Team Peanut-Butter and Hokkaido-Pudding was tasked to spy on the wife of a missing and important suspect. Surprisingly kind that day, Shinichi gave Kaito two choices before the latter could complain. Either go home and let another member replace him and act as a couple with Aoko, the usual strategy they always did or stay to participate.

Of course I'm going to go ho-

And here he was, sitting on the bench at a park, looking at the swings going up and down, like a perfect pendulum to hypnotize him to sleep. Thirty minutes into the act, the wife was just doing what all mothers in the park were doing; watching their kids playing at the playground and shouting careful words to remind them about safety. Nothing much and definitely no murderer lurking anywhere.

Time passed and the time had reached late afternoon. All Kaito did was to put his arm around Aoko when the wife glanced to their direction once. Other than that, there was no progress...

Kaito flung open his eyes.

Everywhere, was dark.

He blinked a few times and realized his head was lying to a side. He straightened his posture and glanced around, to find Aoko sitting next to him, in the same position he last saw her in during afternoon.

But it was clearly not afternoon now. Without a word, Kaito pressed the home button to his phone, eyes widened at his clock that stated fifteen minutes passed nine.

"What the hell?" He muttered.

Aoko sighed out loud and she stretched before massaging her shoulder that Kaito had laid his head upon just a few seconds ago. "You fell asleep on the job."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to think back about the exact moment he did. The memories were foggy and he couldn't remember anything but the sounds of children laughter and the swings.

The swings.

"Where's the suspect's wife and the child?"

"Gone back home. Team Hokkaido-Pudding followed on her instead. There wasn't a need for us." She shrugged. "Besides, chief just reported the base found records stated that he left the country illegally already. There isn't a point now."

The main point Kaito cared about wasn't that anymore. He gave a sidelong glance at Aoko, his hand running down his sleepy face before clearing his throat. As a trained and skilled thief, he had never once let his guard down, except for the stupid cheap-tactic tranquilizer on the roof with that Holmes's freak. He would rather believe he died from exhaustion than actually sleeping through everything in public. Sure, he did broke the record on the hours he lacked from sleep, but it was a pathetic number of less than two hours. Comparing previously, he managed to finish the same heist and fly home in the small rain, take a proper shower, contact the black market associates for the date of the gem trade before heading to bed...

His pride wouldn't believe he had grown so weak.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I heard about your tough case." Aoko paused. "You looked really tired too and totally zonked out, as if your soul left your body."

He stared at his feet, annoyed.

"A thank you would be nice." She added.

Kaito glanced at her, about to send a retort when his eyes fell upon her blue ones and his throat got stuck. Words began echoing in his head, like a melody instead of haunting nightmares in the past, and for that moment, he felt like time stood still.

Maybe-

Maybe...

Maybe you let your guard-

Because it's her.

Because it's Nakamori Aoko.

What madness was going through his mind? Kaito figured the five hours of rest wasn't even considered a nap for him and he needed more to get his sanity back. He turned away and used a hand to clutch the side of his head, shaking it wildly to make the voice stop. A hand wrapped around his wrist and he froze despite the warmth.

"What the hell-! I'm just asking for a thanks, it's alright if you don't want to give it to me."

His head swung back to her direction, his body rocking back and forth from the dizziness he created for himself. He took careful deep breaths and hardened his gaze, focusing his sight back at Aoko's worried face. The lamp above them proved useful at such a moment.

"Thank you very much." He purred. Oh God, he wished he could pull out his tongue for sounding like that, but he didn't have any energy in him. In fact, his mind remained fuzzy and wasn't active enough to realize what was wrong with him all the while.

"You're high. From the lack of sleep." She concluded out loud.

Kaito ignored her as at the same time, he noticed something red on one side of Aoko's cheeks. He peered closely and subconsciously put a hand on the very same cheek. Everything about Aoko was warm to him. Her body, her aura, her emotions, and the way she made him feel. Surprisingly, she didn't tense from his touch, but a confused look was showing.

"What's this?" Kaito said.

She touched her face, her fingers brushing across his as she scowled. "Well, a mosquito decided to give me a comforting kiss because you're being an asshole."

"Sorry about that." He mumbled. "I hope this is enough to compensate for it."

And he sent his lips right into hers.

A sudden volt of energy spread through Kaito and he flung himself back, their contact broken after the moment that went by like a blur. There was enough power inside him to finally realize what the hell was going on and he knew it was bloody wrong, even if he himself felt like this was the rightest thing he had ever done for the past year after he had been crazily in lo-

"I'm sorry. I'm seriously sorry." He couldn't face her, but he couldn't run away too, if he was a freaking man. He messed his black hair through his fingers, hoping to ease the thunderous beating he felt against his rib cage, to no avail. The silence was deafening, and he couldn't bear to be here any second longer. Why wasn't she running away? He finally mustered enough courage to take a little peek at Aoko, who was staring at him, lips parted like-

Oh shit. He glanced away, feeling his ears burning again. "You can do whatever you want to me. Or tell me what you want. To compensate- I mean- Yeah to compensate you. Just ignore whatever that happened fifty two seconds ago." It was a miracle he manage to say all these words in a single breath.

"I can do... or have anything I want?"

"Realistically, please." He groaned in his hand.

Aoko cleared her throat a few times and she finally got Kaito's attention, like what she wanted. He looked at her through a gap between two fingers.

"I want a date. With you. I want you to bring me out for a date." Her eyes widened afterwards as she quickly continued. "Of course you are asking me out. Not me. Let me rephrase this. You have to ask me out from the beginning. You have to ask me."

Her blush had easily camouflage the mosquito's bite on her cheek and for some reason or another, he couldn't get his eyes away from her. The words that he heard, was it just a dream... or a hallucination of his?

He prayed it was neither.

She confirmed his silly worries. "I hope that's realistic enough."

A sharp breath escaped through his nose and finally, his loud laughter echoed the entire park that he had to cover his mouth just to lessen the impact. Aoko gaped at him and hit his shoulder a couple of times, not to calm him down, but angry because she was demanding to know what was so funny?

Kaito grasped her hand that was aiming for the fifth slap on his back. She was caught off guard, and Kaito realized this was the first time he felt Aoko's hand was cold. It wasn't just him who was nervous about this whole ordeal, apparently.

"Nakamori Aoko." He smiled. "Will you go out with me?"

.o.

"I guess you haven't heard about the bet that is going around the office."

Kaito watched the sun's orange glow across the horizon of the sea, smiling at the thought of what was in stored in the next ten minutes before looking at Aoko who was sitting beside him on the sand.

"The one on the gender of Holmes's freak second baby?"

"No, not that. It's about which couple would get married next."

"No one told me about it."

"Because they knew you wouldn't be interested."

His lips tugged on its side, realizing this was the nth time his girlfriend knew him much better than himself. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer into his chest. "Are we in the choices?"

"Yeah. We don't have much supporters." She added a laugh and it made Kaito's chest bubbled in glee every time he heard her joy. "I'm not sure if it's a pity vote, but Chief choose us. At least we wouldn't look so pathetic."

Kaito frowned and felt the bulge in his pocket. Would it be considered cheating if the voter somehow knew some insider's information? That would be so unfair. He didn't tell anyone of his plan, but Shinichi happened to spot him once when he was walking out of a jewelry shop located in town...

"Saguru-"

"Hakuba."

Aoko sighed. "Hakuba-kun still refused to believe we're together. He voted for someone else."

"Too bad for him."

They stayed in comfortable silence against each other arms, watching the sun disappeared into the bleak of the ocean and the sky turned from a beautiful hue of orange to dark blue, the similarity of colours almost made it impossible to differentiate between the sky and the sea.

It was the moment when Aoko stiffened in her posture, her eyes directed at a part of the sand in front of them. He tried not to smile. It was always hard for something to miss Aoko's eyes, and this time was no different.

"There's something glowing there." Aoko pointed before looking at Kaito.

"Ah, you're right."

She stood up and swatted her butt to get rid of any sand before approaching the item tentatively to pick it up. He followed suit, watching Aoko's every move while keeping a little distance behind her.

It was a long bottle, glowing in light blue, the exact blue that Aoko once told him about. It was the colour of the clear sea she swore she would always remember, even if it had been a decade since her father brought her to that beautiful beach that no longer existed. The bottle, of course, wasn't cast by any kind of magic spells to make it glow in the dark, like how it was now. Kaito painted it with his leftover chemicals that he always used for fancy tricks during his heists, but that wasn't important.

"There's something inside. Like a paper." Aoko shook the bottle and turned, raising an eyebrow at Kaito. He shrugged.

"Let's see what it says."

Aoko nodded, almost a little enthusiastic as she popped out the cork, the rolled paper landed softly on the palm of her hands.

She opened it to read.

Kaito came down on one knee and pulled out the box from his pocket, flipping open the cover to show the diamond ring as Aoko whirled around, cupping her mouth with the very piece of paper and not able to say anything. But from the delightful tears that began to water her eyes, he thought it would be safe to say that Shinichi had won the bet.

end

Even though I love Kaito, it's honestly much harder (and awfully nerve-wrecking) for me to write in his POV compared to Aoko's. There's so much things I know about Kaito, and at the same time, there's so little things that are known about him too. Hopefully this is realistic and in-character enough.
Thankful to those who read till the end and I would love to hear from you if you liked it, or not! Reviews are appreciated :)
Btw, there's a poll up on my profile page. If you're free, please drop by to do it hehe