In Remembrance

Disclaimer: The works of Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.

Warning: Dark, solemn.

A/N: I apologise in advance if anyone suddenly becomes depressed because of this. The theme was "Black" but it came out to be dark somehow.

Darkened skies, humid air, the general sense of heaviness hung in the surroundings as the sound of crunching footsteps echoed in the silence. It was mid-morning, but the lack of sun and the overhanging clouds made the start of day looked to be the end. His mother gave him an encouraging smile as they made their journey towards the end of the row of stones, arriving at the one that looked to be a little bit newer than the rest. A decade had passed but the black obsidian still shone much like it was first erected on the spot.

Carefully, Kaito set down the small wooden bucket as his mother rummaged her purse for a white cloth. They dusted the large epitaph in silence, each immersed in their own thoughts and memories. Even the air seems to have felt their solemness and remained still for the moment, giving them the sense that they were in their own little world.

Once they deemed the stone to be cleaned of all the dirt and soil accumulated over the years, Kaito set about arranging the flowers into the stone vase set into the foundation. Instead of the conventional lilies many would offer, Kaito knew his father would much prefer the homegrown roses of various shades.

"You've done quite a good job at keeping the roses." His mother whispered as she placed a white cake box and several bars of chocolate at the center in front of the name.

Kaito finally dared to look at the engraved words. He had only been here twice, counting this time. The first when it was erected, when the ceremony had taken place. But his memories of that time were hazy, he only remembered the sea of black suits and umbrellas, the tearless sadness and the cold embrace of his mother. He knew there were many people present, his father's troupe members, close family friends, and even his students were all there. But for the life of him, Kaito could not remember any specific faces or names, let alone whether he cried on the day.

The engraved words were harsh against the obsidian stone, though it proudly displayed the Kuroba family name. His father's given name was engraved at the bottom corner, where Kaito knew his and his mother's would also join in when their time has come.

"I don't think 'tou-san would want his place of remembrance to be so colorless." He brushed aside some invisible dirt on the bright red rose. "And these were planted by him, he would want to see them."

"Your father did always have a preference towards red roses." She showed a strain smile on her face. Although her eyes were dry, her voice held the a sense of wetness. "He loved to shower me with them whenever they were in full bloom." She let out a heavy breath as she gazed up at the dark skies, strained smile turned softer and more nostalgic.

Kaito pulled out an old photo from within his wallet, it showed the happy family with a young Kaito holding onto his first ever rose from his first ever perfected magic trick. The rose in the picture was long gone, though one slightly crumpled petal did remain and had been pressed and laminated with the photo. He placed the photo in front of the epitaph, leaning it onto the stone. His father's smiling face was directed straight at the visiting pair instead of the camera. His mother smiled in appreciation. The photo gave them something other than the plain words to focus on.

Neither of the pair brought any incense with them, flame and smoke reminded them of bad memories. He knew his father would never blame them for the lack of offerings. They brought quite a nice selection of cake and chocolate after all.

Silently, Kaito joined his mother kneeling on the ground, head bowed as he gave a prayer. With his eyes closed, he heard his mother spoke up softly beside him, voice directed at the stone face.

"He's followed in your footsteps Toichi." His mother was addressing his father, reporting about his nighttime exploits. "His first show was a few weeks ago."

Kaito could swear he heard his father's boisterous chuckle, asking how it went.

"Kaito thankfully escaped unscathed. I think he has you to thank for that. What with him jumping into things without knowing the full story beforehand." She sounded proud at his feat yet at the same time was chastising him. Only his mother could do both without making it sound as though she disapproved of his choices.

A soft caress of the wind ruffled his hair, bringing with it the smell of rose emitted from the flowers in front of them. Kaito looked up from his position, sunlight was finally beginning to filter through the cracks in the cloud. One particular beam hit the obsidian stone at just the right angle that caused it to glow. Pollen and air particles danced underneath the beam, shimmering in the light. If he were the superstitious type, he would have sworn it was a sign from his father. As it is, even with his exposure to the Scarlet Witch, he was still a bit sceptical.

"There's still a lot more for him to learn of course." She looked in the same direction as Kaito for a few seconds before turning to fully face him. If Kaito did not know any better, he thought his mother would cry. But instead of tears down her face, she put on a brave smile. "Well Kaito? Shouldn't you say something to your father as well?"

"Sorry for not coming earlier 'tou-san. I know I should have told you the very next day after the show but you know how busy we can be once we pick up the suit." He was not sure what he could say in the public. He was more used to talking to the large portrait than the black stone. The portrait had always made him feel his father was closer than the cold words could. "I'll try to visit more often now."

He had never visited before, not because he did not know the location, but he could not stand being here. The overwhelming sense of foreboding drapes around him like a heavy cloak for he knew his father's death was nothing natural nor accidental. He hated feeling there was nothing he could do and coming here made him feel more useless than before, so he avoided coming here altogether. Even if it meant he looked like a disobedient son.

The warm air blew again in their direction, this time bringing in the scent of trees and grass. The rustling of leaves stirred something in his birds that were hidden on his person. He decided to let them out with a puff of smoke.

"I'm actually better at this now than the last time you saw me 'tou-san." Kaito let out a short whistle and one of his older enter alighted on the offered finger. "You remember my 'tou-san don't you beautiful one? Why don't you say hello to him."

The bird on his finger cooed, nuzzling slightly at the offered appendage before gliding down towards the stone foundation. Beady eyes gazed between Kaito and engraved words. Its sight finally settled at the stone face before letting out a soft melodic chirp.

This particular bird was still a young chick when his father passed away. Kaito remembered the hours the pair of them sitting at the dining table with the cardboard box and light set up, watching as the first crack appeared on the tiny egg. Beady eyes, smaller than the ones now, had also looked curiously between the son and father before letting out a weak chirp. Now though, this bird was old, but still as energetic as ever. Rarely did Kaito perform with the dove now, preferring its silent company than its skills. She was the first of many doves that Kaito raised, which already made her special, but she was one of the few that used to perform with his father on stage. It made her that much more meaningful.

"She and the others were a great help." The dove huffed its feathers proudly, several others decided to join in and flew towards the foundation.

"You certainly have them well trained." His mother commented on the side, eyes weary about the birds for a moment. She had seen how the father and son directed doves to prank each other. Their house, at one point during their training session, was more like a war zone. With smoke pellets dropped when the least expected, coloured water balloons continuously hanging above someone's head, it was hazardous inside the house during that time. A week into the so-called training, she had to put her foot down and forcefully wrangled the two wayward Kuroba males into the confinement of the dining room, sitting them down and began a harsh scolding. After that, their house returned to relative normality with the occasional re-colouring and less explosion and smoke. She smiled at the memory, those were the more carefree happy times and she treasured each and every one of them.

A gust of wind picked up, rustling the flowers in the vase. The photo that had been resting silently swayed and began to float off the floor. Both mother and son reached out to grab hold of the precious memory, but the laminated picture flew out of their hands by a fraction. The doves immediately lept into action, darting for the photo. Whilst several managed to fly ahead and cause enough turbulence for the photo to stutter in its path, it was his oldest dove that plucked it out of the air and flew back to where the mother and son stared longingly at the sky. She cautiously held the evidence of their shared memory between her beaks and deposited the photo with great care into Kaito's waiting hands.

Kaito brought the photo close to his chest, breathing out a sigh of relief. He thought he would lose it forever. Finally, after careful examination that nothing was amiss with the photo, Kaito tucked it back to where it belonged.

The weather was becoming more unforgiving even with the sun peeking out of the clouds shyly. He looked up just in time to spot the grey clouds inching closer from the farthest sky.

"We probably should be going soon." His mother had also picked up on the changing weather. She brushed the dirt off her clothes as she stood up, picking the water bucket before leaving the area. Kaito remained for a few more seconds, staring at the letters.

"I'll come back again 'tou-san. I can't say for 'kaa-san since she seems to have taken up travelling." He stood up, reaching out to brush his fingers against the indent created by the words. "I think it's because our house reminded her too much of the lost times. I guess I was lucky to have been young then. They do say children recover faster…" He let out a bitter smile.

Seemingly having sense his distress, a dove landed on his shoulder and began nuzzling at his cheeks to comfort him. Kaito reached to smooth the belly feathers as thanks.

"I'm going to find it 'tou-san." He said with conviction. The 'it' was referring to many things; his father's killers, the legendary stone, even the route to become the best magician in the world. "I'm going to find it and I'll make you proud." He made the promise in front of the obsidian stone. The beam of sunlight finally moved as the clouds drifted away. It shone directly into Kaito's eyes, blinding him for a split second. He closed his eyes, to rid himself of the sting, instead he suddenly felt warm as though encased in a hug.

"Kaito." His mother's voice drifted from her place by the steps, far enough away to not have heard Kaito's last few words with his father. Kaito opened his eyes once more, seeing his eldest dove sitting at the very top of the stone and staring directly at Kaito. His breath was taken away for a minute for he thought it was his father's eyes he recognised from the dove.

"Well then, 'tou-san." Kaito whistled for his doves to rejoin him, the last being the one sitting on the stone. "Until your next illusion."

Kaito arrived at his mother's side just in time to pull out the umbrella, covering his mother and himself. The skies finally gave into the need to cry, raining on top of them in place of their own tears. One drop managed to land on Kaito's cheeks and he quickly brushed them away.

-END-