Moonlight Reflections

~Authors Note~

Hello everybody and welcome to "Moonlight Reflections" Originally this was supposed to be a short one shot written for my lovely Beta DisconsolateMist birthday, but my muse decided to laugh at me and say hey...you know what would be REALLY fun? If you expanded this to a full nearly 10k word story… Thus this MONSTER was born. Now with multiple chapters for more fun!

At any rate...huge thank you goes out to my beta reader for her help in editing this thing and giving it cover-art (Even though it was supposed to be a gift for her. Well I gave her the unedited version for her actual birthday so that counts for something right?) as well as dear Hebiaczek who has helped me get through the drafting process of this story. (Also helped me write Akakos prophecy) You're both wonderful and I seriously couldn't do this without you! Thank you so much!

All that said: Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own Magic Kaito or Detective Conan. If I did there would certainly be more interaction and allying between Kaito/Conan. Please support the original creators work!

Version 1.2 of chapter 1. Because of this being a 9,000+ word story my beta and I missed several key grammatical errors which have since been pointed out by the wonderful guest reviewer Rockster.

Version 1.3 Due to the length of chapter 3, chapter 1 has now been separated into two separate chapters to remain more consistent.

ENJOY!

_~^.v.^~_

It was a pretty average day at Ekoda High. There had been rumors flying around about the newest art gallery that had just been built in Tokyo, that was supposed to be the site of many different exhibits from around the world. It was the topic of the day, further accented by the fact that there had recently been a notice sent out by KID. It stated that he was targeting the centerpiece of the exhibit "Perseus Shield", said to be an old relic from the country of Greece.

Kaito chuckled as he browsed over the news article regarding his latest target. There was a large, full color picture of the shield slapped at the top, above the usual heist note. Despite its supposed age, it was in relatively good condition. It was made of a highly reflective material that earned it the nickname of "Mirror Shield." The description below the picture went into detail about the myth connected to it. According to the story, the hero, Perseus, had supposedly received the shield from the gods as a gift to help defeat the monster gorgon, Medusa. Its reflective quality allowed him to approach the monster without having to look her directly in the eye.

At the top of the shield lay the true target of the heist: the "goddess eye" gemstone. A large, lapis lazuli gem, as old, if not older, than the shield itself. While the shield and its legend held a mystical quality about it, the gemstone had been the thing to truly catch Kaito's eye. Supposedly "blessed by the goddess Athena", it was said to have mythical abilities that varied from story to story. It was a near perfect candidate for Pandora, and Kaito wasn't about to let this opportunity slide by.

He was so focused on the article, he didn't even hear Akako slink up behind him. "So, the great thief in white is at it again," she stated simply, her voice sending negative chills up Kaito's spine, not helped by the fact she was practically breathing down his neck. He hated when she did that.

Kaito refused to meet her gaze. They had been through this routine a thousand times before, and it seemed she still hadn't gotten the message. "Looks like it," he stated somewhat excitingly, smiling lightly to himself while trying to shrug her off. Where was Aoko when he needed her? Probably off complaining to someone or other about this latest KID development. At least she knew how to distract the aggravating witch. Well her and Hakuba, who was also conspicuously absent having returned to England for a time on some important business or other.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Akako lower her eyebrows at him, as she dropped into a low whisper. "I wouldn't do this, if I were you." Her voice carried a strange, almost concerned, air to it. Kaito was alerted to the fact that she was speaking seriously. A piece of him told him he should listen to what she had to say, while his mind continued to rebel, stubbornly refusing to fall to some witch's freaky psychic ability.

Thus, as usual, he played the part of the fool. "I don't know what you're talking about." He continued to refuse to meet her gaze, despite feeling a force practically pushing him to do so. Akako's charm magic had never had any effect on him, but that didn't mean he hadn't felt the force of her other strange powers pushing against him. It was like a magnetic force fighting against her very presence.

Akako gritted her teeth in obvious annoyance. "Must we really do this again?" she asked, and Kaito was surprised at the almost pleading tone in her voice. That was enough to get him to turn around and face her if for only a moment, meeting her dark gaze with his own.

Kaito lowered his indigo gaze at her. "Akako. As I've told you, and the annoying Brit a thousand times over… I. Am. Not. KID. Got it?" For a few minutes, their eyes locked, neither one giving the other ground.

Finally Akako shook her head, giving in. "You're absolutely impossible. Fine. Your stubbornness to admit the truth will be your ultimate undoing. I refuse to help someone who won't even acknowledge the fact that they are clearly blind." Akako turned as if to leave, though she lingered momentarily.

A dark aura suddenly surrounded her as she spoke in a low, cold voice. Was it just him, or had the temperature in the room just dropped? "Eyes sewn shut by an invisible thread hide what cannot be seen, until shadows grow thick, slithering under the moonlight. Only under the holy light of wisdom shall truth be revealed to its namesake, the demon of light." With that, Akako walked away, not even glancing back at the now dumbstruck Kaito.

Kaito was left with an uneasy feeling in the back of his chest for the rest of the day. While he hated to admit it, Akako had genuinely helped him out in the past. He still didn't understand why she bothered, what with her wanting him dead and all, but nevertheless the fact remained. Her predictions were generally accurate, and he had definitely been through some rough patches in the past that she had been more than willing to warn him of beforehand. Regardless, now wasn't the time to bow out. He had made up his mind, and he was going to do this.

_ ~^.v.^~ _

A few days later, Kaito had nearly forgotten the uneasy feeling, as he sat in his father's hidden room setting up some of the final preparations before the heist the next day. He paused as he heard the dial tone ring on his laptop, telling him his mother was calling via video messenger. Kaito sighed a bit to himself, putting aside the blueprints for a bit to go answer the call. Luckily, he had brought his laptop inside the room with him.

"Yo. Okasan. I'm kind of busy tonight, so could we keep this call short? I really have to get back to work." He stared tiredly at the screen. He could see in the back ground that his mother was somewhere in America again. It had been a while since they had last chatted, having had only spoken to each other shortly after the Mother's day heist he had pulled. That had been an interesting incident, indeed.*

Kaito watched as his mother frowned at him on the other side of the screen, crossing her arms. "Really, Kaito, is that any way to talk to your mother, whom you haven't spoken to in weeks?" She continued to stare at him disapprovingly.

Kaito inwardly rolled his eyes at her, though his face remained expressionless. He had long since learned to take her reactions at face value. They both knew very well how much the other missed them. "Sorry." He apologized halfheartedly. "Like I said, you know I'm really busy." There were unspoken words there that he knew his mother would understand. He shifted a bit, uncomfortably, anxious to get back to his plans.

His mother remained silent on the other end of the line before sighing. "Actually, Kaito…that's kind of the reason I called. I need to talk to you about something. It's rather urgent." Kaito watched his mother's facial expression, wary of her sudden change in attitude. Though it remained straight-laced, there was something about the tone in which his mother spoke that made him flinch. There was a serious edge to her voice. It was something he rarely, if ever, heard from her. It actually held that same air of muted concern he had heard from Akako the other day.

"Kaito...? Kaito are you listening to me?" he was broken from his thoughts as he realized he had involuntarily begun to stare off into space, his mind on other things.

He nodded lightly. "I'm sorry mom. I'm just really distracted tonight. Go on. I'm listening." He smiled a light grin at her, though he was still inwardly distracted. He tried his best to tune into what his mother was saying, but his head began to involuntarily droop half way through her conversation.

"...it's really risky. You should cancel the heist." Kaito's head shot up. What was this all of the sudden?

"What?!" He exclaimed pushing his chair backwards, and nearly falling out of it, before quickly steadying himself and recovering. He stared at his mother incredulously. "What do you mean, 'cancel the heist'? Mom, the heist is tomorrow! Everyone already knows I'm coming, and are expecting me to be there! I can't bow out now…" he stared at his mother's blank facial expression, momentarily losing his composure. She couldn't be serious right now! Of all the ridiculous things to say… She of all people should know why he couldn't just let this one go. Not when this was the closest he had come to a lead on Pandora in a long while.

"I know. Still, this is extremely dangerous Kaito… you don't know the forces you are dealing with here." his mother's voice was low, and continued to hold a dark edge to it. Kaito could tell there was something hidden in her words, and he didn't exactly like the sound of it. That same sinking feeling he got with Akako's message came back to haunt him, but he quickly pushed it away.

Kaito gritted his teeth before letting out a breath and replying. "Mom, you know I love you, and I respect your opinions, but I have to do this. I showed you before I can take care of myself. Can't you just trust me on this one? Please?" He could see the reflection of his father's room around him. It carried with it a heavy presence that steadily boosted his determination. He could do this. He had to do this.

His mother sighed and shook her head. No matter how she hid it, he could see that her own resolve was breaking. "You know I do Kaito. Just...promise me you'll be careful. Okay?" She smiled her normal bright smile at him, clearly hiding whatever she was truly feeling inside.

Kaito nodded at her, his own face radiating confidence, despite a suddenly mixed feeling inside his chest. "I promise. I won't let them get away with taking what doesn't belong to them tomorrow night. After all…" Kaito stood up, and there was a poof of smoke before Kaitou KID was before the screen in all his white glory. He grinned at his mother, giving her a small bow and a wink. "It's my job." he said in the deeper voice he reserved for when he was dressed this way.

His mother nodded back at him, and replied quietly. "Good luck Kaito. Stay safe, and take care of yourself. Until we meet again." With that, the call ended and Kaito returned to the final preparations for the next nights heist.

_~^.v.^~_

Kaito chuckled to himself. The whole heist had gone on without a hitch. He couldn't believe the still priceless looks on the Task Force face's when he disappeared alongside his target. Although, he still held an uneasy feeling in his chest that told him that things weren't quite over yet. Not to mention he had felt the presence of eyes on him all night...someone was watching him, and he didn't particularly care for their gaze.

Kaito glanced around the top of the roof, quickly finding it to be silent and free of any unwanted attention. Good. That would give him time to check if this was what he was looking for. He silently lifted the shield, watching it reflect the moonlight. He held his breath, half taking in the beauty of the sight, half in hopes that he had finally found what he was looking for. The "goddess eye" glowed a bright bluish white as it caught the rays of the moon, but his hopes fell as he noticed no additional glow. Another dud then…

Kaito sighed, slowly lowering the shield. He had really hoped he had been onto something with this one. Here he had been at this for over a year now, and there were still no signs of what he was looking for. It was truly disheartening. It seemed like he would be stuck as KID forever at this rate. He held tight to his poker face, even though there was no one around to see him.

Once again he lifted the shield up towards the moon, staring deep into his own reflection. Suddenly he noticed something in the shadows. He shifted slightly, unsure if they were friend or foe. Well most likely foe, but he felt no malice in their gaze so probably not one of Snake's men at least. He lowered his eye's, keeping his grin intact. "You can come out now. I know you're there," he stated simply. He was ready to bolt should the situation warrant it, but right now he was more curious who had managed to find him up here.

Refusing to turn around and face the figure, but holding his second hand on his card gun he glanced into the shield as the figure in the shadows stopped as if to assess him. Something had clearly caught their gaze, although what it was he couldn't be certain. His own eyes widened, however, as the figure stepped forward. He had to blink a couple of times as he saw what he thought was a reflection of himself, staring back at him with hard, concentrated eyes.

"I wasn't really trying to hide. Though, honestly, I was curious...I've seen you do that before and I've always wondered why," a voice far too high pitched, and also strangely familiar spoke out.

Kaito whirred around, trying his best not to show his surprise, and confusion at the new arrival. Standing before him was the bespectacled miniature detective staring at him with the same eyes he had just seen in the reflection, but decidedly not the same face exactly. He had to admit Tantei-kun did resemble an odd younger version of himself, albeit with a somewhat broken reflection.

That left him to wonder what he had just seen though...had that been some sort of strange illusion of the light? He shook his head, as an afterimage pasted itself over the small detective's body, looking to all the world like an eighteen-year-old version of the kid without the glasses. It was somewhat disconcerting, and he found himself nearly stumbling backwards before quickly composing himself.

Conan moved forward, with a bit of a muted concern in his expression. "Oi, KID, you alright?" he asked quietly as he continued to move forward, and Kaito found himself backing up instinctively.

He put on his usual grin, trying to hide the strange feeling he had at the moment. Something inside him was surging, and was it just him, or did the world seem just a bit...brighter at the moment? He quickly shook the feeling off. Now was not the time for such things. Concentrate. He needed to concentrate.

"Aww...you do care, Tantei-kun! I'm flattered." Kaito stood up straight, whatever he had just been feeling slowly fading as he concentrated on Conan's face. He still felt a bit dizzy, but his senses were slowly returning. "I see you managed to decipher my note, as usual." He grinned, backing away, shield still in hand. There was an uneasy feeling still in the air, and he didn't particularly feel the need to hand it over just yet...

Conan rolled his eyes. "A grade schooler could of figured out that note, KID. It wasn't exactly that difficult." Conan crossed his arms, looking completely unimpressed.

There was something about that last statement that irked Kaito a bit, though he didn't let it show, save a small eye twitch. Tantei-kun wasn't playing around with words tonight. Something told Kaito he had had a bit of a rough week. Still, he wasn't going to let him off that easy. "Oh? Then I guess it was perfect for one such as yourself, eh, Tantei-kun?" Kaito watched as he received a visual reaction for that last statement, before quickly dodging as a fast moving object sped his way. He had expected a reaction, but not one quite like that.

"I'm not in the mood to play games tonight, KID. Just hand over the shield." There was a sharp tone to Conan's voice that Kaito didn't particularly like. It was clear he'd hit some sort of nerve...though, why the detective was acting so violent about it, he couldn't be certain. He had only meant it as a joke. He knew the detective was much more intelligent than your average grade schooler.

Again, the image flashed in his mind that he had seen in the shield. Perhaps that was why? He had always thought Tantei-kun a worthy adversary on par with the likes of Hakuba, if not even a bit more intelligent than that. He had seen the way the grade schooler acted around cases too, he certainly wasn't your average kid. He really was something more akin to an adult detective, or teenage, at least. Still, mature or not, he couldn't just comply to his request. Not yet, at least.

"I can't do that, Tantei-kun. At least not yet." He still felt a sense of disquiet. Something wasn't right here and he didn't like it at all.

Suddenly he turned, quickly whirring around in the dark. He had just heard something akin to a gun being cocked. His senses were on full alert, and strangely acute at the moment. He leaped out of the way just as a bullet whizzed by, jumping down towards Conan, and knocking him to the ground much to the detective's shock.

"Your reflexes are pretty strong, KID. Unfortunately, they won't save you tonight," a low, dark voice rang out. Kaito gritted his teeth, as he continued to cover Conan with the shield, standing in front of him defensively.

"Snake." Kaito snarled, his own voice practically dropping to a growl. So, he had decided to finally show up. It was hard to say where he came from exactly, or how long he had been watching, but none of that mattered right now. "I was expecting you earlier. Running a bit late tonight, are we?"

Snake huffed at that statement, clearly not amused. "I was planning on taking you out quietly...looks like plans have changed. Hand over the shield, KID, or else watch the kid die in front of you."

Kaito flinched, knowing full well that regardless of if he handed it over or not, Snake would no doubt kill them both shortly afterwards. His hand held the trigger on his own gun, at this point trying to assess his surroundings and make a plan to get out of this situation alive. He hadn't factored Conan into his plans tonight.

He took a quick glance back at Conan, who seemed to be in a temporary state of shock. That little kid was definitely a trouble magnet. Things had been going so well just a while ago, and now this. Looked like this night was about to go downhill fast.

"Leave him out of this, Snake. I'm the one you want," he said, continuing to block Conan, who remained silent, probably lost in thought as he assessed the situation. 'Come on kid...get out of here while you still can. Maybe get help while you're at it.' he thought to himself, whilst gritting his teeth. This could get ugly real fast.

"You know that I can't let either of you go. It's the boss's orders. Anyone who stands in our way is to be eliminated." Kaito couldn't be certain, but he thought he saw Conan flinch at the words "the boss" out of the corner of his eye. Which caused Kaito to be distracted momentarily enough for Snake to get another shot in. Much the same as on the train, the card gun exploded into several pieces. As a result, he dropped the shield from his other hand, reaching over to hold on to the now numb hand out of instinct.

Kaito wasn't exactly sure what happened next, as the world seemed to implode all at once. He watched in absolute shock as Conan slid out from behind him and picked up the fallen shield, using it as a cover. The kid managed to quickly make use of the situation, acting on what could only be described as pure detective instinct. He moved to get behind Snake, surprising him, and pulling out his watch, he darted the man.

It took a short bit to take effect, but just like that, Snake fell to the ground in a heap. Kaito stared at him with wide eyes, before turning to look at the detective. He gazed at the eyes of the boy standing before him, staring down at Snake's sleeping form, and nearly gasped. There was something truly terrifying in those dark orbs. Like someone who had seen far too much… a look so akin to his own, of someone who had stared death in the face on more than one occasion.

They both stood there in silence for a few moments before Conan turned his eyes back to Kaito. He noticed that the detective's gaze had changed to something softer, but still held a certain seriousness to it. He flinched, quickly backing up even further towards the edge of the roof.

"KID." Conan's voice came out slightly cold, and also sounding even more mature than usual. "You mind explaining to me what that was all about?" He motioned at Snake's unconscious body and the gun lying to the side.

Kaito flinched, again unsure how to answer that question. Poker face be damned, his expression wavered. He knew the little detective was quite obviously not going to let him escape without an explanation. Still...this wasn't the place to talk. No doubt the Task Force would be on their way any minute. Which was a blessing in disguise, really. He may not of found Pandora, but due to the efforts of his little Tantei-kun, it seemed Snake was down for the count this time. He owed him for that much.

"I'm sorry, detective..." Kaito mumbled under his voice. "You'll have to hold on."

"Hold on…" Conan's eyes widened as Kaito smirked, and scooping both the boy and the shield up, he leaped off the roof as he opened up his glider taking to the sky.

This would give him a bit of time to think about how the heck he was going to explain what the little detective had just managed to do. Though, if he were to be honest, he had a few questions of his own. There had been something bothering him since the Bell Tree incident a few months back. And now that something was coming back to the forefront of his mind. Perhaps a mutual exchange was in order.

He could feel Conan struggle beneath him, but he mostly ignored it. He landed some distance away. In truth, he was beginning to feel that same light headedness he had felt earlier.

It seemed fate was not quite done with Kuroba Kaito tonight, as something inside him began to change the moment he hit the roof top. He fell down to his knees, breathing heavily. The weight of the shield he was holding growing heavier by the moment.

He managed to free both the detective and shield, but even still, it felt as if he was being weighed down by something. It was hard to describe the odd sensation that came next. Almost as if his whole body were left floating adrift in water. Every nerve in his body was left feeling cold and numb.

It would be somewhat terrifying if he could actually focus on what he was feeling right now. He could just barely hear someone calling him in the background, but his entire mind was filled with nothing but white noise. As is, his mind fell completely blank momentarily, and then he blacked out.

_~^.v.^~_

~Post Note~

As Alice would say: "Curiouser and Curiouser"

Funny thing? I'm still not done. My beta reader has agreed that this story deserves even more love so this will only be the first part...of however long this crazy thing decides to be. Updates will certainly be infrequent as I have about a dozen or so other projects I need to focus on plus real life. Follow this story if you dare….just don't expect updates right away. I need to give myself a breather.

Well what did you all think? Yeah that ending is a bit of a cliffhanger right? Well as I said I do intend to probably expand on this story at some point in time. For now I'll just leave it up to the imagination what the heck just happened there. I hope you all enjoyed.

Oh the * Is an indirect reference to Hebiaczeks lovely mother's day story though it could be interpreted as any heist really.

Anyway this author really loves comments so if you liked/have something constructive to say about this story please let me know in a review! Until next time!