I am so sorry for the lack of content. I have been super busy lately. I will update Masks as soon as I can, but I am really unmotivated, and I need some inspiration. I am starting this one as a sequel to A Friend in Need but can be a stand alone. This is a short prologue and I will try to update regularly.

A chilly evening in November found the almost full moon peeking over the horizon, when most people were home from work and enjoying time with their families. Some had their televisions turned on, watching cartoons, or the nightly news. The infamous international thief Kaitou 1412 was one of those people.

Kaito smirked as he watched his next heist target being wheeled into the museum in Beika, sipping the hot chocolate in his hand and listening to Jii-chan cleaning the dishes from dinner together. It was a gem called Anesidora's Heart, a beautiful deep blue sapphire that had a dark purple undertone. Kaito was excited, as this was going to be the first heist he had had in a while, and it would be in the famous Kid Killer's domain.

True to his word, Conan had been coming to as many Kid heists as he could, always with an eye open for the snipers that plagued Kid. They hadn't been back since, staying low after their failed attempt to murder the Phantom Thief. That had happened six months ago, and they had vanished altogether, which was wonderful for Kaito, but it made him uneasy because it was unnerving when he couldn't find any information on them as well.

Kid could tell a difference in all of his heist members as well, not just Conan. The entire task force, Nakamori Keibu included, seemed more tense, always paranoid that something like that night would happen again. Nakamori had even cornered Kid one heist, demanding answers. Kid had laughed, assured it was a one time thing, and fled into the night. Kaito tried his best to remain the same, because after all nothing had really changed for him, trying to prank and cause playful chaos as normal to distract from the possible danger. It helped a little, but not enough as he wanted.

He sighed, taking another sip. It was good he took a few weeks off, trying to diffuse the situation. Hopefully he could just focus on the performance tomorrow instead of any nefarious criminals that might attend.

"Anesidora's heart is a beautiful gem that was found in some ruins a few days ago. Thanks to Jirokichi Suzuki, Beika Museum will be the first place on its tour around the world. Excuse me can we get a sneak peek of the gem?"

The reporter smiled as she walked alongside the crate which held the sapphire. Jii-chan called from his place in the kitchen.

"Do you require anything for this heist Botchama?"

Kaito sunk down in his seat, stretching, as the men took off the lid of the crate to give the camera a nice view of the jewel. That's right. If Jirokichi was challenging him, and Conan was going to be there, he had to perform a feat never before seen. He hadn't really thought about it yet. He hadn't planned for the heist for another few days, so he had some time to brainstorm.

Suddenly, something caught Kaito's eye and he froze, narrowing his eyes. What was that? The camera had focused on a closeup of the jewel, giving a nice shot of it. Kaito took another sip of his hot chocolate, stepping closer to the TV.

There it was again, a weird glare on the jewel. What was that, a trick of the light? Kaito was almost pressing his nose against the screen, ignoring the reporter as he watched the jewel intently. Suddenly, Kaito understood as a milky white glow fell softly across the screen.

The jewel flashed a muted red.

Crash! The cup fell out of his hand, shattering on the tile floor as Kaito's mouth dropped open. He stared at the TV in shock.

"Botchama!"

Kaito blinked down at Jii, who was picking up the shattered pieces of his mug.

"I found it."

Jii froze, looking up at the young phantom thief's stunned proclamation.

"What?"

Kaito finally pulled his eyes away from the television and rocked back on his heels.

"Jii-chan, it flashed red. In the moonlight. It has to be it."

Jii glanced at the TV, where the reporter was interviewing Jirokichi Suzuki.

"Are you sure?"

Kaito shook himself. It couldn't have been a mistake could it? There was no way he had just found Pandora on complete accident. Only one way to find out; steal it and check it himself.

"Jii-chan, I need that gem."

He leapt to his feet. This was national news; the probability that Snake or any of his cronies had seen this was high. He had no time to waste if he wanted to get it first.

Kaito felt better than he had in a long time. Finally, at long last, his goal could be in his grasp. His blood thrummed through his veins, hot and fiery. He wanted to sprint to that museum and steal the gem in a heartbeat. He turned to dash to the lair. He wasn't planning for a miracle now, nothing to boggle minds; only efficient thievery.

"Botchama wait a moment. Look!"

Kaito turned, celebration ending in an instant at Jii-chan's tone. Jirokichi Suzuki was grinning, laughing at the camera.

"Kaitou Kid, this is your challenge. Tomorrow night, come and try to pick up Anesidora's Heart, if you can. After all, your arch nemesis is going to be here, holding the jewel himself."

Arch Nemesis? Who was that? The reporter pulled the microphone closer to her, looking excited.

"Arch nemesis? Do you mean the Kid Killer?"

Jirokichi smirked confidently.

"Of course. That boy has already said he will hold onto the jewel, and won't let go. I doubt even Kid could take the jewel off that boy without his consent."

With every word Kaito's heart sank further and further into his chest until it was in his toes. This couldn't get any worse. Not only was it him versus the syndicate, Conan was a target because he had the jewel. He had to warn him, or do something to protect him. The reporter pulled the microphone toward her.

"Will Kaitou KID accept this challenge, or will he back out when facing the KID Killer? We will have to find out tomorrow night."

Kaito trembled as the television switched off. His breathing started to speed up. There was so much to do. Horrible flashbacks to his father's death and the time with Aoko in the tower played on horrible repeat. He couldn't let that happen.

"Botchama."

He glanced over at Jii, shaken out of his dark thoughts. The kindly old man smiled.

"Take a deep breath."

Kaito followed his direction, taking a calming breath.

"Jii-chan, they are going to kill him."

He didn't even try to hide the panic in his voice. Conan was too important to have him out there, unaware that he was a sitting duck ready for Snake or Spider to go in an assassinate him.

"Don't forget your poker face. The other side needs time to prepare too. We will get it tomorrow. But first, we need to prepare ourselves."

Kaito took another deep breath. Right, he wasn't alone, and they wouldn't attack tonight. They would probably want to get it and rid of him at the same time, so they would wait until his heist time, which means he could dictate what time and place to meet them. They expect him to follow his rules, but this would be the one time he didn't.

"You are right Jii-chan."

The old man nodded wisely, standing from his place on the tile.

"Let me clean this up, and then we can brainstorm what we need. We need to be very careful about this Botchama."

Kaito nodded as the elderly man tottered off to the kitchen.

Kaito started pacing, listening absentmindedly to Jii throwing the piece of glass away and getting the broom to sweep it up. Instantly his hands found his safety net and started flicking cards, shuffling them at random.

There was one major factor he needed to decide before he planned anything else: Conan's involvement. It could go two ways, either he did it by himself, or he invited the pint-sized sleuth to help him.

Instinctively he wanted to shove the boy away as far as he could and do it himself. The Nakamoris already caused him enough stress but adding a boy onto the collateral damage list left a bad taste in his mouth. He knew these guys were dangerous, and so many people counted on Conan. He had his own organization, and so many murders would go unsolved, so many people would miss him if he died because of his problems.

On the other hand, the one he was leaning toward, was asking Conan to help. The Tantei had quite the flawless track record, catching every and any criminal he came across. He knew he wouldn't be complete collateral because Conan could take care of himself in a fight with all of his gadgets, and working with him was so fun and rewarding. If he wanted this syndicate caught, he would employ his help.

He made his decision, snapping the cards back into a deck and sliding them into his pocket.

"Botchama? What do you need?"

Kaito turned toward his assistant, gears turning.

"This is what I need you to do while I work on the heist notice, and I need blueprints to the museum."

Half an hour later, Kaitou Kid announced his heist for 10 pm the following night.