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Much to my displeasure

Finis

A pair of sharp indigo eyes studied the darkening horizon for a moment before returning their attention to the temple steps. At first glance, the young man appeared to be like any other. Though an observant person might have noticed the grace inherent in his slender frame, the way his steps never seemed to make a sound, or any other one of a number of little things that hinted at his true nature.

You see, this particular young man was a kaitou, a phantom thief. Today though, he had not come to steal anything, almost the opposite in fact. Unswervingly, the young man made his way through the temple grounds, stopping at the Kuroba Family Shrine.

Once there, Kaito lit fresh sticks of incense before bowing. "Father," he greeted respectfully. "It has been awhile." Almost five years in fact, the day after he had learned the truth behind his Father's death. "I probably should have brought flowers," the brunette went on. "But I thought you would like this better instead."

A small shard appeared in the magician's hand an instant before he carefully squeezed it beneath Toichi's headstone, covering it well. After all, it wouldn't do for some curious visitor to spot it later on. "It's a piece of the Pandora," he said softly. "I've arranged to have the rest scattered all over the world."

Kaito closed his eyes briefly, the grief as fresh now as it had been when he was eight years old. "I did it Father. I've made sure this accursed gemstone will never harm anyone else again. That they will never harm anyone else." After a moment his lips quirked. "Okay," he admitted. "So tantei-kun helped with that last bit."

To be honest, the phantom thief had to admit that deep within his heart of hearts, he was a little jealous of Kudo. Yes, the detective had suffered, and he was glad things were going well for his rival. In the end though, Shinichi hadn't lost anything he couldn't get back. Not like him.

"It is hard to believe it is really over," he continued softly after a moment, eyes distant. Even more surprising was the fact he had survived the experience relatively unscathed. Kaito had been prepared to sacrifice everything in the quest to see justice done to his Father's murderers, just so long as t didn't cost him his own soul. That it hadn't come to that was something of a shock.

More than that, now that it was over, just what was he supposed to do? Kaito laughed softly. "You know, it's funny, I never planned for this," it was just about the only thing he hadn't planned for. "I thought I wouldn't have a future." Whether dead, in jail, or on the run, it would have amounted to the same thing.

'But you do,' the young man could almost hear the other's voice. 'So get out there and live your life. Love. Laugh. Be happy. And even on those not so perfect days, don't ever forget your poker face my son.'

To be honest, Kaito wasn't sure if the words were just his imagination, or if he had really had contact with his Father's spirit, and he supposed it didn't matter. Either way, that sounded like excellent advice.

FoaGFoaGFoaG

Yes, I am sorry but it really is over

Don't worry though. I am not leaving this fandom entirely.

And, to any Transformer fans out there my next project is a collection of Starscream centered one-shots. It is entitled 26 Little Screams. So head over to my profile and check it out. The more the merrier. I hope you enjoyed these drabbles as much as I did and remember, I am always up for sharing an idea. Just ask first. XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO peppymint