Still don't own DC or MK

Part Three

Snake strained against his captors' hold, his murderous gaze fixed firmly on the phantom thief. "I'll kill you for this!" he hissed. Venom dripped from his words.

The blonde detective stiffened at the killer's threat, moving to shield his thief. He was stopped by the strong hand that grabbed his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Empty threats Snake-chan," Kid shot back. "Game over, I win." A feeling of vicious satisfaction rose within Kaito. He had done it.

Dark eyes narrowed. "If we can't have you then we will have T. . ." he choked. "T. . ."

Kid smirked. "Having problems?" he inquired. At Snake's glare the smirk became a full-fledged grin. "Don't bother trying to say his name, you won't be able to," he informed his hunter.

"A sorceress I know was kind enough to cast a geas for me. I feel no need to drag a dead man's name through the mud," he continued. "And I will do all I can to protect my predecessor's family." Akako's price had been steep, but it was worth it. The geas didn't just apply to the spoken word.

The thief watched with steady eyes as Snake was dragged from the room. He did not look away until he was certain the danger was gone. Kaito had not made it this far to lose now, and the assassin didn't need a gun to kill.

"My condolences for your loss," Kudo's quiet voice easily reached the thief's ears. All things considered, the detective knew he had been lucky. He hadn't lost anything that could not be returned.

The magician thief merely shrugged. "It was a long time ago," he did not look upset.

The three tantei were not fooled. Kid never looked upset. The thief was a master of masks, he was not about to display his true emotions for all the world to see.

A sly expression slid across the kaitou's face. "Enough of this," Kid threw a friendly arm over Shinichi's shoulder. "We should be celebrating," he cheered. "Especially as tantei-kun here seems to overcome his little problem."

Kudo glared death at the phantom thief while Heiji tried to muffle his laughter. Hakuba just watched the scene in confusion. He had the feeling he was missing something.

"You will pay for that comment when next we meet."

The thief's smile disappeared as if it had never been and he released the detective. "No," he whispered. "I won't."

"What do you mean?" Hakuba asked. Kid was acting odd to say the least.

"There will not be a next time," he informed them. As the detectives stared at him Kid continued. "I have everything I wanted. The Black Organization is exposed, Snake is in prison, the gem they killed him for no longer exists." The thief's sad smile was a pale imitation of his usual grin.

"I am nothing more than the first Kid's ghost. And now it is time for me to disappear into the night like a good little phantom, never to be seen again." The thief danced backwards out of Shinichi's grasp when the other moved to touch him. "I will miss you," he admitted. "All of you, but my work is finished now and it is time to go."

He bowed deeply to the trio, then turned and walked away. As he left Kaito fought the urged to turn around and claim he was kidding, that he hadn't meant it. The thief could feel the unshed tears burning in his eyes. Surely he hadn't been that lonely before the tantei had come along, surely.

Part 3.5

(I couldn't end it on that note)

"Ouch!" Kaito yelped. "Let go."

Hakuba did not seem inclined to do so as he dragged his former classmate down the street. He knew that if the magician really wanted him to let go, he would already be gone. The blonde shoved Kuroba into a nearby chair after arriving at his destination. "Sit," he ordered.

The retired kaitou huffed. "I am not a dog. What are we doing here anyway?" he asked. Sharp blue-violet eyes scanned the cafe, it wasn't anything special. Kaito almost froze when he noticed the approach of two very familiar people but he forced himself to remain calm. Hakuba had been plotting. Who would've thought.

"Yo Hakuba," Hattori greeted as he slid into one of the remaining chairs. Next to him, Kudo did likewise. "And who is this?" the Osaken asked. He had thought it was just going to be the three of them.

"This," the blonde introduced. "Is Kaito Kuroba, who despite being a skilled magician, is not the Kaitou Kid." You didn't need to be a detective to catch the sarcastic tone of his voice.

As Kudo and Hattori shot Kaito startled looks the magician rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you're still on about that."

He turned to Shinichi. "Forgive my sempei, he has been bothering people with his unfounded accusations since high school." The magician leaned in closer. "Personally," he whispered. "I think he was dropped on his head as a child."

Kudo struggled with himself for a moment before giving in and laughing. After a moment Heiji joined in. The future was looking brighter already. As for Hakuba, he was reconsidering the wisdom of introducing Kaito to the pair. But it was too late now.

RWYSRWYSRWYS

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