Disclaimer: Don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito

Here she is folks!

In the end, the press never found out who Kaito Kid really was. All they were told was that he was dead, and that he was a minor so they weren't going to find out anything. A few smart journalists put this together with the eight-year hiatus and did some digging, but in the end all they had was speculation. Occasionally correct speculation, but still just speculation.

The funeral, surprisingly, was a large affair. Word had apparently circulated at the police station, and every member of the Taskforce past and present was there. So were Conan's parents, his real parents, something he was surprised to see. Ran was there to keep watch of Conan and wouldn't let go of his hand, thinking he needed comfort. It became the other way around when Ran realized that Kaito was the boy she'd mistaken for Shinichi, and Conan squeezed her hand. Conan could see Kaito's mother crying, and his heart went out to her. She had lost both her husband and her son to the same man. Justice was bittersweet.

And Aoko... Conan saw Aoko a little bit away from everyone else. She was crying, certainly, but not as a release. She was crying brokenly, as if she would never be the same again. Conan doubted that she would be. After all, she had never gotten to hear it from his own lips. Conan looked up at Ran. Hopefully, beggingly, the same would not happen to her.

And so one day, a few weeks after the funeral, Conan was wandering through his house, his real house, when something happened. Something strange, unexplainable, and frankly quite marvelous.

Pssst! Kudo! a voice came from everywhere yet nowhere at once.

Conan stopped dead in his tracks. Then, smiling wryly, kept going. Anything with that voice had to be wishful thinking.

Oh please, give me a break. You're ready to believe teens turning into kids, giant criminals organizations, just about every murder trick you can shake a stick at, hell, you believed everything I told you, and yet strangely familiar disembodied voices are too much?

Conan stopped again, and this time he didn't start going again.

That's better. Now pick up the stone!

Conan looked to his left. On a small table rested a small box, the hiding place of Pandora. It was in plain sight of course, but he had read The Purloined Letter. Yes, Pandora was as safe there as she was in any other part of the house. Which was a very good thing, as he intended wholeheartedly to keep his promise to Kaito: not to let Pandora lead to any more deaths. No more completely unwarranted deaths of those who wanted immortality, those who wanted to keep the first group from getting immortality, and those caught in the crossfire.

Meanwhile, the disembodied voice grew impatient. Kudo! This isn't rocket science! Pick up the damn sparkly rock already!

Conan glared at thin air, hoping he didn't look too foolish. "Considering how much in over my head I'm feeling at the moment, it might as well be. How do I know Pandora won't... I don't know, explode in my face? Or something else that I don't want to even try and guess at?"

I AM Pandora, I'm not going to explode all over you. Well, more trapped inside Pandora, but if Pandora exploded I'm pretty sure I would feel the same effect.

One of Conan's eyebrows raised in disbelief. "You're trapped inside a rock? To be more specific, you're trapped inside a rock created by a specific geothermal event? Whoever you are, I've seen some weird things, but nothing near as weird as this."

Conan could hear the exasperation in the disembodied voice. When I first told you about Pandora, didn't you bother to look up the legend? Pandora was created by the gods to be the most beautiful woman and gifted to some guy. This was in revenge for something the humans did, it might have been stealing fire. Anyway, Pandora was given both insatiable curiosity and a box which she was told never to open. Naturally, she opened it. She let out all the ills of the world, but closed the lid before Hope escaped. I suppose I would be Hope, I think.

"Who are you?" Conan demanded, though he had an inkling.

Kaito-niisan, tantei-kun. Now would you please, please pick up Pandora?

Conan sighed. "Fine." Hesitating slightly, he reached out and undid the latch on the box. He lifted the lid and pulled out a clump of dark blue velvet. Slowly, he unrolled the velvet and let it fall over his hand. Pandora, no longer glowing brightly, glinted softly.

Conan looked up and got the surprise of his life. Kuroba Kaito… no, Kaito Kid was standing in front of him, every detail perfect, right down to the clover hanging from the monocle. The only difference was that the young thief was more or less monochromatic, with a slightly blue hue. That and the faint outline of furniture could be seen on the other side.

But all the other details were there, up to and including the bloodstained clothing and the four small bullet holes in his chest. Conan bit his lip and tried not to look away, the familiarity making it less bearable then most other murders.

Kaito seemed to catch his flinch. "It's okay. Don't worry about it." Now that Conan could see his lips moving the voice seemed less disembodied, but it still came from both everywhere and nowhere at once.

"But… how?" he finally asked.

"Pandora." Kaito answered. "That red glow, the glow that isn't showing up now? I was right, in a way. It was a reaction to it being held to the moonlight. It meant that someone on the gem's hit list, so to speak, was still alive. Me. By holding it to the moonlight, I indicated to the gem that I wanted immortality. I didn't really, but Pandora didn't know that. It just knew that the person that was holding it to the moonlight was to be given immortality when they died. Immortality trapped within the gem itself, as a ghost, unable to speak or be seen. The very essence of be careful what you wish for."

"But you're talking to me now," Conan pointed out. "And I can see you."

"Only those that I knew in life can hear or see me. And you can only hear me when you're near Pandora, and see me when you're holding it. I hadn't quite figured out how when you first put Pandora here, so I couldn't contact you then. It's been getting sort of frustrating waiting for you to show."

"Sorry. I've been… a bit busy."

Kaito's look softened. "I can guess. The Inspector's really mad, isn't he?"

Conan shook his head, almost laughing now that it was all over. "Kuroba, you are an impossible thing. You are probably the only being in life or death that has ever been able to shock him speechless. Don't worry. I've explained most of it. Not all of it of course, but most of it. He's accepted it, sort of. He got a search warrant for your house though. I couldn't tell him where Pandora was, and he naturally thinks it's still in your house somewhere."

Kaito sighed. "Ah well. We all make compromises. It could have ended worse, I suppose."

"How could this possibly have ended worse?" Conan asked, looking pointedly at the ghost of Kaito.

"I could be dead dead, and not just sort of dead. Besides, I'm not completely alone in here."

Conan frowned. "Not alone?"

"What, don't tell me you think I'm the only person to ever fall for this? If I was then there wouldn't be a legend in the first place. No, there's a small handful of us in here. While waiting for you I've been busy explaining how the world's changed since 1912."

"Ah," Conan said, nodding.

"Hey, Kudo?" The ghost looked sheepish.

"Yeah?"

"Do you... do you suppose you could do me a favor?"

Conan sighed exasperatedly. "You think I wouldn't do you a favor if I could? Fire away."

Kaito took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "I... Bring Aoko here. Could you do that please? Somehow?"

Conan smiled sadly. "It would be an honor."

"Conan-kun? Where are we going?"

Aoko asked this as the seven year old pulled her down the street. She had been surprised when he'd shown up on her doorstep, and even more surprised when he insisted that she follow him. They had caught a bus and rode it to Beika, and now Conan was pulling her down the streets as if on a mission.

When Conan didn't answer, Aoko tried again. "Conan-kun, where are you taking me?"

Conan smiled up at her sadly, more sad then she had previously thought a seven year old could look. "There's someone who wants to see you."

"But I don't know anyone in Beika. I've even been here before. Who would want to see me?" Conan didn't answer. Instead he paused in front of a gate. Aoko read the nameplate. "Kudo? Conan-kun, why are we here?"

She looked down and expected to see him. Her eyes widened as she saw that he was instead opening the gate. "Conan-kun! We can't just walk in!"

Conan looked back at her. "Come on Aoko-neesan. He's waiting for you."

A quick battle of curiosity versus respect of private property waged in Aoko's head, curiosity emerging victorious. Hesitantly she started following Conan, closing the gate behind them. "Okay." Curiosity trumped private property again when Conan pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the front door with it. If he had a key then it had to be all right.

Once inside Aoko and Conan slipped off their shoes. "So, who is it that wants to see me?"

Conan grabbed her hand again and started dragging her upstairs. "Come on, he's up here."

Aoko followed, looking around. Pictures lined the hall wall, showing a boy growing up with his parents. She recognized Kudo Yusaku the author, and realized that the other two must be his wife and son. As the boy grew older in the pictures, he started to be joined by a girl his age. She smiled. It was just like her and Kaito.

Aoko stopped. She couldn't think about Kaito. Not now. Not after everything that had happened.

"Aoko-neesan, hurry up. He's really impatient."

"Coming!" she said, and quickly hurried up the rest of the stairs. At the top she found Conan waiting, a small wooden box in his hands. He held it out to her. "Take it."

"Take it? But why?"

"Just do it," Conan insisted. "Take it. You can go into the first room on the left. When you're in there, open the box and pick up what's inside. I'll be downstairs in the library if you need me. It's that door right at the bottom of the stairs."

"Wait, Conan-kun..." Aoko's voice trailed off as the little boy ran down the stairs. She looked down at the box in her hands. It was very nice, with an inlay flower design. She looked up and spotted the door on the left. Wondering who was inside, she entered.

She paused in the doorway. No one was in the room. It appeared to be a simple unused bedroom. She closed the door behind her and sat down on the bed. Whatever was going on, it was a welcome distraction from life as it was. She didn't mind playing along for the time being.

The small latch on the box was flicked open, and the lid lifted. Aoko lifted out a length of dark blue velvet. It felt soft in her hands, barely used. In the middle of the clump of velvet was a piece of carved alexandrite. Aoko gasped as she recognized it. It was the second to last heist of Kaito Kid, the one that her father had failed to turn up in his search of Kaito's house. She looked to the door, wondering if she should go find Conan. Wondering if she should go demand why he had it. She picked it up to examine it closer. It truly was beautiful...

She screamed slightly when she looked away from it. Kaito Kid, ghostlike, shot, blood on his clothes, stood there. She dropped the stone, and he vanished. She quickly stood up and ran over to where he had stood. She spun around, finding nothing to indicate that someone had just been standing there. Her eyes caught sight again of the rock on the floor. What had just happened?

Sorry to scare you. It's called Pandora. It won't bite, I promise.

Aoko squeaked. Slowly she moved forward, eying Pandora. Slowly, she knelt and reached out. She pulled her hand back just before it touched.

Please Aoko.

Aoko reached out and grabbed Pandora. The tears started falling before she even turned around, knowing what she would find there.

And there he stood. Kaito Kid, in all his glory, dead by four bullets, bloodstained and devoid of life. He smiled wryly. "Accidental pseudo-immortality. What are the odds?"

"Baka!" Aoko shouted, throwing Pandora at him. He vanished again before Pandora reached him. Aoko sighed and moved to the other side of the room, retrieving Pandora. He appeared again. "Baka baka baka!" Aoko cried. "Why do you do stupid things like this?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. So, so sorry. For everything."

Aoko wiped away her tears, and truly looked at him. She almost dropped Pandora again when she realized that he too was crying. "Why?" she asked, broken.

"Because I love you. I couldn't tell you because I love you and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you."

"So it's important enough to get killed for but not important enough to tell me?" Aoko asked bitterly.

Kaito took an ethereal step forward. "Aoko, I-"

Aoko clapped her hands over her ears. "I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear your excuses anymore!"

"What if I don't want to give you an excuse?" Kaito asked quietly.

"Huh?" Aoko asked, looking back at Kaito.

"What if I don't want to give you an excuse? What if I want to tell you something? I want to tell you something so important that it slipped out a few minutes ago before I could stop myself."

Aoko slumped to the floor. "What if I don't want to hear it?"

"Then you can walk out that door right now and you'll never see me again. I'll live forever, trapped inside Pandora, and you can go on with your life."

"Kaito, I... I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. But..." She reached a hand out towards the ghost.

"Look only. No touch," Kaito said sadly.

"I love you!" Aoko suddenly screamed. "I love you I love you I love you! And I hate you! I hate you I hate you I hate you!"

"Whatever, Ahouko."

"Stupid, stupid Bakaito," Aoko muttered angrily. "You can't even die right."

"Would you rather I was gone for good?"

"No, but..."

"Aoko?"

"Yes?"

"I love you. Please don't leave me hanging like this."

"Me?" Aoko asked exasperatedly. "Me leave you hanging? You're fucking dead! You go and die, and then at the same time I find out I actually hate you! It's been weeks, and all of a sudden you're talking out of rock and telling me you love me! You always leave me hanging like this! Stop confusing me! Yes I love you! But I can't love you when you're looking like that, all Kaito Kid and dead-like," she gestured.

"Can I tell you a story?"

"I'm pretty sure I've already heard it."

"But can I tell it to you?" Kaito asked, gesturing to the bed.

Aoko gulped and sat down. "Fine. Okay. Whatever. Fire away."

Kaito sat down next to her. "It all started with a magician..."