Title: Baiting Tantei-kun

By: EsTeLweNadia

Summary: He should have known that baiting Tantei-kun comes with price.

Rating: Humor/Friendship

Disclaimer: Anyone and anything that you recognize from Detective Conan, is/are from Detective Conan.

Author's Note: Watched a few hilarious episodes of Kaito Kid, namely Episode 469-470 and Episode 586-587, and can't help a tag. *grins*

As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.

Go on… read…and enjoy!

He should have known that baiting Tantei-kun comes with a price.

But he hadn't. He had been too overconfident, too caught-up in his smugness he didn't notice that Tantei-kun had plotted plans of revenge behind those scheming, intelligent blue eyes. Nonetheless, he was just as intelligent to have managed to pull off some last-minute trick out of his sleeve to save his hide in the nick of time. Having Plan B is a MUST, and proved VERY useful in such instances.

Instances like how Conan-kun had him cornered in that darkened room after solving the murder case. Had even activated the damned shoes and approached him with slow, fearless steps. KID didn't betray the well-known Poker Face, but deep inside, he was actually VERY nervous. So he used that 'Ran's underwear' trick again, hoping to throw his little adversary off balance like he did in the Black Star heist, hoping to earn a few precious seconds. He even engulfed the entire room with smoke courtesy of his new invention; the Smoke Cards. Still, the blasted ball appeared out of nowhere to slam him square in his back just as he turned to escape through the window! He managed to release a small version of his hang-glider to the sky before he fell ungracefully into a heap on the ground. He was damned lucky the kid didn't go down to investigate although he was pretty sure Conan-kun suspected that the ball didn't miss its target. He shuddered to think about what might happen if chibi Tantei had found him in such a piteous condition.

Come to think of it, perhaps it was his fault to have even involved Ran, Tantei's most forbidden subject, in their confrontation. But desperate situations call for desperate measures, right? And although it seemed a bit low, it was necessary. Yeah, a heaping load of good it did… Tantei-kun hardly hesitated, because the card KID shot at undid Kogorou's pants, not Ran's skirt. So Tantei-kun shifted his attention to KID almost immediately, and hence, KID ended up on his back, admiring the stars circling around his head.

That said and done, KID reflected to the Kirin' Horn Heist, and recalled another NEAR miss of being captured.

Granted, maybe he shouldn't have used the stun gun on the shrunken teenager. But it was also a necessary move because that brat would have ruined his plans definitely and beautifully. He couldn't afford that to happen, not when too many risks were involved, when he had taken DAYS to plan that heist. And surely Tantei-kun must have realized how much of a THREAT he is to KID! But no, obviously the faux-child had made it a point in his life to see through every trick and trap and smoke and mirror he had meticulously set, to see through his various disguises and greet him so casually at his escape route just to lay down his deadly accurate deductions in a conversational manner as though he was talking about the weather! It irked him to see that all-knowing smirk, that piercingly intense gaze, that undaunted posture, in a kid! And he would never admit to anyone that he was slightly intimidated by the stance; it was so alike his own, it was EERIE. KID, intimidated by a kid? Ha friggin' ha!

Still, all he did was to put Tantei-kun into a short nap. 20 minutes MAX. (And he didn't know when the kid started to feign sleeping, too preoccupied he was in dealing with a creepy mini-woman and many suddenly suspicious faces.) Goodness, maybe the kid even needed it. But what did Conan do to him as a thank-you? Kicked a soccer ball hard enough to send him kissing a faceful of grass in front of the house was one thing, sticking his own card onto his back using the ball wrapped in a specially-tailored jacket was ANOTHER. He evaded the police squad for nearly TWO hours before he discovered that damning card. HIS card. On HIS back. Tantei-kun sure had a sick sense of humor. He supposed he shouldn't be TOO confident that once he hid in the forest with that disguise, he would no different from the other squad members. Little did he know that Tantei-kun was also a professional with tricks. He should have wondered why Conan-kun didn't chase him like he would always have previously. He should have suspected that something was obviously wrong. But noooooo, he didn't and he wasted time and energy trying to escape from the police's clutches. So much for a quick and clean getaway!

KID sat back, seething to himself. Okay, he had to admit; Tantei-kun was his most favorite critic and the greatest challenge among many others (namely Nakamori-keibu, Jirokichi Suzuki, several annoying high-school detectives and the ENTIRE police squad of Japan). It was exhilarating to have Kudo-turned-Conan in his heists – in fact, he even personally invited the famous Tantei of the East to some of his heists – but sometimes, sometimes he just WISHED that Tantei-kun would stop being so annoying, so intrusive, so intelligent. Goodness, with him around KID could not afford to drop his guard, not even for a second. He would never know when the sneaky brat would appear with his dreaded tranquilizer watch and killer pair of shoes. Best to ALWAYS be safe than sorry.

"Kaito Kid," an all too-familiar voice rang out in the darkness, jolting him out of his brooding mood so badly he almost dropped the Lucky Shine emerald gem, courtesy from the old coot, Jirokichi.

KID whirled around, plastering a thinly amused smile on his Poker Face. Inwardly he groaned. Speaking, no, thinking of the devil… "Well, well, if it isn't Tantei-kun..."

That little brat gave him that annoying smirk. "I am getting tired of this dance, KID. Can you just kindly hand over that jewel and be on your way? Before I decided to be mean and let you have another taste of my soccer ball. Or do you prefer a shot of a tranquilizer, instead? You do look like you need some sleep, afterall. Those dark, puffy eyebags look terrible on you."

Instinctively KID reached up to his face, before he caught himself and lowered his hand with a scoff of displeasure. "I am flattered that you are not only concerned of my well-being, but also of my looks. Could it that you have also fallen under my charm like Sonoko-chan had?"

"You wish," came the snide retort. Conan-kun's small face darkened, sharp blue eyes narrowed and lips pressed thinly. My, Tantei-kun wasn't in a good mood tonight. "So do you want to do this the easy way, or the hard way? I have other important matters to attend to."

KID assumed a thoughtful expression, recalling a conversation he heard earlier between Tantei-kun and his inventor sidekick, the Professor Agasa. "Like what? Oh, today is Ran-chan's birthday, is it not? I think you must hurry on back to her." KID gave him a conspiratorial wink and a stage whisper. "I think I might have swapped your present for her with one of mine."

Conan-kun's expression of shock was so comical KID had to use every shred of his being NOT to burst out laughing at the detective's obvious distress. "Damn you, Kaito KID!"

Lightning-quick the chibi activated his shoe and released a soccer ball from his belt. KID threw a couple of smoke bombs and leaped through the window, allowing himself to fall just in time to see the ball rocketed past with a fearsome speed. Phew, that was a close shave! Almost immediately, his hang-glider sprung behind his back and carried him with the currents of the wind, into the safety of the night, away from a certain dangerously intelligent adversary.

He could not help the light, airy laughter that escaped him. It wasn't necessary to bait Tantei-kun, but he just couldn't resist. The look on the faux-child's face… PRICELESS. He left behind the jewel, though, with a little note of his infamous smirking icon tagged to it. He hoped that would cease the fires of vengeance in the detective somehow… but he could highly doubt it. He KNEW that he would be paying dearly for pulling such a stunt on the mini-Holmes, but in that particular moment, he didn't care.

Oh, Tantei-kun, you are so easy sometimes!

A smirk ghosted KID's Poker Face. He would bait Tantei-kun as and when required, and it was a price he was willing to pay.

- The End –

Thank you for reading! ^^

Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it… which is VERY much.

Reviews are very much appreciated.

See you soon!