Fic-DC/MK: Future Holds a Lion's Heart Epilogue 1/4
Title: Epilogue 1 (Then the World Ended)
Fandom: Detective Conan/Magic Kaito
Rating: PG
Word count: 1578
Warnings: First of four epilogues to The Future Holds A Lion's Heart
Theme song:( "The Future Holds A Lion's Heart" by Darren Hayes )
2. Epilogue 1 (Then the World Ended)
No silicon chip could sublimate
Or tame this temptuous rage
When my heart was in the attic
Like the picture of Dorian Gray
I was rescued by the enemy
That dare not speak its name
But it took so long to meet you
~Darren Hayes, "The Future Holds a Lion's Heart"
In a different time and place, Kuroba Kaito finds Pandora. (This is how that story ends.)
The comet's pass was truly a spectacular sight. Even the light pollution generated in Tokyo couldn't detract from the color it gave off, a mixture of violet white-blue and crimson streaks where it sketched a path across the late night sky. The moon looked even more pale holding court nearby, mostly full in the humid early July, for the vibrant guest sharing its skies tonight.
Kuroba Kaito watched the show, dressed in all the trappings of his Kaitou KID persona, perched atop one of the towers of the Rainbow Bridge. It could be called beautiful, he decided, in a clinical, detached sort of way. But knowing what it signified sort of sucked any and all enjoyment of the natural phenomena right out of him.
Years’ worth of searching and a lifetime's worth of loss had landed him his prize; at the very least, the cursed jewel Pandora would not be weeping eternal tears for the crows this night. It was not, however, a solid victory for him. Two months of attempting to destroy the gem had ended up two months wasted. He'd started with a brick and worked his way up to lasers, incinerators, and diamond saws, but the damn thing was indestructible. He'd considered an active volcano, or dropping it into the deepest bit of sea anywhere, but neither was any sort of guarantee that it would never find its way back into the hands of humanity.
The stirrings of depression beginning to weigh him down, Kaito had decided to fly up for a good view of the pass and consider his options. Perhaps, he thought, if he paid enough to Koizumi, she'd be obliging enough to send the dratted thing to the sun.
-is that what you desire?-
Kaito jumped and whirled at the voice, searching for the source. It had been only just audible over the wind, but never-the-less clear as if spoken at his ear.
The tower was empty.
This didn't reassure him at all. Kaito drew his card gun and stood slowly, muscles loose and ready, senses sharp and strained. But his eyes and ears confirmed what his instincts were insisting; he was alone.
-not quite alone, Kuroba Kaito-
Instead of jumping, this time he exhaled in a perfect, meditative seven-count, drew in air the same way, and in a false-pleasant voice asked no one, "Is anybody there?"
-i am here-
"Of course you are," he murmured, still checking the shadows and surrounding airspace. The night stubbornly remained free of interlopers, and even as he became more paranoid, he could sense no danger.
So. Perhaps he was just finally losing his mind.
"So," he continued, taking a few steps forward towards the center of the platform. "I don't suppose you'd want to come on out and talk to me face to face?"
-that is up to you-
Kaito waited several heartbeats, but when no one moved to reveal themselves he arched one eyebrow and prompted (with all the patience of Poker Face), "Well?"
-that is up to you, Kuroba Kaito-
Ohhhhkay. "Skip that then. Who are you, anyway?"
This was met with a long silence, though Kaito almost thought he could hear the thoughtful consideration his question was being subjected to, as if his conversational partner hadn't ever considered it before, or maybe didn't know himself.
-i suppose the only true answer to your question is that i am myself. names have been attached to me over the years, many of them fleeting and most you would not know. who would you like me to be?-
He wanted to snap at his guest for being factious, but somehow he didn't think that was the case. There was something else going on, something he was missing. Instead, he retreated behind his Poker Face and considered his options. A pivot and four steps would bring him to into freefall and likely escape from this strange conversation. Or he could keep quizzing the voice until he understood what the hell was going on.
-is that what you desire?-
Kaito jumped again. "Are you reading my mind?" He demanded, feeling a little violated. It could be Koizumi up to something, but he hadn't seen or heard any approaching broomsticks, and she wasn't usually so uninvolved in any attempts to kill him or drive him up a wall.
-i cannot read your mind. only your heart. human minds are filled with deception and trickery, but a heart does not know how to lie-
This gave him pause. "Alright," he said carefully. "Alright. Why are you here talking to me, Voice-san?"
-you brought me here- And the negligent shrug attached to that was just about audible. -i am here to grant your wish-
"What, like a genie?" he quipped, even as his mind raced. It kept asking him that, about his desire, and granting wishes made him think of-- No. The card gun disappeared as suddenly as it had come out, and both hands were fumbling for his inner breast pocket. A moment with the zipper had his prize in hand.
The gem was almost 40 carats, a deep grey-blue in daylight, in a circular cut that threw starbursts when filled with light. At night, however, it soaked in moonlight to turn a deep cardinal red, throwing off orange sparks. The whole thing fit neatly in his hand and glowed fitfully like a caught ember.
"Pandora."
-i have been called that-
"You're alive?!"
-i live, in the same way that your planet is alive, but not in the same sense that you are alive-
"The planet can't talk to me."
-your planet has nothing it needs to say to humans-
"And I suppose you do?"
-what is your desire?-
"Why do you keep asking me that? And why now? If you're here to grant me a wish, why-" Kaito cut himself off as the answer became obvious. "The comet."
-that is correct-
"I don't want to be immortal!"
-understood. then what do you desire?-
He stared at it for a moment, confused. "You can do more than grant immortality?" Now doubly glad he'd kept it out of the crow’s hands for tonight, he continued, "And here I thought the 'tears of eternity' was your only trick."
There was the distinct impression that he'd surprised it. -there must have been something lost in translation. i weep eternal tears as the lifegiver passes, for i am forever left behind and cannot return, but they are harmless. in gratitude for the one who would let me see her, i will grant whatever they wish-
Abruptly, Kaito realized his gloves were coated in damp. The edges and facets were running with droplets of water, like condensation on a glass. He very nearly dropped the thing, but pinched the edges between two fingers instead and held it away from his clothes.
-they are only tears of a lost child for its mother. they cannot harm you-
"You'll forgive me if I'm not going to take your word on that."
-it is your choice- Only that sounded a little more like "have it your way, kid" and quite a bit more like "whatever." -what is your desire?-
"Nothing," Kaito said, curtly. "I don't want anything."
-impossible. all humans desire. it is what they are-
"Not me," he snapped. "I don't want anything from you and your snake oil." Reminded of what this was, his distrust mixed with the anger to chase away his curiosity. This was Pandora. It had to be trying to trick him somehow. "And anyway, what's the catch? You'll grant me what I want and in exchange you'll take my soul or something? No thanks. I don't make deals with talking rocks."
-it is not a deal. or if it is, you have already paid the fee- Christ, now the damn thing sounded puzzled. -all humans have desire. it is what makes you; your grace and your damnation. why would you pay for something if you did not want it?-
"What, you think because I took you where you could see this lightshow that covers anything I might ask?"
-just because you found it of little effort, Kuroba Kaito, does not mean that isn't of equal importance to me for whatever you might wish-
"And so that justifies you to do anything someone might request?" he snarled, incensed. "Do you have any idea how many people have died for you, over you, because of you, for however long you've been here? How many lives have you ruined? How much crime is your existence guilty of? How many people are out there without parents, friends, loved ones and they never even get to know why?! I'm not looking for immortality or riches or any of your empty promises and cursed gifts! I want justice for the evil done because of you, I want my father back, and I want you gone!!"
-done-
And before he could process what had just happened, long before he could try and argue, the world as he knew it, abruptly and without fanfare, ended.
AN: So now that we've seen the past, the rest will look to the future. Like it or hate it, let me know!
Fandom: Detective Conan/Magic Kaito
Rating: PG
Word count: 1578
Warnings: First of four epilogues to The Future Holds A Lion's Heart
Theme song:( "The Future Holds A Lion's Heart" by Darren Hayes )
2. Epilogue 1 (Then the World Ended)
No silicon chip could sublimate
Or tame this temptuous rage
When my heart was in the attic
Like the picture of Dorian Gray
I was rescued by the enemy
That dare not speak its name
But it took so long to meet you
~Darren Hayes, "The Future Holds a Lion's Heart"
In a different time and place, Kuroba Kaito finds Pandora. (This is how that story ends.)
The comet's pass was truly a spectacular sight. Even the light pollution generated in Tokyo couldn't detract from the color it gave off, a mixture of violet white-blue and crimson streaks where it sketched a path across the late night sky. The moon looked even more pale holding court nearby, mostly full in the humid early July, for the vibrant guest sharing its skies tonight.
Kuroba Kaito watched the show, dressed in all the trappings of his Kaitou KID persona, perched atop one of the towers of the Rainbow Bridge. It could be called beautiful, he decided, in a clinical, detached sort of way. But knowing what it signified sort of sucked any and all enjoyment of the natural phenomena right out of him.
Years’ worth of searching and a lifetime's worth of loss had landed him his prize; at the very least, the cursed jewel Pandora would not be weeping eternal tears for the crows this night. It was not, however, a solid victory for him. Two months of attempting to destroy the gem had ended up two months wasted. He'd started with a brick and worked his way up to lasers, incinerators, and diamond saws, but the damn thing was indestructible. He'd considered an active volcano, or dropping it into the deepest bit of sea anywhere, but neither was any sort of guarantee that it would never find its way back into the hands of humanity.
The stirrings of depression beginning to weigh him down, Kaito had decided to fly up for a good view of the pass and consider his options. Perhaps, he thought, if he paid enough to Koizumi, she'd be obliging enough to send the dratted thing to the sun.
-is that what you desire?-
Kaito jumped and whirled at the voice, searching for the source. It had been only just audible over the wind, but never-the-less clear as if spoken at his ear.
The tower was empty.
This didn't reassure him at all. Kaito drew his card gun and stood slowly, muscles loose and ready, senses sharp and strained. But his eyes and ears confirmed what his instincts were insisting; he was alone.
-not quite alone, Kuroba Kaito-
Instead of jumping, this time he exhaled in a perfect, meditative seven-count, drew in air the same way, and in a false-pleasant voice asked no one, "Is anybody there?"
-i am here-
"Of course you are," he murmured, still checking the shadows and surrounding airspace. The night stubbornly remained free of interlopers, and even as he became more paranoid, he could sense no danger.
So. Perhaps he was just finally losing his mind.
"So," he continued, taking a few steps forward towards the center of the platform. "I don't suppose you'd want to come on out and talk to me face to face?"
-that is up to you-
Kaito waited several heartbeats, but when no one moved to reveal themselves he arched one eyebrow and prompted (with all the patience of Poker Face), "Well?"
-that is up to you, Kuroba Kaito-
Ohhhhkay. "Skip that then. Who are you, anyway?"
This was met with a long silence, though Kaito almost thought he could hear the thoughtful consideration his question was being subjected to, as if his conversational partner hadn't ever considered it before, or maybe didn't know himself.
-i suppose the only true answer to your question is that i am myself. names have been attached to me over the years, many of them fleeting and most you would not know. who would you like me to be?-
He wanted to snap at his guest for being factious, but somehow he didn't think that was the case. There was something else going on, something he was missing. Instead, he retreated behind his Poker Face and considered his options. A pivot and four steps would bring him to into freefall and likely escape from this strange conversation. Or he could keep quizzing the voice until he understood what the hell was going on.
-is that what you desire?-
Kaito jumped again. "Are you reading my mind?" He demanded, feeling a little violated. It could be Koizumi up to something, but he hadn't seen or heard any approaching broomsticks, and she wasn't usually so uninvolved in any attempts to kill him or drive him up a wall.
-i cannot read your mind. only your heart. human minds are filled with deception and trickery, but a heart does not know how to lie-
This gave him pause. "Alright," he said carefully. "Alright. Why are you here talking to me, Voice-san?"
-you brought me here- And the negligent shrug attached to that was just about audible. -i am here to grant your wish-
"What, like a genie?" he quipped, even as his mind raced. It kept asking him that, about his desire, and granting wishes made him think of-- No. The card gun disappeared as suddenly as it had come out, and both hands were fumbling for his inner breast pocket. A moment with the zipper had his prize in hand.
The gem was almost 40 carats, a deep grey-blue in daylight, in a circular cut that threw starbursts when filled with light. At night, however, it soaked in moonlight to turn a deep cardinal red, throwing off orange sparks. The whole thing fit neatly in his hand and glowed fitfully like a caught ember.
"Pandora."
-i have been called that-
"You're alive?!"
-i live, in the same way that your planet is alive, but not in the same sense that you are alive-
"The planet can't talk to me."
-your planet has nothing it needs to say to humans-
"And I suppose you do?"
-what is your desire?-
"Why do you keep asking me that? And why now? If you're here to grant me a wish, why-" Kaito cut himself off as the answer became obvious. "The comet."
-that is correct-
"I don't want to be immortal!"
-understood. then what do you desire?-
He stared at it for a moment, confused. "You can do more than grant immortality?" Now doubly glad he'd kept it out of the crow’s hands for tonight, he continued, "And here I thought the 'tears of eternity' was your only trick."
There was the distinct impression that he'd surprised it. -there must have been something lost in translation. i weep eternal tears as the lifegiver passes, for i am forever left behind and cannot return, but they are harmless. in gratitude for the one who would let me see her, i will grant whatever they wish-
Abruptly, Kaito realized his gloves were coated in damp. The edges and facets were running with droplets of water, like condensation on a glass. He very nearly dropped the thing, but pinched the edges between two fingers instead and held it away from his clothes.
-they are only tears of a lost child for its mother. they cannot harm you-
"You'll forgive me if I'm not going to take your word on that."
-it is your choice- Only that sounded a little more like "have it your way, kid" and quite a bit more like "whatever." -what is your desire?-
"Nothing," Kaito said, curtly. "I don't want anything."
-impossible. all humans desire. it is what they are-
"Not me," he snapped. "I don't want anything from you and your snake oil." Reminded of what this was, his distrust mixed with the anger to chase away his curiosity. This was Pandora. It had to be trying to trick him somehow. "And anyway, what's the catch? You'll grant me what I want and in exchange you'll take my soul or something? No thanks. I don't make deals with talking rocks."
-it is not a deal. or if it is, you have already paid the fee- Christ, now the damn thing sounded puzzled. -all humans have desire. it is what makes you; your grace and your damnation. why would you pay for something if you did not want it?-
"What, you think because I took you where you could see this lightshow that covers anything I might ask?"
-just because you found it of little effort, Kuroba Kaito, does not mean that isn't of equal importance to me for whatever you might wish-
"And so that justifies you to do anything someone might request?" he snarled, incensed. "Do you have any idea how many people have died for you, over you, because of you, for however long you've been here? How many lives have you ruined? How much crime is your existence guilty of? How many people are out there without parents, friends, loved ones and they never even get to know why?! I'm not looking for immortality or riches or any of your empty promises and cursed gifts! I want justice for the evil done because of you, I want my father back, and I want you gone!!"
-done-
And before he could process what had just happened, long before he could try and argue, the world as he knew it, abruptly and without fanfare, ended.
AN: So now that we've seen the past, the rest will look to the future. Like it or hate it, let me know!