Kuroba 'Verse
The pages of the newspaper rustled as Kaito idly flipped through its pages. The teen looked perfectly relaxed, slouched comfortably in his chair. His exotic blue-violet eyes scanned over the articles, committing the information to memory. He never knew when it might come in handy.
Some big wig had donated a bunch of money to one of the museums. Hopefully they would use it to acquire something shiny in the near future. Two rising stars were getting married; the girl was pretty cute. He glanced briefly at the weather report. Kaito took that with a grain of salt, as usual. Oh, and there had been yet another murder in Beika.
Kaito really had to wonder what was in the water over there. It wasn’t normal, not that anything about murder should be normal. At least tantei-kun had solved it, though officially credit had gone to the Amazing Sleeping Kogoro.
A slow smirk spread across the magician’s face. There was a small article speculating about the Kaitou Kid’s next heist on page three. He hadn’t even sent a notice yet and already the reporters were starting to gather.
Kaito made a mental note to drop off his riddle this evening. A pair of matching canary diamonds, known as the Eyes of Inari, was being displayed in a museum downtown. He had finished all the prep work, so there was no reason to delay, and it would be such a shame to disappoint his dedicated fans.
Intellectually, the eighteen year old knew stealing was wrong. Kaito was careful to always keep his true reasons at the forefront of his mind. He could never afford to forget that he was doing this for his Father, and everyone else the Organization had ever hurt over. Still, the teen couldn’t stop the anticipation that rose with the approach of every heist, or the thrill that came from outwitting his pursuers. He sometimes wondered if all thieves felt this way.
Although, Kaito considered, there was another possibility. It could come from his youkai side. All the fair folk were tricksters at heart, and the magician accepted there were some aspects of human behavior he would never fully understand, no matter how well he faked them.
It was just his nature. Then again, it could just be him. Kaito knew he would never know for sure, but he didn’t let that bother him. He was who he was, and he was not ashamed.
Inwardly, Kaito acknowledged the blue wreathed presence that was approaching him from behind. Outwardly he remained perfectly still. Well, except for loosening his grip on the paper. It wouldn’t do to get a paper cut when Aoko pulled it out of his hands.
Sure enough, a moment latter he found himself staring into the annoyed face of his best friend. She crumpled the paper, tossing it into the trash. In her opinion that was where the article belonged. “I don’t see how you can read about that stupid thief anyway?” Aoko huffed. If anything, her opinion of the kaitou had worsened in the two years since his reappearance.
A brief pang of grief and guilt shot through Kaito’s heart but he repressed it with the ease of long practice. “Oh come on Aoko,” he complained. “You have to admit he is a master of his art.” Theirs was an ongoing argument. He could recite the entire discussion in his sleep.
“Which art?” Hakuba put in. “Thieving or magic?” The gleam in his golden eyes told his rival it was far from an idle question, more along the lines of a trap.
Kaito shrugged, plastering a puzzled look across his features. “Magic of course,” he answered. “What would I know about thieving? Though I suppose if Kid were bad at it you would have caught him by now.”
The blond glowered. He was sure that jab was aimed at him, even if he couldn’t prove it. Just like he couldn’t prove Kuroba was the Kaitou Kid, even after all this time. If anything, his evidence proved the opposite. That didn’t change his mind though. One of these days, he swore to himself. I will catch him.
How long his classmate would stay caught was another issue entirely. One the detective didn’t care to dwell on. Though Saguru supposed it was better than wondering whether or not he truly wanted Kuroba to stay caught. The brunette was a friend, sort of. Besides, he was sure Kaito had some sort of reason behind what he did.
Now that, the detective did want to know. He frowned briefly before shooting the magician a discrete look out of the corner of his eye. Unfortunately, neither Kuroba nor Kid seemed inclined to tell him.
Mentally Kaito was doing a happy dance. Once again victory was his. That made it Kid/Kaitou 468, Hakuba err. Well, more than the magician liked to think about. The British detective wasn’t quite on the level of him or Kudo, but he was no slouch either.
A seductive blackish red aura alerted him to Akako’s presence a moment before she spoke. “I am certain Kid has other talents beside thieving and magic,” she regarded Kaito thoughtfully from beneath half lowered lashes. “It would be interesting to find out what they are,” the sorceress purred.
The magician resisted the urge to gulp. Like Hakuba, Akako was sure he was the Kaitou Kid, and she also wanted to prove it. It was just her motivation that differed. The magician knew the redhead believed he was like her, a human magic user. Though one of a different school, and the hybrid was in no hurry to enlighten her otherwise. He did trust the witch to some extent, but she still gave him the creeps.
Kaito looked around for an escape. Fortunately one was close at hand, in the form of his volatile best friend. Whoosh! her skirt flipped into the air, giving him a brief show. The magician smirked. “Blue today huh?”
The wild-haired girl’s face went red and a mop almost magically appeared in her hand. “Kaito!!!” she shouted in fury, swinging the implement with all her might.
The teenager ducked, the wind ruffling his hair as the mop passed by. She was getting faster, he realized. Then the chase was on. Kaito scrambled over tables and under chairs. At one point he was even hanging from the ceiling. The pair’s classmates just rolled their eyes. This was nothing new, at least not to them.
As for the teacher, he yelped when he entered the room, the mop narrowly missing his head. His materials dropped to the floor, papers flying every which way.
“Oh my god!” Aoko shouted. “I am so sorry Honda-sensei. Are you all right?” She knelt, trying to gather up the papers. All thoughts of gaining her revenge against Kaito had vanished. She couldn’t believe she had almost hit him.
The teacher took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. Why oh why had he ever taken this position? With his grades, he could have gone anywhere. He should have listened to his cousin and taken the offer at Ouran. He had heard some odd things about the host club, but he was sure it was nothing compared to here.
But no, Honda had wanted to work in the real world, among students who really needed it. He managed a reassuring smile, accepting his papers back. “I am fine,” he told Aoko somewhat shakily. “Now if you would all take your seats, class is about to begin.”
Chapter Two
A pleased smirk crossed the phantom thief’s features as he watched the task forces preparations on a small handheld computer. It had been barely a moment’s work to hack into the feed from the cameras. His grin widened, imagining everyone’s reactions if they knew he was keeping track of them using the museum’s own security system.
Kaito wasn’t worried about being seen. His outfit was nearly invisible against the background of white marble the building was made of. Someone would have to be looking straight at him, with a pair of binoculars, to have even a chance of determining his location.
A pair of blue-violet eyes flicked to the generic watch he wore on his right wrist. Half an hour ‘til the show was set to begin. He still had a little time left. Kaito took the opportunity to run another check of both his ordinary, and more metaphysical pockets.
Flash bombs, smoke bombs, cards for his card gun, a closet full of disguises, sleeping gas, climbing equipment, lock picks, materials for a slew of magic tricks, and more. Basically, anything and everything a phantom thief could possibly want or need. He paused over one spot, a faint frown crossing his features. Hold on, Kaito thought to himself. What was this?
The magician reached into the spaces between, focusing on the strange object. It had evidently been in there for some time. His hand closed on some sort of handle and he pulled, moving it back into the real world. Kaito blinked down at the thing in his hand befuddled. It was a can-opener. How the heck had that gotten there? He honestly had no clue.
After a moment the magician shrugged, shoving it back into the shadows. If worst came to worst he supposed he could throw it at someone. On second, that probably wasn’t the best idea. His fingerprints might be on it. He could figure out what to do with the can-opener later. For now, he had a heist to run.
A gloved hand tapped on an armored man’s shoulder. “Excuse me Sir.” The officer turned just in time to get a face full of pink sleeping gas. Kid caught him as he fell, easily supporting his weight. After a quick glance around the hallway, the magician pulled his incapacitated victim to a nearby closet, depositing him inside.
A snap of his fingers and a puff of smoke later, an exact double of the officer stood where Kid had been a moment before. Nonchalantly, the disguised kaitou continued on his way.
Nakamori scowled down at his own watch. “Where is he?” the inspector growled. “He should be here.”
Another of the officers shrugged. “Maybe he got held up in traffic?” he tried to placate his superior. He didn’t bother to suggest that Kid wasn’t coming. He always came. Besides, by his watch the kaitou still had two minutes until the time indicated on the notice.
One of the rookies grinned, this was his first heist. “He could have double booked himself,” the young man joked. “Kid might be on a hot date.” Almost immediately the officer cringed as he was subjected to a myriad of glares from the senior members of the force. Note to self, he thought. Keep mouth shut. Evidently the others didn’t think it was funny.
“Or maybe,” a third voice entered the conversation. “He is already here.”
“Yeah,” someone repeated. “He could already be here.” There was a moment of silence.
Then Inspector Nakamori snapped around, glaring at the group of officers. “Get him,” he roared.
The task force paused. Get whom exactly? None of them were exactly sure where the voice had come from. The afore mentioned rookie bit his lip and pointed at the man directly to his right. “I think it was him.”
The others shared a look of complete accord before pouncing on the rookie. “Hey!” he shouted as he went down. “What’s the big deal?” One of the cops grabbed his cheeks and pulled. “Ouch!” the hapless young man shouted. “That hurts.”
A cough attracted the task force’s attention, and they looked over to see Kid standing against a nearby wall, dressed in his trademark white suit. He waved. “Over here guys.”
The group struggled to untangle themselves, Nakamori among them. This time Kid would not get away! En masse, they lunged for the thief, who easily dodged. Save the rookie, who hadn’t quite recovered from his first Kid induced experience.
Kid laughed, the sound echoing through the building as he took off, the officers right on his heels. As much as he loved performing for an audience, he just couldn’t resist this chance. No crowd, no detectives, Hakuba was down with a cold, just him and his taskforce.
It didn’t take the officers long to get split up. Kid was good at things like that. “Group C,” the inspector snapped into his radio. “Where are you?”
A moment later a voice came back. “We are still pursuing Kid. He is headed down the west wing, towards the gemstone exhibit.”
“Excellent,” Nakamori’s voice came back. “We will intercept him at the doors.”
Nakamori blinked. That wasn’t him. He opened his mouth to refute that order only to have his eyes widen as Group C came tearing out of the hallway directly in front of them. Both groups tried desperately to stop, but it was too late. They collided.
Shortly thereafter, Kid exited the hallway at a leisurely pace. He had allowed the officers to pass him some time ago. They had been chasing a ghost, no pun intended. The magician spared a moment to look down at the officers’ dazed forms. “Oops,” he apologized. “I guess Nakamori-keibu wasn’t quite that far.”
The phantom thief threw the doors open, walking towards his prize, only to stop halfway as he saw something out of the corner of his eye. His breath caught in his throat. Surely that wasn’t what he thought it was. Kaito spun, looking at the object head on.
It was a full-length ornate mirror. Complicated patterns were carved into the frame and the corners were studded with emeralds. The kicker though, was the small inscription at the bottom. Not just anyone would have recognized it, but Kaito knew what it said. He had learned the language on his grandfather’s knee, like his Father before him.
Kid raised one hand, pointing at the mirror. “Where did that come from?” he demanded.
Nakamori, who had regained his feet, frowned. What did the thief care? Kid was acting weird, even for him. Which was probably why the inspector was inclined to answer the other. “It was transferred from somewhere in New York, just arrived today.”
Kid’s grin had vanished. In fact, the magician looked quite serious. Purposely he took a step towards the mirror.
“But,” Nakamori protested, thrown by the thief’s abnormal actions. “What about the gemstone?”
“Forget the #$!!&#? gemstone!” Kid snapped.
The inspector looked severely taken back. He took another look at the object of his prey’s interest. It didn’t appear to be anything special. Not compared to some of the things that had caught the kaitou’s eye. “It’s just a mirror,” he pointed out. Maybe Kid had finally lost it?
“Just a mirror,” the white-clad figure repeated flatly. “JUST A MIRROR!!! Do you have any idea what that is?!” It was Titania’s mirror, the queen of the third race. Slowly, Kaito took a deep breath, calming himself. Of course they didn’t.
Kid took a few more steps, wrapping his arms around the mirror before looking back at his pursuers. This is not just a mirror,” he informed them. “And I think it is best if I take this with me, before some idiot,” the thief paused. “Or worse, someone who is not an idiot, gets their hands on it.
Kid tipped his hat to the inspector, a gesture of respect. “Please convey my apologies to the curator. This is one object I will not be returning.” A smoke bomb rose around the figure, concealing his form from view as he quite literally sunk into the shadows, taking the mirror with him.
The task force never did figure out how he managed that disappearing trick. But then, they didn’t know they were looking for magic.
Chapter Three
Kaito stared at the mirror, a befuddled look on his face. He didn’t regret taking the artifact. There had been no choice really, but now. What the heck was he supposed to do with it?
Destroying the mirror was obviously out of the question. There was no way in hell he was going to break anything that belonged to Queen Titania, especially something that had been a gift from her husband. She might take offence, and words could not describe the badness of that situation.
“I suppose,” the magician muttered aloud. “I could hide it.” That did have possibilities. However, Kaito knew better than most that nothing could remain hidden forever. Eventually someone would find the mirror again. If that happened, well they would likely use it.
It had been many years ago when his Grandfather told him the story of the mirror. From what Aakesh had told him, the royals had always had a tempestuous relationship. The pair was the perfect example of the on again/off again couple.
Evidently at one point Titania had been miffed that the mortals believed Oberon superior to her. Back then females had been regarded as little more than cattle. It was easy to imagine how that might have upset the fae queen.
So, in an effort to pacify his wife, Lord Oberon had enchanted the mirror and given it to Titania as a gift. It could be used to summon any of their blood through the glass and compel them to do the spell caster’s bidding.
Kaito grimaced as he glanced down at his watch. It was time for school already? Where had the night gone? Quickly, he threw a few wards over the room before gathering up his things. It wasn’t perfect, but it would hold until he figured out what to do.
Later, in class, the magician was surprised when Hakuba stumbled into the room. A white facemask covered his mouth; the detective did not look at all well. It was obvious he should still be in bed. That didn’t stop him from making straight for Kaito though.
“Where is it Kuroba?” the blond demanded voice raspy.
A pair of blue-violet eyes grew visibly puzzled as Kaito looked up. “Where is what?” He asked innocently.
“Where is the mirror?”
“Mirror?” Akako repeated. What was this? Had something happened that she was unaware of? The blond was usually more circumspect in his accusations. She leaned towards Hakuba, pushing a little more power into her charm. “What mirror is that Saguru-kun?” The detective was more resistant to her power than most, but he was still affected.
“Last night,” Hakuba answered without taking his eyes off the magician. “Kid stole an ornate mirror, announcing that it would not be returned. His intended target remained untouched.”
The sorceress frowned. That wasn’t like the phantom thief at all. “Do you have a picture of this mirror?” she inquired.
In response, the blond pulled a small square photograph out of his pocket, setting it on the table. For a moment Akako didn’t understand what she was seeing. When she did, a shocked gasp escaped her throat. “This was in the museum?!” she said incredulously.
Hakuba shot her a sharp look. “You know what this is?”
Slowly, Akako nodded. “It is Titania’s mirror,” she answered. “An object of great power.” Her gaze turned speculative. “I wonder why Kid wants it.” Two pairs of eyes focused on a certain magician.
Inwardly Kaito squirmed. It was a bit unnerving the way the pair was looking at him. “Well don’t look at me,” he blustered. “Why would I know?” A sudden thought occurred to him, lightening his mood. He had a plan.
“Though if Kid sticks to his old patterns he might return it to whomever he believes is the proper owner,” the brunette pointed out. “As oppose to the museum. That would be more like him.”
At this declaration Akako paled drastically. “You wouldn’t,” she choked. Even she would hesitate to put herself within reach of the more powerful fae folk. The witch never got her answer. The bell rang before Kaito could reply. Not that he would have told her anything anyway.
That evening, the magician once again stood in front of Titania’s mirror, a faint frown on his features. Now that he had decided on his course of action, how was he going to accomplish it? He could not transport the object directly to Avalon. He had never been there.
Which meant, he was going to have to call one of his kin. His grandfather would be the best choice. Except, since Lord Oberon had summoned Aakesh for the gathering when Kaito was fourteen they had only exchanged letters. The teenager had conveniently forgotten to inform the older Kuroba that he had taken up his Father’s mantle, and he wasn’t looking forward to seeing the other’s reaction when he found out.
There was that one friend of Grandfather’s the raven hanyou supposed, the one that had visited when he was just a baby. What had been his name again? Cyan? Kyria? Kaito grimaced. Okay, so that was out. Trying to cast a spell without the proper name was a bad idea. All sorts of things could happen.
But who else did he know of? His Grandfather had introduced him to many people of a more supernatural bent. Very few of them were youkai though. Kaito stilled, there was one he knew of, though they had never meet.
Resolutely, the magician approached the mirror. If he was going to do this he should do it, before he lost his nerve. He picked up the silver bell, ringing it four times with a gold ring. The chime sounded impossibly loud as it echoed around the empty room. Gathering his power, Kaito began to speak.
“Cum aescerat argentum et aurum involare,” the brunette blew a white feather from one of his doves into the mirror. “Postea Puck ad speculum Titania penetrare!” The artifact lit up, a brilliant light emerging from its depths.
Puck groaned as he felt the summoning take hold. Not again. This would not be the first time he had been called to do some spoiled sorcerer’s bidding, and he liked it not at all. Almost immediately though, the trickster knew something was different. There were no chains, no cold iron sat against his skin.
The fae took a moment to look around the room he found himself in. A teenager stood not ten feet in front of him, head lowered as he bowed, a clear gesture of respect. Puck’s eyebrows rose. This was new. At first glance, the child appeared to be mortal. The trickster knew better. He could feel the blood that ran through the boy’s veins.
Effortless Puck rose into the air, flipping his body so as to appear he was lying down, just at chest level. “You would be?” he inquired lightly; his words flowed like liquid quicksilver.
The other refused to flinch as he raised his head. “I am Kaito Kuroba, of Aakesh’s line, a child of the raven clan.”
Hmm, the trickster made a thoughtful noise. “And why have you summoned me?”
“To return what was lost,” Kaito answered. “Nothing more.”
“Nothing?” Puck answered surprised. “No reward for your deeds?”
The magician’s eyes grew sad. “Not even one of your power can raise the dead,” he said softly. “And everything else I can do myself.”
Those inhuman eyes widened. My, my, the baby raven was an odd one. Perhaps even worthy of his interest. For now though, he had a mirror to return. With a smile and a wink, Puck vanished in a burst of green light.
When Kaito could see again, the room was completely empty save for him. The trickster, and Titania’s mirror, were gone.
Epilogue
A pleased look crossed the fae queen face as she ran her fingers gently over the mirror’s golden frame. It had been centuries since she had last seen it. Clearly, Titania recalled how she had lost it to begin with. She remembered it as if it were yesterday.
It had been a fight, just a stupid fight. One of many, she couldn’t even recall what it had been about now. She had turned on her husband, screaming that she wanted nothing to do with him, or anything that had anything to do with him.
Titania had seized the mirror, throwing it through time and space, into the mortal world. She had regretted it almost immediately. But by then, it had been too late. The mirror was lost.
She turned back to where Puck knelt, her magnificent red hair swirling around her body. “Where did you find it?” Titania asked.
“You recall Aakesh?”
The queen pursed her lips. “The raven,” she said at last. “The one who fell in love with a mortal.” It had been the talk of the island.
“I do not know if you were aware, but they had a child.” In all honesty the trickster had been unaware before Kaito had stated his linage. It was only after the fact that Puck had begun to make inquiries. “As Aakesh has remained involved with the family, they have not forgotten their heritage.”
Titania raised an aristocratic brow, and the point was.
“Anyway,” Puck continued hurriedly, correctly interpreting the expression. “One of their descendants saw the mirror and recognized it for what it was. The child, one Kaito Kuroba by name, used it to summon me and requested that it be returned to you.”
Deliberately, Titania turned back to the mirror, her emerald eyes glowing softly in the twilight. “And what reward did he ask?” That he had asked for something was a given. Everyone did.
“None, my lady.”
“None!” the queen repeated shocked.
“None,” Puck confirmed.
“How very interesting,” Titania murmured to herself. She would have to keep an eye on this one. After all, it was a poor queen who did not repay her debts.
Finis
Hope you liked it
I know I did
Plus, I finally figured out how Raven Wings is going to end
:Cheers: That will help a lot when I finally start writing it