Detective Conan: Someone Precious
It felt horribly ironic to Kaito that he would be wearing Hakuba’s face when he pulled Edogawa Conan’s battered body out of the river. Long-ingrained discipline kept him in character even in the most trying of circumstances. As such, he currently appeared far more calm than he actually was. Conan wasn’t moving, and Kaito really didn’t like the looks of his left leg. But he was still breathing, and his pulse was strong.
I was afraid I hadn’t gotten here in time, but I guess I needn’t have worried, eh, little detective? This has gone far beyond ridding myself of some troubling assassins. For just a moment, when Conan had fallen off the bridge and Kaito had still been too far away to stop it, he’d been absolutely terrified that this was it; Conan would drown and Kaito would have another death on his conscience, another loss to mourn.
He gently laid his left hand on Conan’s chest, just to feel it rise and fall. The fake wristband caught his eye, and brought back the words he’d said to his detectives when he’d joined them at the university.
Someone precious to me is also at Miracle Land.
He’d meant it as a way in, something they’d see as a confirmation of the evidence at hand. It was, in actuality, more of a confession. “I do have someone precious trapped in this farce of an investigation,” he said softly. “Even if his body is free to roam-and get tossed off a bridge like he’s the one with wings-his heart remains in Miracle Land, undefended.”
The expression on Kaito’s face in that moment did not belong to Kaitou Kid, nor was it borrowed from Hakuba. It belonged entirely to Kuroba Kaito, who had once fashioned himself into a ghost and courted death in order to keep it from those he held dear. His right hand slowly clenched into a fist before he willed it to relax.
Someone precious to me…
Kaito stood abruptly, and the nearby streetlamps cast his shadow on the still-unconscious detective. “Hakuba would just be extra baggage now that you and Hattori have all that you need,” he mused out loud, “but Kaitou Kid still has work to do to ensure that everyone goes home safe.” He took out his (thankfully waterproof) phone and dialed a number he’d committed to memory for just such an occasion.
“Hello, Doctor Agasa? My name is Hakuba Saguru…”
You do your part, little detective, and I’ll do mine. No one else has to die.