Kaitou Kid One-Shots

Guardian

Finally.

Pandora.

Kaito remembered these to be the last thoughts passing through his brain. Blaring sirens all around the building and Nakamori-keibu about to burst onto the roof, yes, Kaitou KID was in middle of doing a heist. All started to blur once he shattered the gem. And finally, his sight became pitch black.

Kaito didn't remember what had happened afterwards. But the gem was gone, destroyed for good. And he felt at peace... this huge mix of feelings, Kaito couldn't describe it. Everything crushed down onto him in such an intense way and still everything felt numbed down. As darkness greeted him, he wasn't sure what would happen to him. Perhaps this had been the price all along? But this was a price he had been willing to pay. He knew there were so many people dear to him which he wanted to bid his farewell to... how would Aoko hold on without him? Akako surely would be pleased to know that every man was at her feet, now that he was gone. His mother, Kuroba Chikage? Kaito wanted to feel regret yet he couldn't feel at all anymore.
His lips curled up into a gentle smile.
He was ready to pay the price.

A few months later

Shinichi had faced yet another murder, just when he was about to buy groceries. Kaito nearly facepalmed but tagged along anyway. It was good to have this pair of elegant wings on his back, he wasn't in need to squish himself into cars or anything else. Kaito could fly, always in near of his sweet Meitantei.
They all, they all had grown out of it. Aoko had entered a relationship with Saguru, that detective brat. Akako sometimes talked with him but it didn't surprise him, after all she was a witch of red magic. It was good to have someone to talk to... Kaito was alone in this huge empty world. Eventually, he had grown closer to the evil witch and kept her company from time to time for a small chat but usually he ran after Shinichi, like the protective guardian angel he was making sure his Meitantei wouldn't die. His mother, Kuroba Chikage, had sold their former house and moved to France. The gadgets and all those little secrets of Kaitou KID had died with him.
His mother surely took them to some place, somewhere... it was a memory of both her son and her husband.

Kaito entertained himself with brooding over Shinichi's case files. Occasionally, he would calm down little witnesses with all kinds of magic tricks he was able to do. Children were able to see him... animals, too. But Shinichi wasn't a child anymore. Shinichi couldn't see him. And neither those important to him.
Yet, what made Shinichi special to him? The Detective of the East was the only person unable to let go. He kept his files, all the evidence he had collected about KID and the cause of his mysterious disappearance. Kaito had allowed himself to sneak a glance inside and had found out, that his body hadn't even been present after destroying Pandora. He just... vanished.
Clothes still there, some of his gadgets still there and the shattered gemstone inside his glove. Nothing else. Shinichi couldn't let go of him. Whenever he had a bit of free time he would grab his files and started brooding all over again, trying to find the solution to the unbelievable case.
"Let go of me, Meitantei..." KID whispered into his ear and Shinichi merely felt a gentle breeze on his skin.

"A car crash. Accident, it seems," Takagi-keiji reported with a sigh and flashed a pityful glance towards the crying child whose mother had been driving off with the ambulance.
"No. No it wasn't an accident." Shinichi frowned upon the place of act and inched closer, inspecting the victim's car.
"Someone manipulated the brakes. Look, here... see?"
Kaito didn't pay any further attention to the deductions of his lovely detective, instead he did what he always did once a child was involved. With a gentle smile he approached the girl and crouched down, before he began to pull roses, little birds and cards out of his sleeves.

"Wow!! A-are you a real magician?!" the sniffling girl proceeded to ask, successfully distracted. Shinichi froze as he heard these words and trailed off, his gaze turning towards the girl who stared into nowhere.
"Kudo-kun?" Takagi helplessly asked, trying to pull him back into reality, but it was no use.
Kaito nodded and smiled, twirling his card gun on his hand.
"Yes, I am a magician. But not any magician. Can you guess who I am?"
The girl gasped and her eyebrows narrowed, almost as if she analyzed the current picture in front of her.
"G-guess...? Uhm... I-I don't know! Give me a hint!"
Kaito smiled cheekily, his eyebrows vanishing upwards below his top hair. He cleared his throat and spread his arms wide, cooing his oh so famous "Ladies and gentlemen!!"
The girl fell silent and Shinichi frowned even deeper. Slowly, carefully, he approached the girl and already wanted to wrap his arm around her as she let out a highpitched squeal, startling the officers around her.
"I-I know!! You're... you're Kaitou KID!!"
The air around her turned chilly and Shinichi felt his face to turn shades paler.
"Little one, there is nothing. KID is dead."

Kaito flashed a sad smile at Shinichi and breathed out a sigh, crouching again down in front of the girl who successfully shook Shinichi's arm off again.
"Well... I'm not really here. Only you can see me."
"Whaaat? So... a-are you an angel?!" the girl exclaimed with an admiring grin on her face, to which Kaito chuckled in response.
"Kind of, yes. I'm watching him. That Meitantei over there, Kudo Shinichi."
He nodded towards the detective who still tried to fight the scene he was forced to face right now.
"Ku... Kudo Shinichi? That's why you have wings! Why? Aren't you gonna watch your family? Or... is he your family?!"
Shinichi gasped and raised himself back onto his legs again, his attention returning to the worried Takagi and Megure.
"I-I'm sorry, but... I'm not feeling well. I'll go home and rest."
KID quietly grumbled into his direction and shrugged.
"Guess that's my call to go. Farewell, ojou-san~"

Shinichi fell with a groan onto the chair inside the study. No, he couldn't understand it. It was impossible. Why did a child imagine to see KID? KID was dead. He vanished without a trace, months ago. This one case remained unsolved, no matter how much he thought into it. He couldn't piece the puzzle parts together. He had so much information and at the same time, he knew nothing.
Kaito sat on the desk right next to him, watching his favorite critic with an aching heart. Shinichi tortured himself over and over again, and Kaito felt on the edge of his abilities to bear this. He would never leave his side again. Not even Pandora, not even death had managed to part them.
Even if his critic didn't know about his presence. Someday, he knew, Shinichi would have to let him go as well. Just like the others had done.

But for the time being and until his detective's very death, he would protect him from any harm.