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Aoko needed an answer.
Kaito, her fiancé, her best friend, the one she...
He had been Kid this whole time. For seven years, behind her and her father’s backs. Lying to her face through everything. The betrayal hurt so much, and she needed to know both why and how he’d done it. Not ‘how’ as in the logistics, but emotionally. Was he as cold and as ruthlessly manipulative as Keiko and all the police said? Or... was there something driving him to lie despite it hurting, like her heart kept insisting?
She didn’t know.
Asking Kaito wouldn’t help. He’d lied to her so perfectly for years, she’d never be able to tell, too caught up in her own hopes.
She’d tried doing her own research, but the Kuroba home was still firmly off limits (she and her father were both considered compromised, and Division 1 had taken over command of the investigation). There wasn’t much left in the house anyhow, everything short of the kitchen sink sitting in the MPD’s central evidence storage. Chikage and Jii had vanished, leaving Aoko no one to ask.
Out of options, she turned to one last, slightly mad, option: chasing a rumour of a ghost.
There was an urban legend regarding Tropical Land floating about that, if one found the right place and was there the right day, a ghost would appear who could answer any question. It had sounded crazy at first, but she’d tracked down the story all the same (anything to get her mind off the betrayal). She’d found two of the people in the stories; one was a child and the other a teenager. They both swore by what had happened and confirmed the specific day (October 23rd), and a rough idea of the location.
So, here she was, shivering on a remarkably chilly October day for Tokyo, and buying a ticket to Tropical Land. Well, maybe it was her nerves more than the cold that made her shiver...
She decided to try to ignore the now painful memories she had of the place, but failed as she walked past the theatre. She shook her head, realising Kaito had, no doubt, managed to sneak out and run a heist as she’d been distracted by the movie. She’d given him a perfect alibi by being gullible.
Shaking her head again, she hurried off into one of the side alleyways, usually used only by maintenance staff. The sun was setting now, and she paced back and forth down the more or less abandoned area, quietly whispering ‘I have a question’ as if it were a mantra.
“Finding answers is my specialty,” a voice said, just as the sun finished setting.
Aoko spun around, spotting the all but transparent form of a teenage boy leaning against the back of a concession stand. He had blood dried to the side of his face and the sort of baggy clothing that had been fashionable a good six years ago.
“You’re real,” Aoko gasped, despite herself.
“Against all logic, yes,” the ghost replied.
“And... you really are him. Kudo Shinichi? The boy who vanished six years ago.”
The ghost raised an eyebrow. “You’ve done your homework. I was indeed Kudo Shinichi, when I was alive at least. I’m not sure if names still apply to my current form... You have me at a bit of a disadvantage, though, miss.”
“Nakamori. Nakamori Aoko.”
Shinichi’s pale form nodded. “Well, Nakamori-san, what question did you need answered?”
“I need to know why Kaito did what he did... and if he actually ever cared about how much it would hurt me.”
“That’s two questions,” Shinichi replied, holding out two fingers to emphasize the point. “Which one matters to you more, because I’m not sure I’ll be able to stay in this world to answer both.”
“You’re not... you don’t control it?” Aoko asked.
Shinichi shook his head. “I’m stuck in limbo, dead, but not properly. I... that’s information I’m not supposed to share with the living though.”
Aoko nodded. She wasn’t sure how all this worked, and decided it was probably best not to pry. “If he cared, then. That’s what I’d like to know. If the answer is yes, then I can ask him the why.”
The ghostly boy nodded. “Well then, step one will be taking me to this Kaito. Sometimes just the appearance of a ghost can scare someone into talking. If not, it at least gives me his... spiritual ‘scent’. Do you know where he is?”
“Er... a special detention cell at the MPD headquarters?” Aoko offered weakly.
Shinichi’s form was fuzzy and transparent, but the momentary double take and slow blink was still decipherable. “That’s... that’s certainly a dramatic location. Just what did he do, exactly?”
“Did you hear about Kaitou Kid before you... um... mostly died?”
“I went to one of his heists. Nearly caught him, but he proved more reckless and chaotic than I’d ever expected,” Shinichi replied. “You mean to tell me that Kid’s real name was Kaito?”
Aoko nodded.
“I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised,” Shinichi muttered.
-b-
Aoko found it a little strange, how Shinichi drifted more than walked, as if he were wearing roller skates. She supposed that shouldn’t have surprised her, with him being a ghost and all, but she’d expected either full floating or full walking.
It was also surreal to now find herself riding the Keiyou line back into Tokyo, with a teenaged ghost sitting across from her in the rather empty train car. She supposed she’d heard rumours of ghosts taking taxis and such, but she’d still expected travelling with him to be a rather less mundane process.
“He never seriously hurt anyone, did he?” Shinichi asked, drifting a bit closer to her without actually standing up.
“No,” Aoko whispered back, not quite sure why Shinichi had asked, and hoping no one heard her whispering to what seemed to be thin air.
“That’s good to hear,” Shinichi replied with a smile. “A positive sign.”
Aoko wasn’t sure how much she wanted to believe that, but the announcement they were arriving at Tokyo Station provided a distraction from the issue. From there, it was a bit of winding about through the massive train station to get up to the surface and out onto the street. Aoko envied Shinichi’s ghostly ability to literally pass through the crowd, though she wondered what it felt like for both him and the person he travelled through.
The walk over to the MPD headquarters was fairly short, Aoko choosing to avoid going too close to the Imperial Palace on their route. She wasn’t sure why, but it seemed safer when travelling with a ghost. There’d probably been all sorts of rituals done to keep wandering spirits away.
Maybe.
Or maybe she was just doing everything she could to distract herself from the fact they were getting closer to Kaito. She didn’t know how she’d respond to seeing him.
“You can wait outside, if you want,” Shinichi said.
“Pardon?” Aoko asked.
“I can see it on your face. You don’t really want to go see him, do you?” the ghostly boy explained, his faded face still looking concerned.
“Not until I have my answer, no,” Aoko replied. “I don’t know how to feel around him yet.”
“I can probably find him then. I’ve visited the Sakurada Gate a few times, back when I was alive. A new special containment cell should be easy to find. Especially as a ghost able to walk through walls.”
Aoko nodded, feeling a bit reassured. She told Shinichi which floor to go to, and then watched him drift off into the building through a closed door. Aoko waited near the entrance for a couple minutes, before realising she might be there a while, and so headed over to find a bench.
It was a bit chilly, waiting alone in the October night, but she’d dressed warm enough that it wasn’t too bad. She started debating trying to find some hot chocolate when a voice a few centimetres from her ear made her jump.
Stumbling around, and nearly falling over, she realised it was Shinichi’s ghostly form, the young (mostly dead?) man rising out of the ground from below her.
“Please don’t do that in future,” Aoko said, trying to calm her racing heart and refill her lungs.
“Ah, sorry. My people skills have been getting worse these days,” he said, scratching the back of his head nervously. “But I do stand by thinking he looked strangely familiar. He was also oddly unfazed by the sight of a ghost. When I asked if he cared about you or not, he said it didn’t matter now.”
“Oh...”
Shinichi clapped his hands together, though the act was as silent as his movement. “I got a feel on his ‘aura’ type thing though. If you can take me to somewhere he spent a lot of time, I might be able to dig up some memories from those places. His home would probably be the best option.”
“I... well, his home is still off limits to anyone who’s not an investigator,” Aoko replied softly.
“And I’m invisible, remember?”
“Riiight. Ao-I forgot for a second. I’ll take you,” Aoko replied.
-b-
It was two trains out to Ekoda Station, taking a little more than half an hour. Which meant more mundane transit usage while a ghost was floating around her. And more time for Aoko to start wondering about the mostly dead boy floating around her. She knew he’d (effectively?) died six years earlier, and that he used to solve cases with the MPD (talk about ‘the saviour of the Tokyo police’ had obviously reached her, a policeman’s daughter). Beyond that though...
Once they’d left Ekoda Station, and slipped onto one of the quieter side streets, dead at this hour of a Saturday, she decided to find out what she could ask.
“Are there any messages you’d like me to pass on to anyone?” she asked.
Shinichi froze, slowly rotating to face her in an unsettlingly smooth ghostly way. “Pardon?”
“You vanished without getting to say your goodbyes,” Aoko explained. “Since you’re helping me, I thought I’d offer to help you a little.”
Shinichi opened his mouth for a moment, before closing it and starting to drift off down the street. “It’s been six years. She knows I’m dead by now... besides, she’s terrified of ghost stories.”
Aoko didn’t know what to make of that, but had to rush ahead, to help guide Shinichi towards the Kuroba home. Not that it was hard to pick out, surrounded by at least seven kilometres of yellow police tape. Something she and her father couldn’t help seeing and feeling miserable about every time they looked out their windows.
“Take my hand,” Shinichi said, extending his arm towards her.
“Your hand?” Aoko asked.
“It’ll feel a little weird, but it will let me take you with me to see the memories of this place,” Shinichi replied.
Aoko didn’t know what to make of the offer, but supposed she’d had no reason to distrust him, and so extended her own hand, grabbing where his was. To her surprise, she actually made contact.
A moment later the street had changed. It was daylight, and looked like summer. Before Aoko could say something, the small form of a young Kaito ran out from the front door, carrying a suitcase much too big for him.
“You’ll bring me back a cool souvenir, right dad?” Kaito asked.
A moment later Touichi appeared, a soft smile on his face. “Of course, of course. Don’t worry, Kaito.”
“I wish I could go with you,” young Kaito said, his face falling a little.
“We’ll get your passport in order when I come back, and you’ll be able to go to Hawaii with me next time,” Touichi replied, ruffling Kaito’s messy hair.
Aoko wondered, for a moment, why no one seemed to notice them, but saw she was as transparent as Shinichi when she turned to ask him.
“Sorry, this is the strongest memory, so it drew us in first,” Shinichi explained.
Aoko nodded. “It’s when Kaito’s father left for the last time. There was an accident in Hawaii...”
Shinichi gave a slow nod. “I’ll find a more relevant memory, just a moment now.”
Aoko nodded, trying not to watch as Kaito waved his father’s taxi off, all smiles.
Then the scene switched to an interior, the transition smooth and abrupt at the same time in ways Aoko couldn’t quite follow. Kaito was alone in a room Aoko had only seen in police photos after he’d been caught, surrounded by magic tools. He looked barely 16, about the same age as the ghostly boy beside her appeared.
A jukebox came to life in one corner, and began playing a recording in Touichi’s voice. He was explaining that he had been the original Kaito Kid. And... well, it seemed like he explained surprisingly little beyond that.
“If... if dad was Kid, then... then the Kid who’s been robbing things now... could that be him?” the teenaged Kaito muttered, turning to the outfit on a mannequin beside him. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
The scene changed again, the world falling away and being replaced. This time Kaito was older, looking closer to the present day. He was sunken into the living room couch, bags under his eyes as he stared up at the ceiling. The window revealed the sun was just starting to rise.
“I want to stop, dad,” he muttered to the air around him. “I just... I know they’re still out there. Still hunting for Pandora. But... how do you keep up the lies?”
Kaito pushed himself up, running a stressed hand through his hair. A moment later he stood up, walking over to the butsudan and the small picture of Touichi on it.
“I swear mom can’t tell the truth anymore. Even if she wants to,” he muttered. “I don’t want to end up like that. It’s getting too easy though. I almost don’t feel anything when I lie to Aoko and uncle Ginzo and... now I feel bad for not feeling bad, more than anything.”
While Aoko was focused on Kaito, she did notice Shinichi nodding to himself. He was no doubt glad to have found such a key moment. She was happy to let him feel good about it, though. He’d done better than she’d ever hoped.
“It had better be Pandora this next time,” Kaito said, lifting up the photo. “I don’t want to fail you, dad, but... I don’t like having to fail Aoko for your sake.”
Suddenly the world around them fell away again. This time the cold October night appeared around her, like a fog had lifted. Aoko realised her hand was no longer holding Shinichi’s and turned to see the boy starting to fade away.
“Looks like you got your answer,” he said, a forced smile just barely visible on his face as he began to dissipate himself.
Aoko’s heart fell. He was so young, to be torn away from human contact again so soon...
“What can I do to help you?” she asked, hoping to get something, anything. “At least, to thank you?”
Shinichi shrugged. “I told you, I never really cared for this supernatural st... I guess you ca... if you... next yea...”
His voice had grown fainter and wispier until, at last, she couldn’t make it out at all. His faint shadow of a form vanished from view a few seconds later.
Aoko didn’t know what to say. He’d shown her she could love Kaito still. That Kato had actually loved her. She had to do something for Shinichi.
Hopefully, she’d figure it out by next October.