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I did not start off with any intention to get attached.

In fact, the reasons were purely practical, perhaps a bit self-serving.  A thief had found me, and was rather intent on destroying my vessel, which at the time was merely a jewel hidden inside another jewel.

I saw no reason not to do what I did.  Any attempts to destroy me would have failed, of course.  Any mortal who would think otherwise would be most foolish.  However, it was an inconvenience that I did not feel like associating myself with.

It was cloudy the night the thief stole me, and he had not yet had a chance to check for my presence in the jewel before he was forced to return home.

So I moved vessels.  Evidently inanimate objects were not as secure as I preferred my vessels to be.  I required something more mobile, something more sentient, something that the thief was more – attached to.

The infant was just that – an infant, who hardly even noticed the change – he was sleeping peacefully in his crib when I made him my new vessel, and his young mind was so malleable, so inexperienced, that it would have no idea anything was different when it awoke. 

The thief would not dare lay a hand on me if he feared for the life of his beloved son, and it was not like the infant could communicate anything had happened, even if he did happen to notice the change.

I pushed myself to the back of the infant’s mind and remained silent, watching life from behind his eyes.  The thief checked the jewel the following night, and, finding nothing, sighed in disappointment and returned the jewel.

Nothing was suspected.  And I had the perfect vessel – no one would ever think to look for me in an infant, sparing me more conflicts with those who would wish to utilize my power for harm or greed.

Of course, I did perhaps make a slight miscalculation.  For infants do not remain infants for long.  I understood the human life-cycle in its entirety, but I had not quite factored in how short they truly are.

And thus, my vessel began to grow.

For the first few years I watched from deep inside my vessel’s mind as he toddled around and began his first attempts at language.  His parents doted on him, laughing at his antics and showing him their magic tricks, which my vessel adored.  He was quite the curious sort, this would cause me many problems should he discover my presence. 

And then I did something rather ill-advised.  At the time I could not have begun to explain to you why I did what I did, which was a rather foreign experience as an all-powerful all-knowing entity.  I had not experienced such a thing since I was first forming millennias ago.

Reflecting back on it now, I am able to identify it as the first time my affection for my vessel overrode my better judgement.  It would not be the last.

My vessel was four (and a half, if you were to ask him his age, he seemed to think that to be an important distinction) and had recently gone to the circus with his parents where he had been enchanted by the various performers’ acts.  So enchanted in fact, that he was extremely foolishly attempting to mimic them at home.

His mother had stepped out for a little while to work on cooking dinner and unwisely left my vessel unsupervised.  I was not bothered by this, up until the point my vessel managed to stack several of his larger toys onto a chair, contriving them into some kind of demented staircase, and proceeded to climb it.

Impressively enough, he even managed to reach the top without disaster.  But what followed –

My vessel stuck his arms up in the air.  For the first time, I started to feel wary of this situation.  He had been especially been fond of the acrobats, and it seemed like he might be –

He was.  Before I could finish my thought process, my vessel had jumped off his mishmashed tower in a spectacular failure of an attempt at a backflip.

He landed, of course, not on his feet, but careened downwards face first – and as all humans instinctively do, put his arms in front of his head to shield it from the fall.

A snap.  And then my vessel began screaming in pain.

His mother heard of course, and I could tell she was already rushing towards the room.  My vessel curled up in a ball, clutching his right arm, tears streaking down his face and trembling.

A broken arm is hardly the most grave of human injuries, but to a four (and a half) year old, it is the worst pain ever experienced, as if things have progressed ideally, they have never had to contend with any pain stronger than a broken arm before.

Therefore, my vessel could not stop screeching.  I told myself it was merely to quiet him – I had heard enough crying in his infant years.  Thus, I released some magic and his heart pumped it through his body the same as blood.  The magic took effect immediately, the bone in his arm correcting itself (painlessly, of course, I am all-powerful after all) and healing over within seconds.

My vessel stopped crying.  The door flew open as his mother bolted into the room.

“Kaito?  Kaito honey, what’s wrong?”  She asked, and my vessel merely blinked at her, dazed at the abrupt transition from all-consuming pain to complete comfort.

“I fell,” he said finally, pointing at the now listing stack of toys on the chair.

“You – are you all right?”  His mother quickly checked my vessel over, naturally finding no injuries.  Breathing a sigh of relief, she pulled him close and my vessel immediately snuggled into her chest.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Kai-chan.  Why don’t you come help mama in the kitchen?  She could use a big strong boy like you.”  She suggested, scooping him up as she stood.

And like all other young children vulnerable to the compliments of parents who wish to manipulate them into doing certain things, my vessel obliviously accepted this suggestion and nodded eagerly.

But as she carried him away, my vessel’s eyes locked onto that chair, and his toys atop it, and something in his mind probed.  Stirring, reaching for something it was not sure was there.

I pulled away and hid myself deeper.  My actions had been unwise and now it would be necessary to lay low until my vessel forgot about it.

Which he would, of course.  He was four (and a half) and soon would have no memory of any of it, moving onto the next exciting thing as all four (and a half) year olds do.

I had nothing to be concerned about.

-

Perhaps I had been too optimistic.  My vessel and I had been intertwined for nearly five years, and now that a connection had been made, it could not be stopped.

It started out with small things, so minor that none of the adults around my vessel caught on that anything was amiss.  My vessel stared at his reflection for a moment longer than he should, his mind always probing, probing, reaching, searching. 

My vessel was consciously unaware of this, of course.  But despite my best efforts, my power and presence had still had some influence on his developing subconscious mind.  It knew me, the way I knew him, and it was not going to stop until it had found me.

Nevertheless, I hid.  And continued to hide, until my vessel was five, and got himself into yet another troublesome situation.  This time it was his leg he broke – falling out of a tree he had attempted to climb.  Truly, my vessel never learned.  He was, after all, still a young child and I would make allowances for that.

It was beyond foolish this time.  I knew he was already becoming aware of me, that this would only strengthen the budding connection between us.  Despite this, I sent my magic coursing through his veins yet again, his broken leg correcting and healing itself before his parents arrived to comfort and examine my vessel for injuries.

Just as he had before, my vessel quieted.  Except – it was not simply from the pain subsiding.  It was something else, it was –

It was my vessel taking comfort in me.

The world shifted.  My thoughts paused, then started, then paused again, as reality rewove itself.

This child, my vessel, who should not have, by any account, known I was there, felt my presence in that moment and was comforted.

To call making an infant my vessel a miscalculation, was, perhaps, a bit of an understatement.

By the time my vessel had just turned six, he was becoming more and more aware of me, my presence bleeding into his conscious mind as his subconscious grew to know me more and more.  I ceased most of my attempts to conceal myself – they were proving most fruitless against the constant energy that a six-year-old has.  It continued like that for some months until one day, my vessel, playing alone in his room, humming and singing to himself, paused.

I sat with him in the pause, as my vessel set his toys down and looked around the room.  I looked with him, finding no danger or imminent threats.  Perhaps he was simply –

“Red?”

For the second time, I experienced the world as I knew it freezing and shattering apart.  My vessel knew me, knew me consciously, not by name, but by essence.

What I did next was the unwisest choice I had ever made in my ageless existence.  I answered.

Yes, vessel?

What my vessel replied with was something that only a young child would – that only my vessel would.

“What’s a vessel?”

Laughter.  I did not laugh except for the rarest of occasions, and yet I could feel it echoing throughout my being.

My vessel, influenced by me, began giggling as well.

It is what you are.

I told him at last, simply.

“Oh.  Okay.”  My vessel shrugged it off, unbothered.  He had not grown enough yet to know that most humans would be disturbed to hear a foreign voice in their mind.

“What are you?”  He asked next, resuming his play.  I considered him for a moment before giving him my answer.

I am a part of you.  An essence.

“Essence?  Like mama’s perfume bottles?”  My vessel scrunched up his nose and I paused again, blown away by the audacity my vessel possessed.  Any other being I would have immediately punished for such disrespect, but for my vessel –

And the laughter began again.

No.  Those are called scents.  I am an essence.

“Huh.  Okay.”  My vessel looked down at his toys in deliberation.  “Wanna play?”

…Play?

“Yeah.  Oh! I know! We can play magician!”  My vessel eagerly stood, racing around his room to collect one of his many child-sized top hats and capes, before pausing and looking around the room in confusion.  “…Where are you?”

I am…

Foolish, foolish, foolish of me.  But this child, my vessel – for all that he was bonded to me, I had become bonded to him.

I created a construct.  A human form outside my vessel, powered by my essence.  Despite the fact my eyes were glowing blood red, something that would frighten most children, my vessel was not deterred.

“You’ve been hiding!”  My vessel accused me, unaware of how very right he was.  A fond smile appeared on my face without meaning to, but the sight made my vessel grin wide – and he had lost some of his first baby teeth, the gap fully visible, but not dimming the brightness of his smile in the slightest.

“Well, I am here now.  Are you going to put on a magic show?”  I queried of him and my vessel nodded, throwing out his cape with a flourish.

“Prepare to be amazed!  The great magician Kaito-sama is only surpassed by one other magician, the great Kuroba Touichi!  That’s my dad.”  He added as an afterthought, as if I did not already know.

“I am prepared.  Show me.”  I told him, settling down on his bed and watching as my vessel clumsily shuffled a deck of cards before fanning them out in his hand.

“Pick a card, any card!”  He declared and I raised an eyebrow at the offered selection, before carefully reaching out and pulling one from his fingers.

“Don’t show me what it is!  A magician is all-knowing!”  My vessel quickly replaced the other cards back in the deck and held it out to me.  “Place your card back in the deck and I, the great magician Kaito-sama, will magically summon it back!”

“Should I not look at the card I selected first?”  I suggested mildly and my vessel deflated a little.

“Ah…yeah…I meant to tell you that.  Look at your card and then put it back in the deck!”

I complied.  My vessel assumed a dramatically overplayed concentrated expression on his face, shuffling the cards around in his hand, before triumphantly holding up a card – and it was indeed the card I had selected.

“Here it is!  The Ace of Hearts!”

I clapped and my vessel swept his hat off his head, holding it in front of his chest and he took several bows.

“Did you like it?”  My vessel asked me once had at last finished, looking up at me with wide, hopeful eyes.

“You are quite skilled already for your age.”  I allowed, but my vessel was not satisfied.

“You didn’t smile – dad says magic tricks are supposed to make people smile…”  My vessel trailed off into contemplative silence for a moment before he snapped his fingers.  “I know!”

Before I could reply to him, my vessel extended his hand, holding it in a fist in front of me.  I recognized what he was about to do of course, having watched him practice it over and over again with his father, but still –

A bright red rose popped into his existence in his hand, right in front of my eyes.

“Here!”  My vessel told me, smiling brightly at me.  “It matches your eyes!”

And for the second time since I had created the construct, I smiled.

“That is does, vessel.”  Carefully, gently, an irrational part of me that should not exist fearing that if I were not careful, the precious moment would simply shatter, I took the rose from him.  My vessel eagerly watched as I turned it around in my hand and studied it, after a moment deciding he was tired of standing and was going to sit – in my lap.

I was finding myself rather helpless to my vessel at this point – and I found myself helpless yet again, letting him snuggle into me, the bond we shared for all those years making him feel subconsciously safe and trusting of me.

I had scarcely thought it through before I placed my arm around him, my other hand closing and coming down to hover in front of my vessel’s face.

“Huh?”  He asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

“Open it.”  I told him and my vessel quickly tapped my hand.  I opened it to reveal something rather simple – but to my vessel it was everything.

An ace of hearts card, glowing and sparkling with magic – ornately decorated and most importantly, featuring the Magician Kaito-sama in the middle, holding the heart.

“Whoa -” my vessel breathed, eyes wide with wonder as he took it from me.  “How’d you – are you a magician too?”

“Not in the way you are.”  I informed him, drawing him closer to me.  “I use a different kind of magic.  I will teach it to you once you are older.”

…I will?

I would?

“How much older?”  My vessel immediately asked and I sighed.

“You must grow in the magic you are currently learning, first.  Once you have mastered enough of it, I will teach you my magic.”

“Then I’ll be ready in no time at all!  I’m super fast at learning magic.”  My vessel bragged, but I could not bring myself to feel anything other than fondness at his rather inflated ego.

“See to it then, vessel.”  I said quietly and my vessel made a noise of agreement, settling back against me.

Ah, he was getting sleepy.  That made sense with how much he had been running around and tiring himself out earlier.  Raising my hand, I began stroking his hair and humming on a low frequency I knew would help lull my vessel into sleep.  Some minutes later and he was fast asleep in my arms, not a care in the world.

I sat there, holding him, as all of my conceptions and beliefs folded in and twisted themselves, feelings that had been nothing more than a dull sensation at best exploding into color and light.

The world as I had perceived it had shattered, but the shards were reflecting back the start of something new – a fresh reality and outlook on life that would transform me into something beyond what I had been.

I am Pandora, an all-powerful, all-knowing entity.  My vessel is Kuroba Kaito, whom I care for and will love and protect with everything that I am and can do.

I was no longer going to hide from him.  I would be his companion, for as long as he wished it.

Now I only had to hope his parents would not grow suspicious.

-

To my fortune, my vessel was still at the age where an imaginary friend was not uncommon – and so his imaginary friend “Red” I became.  I would soon have to impress upon my vessel the importance of keeping my true nature a secret from his parents, but for now I simply enjoyed properly spending time with him.

Not much time passed before my vessel made a human friend as well – finding her standing alone underneath the clocktower as he was waiting for his father.  My vessel approached her and upon finding out she had just moved to the area and was waiting for her father as well, took it upon himself to make her smile with a magic trick – this time a blue rose, rather than a red one. 

My vessel and this new girl – Nakamori Aoko – became fast friends, and it was not long before their parents met as well.  I found great amusement at the look on my vessel’s father’s face when he realized that his son’s new best friend was the daughter of the man tasked with the goal of capturing Kaitou KID.

Nevertheless, the families bonded, and as they lived only across the street from one another, they saw each other quite often.  Therefore, I should have anticipated it would not be long before my vessel began to pester me to play with Aoko as well as him.

I certainly should not have obliged him, but I found I was ignoring what I should do more and more in favor of what he wanted.  Perhaps there was a time I would have found that fact concerning, but I was far past that now.

Aoko did not share the same bond with me that my vessel did and as a consequence, was far more startled by my existence when my vessel excitedly introduced her to ‘Red’.  Nonetheless, after some charismatic persuasion from my vessel, she agreed to play.

The parents assumed that my vessel and Aoko merely shared an imaginary friend now.  After all, they never saw me and anything that was out of place could easily be explained away by the existence of two rambunctious six-year-olds.

My vessel and Aoko ended up in the same class at school to their delight, and their friendship only grew.  From early on in their relationship I could tell they had a connection meant to last a lifetime and I vowed to ensure that nothing would come in the way of that.

Sometimes when we were in private, I would sit my vessel and Aoko on my lap and regale them with stories of eras long past.  They always listened with rapt attention, eyes wide and filled with wonder.  Other times I would play games with them, aiding them in their adventures and shenanigans. 

Eventually they did ask me why I refused to introduce myself to their parents.  After careful consideration I explained that the adults would not be able to see me the same way they could.

“They’d think you were scary?”  My vessel asked me, leaning his elbows on the table he was sitting at and looking up at me.

“I believe so.  Perhaps when you are older, you can explain it to them in a way that will not frighten them so much.”  I answered and my vessel and Aoko exchanged a glance.

“Aoko will be sure to!”  Aoko declared after a moment, followed by assent from my vessel.  “Aoko knows you’re nice.”  She added after a moment and despite myself, I felt a warm glow in my chest.

Children were quite the change after the eternity I had spent seeing humanity’s worst attacking and killing one another in pursuit of my power.

Unfortunately, soon after that day, I had to experience it again.  My vessel’s parents had decided to take him to the aquarium, something my vessel had been excited about for weeks.  He was newly seven now, and had become quite the slippery one.  Before long, he had managed to become separated from his parents, ending up alone in a rather large assorted fish exhibit.

I was not concerned at first.  Instead I merely set to work locating his parents so that I could direct my vessel back to them.

Before I could accomplish this task however, another group entered the exhibit.  I could immediately tell they meant trouble – a quick look into their hearts showed me that they belonged to some low-level gang and they happened to be low on money.  A place like an aquarium would be filled with easy targets – distracted people and defenseless people, who do not expect to run into characters of their sort there.  It was all ideal for lowly criminals who wanted to get their hands on some cash. 

My vessel turned before I could stop him – and the leader of the group paused, scrutinizing my vessel before breaking out in a wide grin.

“Hey there, kid.  Where’re your mommy and daddy?”

My vessel took the smart course of action and did not answer, although he did stiffen in apprehension.  The leader was not deterred, taking several steps closer to get a better look at him.

My vessel backed away, his eyes widening.

“You look familiar…”  The leader hummed, before recognition lit up his eyes and his grin turned into something far more sinister.  “Oh hey, I think I’ve seen you on TV a couple times.  You’re that magician’s kid, right?  Kuroba Touichi, the greatest magician in Japan.”

Oh dear.  My vessel had never been able to help himself from correcting people in the past, and he did it now too, despite how terrible of an idea it was –

“Greatest in the world.”  My vessel insisted, quieter than usual and trembling, but still determined.

“Yeah?  Point is, your daddy’s pretty loaded, right?”  The leader took another step closer and my vessel wisely closed his mouth.

“Hey, so if we have his kid -” another member of the group spoke up and the leader nodded, cutting them off.

“Then he’ll probably pay a pretty penny to get him back.  C’mere kid, we won’t hurt you – not as long as your daddy pays up anyways ~”

At this point, my vessel had grown aware that he was most certainly in a dire situation – he turned to try to run, but the leader snatched him up before he could and slipped a knife out from his pocket, pressing it to my vessel’s throat.

“Now where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?  Let’s hang out for a bit.  It’ll be fun.”  He leered down at my vessel and inside my vessel’s head I tensed, readying myself to interfere.

My vessel seemed to have the same idea, because he began squirming and kicking in the leader’s grip and shrieking “Red, Red!” as loudly as he could.

“Hey shut up – stay still -” The leader growled, and pushed down on the knife even more, to a point of pain.

I had had quite enough of this, and an anger of a strength I had rarely experienced filled me as I swirled into existence, looming over the leader.  He gulped, taking in my appearance, grip on the knife slackening slightly.

“Put him down.”  I commanded and the leader immediately complied.  My vessel ran to me, hiding behind my legs as I turned to take in the entire group, glowing red with rage.

“W – what are you?”  One of them managed, and I raised my hands, red lightning crackling and sparking over them.  The group backed away with wide eyes.

“I am his guardian.  And if any of you lowly scum value your lives, then you will run.”  I snarled at them and the group did not hesitate, letting out shrieks of terror and fleeing as quickly as they could.  I cast a memory alteration charm on them as they ran, for as much as I would like them to remember why they should not cross my vessel, it would the safer option for them to forget they ever saw him at all.

Speaking of my vessel – he was still shaking, clutching onto me for dear life.  I bent down and picked him up and he immediately curled into me.

“It is all right, vessel.  They are gone and will never harm you again.”  I reassured him, but my vessel merely whimpered.

“Vessel?”  I asked him, starting to feel concerned.  My vessel slowly lifted his face up to meet my gaze, his eyes watery.

“Scary…”

My concern only grew and I looked inside his mind to examine what was happening.  My vessel’s mind was already attempting to protect him from the trauma of what he had just experienced, seeking to block the memories as best it could, to find something else to transfer the fear to – and as my vessel’s gaze moved past mine, it locked onto the fish swimming around in the tanks around us. 

Ah.  My vessel had of course been staring at fish the whole time the attack had been happening – and it seemed his mind was not going to distinguish between the two.

I stayed there with my vessel until I sensed his parents nearby – then with great reluctance I set him down and disappeared, his parents rushing into the room seconds later, overcome with relief at finally finding their son.  My vessel promptly burst into tears and began wailing about how much he hated fish and begging to go home.

His parents were bewildered, but assumed the trauma of getting lost in the aquarium had soured my vessel on the whole experience, and took him back home at once.

Everyone hoped it would pass, but alas it did not – from that moment on, even as his memories of why faded, my vessel despised and feared fish and never wished to see them again.

-

Despite that one incident, life was otherwise peaceful.  The following days were happy golden ones, spent with my vessel and Aoko going to school and playing together, their families sharing dinners and going to festivals and parks together.

I continued to spend time with my vessel and Aoko in secret and the three of us grew very close indeed.  Kaitou KID continued his thefts to the dismay of Aoko’s father, but both children remained oblivious to the secrets their parents held.

My vessel’s father acquired some students, both actresses on the surface, but I could see how much more was hidden beneath the exterior.  Kudou Yukiko I did not mind so much, other than when she saw it fit to frighten my vessel over him failing to refer to her as a young lady.  Sharon Vineyard however, I kept a close and watchful eye on.  Her connections were dark and had no place near my vessel.

Still, even as she was shrouded in darkness, I could see through her – and she was getting attached to this little family she had found herself in, watching my vessel and sometimes Aoko when she was over to play, something longing in her eyes.  

She attempted to keep her distance, but the warmth and welcome of the Kuroba household wore her down until one day she was having tea with my vessel’s parents and Yukiko, my vessel situated on her lap and showing her little tricks whenever she would pay him any mind.  It would not occur to her until after she left how relaxed she had been and it was that realization that spurred her to quickly wrap up what remained of her lessons and make a hasty retreat out of the Kurobas’ lives.  Yukiko soon followed, although parting on far more amicable terms.  My vessel was disappointed of course, but there was always another adventure to be had, a new person to meet, and he quickly moved on with his life.

And so, the golden days continued.  I would have been content for it to stay like this forever – but good things rarely do, and as all things in life, it eventually came to its end.

-

The day had started off as most performance days do – a special breakfast before leaving for the venue.  My vessel’s father was doing an escape act that day at a local amusement park.  He would be chained to a rollercoaster hurtling down the track towards a flaming house.

Perhaps dramatic, but that is all the Kurobas knew how to be.

Aoko and her father arrived shortly after the Kurobas, and my vessel and she quickly set off to play while the adults chatted about the upcoming show.

Nothing was out of place.  Later, I would immensely regret letting my guard down so much.  I had spent eight years mostly removed from the rest of humanity, experiencing life through the wonder and enchantment of a child.  I suppose even I, as all-powerful and all-knowing as I was, could be lulled into a sense of false security when with humans such as the Kurobas.

At last the show was set to start and my vessel settled down with Aoko and her father.  His mother and his father’s assistant were down by the cameras, eager to catch every moment of Kuroba Touichi’s grand escape.

My vessel’s father enjoyed creating false tension with his audience – pulling off his escape at the last possible moment or pretending that something was not quite going according to plan.

Therefore, by the time I realized his struggles were real, it was tragically, devastatingly, too late.

If I had been paying less attention to the excitement of my vessel, if I had been reading his father’s heart – an infinity of things I should have done differently that I would curse myself for later. 

Still, I tried – reaching out with magic, even as I knew it would not reach him in time, that even if it could, the energy required for such spells would likely render my vessel comatose for far longer than could be easily explained.

The rollercoaster made impact with the house, bursting out into a fiery explosion, the sound ringing in my vessel’s ears.  The audience gasped and for a moment there was silence as people expected some kind of miraculous appearance.

I attempted to feel for his presence, his heart, his aura, any of the usual indicators that I had used to detect him in the past.

Nothingness greeted me.

In a matter of seconds Kuroba Touichi, and everything he was, had been wiped from the face of the Earth.

“Dad – dad?”  My vessel shot to his feet as his father failed to appear, starting to sound panicked.  Aoko’s father quickly reacted, scooping him up and turning my vessel’s face into his shoulder.  My vessel fought him, still screaming and crying out for his father – and Nakamori held him tight, eyes filled with horror and devastation as he attempted to soothe my vessel.

Aoko clutched onto her father, her lips trembling, looking around in confusion as screams and shouts began to echo around them.  Paramedics and firefighters rushed towards the rollercoaster, the sirens’ screeching blending in with all the commotion.

Nothing, however, could drown out my vessel’s mother.  She had remained calm, patiently waiting, expecting that her husband was simply wishing to create even more dramatics.  It was not until the sirens started that she finally realized that something was horrifically wrong.

“Touichi!”

Their assistant held her back as she attempted to run towards the wreckage, tears streaming silently down his face.  Chikage struggled for a moment more before giving up and collapsing to her knees and wailing.

My vessel attempted to turn towards his mother but Nakamori refused to let him, whispering soft, comforting words in his ear.  But my vessel would not be calmed, erupting into loud, full body sobs.

I gave him the only mercy I could in that moment.  With a silent internal command, I took control of my vessel’s mind, forcing him to sleep.  Nakamori assumed he had simply passed out from the shock and picked up Aoko as she cried quietly into his shoulder and carried them over to a team of nearby paramedics for them to examine my vessel.

I sat quietly in the back of his mind, letting my thoughts settle.  There was no reason why his father should have failed at something he had done so many times – and there had been safeguards in place that should have prevented this tragedy from occurring.

No, this was no true accident.  I had known that my vessel’s father had been fighting with another group, attempting to expose the shadows to the light.  It seemed they had taken matters into their own hands, managing to discover his identity in some way, and sabotaging his show to make it appear as a tragic accident.

I had thought hiding my presence would have been for the best, first for selfish reasons, then for something more – that if anyone had known the Kurobas had me in their possession, it would have brought nothing but ruin.

Unfortunately, it appeared that despite my best efforts, the shadows had caught up to them regardless.

-

When my vessel eventually awoke, he said nothing to me.  He spent the rest of the day with either his mother or Aoko’s father, staring at nothing with dull, empty eyes.

It was not until that night, alone in his bedroom at last, that my vessel spoke.

“Red?”

“Yes, vessel?”  I appeared at his bedside, reaching out to stroke his hair.

My vessel pulled away.  I froze, my hand still outstretched, as my vessel, for the first time, looked upon me with anger.

“Why didn’t you save him?!”  He cried and I started to speak, stopped, then started again.

“Vessel…I tried.”

“No you didn’t!  You’re super powerful, you’ve told me that!  So why didn’t you save him?”  My vessel demanded, sounding near hysterical.  I slowly sat down beside him on the bed, weighing my words carefully even as something in my being ached from his treatment.  He was grieving and confused, his beloved father figure ripped away from him in one horrific instant.  I would not and never have since, held it against him.

“I did not realize he was in true danger until it was too late.  Your father – he enjoyed pretending.  I thought he was pretending.”  I told him and my vessel choked on a sob.

“I thought he was too…”

“I would have done something if I had known.  You have my word, vessel.”  I gently reached to take his hands and this time my vessel let me, staring at me as tears streamed down his cheeks.  I hated the sight, hated seeing my vessel so distraught and broken with no way to fix it.  There had never been a problem of his that I could not solve, until this moment.

“Can’t you bring him back?”  My vessel sniffled and something inside my being cracked at how small he sounded.

“I…”  Taking in a deep breath I squeezed my vessel’s hands as I answered him.  “No.  Something like that lies even beyond my power.  The – those who have passed on go somewhere that I cannot simply retrieve.  Perhaps if he – well.  I do not have any remains to work with.  I am sorry, vessel.  I am so, so, sorry.”

I had never hesitated so much when speaking to him before and even in his grief, the significance of my pauses was not lost on my vessel.  He was silent for a moment, looking down at our joined hands before asking quietly:

“Will I ever see him again?”

“Yes.”  I replied to him at once – this much I knew with absolute certainty.  “However…not for a very, very long time, vessel.”

My vessel sniffled again and nodded.

“I’ll remember what dad taught me.”  He managed, his voice trembling and cracking on every word.  “I won’t – I won’t forget.”

“Of course, vessel.”  I murmured.  My vessel breathed out a shaky sigh and laid back against his pillows.  I thought he was starting to drift off, but to my surprise, he spoke again.

“Hey Red?”

“Yes, vessel?”

“Is that your real name?”

I paused, wondering how that had possibly come to his mind with everything else he was facing.  Nonetheless, I answered him.

“It is my name in that it is what you call me – however, before I was with you, I was called Pandora.”

“Pandora.”  My vessel repeated softly and the sound of my vessel speaking my true name felt so right.  “Pandora,” my vessel said again, opening his eyes slightly to look at me.  “Stay here tonight?”

I was always with him of course, but both of us knew what my vessel meant.  I nodded, settling down beside him on the bed.

“Of course, vessel.  Whatever you wish.”

My vessel did not reply, closing his eyes again, his chest trembling with every breath.  I gently pushed his mind towards sleep and my vessel complied, his breaths evening out at long last.

True to my word, I spent the entire night sitting by him, ensuring his dreams stayed far far away from any cruel reminders.  His sleep was the only respite he would have from his new reality, therefore I would ensure it remained untouched.

-

My vessel remained true to his word as well.  His father quickly became an idol in my vessel’s mind, even more so than he had been when he was alive.  He worked endlessly on perfecting his “poker face” and held to it, even at the funeral – my vessel did not shed even one tear, his plain, somber expression matching that of his mother’s.

Aoko and her father kept looking at him in concern but my vessel waved them off.  I would be telling a falsehood to say that I approved of this, but my vessel would not even listen to me on this matter.

His mother outright encouraged it – in the aftermath of her husband’s death she had completely changed, reverting back to the woman she had been before her family.  Grief and loss makes all humans do drastic things, but I found I had very little sympathy for her as she pulled away from my vessel more and more, growing colder and colder.

My vessel rarely protested, learning early on that no matter how much he needed his mother, she would only be there if the mood struck her.

She began leaving the house for longer and longer periods of time.  Aoko’s father began preparing an extra portion of food and inviting my vessel over for supper.

When Nakamori was not taking care of him, I was.  Despite my best efforts, my vessel grew duller and duller, that energy and spark in his eyes that I had grown to love dying alongside his father.  He studiously practiced magic for hours, his toys abandoned and collecting dust in a corner of his room.  One day his mother decided to do a spontaneous cleaning of the house and packed them all away in boxes.  My vessel said nothing, barely seeming to notice their absence.  He quoted his father on everything, something that seemed to please or anger his mother depending on her mood.

Aoko grew subdued in my vessel’s presence, bringing her own toys or books and quietly playing while my vessel practiced the same tricks over and over again to perfection.  I attempted to tell them stories like I had in the past, but only Aoko expressed any interest in listening.

And then, one day, it was as if a switch was flipped in my vessel.  He woke up with a smile that never left his face, an energy that I had not seen since before the incident.

Except, it was not the same as before.  His smile was not born out of excitement or joy simply spilling over and appearing on his face.  It was carefully crafted, practiced in the mirror, designed to perfection.  His energy came, not from an adventurous, untamed spirit, but a desire to perform.

My vessel’s poker face was nearing completion.  The people around him hesitated, but my vessel was nothing if not the best, and soon they accepted that real or not, this was how my vessel wished to be perceived.

His mother took it as a cue that he would be fine without her and left the country.  My vessel told her goodbye the morning she left, a flawless smile on his face.

I, however, tolerated no such illusions from him.  With his mother nearly out of the picture entirely, I became his main guardian, raising him alongside Nakamori, although the man did not know of my presence.  My vessel learned very quickly that while he could fool the rest of the world, he would be honest with me, and I would be honest with him in return.

Which is why I vowed to myself that the moment my vessel was old enough, I would tell him the truth about his father.  And that his father’s accident had been no true accident.

Until that day, we lived together in relative peace – the happy golden days were over and would never return again, but I found the good wherever was possible.  My vessel continued attending school, eventually making more friends, although none of them could truly get close to him.  He attempted to push Aoko away a few times, but the girl only became more resilient and determined as she grew up, and would cling onto my vessel tighter whenever he tried.  She remained the only other person to know about me and soon my vessel and Aoko were old enough that they could understand more about what I truly was.  From then on, they kept my existence a carefully guarded secret.

My vessel became known as the class clown and prankster, and he and Aoko became known throughout the school for their banter and fights.  No one but I saw the quiet moments after school when they would sit together at the table doing their homework together, simply existing in the other’s presence.  And all three of us preferred it that way, for those moments were sacred indeed.

Admittedly, I was reluctant to tell my vessel the truth – the life I had managed to build back up for him was still too shaky for my liking and I feared that one wrong move would cause the last of my vessel’s true self to disappear behind his masks.  However, I knew it would be infinitely worse for him not to know.  I had discovered when my vessel was ten years old that his father had set a time-lock on the secret room he had used for his thieving.  Unless one entered in a passcode, it was on track to unlock when my vessel was sixteen. 

If I did not tell my vessel first, then my vessel would eventually find that room in his later teenage years and I would not allow him to discover the truth in such a cold, lonely manner.  I also knew that once my vessel knew the truth he would want to do something about it, and he would require time to train and learn before he would be ready to act.

And so, I waited until my vessel was fourteen, and then I sat him down and explained everything, from start to finish.

How his father had been Kaitou KID, why he had been Kaitou KID, the mysterious shadows that he had been fighting against, and how I factored into all of it.

My vessel was understandably shocked, then angry – I had expected nothing less.

“Why didn’t you tell him?  You mean he was looking for you and the entire time you were with me?”  My vessel demanded and I took a deep breath.

“I thought that your father had his identity hidden so well they would not discover it.  If he had known about me, he would have been incredibly determined to destroy me – something that could not have been managed – or remove me from you.  We have been intertwined for your entire life, if I were to be taken from you now, it would cause you serious harm.  Your mind grew and developed around my presence, it does not know how to function without it.”

“I could’ve explained it to him, I -” my vessel started and I gently cut him off.

“You were a child, vessel.  Furthermore, I grew to fear that if my presence were discovered that it would draw unwanted attention to your family and expose his identity.  Tragically, they discovered it regardless.”

“Me and Aoko knew about you!  How would telling my dad be more dangerous?”  My vessel went on, gesturing a bit wildly.

“Because you were children and did not even know me by name.  They were not paying attention to you.  Shielding you from a few minor threats is very different than the large-scale protections I would have had to put into place should your parents have known.  Such magic would have been too exhausting for you at the time, you would have slipped into a coma.”

“So you hid.”  My vessel stated blandly.

“I…suppose so, yes.”

“Like a coward.”  My vessel muttered and I inclined my head slightly.

“You could think of it that way if you would like, vessel.  I had my reasons, but I can assure you that if I had known they were going to target your father regardless, I would have done things differently.”

“It doesn’t change anything now.”  My vessel crossed his arms, pressing his lips together.  “So his killers are still out there?”

“Yes.  I have been keeping an eye on them as best I can.  I have refrained from striking back so that you could grow up without their attention on you, but now…it seems you might wish to do something yourself, vessel?”  I inquired mildly.  I had thought that once my vessel knew the truth he would follow in his father’s footsteps and it appeared as though I had been correct.

As much as I wished to keep him safe, keep him away from this group and all harm, I knew my vessel better than that by now.  He was not a small child anymore, not one that I could cajole away from danger.  Regardless of whether or not he had my approval, my vessel would do as he pleased.

So I would assist him in any way I could and support his mission.  I certainly owed him as much.

“Yeah, I’m – I’m gonna -” my vessel paused and swallowed.  “I – I want to talk to Aoko about this.  But her dad -”

“She has already kept me a secret from him for quite a while.  I believe she would want to know, vessel.”  I said softly and he nodded in agreement.  I was quite relieved he wanted to talk with her – it seemed that my efforts to keep her as a trusted confidante for my vessel had been at least somewhat successful.

Therefore, Aoko was called over and filled in on the entire story.  After the initial emotions had passed and were better processed, she turned to look at my vessel.

“So what are you going to do?”  She asked, and I already knew the answer my vessel had arrived at while we had been talking.

“I’m going to become Kaitou KID and lure out his killers.”  He declared, puffing out his chest.  “And then I’ll bring them to justice!”

“Become – there has to be a better way than that, isn’t there, Pandora?”  Aoko turned to me, but I shook my head.

“They will not come out of the shadows for just anyone – and I am afraid the traditional routes of justice do nothing against groups such as these.  I will keep him safe, you have my word.”

“B – but – becoming a thief…”  Aoko trailed off and bit her lip.  “It’s the only way?”

“Perhaps not the only way, but there is hardly an easier way.  Beyond that – if it is how he wishes to bring them to justice -” I gestured to my vessel and Aoko deflated.

“Aoko guesses so…”

“That being said – you are in no condition to take over as Kaitou KID right now.”  I informed my vessel, and he opened his mouth to protest.  “But.”  I said firmly, holding up a finger, before he could start speaking.  “I will assist you in getting there.  I will train you in all skills necessary for becoming a phantom thief.”

“And I’ll learn quickly.”  My vessel narrowed his eyes.

“Indeed you will.  I will begin properly teaching you how to use my power as well – you can become a phantom thief capable of using magic tricks and magic alike.”  I nodded at him and a sharp grin spread across my vessel’s face.

“Sounds perfect.”

“Then it is decided.  I understand this is much to ask of you Aoko, however -” I began but she cut me off before I could finish, evidently having reached some conclusions herself.

“Aoko understands.  And Aoko’s not going to let Kaito face it alone either!  Aoko may not be a phantom thief in training, but she’ll help in other ways.”  She said decisively and my vessel’s eyes widened.

“Are you sure?  You sounded kinda wary about the idea.”

“If this is what Kaito chooses, Aoko will stick by him.  You’re not the only one who cared about him.”  She added more quietly and my vessel swallowed, guilt flickering in his eyes.

“What about your dad?”

“What’s one more secret?”  Aoko smiled humorlessly, then, seeing the look on my vessel’s face quickly shook her head.  “We’ve been best friends forever, Kaito.  It’ll be difficult, but Aoko knows how important this is.”

“Okay.  I – thank you, Aoko.”  My vessel said earnestly and Aoko smiled at him.

I was sure the masks would come back up soon enough, but for now I would enjoy seeing my vessel be true to himself in front of someone else.  He certainly needed it.

-

And so, the phantom thief training began.  And it continued and continued, for two years until at last, when my vessel was sixteen, in the secret room his father had left behind, he passed my final tests.

“Very well.”  I acquiesced, and my vessel grinned, triumphant and elated.  “I believe you are ready, vessel.”

“I’ve been ready.”  He replied, then grew somber as he looked at the case standing in the middle of the room displaying KID’s iconic white suit.  “Dad…I’m going to complete your mission and bring your killers to justice.  I promise.”  He said softly, stroking his hand against the hanging silk cape.  I watched him quietly, letting him have whatever time he needed.

Perhaps it was a bit ironic – I took his son on as my vessel to avoid him, and now here I was sixteen years later, having trained his son to take on his mantle and finish his work.  Kuroba Touichi may never know that he had found the jewel he had spent so long searching for, but what was his burden would now become his torch, ensuring that his hard work and legacy would continue on after his passing.

By now I had grown used to having far stronger emotions than I used to before my vessel, but I suddenly found them quite overwhelming.  Regret, guilt, anger, fondness, care, pride, and…love.  It all swirled around in my being as my vessel turned to look back at me, a fire in his eyes and a bittersweet look on his face.

“Hey Pandora, I -” he paused, looking at me for a moment – I met his gaze, attempting to calm the storm inside me, but had I not learned by now that I was utterly helpless when it came to my vessel?

Understanding and realization dawned on my vessel’s face as he came to several conclusions about my current state, and then, before I could reply to him, he closed the distance between us, capturing me in a tight hug.

My arms wrapped back around him as I held him just as tightly – another oversight on my part sixteen years ago – the longer I spent with a human, the more human I myself was becoming. 

“I am proud of you, vessel.”  I said quietly and my vessel relaxed.

“I know.  Thank you, Pandora.”

“Always.  Vessel, I – I love you.”

My vessel went still for a fraction of a second – and then he briefly tightened the hug before pulling away to look at my face.

“I love you too, Pandora.”

I gazed back at him, nothing short of devotion coursing through my veins.  Our bond had grown beyond what I ever thought possible – and I had never been so content to be so wrong about something.

Indeed, it had not at all been my intention to get attached.  But I was, truly and deeply, and now by my vessel’s side I would remain, for whatever awaited us next.

“Then, vessel…” I motioned around the room, and my vessel grinned, bright and determined.  “Shall we begin?”