Though I listen when you talk to me, your eyes, they seem cold

[dressedinmelody]

Alize gripped the wheels of her chair a little tighter than necessary as she made her way up to Kaito's front door. Much as she wanted to know what the story was behind his being Kaitou Kid, and much as she knew that there was no way in hell he could explain that at Hakuba's, she hadn't really wanted to come out here. She'd deliberately been avoiding going out into public ever since the others had brought her back from Merry Widow. She still didn't trust herself, even around her friends, and the possibility that her 'ability' might go off in a crowded public place terrified her to the bone.

She didn't want to be another Widow maker. She didn't want to prove that Eyguebelle might have been right to do what he did. She didn't want to find out that that -- that bomb would go off every time she was angry.

She didn't want to make Hakuba and the others sorry that they'd brought her back to the only home she'd known in a long while.

In her mind, that had originally equated to running away to a place where none of those things could happen -- because in Merry Widow they'd already happened and there wasn't anything left to destroy. But that plan had failed, and she knew her surrogate family wouldn't let her take off a second time. What was more, she didn't have anywhere left to hide. There were a few more abandoned cities on her world that she knew of, but she didn't know the territory or the gangs of any of them, and she was under no illusions that she could survive in such a place without that knowledge. For better or for worse, she was stuck in Ekoda, and as long as that was the case, she was minimizing her human contact as much as possible.

She didn't want to hurt another friend like she'd hurt Haruhi.

Kaito didn't seem to get that. He kept pushing her into going to public places, seeing friends, when she couldn't even get him to admit that she'd killed people. Innocent people, not just akuma. She didn't know if he was in denial, or whether he honestly didn't know that it was true. With Kaito, either was equally possible.

The singer took a shaky breath of cold, damp, early-April air.

She wasn't even sure if Hakuba knew it was true. Doyle had video proof, she was sure of it, but he was smart enough to argue with his creator. He could have kept the information from Hakuba if he wanted to. Then again, if Hakuba did know, could he keep the information from the police?

She wasn't sure she wanted to know. And she was too afraid to ask.

In any case, part of the reason she'd agreed to come was because she was intent on drilling the fact that she was dangerous through Kaito's thick skull. At least Hakuba was smart enough to get out of the way if -- when -- she went crazy. Doyle could be rebuilt, if it came right down to it. But Kaito and Haruhi?

Alize shuddered. She'd already seen a small example of what she could do to them. She didn't want a bigger one. She needed to know they'd run if it happened again, if only for her peace of mind.

Wheeling right up to the porch, she got out of her chair and sat on the top step while she easily lifted the whole thing up over the stairs. Building back up to her old arm strength had been easy once she got over the initial 'hill', and she was back to her habit of bringing her light, foldable chair to people's houses so that she could get around stairs if she needed to. It was slow and awkward to have to keep getting in and out of her chair to get up or around things, but it was better than being stuck entirely.

Alize heaved herself back into the seat and rolled up to the front door, ringing the bell.

Comments

[pandorabox]

Almost immediately after Alize had rang the bell, the door had flung open to reveal a tired looking Kaito. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe, studying Alize's figure carefully, his expression giving nothing away (it never did).

He hadn't wanted Alize to find out. Hell, he didn't want anyone to find out, not with Vermouth on the community and not with her organization so willing to kidnap and hurt his friends. But he didn't have much of a choice. She had made the deduction herself, and he had to reveal his identity as Kaitou Kid to her to keep her from doing something stupid.

Not that he was someone to talk, considering he had easily rushed in to help Alize without thinking about how dangerous she could be.

After a moment, he sighed, his expression still blank. "Hey," he finally said with a shrug, "Sorry. I should have put up a ramp or something..."

[dressedinmelody]

"I'm used to it," Alize replied, her expression just as flat and grim as his. She dusted off her wheels a bit and rolled her way in as soon as Kaito cleared the doorway. "Is your mom home?"

[pandorabox]

With another sigh, Kaito shut the door behind Alize and followed her into the living room. "She's at work," he said with a nonchalant shrug. He glanced at the kitchen, then back at Alize. He didn't exactly think she would accept, but there was no use not asking. "Do you want something...?"

[dressedinmelody]

"No, it's fine." Normally she'd accept water to keep her throat healthy, but her voice could rust and break now for all Alize cared. Maybe then the song wouldn't work any more.

She wheeled over to one end of the couch and parked her chair there, opting to sit rather than lift herself onto the cushioned furniture. She didn't want to get too comfortable, considering what they were about to talk about.

"Well?"

[pandorabox]

Kaito plopped on the end of the couch closest to Alize and leaned his head on the arm, staring off at the wall for a few moments.

"You want to know why, right?" he asked flatly. He was getting tired of telling this story. It only made his stomach churn with guilt and bad memories, after all. But she deserved to know... so he'd suck it up.

[dressedinmelody]

Alize folded her arms and watched Kaito's pose. It was one she was rather familiar with, considering that it was the one she usually took when she had to tell the story of what happened to Gramps and her friends.

"You don't have to tell me why. Just tell me what," she said brusquely. She had a feeling she might know why already, and it was Kaito's business anyway. She just wanted to know what he was actually trying to do.

[pandorabox]

"I'll tell you why," he said with a shake of his head, "It won't make sense otherwise."

Another pause, before he decided to be blunt. "My dad was murdered, you know."

[dressedinmelody]

The singer's expression softened almost imperceptibly. "I thought so," was all she said, quietly.

[pandorabox]

"How'd you guess?" Kaito asked as he kept his gaze fixed on the wall.

[dressedinmelody]

"The crazy kidnappers in black were a big hint," Alize answered dryly. "And you're not the kind of person who'd do something like this lightly."

[pandorabox]

Kaito laughed wryly. "You're right, I'm not," he said. He sat up and threw his head back to stare at the ceiling.

"My old man was Kaitou Kid before me," he began, "They wanted him to steal some kind of immortality granting gem. Pandora, or... something like that." He paused and shook his head. "My dad refused, and they killed him. It was declared an accident..." By now, the bitter tone in his voice was quite clear, "For eight years I believed that. About a year ago, I figured out the truth for myself."

He finally shifted to face Alize, his expression serious. "I'm going to find Pandora before those bastards in black, and destroy it."

[dressedinmelody]

Alize was watching him thoughtfully, her chin propped in both hands. "But you don't know what it looks like, do you? And they're already on other worlds."

[pandorabox]

Kaito shrugged. "I thought I had it for a while there," he said slowly, "But I lost it somewhere in the multiverse. I think... I think that's why they've moved to other worlds."

[dressedinmelody]

"Is Jing helping you?" Was the next question.

[pandorabox]

"No," was Kaito's quick reply. Granted, Jing had helped him, at Fuzzy Navel. But he wasn't about to tell Alize that. Then she'd insist on getting involved herself, and that was the last thing he wanted.

[dressedinmelody]

"Why not?" she demanded. "He and Kir travel even more than you do, and they find that kind of stuff all the time! It'd be stupid not to use his help."

Unless Jing didn't know. Or hadn't offered to help. If it was the latter, a certain King of Bandits was getting a slug in the arm next time she saw him.

[pandorabox]

Kaito paused and shrugged. "I don't want him to help," he said. It was true that Jing offered to help, and that his skills would be useful in taking the organization down, but...

... well.

Kaito had a personal interest in taking down the organization himself. It might have been his pride over his father, or his desire for revenge (really? Was that the kind of person he'd become?) or even his concern for the well being of others. But the thief had decided a long time ago that he wouldn't allow anyone else except him and the three detectives to become involved with this syndicate.

And that included people from other worlds.

[dressedinmelody]

The singer muttered something that sounded like a heavily sarcastic "men" and folded her arms.

"You guys are such idiots sometimes," was the louder response. But if the magician was listening carefully, there was a note of affection to be found in the insult. "So who else knows besides Aoko?"

That Hakuba and Ginzo didn't was a given. Alize suspected that Akako might know, and probably a few other people on the comm, although she had no idea who.

[pandorabox]

Kaito quickly listed off the people who knew, before shrugging. "They all found out on their own, kinda like you, I guess."

[dressedinmelody]

Well. That was more than she'd expected.

"That many?!" Alize exclaimed. She was starting to realize how much skill and sheer luck Kaito had put into making sure Hakuba didn't have any proof. She sure knew he suspected, at the very least.

"You're nuts, Kaito," the singer stated, matter-of-factly. He really was good at getting himself into trouble. And she should know.

"If you get yourself too far in over your head," she went on, "you'd better ask one of us for help! You're not the only one good at this, you know!"

[pandorabox]

Kaito laughed bitterly and shrugged. "Telling people on other worlds is less of a liability than telling people on my world," he said with a cheeky grin. After all, only his mother, Aoko, and Jii-chan knew who he was on his world. It was doubtful the police would trust a source from the Internet. Especially since he was sure none of them had evidence.

The magician yawned and reached up to scratch his head lazily. He was beginning to loosen up, now that they had passed over the conversation about his father. "You've got to be a little nuts to do this job," he said with a wink. "And don't worry, I haven't gotten in too far yet!"

Yet being the key word.

[dressedinmelody]

Alize rolled her eyes. "Yet," she clarified. "If you do, you'd better tell us!"

[pandorabox]

The magician waved his hands in front of his face innocently. "I will, I will!"

[dressedinmelody]

"Good."

And without further preamble, the singer rolled over and gave him a solid thump on the head.

[pandorabox]

Kaito wasn't ready for that one. He yelped and rubbed his head defensively. "What was that for?!"

[dressedinmelody]

"That was for the stupid sleeping gas," Alize retorted, not at all sorry. "I still can't believe you did that!"

[pandorabox]

"I had to or else you'd do something to get yourself hurt!" Kaito cried indignantly. "... ouch!"

[dressedinmelody]

"I wouldn't and I didn't!" she protested hotly. "I didn't get caught once! I already told you you aren't the only one who's good at this!"

[pandorabox]

At that, he shot her a quick glare. "Sorry for looking out for your well-being!"

[dressedinmelody]

That just prompted Alize to hit him again, though not as hard as she had the first time. "Stop leaving people out of things and telling them it's for their own good!!" she snapped. "That's the worst way to do things!"

[pandorabox]

Ouch, that hurt! "H-hey, I was just doing what I thought was best for everyone involved!" he retorted as he rubbed his head again. Dang, Alize hit harder than Aoko. He made a mental note never to do anything that might make her angry again.

[dressedinmelody]

"Well what you thought was wrong!" Alize retorted, hand raised threateningly for a third time. "You'd better remember that! Doing it alone is stupid!"

She completely failed to notice any irony in her own statements.