Midnight Magic ~ Under Thief's Guise [IC / S / A]

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Kaito looked behind at Kiryu, blinking a bit, as he just listened to his ideas. My God...he couldn't be further from the truth at all!! he thought, as he chuckled a bit, hearing him finish. "Actually, that's not a bad theory. Though remember, this is the Phantom Thief, we're talking about." He smiled and just shrugged. "I mean honestly, let's be honest...the cops, especially from what Asaka-chan says, never decide to ever fake something like that to lure him out."

 

~Flashback of Inspector Shino~

 

"You want us...to write up a different notice and lure Kaitou Kid into the place we specify?" Inspector Shino asked, looking at two of the newer cops that began working there.

 

"U-Um...yes..."

 

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT!! WE WANT TO CATCH HIM, NOT DECIDE TO GIVE HIM EVEN MORE INVITATION TO STEAL!!" Inspector Shino yelled, as he stood up and slammed his hands on his desk. "GET OUT OF HERE!!"

 

~End Flashback~

 

"Like I said, they want to just capture Kid." Kaito said, in a calm manner. He sort of knew why Kiryu had the reasons he was being all...THOROUGH... "Besides, I'm thinking its an imitator, cause really...who would be stupid enough to steal pearls from the leading lady's necklace? I mean seriously...unless Kid wants slapped like a B...he wouldn't do it. Unlike the imitator..."

[Ren✧]

Takeshi was surprised by the red headed magician's sudden reaction. The icicle smashed into his sword, causing him to back up, regrettably giving the other Magician Thief room to maneuver. Takeshi's eyes narrowed, inspecting the man. It was obvious that his opponent knew of himself, but what did Takeshi actually know about his opponent. It was obvious that he possessed a member of the Merlin's Suit, no other magical artifact could produce such powerful results. It was also obvious that Takeshi would be hopelessly outmatched in such an enclosed space. Whoever this guy was, he seemed to be both trained as a thief as well as a warrior. Takeshi tried to scrounge up more on the guy, but was forced to forgo such a thing as he noticed two of the icicles sent straight for him.

 

It seemed that his assailant had forgotten the most obvious factor in this fight. Ice melted when exposed to fire. But no, in the few seconds that Takeshi had observed the man, he hadn't made a single move that didn't have a purpose. He hadn't said a word that wasn't meant to further his own goals. He wouldn't have forgotten such a thing. That could only mean that there was another attack on the way.

 

Instead of blocking the two icicles with a pair of will-o-wisps, Takeshi leapt forward, hitting the ground at a roll just as the lowest of the spikes flew over his head. As he had expected, the red headed magician thief had been going in for a close up attack. As Takeshi rolled away from the man, in between the other Magician Thief and the so-called Mirage, he noticed that he seemed to be favoring one arm. That could play to his advantage.

 

Flourishing his sword, Takeshi held the weapon at the ready. Flames danced across its metal, signifying that he had activated the Ember Blade. "Looks like you have done your homework, good sir. But I am made of more than just cheap parlor tricks." Takeshi snapped his fingers and three fireballs began to circle him. If one took time to look at them, they would notice that they captured the moment perfect. Blue. Purple. Orange. But despite the flames' mystical appearance, Takeshi inwardly cringed at their uselessness. Unlike his opponent, he did care what happened to those around him and he was not about to go lighting the house on fire. For now he would have to take a defensive stance. 

 

The will-o-wisps began to circle Takeshi ever faster, becoming little more than a blur as they orbited him. They would act as shields to any ice attack that his assailant would throw out and hopefully a deterrent to any physical assault. Of course, if the man could do what Takeshi expected, then he would have another factor to take into account. Water. That meant he could only rely on the one wild card. Mirage. Producing a blue-dyed rose behind his back, he tried to catch her attention with it before burning it to a crisp with a small flame he produced in his hand. Hopefully she would get the message. They would have to work together at stopping this guy. 

[Merci]

To his surprise, the Lonesome Rose did not utilize his will-o-wisps technique to defend from the icicles, and because of that managed to escape from the assault through a roll. He must've improvised that sort of movement, since what he did had been quite the gamble. His retreat could've easily failed had either the angle of the icicles been a little lower, or had the redhead rushed a little further in to deliver a powerful blow. But if it truly was just improvisation, by using all of his remaining four icicles from different angles at the same time while putting more power into his feet, there would be no way for his opponent to defend from him.

 

With this in mind, Lion prepared to unleash his second and final assault, only to halt as the Rose revealed a new technique he wasn't familiar with. Different-colored will-o-wisps of blue, purple, and orange appeared and begun to spin around the enemy Thief, seemingly without any scientific explanation whatsoever, especially since he showed no signs of preparing such an advanced trick through merely clicking his fingers. Instead of worrying about how he was going to overcome it, he was intrigued.

 

"Could it be...that you possess the Ace of Hearts?" The Magician's Lion realized. Of all the dozens of Magician's Thieves out there in the city, the one that unlikely happened to come across his heist during early day happened to be the one that possessed the fourth and final Ace. What were the odds? "How extraordinarily convenient - however, somebody like you is not worthy of magic."

 

Clearing away his shock, Lion focused on the current matter at hand, which was overcoming the wall of fire. The Lonesome Rose was obviously using it to defend himself, and it wouldn't be easy to penetrate through it since fire melted ice and evaporated water. Still, his own odds of victory were quite high, and he had a total of three different options available in order to defeat this unexpectedly competent opponent.

 

The first option would be to use that fire against the Rose and set the whole house on fire, but if he did so, he might end up losing both Ace cards in the resulting flames, and there was no guarantee that he'd be able to escape anyway since he didn't have his cloak with him.

 

The second option would be to use his own "Body Barrier" technique, penetrate through the flames, and pummel a then-helpless Rose at the cost of shattering his barrier. It would be the quickest method, and ensure minimal damage to his own body, but he would prefer he preserved the Body Barrier for tonight, just in case Heretic was there and ended up targeting him. It would take a whole day for it to recharge to full strength after all, which wasn't enough time.

 

The third and final option was both the safest and the most obvious, if only the hardest. It would require him maintaining his Form Assault against the fire barrier until it had been overpowered. Ultimately, he decided to follow through with this third option.

 

"Form Flow." He chanted, keeping his four icicles by his waist on standby, and gathered up as much moisture as possible from the heating-up air. Since the Rose was focusing on defense, he wouldn't risk coming out of his fire shield lest he leave himself vulnerable to icicles and martial blows, so Lion had enough time to prepare his offense without being disrupted.

 

Once he was done, a total of seven thick watery whips floated around him, each of them resembling tentacles in some weird, twisted way. Then, following through with a form of assault, he approached the barrier of flames as he had all seven whips lash out and eat through the flames, concentrating all of his effort onwards. This time, there would be no way the Lonesome Rose to avoid his hydrokinetic attacks.

[Yosuke-kun]

Kaito was starting to calm himself now. Any idiot could have guessed that he was realizing that what it was Kiryu was doing, but this was the reaction Kiryu was waiting for. Well, sort of. Not what he expected, but still something that he could use. [i]At least now I know he's trying to hide something.[/i] "I see I still need to be briefed on quite a bit." Kiryu said as he shrugged at Kaito's response. "However, I think at least part of my theory still stands. The real Kid may show up to protect his honor. If not that, I'd say he's probably curious to see who wants to imitate him and why. Anyways I can pretty much guarantee that at least two thieves will show up tonight." 

 

Of course, the second thief Kiryu mentioned had been himself, or rather Shadow Fox. After all, how could he miss a chance like this? Two Kid's would be there, and he was certain one of them would know something about one of the Aces. They may as well have sent out a notice saying Shadow Fox was going to appear there as well. The Aces aside though, Kiryu couldn't deny that he wanted the opportunity to see who the better thief was too. Kid, or Fox.

 

He'd have to put those thoughts aside for the time being however, as well as his questioning of Kaito. Any more plugging and he'd be met with false information and possibly give himself away. "Class gets out soon, right? I didn't eat this morning so I'm starving."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"Kiryu-san, in this city...there are always a caravan of thieves..." Kaito smiled, nodding at the fact that Kiryu said there would most likely be other Magician Thieves there. "As for class being almost over...not yet...however, stay close..." he said, as he pulled a small remote control out and clicked the red button.

 

"OH MY GOD!! LOOK ITS AN ALIEN!!!" Kaito yelled as he pointed at the window, as this huge pink looking alien was now staring at the entire class. The teacher, as well as the class screamed, beginning to scatter around the room. "And now we take our leave..." Kaito whispered, grabbing Kiryu by the arm and quickly running out the door in the panic.

 

It wasn't long until they were on the roof, trying to catch their breath, as Kaito smiled as he took the remote back out. "Heh, probably one of my best class ditching schemes yet!" he chuckled.

[Ren✧]

Azami had been busy listening to music when that obnoxious Asano kid decided to pull his little prank. Seated adjacent to the window, the appearance of the 'alien' startled Azami before the class even noticed it was there. Acting quickly, Azami had already stealthily retrieved when of her kunai from up her sleeve. On reflex, she nearly hurled the bladed weapon at the hologram, but stopped when she heard the rest of the classing fleeing the classroom. Taking a second look, she saw the imperfections in the holographic figure and breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart rate lowered and her muscles unwound. "Damn Kaito Asano!" She cried out in the empty classroom.

 

"I have had it with his dumb little tricks." Azami muttered as she marched down the hall. Most people were still in class, having not be interrupted by some idiot with some tech skills. "Bet that Kaito thinks he is a-" Azami stopped her fuming. Kaito. Kaitou. Coincidence? Maybe, but...

There is no coincidence, only blood

Flinging her book back over her shoulder, Azami raced through the empty halls, figuring that he would have fled to the roof. That's where she would go anyway. As she was sprinting up the stairs, a pounding entered Azami's ears. At first, she thought it was just her heart, but then noticed that it seemed to follow a tempo. She stopped, trying to control her heavy breathing. The sound was music. But she didn't have time to worry about that. 

 

Reaching the roof, she was met with the sight of Kaito Asano and the new kid, laughing about their greatest exploit. "You morons."

[Yosuke-kun]

Kiryu raised an eyebrow as Kaito spoke, hinting that he had a way out of class early. Naturally this peaked Kiryu's curiosity as he saw Kaito flip a switch and loudly exclaim something about an alien and pointed to the window. Of course now Kiryu HAD to see what he meant. Upon seeing the 'alien' though, Kiryu almost laughed. The 'alien' didn't look much like an alien at all to Kiryu. In fact, he thought it resembled something more like a pink octopus making a kissy face at the class. Still, he had to hand it to Kaito for setting something like that up.

 

A moment later, he was hoisted out of his seat by Kaito, and lead out the class. As the two ran through the hall, Kiryu could swear he heard some kind of, and this was strange to him too, but [url=http://youtu.be/-bTpp8PQSog]catchy 80's music[/url]. [i]What are we raiding a tomb?[/i] he thought as he ran and listened. A few other kids, who'd heard the commotion were now filing into the halls, making the two of them have to duck and dodge their way through the crowd.

 

A short while later, the two found themselves on the roof of the school, overlooking most of Nakama city. Kiryu merely laughed as Kaito mentioned how that was 'one of his best class ditching schemes yet'. "I gotta admit, it beats the cliche 'I gotta pee' bit by a long shot." Even if the alien looked more comical than cruel, Kiryu couldn't deny that it was several times more clever than he'd been expecting. "Just curious, when did you have the time to set that up?" But before Kaito could answer, the red head whom Kiryu had been eyeing earlier opened the door to the roof and approached the two of them with a stern look on her face.

 

Morons? How could they be morons? It'd take a fair bit of intelligence to pull that stunt off, and Kiryu was dragged in late in the game. How could she honestly call them that. Still, Kiryu didn't comment on that, preferring to keep his current persona in play. "Hey you're... Actually, I don't recall catching your name, so I'm just gonna call you 'Cute Red'" he teased as he leaned against the guard rail on the roof. "Anyways, why do you care if we pulled that? It got you out of class didn't it? Besides, you weren;t even paying attention, you were listening to music."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"Time to set that up? Before class this morning!" Kaito laughed, wiping a few tears from his eyes, as he laughed. However, his laughter was cut short by Azami's comment. "Aww, your no fun, Azami-chan! A true magician always likes to impress his audience, even to the point of doing something like that. Makes them want more!"

 

He smiled, as he then smelt a familiar smell...it seemed like...flowers? Certain flower smell...I smelt it twice before...when that one...wait a minute... he thought, looking at Azami. She had the figure...could she be Hinoemma? Psh, another magician at a high school like this? Now that would just be crazy! (Wink ;D) Regardless, he smiled as he placed his hands behind his head, looking at Azami and Kiryu. "Either way, glad I was able to impress you both. Sorta hard trying to come up with new tricks to show..."

[Hotaru987]

Aoikime was still in search of the switch when Lonesome impressively dodged the attack Lion sent towards him. Upon creating distance he brandished his sword before conjuring three different colored flames. Did each of them do something different? Or was it simply a fashion statement? Either way, Aoikime began to worry about the safety of the building. If Lonesome wasn't careful those flames could easily cause the whole house to go up in flames. Fortunately, Lonesome was on the same page. Instead of attacking he changed his tactics to defense. Lonesome focused on creating a barrier between himself and Lion. The three flames circled Lonesome quickly gaining speed until the barrier took shape. 

 

Lion was then set on forcing his way through the flames, using his water whips. Something caught Aoikime's eye through the flames. Behind Lonesome's back he had a blue rose, which he then set on fire. She was unsure as to what that was supposed to mean, but surly it was meant to be some sort of message to her. Could it be he wanted her to help? Well, she supposed she could, but she was sure her leg would cause her to be more of a hindrance. Then again, she couldn't let a fight like this carry on much longer. Three people with aces in one place couldn't be a good thing. Besides, true he is here to help her, but would he then turn on her to take her ace? Just how many more people were on this Pandora craze?

 

'I guess...I don't have much of a choice...At least I know Lonesome won't kill me.'

 

Aoikime pushed off the wall, standing on her good leg, and held out her hand towards Lion. "Push!"

[Ren✧]

Azami rolled her eyes as the new kid protested that he wasn't a moron and questioned her on how she could possibly think that. "My name is Azami, and if you call me Cute Red again...well we'll just see how cute your red is." Azami said, offering Kiryu a smile, but it was a smile without joy or happiness. "Aww, your no fun, Azami-chan! A true magician always likes to impress his audience, even to the point of doing something like that. Makes them want more!" Azami glared at the boy. She studied him for a moment. Kaito. Kaitou. They had the same figure, but she couldn't see Kaito Asano being serious about anything. Of course his crack about a true magician was cause for suspicion as well. Coincidences could only stack up so high before they started to become more just happenstance. 

 

"That wasn't the work of a magician, it was the work of a hyperactive little boy that can't sit still for more than ten minutes." Azami glared at the two boys. In truth, she had no reason to be mad at them. It was true that they had got her out of class, but the way they did it was a danger to her reputation. Azami was accustomed to always being the talk of the school. Boys usually lusted after her and girls wanted to be her. There wasn't a person in school that didn't know Azami's name. Of course, now anyone was going to talk about was another Asano prank. As was the case each time he decided to act up. 

 

[hr]

 

Takeshi maneuvered the spiraling flames to block the tendrils of water that lashed towards him. Steam polluted the air with each collision. Fire evaporated water and water quenched the flames. In a normal match up, the two would no doubt be matched, but this Magician Thief had much more water at his disposal than Takeshi had fire. He had the option of upping the heat, but if he did so, he could endanger the house as well as Mirage. He was running out of options. Sooner or later he would lose this fight or damage the surrounding area.

 

Just as his last fireball fell victim to the hydrokinetic attacks of the crimson-haired magician, he felt a rush of energy from behind him, then suddenly his opponent stumbled backward. This was the chance he had been waiting on. In a flash, Takeshi lunged forward, careful to dodge any more of the remaining water whips. Hand outstretched he activated his Heart Vice ability. As his opponent toppled backwards, Takeshi's palm struck the man's forehead. The collision was different that he had expected though, instead of meeting skin, Takeshi's hand came in contact with a watery substance. It was as if there was a layer of protective coating around the man's skin.

 

Knowing that it could mean his attack was ineffective, Takeshi wasted no time in the retreated. Performing a number of powerful slashes with his sword, Takeshi shattered the remaining whips and icicles. Grabbing Mirage, Takeshi smashed through a nearby window and hit the ground below. Not waiting for the assailant to regain his composure, Takeshi fled on fast feet from the scene, leaving behind an ebony rose.  

[Yosuke-kun]

[i]Jeez this chick's annoying...[/i] Kiryu thought as her ranting continued. Admittedly, Kiryu did think she was cute, but holy crap, that mouth was too much. This was moving past just having attitude and getting into bitchiness now. [i]I could probably get her to shut up if I used the Joker the right way, but... no. I'd give myself away almost instantly if I did. That aside, I'd have to hold off on Shadow Fox for god know's how long.[/i] No, it wouldn't be worth it in any manner of speaking. Besides, she'd just made a comment that Kiryu could play with. How could he resist this?

 

"As much as I'd love to show you haw 'cute my red is', this is a public place." he teased. It didn't take an idiot to tell how she'd react to that, so Kiryu kept his guard up, and waited for her attack to come. Before it could though, Kaito had made his comment about magicians. He did have a point. Magicians were entertainers after all, and therefor it was their job to keep the public entertained. But the comment raised Kiryu's suspicions even more. [i]The more I hear, the more likely it seems... Guess I'll find out later...[/i]

 

Despite Kaito's retort, Azami was still going. No surprise there really. If Kiryu's read on her was right, she'd keep going until she'd made the two of them apologize or they'd proven enough of their point to make her storm away in anger. Yeah that sounded about right, but Kiryu wasn't usually one to apologize so easily. "Alright Red, what's the real reason you're so ticked off? You clearly didn't care about class and the joke itself was pretty good. Furthermore, and this is more just for me, it gives the school something to talk about aside from some new kid coming mid-year. No offense Red, but if you want an apology you need to give me a reason to do so." He said all of this in a tone that was serious enough to imply he meant it all, but casual enough so that it couldn't be taken as rude or defensive by Azami.

 

"Anyways, I gotta thank you Kaito. You definitely made this a pretty good first day." The smile Kiryu was sending was real, he had enjoyed the prank that Kaito'd pulled. More than that though, Kiryu now had a mountain of information he'd need to process, but he was now positive that he was in the right place. The Aces couldn't be far from his grasp now. All he had to do was wait.

[Ren✧]

"As much as I'd love to show you haw 'cute my red is', this is a public place." Azami started towards the annoying little sh*t. She couldn't explain her sudden rush of anger, but things since this morning had gone down hill fast. It was amazing how things could begin like a fairy tale and end like a nightmare. Of course, things were far from being a nightmare, but this Kiryu kid was annoying enough to belong in a bad dream. But there was something about him that made Azami uneasy. Something about him that made her think that maybe attacking him would be the wrong choice. Deciding against skewering him with a well placed kunai she instead turned to Kaito. 

 

"Be sure not to mess with my day again, Asano. Things are only 'cute' for so long." Knowing that she wasn't going to squeeze an apology out of either one of the morons, Azami decided it was best if she took her leave. "And next time, Kiryu. I suggest that you don't make enemies the first day of school." Azami then left the roof, making her way back to the abandoned classroom. She was done messing with those idiots. But one good thing had come of the day. 

 

Walking back into the classroom, Azami instantly spotted the keys left by the teacher in panicked escape. She had caught sight of them before, but had decided against taking them. But she had lost all self control now. Taking the keys, Azami sped out of the school's parking lot, eager to take a joy ride. 

[Merci]

Lion's assault had been going perfectly, everything happening just as he'd planned it. He had been so close to victory, so close to gaining up to two Aces before the night had even begun, but one thing he hadn't taken in account was that Mirage would still be capable of moving around. He'd been too engrossed against the Rose to have thought about her, and right then, being pushed forward by a psychic force, thrusting him through the flames, he was regretting it. While he did manage to set up his Body Barrier in time to defend himself, the damage only breaking apart thirty percent of it, that didn't help much as he hit the floor face-first into a puddle of melted water.

 

Once the redhead had gotten back up, it was already too late; both Mirage and the Lonesome Rose had managed to escaped off, leaving nothing but an ebony rose. After wiping away the dirt from his soaked face, he picked it up before nonchalantly heading out of the building. He didn't scream. He didn't cry out like a villain. Instead, he kept his composure, and remained calm.

 

Now that he knew Mirage's true identity, there was no way that she could hide from him. And perhaps, by using this ebony rose, he may be able to narrow down the list of whoever the Rose truly was. He would find them. He would find both of them, sooner or later. The Aces were still within his grasp. Nothing had changed. Rather, he had actually gained an advantage, having discovered which of the Magician Thieves possessed the fourth and final Ace.

 

Glancing down at his unused arm, he noted what the hospital had told him, that he shouldn't use it until exactly seven days. Tonight, he would gain access of it again, and at the same time be able to wear his cloak with all of its equipment. He had now gauged the abilities of all the other Ace wielders. Kaitou Kid, Mirage, and the Lonesome Rose. Tonight for sure, he would manage to defeat them as they went off to steal the pearl necklace in public.

 

Of course, he would have to disguise himself as one of the guests.

 

It's only a matter of time now, Lion told himself, as he waved to a passing taxi with disheveled clothes.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"Be sure not to mess with my day again, Asano. Things are only 'cute' for so long."

 

Kaito simply smiled and nodded, as he watched her walk off. "Will do, Azami-chan!" he said, before looking over at Kiryu. "It won't happen, I'll do it again." he chuckled, as he nodded at Kiryu's comment. "Anytime, Kiryu-san! If ya wanna see something like that again, I'd be happy to give ya front row tickets!" With this, Kaito headed off the roof and headed out of the high school area, before heading to his home. Tonight...yeah tonight was going to one interesting time...especially with the entirety of a second Kaitou Kid...aaaaaannnd the fact that there was a LOT of musical notes going on through his head. Hopefully he was the only like this...yeah...right.

 

[hr]

 

Justin Timberlake ~ Sexyback Instrumental

 

Kaito smirked as he arrived at Shino and Asaka's house, as he stopped at the outside mirror, glancing at himself. He wore his dad's old black suit, with his favorite light blue tie, with the white shirt underneath. "Damn, I'm lookin' good!" he chuckled, as he knocked on the door. Just two seconds after, Asaka, followed by Shino walked out. "Evening, Asaka...Inspector Shino!"

 

"Oh yeah...you did mention he was coming with." Shino sighed, walking past the two, at which point Kaito stuck his tongue out, rolling his eyes. The three quickly made their way to his car, as they headed towards the concert hall.

 

[hr]

 

Detective Conan - The Full Score of Fear Main Theme

 

The concert hall was packed out the yin-yang, both with its normal customers and even those who came just to see what Kaitou kid would do. Inspector Shio, however, as soon as the three got into the hall and took their seats, stood back up and looked at the groups of the security guards. "You two stay put. I'm going to make sure things are all set."

 

"Well...so much for a relaxing night out with my dad." Asaka sighed, slumping into her chair some.

 

"No worries, Asaka! Everything will be alright! Just don't worry about it." Kaito said, looking at his watch. Three minutes until showtime... he knew one thing: THAT Kaitou Kid would definitely wait for the show to start for making his move. And afterwords...he'd make his move.

[Kyng's Old Account]

Heretic frowned upon hearing the first song begin to play, begin to lighten up the crowd. He did so, because his means of entering the building was through disguise. This, however, was completely unintentional. He had been spotted outside in the alleyway as he was scanning the building for a means indoors, before a studio director dragged him inside. The director was cussing out his mouth and saying things about lazy artists and for him to do his job properly. When Heretic took his usual demeanour of insulting and degrading the director, said individual blew him off saying something along the lines of him, all of a sudden, being able to play his role properly.

 

Naturally in a sticky situation he decided to simply hide backstage. He was betting on two things to happen tonight:

- Heretic was gambling on the chance that Kaito Kid had actually survived his injury, and that he was back in business. This meant that Heretic now had a chance to murder the figurehead of the Magician Thief Orchestra, in doing so obliterate their initial morale and continue, one by one, massacring all those who remained.

 

- He was also gambling on the chance that the two men who had tried to kill Kaito, but had seemingly failed would come back tonight to finish the job. This meant that Heretic had another chance to finish off the foul, disgusting individuals who were clearly stalking his prey.

 

So, while waiting patiently for something to happen he watched from the distance behind the curtain. Who knew a priest outfit would have gotten him this far?

[Ren✧]

Speeding down the highway, Azami let out a mirthful laugh. It was lucky that most of the police force was concentrated in the Concert Hall, otherwise she would have undoubtedly been given a ticket...as well as thrown in jail for stealing a car. Yet, somehow she had made it to the Concert Hall without being pulled over, and she hadn't even hit anyone. Let's get this party started. She thought to herself. A cloud of pink mist surrounded the girl as she quickly got changed. Initiating the panic button on the car keys, Azami, or rather Hinoemma, left the shrieking car in the parking lot. She would let someone else deal with the problem. Meanwhile, she would go hunting.

 

[hr]

 

Takeshi had dropped off Mirage, wishing her a word of good fortune as well as leaving a brilliant violet rose in her possession. A moral dilemma now faced Takeshi. The girl's Merlin's Suit would no doubt be as beautiful as the others, and as such Takeshi just had to have it, but in their brief encounter, Takeshi couldn't help but like the Magician Thief. It wasn't as if they had any conversation, and it may very well just be his hero complex kicking in, but Takeshi felt as if he had a connection to the telekinetic Magician Thief. She was definitely better than the other two. Kaitou Kid had seemed okay, until he had left Takeshi to the hands of Heretic and that damned crimson haired man definitely wasn't to be trifled with. Mirage was definitely the best of the three...but would his fondness for the girl impair his skills as a thief?

 

Takeshi shook such thoughts from his mind. He had other problems. After fleeing from the murderous Magician Thief, Takeshi had seen a good deal of patrol cars at the Concert Hall. That could only mean that Kaitou Kid was performing another stunt. "I spend more time chasing that idiot than I do pulling heists any more."

[Hotaru987]

After being dropped off at her own home and to her room, courtesy of Lonesome Rose, she was relieved to know her parents were still at work. Remembering her own job she called the school being forced to request a sick leave for a few days to get her leg back in order. With a painful groan she sat on the bed to look at her leg. The ice shard was still sticking out. Though it had melted a bit.

 

"That looks rather painful."

 

Aoikime looked up surprised, "Grandfather! You're here."

 

"Well of course, I live here as well." He chided moving over to closer inspect her leg. Her grandfather was an old, wise man who knew of her exploits as the magician thief; Mirage. Though he knew about what she did, shouldn't he be more surprised by her injury? At least some type of concern would have been nice. Named Kino Kishiyo, he is 74 years old, with the eyes and energy of a 30 year old man. Kino clothing style favored the traditional Japanese Hakama, which Aoikime thought suited him. She just couldn't imagine him wearing normal cloth-

 

"Ahhhhh!!!" She screamed, tears forming in her eyes. Her grandfather chuckled both hands on the protruding icicle. "Well it has to come out some way."

 

"Can you at least be more gentle?" She whimpered.

 

"Perhaps you shouldn't have gotten hit." He said, though he began to work the icicle out more gently. "What happened?"

 

Aoikime sighed laying back and letting her grandfather work with her leg. "Another magician thief. He attacked this morning hoping to steal my Ace...He had one of the other Aces I've been told about. Thankfully I was helped out by another thief who also had his own Ace." She threw an arm over her eyes, "Things just got a lot more complicated."

 

Grandfather left her room, and returned with the medical kit. "You should have listened when I told you to stop that line of work." Aoikime grit her teeth as Kino pulled the icicle out all of the way. "There it's out...Luckily the would clotted already. Though you should probably still go to a hospital or something."

 

"No...It's fine. It'll heal with some good'ol time. I'm pretty bummed that I won't be able to work for a while though..."

 

"You're teaching job, or your night crawling job."

 

She laughed, "You make it sound like I'm doing something dirty." Her grandfather made a noise to that and Aoikime rolled her eyes, "Well, yeah. I was talking about my night job. Can't move like I want to with my leg like it is. Give me a few days and I'll be right back on the scene." Her grandfather stood up having treated Aoikime's wound and sighed, "Though I wish you would just be normal, I guess I'll just have to deal with it."

 

"You didn't seem that against it when I brought that big screen for you." Aoikime mumbled. 

 

"How about a game of Shogi? It's been a while hasn't it." As her grandfather left the room to retrieve the game, Aoikime resigned herself to a very uneventful next few days.

[Yosuke-kun]

The concert hall was quickly starting to fill up. Some of the people gathered were going because they actually enjoyed the opera, but everyone gathered, even the actors, knew that two thirds of the crowd had gathered only to see Kaitou Kid in action. Even some of the opera fanatics had canceled previous plans such as weddings and barmitsfa's to come get a glimpse of the legendary Magician Thief. 

 

In one of the top booths, a man and his wife were actually arguing about a cancelled wedding with each other right now.

 

"You just don't get it! This was supposed to be our day!" the man, much to even the writer's surprise was yelling.

"But dear, we can get married any day. How often are we gonna get a chance to see Kaitou Kid perform like this?"

"He does it all the time! He announced it to the freakin' news for god's sake!"

"Well... yes. But! This time is different!"

"Admit it! You love Kaitou more than me!"

 

[i]My god they're annoying...[/i] Shadow Fox thought as he kept himself hidden in a small corner of the booth by using Morphing Shades to appear as nothing more than a mere shadow. [i]I knew I should have picked a different booth...[/i] The man was now in tears as his fiancee ignored him and stared excitedly down at the stage; waiting for Kid to arrive. That's when Shadow Fox planned to make his move. He knew Kid had one of the Aces, though which is was, he did not know. Not a problem though, just meant he'd need to find out when Kid arrived. His plan was already set too.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

From backstage, another Shadow Fox, hid in wait for any sign of Kid's arrival. However, this Shadow Fox was just a mere imitation that the real one had set up as a lookout of a sort. It had no other purpose but to lay in wait for Kaitou Kid. Of course, the real Kid wouldn't just waltz in through backstage, at least Shadow Fox hoped he was smart enough not to, but the fake might try something like that. Oh boy did Shadow Fox hope he did too.

 

Another Fox imitation was set up on one of the hanging chandeliers, also in Morphing Shades form so as not to be seen, but keeping a close eye on the proceedings below. Sure enough, there was Asano with the detective's daughter as he'd said earlier. In truth, Shadow Fox was hoping that he wouldn't come. Why he was hoping that was a mystery to him, but for whatever reason he was. [i]I'll have to keep a close eye on him as much as possible... If my suspicions are correct, then he's definitely one I need to watch...[/i]

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Kaito looked at his watch again, the show was going to start any moment now. He felt his heart racing slightly, as he awaited the arrival of the OTHER Kaitou Kid. And once everyone's eyes are on the imposter...I'll deploy the Kaito substitute and put a stop to it. he thought, as his foot began to slowly tap on the floor.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

"What do you mean the new guy didn't show up today?!" one of the concert hall ushers said to another, as he began to cross his arms, looking pretty upset at this development.

 

"He's not here yet. And he said he won't be in until tomorrow."

 

"JUST GREAT! Our biggest night and Hikaru doesn't even bother to show up." the usher grumbled, as he shook his head. "All I know is that Lion fellow better make it here. I give him a job interview and say he's in...and the next thing, he doesn't show up. He better."

[Merci]

There Lion stood, standing out from everyone else with the tuxedo that he wore, matching with his equally stunning long hair. In fact, he may as well have been a handsome girl crossdressing as a guy, with a face that could make either gender fall in love with him. Just like before, it was way too easy getting in, although he had to take some liberties due to his face now being known by some sections of the police department, though it still wasn't general knowledge yet. That made it much easier for him to move about, but even if somebody did recognize him, he was acting really different.

 

"H- here I am!" He stuttered a bit, appearing by some of the other concert hall ushers. "I was gonna come in tomorrow since I had other stuff, but then I heard something about Kaitou Kid coming here today, so...yeah, here I am." The bishounen bowed a bit with a form of elegance, before looking towards the stage. "So uhm, what should I do first, sir?"

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"Our job, kid." the usher said, as the three walked into the concert hall. "Make sure everyone gets into their seats and nothing weird happens. The show is starting now, so everyone will be scrambling to their seats. Get them there in a calm fashion."

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

The Show has begun

 

Within minutes, the lights began to slowly dim, as the stage's curtains began to slowly raise as well. Upon the stage, stood the beautiful young lady, who wore the priceless pearls around her neck. She simply took her bow, as she was beginning to raise her voice to sing, as the spotlight fell upon her.

 

However, the music stopped abruptly and the spotlight blacked out for moment.

 

He's here! Kaito thought, as he began to slowly fish for something in his pocket. With it being so dark, he had the perfect opportunity to deploy his decoy and then make sure Kaitou Kid's rep wasn't messed up with tonight's heist...oh how wrong he would be.

 

.......

 

"Ladies and gentlemen! May I have your attention please?~" a voice said from the opposite side of the stage. The spotlight began working once more, as the entire audience saw Kaitou Kid on the stage. However, he was strangely different...the main difference was the fact of the use of one thing in his left hand: a simple conductor's wand. "So wonderful you could make it to tonight's performance. And now...you all will join in my concerto!"

 

Nothing Suits this Kaitou Kid Like a Suit

 

With a simple flick of his wrist, the music began to play out of no where, as he simply moved towards the leading lady. Suddenly, he began to sing, and as if it was contagious...or if by control...almost everyone joined in the song.

 

Oh my god!!! This guy isn't even TRYING anymore!! Kaito thought, as his decoy was finally in his place, as he snuck out of the hall. A magician with music...dad's notes did mention someone like that. Named...The Scarlet Symphony...a strange name, but...still, good thing, the other Magician Thieves, cause lets be honest, they'll be here too...will also be stuck in the whole Rhapsody Spell he has going on. So not a whole bunch of damage...unless its from ear drums... he thought, as he rounded a corner, secluding himself in a small room...preparing his transformation into Kaitou Kid...THE REAL Kid!!

[Yosuke-kun]

This was even lamer than Shadow Fox was expecting. Well, at least the arrival was a Magician Thief and not just some teenager in a Halloween Costume. Although in retrospect, that's kinda what Shadow Fox was. More or less. As the fake raised his baton, the music of the concerto began, to be complimented by the fake singing, and forcing everyone else to do the same. Of course since mostly none of the audience could sing themselves, the hall was filled with the crappy singing of the people who were now this losers hostages. Through his imitation, Shadow Fox saw Kaito slip out of the hall during the confusion. [i]So he wasn't affected? Interesting. If the real Kid shows up with no sign from Kaito, I think that's enough proof...[/i]

 

Shadow Fox then turned his attention to the fake, keeping the imitation hidden in the chandelier in place to watch for the real Kid. The other imitation waiting backstage moved forward, using Morphing Shades to stay hidden till the right moment. [i]I think I remember this guy. He interrupted a heist of mine once, and made it so that I couldn't get the mark. What was his name? Red Symphony or something? Whatever, he's gonna BE red once I finish with him.[/i] Shadow Fox thought as his imitation got closer and closer to the stage.

 

[url=http://youtu.be/TEiXJj6v4VI]Shadow Fox Appears[/url]

 

As it turned out, the couple in the booth with Shadow Fox's singing was not much different from their arguing, so Shadow Fox finally made the decision to do what he should have done an hour ago. Two Shadow Tendrils shot out from the spot where he was hidden and struck the unhappy couple across the back of the neck, knocking them out.

 

Meanwhile, on stage, the Shadow Imitation was in position. [i]First things first...[/i] A stream of Fox's Black Arrow's shot out from the Imitations Morphing Shade, and struck the spotlight, shattering it, as well as several other lights. This left Shadow Fox with the advantage, since he could see more or less fine in the dark, thanks to the Joker, and it'd amplify his magic abilities. Now for the entrance. "Sorry to interrupt the show," the Imitation began "but you're clearly an enemy of good music. That alone makes us enemies." Fortunately, Shadow Fox was smart enough to fit a voice modifier into his mask, so when the imitation spoke, it sounded nothing like Kiryu. That'd be enough to at least keep suspicion off of him for a while. 

 

Shadow Fox had now fully emerged from the shade, standing between Symphony and the singer with his arms crossed. "You've never met me in person, nor do I expect you to know my name. All you need know is that you're not my original target. Having said that though, on this day, you've shamed the name of magic, as well as come between me and my prey. If you leave now, that'll be the end of it. However if you persist, I'm afraid I'll have to stain the stage with your blood, Crimson Symphony." Yes. Shadow Fox had never actually bothered to learn this guys name. Not like he held an Ace, or any talent that could in anyway measure up to his own, so why bother to know it?

 

Another thought occurred to Shadow Fox now, as he glanced back at the lady on stage. "As for you," a Tendril rose up from beneath the womens shadow, and wrapped around the pearl necklace, then pulled it from the womens neck. "I'll be accepting this as payment stopping this douche." The Tendril along with the pearls then sank into a Shade, and sped off towards the real Shadow Fox. [i]That takes care of the pearls, now for the prick.[/i]

[Merci]

The shadow tendrils were suddenly cut short by a foot stomping into the pearl necklace, and a hand pulling it out of their grasp done by a perfectly ordinary usher bishounen who appeared to simply be a little greedy, and whom was also among one of those who possessed a surprisingly cute voice as he happily sang along to the Rhapsody Spell in darkness-

 

Lion watched the scene in front of him happen, his eyes attuned to the dark. While he was annoyed at how a Magician's Thief honestly believed that he could steal the lady's treasure in plain sight of hundreds - even in the dark - there was something more important.

 

The tendril had no doubt belonged to the entity known as Shadow Fox. While he wasn't quite as talented or notable as Heretic or Kaitou Kid, the abilities that he possessed were far beyond what magic currently existed in this mortal world. Having already categorized the four Aces, each of them took the elements of Water, Wind, Fire, and Psychic respectively. Up until the discovery of the Lonesome Rose's Ace, he had honestly believed Shadow Fox to be an Ace possessor, but this didn't match up. There turned out to be no Shadow after all.

 

Yet here they were, distortions of the shadows writhing beneath his shoe, defying logic by interacting with the material world. Since it projected no sound or vibrations, he would've missed it had it not been for the rattling of the necklace itself. This was an ability that only Shadow Fox displayed, time and time again. Perhaps belief was wrong, and there were more than four Aces - but he doubted this. Still, he needed an answer to this anomaly, and if possible, attain the same ability. Under his control, stealing the other three Aces would be but child's play.

 

At all costs, he had to obtain Pandora. Whether there was a fifth Ace or not, once he gained control over the shadows, by combining it with water he would become unstoppable. And how did he expect to defeat such a seemingly almighty opponent? It was simple. After months of analysis, this unknown magic was Shadow Fox's only actual talent.

 

Moving his gaze towards the place where the tendrils had been heading, there appeared to be nothing out of the unusual- hold on. A certain loud couple he remembered had disappeared out of sight from one of the upper booths. Either they had gone out back to make up, which didn't seem to be possible what with this music spell going on, or they had been knocked unconscious. And if he looked really carefully, there was some sort of dark-clothed human bending in with his surroundings That was most likely where his target was.

 

While Lion was tempted to deal with the Scarlet Symphony himself, and indeed he had to exert an unnecessary amount of willpower in order to keep his mouth shut, this might be his only opportunity to locate Shadow Fox. Not only that, but none of the three Ace users had shown up yet, so there wasn't much else left to do.

 

Still in the dark, he threw off his usher clothing to reveal his costume and took out a mask before placing it over his head, disguising his identity. To an observer, there was just a small, cold gust of wind out of nowhere. But to one who could see in the dark, they would see the infamous Magician's Lion; a thief who stole not for his own benefit, but to gather information and attract others.

 

Having hoarded this information, this knowledge that was meant to be exclusive, and analyzed the powers of practically every Magician's Thief in Nakama City, the Lion didn't doubt his victory. The stage had already been set.

 

With nothing to lose but everything to gain, I will obtain Pandora at all costs.

 

With all this in mind, he used the power of his Ace of Diamonds to draw in moisture from the air around his mouth- before freezing his lips, forcefully preventing himself from singing. He would need stealth for this.

 

And so, the Magician's Lion went past the civilians, beginning to head towards the booth where Shadow Fox was located.

[Kyng's Old Account]

Lion was spotted. Shadow Fox was spotted. Kaito Kid was spotted.

 

Heretic didn't know the lyrics to the song the Scarlet Symphony was singing. He was tapping his foot, however. However, with this individual backstage, it was far from easy for things to go so easily unnoticed - the sound of the shattering lights and the crackling volts met Heretic's ear as he listened against the curtain. He was paying close eye to detail upon the ongoings with the event that was unfolding, and quite frankly he was suspicious, but wasn't quite ready to act just yet. Of course, even though Kaito was performing (since Heretic had yet to tell the difference between the two) Heretic was dumbstruck how this elusive magician was so easily victimised by this shadowed entity.

 

Then it hit him - that wasn't the Kaito Kid.

 

Heretic spotted a particular image moving through the crowd. It seemed to be the Lion, from what he had heard. This individual, however, could not manipulate shadow - with close inspection to his eyes he met their gaze and traced them to a booth. It was evident where he was going. As such, Heretic himself began to make his way through the masses of people before eventually crossing paths with this very analytical Magician Thief. It was evident that Heretic dwarfed the individual but right now that was irrelevant. For once, Heretic spoke to a Magician Thief on different terms.

 

"That booth is the source of this darkness, isn't it?" He asked, before looking towards the large structure. He then turned back to Lion, but began to speak in a particular manner. "Hide in plain sight - apparently these buffoons think of me as staff. I'll get you up there with minimal commotion, so that you may do as you see fit. You shouldn't be noticed when guised besides myself." Of course, it was noteworthy Heretic had seemingly left himself disadvantaged in this little exchange of favours.

[Ren✧]

Takeshi had not taken the time to infiltrate the staff, nor find a decent hiding place within the theater. He had instead waltzed right in, garbed in his Magician Thief attire, minus Rose's Thorn, his sword. Instead, he carried with him a cane, adorned by a brilliant red jewel at its head. Anyone that saw him would dub him for an enthusiastic opera fan, unless of course they were familiar with his work. In which case, the fun would begin early and Takeshi secretly hoped that this would be the case. 

 

After escaping from the crimson haired Magician Thief, whom Takeshi had learned was named the Magician's Lion, or just Lion for short, Takeshi had studied up on his adversaries, making use of every news source available. He had learned all he could about not only Lion, but also Mirage. The information he was collecting was astonishing. To think that all these Magician Thieves possessing the suits of Merlin had been right under his nose. He was eager to snatch the gems away from the other Thieves, eager to see the sheer beauty of Pandora.

 

Takeshi had stumbled upon something else in his time researching. Another Magician Thief, dubbed The Shadow Fox, seemed to be getting a good amount of publicity recently. It was unknown whether he had any actual magical abilities/artifacts, but he seemed to be quite the successful thief, nonetheless.

 

The lights dimmed in the theater and Takeshi's heart began to beat faster. The time for the show was about to begin. That was when he felt it though. Having been around magic, true magic, for a good portion of his life, Takeshi could feel when it was being used. The air around the theater took on a different feeling, as if it was waiting for something to happen. Then the music streamed to life and the obviously fake Kaitou Kid appeared. 

 

Waving some wand, the pseudo-Kid commanded the audience to sing and dance. Takeshi resisted the hypnosis, refusing to be made the fool in such a gambit. Instead, he sat still within the crowd, letting the chaos mask his presence. He would wait for the time being.

 

[hr]

 

Azami had once again infiltrated a building through its ventilation systems. It seemed that she had a knack for such a thing, and despite its cliche connotation, no one had noticed her yet...save for that damn Magician Thief back at the hotel a few weeks prior. Azami, or rather Hinoemma, krept about the ventilation shafts, searching for the main theater in the building. 

 

As she lithely made her way through the enclosed space, the sound of music wafted over to her. It seemed as if the show was starting. She followed the noise, becoming reckless in her pursuit. The closer she got to the music, the fuzzier her mind got. It was as if someone was taking a hold of it. She fought off the feeling of her foggy mind, pressing on until she was overlooking the theater from a ventilation grate high above the audience. 

 

The entire crowd seemed to be hypnotized. That was her last thought before Azami blacked out.