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Shades of Grey: Aftermath- Magician of the Silver Sky
by Icka! M. Chif

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Night had just fallen when his guest had arrived. Hakuba had figured he would be late, it was a great distance to travel, even for one who could fly. Although there were limitations to using a hang glider, a breeze being too great or not enough, and distance.

Although he'd be willing to bet that while the hang glider had seen some use, Kid had mainly used it to slip on and off of the Shinkansen and other JR lines. Being a thief did have its advantages after all.

He rose from his chair, absentmindedly book marking the page as he did so, leaving it on the arm table as he left. Despite protests to the contrary, Kid had a few habits, such as staying on the balcony instead of coming inside when a heist went bad.

This one had gone very very bad.

It could have been worse, but he doubted his companion would see it that way.

The Kaitou beamed at him, a wide grin stretching across his face as Hakuba approached. They knew each others strides by now, Kid often not bothering to mask his noise and Hakuba having learned the hard way that it wasn't a good idea to sneak up on a thief. Still, it'd been worth it to make his companion jump.

"I take it you had fun." He commented mildly, crossing his arms as Kaito tilted his head back and laughed.

"Scrapped a couple of police cars." Kid bounced. "And got Kudo GOOD! You should have SEEN his expression when he saw me!!!"

The white clad thief rambled on a bit about teasing Kudo, eyes sparkling as he gestured wildly. Hakuba waited patiently, keeping half an ear on what was being said, trying to piece together from what he knew what -wasn't- being said.

And he supposed he should have been jealous at Kudo for capturing so much of his thief's attention. The risk was a lot higher on a heist with Kudo involved and the only times people tended to die were around the small boy, like a bad luck charm. But at the same time it was kind of hard to muster much more than a sort of pity for such luck.

The banter wore down, a friendly arm Kid had thrown around one shoulder to explain a particular point sliding down as the Kid leaned against him, the back of his head resting against Hakuba's shoulder. Silence fell, the jovial mood crashing down as the adrenaline finally faded.

Kid sounded like an old man when he finally spoke.

"How many." It was not so much a question as a confirmation of something he already knew and dreaded the answer.

Hakuba let out a deep breath. "Fourteen."

"That many..."

There were probably ways of softening the blow, but Hakuba didn't know any other than to be straightforward and Kid never asked. "Two deaths, both from the ground crew. Six people sent to the hospital. The rest went home with minor abrasions."

A soft sigh escaped the thief, his warm weight increasing as he sagged slightly.

"The men in the tower?"

"Went home with minor abrasions. Commended your piloting ability by the way. If you ever want a job piloting, look them up."

"Heh."

Hakuba loosely embraced Kid, resting his hands on the white-clad waist. "Get some rest."

Kid shook his head, the hat lifting off his head at the action. "Can't."

There would be money sent to the families of those that had died, even if he didn't show up for the funeral. Purple Hyacinths sent to the injured as an apology.

A Kaitou's job began long before the heist began, and ended long after the detectives had retired.

"You saved the lives of 338 people, including yourself." He reminded the thief.

"And lost three more."

Including the woman who had been murdered on the flight.

"You did the best you could." He commented softly. "Not your fault."

Kid said nothing. Despite the masks and joviality, he took what he did seriously. Too seriously sometimes. The thief took too much to heart. Felt too much was his responsablity.

It was part of the reason he cared for the thief, with or without the monocle.

"I think I went too far." Kid finally commented, running a hand down the un-monocled side of his face. "With Kudo, I mean. Pushed too hard. He went over the side of a skyscraper to catch me."

That was new. "Even with my vague knowledge of the detective, he probably had that planned long in advance."

"... maybe."

They lapsed into silence again, Kid's weight slowly increasing against him.

"Get some sleep." Hakuba gently chided.

"...mebbe later."

A Kaitou's job was a long one indeed.

-fin-

Shinkansen = Bullet Train
JR = Japanese Rail. They cover the between city stuff, while cities have subways to get around.

Purple Hyacinth - I am Truly Sorry / I am Sorry; Please Forgive Me

Um... a mixed class Boeing 747 carries about 380 passengers and around 16 crew. They weren't carrying a full load on the plane (good thing too), which is usually when accidents happen, in my humble experience.
Not sure it was a 747 to begin with, so... @_@


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