Tag Archives: at any cost

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At Any Cost || themoonlightthief

themoonlightthief:

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The two detectives froze at the whimpering plea, and while Conan steeled himself for what was to come, it only took 1.37 seconds for Hakuba to know, without a doubt, who the voice belonged to. It was Kid. It was Kuroba Kaito. His Kaito. He’d never heard it like that before, though; not in any of the time he’d known him. It was so broken. And it hurt. 

Taking in the scene didn’t help ease that pain, either. Both of them could smell the blood and sensed the fear, felt the tension in the air, but Hakuba recognized something else that Conan had very little experience with, and it twisted his stomach in knots. The odor of sweat and sex, though nearly impossible to describe, stirred with the evidence of torture and brought unbidden flashes to mind. But the blond detective didn’t stop breathing until he saw his moonlight thief. 

Conan leveled his watch, body tense, muscles coiled and ready to spring, but narrowed his eyes at the figure shivering in the light. Was that figure, bent and bleeding, really Kaitou KID? Was that even possible? He stepped forward, listening for his companion’s actions to dictate his own, but stopped when Hakuba staggered forward. He’d expected a calm and cautious approach, soft words and authority, but this… 

It was all wrong. All so wrong. Hakuba couldn’t see KID, all he could see was Kaito. None of his professionalism and training stood a chance against vivid images that overtook him, crashing through all of his protective walls like the raging sea against a crumbling dam. It was far too personal. It hurt too much.

All at once he was drowning, gasping a ragged breath of his own as he dropped the firearm uselessly to the floor. Numbly, his left hand made for his pocket, digging for the watch in a desperate and reflexive effort to salvage his sanity, but the trembling in his limbs was far too violent to even keep adequate hold. Knees giving way to the crushing emotions, Hakuba sank to the ground, face twisted in agony and horror. Kaito, oh god, Kaito, oh god! 

He couldn’t speak. Could barely think. The shadow cast by his own body in the flashlight stretched over Kaito as the sheepdog over a lamb’s battered form, drawing close despite its resemblance to the offending wolf.

It was the perfect contrast; a tormented knight to the shattered joker, and it disturbed Conan to witness it. It also told him far more than he’d anticipated– Hakuba was no stranger to abuse and he probably knew who Kaitou Kid really was… or they were really close despite. There were very few alternative explanations for how quickly the foreign detective had become emotionally compromised.

In a way, it embarrassed him. Hakuba may care for the thief, but they had work to do. How was losing his shit going to help KID? 

“Oi, Hakuba!” Conan barked, voice hard and scowl firm. “Pull yourself together!" 

The harsh reprimand snapped Hakuba back just enough for him to give a strangled cry. "Kaito!” Reaching, half crawling through the bloody patches toward him, tears building and falling in desperation. 

Fortunately, Conan dismissed the slip for a mistake on that foreign tongue, rolling his eyes as he impatiently collected the gun from the floor. Dammit, Hakuba! 

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At Any Cost || themoonlightthief

((Debated, then decided to put it all behind a cut, ha ha ha~))

themoonlightthief:

Ragged, shallow breaths were the only thing filling the silence stretching thickly through the dark, cold room – apart from the faint buzzing deep within one of the corners, but Kaito tried not to think about that, pushing the sound to the back of his mind to the very best of his abilities. If he continued listening, if he focused on that—

He choked on a cry, body stiffening and eyes clenching shut. His fingers, smeared with his own blood, dug into his scalp as he pressed himself further against the wall, another whimper and strangled sob leaving his raw throat at the burning electricity flaring through his nerves as he further agitated his wounds.

Stupid stupid stupid

If only he’d said ‘no’, if only he’d listened to that faint voice in the back of his head, if only he hadn’t been so stupid and naive—

Another shiver wracked through his bloodied frame and he knew he was cold and he knew it was bad and he knew he needed help – help please someone I can’t do this I can’t I can’t I can’t someone help me please – but the voices chanting in his mind, over and over

‘Pathetic’

‘Worthless’

‘Stupid’

‘Whore’

was drowning everything else out, numbing his senses of everything but the hollow feeling spreading through his entire being.

Worthless stupid tainted unworthy pathetic idiot naive fool child what’s the point stay why don’t you stay close your eyes it’s fine it doesn’t matter no one cares they shouldn’t why would they just stay it’s better if you just—

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kaito could hear another buzzing join the first- it was faint, so, so faint and far away – and it sounded once, twice, three, four times, before dying away completely. He knew what it was. He’d heard it a thousand times before and it was enough to make a glimmer of something akin to hope – but it was so incredibly faint, barely visible and there at all unless one knew where and how to look – flicker in his chest along with a cold sense of panic, horror and dread and Kaito slowly opened his eyes, gaze hazily flickering in the direction of where the sound had come.

help me

Never before had Hakuba broken so many traffic laws in one stretch, but he didn’t care. Every time his calls went to voicemail, he added another 3.5 miles per hour to his speed, and it was only his experience and the adrenaline rush that kept him crashing into other cars instead of swerving around them. 

Once on scene, he parked his car – very illegally – as close as he possibly could to the store in question, slapped the ‘official police business’ declaration in the window, and leapt to retrieve his medical field bag. It was then a jog to Conan, who waited at the very edge of the glass store front, staring down any onlookers with extreme prejudice.

It was his presence – the young, innocent child with the death glare – that kept the public mostly at bay. Could they look in on the horrors with a kid there? Especially one intent on snapping if anyone got too close. Not that it didn’t stop them from trying, wanting to lead him away… but, fortunately, Hakuba got there first. 

“He’s with me. Official police business. Please be on your way.” Hakuba’s badge was only a consultant’s, but the seal was legitimate, and worked well enough on the lay person. Heavy duffel over one arm and black police windbreaker on his person, the detective asserted his quasi-authority to take control of the scene. 

Despite his previous statement, Hakuba changed his mind as soon as they found the entry point, glancing into the dark. He heard the rasping breaths, the quiet electric hum, and glanced down at the boy at his side. “Go home, Conan-kun.”

“Like hell." 

Hakuba blinked, brows furrowing at the response. ”…You’ve done your part; I’ll take over.“

"Oi, stop wasting time. Let’s move.”

Conan pushed past Hakuba without another word, leaving the blond to chase after. With a flick of his wrist, he had the flashlight activated on his watch, scanning the area for something, anything – persons, traps, instruments of torture, splashes of blood… 

The tension had them both on edge, and as they ventured further, Hakuba shifted his firearm from left to right hand, ready. He kept watch above, eyes adjusting to the dark while his little companion scoured the floor, both listening, waiting.

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Oh but it’s true. Do you want to know how he begged for it? How much he said he wanted it? How he laid down and took all of it like an obedient pet? That he screamed and sobbed like a little brat because he bit off more than he could chew.

image

It wasn’t the first time that he’d heard of the incident… but while he originally dismissed it, further research proved far more troubling than he’d anticipated. Hakuba pulled out his mobile to send a text while he scrolled through the forums, brows furrowed. Dread and horror filled him slowly, ache like the gnawing cold of rising flood water. 

[text] Just checking in. Hullo!

He’d seen Kaito just recently, hadn’t he? Or spoken to him, at the very least. Really, the detective had been so busy since returning from his trip to London that the past week and a half had been little more than a blur. Still, though, this sort of thing didn’t happen to Kaitou Kid. It just didn’t. …did they?

[text] Would you like to do something later?

Hakuba stretched, leaning back in his chair as the information sunk in. From the video clips that had been posted, it was a simple enough task to determine the approximate location of the scandal, but even with that, it was difficult to ascertain if any of it was legitimate or not. Sex tapes and snuff films were popular among a particular crowd, and many adopted celebrity or character personas to draw in a larger audience. It was a disgusting practice, but unfortunately one of the things that a detective had to deal with from time to time. 

[text] Are you still asleep~?

As the seconds ticked by – which Hakuba verified via pocket watch – his anxiety deepened. To act or not? If it really was his Kuroba Kaito, he needed to be there immediately. If it wasn’t, did he risk revealing that he had a particular and personal interest in the thief’s wellbeing? While it was true that he hadn’t made the claim that they were enemies recently, and he was one of the forefront members of the Kaitou Kid task force, there was easily cause for concern that he could become emotionally compromised without due cause, betraying his secret. Both of their secrets. 

[text] Kuroba, I really need to know that you’re all right

What to do? He’d need to proceed with caution, regardless. Sighing, he set to work drafting a reply to one of the forum threads. 

leprofessorholmes posted:

Has anyone been able to confirm this yet? Or, more importantly, has anyone reported the incident to the authorities? 

That was all that he really felt he could discuss openly on the matter; it all upset him too much. Kuroba or not, those who took photos, recorded video, or stared instead of immediately informing the police were nothing but cruel abusers, themselves. And, had it been staged, it was at the very least a matter of public indecency. How did this sort of thing happen? So many had died simply because the available people had chosen to be spectators instead of heroes. He knew that all too well. Paparazzi was such a dirty word. 

…and why the personal messages? A trap, perhaps. After all, Hakuba had made many enemies in his profession, so it wasn’t completely unlikely. He picked up his phone again, this time attempting to call his classmate, but was met with voicemail. After a brief ‘please get back to me as soon as possible,’ he hung up and began dialing the station to see if there had been any reports made.

But before he could hit the ‘call’ button, another call came in.

“Hakuba Saguru speaking.”

“Hakuba. Where are you right now?”

“Conan-kun?” Hakuba frowned, surprised at the tone and aggressiveness with which the normally sweet boy addressed him. “I’m at my father’s estate in Ekoda. What can I do for you?”

“How fast can you get to Akihabara?”

The blond closed his eyes, taking in a breath while he calculated, again, the ETA for travel time. “Approximately twenty six minutes, though I may be able to shave it to seventeen and a half, dependant on traffic and parking. Why do you ask?” Though he already knew.

“You’re the so-called expert on Kaitou Kid. I’m calling you in.”

That was all the confirmation that Hakuba needed, and was out the door and jogging down the hall in an instant. 

“Understood. I’m on my way.”