blackfeatherswhitedoves:

KID slowed himself down well enough, turning to look back at Hakuba and reassess the situation.  They seemed okay for now, but they shouldn’t linger; their friends wouldn’t take long to catch up.  He was about to go retrieve his glider when he noticed Hakuba on the ground.  It took him two seconds to dash over to the detective’s side and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Here, let me help,” he softly offered, trying to assist Hakuba however he could.  In the dark, he still didn’t notice the blood, even though it had left a rather garish design on his jacket now.

The detective, with KID’s help, stumbled along until he got his footing again. Then, though panting, moved quickly enough to keep pace. 

“Thank you, Kaitou-san,” Hakuba said briskly, wincing. So much of him hurt, but there was no time to do an analysis on his injuries; he only had time to be aware of them. 

“Please tell me that you have a plan in mind for whatever insane nonsense you intend for us to do next?”

blackfeatherswhitedoves:

KID didn’t mind Hakuba clinging, though it was obvious he was nowhere near as comfortable in the air as the thief was.  This was to be expected though, he supposed.  He didn’t have much time to ponder on it though; they were losing altitude fast.

KID steered toward his chosen landing area, scanning the area for any potential dangers as he started the actual descent.  Once they were close enough to the ground, KID started reaching for his glider release button.  “Ready, Tantei?  Brace yourself!”

As soon as the order was given, KID released the glider, the pair dropping a few feet to the ground.  He loosened his hold on the half-Brit and took a few running steps, keeping his balance until the momentum was gone.

Ready?

Ready for what?!

Hakuba pried his face away long enough to see the ground, just in time for it to come rushing at them much faster than he wanted it to be. Fortunately, even though there was plenty of internal screaming, the detective managed to have the presence of mind to unravel himself from the thief and likewise hit the ground running.

Unfortunately, he was not nearly as good at this as Kaitou was, or as in practice, and the impact was far too heavy. It slowed him down and, after the first few unconscious steps of momentum, stumbled until he was pitched forward. 

At least this time he hit the ground with a roll – sort of (it wasn’t intentional) – turning over himself as his shoulder didn’t have quite enough leverage against the ground to stop the rest of his body that came right after. Palms stinging, Hakuba hurried to get back to his feet, suddenly aware of several fresh sensations of pain. But that didn’t matter; he had to keep up.

blackfeatherswhitedoves:

“I know what I’m doing.  This is just more difficult when the passenger is older.”  KID noticed Hakuba clinging, but for the moment this actually helped, so he was in a way grateful.  He was paying more attention to the wind currents, however.  Good thing they were keeping them aloft, though not as steady a height as he preferred.

They would need to land sooner than he’d planned.  KID could only hope it would give them the distance they needed.  He scanned the landscape below them, steering for a relatively clear area, or as close as he was likely to find when they were so deep in the city.

“As much as I appreciate your cooperation, when we get closer to the ground I need you to unwrap.  We’ll both need to run a little.  But if I push you, roll away.”  He hoped he was still being fairly polite, but now wasn’t much of a time to worry about that.  The guys in black didn’t care about manners or flash.  They wanted blood, and that’s not the sort of crowd KID particularly wanted to please.

Hakuba, who normally enjoyed flying well enough, did not particularly like this instance of being in the air. There was no seat belt, no comfortable chair, no complimentary cocktail. Instead the howling wind obscured pieces of the phantom thief’s commands, which called far too much attention on the detective’s part to try to listen. But he understood. 

“Yes, yes, very good, whatever you like!”

At least, it’s hoped that he understood what Kaitou had tried to tell him. 

Stomach clenched even more tightly than his limbs around the thief, Hakuba felt distinctly unsorted. 

blackfeatherswhitedoves:

KID ignored Hakuba for the moment, though not without reason.  His queries seemed obnoxiously stupid, and there were other things to figure out.  Testing the wind, he quickly scanned the cityscape from what he could see around the building, doing a few calculations in his head that would probably make his teacher cry.  Again.

“I’m not fond of your involvement either, Hakuba-san.  However, it seems unavoidable.  I’m not going to insult your intelligence by actually answering those questions.”

KID then glanced toward the door, the hair on the back of his neck standing up a little.  It wasn’t so much what he heard as a general feeling, instincts kicking in.  Without another word, he grabbed Hakuba’s arm roughly and pulled him away from the door, only able to get a few feet away before the door was kicked open and the night seemed to light up with gunfire.

There was no more time.  Not for instruction, not for warning, not for sentient thought.  KID did the only thing he knew to do; he took off running for the edge of the rooftop, Hakuba still in tow.  Not slowing down, he clutched the blonde to his chest, taking a step up to the ledge and using it as a vaulting point to propel both of them into the air.  He angled their bodies precisely, twisting into the sky as the freefall began.

The gunfire kept up as they fell, though it was only long enough for KID to hold Hakuba tighter and hit the button on his belt to launch his hang glider.  Now he chanced only one command:  “Hold on tight as you’re able.”

No warning, indeed.

Hakuba had time to open his mouth, intent on barking a snappy retort, before the shots were fired. At that point, he decided to put his energy into running instead of debating. He wasn’t sure what KID’s plan was, right up until he reached the ledge of the building.

“Ah – wait!" 

The cold air whipped past the pair and the detective wrapped his arms around the thief, not needing to be asked twice. Or once, even. What in the hell was Kaitou doing?!

The detective might have screamed, but the moment the glider engaged, he only had the presence of mind to grip harder, scrambling to find purchase with his legs around him. He could have easily been thrown… but managed to hold on, gasping, eyes wide and wild. Such was the detective’s surprise that he did not notice the blood from his arm or the tear in his suit jacket, splattering against the white coat of the thief.

"KAITOUwhatdoyouthinkyou’redoingyou’regoingtogetuskilled!” he hissed anxiously… and might have demanded to be set down but, as Hakuba stole a glance at the rushing buildings and pavement, thought better of it.

blackfeatherswhitedoves:

At the sound of Hakuba’s voice, KID looked up, his expression going flat.  This was just his sort of luck.  And he naturally had all these questions that he had neither time no desire to answer.  In his opinion, it was rather stupid of Hakuba to expect different.

“You’ll have to excuse me, but there really isn’t time for those questions.”  He straightened up, taking a look around the rooftop and noting the direction of the wind.  He wasn’t sure if he actually could hear the men in black coming up the stairs or if he was simply being paranoid.

Stupid or not, Hakuba looked quite displeased at the thief’s retort. Straightening up himself, the detective brushed his clothing off, then set to work readjusting his tie in a huff. At least, until he thought he heard footsteps, too.

“Kaitou-san…” he said cautiously, lips tightening in to a thin, straight line. “Are there hunters on your trail at this very moment? Specifically, in this very vicinity? I should tell you that I’m not too keen in getting wrapped up in your hi-jinx tonight.”

Not that the detective had much of a choice – neither of them did – but still. 

blackfeatherswhitedoves:

KID just kept running, half afraid to look back and see the progress of the enemy.  He stumbled a little when a shot almost knocked his hat off, cursing quietly and catching it.  That was the last time he wore one of Toichi’s hats out; surely that left a mark on the white satin.

Soon he was heading up a flight of stairs with a door at the top.  This had to be the roof exit, KID thought to himself.  He’d be safe in a few minutes, right?  The hope was gone a second later when he saw the door start to open and a figure stood in silhouette.  His heart sank, assuring himself that since the figure didn’t bring out a gun and point it at him, it was probably an innocent.  This wasn’t much of an assurance, but it did help.

With a burst of adrenaline speed, KID sprinted to the door, grabbing the figure by his arm and pulling him aside before closing the door again.  He took a moment to catch his breath, not even looking up at his new companion yet.

Hakuba was caught very off guard by the recklessly charging Kaitou KID, and it took him several moments to realize quite what had happened. In fact, it wasn’t until his eyes had adjusted to the new dark that he gathered the mental energy to process it.

“Well,” he muttered stiffly, unimpressed by the close proximity of himself to the very phantom thief that he had been avoiding. “That was unexpected. What are you up to? What’s all of this commotion?”

Leave it to the half-brit detective to begin asking questions at potentially the worst possible time. 

blackfeatherswhitedoves:

KID paused once inside, but he didn’t stay still for long.  The gunmen weren’t far behind, and they were catching up quickly.  Mentally cursing, he made his way further up the building, going over things in his head.  If he could get enough of a wind once he was high enough up, he should be able to glide ideally a kilometer or two, though he wasn’t going to count on it.  The shots were getting too close.

At this point, he could really only hope luck was on his side yet again.  Too many factors left to chance, and no time to think them all over.  He wove through the floors, still riding to the roof.  Ideally, he’d be there in a few minutes.

Rather alarmingly, Hakuba found that the shots were getting closer and closer to where he stood. He looked over the railing again, then turned, headed back toward the stairwell at a liberal clip. 

If there was legitimate trouble, and it wasn’t from the police, chances were that it was a group that would not play by the metropolitan police department’s handbook in terms of allowable firearms and the subsequent procedure to deal with it. With shots being fired, the detective believed it was safe to say that it was the more the style of someone who didn’t care at all about the police.

He reached the door to the stairwell and quickly swiped his card to get access. All in the vain hope the  he would be able to get out of the way in time. 

blackfeatherswhitedoves:

Let the show begin indeed.

Inwardly Kaito- no, KID tonight- was slightly disappointed.  He’d gotten too good perhaps at predicting the movements of the police, and while the heist was going well, all the illusions in place and the crowd below screaming his name, the thief couldn’t help but feel like something was missing.  He’d have to put more effort into the next heist maybe, to make it more interesting.  Just because the targeted gem was safely tucked away inside his pants pocket, the police were properly baffled and lagging behind due to his tricks, and the crowd was entertained, didn’t mean KID would count this as a success.

He’d gotten a safe distance away, the police sounds fading as they went the other direction, and was left to his own thoughts for a moment.  Now was about the time he’d find a safe place to change before fully slipping away, but KID had gotten slightly off course and wasn’t near his designated place.  He wasn’t overly concerned, though.  That is, he wasn’t until he spotted a pair of black-clad figures just ahead of him.

The teen magician froze for only a split second before starting to sprint away.  It seemed it wasn’t a moment too soon either, as a gunshot rang out just to his right.  KID didn’t stop to hear whether they were giving chase;  if he had to bet, the answer was yes.

Just ahead was a fairly tall building, and KID could spot an easy way in.  Hoping he’d be able to lose his pursuers- as well as hoping the blueprints of this particular building was similar to ones he already knew- he slipped inside and headed for the roof.  If he could only get some height, perhaps he’d stand a chance.  It didn’t always work, but it was better than simply outrunning on foot.  The thief was in good shape, but not that good.

That was… odd. 

Hakuba moved to the edge of the roof, looking out at the street below and the approaching commotion. Was that KID just now? Why were they coming this way? 

The detective leaned over the railing edge, peering out to see if he could get a good look at whatever was happening. The police had gone off in the other direction, as could be expected, but what…? And why?

Hakuba had no idea that the very roof that Kaitou was headed for was the very same that he stood on.