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Author's Note: I've been in a depressing mood for a couple of days...which is, of course why I must take it out on my favorite characters! This one-shot is angst, angst, and more angst. Of course, as my dear readers know, I have never been much of a one-shot writer, but today, I think I'm going to get out of my comfort zone. So, if you would, please enjoy this short piece and review! Note: Hakuba's eye-color is usually brown in the anime and blue in the manga. I'm going by brown for now in order to make it easier to tell the difference between Hakuba's eyes and Kaito's eyes. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The room was dark and silent. A large, bright red gem, known as the Crimson Flare, stood on a lonely display, a dim spotlight shining on it, giving it a sparkle. The rest of the room was thrown into complete darkness. Nothing moved, nothing sounded. But if one walked in, he or she would feel the tenseness in the air. It appeared to be empty. As all our readers know, it was not. A small bronze clock ticked in the back of the room. It looked rather old fashioned, its little hands spinning quietly. The second hand made round after round around the numbers, whilst the hour and minute hands moved ever so slightly every now and then. Suddenly, the clock struck 11. For a brief moment, the display holding the gem was covered in thick pink smoke. A white gloved hand appeared from the cloud and grasped the gem. Slowly, the pink smoke faded. A figure clad in white with a large top hat stood in the middle of the room. A white cape billowed behind him, then settled down softly. Gently, the jewel was tossed from one gloved hand to another. The man took another step towards the light and his face was just visible. His icy blue eyes peeked out from messy hair, the look in them obviously tired. There was no smile on the face, just a look of sadness and worry that seemed permanently etched in. “It's been 10 years, Kuroba.” A British man dressed in a light gray tuxedo stepped out from behind a door. His light blond hair was gently ruffled and his eyes much warmer than the ones who stared back. The thief's expression changed, a very faint smile coming to light, though his eyes remained deep and saddened. “Hakuba, it's been a while,” the thief, or rather, Kuroba Kaito, said quietly. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” He stepped towards the man, a haunted smile on his lips. “I see that none of your fellow policemen are here, and why is that? I do believe that I made it quite clear that I was going to pay a visit tonight.” “Kuroba, you know why I'm here,” Hakuba said. His brown eyes flickered with remorse and guilt. “I came to apologize.” To his surprise, the Phantom Thief's expression did not change. A teasing smile came on, a faint shadow of the smile Hakuba used to see–and hate. “Why, Hakuba, why would you need to apologize? There was nothing worth apologizing for.” For one moment, Hakuba desperately wanted to see the all-knowing, carefree smile Kuroba used to carry with him, the one that used to irk him so much, mainly because Hakuba knew he would never achieve it. As Hakuba drowned in his thoughts, the Phantom Thief stood off to a side. He opened a window and a thin wisp of moonlight came in. Carefully, Kuroba held the gem underneath the light. The jewel glimmered for a moment, then the sparkles on it dimmed. A crestfallen look appeared on Kuroba's face when suddenly, a brilliant radiance filled the room. Hakuba gave a yell as the light temporarily blinded him. Several seconds later (or 3.257 seconds, to be precise), the light faded. The gem glowed as if someone was shining a light through it, a steady and soft glow. A triumphant smirk replaced Kuroba's crestfallen face. With an almost savage look, Kuroba threw it to the ground with such force that it broke off the first layer of the gem. A smaller gem, about the size of Hakuba's fist resided in it. Hakuba couldn't quite make out the color––it seemed to change, one moment it appeared to be blue, the next green, an occasional red tossed in here and there. It seemed pristine and had apparently never been scratched. “Pandora.” Hakuba could just make out Kuroba's whisper. For a moment, the light returned to the once-happy man's eyes. Hakuba had a feeling that this jewel had been what Kuroba had been after all along, and somehow it meant a whole lot more to him than any precious jewel he had come upon in his 'career'. The glowing jewel was tucked into a concealed pocket, the red light it emitted fading as it was taken out from underneath the moonlight. Kuroba made to leave. “Hold it Kuroba. I haven't said sorry yet,” Hakuba stood in front of the Phantom Thief, staring directly into his eyes. “Well, now you have,” Kuroba said coldly. His eyes pierced Hakuba's gut as they both thought back to that fateful day. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– “Kaito! You baka!” Nakamori Aoko chased the prankster around as he teasingly leapt from place to place. He had snuck a look at you-know-where again, earning him a date with a mop. A poof of pink smoke and Kuroba Kaito was replaced by a rather triumphant looking Hakuba, or at least, he looked triumphant before he got a mouthful of mop. “Oh! Hakuba-kun!” Aoko's mop clattered to the ground, her hands at her mouth. “Gomen, Hakuba-kun!” Hakuba brushed it off with an easy smile. “No worries, Aoko-san,” he said, a smile dancing on his lips. “I've got absolutely wonderful news.” Aoko clapped her hands together, completely ignoring Kaito, who was leaning against the windowsill, looking bored. “Is it about Kaitou KID? Did you or otousan catch him?” “Yes, Aoko-san, it's about KID. Or rather, Kuroba.” Hakuba's icy eyes moved from Aoko to Kuroba, who just looked back nonchalantly. “Would you stop it with that incompetent theory that I'm KID?” he asked in a stultifying voice. “How many times do I have to prove that I'm innocent?” Aoko's excited smile also drooped. “Hakuba,” she said, wearily running her hand through her long hair, “we've been through this countless times. Whatever new evidence you have has always been proven false by Kaito. What is it now?” “I have evidence. Undeniable evidence,” Hakuba smirked. “You see, last night I drew a certain mark on Kaitou KID's gloves. The ink that I used penetrated his gloves and sank into his skin. Nobody in the world has ever used this type of ink. It is a sort of temporary glow-in-the-dark tattoo, one that lasts approximately 2 days. It cannot be washed before then.” Hakuba strode over and grabbed Kaito's hand. “If my deductions are correct, applying a bit of this liquid and then turning off the lights should result in...” Hakuba switched the lights off, “a very faint glow in the shape of the symbol of infinity.” There, on Kaito's right hand, rested the undeniable mark of infinity. A victorious Hakuba took out a pair of handcuffs. “Ready to go to jail, Kaitou KID?” A horrified look crossed over Aoko's face. In the background, Koizumi Akako cursed and mentioned something about Lucifer's predictions. “Kaito...you...surely not?” Aoko's face betrayed her hope, her desperate last hope that everything was wrong. For a moment, nobody in the classroom moved. Even the teacher stood stock-still, waiting for Kaito's answer. The tense muscles in Kaito's face relaxed, and for a fleeting moment, hope dawned on Aoko's face. Then a sad but knowing smile appeared, and Hakuba knew he had won. “Incriminating evidence, eh?” Kaito said, the odd smile still plastered to his face. Aoko's smile melted off her face. “Never expected it to happen now...nor in front of this type of audience.” “Kaito...no...please...tell me this isn't happening!” Aoko's eyes, against her will, filled with tears. A gentle smile shifted over Kaito. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “I would, but that would be a lie. And I'm afraid I won't be able to lie to you any longer,” he whispered in her ear. “Kuroba Kaito, you have nowhere to run!” Hakuba said, preparing to slam handcuffs onto his classmate. “There are police outside! There's a helicopter heading over!” “Then I take my leave. But only after one thing,” Kaito turned to face the dark-haired girl who was staring at her desk, as if disbelieving that this was actually happening. “Sorry, Aoko.” –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– “She died the next year, you know,” Hakuba said, breaking the silence. “Car accident. She was...was walking home on that same date, probably thinking of you...” his voice faltered. “I know,” Kuroba said harshly. “I was at her funeral. Disguised, of course. It's hard to think...hard to think that so many people have died for this petty jewel.” His hand reached for his pocket instinctively. “Why, Kuroba, why? Why did you suffer through it all? Why didn't you tell somebody? What was all this suffering, all this pain, all this death, why did Aoko die for this?” Hakuba could feel the heat rising in his voice. He was practically yelling now. “Nobody else will die for this. I will crush this jewel and scatter its remains across the oceans,” Kuroba murmured to himself. The two stood in silence, each contemplating their own thoughts. Hakuba stared at the ground, clenching his fists. That damn Kuroba, had to go and...and do whatever he was doing for some petty jewel and some incompetent reason. Suddenly, Hakuba saw white shoes standing next to his. Brown eyes met blue. A bittersweet smile lingered on Kuroba's face. “Tell Nakamori that I will not be able to return this jewel. And that I'm sorry. I'm everlastingly sorry for what I had to do.” Hakuba was lost for words. Kuroba cared, he cared so much for Nakamori Aoko. He felt a throbbing pain in his chest for what he had done that day, revealed Kuroba's identity, killed his dreams, ruined his life. Was he any worse than a murderer? Kuroba must've had some reason for committing these crimes, some unknown and probably noble reason. And he, Hakuba, the gentleman detective, had ruined it. Ruined everything. Kuroba was hurting. He could no longer go back to the life he used to know, could no longer go back to Aoko, to his mother, to his family...all because of those words that he had announced in front of his classmates. All for a brief moment of glory. What had he done? “Remember, Hakuba, smiles and laughter are always good, but never forget your Poker Face,” Kuroba whispered as he passed by the door and into a hallway that was brilliantly lit by the moon. As Kaitou KID, or rather, Kuroba Kaito disappeared into the night under the light of the moon, Hakuba thought he saw a tear in his eye. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– I did this in FF.net format and was too lazy to edit. Please tell me if it's good, bad, okay, horrible, sucks, rocks, whatever you have to say.

Alright, so first I'll start with... this, I guess. --'Battle Girls - Time Paradox' So far this anime is alright. Honestly the main problem I have with it is the lack of body cover for the armor/outfits of two of the main characters, but it's not really ecchi or anything. In fact I don't recall any scenes like that. Basically an airhead girl ends up somehow in the past with historical figures. However when the people (according to her history book) should be male, they're female. The girl often offers advice influenced from her modern life and the anime so far (right now it's on episode 3) is pretty humorous. It's borderline on the "It's so stupid it's funny" thing. --'The World God Only Knows Season 2' Now this anime is great. I've loved it ever since season one first came out and so far season two looks just as great. The World God Only Knows is about a gamer who has beaten every dating sim game out there. He receives a challenge and ends up stuck with a strange girl named Elsie who wants him to help her find loose souls. In order to do this, the main character must fill the emptiness in the person's heart. It's quite funny and I highly recommend it. --'Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi' This anime is pretty good, but it's got the whole harem thing going on. I'm simply guessing, but it's looking like the typical dramatic storyline of the boy who used to be in a small village, returns when he's a teen, and all these girls remember him and fall in love with him as he remembers his past. Of course, I can't say for sure, but that's my stab at it. Right now there's only two episodes out. The main character and his fragile little brother go to this village to stay at an inn who's owner knew their dad. While waiting for a bus, the younger brother loses his hat to a monkey, and the older brother goes to chase after it. After getting the hat back he runs into a beautiful girl named Ui, and you'll have to watch to see what else happens. --'Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal' Do. Not. Watch. Unless you wish to have your brain implode. Of course that's if you know anything about Yu-Gi-Oh. This is basically the WORST Yu-Gi-Oh! idea EVER. It's like .. elementary kids. :/ --'Toriko' Haven't watched it, but I noticed it on the new anime list. It doesn't look good, but if anyone watches it, tell me what you think of it. --'Tiger & Bunny' Haven't watched this one either. Apparently it's marked under "mecha". It didn't look interesting enough to watch for me, but as I said for Toriko, if you see it, tell me what you think. --'Steins;Gate' I haven't watched this either, but I have watched Chaos;Head which occurred one year before the setting of Steins;Gate (according to this thing I'm reading). I don't remember much about Chaos;Head except that chaos was probably the perfect name of the anime. It's rated R 17+, so I don't really recommend it. If you have seen it though, let me know what you think of it. --'Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai' I was going to watch this. Until I saw that it was rated R+ for Mild Nudity. Apparently it's tagged under drama, ecchi, romance, and harem. Just from that, I don't think it's worth watching. At all. But if you're into that sort of thing, let me know if it has a decent storyline. --'Maria Holic Alive' Second season of Maria Holic. I've watched one of the episodes from this season, and although it's funny, it's not something I'd place on the highly recommended, or even recommended list. I won't say that it's absolutely not worth watching, because it certainly has its hilarious points. The main character is a lesbian girl who goes to an all-girls school to find her true love. She's not the only odd character though. If you don't mind oddness, you'll find this funny. --'Kaiji: Hakairoku Hen' Haven't watched it. Didn't look interesting to me at all. However it's apparently an adaptation of the "Chika Chinchiro" and "Pachinko Numa" stories from the Tobaku Hakairoku Kaiji manga (I've never read it so..). It's sectioned under game, thriller, and seinen. So, if you feel like watching or have already, come back and tell me your thoughts on it. --'Hanasaku Iroha' I LOVE this anime so far! It's only in it's third episode right now but I really love it. The animation is great and so is the story (so far). Ohana always looked for some sort of drama in her life, even though her mother hardly cared for her and instead was always too busy doing her own thing. Her mother suddenly off and leaves her and sends her out of Tokyo to her grandmother who owns an inn. Right when she gets there, she realizes life isn't going to be as sparkly and lovely in her dramatic imagination as she had thought. According to a summary I've come across, the story will also feature other teenage girls who are looking for their dreams and excitements, and hopefully it'll be as good as the one for Ohana right now. I highly recommend this anime. --'Dog Days' Really... weird... anime. I'm watching it for it's hilarity. It really is so stupid and cliche that it's hilarious. It's an action/shounen/supernatural genre story. An overly athletic student gets pulled into another world with dog people(? I don't know what they are.. :/) after being summoned by the princess to fight. He agrees and becomes the Hero of Biscotti. However things don't turn out to be the way you'd think. Pretty funny, one of those things you watch to laugh and pass the time. --'Ao no Exorcist' Haven't watched it, and I don't think I will. The art looks pretty good from the screenshot, but I'm not really interested in this type much. It's under action, fantasy, shounen, and supernatural. If you've seen it, tell me what you think of it. --'Astarotte no Omocha!' Haven't watched and I don't plan on it. It's under comedy, demons, ecchi, fantasy, romance, and seinen. If you watch it and don't mind the ecchi, let me know if it has a storyline worth watching. --'Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai' This anime is on its second episode and I really love it so far! A group of kids who used to hang out together all the time are now teens and are split by all sorts of social differences. They split after the death of one of their friends, a girl named Menma. So far it's pretty cute and sad at the same time, I really do recommend this one as of right now. --'[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control' I'm not sure what to think of this anime yet. It's pretty good and very interesting to watch as of the second episode. A place called the Financial District pulls people in, giving them money to use in their district - but their future is collateral. A hard-working college student working two jobs and using little of what he earns is approached as the next 'entre' for the District. I believe that's it for the new anime this season, or at least so far. I don't really watch the ecchi anime and I don't ever really recommend watching it. Sure, even DC has a level of pevertedness to it, life does, but usually stuff put under ecchi is extremely so and the story is mainly around the fact that it contains lots of ecchi scenes. Other anime that I haven't watched is just because I didn't feel inclined to. If you've watched any of the anime that I haven't watched on this list, please respond and tell me what you think. Tell me what you think of these anime and if there's any I missed or comments you'd like to make.

I know it's not very detailed, but I came up with it in about fifteen minutes cuz my mom's coming home any minute now. I'll fix it later when I have time... I promise... Dedicated to Ainaji who asked for this. Unexpected “Haibara!” he calls to me, azure eyes twinkling with affection, enthusiasm, running as he crosses the school yard to greet me. “What’s up?” “Nothing,” I respond, smiling up at him. He’s sure gotten taller over these past few years, and now we’re both in fourth grade together. “How about you?” “Same. The homework was easy, but I really wish you would have played soccer with the rest of us yesterday- it was so fun. Ayumi and I crushed them.” His soccer skills haven’t dulled either, even improving as he practiced so often. Looking at his face, I really wish I played too. “Haibara, do you remember what day it is?” he asks, almost jumping up and down with what seems like excitement. Ayumi and Genta look at him curiously as they step in, grinning as they pass. “Good luck,” I hear Genta whisper and Ayumi giggles as well. He blushes a little bit, turning red on his cheeks and ears. “Not really. I think it’s like the fourteenth of March or something.” I didn’t look at the calendar on the way out of the Professor’s house today, but something about March 14th rings a bell in my head. What date was that again…? “Oh, then, if you don’t remember, then I guess it’s not that big of a deal,” he mutters, looking at the ground. A small wind blows, carrying with it the sakura petals of the spring. We walk into the school together, hand in hand, dodging accusations of entering the classroom as husband and wife. “Are you kidding me?” he protests, pointing to me. “She’s just my friend!” I don’t say anything. It’d be so great if it was true, and that he was mine. He’s healed my heart after the downfall of the Black Organization, even though I still refuse to admit it. He’s my light, and at the moment I don’t plan on letting him know. During class, he’s evasive, commenting on the date and how nice it is outside. His gaze often strays to me, focusing on my longer tea-colored hair, drifting away only once in a while to pay attention to the teacher even though he already knows the curriculum. So do I. Because of that, I stare at him as well. Those sea-blue irises, deeper than ocean abysses, that soft dark-brown hair, his smile, so pleasing yet carrying pride, and him in general. I let out a sweet sigh. I’m so lucky that he likes me. The teacher points to him, asking, “Can you tell me what the answer is?” The explanation flows out of his mouth like a river, easily and deep. He obviously understands the subject well, and I hear our classmates gasp in amazement at the complexity of the explanation. They must not pay attention- he’s always like this. Always one step ahead everyone else. It makes me feel so proud. “So, Haibara,” he starts, sounding extremely embarrassed once we’ve let out class. “A-are you free right now? I was wondering if you wanted to- you know- hang out with me for a little bit.” “Sure, why not?” There’s nothing I’d like to do more than spend time with you, I think. You have no idea. He took me out of the shadows of the Black Organization, introducing a whole new world to me, showing me friendship and even love. Even if he didn’t know exactly what was wrong if I started crying, he’d always hand me a tissue and simply ask the question, “Are you okay?” Simple words that let me know he cares, and that he’s still my friend. I love it when he blushes, when he laughs. I can’t help but follow along with whatever antics he decides to do, giggle at his jokes, however lame and cheesy, and smile when he’s happy, talking about whatever he did last night. He hasn’t made any big moves yet, but there’s still time. We’re only fourth graders, or at least in looks. But in intelligence and maturity, we’re so much further. He’s always prepared, hardly straying off into childish games and whatnot. He’s so much brighter than anyone could believe his head full of science and detective things. He got exposed to it so much when he was young; I guess no one could blame him. Especially not me- I love it even more once he starts talking. He confessed to me just a year ago, right after the syndicate was taken down. With a blushing face and stuttering speech, he uttered the words, “I love you, Haibara.” And I responded, saying, “I like you too.” Since then, we’re almost inseparable when we’re together, and I’m always wondering what he’s doing when he’s apart. We haven’t done anything big yet, just a kiss under a tree in the cool of fall, something that both of us still remember- I don’t know how we could forget. We were talking, and somehow, we leaned in towards each other, feeling the static electricity in the air fizzle as our lips met. It was energizing, passionate, and we both wanted more, only stopping once we ran out of breath, laughing, him on top of me. We knew better than to kiss again- it would lose its magic touch, and we were getting stares from people around us, wondering why the heck such little kids would be making out. He’s invited me to the ice cream parlor, but never a restaurant, seeing that he’s not allowed to go to places like that ‘by himself’, even though he’s perfectly capable of it. I wonder what he’s up to now- by the look in his eyes it’s something special. Something great. I run by his side as we sprint down the streets, closer towards his destination. I ask him where we’re going, but he just replies, “It’s a secret!” He takes me into the forest, holding back branches and clearing away the brush as we make our way through, the sun starting to set in the west. “Are we almost there?” I inquire, trying to keep up with his fast set pace. He grips my hand, holds it tight. “Almost, just hold on tight!” He jumps off a ridge, dragging me behind him as we slide down the dirt-filled hill. “Are you sure this is safe?!” I exclaim, feeling the wind come through my hair. “Don’t worry,” he comforts me. “I’ve done it tons of times already.” We land on the ground. “See, nothing to it!” “Nothing to you!” I tease. “You know I’m not very good at handling that kind of stuff.” “Come on, hurry a little bit,” he urges me. “We’ve got to get there before the sun sets!” We eventually come upon a meadow full of beautiful white flowers; roses, orchids, everything. Smiling, he picks a couple and makes a crown, which he places on top of my head. “Do you remember what day it is now?” “White day,” I realize, diving forward to hug him. “This is so beautiful!” “It’s nothing, Haibara. After all, you gave me chocolate on Valentine’s Day.” “But this- this is so much better than candy!” “Like I said, don’t fret. I just wanted to let you know I love you, Haibara.” He gives me a small kiss on the side of the mouth. “I love you too, Mitsuhiko.” And that’s where we share our second kiss. Now come up clean. Did anyone think I was talking about Conan the entire time?

First off, I must say that I'm not a real big fan of Mr. Kaitou here. However.. You did really freaking awesome! It's sad, very sad, and the emotion dwelling all in that moment, combined with the flashback really make it hit you. It pulls you into the room with them, the expressions, the emotion, the tension. It's absolutely wonderful, kaichou.

OMG BRB translating EDIT: Wow, this thing took me forever.

Welcome, welcome! I hope you have a great time here! Don't mind Chelsea's strange greeting. She does that to everyone. Just have fun here and remember to contribute as much as you can! Have fun and enjoy your stay!

Greetings. I'm... why yes I am new here like every other member who posts under this. I wonder if this gets monotonous and boring? My greeting is just like all the others. Nothing special. If you wish to be friends, then I welcome you. If not, then who cares. I believe that all translates to: Hello, nice to meet you.

What do you do with what? o.o; --Nevermind, here's the sharing link, I uploaded it and if you click on it it should download, or ask you if you want to download it.

maybe, but its gettin fewer and fewer ConAi/ShinShi all the way!