Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He had found it.

He had finally found it.

Biting back a choked sob, KID hurriedly shoved the jewel back into his pocket.  While he may have thrown the police off of his trail, the Organization was still lurking around somewhere.  He couldn't let his guard down.

Had they seen the jewel glow red and reveal another jewel within?  KID hoped not, and there was a long flight before he got to safety.  Taking a deep breath, he unfolded his glider.  Safe location first, then destroying Pandora.  Hopefully that would lead to the arrest of the Organization and his work fulfilling his father's legacy will finally be complete.

Leaping off of the edge, the glider picked up the breeze and carried him upwards.  KID scanned the ground below, watching for any signs of someone pointing a gun at him.  He couldn't afford to make a mistake this time -

A gunshot echoed, and KID gasped as a bullet ripped through his glider.  Frantically searching around, KID's heart sank as he realized his mistake.  While he had checked for shooters below him...he hadn't thought to check for shooters on the same level as him.

A sniper was positioned on a nearby building, and his glider was starting to spin out of control.  KID grimaced, doing his best to go into a controlled descent.  Were there snipers anywhere else -

He got his answer as another gunshot echoed, this time from a different location.  A sharp, burning pain sliced through his chest, and KID gasped again, this time for air as he completely lost control of the glider and began falling in the complete opposite of the direction he was trying to go.  Another gunshot cut through the night and this time KID couldn't hold back a pained cry as his side began to burn with the same pain as his chest.  He had been wearing extra protection, but it didn't seem to be doing anything now.  All KID registered was some trees before he hit the ground, steel rods from the glider stabbing into his back.  He gasped again, not daring to move, black spots beginning to dance around the edge of his vision.

Hazily, KID looked down at his chest.  Red was spreading across it, and not from his tie.  Head dropping back down on the ground, a numb feeling overtook him.

He had failed.  He had found Pandora, but let the Organization get him.  There was no hope of rescue, and they would recover the jewel from his corpse long before the police discovered him.

It was getting harder to breathe.  KID stared up at the full moon, knowing full well it was the last thing he would ever see.  Coughing up blood, he mentally apologized to Aoko.  He could only hope Hakuba would be able to comfort her.

I'm sorry.  I'm so, so, sorry.

Eyes closing, he thought he heard a voice talking, but it was all fading out now.  Maybe the Organization had found him.

Everything faded into blackness.

-

He was waking up.

Kaito blinked blearily, forcing his eyes open.  Was this the afterlife?  He didn't feel like he was in pain anymore, so it must be...

Slowly pushing himself to a sitting position, Kaito blinked again.  It still looked like the forest he had crashed in, only the area was hidden by some large trees and plants.  Huh, the afterlife was a forest.  He hadn't seen that coming.

"Ah, good, you are awake."  A voice said pleasantly.

Kaito whirled around.  A figure was perched on a nearby rock, black robes moving slightly in the breeze.  They had black hair, and their eyes...their eyes were blood red, Kaito noted with slight apprehension.  Maybe this wasn't the good afterlife.  Figures.

"I was beginning to wonder if perhaps I had placed you in a permanent slumber by mistake, but it appears the energy drain from being brought back to life simply knocked you out for a little while.  Excellent."  The figure continued, tone pleasant, as if they were discussing the weather.

Kaito was fairly certain his brain stopped working.

"I'm sorry?"

"Ah yes, you are doubtlessly confused right now."  The figure mused, red eyes seeming to pierce into him.  "Allow me to explain what happened.  You, Kaitou KID, or rather Kuroba Kaito, were shot and killed.  I, Pandora, who was with you at the time of your death opted to leave my previous vessel - the jewel if you had not realized - and make you my vessel instead."

"I - what - you're..."  Kaito trailed off, staring at the figure.

"I am Pandora."  The figure pointed to themself.  "You are my vessel."  They added, pointing at Kaito.

"What."  Kaito crossed his arms.  "Did I die and this is some bizarre dream my brain is coming up with to keep me entertained as I bleed out?"

"You are assuredly not dying."  Pandora reassured him.  "That is quite impossible at this point.  You are immortal now, my sincerest congratulations."

"I'm what?"

Pandora frowned at him.  "I know I chose an intelligent being to act as my new vessel, kindly behave as such.  The jewel I was previously in cracked, due to those bullets being shot at you.  There was really no purpose in fixing it when a much better opportunity presented itself."

"Right, can we just..."  Kaito squeezed his eyes shut a moment, desperately wishing for this to be some horrible nightmare before reopening them.  "Okay.  Let's start from the beginning.  I died.  You brought me back to life."

"Yes."  Pandora nodded.

"Now I -"  Kaito's voice cracked and he paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, "am your...vessel?  Which makes me immortal."

"All correct."  Pandora nodded again.  "My magical essence is now stored within you...my power flows through your veins.  This form you see here is merely a construct I can create to talk to you directly...my actual self is within you.  The construct does feed off of your energy, so it will constantly be draining just a very small amount each moment I hold it, but I thought this form would be more suitable for explanations."

Kaito was silent for a moment, staring at Pandora.  Numbly, he noticed the sun was starting to stream in through the cover of trees.  He must have been out for several hours then.

"So."  He said at last, feeling dull and empty inside.  "You're sentient.  And apparently do more than make people immortal."

"Oh yes."  Pandora told him.  "I have been on this planet far longer than you have been alive.  I am one of the most powerful magical essences in existence.  My tears do have healing powers, but they do not make people immortal.  I am not sure why humans gained the idea I would cry when held up to the moon."

"So...why were you in a jewel then?"  Kaito rubbed his forehead wearily, absently wondering how this became his life.

"There was not a need to be in anything else."  Pandora spread their hands out.  "My purpose had been completed, and humanity would only squabble over me like children.  It was better to simply observe from a distance."

"Your...purpose?"  Kaito narrowed his eyes.

Pandora actually seemed to grimace.  "Ah yes.  About that...it appears my power will be needed yet again.  The day I dreaded would come has now come to pass."

"What day?"  Kaito pressed, apprehension growing.

"You were so distracted with your heist you did not pay attention to the news, did you?"  Pandora gave him a bitterly amused smile.  "The Volley Comet, which comes near to Earth every ten thousand years has come once again.  In doing so, it has disrupted and awakened magic that has been sealed away into dormant states for centuries.  Ten thousand years ago after the last Volley Comet, I sealed all of the magic away to ensure it could never get into the wrong hands and cause destruction...today I must do the same."

"Back up."  Kaito shook his head.  "You're saying that magic that has been inactive for centuries...just woke up again."

"That is correct."  Pandora sounded grim.  "These magic items have the power to bring complete and utter destruction on the world if they are not kept in check.  While the matters of humans are hardly concerning to me, it is in my best interests to keep this planet intact.  Therefore, I must repeat what I did centuries ago and find where these magical items have gone...and seal the magic in them away before they can cause complete chaos and destruction."

"Wow."  Kaito said after a moment of consideration.  "That's really bad.  So you should probably find a vessel that's more suitable for your -"

"I cannot."  Pandora cut him off, expression grave.  "The only thing keeping you alive, Kuroba Kaito, is my power.  The moment I leave you for a new vessel...you will die."

Kaito stared at Pandora, feeling not unlike he had been turned upside down and splintered in half.  "So I'm...stuck like this?"  He demanded, voice rising.  "There's no way around this?  No cure?"

"I am afraid not."  Pandora shook their head. 

"I..."  Kaito stared at Pandora for a moment before raising his hands to clutch at his hair.  "Give me a moment."

"I imagine this must be a shock for you."  Pandora murmured.  "Seeing as you wanted to destroy me and all...now you cannot live without me."

"How do you even know so much?!"  Kaito snapped at them, scrubbing at his face with his hands.

"Oh, that.  I went through the entirety of your memories while you were sleeping, as our consciousness are now intertwined."  Pandora explained, voice conversational.  "I thought I should get acquainted with my new vessel.  Jewels do not have memories, so it was a bit of a new experience.  I will be able to communicate to you in your thoughts as well now."

"You went through..."  Not able to care anymore, Kaito sank back onto the ground.  "Sure.  Why not.  Makes sense."  He said aloud, then nearly giggled at the absurdity of the situation.  Here he was, having died then brought back to life by the apparently sentient jewel he was trying to destroy.

"Are you going to have a breakdown?  Because if so, I can take control of your consciousness and force you to calm down if you so wish."  Pandora stood, moving closer.

"Ah."  Kaito said dully.  "You can completely control me too?"

"If I so wished it."  Pandora sat down by him.  "I will not really have a reason to outside of sealing away magic items however, so it should not be something for you to worry about."

"Hold up."  Kaito snapped, sitting up again so he was looking Pandora in the eyes.  "You are not going to just control me while you go around hunting down dangerous objects.  I don't want you controlling me for anything."

"I could always erase your memories."  Pandora offered.

Kaito felt his eye twitch.  "No."

Pandora sighed at him, lips turning downwards.  "If you do not want me to control you, then you will have to find and seal the items yourself.  With my help of course."

Kaito returned to staring at Pandora.  "So that's it?  I have to either let you take complete control of my mind or hunt down dangerous magical items and seal them away for you?"

"If they are not sealed, they will bring destruction upon the world."  Pandora said quietly.  "I could keep you alive, should those events occur, but no one else.  Everyone you know and love will perish."

Kaito swallowed, staring down at his hands.  Everything was moving too fast, and he felt dizzy.  But they couldn't just keep sitting in a random forest either.  Taking a deep breath, Kaito made a snap decision.

"My house.  We'll work out the details there."

-

Three hours later, Kaito was aimlessly stirring his chocolate milk as he thought over what had happened.

"So."  He said, eyeing Pandora, who was seated across from him.  "Due to a comet that passes by Earth every ten thousand years, magical items everywhere have had their seals broken and come back to life.  If they are not sealed away again, they will bring destruction and kill everyone around them."

"That is correct."  Pandora confirmed.

"While you can create a construct outside of my body, the farther away you get, the more energy it takes to maintain, so that's not an option either."  Kaito sipped his chocolate milk.  "You need my body to properly seal these objects away.  As I'm not letting you take complete control over my mind and body to do so, I am instead going to find these items and seal them away under your guidance."

"The arrangement is acceptable to me as long as the items are sealed away in a timely manner."  Pandora nodded.  "I will train you how to use my powers so that you can defend yourself against threats.  Your civilian life will remain untouched by me, and we will work together to bring down your Organization in the process."

"Right."  Kaito exhaled.  "Now the only problem is KID."

"Problem?  I think it is quite advantageous."  Pandora noted.  "KID's skills will allow you to get to items faster, and the reputation you have built with the police will ensure you have a fairly good idea of how they will react around you."

"KID always returns what he steals."  Kaito pressed his lips together.

"Once the magic inside an object is sealed, it should be safe to return it."  Pandora waved a hand.  "And for any item that cannot be, there are ways to replicate it...I believe I know of an artifact that will do just the trick."

"Fine, but KID also sends out heist notices.  I'm not putting the taskforce in danger."  Kaito pointed out, leaning back in his chair.

Pandora hummed thoughtfully.  "I believe for minor items, the heist shall be perfectly safe for them.  And for the more risky items, you can simply break in, seal it, return it, and leave.  No one will ever know you were there."

"That's not what KID is!"  Kaito snapped, crossing his arms.

"Why not?"  Pandora frowned at him.  "I understand you took on the mantle to honor your deceased father, but you have completed one of your main objectives as KID, have you not?  I am not destroyed, no, but I am out of the reach of anyone who would wish to use me for evil.  And the Organization will be taken down, regardless if you are KID or not.  I agreed to help you destroy it."

Kaito fell silent, gazing into his chocolate milk for a few moments.

"What are you saying?"  He said at last.

"I am saying."  Pandora's voice was gentle.  "It was loyal of you to want to fulfill your father's legacy.  But now that you have...now that you have found what you were looking for...what if KID became part of your legacy instead?  A tribute to your father, and a clear path for your future."

"Turn KID into...still a gentleman thief, but this time looking to seal things away rather than find something?"  Kaito asked hesitantly, raising his head.  "Make KID into what serves me best rather than a ghost of my father?"

"Yes."  Pandora's voice was soft.  "A part of KID will always lie with your father, but...mostly it lies with you.  KID is part of you now.  Make him into the thief you want to be."

"It still honors my father in some ways, and it serves what I need perfectly...a kaitou that can get to anything at any time."  Kaito mused.  "I...I...don't know how I feel about it, but I need something to get to the items...all right.  It will take some adjustments but I believe I can repurpose KID while keeping his reputation intact.  He'll send out heist notices when it's safe, and leave the other things undetected...since it's not really stealing anything to begin with."

"It seems we have a plan."  Pandora sounded delighted.

"Yeah...I'm going to go take a nap now."  Kaito stood up, abandoning his chocolate milk.  "I need some time to process things more...think over all the changes."

"Very well.  I shall let you know when I find our first target."  Pandora nodded at him before disappearing.

Kaito stared at the empty seat for a moment before sighing, turning and trudging up the stairs to his room.  It had been a long night.

-

As Kaito drifted to sleep under his covers, Pandora reappeared, sitting next to him on his bedside.

"Hmm...I know you do not want me to control you, but I do not believe this counts..."  They murmured, and gently tapped Kaito's forehead.  Kaito shifted slightly under the covers, and Pandora watched as the tension melted out of his face, becoming peaceful instead.

There.  A nice, pleasant dream that would help him process the events faster.  The sooner his vessel fully accepted his new life, the sooner they could get to sealing away items.  Luckily, they hadn't all simply erupted at once, so there would be time to get to them before real disaster could strike.  They had a bit of time.

With that, Pandora let the construct fade away again.