More Than A Gemstone (Kaishin)

Pandora

'Pandora'

"Your name is... Pandora...?"

For a while, Kaito was painfully aware of any noise filling this agonizing silence. The ticking of the clock at the wall, the gentle hum of his fridge inside the kitchen, a branch tapping his living room window behind the couch.

"Pandora..." Kaito repeated, almost as if to convince himself this was a joke, a stupid joke he was part of. Pandora nodded his head, quietly, at the mention of his name. He looked confused... so confused. He had no idea what was going on, of course he didn't.

A thick lump formed itself inside Kaito's throat, his fingers began to twitch in an attempt to drown out the nervousity and panic.

This...

This is Pandora.

Is it?

A gem granting immortality.
Kaito could hear the words of his past self ringing in his ears, nearly drowned out by his panicking heart.
'I am going to find Pandora before you, and I will crush it in front of your eyes to a million bits!'

Wild indigos became unfocused, Kaito felt as if in a daze.

Destroy... Pandora...

Destroy Pandora...

Wasn't he... meant to do that?

In a moment's notice, his world crumbled. It didn't make sense. This person was Pandora? This... person? Kaito opened his mouth to say something but nothing left his lips, his voice had been sealed away.
How was he going to... destroy... Pandora... if Pandora was a living, breathing, human being?

Cold sweat covered his body, Kaito raked a shaking hand through his messy brown hair. Wordlessly, he slowly raised himself. His legs were going to give in any second.
Did that mean he had to find now a cure... for Pandora?
Said one moved with him, hesitant and unsure, yet a mild glare from Kaito forced him to sit back down immediately. The teen dragged himself out of the living room, unfocused eyes staring into the distance.

A cure... for... Pandora...

Kaito shambled upstairs, taking step by step, one by one. He was going to make it. Everything was fine, right? He just had the most dangerous magical object inside his house that he had ever seen.
Akako had been so right. He swallowed again, his vision blurring. How could he destroy Pandora? Was he going to keep him for the rest of his life? And then what? Considering how long he had been encased into this statue, this boy could have been thousands of years old.

Pandora...

The gem of immortality...

Belonging to an immortal human...

Kaito didn't remember anything of his small trip before his butt finally hit his bed as he sat down, burying his face in his hands. His body was shaking like a dry leaf, he could feel the panic and adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Pandora... was his.
He had Pandora in his grasp. He could... destroy it. Right? That was what he always wanted to do.

I can... destroy... Pandora...

Right?

It would be for the greater good.

I could... destroy Pandora.

Forever.

Wild indigos flickered towards the door leading into his KID lair. Pandora wasn't suspecting anything, he could just... could he?

Kaito knew for sure he could grab a pair of tongs and pull this gem from his flesh, to shatter it immediately. He could... win. Pandora didn't seem strong in any way, it was just a scrawny little kid, he could just...

I can... win...

I can avenge... Tou-san...

The organization would be in shambles...

I could... win...

The soft creak of wooden floorboards startled Kaito out of his intrusive thoughts and he whirled around, glaring death and murder at whoever was disturbing him. Pandora stood in the doorway, unsure, trembling. Kaito's eyes fixated the gem outline visible through his shirt.

I could... pry it out...

With my bare hands...

Kaito barely noticed Pandora moving closer to him, only jerked startled as two thin arms wrapped around him in a soft but tight hug. Kaito tensed, he could feel the gem through his shirt at his chest, he could feel it so close, pulsing against his skin.
It was right... there. Pandora wouldn't be mad, right? He could... live on. Somehow.

"Shhh..." Kaito finally heard, quiet and without a voice coming from the boy's lips. This tension unloaded into another wave of trembling limbs...

...and Kaito broke down.

Tears over tears poured from his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Pandora, huggging him back, burying his face into his shoulder. He couldn't do it, how could he ever think of that. This was a human... a weird human, an immortal human, but a living, breathing being. A being that liked him, trusted him, and thought of protecting him when he most needed it. Unaware of Kaito's thoughts he saw his distress and came to comfort him.

Kaito wanted to punch himself, he was afraid of his own thoughts. For a moment it seemed so clear what he had to do. But now he was downright terrified. He had thought about murdering someone for revenge, a gemstone. Kaito pulled Pandora closer, clinging onto the male in utter desperation.
"I'm sorry," he choked out under tears, barely audible for even his own ears. He knew Pandora didn't understand him but he didn't care, he needed to apologize. And while he barely spoke Latin at all, he knew he had found a way to communicate with him... finally.

Kaito wouldn't harm Pandora. Wouldn't let anyone else harm him. Pandora was going to stay with him and learn about this world, their language in Japan and how to live here. How to hide his gem.
Kaito's lips curled up into a half smile. He was glad about this. He was no longer in need to search for Pandora... Pandora had come to him, all on his own.

All I need to do now before retiring KID...

I need to find a cure for Meitantei and the Task Force.

I wonder...

Kaito opened his eyes and smiled, looking down the shoulder of his friend down his back.

Will you lift the curse?