When Pandora bleeds... (Shinkai)

A Long Life

God it's hot...

How is any normal soul supposed to sleep like this?!

Kaito stared at the wooden ceiling above himself. The warmth was almost suffocating to him. The soft sound of waves brushed against his ears; it felt so peaceful in his bones.

Just exactly what he had needed, a long long sleep.

Time passed, his head was still as blank as before. Kaito felt himself unable to grasp a clear thought. It was like a dream, a cottage at the beach, caressed by the finest sand and a fresh, salty breeze.

"Fuck take this blanket off..."
Kaito kicked the blanket down to his feet, sluggishly sitting up. Arms and legs as red as ever, the familiar face of Pandora's curse smiling upon him.

He was alive, yet again.

Kaito's legs swung out of the wooden bed, touching the gentle carpet down below. His muscles were aching, he felt like he hadn't moved in ages. How long did he sleep?

Kaito slid the door to the cottage aside, shielding his eyes from the blinding sun reflected by the sand around him. And yet, through his now teary eyes, he made out the outlines of a man his age.

Brown hair, the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen, and the same amused smile he had come to love so much.

Shinichi sat in a lounge chair, a book on his lap, eying Kaito in silent contentment.
"You woke up... I'm glad."
Kaito stared at him. His head was all fuzzy, he was so confused for a moment, and then it all came back.

The bullets.

The hangglider.

The massive crash.

And the last thing he had seen before losing his consciousness.. one of the metal rods of his broken hangglider piercing through Shinichi's throat.

Kaito shivered. And here he was, smiling as sweet as ever.

He could feel his cheeks becoming wet, and Shinichi's expression fell.
"Kaito, it's fine. We are fine."
"How long was I out?" Kaito spoke dryly, holding back more tears. He never wanted to see this again, any of them getting hurt.

The sleuth put up a weak smile, slowly closing the book he had been reading so eagerly. He stood up- eying his boyfriend from head to toe.
"I've been waiting, Kaito... all this time."
Shinichi took his hands into his own. It felt so good to see him, to hold him, to make sure he was alive and well and just how he remembered him.
"I got off with so much less than you did... I'm not sure I'm happy about that. I've been waiting so long. But I knew you would come back to me, someday."

Shinichi leaned in and Kaito could feel his chapped lips on his own. Salty. Had he been in the ocean right at their door?
"What even happened?"
The sleuth chuckled, parting and taking a seat once again- Kaito followed suit next to him, watching the waves play on the else empty beach right in front of him.
"...Kaa-san. We called her before, remember?"
"Vaguely."
If Kaito was honest, he barely remembered anything at all beyond the blood and bullets.
"She was the one who found us. We... crashed. With the hangglider."

Shinichi shook his head, playfully nudging his boyfriend.
"I told you to land, idiot."
"Isn't it a bit too late to nag me on that one?"
"Pfft."
Shaking his head, Shinichi just continued.
"Kaito, we... we are safe. Actually safe. There is no way they will ever find us again. Do you even know where we are?"

Kaito shook his head no. He did have a lot of clues but if he was honest, his head wasn't working as well right now.
"Kaito, she brought us to Hawaii. One of the undiscovered islands, to be clearer."
He let out a soft laugh and turned to face the waves.
"Kaito, we are alone. All alone, on our own island, far away from any kind of people. Far away from... the Black Organisation."

"I was... lonely. Without you."
A glance back, and Kaito felt his heart skip a beat as eyes met once again. A soft load of electricity rushed through his body...

He fell in love all over again.

Arms wrapping around his lover, Kaito set up a loving smile.
"I won't let you wait again. Never again. The BO might be still out there, waiting for us... but here we are safe. Shin-chan, we are actually safe."
Kaito was more talking to himself instead of Shinichi at this point. There was no one but them. They were all alone, all by themselves, in the scorching Hawaiian heat, in a small cottage just for them.
"Yes. Yes we are, Kaito."
Grinning, the sleuth stood up.
"Let's go for a swim."
"You're on."

***

In the evening, sitting at a gently rustling fire, Kaito and Shinichi were both sat in content silence, watching the flames play. Eyes lit up- Shinichi turned to Kaito.
"Right. There was something I thought we should do."
Kaito made a questioning noise as the sleuth raised himself and marched off into one of the rooms, only to return with-

Shock sprawled all across Kaito's face. This... suit. This oh so familiar suit.
"We should burn it. Forever."
Kaito stared back and forth between the man and the bloodied mantle of Kaitou KID... and found himself nodding.

Slowly, he stood up, grabbing half of it, leaving the other half to Shinichi.
"You're free, Kaito... Never again."
"Never again," Kaito choked out, squeezing his eyes shut as he tossed the clothes into the raging fire.

The moment he watched it burn, watched it wither away, there was something akin to... relief, inside him.
"It's... gone."
"It is."
"KID is gone... forever."
"Forever indeed."
Shinichi wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, kissing his cheek. Never again. Kaito wanted to cry, he was so happy. He was free.

And yet while Pandora was forever bound to his body, Kaito found that it didn't matter.

He had a long life ahead of himself... With Shinichi at his side. The magician leaned down, leaving a gentle kiss on his lips.

They were going to outlive the BO.

Outlive everyone and everything.

They were safe. Finally and forever safe.

[The End]