Serendipity

Weddings are usually an event that's hard to forget, even if you happened to stumble into one uninvited. And also because there's this unreasonable man who wants to steal the chocolate pudding on your plate, too. AU

The thing was... Aoko had no idea how she ended up here.

She had finished praying at a beautiful shrine she found in the heart of Osaka and was walking out to the main streets to take a bus back to her hostel, which she rented for a nice two days trip by herself. But within the next ten minutes of walking about, admiring cherry blossoms and happy dogs running freely in the park, she suddenly found herself in the middle of a fancy garden, where there were literally hundreds of people standing around, laughing and talking with each other.

The sudden increase of random, well-dressed people standing around the field was odd, but she was too busy boggling over another observation.

It was those cake-filled plates on their hands.

Nothing else could lure Aoko better than cakes, to a point her father was relieved that she would be less likely to follow a kidnapper because, traditionally, they usually offered candies rather than cakes. Her grumbling stomach was also a sign from heaven, and when a waitress approached her and asked if she would like some champagne, she knew she was destined to be here, even if she had no bloody idea what was going on.

Somehow, her casual white sundress fitted the atmosphere, and no one really noticed her existence as she lingered over the huge buffet table and began her cake-stuffing moment. It was only until she felt someone standing next to her, so close that it managed to stop her gleeful giddiness over her cakes, and register the possible consequences of what the hell she was doing now.

Many things struck her brain at once. Like calculating if she had enough money to pay for the food if she had to pay, or hoping that it wasn't one of the gatekeepers who was going to ask where her non-existence invitation letter was, or praying that she hadn't trespassed some secret cult meeting-

"How's the wedding?"

Aoko choked (She was sure some crumbs fell out of her mouth very un-charmingly as she tried to stop herself from coughing).

W-Wedding?!

Judging from the voice, she knew it was a man before she spun around to look, but once she did, she realized he wasn't just any man she expected to see on the streets. The first thing that caught her attention was his eyes. She guessed many other people, if they noticed, would be curious about the unique shade of blue eyes he had, but she was more intrigued by the way his eyes fitted so perfectly with the shape of his raised brows and the crook of his smile-

She couldn't believe she had spent the entire time staring and being stupidly mesmerised by his eyes if he didn't tilt his head, which she then realized that yes, she was indeed mesmerised by his goddamn eyes and hence had yet to return a response. She instinctively cleared her throat and looked away, as if it would hide the fact that she had shamelessly stared at his face five seconds ago.

"Not bad." Aoko replied merrily, although she was sure her eyes looked more painful than her aching cheeks that were trying to hold her fake smile.

The man chuckled, one that made him ten years younger than what he probably was. He stuffed both hands inside his pants and slowly nodded his head while glancing past his shoulders. "Not bad?" He echoed.

So... what should she do now? Excuse herself? Eat more cake? Laugh with him? The last idea was a bad idea, seeming that the brilliance of his genuine chortles would be ruined if she joined in with her terrible croaks.

He didn't give her enough time to contemplate her choices as he spoke again. "If that Osaka-fanatic groom heard what you said about his wedding, he'll probably turn sour."

"What? W-why?" Aoko stammered, her cheeks blushed to a bright red. "It's a compliment!"

"Not if he planned everything out like this." He waved his hand lazily and stifled a yawn, which only made Aoko slightly confuse with his contradicting action and words.

Unsure of what else to do, she looked down at her plate and picked up the chocolate macaroon to offer him. "If you keep my comment a secret, you can have this."

He eyed it seriously for two long seconds before he nodded. "Deal." He grinned and carefully took the piece from her fingers, though it was hard for their fingertips to not brush against each other. He wolfed it down in one-bite, and Aoko felt sorry for all the chefs and bakers in the world. This man had absolutely no sense of food appreciation at all.

Just as she was about to put the excusing-herself plan to action, he pointed at the small cup of chocolate pudding on her plate, which she was saving it for the last of her cake-feast. "If you give me that, I'll not tell anyone that you're not invited to the wedding too."

Aoko gasped in horror. She managed to stop herself from exclaiming because she was more stumped by how unreasonable his bribery scheme was, rather than the fact that he managed to find out she was uninvited. She hastily re-evaluated her priorities and cleared her throat. "What is your proof? And no. This pudding is last on the counter so I can't give this to you." She said, while trying to level her tone and not grit her teeth.

"It's a terrible and time-consuming job habit of mine to do some background checks on people before coming to a big event like this." He looked around and shrugged, as though whatever he said was not a big deal. "And since I can't recognise you, it's a definite that you're not supposed to be here."

She couldn't help but scoff. "You know everyone here? I'm sorry but your claims are unjustifiable and I am still not giving you my chocolate pudding."

"You're not the only one uninvited actually." He gestured his head the other side of the garden, where there was a group of women laughing at some joke they were sharing with a glass of champagne in their hands. "See that lady in the pink dress?" He remarked lazily. "She's probably a reporter who's out here scooping for news while pretending to be one of the guest."

"If you're so confident, you wouldn't be here." Aoko fumed. "You should be already exposing me and those uninvited guests to the groom or bride."

"But I don't care." He plastered a smile on his face. "The only thing I care is the chocolate pudding on your plate, that's all."

"So you're confronting me... just because I have the chocolate pudding?"

"Yes." He said without hesitation.

She shook her head in a judging manner. "You're the worst kind of friend to have."

"I'm not his friend to begin with, so it's fine."

Aoko blinked and straightened her posture. "What?"

On the cue, a loud scream filled the serene air and Aoko spun her head surprisingly towards the source of disruption between their so-called conversation.

A dog, which probably ran in here from the park nearby, was biting onto the tail of a women's long dress. The commotion died down within ten seconds as the embarrassed and apologetic owner managed to tug his dog away and out of the garden.

Aoko looked back.

The man was gone.

And so was her goddamn, precious chocolate pudding.

.o.

For the past year, Aoko had been wedding-hopping more than she could count (including that terrible and unforgettable incident when she stumbled upon the wedding she wasn't invited to). Her friends, being at the age when it was the best to marry, were all wedded off one by one, leaving her and only a handful of friends left on the shelf. She didn't really care, or mind being single, although her father thought otherwise, surprisingly.

She heaved a silent sigh and shook her head, trying to distract herself from her father's naggy words that were starting to flood her mind.

The wedding she was attending now was more formal, with assigned seats and servers that would bring the food to them. She came earlier than most of the guests and sat alone at the beautiful-laced table, playing with the keychain that was given as a guest's gift and trying to not look like she was bored even when she slightly was-

"How's the wedding?"

She heard that sentence spoken only once, in that teasing, snarky tone that made her conflicted between feeling embarrassed and annoyed, but she knew who it was before she blinked. Aoko spun her head, her eyes wide and mouth gaped in horror as she stared at the man standing right behind her chair, looking very pleased to be the cause of her reaction.

"What are you-!" Aoko almost exclaimed before glancing over the ballroom sheepishly. There were a few other guests at their seats, but no one was paying any attention to them. She lowered her voice and tried again. "What are you doing here?"

"Because I'm invited, obviously."

"And I'm invited too!" She hastily interrupted before he could comment.

Aoko would prefer to consider their second meeting a coincidence rather than fate. Japan wasn't that big, and given that the groom was a popular, smart and well known detective in Tokyo, and the bride had won the Karate national championship thrice in the row, it wouldn't be surprising if, somehow, they were tangled up in all those strings of connections.

Would it?

In fact, she was secretly grateful for their second meeting. It was kind of a way to fix his impression of her; that she wasn't some free-loader who slips into a wedding uninvited to eat all their food (even if she technically did that, once, but not on purpose). Besides, she looked much more glamorous, with a formal blue dress, better make-up brands, and her hair was nicely pinned with cute, flower accessories. And also because she wasn't standing at the buffet table and stuffing food into her face. That was the most important point.

"No need to be so defensive. I know you're definitely invited for this one." He pulled out the chair next to her, that smug look not once faltering.

She blinked at what he was doing. "You're sitting here?"

"Yeah." He emphasised by slumping onto the chair.

If his seat was really assigned next to hers, Aoko was starting to find it hard to consider their second meeting a coincidence rather than fate. She leaned to his side and stared at the folded wedding place cards.

"Your name is Kaiya Nanato?" Her face slacked as she dubiously turned to look at him.

"You can call me that if you want." He tugged onto the sleeve of his long, blue pressed shirt and casually shrugged. "Or you can call me Kaito for short."

"Is this a joke?" Aoko deadpanned. Her cheeks were starting to twitch. "Give me back my chocolate pudding before I rat on you."

"You really do love chocolate puddings, don't you?"

"Yes I do."

He paused for a moment. "Okay, I will give you back your chocolate pudding, and ten more of it if you don't tell anyone, especially the groom, that I'm Kaiya Nanato, and that you've seen me tonight."

"I knew it. So you aren't Kaiya Nanato."

"But you can call me Kaito." He offered the suggestion again.

It was hard to refrain herself from rolling her eyes. "I'm not going to call your fake name or your nickname." Aoko scowled. "And is there a reason why Kudo-kun shouldn't know about that?"

"I'll add another ten more puddings if you don't ask me that as well."

"So that's a total of twenty one chocolate puddings?" Aoko narrowed her eyes. "And how are you going to give them all to me?"

He gave that annoying smile again. "You're good at math."

Aoko knew a thing or two about the art of sarcasm. "Thank you very much." She slurred.

As she was inwardly trying to figure how he managed to pull off his messy yet jaunty hairstyle when hers simply looked like a bird nest top, he pushed up his sleeve to reveal a watch. "Fifteen more minutes." He muttered, almost to himself.

She blinked, dumbfounded. "To what? My pudding's delivery?"

He let out a snort, though in the end, he couldn't control the short laugh that escaped his lips. "Sorry for the disappointment but it isn't. I need to go somewhere for now, but here's a deposit, if you'd like to accept."

There wasn't a chance given to her to reply as he suddenly snapped his fingers, and the reddest rose Aoko had ever seen in her life appeared in front of her in flash. He tilted the rose towards her and silently waited for her to make a move. She would doubt his sincerity and wonder what he was up to, but there wasn't that mischievous glint in his eyes, and his smile wasn't crooked in a way that she knew he would show if he was amused. In fact, his features were gentle, genuine, and warm.

So warm that it made her stomach churn in an unnatural way.

Aoko nervously slipped her fingers around the stem and took the rose from his grasp. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with it, so she held it to her chest and fiddled the stalk in her hand. "Um, thanks." She mumbled.

For a split second, he looked slightly awkward, as though he wasn't sure what he had just done. He looked away, while scratching the side of his nose with his slightly furrowed brows. "No need to thank me. It's just a deposit." He spoke, but all those emotions were instantly erased the moment he looked at her; his normal, confident grin was back.

As Aoko was wondering if she was imagining his frown, he suddenly stuffed a hand inside his white pants and whipped out a pencil. Before she could ask what he was doing, he plucked an eraser out from his hair and proceeded to dig the inside of his sleeve to pull a hand-sized Sudoku book. He gathered all the items together and placed it in front of her on the table. "And since you're good at math, here's another thing for you, in case you're bored."

She stared at the items and back at him, perplexed. "Are you a magician?" She arched an eyebrow. She thought the rose trick was just a simple method for his usual flirting scheme, but... "Why are you whipping random things out of nowhere?"

"Not just math, you're good at guessing too."

"Thank you very much, again." Aoko scowled.

"I wasn't being sarcastic." He casually said before he abruptly stood up from his seat. Without any goodbyes (not like she wanted, or needed), he skipped towards the entrance of the hall.

Aoko only looked away when his back disappeared from her view. She placed the rose on her lap and opened the book.

He would never know, and she would probably never be able to tell him, but Sudoku was one of her favourite puzzle games. It helped to ease her boredom while waiting for other guests to arrive and settle in their seats. And being in a setting where she wasn't familiar with most people, it came in pretty handy to avoid awkward eye contacts and have something to focus on for the time being before the wedding dinner started-

-Not until when gasps and excited chatters started echoing the hall, forcing her to peel her attention away from her second puzzle and looked up, half wondering if the wedding had already begun.

She turned in her seat when she noted everyone's gazes were directed at the front of the hall. The stage, however, was empty, but from the corner of her eyes, there was this flash of white and she tilted her head up. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight, a vast contrast to how the other guests were positively reacting.

Kaitou Kid, in his ghastly white cape and suit, was hanging upside down in mid-air, his hat miraculously and irritating defying gravity as it was still stuck on his head. Once he was satisfied with the chaos he created, he officially announced his arrival with his infamous greetings "Ladies and Gentleman!" while watching a few homicide detectives lurking underneath him, wondering if they should bother meddling with Division Two's duties of capturing the thief.

If Kid was surprised by the amount of plain-clothed policemen that attended the wedding, he sure as hell didn't show it. All he did was tossing endless confetti out of his suit while proclaiming his so-called heartfelt speech for the bride and groom's happiness.

But judging from how Kudo was reacting on the ground, Aoko doubt the detective was close to whatever happiness the thief was wishing him for.

.o.

For the most part, everyone loved to talk about Kaitou Kid, even after he announced his retirement a year ago and stopped thieving ever since. It was not surprising when his sudden appearance on that wedding night created a huge storm, and naturally, the next one-weeks' worth of news was nothing but theories and speculation about Kid's rebirth and whatnots.

So when Aoko randomly asked "Do you know who is Kaiya Nanato?" after Ran finished retelling her two-weeks honeymoon trip, the latter couldn't help but gave a quizzical look.

"I thought you'll ask about Kaitou Kid.

Aoko simply blinked. As far as she was concerned, she was mostly annoyed at Kid, because one of those confetti he tossed happened to land on her head, and she didn't know she had been looking so idiotically the entire time until she went home. Besides that, her curiosity about his "comeback" was short-lived and certainly not of her interest. There were better issues to care about, like global warming and knowing who the hell Kaiya Nanato was.

"Kaiya Nanato." Ran began again, breaking the short silence when Aoko didn't reply (because if she did, she would be starting her hour-long rant about Kaitou Kid and his blatant ways). "I don't recall that name. Who is she?"

It's a he, actually. Aoko quickly waved her hands, hoping to dispel the growing curiosity in Ran's eyes. "Oh, then it's nothing."

At the perfect second, the school bell rang with a loud shrill, marking an end to lunch break, and it saved Aoko from having to explain her question. As Ran was only here to finish up some administrative matter for the school's Karate Club, Aoko bade her goodbye and left the teacher's office for her next class, to teach her speciality but every students' nightmare; math.

The back-to-back classes made time pass faster for her, but having to deal with over a hundred of students and explaining algebra equations for a thousandth times, Aoko was ready for hibernation by the time she reached home. She was too tired to do anything, which included eating and playing her favourite game of Sudoku.

But spending her entire day talking was killing her throat, and the urge for a drink kicked in the moment she plopped onto her sofa. Her remaining energy left was enough for her to groan in misery and glare at the fridge for the next five minutes, although it didn't come to her like what she wished for. After much wriggling, she forced herself off her seat and trudged to the kitchen.

For the past one week, the first thing she saw whenever she opened her fridge door was not vegetables, or healthy yogurts, or wonderful fresh eggs and milks, but rows of chocolate pudding cups stacked on each other, filling nearly a quarter of the space. She was always too exhausted to remember these delightful blessings when she reached home, but once she was reminded of its existence, the weariness in her system would disappear (every time without fail). Giving up the idea to find a cold drink, she hummed a happy song and picked a cup.

The corners of a paper, which was stuck on the fridge door with her favourite rabbit magnet, flapped against the slight wind she caused when she closed the door. It was a letter that came together with the parcel she received last week (And thank God it was delivered when there were little-to-no teachers around, so her embarrassment and disbelief were only witnessed by the four walls of the office when she opened the package).

Before you freak out about how I knew your workplace, I just want to clarify that I wasn't joking about the job-habit I mentioned to you the first time we met. And in case you're still freaking out, I've added 50 chocolate puddings to the promised amount, in hopes to soothe your nerves. Don't worry, I studied math too, so here's a total of 71 chocolate puddings. You're very welcome. - Kaito

No matter how many times Aoko did, she could never control her smile after she finished reading the note. And whenever she caught herself doing so, she would flush and stomp her way out of the kitchen, muttering some excuses for her mistake under her breathe. But she had grew accustomed to her own silliness for the past one week, and not bothering to fake a facade for her stupid self anymore, her unwavering smile continued to etch on her lips as she stared at the cup of chocolate pudding in her hand.

"Fifty-two more to go." Aoko chimed and grabbed a spoon before skipping back to the living room.

.o.

Whenever Aoko was embarrassed, one of the things that easily gave her away was her cheeks. It would turn bright pink when she felt that way, but it wasn't a problem when her cheeks were naturally rosy to begin with.

But this time, her face was as red as the core of a beetroot and radiating heat like a sizzling hot pan. She would rather be somewhere else, even the kitchen, to offer herself to help them cook a three-course meal on her face just so she didn't have to be here.

It didn't take her long before she finally stopped herself as she let go of the man's clammy hand, apologised, and lowered her head as she moved away from the dance floor.

Her heartbeat only started to slow down after she whizzed past the guests and grabbed a seat at the very corner of the hall, where she decided she was going to stay for a short while before leaving the wedding reception and go back home. She had never danced with a man before. Heck, no one ever offered to dance with her before. And she ruined it all, ridiculously and stupidly, as she stepped onto the man's feet with her heels fifteen times (she was counting), and bumped into other couples for another eight times (she was also counting that), and they weren't even at the end of the first song. She could remember the regret firing in the man's eyes as he painfully tried to finish the dance with her, but Aoko couldn't do it. She decided to save the man's feet and pride by removing herself off the floor.

Even after minutes had passed and her face had turned back to her normal pale-pink colour, her heart still felt heavy. She further shrunk herself into her seat as the chortles and mutters drifted to her ears. They were probably laughing about something else, but she couldn't help but think it was because of her. About her stupid clumsiness, and how she looked so awkward, ugly and terrible at everything. She sighed once again as she covered her quivering lips with one hand, and wondered if a time machine existed. She shouldn't have taken up the offer if she knew she wasn't capable of-

"Would you like to dance?"

Three months might have passed since their last meeting, but it might as well be three seconds; the voice was so clear, so familiar, that without looking up, Aoko knew who it belonged to. Her gaze peeled away from the hem of her pink dress as she raised her head, her eyes trailed up his grey pants, white shirt, and the quirky, boldly-coloured blue tie before her brain finally registered the proper reaction she should be showing; her face had contorted between surprise and confusion and back to surprise. "You-! What are you-"

"There's no time to waste," the chocolate-pudding thief showed his palm and wiggled his fingers, a tease for her to take his hand. "The music has started."

At the reminder of the dance, her fluttering heart (that started beating at the sight of his blue eyes) ceased and returned to its sinking feeling. "I'll pass." She stared at his hand for a moment and glanced away as the memory from fifteen minutes ago flood her mind and ached her head again. "I don't want to embarrass you."

"You won't." He shook his head so surely that it almost made Aoko believe him. "And I promise I won't let you feel embarrass for yourself too. It'll be fun."

Aoko gulped. She only twitched her fingers on her lap, but taking it as a sign, he immediately used that chance to take her hand and lead her to the dance floor. Indeed, the music had begun and was already halfway through (it was an up-beat and slightly fast pop song), so when they squeezed themselves to an available space and got into position, Aoko had no idea what to do.

But on the other hand, he easily got into the pace of the music. Feeling disheartened, she was about to reject him and leave the dance floor for the second time in shame when she felt one of his hands around her waist while the other wrapped and entwined her fingers, fitting into her palm like it was meant to be. The embarrassment for the uncontrollable flush on her cheeks were temporarily shelved aside for the newfound excitement when she managed to sync her moves with him and the tempo of the music.

And like what he promised, it was starting to be more fun than she thought she would be.

Her laughter caused her to run out of breath more than the surprise spin and turns he made her do. And by the end of the second song, her legs were already tired, but the look of ecstasy on her face covered any form of weariness her body was suffering from. It was lucky that somewhere, her fairy-godmother knew her of circumstances, and the third song that played was much composed and more suitable for a slow dance, though she wouldn't be surprised if he ignores that fact and continue to waltz his way through the song, just because it was more of his style.

But he didn't.

Aoko couldn't tell if he was tired too, but she could tell he was staring at her.

"W-What?"

"You're not as bad as what you think you are." He simply said, their hips swaying slowly to the soft beat.

She took a moment to understand what he was implying. "So I guess you've seen my previous fail?" She showed a smile, to seem like it didn't matter anymore, but he didn't look convinced. In fact, she wasn't even convinced of herself.

"You can dance." He said, as though he was confirming it again.

"I can't."

"You can. It's just that your previous partner wasn't doing right." He stated, almost with a hint of persistence. "He was only leading himself even when he knew you needed the help. And that's his fault."

There was the moment of silence as she gaped for another two more seconds before finding her voice to speak. "Well- I'm- Thanks for... the comfort."

"I'm just saying." He shrugged again. His face was impassive for a while, but a grin easily swept the nonchalance away. "How's the 71 chocolate pudding?" He indiscreetly looked at her chest and down her butt.

She whacked his shoulder as he erupted in chortles. "What are you doing?!"

"Glad that your dress still fits you nicely."

"I can sue you for sexual harassment."

He scrutinised past her shoulder and winced to himself. "I guess it's a bad setting for the comment. Too many lawyers and policemen here."

"I'm glad you know." Aoko hissed. "Maybe I can also consult them about how you're using your job's authority to unethically search the police database for my private information too."

He blinked, and he looked genuinely surprised for a moment. "Hm?"

"Since you said it's your job habit, and how you are capable of knowing someone's private information, you can't be just anybody." She puffed out her chest. "You're a police office, aren't you?"

"And you deduced it from those reasons?"

"Not just that." She wrinkled her nose while reminding herself mentally to keep her voice low. "You're here and invited by Hakuba-kun, right?"

"Yes. And speaking of which, I can't believe the horse is going to get laid."

"... You mean Hakuba-kun?"

"Did I say something else?"

"You said the horse."

"A slip of tongue."

Aoko rolled her eyes. "If that's the case, all the weddings I've seen you in are connected to detectives, including the one I accidentally stumbled upon: Hattori Heiji and Toyama Kazuha's wedding. It was heavily broadcasted on the television that night at the hostel I was staying, that's how I know at the end."

His smirk, that had been plastered on his face since she started talking, grew so wide she thought her own cheeks started to ache for his. "See? I wasn't lying or being sarcastic when I said you're good at math and guessing too."

"And your name is totally Kaiya Nanato."

"I did say that you can call me Kaito."

She raised a perplexed eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Kaito...?" She repeated slowly, letting the words rolled out of her tongue. The name did fit him much better, though she wasn't sure if they were close enough for her to call him by his name, or an informal nickname. She licked her lips and tried again, with much more assertion than before. "Kaito."

He encouraged her with a grin.

"Fine, Kaito." She gave a sneer. "So did I deduce it right?"

"To give you some credit, you're not exactly wrong."

Aoko frowned. "And I'm not exactly right too?"

"I'm a magician, which you'd guessed it correctly when we met the second time."

A... magician? She blinked again, and once more. Not that she was judging, but Aoko couldn't understand why a magician would have any relations with the three famous detectives, much less imagining why his job habit got to do with knowing someone's private information-

Out of the blue, he snapped a finger in front of her, stopping the gears in her head to move. And on the exact cue, the slow, peaceful song abruptly changed into a fast, cha-cha music. Everyone, including her, wasn't able to register the change, but only Kaito did. He took her wrist and spun her around, but he pulled her back into his arms, just in time before she fell back due to surprise. Her hands settled over his shoulders, and his grip around her waist was tight, but in a way that made her feel secure and protected rather than feeling anywhere close to pain or hurt.

Despite her heels, he was still half a foot taller than her. And so, naturally, she would have to look up to see him properly, whereas he had to look down. And the way his slightly droopy eyes stared at her made it ten times harder for Aoko to calm her heart and exclaim what the hell just happened.

"Seeing how you've put time and considerations to guess who I am, I supposed it's because you miss me?" He beamed.

All of her five senses were in chaos. The distracting colour of his eyes. His warm, minty breath. His deep yet cheeky voice. The burning sensation surging in her upper body as she felt the button of his shirt pressing against her chest. Everything, everything was making her tongue tied, and even after trying to regain her composure, all her voice allowed was a:

"N-No."

It was just one word, and she screwed it all up.

His face fell lax and he slightly moved back, looking hurt, or maybe, feigning hurt. And right at that moment, the wild music stopped, and it returned to the gentle music that was supposed to be playing ten seconds ago (She thought it was as though the abrupt change of songs was meant to fit his mood). Everyone still looked confused, and some even stopped because they thought the dance was over.

When he didn't speak, she gave herself a second chance and cleared her throat, to make sure she wouldn't repeat the same mistake. "Did you just... I don't know, change the music with a snap of your fingers?"

"Did I?"

"Did you?"

He shrugged, and the corner of his lips tugged a little. "Maybe."

Not sure what else she could say, she picked up where she left off and begin again (since she was too dumbfounded to speak previously, after he swept her off her feet). "The reason why I spent those time figuring things out was because I want to convince myself that you're not a stalker or a serial-killer." She glanced over her shoulders, noticing that most of the guests had brushed off the music-malfunction incident and started dancing too. "But even though you're not a police officer, at least you're quite an extraordinary magician."

Extraordinary might be an understatement, but she decided to keep her compliments to the minimal, first.

Kaito theatrically gasped and gave a grateful smile. "Glad that you've put me in a good light."

Aoko snorted. "I do have to put you in a good light if I want to sleep better at night."

They easily fell back into sync in mere seconds; their swaying and movements were unhurried and steady, as though they both had all the time in the world together. But how long would this last? The song was going to end in less than a minute, and by then, would it be over? The thought of it made her heart sink a little bit more than she thought it should.

Again, as if this was something he mastered at, he broke her thoughts with his words. "Don't you think our fate has a kink for weddings?"

She tilted her head in confusion, and only understood his meaning after a few seconds. "I've never thought I'll ever hear the word fate and kink together in a sentence."

He showed his clean, nice set of teeth. "But you did." He pointed out as he continued to stare at her with those lazy set of eyes.

It was difficult trying to look at him with a level gaze. "Based on what you said, that means we'll only meet at weddings." She finally spoke after several inward tries.

Kaito considered for a moment. "Maybe."

The question came as quick as the thought that struck her head. "Then are you going to any more weddings?"

"If you meant weddings that I'm invited as a guest, then no."

Aoko narrowed her eyes. She could sense an underlying meaning behind his statement (Most possibly referencing to how they met the first time).

"And you?" He continued, as though oblivious to her glare and soft hisses.

"I do have a wedding at Hokkaido, and it's the last one for this year." Aoko wasn't sure the sigh that followed behind her words was made of relief or sadness, though if Kaito didn't ask, she wouldn't have to worry about what to answer.

"Then you'll be lonely without me." He exaggerated a sad sigh.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I don't think I have to worry about that."

His eyes suddenly grew distant, deep in thought. "Hokkaido has lots of nice food."

Speaking of her favourite topic, Aoko's face lit up. "Yeah! Especially the seafood."

"No." Kaito deadpanned.

Aoko blinked at him, incredulous. "Yes it is."

"Not for me."

"Are you allergic?"

"No. But if saying I am allergic will stop you from asking why I dislike seafood, then yes, I am allergic."

As if she would stop asking him that when he phrase his words this way, but she'd keep that thought at the back of her head and focused on the next course of their conversation. "Fine, then what's the nice food you're referring to?"

"Miso butter corn ramen." He answered in a skip of a heartbeat.

That, she couldn't deny.

The conversation moved from one thing to another. She had been annoyed sometimes, scorned at him several times, but she laughed most of the time. And despite the song changes, it didn't occur to her that her legs were moving and they were still on the dance floor, swinging their hips together. The presence of the songs were almost minimal to her, and it was her sub-consciousness that managed to keep her in sync to the song.

But it didn't take her long to realize it wasn't the case when Kaito suddenly let go of her waist as the song they were currently dancing to was coming to an end (It was probably their sixth song? She was too busy counting this time). He stepped away, and her steps hitched, instantly missing the tempo of the music's beat. She stopped before putting herself at risk of another embarrassing moment.

While the background music continued to play, they stood there, in their little world's tranquillity (She never believed anything could make the world stop, but at this moment, it did). Aoko wouldn't say the silence was awkward; it was the kind of silence that affirmed how much they enjoyed the dance, and they didn't need to express verbally for the other person to know, because his unfaltering smile, her flushing cheeks, and their locked gazes sealed the deal.

In the midst of her hazy thoughts, Kaito offered out his hand, and she accepted it, knowing fully well what the action meant. He led her out of the dance floor, like what she expected, and they stopped a short distance away.

On a positive side, she decided that all good things eventually had to come to an end.

Kaito spoke first, again, breaking her muse. "This is the part where the Price Charming is supposed to ask Cinderella for her hand in marriage." He chuckled as Aoko watched him with a sense of shock for his reliably, casual bluntness. "But Prince Charming is the one that needs to go." He added.

Her disdain shed away. "Go where?"

She didn't realize he was still holding her hand until he finally let go (And unbelievably, the absence of his touch made her hand cold). "I may be invited by groom, but I wasn't really invited by the bride."

Aoko had never heard of such an abnormal situation before. Besides, she had met Akako a few times during her old high-school gatherings, where Hakuba introduced her as his girlfriend, fiancée, and finally wife. She was beautiful, had quite a fancy sense of humour, but overall nice. If Aoko had to guess, it was definitely Kaito's problem, not the bride's.

"And why?" She sneered, already having a few answers in mind.

"She's superstitious." Kaito shrugged and wrinkled his nose. "Claims that I draw bad luck to her, and the entire ecosystem that she was born into, that kind of thing."

That wasn't part of any answers she had thought of. "I don't understand."

"You don't really have to, really." He waved her off, and didn't give her a chance to rebuke as he continued. "Anyway, I guess we'll see each other... again."

She wasn't sure if his low intonation at the end meant it as a question, or that he was confused about his own words, or that he was... sad. She really couldn't tell, when his face was masked with a blank expression as he looked at her, waiting for a reply. She cleared her throat and began. "But you're not going to any weddings, aren't you? That means we'll never meet again."

There was nothing untrue in her words, but he blinked at her, almost unguarded for a moment. "You're right." He slowly nodded his head, before something sprang to his mind and hie eyes lit up. "We can put it to the test."

Aoko raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"Let's see if the next time we meet will really be at a wedding."

"And what comes after that?" She blurted.

Kaito paused, his eyes flickered at the question. She didn't quite understand his reaction at first, until she realised the misunderstanding she might have caused with her statement. No, it wasn't as if she was going to ask him out for a d-date! Before she could correct herself, or at least rephrase her sentence, Kaito beat her to it.

"Taking it as a bet, if we do, I'll treat you to dinner afterwards."

That was unexpected, but still acceptable. "And if we meet on the streets?"

"I'll buy you a drink."

Aoko didn't mind the proposition (She kinds of liked it, to be honest), but was this how a bet works? It seemed like she was the one placing the bets but he was the one paying for it. "Then what if we don't, at all?" She made sure her voice sound as neutral as possible, although she was obviously at the downside of this matter.

"Then... I don't have to treat you to anything, right?"

She felt stupid for asking now. "Fair enough." Aoko stuck out a tongue, not willing to let the conversation end with her silly question. "So if we do meet for either situation, it's still your loss."

"I don't think it'll be a loss for me." Kaito said stoically.

Her mocking grin faltered, just a little bit.

He scrutinised her with some form of consideration, as if he was waiting for something, or searching for something, but Aoko didn't know what to say or give in return. She could feel her heart thumping strongly inside her ribcage, and her nerves only allowed her to fiddle her fingers behind her back... As the seconds ticked and the silence grew, Kaito was the one who broke it again.

"I'll be going." He lifted a hand. "Bye."

At least Aoko found the voice in her to speak. "Goodbye."

And he turned to leave.

.o.

The decorations were pretty. The food were tasty. The services were good. There were many different views on what made the wedding great, but everyone eventually agreed on one thing: the bride was extremely beautiful that day. People would say it was because Keiko removed her glasses, or because of her professional make-up, but Aoko thought more of it. It was the happiness that made her glow brighter than her silk wedding gown, and no lights on earth could be compared to the way the bride's face lit up when she looked at the groom. And vice versa.

Aoko was always sentimental. She was easily flustered with emotions, and being the most emotional in the high-school clique, her three other best friends came up with a bet on when she would start crying. Sayaka thought Aoko would cry when Keiko walked towards the altar. Miku was confident that she would cry when they kissed after the wedding vows. Emi guessed she would cry during the wedding toast.

Apparently, she had let everyone down; She cried even before the wedding started, when the clique went behind the church to see Keiko as the latter was still putting on her make-up.

And since Aoko bet that she wouldn't cry at all, she let herself down too.

But Aoko didn't care. She cried even more when Keiko walked towards the altar, sobbed her heart out when they kissed, and bawled her way through the wedding toast. It was embarrassing, really, but Aoko couldn't help it. Knowing that her best friend had found her happiness made her happy too, and she thought that nothing else could make her any happier-

"How can you settle for that kind of happiness?!" Sayaka shook her head before pointing to where Keiko was, busily tending to her relatives. Sayaka turned back to Aoko again. "Not just being happy because you see other happy. Don't you want to be as happy as Keiko?"

Besides being the most emotional, she was also the most single-and-very-available girl to date in the clique. Keiko was already married. Sayaka was considering marriage in another year's time. Emi had been dating her boyfriend for over four months and Miku recently met her in-laws.

Aoko sighed and placed her untouched wine back on their standing table. The wedding reception was lively in the background, with chatters and clacking of glasses here and there, but Aoko managed to mute them out. She was exhausted, perhaps from the crying, or the previous night's excitement that prevented her from getting any sleep, but trying to think of ways to answer Sayaka's question drained her energy even more. She nonchalantly glanced across the reception, searching for inspiration to her answer, until her gaze laid upon a few couples waltzing on the dance floor.

She quickly looked away before her brain brought back some memories that would make her inappropriately wistful at this moment.

"Well, it's no big deal." Aoko answered lamely.

Miku propped an arm onto the table. "When was the last time you dated anyone?"

Aoko pondered for a moment. "Are you asking for the number of years ago or the exact period?"

"I don't think either form of answer is going to make your situation any better." Emi whispered across their drinks.

Sayaka looked like she had enough. She whipped out her phone and began scrolling through her photo album, to which Aoko was finding it extremely random and suspicious. Two seconds later, Sayaka showed her a picture of a man, with green eyes, nicely kept side-burns and hair and smiling extremely modestly in the picture.

Unlike someone she was thinking at the moment.

"He's my boyfriend's cousin. One year older than us. I've met him before and he's mature and kind." Sayaka waved the phone towards Aoko's face. "And news flash, he's interested in you. Give me a nod and I'll set you two up."

"Not bad." Miku grinned as she tried to get a better look of the phone. Emi tried to subdue Miku's unnecessary excitement by elbowing her.

Disregarding her friends' commotion, Aoko frowned. "How does he know me?"

"He saw you in one of the photos we took together and asked me about you." Sayaka kept her phone and wiggled her eyebrows. "So? What do you think?"

Aoko was about to straight-out say no when a figure loomed to her side, distracting and interrupting her. It was fine either way, since she would also appreciate a change in conversation-

"Good evening ladies, mind sparing me a minute and pick a card?"

Her neck had never spun so fast in her life before.

This guy-!

"Oh?" Sayaka eyed at the cards that were spread out for anyone to pick. Although Aoko was the nearest and the most convenient one to do so, she was too stunned to move, and Sayaka did the favour before the silence was dragged too long.

"Do not let me or anyone see it." Kaito, the culprit of the interruption, half smirked before handing Sayaka the deck after she saw her card. "Now put your card back in and shuffle it as many times you want before spreading it over the table."

While Sayaka was doing so, Aoko stared at the side of Kaito's head, her eyes nearly popping out in the process. But he paid her no heed, and he looked pretty calm and nonchalant about her presence, which could be the reason why her heart dropped a little...

No flash, no smoke, but with a sudden whip of his hand, a dove appeared and began hobbling on one of his fingers. Their synchronised squeals earned themselves a couple of heads turning towards their direction, and it slightly lifted Aoko's mood and changed her focus to his show. The dove cooed, and Kaito stroked the back of its head before leaning forward to speak into the bird's ear.

"Now, my little drumstick will pick a card."

It obeyed as it dropped down from Kaito's hand and glanced across the cards on the table, its head tilting adorably until it decided on one and pecked at the card. Aoko wondered how and why, but she decided to save her guesses to fully enjoy the performance.

"Please take the chosen card and check if it's the one you got at the start." Kaito gestured and Sayaka obeyed.

She dramatically gasped and turned the card for everyone to see after she did. It was the six of spades, which explained nothing, until she spoke. "It is the card I got at the start!"

Emi and Miku started clapping, and Aoko followed suit. Not that she wasn't impressed, but she had seen him done better than this, like snapping a finger and changing the band's music to his fitting, that kind of magic.

Miku raised a hand when their clapping spree was over. "That's awesome, but just a question." She lowered her hand and continued once Kaito gave her his attention. "Did you name your dove drumstick?"

Kaito grinned. "Yeah." And in a second, again with that signature wave, the white bird disappeared from his hand.

"Aoko once had a hamster and she named it cheese ball." Sayaka not-so-helpfully added.

"That was totally unnecessary." Aoko hissed, sending a withering look.

"Hey Aoko," Emi gave her a knowing look, as if they had shared some deep secret that nobody alive knew of. "You know this guy?" She asked in a hush manner.

Aoko sighed. She knew Emi was always the observant one, and there really wasn't a choice but to admit when all the evidences and witness were here. "Remember those chocolate puddings that I-"

"The ones that you refused to share even though your entire fridge was filled with it?" Miku interrupted, feeling scornful at the memory. "The one you said it's special to you because-"

Aoko was fast, but not exactly fast either as she slapped a hand over Miku's mouth with a menacing growl. "No need for descriptions but yes, those chocolate puddings." She gritted her teeth and half-glared at her friends who were starting to snicker among themselves. She was also trying to ignore the amused gaze Kaito was using to look at her.

"So you're the one that gave it to Aoko?" Sayaka grinned at Kaito, attempting to make a confirmation.

"I don't know what else she said about me, but yeah, yours truly."

Miku pushed Aoko's hand away and mouthed: He's cute before giggling again. And instead of nudging her, Emi subtly gave a thumbs up.

Seemingly oblivious to Aoko's inward curses and begging for her friends to stop their nonsense, Kaito continued. "Anyway, do you ladies mind lending Aoko to me for ten minutes?"

"Ten years and I'll still agree." Sayaka winked.

Aoko really wanted to find a hole somewhere and hide herself in it forever.

She inconspicuously shooed all her friends as they laughed and made their way. When they were no longer within her sight, she sheepishly half-turned to Kaito. "Sorry. My friends- They always like to say crazy things." Not knowing how else to explain those embarrassing moments, she pursed her lips and lowered her gaze sheepishly.

"It's fine. They're funny." Somehow, she could feel the twinkle of his gaze peering the back of her head. "So, how's the wedding?"

Those words were enough to change her back to her usual composure. Her neck shot up and she pointed at him accusingly. "Wait, I thought you said you're not going to any more weddings."

"Not as a guest." He fiddled with the cards in his hands before slotting the deck into his back pockets. "An acquaintance of mine was hired as a magician for today, but he couldn't make it at the last minute so he asked me to fill his position."

"I... see." She answered, and felt her cheeks turning even more red than what she hoped for. With the magic performance and dove, her question was basically the stupidest she could ever ask in the world.

Either Kaito was kind enough to pretend he didn't mind her question or he just didn't care. Instead, he moved on. "It isn't any of my business, but I'm curious about your answer to your friend's attempt to match-make you with her boyfriend's cousin." He flicked a dirt under his nail, seeming to be mulling over something Aoko couldn't decipher.

"I'm also curious about how your ears worked." She narrowed her eyes and took a step closer to him, just so he could see her sneer. "And how long have you been eavesdropping? When did you exactly notice me anyway?"

"Don't you think it's a little unfair that I've got three questions when I only asked one?" Kaito wrinkled his nose. "And I asked first, by the way,"

"Fine. My answer is no."

There was an unmistakably relief that washed over his face, but just as quick as it came, his expression turned stoned, fell lax, and was back with the cheeky grin again. "Oh."

"Your turn." She reminded him.

"I've noticed you since you cried during the wedding toast. It was spectacular." Kaito didn't let her horrified face distract him from whatever he was going to say next. "But I have a job, and I intend to do it well; I only approached your table when I've entertained most of the guests here, and I just so happened to hear the conversation."

Aoko had to give credit for his professional behaviour, but... "Spectacular?" She scowled, her eyes twitched.

"It was quite a show."

"And you're here to tease me about it?"

"No." He paused. "I came here to tell you that I've regretted," he cast her a sidelong glance. "Because I didn't ask for your number instead."

W-W-What? She was more concerned about the meaning behind his words than her possible hallucinating or hearing problems. "My number?" She echoed, confirming again.

"I was torn between showing up at your workplace or finding your phone number myself," he sucked a breath through his teeth and gave her a wincing look. "But I don't think you, as a teacher, would appreciate cheating, or a stalker. So all I was left with was that joke I made."

"Joke?" She always had this parrot-syndrome whenever she was confused.

"About how our fate has a kink for weddings." Kaito reminded her. "I really didn't expect it to happen again because... Well, you're a math teacher, and you should know that the chance is almost slim to none."

Her only response was blinking, and Kaito continued rambling on.

"Fate or whatever, I should have just asked for your number." His voice was getting lower and softer, as though he was speaking to himself more than her. "Why should I care about wanting to prove my stupid ass right or wrong?"

Something inside her turned fuzzy and she felt a little like she was melting inside, and a little like she could jump to the moon, and a little like her heart wanted to burst. And she suspected that this might all be a little like falling in lo-

"Oh my God." Aoko pressed a hand over half of her face, unwillingly to look at Kaito.

He straightened as he peered at her with curious look. "You okay?" He asked, noticing her unfocused stare.

She gulped. "It's just that I..."

Kaito blinked when she stopped. "You...?"

"Um..."

Yes. What a smart answer. The most brilliant of all.

He was still looking at her expectantly, waiting for the answer she had yet to reply. But she didn't know what to say, or how to admit about how she agreed with him and that she was the same as him. All those times when she tossed and turned and regretted on her bed, wondering if she should have said something else or done something better to change the outcome and disregard that stupid bet. She thought she had lost her chance forever, like what Kaito thought too, and the so-called fate was just another statistical theory and nothing else (And never once before this moment had she ever disliked math in her life before).

"I..." She steadied herself as he waited. "I want to eat the ramen you mentioned about before."

"Ramen?" He looked confused for a moment. "Miso butter-corn ramen?"

"Dinner." She deliberately cleared her throat and gave him a pointed look. "For the bet."

"How can I forget?" He perked up, and showed her a smile that was as bright as a sun. "And ramen it is."

.o.

After getting lost for an hour, they found the famous miso butter-corn ramen stall that everyone was raving about.

When he asked how the ramen was as they walked out of the stall with their stomach filled and warm, she almost didn't know what to say. It was nice, yes, but even if she was drinking the saltiest broth or slurping rock-hard noodles, she was sure Kaito's presence could make up for everything in the world.

.o.

It happened one night, close to a year after they knew each other, when he sat by her doorsteps for an hour before a neighbour called and told her so. Knowing that he was near and being able to see him always made her happy, but she was more worried than elated. There was something in her heart that sensed something was off and wrong. Why was he sitting outside her house, in the middle of the night and for an hour without telling her so? The neighbour thought he was there because he was waiting for her to come home, but it didn't make sense since her lights were on and she was at home. Not wanting to waste time figuring it out, Aoko quickly made an excuse and hung up before hurrying out of her room, ignoring the pile of homework she had yet to finish marking for the students and opened the door.

Indeed, like what she was told, he was sitting outside her doorsteps, head lowered in between his knee. He was so off in his world that he didn't notice her standing behind him, until she called out his name.

"Kaito."

He whipped his head back, eyes wide in surprise.

"Aoko."

She remembered how tensed he was when he went inside her house and settled himself in her living room. There were a couple of rare, awkward silences between them, though it didn't take him long to talk. No, he didn't explain why he was there, or why he sat outside her house for one hour. He started off with something random, a memory from his childhood, before he moved on to the topic of his father, about how he was a great man, a great magician, but died during the peak of his career because of a myth. And then eight years after his death, his son became his ghost: Kaitou Kid.

Then it went downhill. Kaito started slurring his words and spoke like a bullet train, as though he didn't really want to talk about it but he had to. He mentioned how he couldn't stop conducting one heists after another, his near-death encounters with criminals named after amphibian, until one day, he ended up implicating himself with three detectives' plans to put down a dangerous syndicate, which was the main link to most of the criminal organisations in Japan (His shoulder slackened, just a tiny bit, when he reached to this part of the story).

Although he had calmed down a lot after recounting his story for the past two hours, he still seemed shaken, and the first and only time he looked normal and more like himself was when he remarked how he kiddingly found those three detectives annoying, but he thought that without their help, he might never be free from the myth's curse, and most importantly, his and her fateful-wedding-kink meetings might not have started. But his curved lips didn't stay long, and it turned sad again. So sad that Aoko almost wanted to cry.

It was obvious he had mustered a lot of courage to trust her, to remember and tell her his greatest and saddest loss, and knowing that, she just couldn't... Yes, she needed time alone to register all of his words and story, and think about what she should do and respond. But something in her gut told her she shouldn't ask him to leave. Her intentions or implications might be misunderstood, and she didn't feel assured to leave him alone either.

So she willed herself to stay awake even though it was half past two, but her efforts were futile as she accidentally fell asleep during a short period of silence. When she woke up the next morning, she found herself on her bed, wondering if everything was just a dream. She was proved wrong when she discovered a note on her bed side table, written in a messy, familiar handwriting that stated 'it's okay if you don't want to have anything to do with me anymore'.

Aoko did need a while to come to terms with who he was and how she never realised it until now, but to hell with that note. It was stupid. He was stupid. The myth was stupid. Those men that killed Kaito's father were stupid. There were many things that were stupid, but if she choose to follow what the note said, she would be the stupidest of all.

(Because she couldn't imagine having nothing to do with Kaito. And what mattered was just the present and their future, and by being together was the only way to figure things out)

.o.

They were lying in the middle of a small forest clearing, their hands behind their heads and elbows touching.

It was an impromptu road trip up the hill after their dinner. Kaito parked his car just a short distance away, where the terrains of the forest allowed, and they held hands, played tag, and found a place for them to do their little star-gazing activity.

If she opened her eyes, she could see falling leaves with every breeze. But if she closed her eyes, she could hear the trees rustled like the sea, and it made her feel as though she was at a beach. She had everything played out in her little make-shift universe, and it was all possible when she was with Kaito.

Beside her, Kaito's eyes were looking straight up at the star-filled sky, and Aoko subtly followed his gaze, wondering which constellation he was looking at. She looked back at him when she gave up trying, to realize he was now staring at her.

Usually, though Aoko pretended to not notice, he would look away quickly and move on to a new topic or change the course of their conversation, just so to shift her attention away from his I'm-caught-staring mistake. But this time, he didn't. He continued looking at her, with his softened eyes and features that caused her cheeks to grow warm. But thankfully, she didn't have to try hiding it since it was probably too dark for him to notice anyway.

"Why are you looking at me?" She patted her nose and then her lips. "Is there some food on my face and you didn't tell me even after we left the restaurant?"

If there was any romantic tension between them, she would have ruined it with her question, but that was exactly what Kaito would do to tease her. And even if it wasn't the case, the problem of normality wasn't only on her. She might be a quirky one, but Kaito was the same as her. She was already prepared for many kinds of answers, like him randomly telling her the colour code for her eyes, or how some constellation looked like a fart and it reminded him of her.

He gave a lazy grin. "I'm just thinking about how nothing's gonna be more perfect than this."

Aoko blinked, wrong footed by the change of mood. "Why?" She asked innocently. Was it because of the scrumptious dinner? The nice desserts? His favourite music playing on the radio previously? The adventurous, happy kid awakening inside of him?

She glanced at the sky again, her thoughts continued to flow...

Or was it because this was the first time he had properly looked at the star-lit sky, since for all those times he did before, it was only to check if some jewel glowed red under the moonlight... The thought of Kaito's past made her heart swell in a form of sadness again.

"Why?" Kaito echoed her question and she looked back at him expectantly. After a long pause, he didn't answer her question but only shrugged as he proceeded to sit up. "Anyway, let me get a bottle of water-" Just as he was about to lift himself off the ground, he froze, and slumped back onto the grass patch at the next second.

Aoko shot up from her lying position, brows creased with worry. "Are you alright?"

After regaining some bit of his composure, he managed to answer with a voice of a dying man. "Pins and needle." He muttered, while adding a few incoherent curses.

She ginned and wriggled her fingers over his leg. "I can help you with that."

"Don't." He hissed.

"You're tempting me."

"Ahouko."

"Fine." Aoko teased and pat his shoulder down in assurance. "If I can't help you with your leg, I guess I can help you get your water."

He looked exaggeratedly relief, for some reason that Aoko couldn't comprehend. She shrugged it off as soon as Kaito spoke again. "It's inside the trunk. I recently bought a carton from the supermarket."

She nodded and stood up from the grass patch before skipping her way to where the car was parked. The clearing was quiet, and the leaves scrunched up with every step she took, but there was something else about the silence that Aoko found a little off. It wasn't suffocating, or heavy, or anything that made her uncomfortable. Just something in her instinct told her to be prepared for something (For the past three years they had been together, the uncountable number of pranks and tricks had helped her to develop this extra sense of awareness, for example, realizing something wasn't... right).

Nonetheless, she continued her way before she reached the car truck. It was unlocked (since they didn't intend to stay here for long), and with just a press of a switch, the trunk was opened.

But instead of the carton of water, which Aoko was expecting, dozens of different-coloured balloons burst out of its enclosure, shocking her as she stumbled a few feet back. And as though it was all planned, those exact few steps she took were enough for her to see the balloons as an entity. Lights, perhaps bendable glow sticks, were twisted into an alphabet inside each balloon, and together, it was spelt out as: Will You Marry Me

Her neck spun, eyes wide as she searched for the responsible person who set this up. There, standing in the middle of the field, was Kaito as he held up a black signboard, with a white neon lighting shaped into a large question mark. Despite the distance, she could still see his charming smile, shining brighter than the neon signboard in his hands.

Aoko's mouth fell open when understanding dawned. She couldn't think straight. She couldn't even breathe properly. Her numb mind only managed to process a nod, and then a second nod, and then a third, a fourth and she started nodding like a maniac while she sniffed and laughed. That had given Kaito enough confirmation to drop the signboard in glee and sprinted towards her.

As she watched him ran, she cupped her mouth with both hands, embarrassed at her current state. But something else besides Kaito caught her attention; she felt something on her hand, or more specifically, a finger on her left hand.

She glanced down.

It was a big, bright and glistering diamond ring.

Her head started to spin with excitement, and tears immediately whelmed her eyes like magic, blurring her sight. There was nothing she could say, and nothing she could do to express her happiness besides choking onto air and letting the tears spring out of her eyes like waterfall. She looked like a horrible mess, and she had no choice but to cover her face when Kaito reached her side.

But Kaito didn't let her. He tugged her hands away and looked at her, his expression mixed with guilt and amusement. "Don't cry, silly." He gave a soft laugh and wiped the tears off her cheeks. "There's supposed to be fireworks later, but by the looks of it, I think I might be overdoing it a little-"

Aoko threw her arms around his neck, nearly pouncing on him. She nuzzled her nose into his collar, so close that their scent could have combined together. It didn't take her long before she could feel his arms snaking around her waist, and she hugged tighter at the comfort.

She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, but she settled for speaking. "You're an idiot." She muttered.

He unwrapped himself from the warm embrace and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "And you're willing to marry one?" His voice was undeniably a tease.

Aoko could easily do the same. She feigned a considering look and tried to hold it for two seconds longer, but the way his eyes started flickering with a hint of panic made her unable to control the chuckles that erupted out of her system. The slight sneer that Kaito gave her made her smile grow even bigger than she could ever possibly give.

"I'm not giving this back to you." She showed her left hand, the ring twinkling under the moonlight.

"I'll never want it back."

He closed the distance between them and she looked up, their face only centimetres apart before he pulled her in for a kiss.

Yes. Kaito was right.

Nothing could ever be more perfect than this.

.end.

A/N:
I've probably reused the KID-ruined-Shinichi's-wedding idea a million times, but I'm a sucker for that and I guess I'm half-sorry about it.

Anyway... thought that I died? Maybe. Thought that my love for AU is dead? THINK AGAIN
But as you can see, like always, I've got really lazy at the end and hence the HUGE chunks of conclusion text and an abrupt (and cringey-cliche) happily-ever-after ending. In fact, I'm surprised I've made it this far and managed to post this up. But seriously though, it's also majorly because of the countless continuous support I received despite my long absences. It means a lot(!) to me.

Nonetheless, hope you guys liked it :')