Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 2 (The Oumeno Strikes Back)

Partners In Crime (Phantom Thief AU)(12)

    "...What?" Himiko asked in an aghast whisper. She felt her heart drop, as well as her mouth. Her eyes widened with shock and despair. The classroom, which had been filled with the cacophonous buzz of the other students, now faded away as Himiko blocked them out upon hearing Kokichi's words. "What...happened to him?"

   "Himiko..." Kokichi warned.

  "I-Is he okay?" Himiko continued without listening to Kokichi. "Did I do something wrong?"

   "Himiko..." Kokichi said again in annoyance.

   "Oh, no! What if I made him mad-" Himiko began, but Kokichi put his hand on hers.

   "Himiko!" he hissed angrily, finally getting her attention. "We're done talking about this!" Himiko stopped talking and looked at him. Her eyes seemed shiny and wet, causing Kokichi to ease up a bit and sigh. He let go of her hand, and used his hand that was holding Himiko's to rub his arm in a guilty way...*the same way the Phantom Thief had done the night before.* Himiko blinked in surprise at the similarity. Kokichi noticed, and immediately stopped rubbing his arm. "Look...we're done talking about this...for now. This isn't the best place to do it."

   "Oh..." Himiko sniffed. "Well...where *is* the best place to talk about it?" Kokichi looked at her for a long time, as if he were contemplating his answer. Then, he sighed.

  "Meet me in the library after school," he finally said. "From there, I'll show you where we can talk in private." Himiko nodded at him, and the two began silently working on their science project.

   ***

   Later that day after school, Kokichi led Himiko to the library. On the way there, he was constantly looking around him, making sure they weren't being followed. 

   "Nyeh...why is it so bad if someone knew where we were going?" Himiko asked.

   "Ssshhh..." was Kokichi's response. They arrived at the library, where Kokichi nodded at the librarian as a greeting, and casually wove his way around the bookshelves as if he were looking for a book to read. Still on constant vigilance, Kokichi led Himiko to the back of the library, where nobody ever seemed to go. There was a door there, which seemed rather lonely given how far from the rest of the library it was. It looked like it hadn't been used in a very long time.

  "I didn't know there was a door back here," Himiko whispered.

  "Yup! I use it whenever I need to make a swift and invisible escape," Kokichi whispered back.

  "Nyeh...escape from what?" 

   "Eh...just from prying eyes," Kokichi replied with a shrug. "I like my privacy, and I don't want people knowing where I live. So, I use this door back here to slip away unnoticed." 

  "Why is it so bad if people knew where you live?" Himiko asked.

  "Eh...you'll see," Kokichi said, and led her through the door. "This door leads down into the basement. From there, we can exit the school through the cellar doors that lead to the outside of the school." In the darkness, Kokichi took his flashlight out, and turned it on. Himiko could see the basement, which was covered in drippy pipes, which would explain the damp smell. They made their way through until Kokichi found a small staircase that led up to a pair of doors that he had been looking for. He cautiously peeked out the cellar doors to make sure nobody was nearby. Then, he and Himiko exited the doors, and Kokichi led Himiko away from the school. They walked down the street, past the local shops, and other passersby, until they came to a nearby neighborhood with some beautiful and well-kept houses. Himiko expected Kokichi to stop at one of the houses, but he just kept walking. To her surprise, they kept walking until they exited the neighborhood.