🌸 Not what you think. 🌸 (Oumasai/Phantom Thief AU)

The Time Is Running Out

Shuichi finally arrived at the old house and he couldn't help but stare at it while his heart was racing.
In front of him wasn't a house, it was a pile of ashes where occasionally some bricks of the walls were still in tact! You couldn't call THAT a house anymore!

Swallowing down his rage and slight worry that he probably wouldn't even find a fragment of evidence, he started walking into the ruins of the house, searching every little inch of the ashes to try and find something...

It had been getting colder and colder, snow falling down and making Shuichis job even harder... Along with that, the work caused Shuichi to sometimes cut his hands on sharp bricks or broken glass since he had rather put on rubber gloves than thick work gloves.
Thus, he couldn't quite keep up his hard work and got weaker and weaker before stopping, his eyes teary from ashes getting in his face, his body shaking heavily from the cold and him feeling dizzy from wasting so much energy.
He didn't want to give up yet though, after all, he was the ultimate Detective! Why would he ever dare to give up?!

So, while biting his tongue, he continued, but after another hour, he just sat down and gave off a heavy sigh, his hot breath being visible in the cold and dusty air.
He wanted to get home and treat his wounds, yet when he stood up, something on the ground caught his eye...
It was a...

A note?

He stared at it for a long while, mostly unable to move out of shock and surprise... and well... pain.
He couldn't quite believe his eyes, so he rubbed them furiously as if trying his best to overcome this hallucination, yet no matter what he did, he still saw the neatly folded, not burned, (yet slightly wet from the snow), note...

It took his a bit of mental convincing before he finally picked it up, holding it in his sensitive, cold and hurt hands.
The paper felt smooth and as cold as ice... How long was it here but he didn't notice a thing? Was he seriously so in his own thoughts about Kokichi that he literally didn't see the things underneath his nose?!

Slightly angry at himself, he unfolded the note and stared at the text.
Despite the paper being slightly wet, the ink was still very readable and quite easy to understand.

Written on the note was a short story...
A story about a child being abandoned on the streets.
After he was abandoned, he met a group of homeless people that helped him.
Gladly, the child was found and adopted, but never forgot about those people... So, every day he went back to them in his spare time, giving them food and new clothes.
Thus, the child eventually built trust with them and became a person you could call the leader of the group.
The story ended that after having dissappeared for a long time, he eventually came back, but was shocked at how his friends have developed.
The people whom he once called friends had turned into cowards, criminals and traitors...

Shuichi read the story multiple times...
This was clearly one of Kokichis notes, so it was him as protagonist, right? If that was true, those homeless people were the group of people he was the leader of. This was the story of him becoming the Ultimate Supreme Leader and creating his own group of people.
Thus, the end must mean that after he returned from the killing game, he went back to find that the rules he set were broken severely...
Not only that, but he was later left in the fire by himself.
Of course, Kokichi probably didn't know either why the people suddenly changed and didn't see him as friend nor leader anymore... So it was most likely Shuichis job to find out for himself...
The more he looked into this story, the more complicated it got...

But he should probably go back home... It was getting really late and he was extremely exhausted from searching for nothing productive.
It was too late to go to the hospital either, so he couldn't even ask the stuff there about Kokichi either...

--×--

When he finally arrived at home, he basically just dragged himself into the bathroom to shower before going to his room and passing out on his bed...
During that, he desperately tried to ignore everyone, especially Angie and Tenko...
Not because he didn't want to talk, but mostly because he was too exhausted, confused and too much in thought to even listen to a single word.

Kaito was one of the people who was so mercilessly ignored and could only stand there dumbfounded as his friend closed the door on his face.

Kaitos whole face just screamed worry and anger. Of course he was feeling like that! His friend was acting more and more distant and he couldn't help but blame it on that damn Kokichi. If course, his odd expressions were immediately caught by Maki and K1-b0.
K1-b0 didn't do anything, mostly because he was still traumatized by being shaken by Kaito a few days ago, yet Maki actually had the balls to go talk to him.
After all, they are sort of together...?

It was complicated. Mostly because Maki didn't want to admit that she liked this childish idiot, even if she truly did. Therefore, Kaito was the one to show the most affection.
Yet, today... she had to calm him down once more. For the 10th time. Within 4 days.

--×--

Kokichi couldn't help but frown as he looked through the hospital window...
He hoped his plan would work out... Yet that plan depended soly on his trust in Shuichi...

Its not that he didn't trust him... He wasn't even worried about himself going to prison...
He was mostly afraid that if his plan failed... Shuichi...

He giggled sadly.

He always trusted Shuichi... He was always interested in Shuichis potential...
He always loved Shuichi...

He was afraid that if Shuichi would believe those lies... The lies spread about him...
If Shuichi would be manipulated into thinking Kokichi was a monster...

Kokichi wouldn't be forgiven...
And the last trace of hope in Kokichis heart would faint...

"My dear Shuichi... You are my hope. "