Time is Running (Kaishin)

This chapter is going to be a little bit shorter but I felt this would be a better cut to make.

"Kuroba..."

Akako was staring onto the tattoo on Kaito's arm, eyebrows narrowed, clearly unamused. She leaned back, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What did you get yourself into?"

Kaito just gave a small shrug. He wasn't even sure himself. Wasn't that what Akako was supposed to tell him?

"I don't know." she finally stated, voice dry.

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"It means, I have no idea what this is. I have never seen this before. It radiates a faint magic energy, this is only a weak spell... it doesn't seem to actually do anything other than controlling this timer on your arm."
Kaito's eyes fell back down towards his arm. So even Akako doesn't know?
"Can you find out?"
"There is nothing to find out, Kuroba. It is what it shows- just a timer. It's not building up magical energy inside you to, let's say, kill you once the timer is out. It's just what it is. A timer."

Blinking twice, Kaito looked back up at the witch. So this was basically just a clock on his arm.
"So what is it counting down to?"
"We don't know, and we won't know either until the time runs out. That is the thing- this spell has nothing to do with anything that is to come."
Now it was Kaito's turn to become somewhat frustrated.
"So whatever happens... will happen, regardless wether the timer was there or not."
"Exactly."

Pause.

"You want me to remove it?"
For a moment, Kaito remained silent. That was a tempting offer if he was honest, and Akako being able to do so was more than surprising to the thief.
Nevertheless, he declined.
"Nah... I want to be ready for this- whatever it is."
Akako gave him only a small shrug before picking up her nail file to correct one of her nails.
"Suit yourself. And... now to my payment~"
"Payment?!" Kaito sputtered, a little offended, "What do you mean, payment?! You didn't do anything other than tell me what it is!"
"So what? Does a doctor magically cure you the moment you step into his office? No, he diagnoses you. That's what I did, and you owe me, Kuroba."

"Fine! Fine. But no DNA samples!"
Akako rolled her eyes. There goes her first option. For a moment she thought carefully, then shot Kaito a sweet yet sinister smile.
"I'll have you do a favor for me once I need it. Alright?"
"What favor?"
"Whatever I might need~ Now get out of my house, I've wasted more than enough time with this nonsense."

And that is how the front door was shut in Kaito's face only a second later. The boy glanced up into the sky- it was pitch black, middle of the night. What to do now?
Kaito was growing more tired by the second. He chose to go home for now and take a good nap- afterwards, he could start on planning more heists. He was a bit worried that he didn't find out what the timer was counting down to, and even tho Akako assured him this magic was not going to kill him, it could still very much count down to his death by other means.

Who knows? Shot by Division 2 by someone trigger happy? Hit by a bus? The BO?

Kaito shook his head, getting rid of those thoughts immediately. It was far too much time to think of that- he still had quite a few days going for him and he was going to use that.

But right now Kaito could feel his heavy eyelids more than ever before and for once, he was going to answer his body's desperate call for sleep.
Quietly boarding the bus back home, Kaito sat down on one of the benches, closing his eyes for a minute. The soft rumbling of the tires on concrete didn't help his fight against sleep the slightest bit.

But as Kaito slowly began to doze off, arm neatly hidden under his jacket so no one could see the timer, he was wondering how this all was going to end.

***

Shinichi was not impressed.

Once again, KID had up and disappeared. At least the bed had been made very well before he had left, so less work for Shinichi, but he could have at least said goodbye.

With a deep sigh, the sleuth stared down into his half full coffee mug. He didn't like being unable to help KID, and he sure as hell wasn't fond of the idea of magic being around this world as much as science. But what else could that timer be?

His internet research hadn't brought up any relevant information either, and at this point, Shinichi was at the end of his wits.
But he also knew Kaito was still keen on pulling through, finding Pandora, and as far as he knew him, he would keep up this insane act of heists after heists day after day.

How much time did they have left now until this timer ran out? Shinichi didn't remember.

Mere days, that was all he could think of.

He debated on consulting Haibara for this but at the end, how was a scientist supposed to help against magic?
The boy breathed out a soft sigh, taking another sip of his coffee.

How frustrating...