"And you, Hakuba-kun, are going to wear it!"

That was the moment Hakuba Saguru knew, fate had chosen the worst path for him. Or rather, Nakamori-keibu.

Hakuba allowed himself a chuckle. It had sounded ridiculous, after all. A dog collar, the world's second largest topaz embedded into the high quality leather, was the target. He understood Nakamori-keibu wanted to humiliate him, in a way, a revenge for the embarassment in front of Hakuba's father. Kaitou KID had never touched him, after all. Despite the incident where these two had fought for Hakuba's gas mask... Not even once.

And where had he found himself after an attack of sleeping gas? Blindfolded and tied up inside a car. The halfbrit tried to make himself a little more comfortable inside the tiny space, but with his arms tied shut on his back and his legs pressed together, this was an impossible task.
Hakuba took a deep inhale and tried to focus. Kaitou KID wouldn't hurt him, he knew that.
But he also knew, KID couldn't get the collar off of him. Bloody hell, even Saguru couldn't get the collar off of himself. To protect the target, Nakamori-keibu had allowed himself to pour extra strong glue onto the clip. Only he had the rare unsticking substance...
Hakuba could imagine, KID was on his way to buy said unsticking substance. Where would he get it? There wasn't any store close by he could get it from. Online?

Hakuba closed his eyes, he couldn't see anyway and he was tired. Sleeping gas was horrible. He felt so numb in his bones and had a horrible taste inside his mouth. Should he ask the Kaitou for a drink?
The soft rumbling of wheels on asphalt slowly got to him, Hakuba slipped into a daze and soon after back to sleep.

Hakuba woke up to voices outside of the car. His senses were much more awake thanks to his nap and thus, he tried to eavesdrop.
"Are we going to cut it off?"
"Boss said he wants that thing intact. Copies have been made and the whole underground seems to want it."
Hakuba froze. Copies? Boss? Underground? His deduction had been proven wrong. Hakuba's kidnapper was definitely not Kaitou KID.
Bloody hell.
The halfbrit tensed almost immediately. Shit. It wasn't Kuroba, his prankster of a classmate. It was a secret ring of criminals who had abducted him. What could he possibly do to save himself?
He hadn't had much time to make up a plan before the trunk opened and Hakuba was pulled out of the tiny space.
"Where are we going? I might inform you this will have consequences beyond your imagination. Are you really going to risk that?" he asked nonchalantly, trying to see anything through the blindfold. That earned him a large slap across his face and Hakuba flinched with a grimace. His cheek turned hot and tingled a little.

Hakuba kept quiet for the tiny walk until he was suddenly shoven onto a chair. Hakuba yelped quietly, his painfully tied arms giving away an awful sounding crack once they collided with the wood.
"Make sure he won't leave so fast."
"Hai."
More ropes coiled around the young detective's body, fixing him onto the chair. Breathing became difficult, not only because of the awfully tight collar around his neck but the ropes pressing into his ribcage.
Think Saguru, think! He mentally scolded himself and shifted shortly to find out any small holes he could use to free himself. No, absolutely impossible. Screaming at the top of his lungs wasn't necessary either, he knew for sure such a ring of criminals wouldn't keep him in middle of civilization. What time was it? Deep night? Early morning? His inner clock told him it was about 4 in the morning.

All of a sudden a shot was audible on his left side and Hakuba jolted. Something whizzed past his head, slicing off the knot of the blindfold. Hakuba shook his head to get rid of it while the people around him went into alarm.
"Who is there?!"
"Show yourself!!"
His eyes needed a moment to adjust themselves to the morning light shining through one of the broken windows this old storage hall offered. Beton floor, all around him different kinds of wooden boxes in front of him three individuals with revolvers and on his right side-
A card.
A card stuck in one of the boxes.
Someone had shot a card at him and Hakuba almost broke into cheers. Kaitou KID.
"I don't appreciate it to see my critics in other claws than mine," a voice beamed through the storage hall and Hakuba couldn't make out where it came from. But his sharp golden eyes soon made out a white smudge at the other end of the hall, hidden between a few boxes. A small grin played around his lips, perhaps he should express his gratitude later on.
"That's Kaitou KID!'
"Show yourself!!"
Kaito finally inched a little away from the box and eyes met with Hakuba's. The thief froze for a moment before he took a deep inhale and motioned for Hakuba to do the same.

Once he saw the detective did what ordered, he pulled a gas mask over his own face and pressed a small button. All around them tiny capsules exploded and within seconds, the room was filled with blue gas. Hakuba couldn't see a thing and neither did those kidnappers; but all of a sudden someone lifted him plus chair up and dragged him behind a few wooden boxes before a gas mask got pressed onto his face.
Hakuba took a big inhale and grinned. Sometimes he loved this thief.
"I shall take back what is mine! But no fear, I do leave you a present behind!" he heard the Kaitou's voice right next to him and a minute later, he snapped his fingers and the smoke disappeared, leaving the audience passed out on the ground. The magician proceeded to take off first his and then Hakuba's mask and sighed, eying him up.
"How do you feel, Tantei-san? Did they harm you?"
Hakuba shook his head and smiled amused up at his savior who was now busy cutting off his bindings.
"No, I must say I am a little dizzy thanks to the leftover sleeping gas, but they haven't done anything yet besides slapping me."

The Kaitou stopped immediately and indigo eyes darted up to Hakuba.
"They did what?! "
"They slapped me. But I am fi-"
"They slapped you?! "
Hakuba stared at the thief as if he had grown a second head. That wasn't much of a thing to frown about, was it?