Times of peace and quiet were much too far apart for Phantom. He was always busy running around with his own work and avoiding training that he just never found time to sit down and breathe for a bit.

Not that he minded too much. He wasn't much for sitting around and thinking of the past. It always had a way of bringing up the worst for him.

Sometimes he wondered when life would finally cut him some kind of break. He wasn't really well liked as a child, he was a delinquent as a teen… and a thief as an adult. It seemed like the only people to like Phantom were either those that received a good paycheck or died…

Then there was that fake happiness and joy. He was all too familiar with it. He used it himself! It was something he simply always had. He took off his hat and gave it a quick glance.

His hat was by far his most prized possession. He kept it around at all times, not letting it ever leave his sight. It started off rather plain. A blue and white topper. That's all it was. He added some gems in an attempt to give it some flare, but he found himself being teased for that choice. The mask was genuine though. It had once belonged to his former master, Raven. He stroked at its tip lightly, ensuring that it was okay. He moved the hat over to the side slightly, looking at the largest gem with its delicate feathers. He had added that on the night after meeting Aria. He may not have been able to steal Skyia, but a few of the piyos feathers were hardly anything. He found their coloring to be quiet fascinating. In all his years of travel, he had never seen any close to it. The gem was made to look similar to Aria's own hair piece. It wasn't exact, but the gem color was the same and it worked enough for him.

Two mementos kept close to him so that he would never forget. Phantom looked out the window to his room. "Heh… I wonder what I did to deserve this…?" He asked himself before closing his eyes gently.

Small memories began to flicker up in his head. From his time with the heroes, to his time a thief, to his time with Raven… his memories slowly lead to the start of everything for him.

"Now dear…" the lady spoke sternly, "our family future is important!"

"Of course, mother dear…" 'Phantom' spoke with snark. He was not known by Phantom at this time. No… he had a "real" name… A name bestowed to him. Back in his day, if he had told a soul his true name, they would have crumbled to their feet in shock. His father was practically known as a "town owner" the man ruled towns. Phantom was to be his heir, so he was given a lot of books to read, but more importantly, he was told of many treasures and values that others had. When he first got it, it held little value to him…But that would all change…

"So how long will I need to watch the house this time?" Phantom sighed while closing a book.

"About two days." The lady went on, "We're going over a little past Victoria, it's simply to observe some herbs they have found."

"Herbs?" Phantom perked his ears up.

"Oh yes. The demand for medicine has gone up so much lately! We think this will be exactly what is needed to help everyone!"

"I bet the people that need it won't even be able to afford it." Phantom thought to himself. He walked slowly up to his room, "Well I'll just be up here reading I suppose."

"If you need anything." His mother stated, "Ask the maids. They've been told of the situation and will stay later to ensure you're taken care of. And remember, no visitors!"

"As if I have any to invite over." Phantom sighed. It was not that he couldn't make friends, it was that he really could not make any normal friends. His father was simply too high of a ranked figure. Those who were nobles as well would simply try to befriend him for the sake of good connections for future use. A fake friendship. Those that could offer real friendship wanted little to do with him.

It was an odd curse. Being a noble, you could have anything you ever dreamed of. Fame, riches, power… All of it could be his in a heartbeat. But he didn't want any of that. He wanted to see people treated fairly. He wanted his parents to not be so greedy and help others. He only wanted this, and he could never have it… Not yet anyway…

"One day, I'll be able to take over my father's position." He told himself. "Then I'll set things right." Phantom told himself as he pulled a book off his shelf. Sometimes it felt like it was the only thing moving him forward. He didn't have much else to work with, just his books and his family that was rarely there to begin with. It was actually almost funny. Since he rarely went with his parents, he was almost considered a ghost child. Few of the nobles had ever seen him before, and when they did come over for a visit, he tended to stay in his room more so than his parents desired. But alas, this was his life… He would stay in the background for now, waiting for the day when he could finally make a statement towards the whole system that he himself found corrupt.

He figured it would be like any other time his parents were out of town. He would just sit in his room, leave for dinner and a shower, and then return to his room for the rest of the night. He had never, in his wildest dreams, imagined that night would have everything about his life changed.

He had turned his light off for the night, trying to fall asleep in his bed, when a shout was heard outside.

"Where'd he go?"

"So he really can fly!"

"Did he fly away?"

"I want this whole area looked over in the next hour! Do not leave any corner unsearched!"

Phantom sat up and looked out his window. He couldn't see anyone from his window, and it really cut out the sound. He cracked his window up slightly to get a better idea of hearing their range. How close were they? What were they after?

A nearby tree shuffled slightly. Phantom peaked over at it. He held his head lower as something jumped out on to his balcony. He made out a vague human shape from what jumped out. He also noticed a slight limp in how they walked. The figure was quietly trying to flee by his balcony. Phantom was concerned. What should he do? The figure was clearly injured, but he had no idea who it was!

The figure got closer, and he was able to make out his unique trait. His face looked rather off… or rather… there was a mask over it. A large beak pointed outward from his mask, hiding the eyes of pain underneath as he clutched his side.

"A bird mask?" Phantom thought to himself.

"He couldn't have gone too far!" A rough voice yelled.

Phantom instantly recognized the voices that time. It was the guards for some of the nobles nearby. He never cared to figure out their name, but their guards were always so loud.

The man quickly laid himself against the wall of his house and held his breath. At this point, the moonlight reflected the man sweat on his skin. Phantom could practically see the pain on his face now. And sadly, Phantom wasn't going to leave someone in that much pain out in the open.

While the man laid back to the wall, Phantom reached his hand out and tapped him on the shoulder. The stranger flinched quickly and jumped back. Hearing the noise of ruffling clothes, Phantom could only try to deliver his message as quietly as possible. "With any luck, they can think that noise just now was the tree." He sighed as he gestured his hand inviting the stranger in through his window.

The man looked over to the edge of the balcony and then the window. He heard a bit more of the guard talk and slipped in quickly. Phantom then followed by quietly closing the window and turning around. "Here." He tossed the man a piece of nearby fabric. "Try not to bleed on the carpet. We need to get to an enclosed room with no windows."

The man took the fabric, realizing it to be a rather nice shirt, and toss it over his wound. Phantom turned on a small candle he had for reading books in the dark and turned around, "Follow me, I know the room."

The two walked in silence for a bit. They finally entered a small office like room that had no windows of any sort. "They'll think everyone here is still asleep this way." Phantom said as he blowed his candle out. "Now let's see that wound."

The man removed the fabric and looked at the blood. There wasn't too much blood on it, but enough to notice. "it seems like they know where to cut to cause damage without killing a man."

"No surprise." Phantom sighed, "They could get charged with manslaughter otherwise."

"I'm sure they'd consider it a blessing if I was killed." the man remarked while patting the fabric on the wound again. "It should be fine with a bit of rest."

"You may want to clean it out a bit too." Phantom told him. "Tell me, what were you doing out this late? Probably no good, considering the guards were after you."

"Smart boy." The man remarked. "I am known as Raven. Chances are you've probably heard of me."

Phantom thought for a moment, "Hmmm… I think so… My father has made a few select remarks about you before."

Raven chuckled, "So I bet he would be thrilled to see me here, right?"

"He's not even here." Phantom sighed, "I wouldn't have dragged you around if he was. I'm not that dumb."

"But you're dumb enough to let a thief into your house?"

"Don't be silly." Phantom snarked back, "What good would stealing from a child do? The only time you go to steal something, it's to make a scene."

Raven clapped his hands lightly, "Good points, Blondie."

Phantom jerked a bit and looked back at Raven with annoyance, "BLONDIE?"

Raven laughed a bit more before sitting on the floor. "I'm just going to rest for a bit and let those guards pass. I'll be gone by dawn."

Phantom watched Raven take a deep breath and simply relax a bit more himself, although he was still on edge. It dawned on to him that he would probably never get another chance like this again. This was a man that could easily cut up anyone's dreams by simply appearing. It was a man that could easily DO something. Something that Phantom could have only dreamed of at the time.

"Excuse me…" The words slipped right out. He probably didn't even mean to talk. He probably wanted to leave and go to bed, leaving in raven in peace… But curiosity won over…

Raven opened his eyes. The reflection shined through the mask, "Hmm? What is it, Blondie?"

With a slightly irritated look, Phantom went on "I have a question." Phantom sat on the ground to be eye level with him, " What if I… wanted to do somethings like you?"

"Huh?" Raven's whole expression showed shock, even through the mask. "You want to become a thief?"

"Not nessicarily THAT!" Phantom remarked loudly. At the time, he was so young and innocent that he saw little value in becoming a thief. He felt like he could do more good if he was out in the open and on good behaviour. "I mean, being a thief doesn't sound like it's for me. You get in trouble and you really can't help too many people if you're always on the ru—"

"Is that so?" Raven smiled a bit. "I can tell you this, I do more good in one night than I do in any given day."

"You…do?" Phantom asked.

"Yes… There is a reason… a goal for all of my actions. Much like you stated before. I don't steal simply for the sake of stealing. I steal for the sake of helping others… protecting them when they can't protect themselves."

Phantom's eyes widened. This was exactly what he would love to do! But he didn't know how, and being a thief would probably get him disowned…

Raven looked at the boy. He was quiet. Clearly he was good at heart. He invited an injured man into his house, despite knowing he was clearly wanted. Even after knowing whom he was, he still had no interest in turning him over. "You're a very unique individual." Raven laughed, "And I think you're on the right track, but you're still nervous."

"What?"

"It's normal, I was at first too… But I can tell you this… Playing by their rules and thinking you can help people that way won't work. They've set the system up to where something like that would never happen. They focus more on their status above everything."

"They do? I've never heard of such things that would cause someone to get in trouble for helping those less fortu-"

"You learn about them the hard way." Raven said with a sigh, "It's kind of like a set up unwritten laws that are still applied."

With a sigh, Phantom laid on the ground. He figured as such… His father and mother always seemed to spit out "rules" from out of nowhere that wouldn't even allow him to send medicine to those who need it.

Raven twirled the braid in his hair a bit, "You know, you may not be able to do much yet…" He took a moment to build up the right words for the next part, "But what do you think about starting by helping me out? I can tell you how you can help change things and make it to where everyone is treated fairly like a human being."

Phantom sat right up again, "What? You want me to-?"

"Easy Blondie." Raven laughed as Phantom made a pouty face again. "It's simple. If I need a place to hide out or a decoy, you can always help out that way. You're a clean slate and a kid, so any time I get caught, it should be easy for them to pass by you as harmless."

"Harmless? I can be plenty of harmful! I'm almost a fully grown adult!" Phantom huffed, "And don't call me Blondie!"

Raven nodded, " If you want a new nickname, earn one."

"Earn one?! I just met you! How would I do that?"

Raven stood up, feeling a little bit better from resting and Phantom's youthful charm, "Who knows?" He tossed the shirt over, "It's been awhile. I think the guards are out of the area for now, so I think I can leave."

"Hmph." Phantom stood up and set the candle up again, "Follow me… You can leave the way you came out since the front door is a little too obvious."

The two walked out of the room, with Phantom leaving some not so nice grumbles about his first earned nickname of Blondie.

Up on the balcony, the night air had silenced itself. "You sure you can dispose of that shirt?" Raven asked, "If anyone sees it, they'll ask."

"I'll toss it into a fire." Phantom remarked.

Raven laughed. "Alright. I suppose I'll be seeing you again?"

Phantom stared at Raven for a while to see if he was serious, before realizing it was a question addressed to him, "Oh!...Well.. if you manage to find your way over here, I guess…"

"Oh I'll find my way over, Blondie~" Raven spoke in a rather sweet tone.

"WILL YOU STOP THAT?!" Phantom whined.

It was too late though. By the time Phantom's words were done, Raven was long gone into the night.

It was a short first meeting, but it was important to Phantom. It would build up into events that would change his life and eventually lead him to throw his old name away, finding it unfitting and undesired. He would actually forget it himself from time to time.

But as he sat their looking at the mask, he felt a huge pull of sorrow. He was gone… He was gone forever. It almost made him upset that he actually missed being called Blondie by Raven. Even after Phantom earned his infamous title, Raven would still call him that as a joke…

He probably wouldn't have minded being called Blondie by him one last time…