About fifty policemen stood outside the old castle, which had once been home to royalty. Observing the men as they guarded any entrances they could find, it was hard to believ they all stood in wait for one person...one boy, to be exact. They were as diligent as always, however, once again, their prey was already inside.
A dark figure dashed through the halls of the palace, seeking something in particular. It approached a corner and peeked around to spot anything that might be waiting for it. A single security camera scanned the corridor from its perch high on the wall.
The figure, a boy who appeared to be eighteen years of age, smirked, "security's really light tonight," he stated. In an instant, the security camera crashed to the floor with a hard plastic "crack". The boy stared at the broken camera with disapointment, "looks like this is going to be another easy job". He shook his head and his elegant purple hair echoed the motion.
"Be careful, Dark," the voice of a younger boy told him from inside his head, "Hiwatari-kun might have something planned".
Dark laughed. "Don't worry, Daisuke," he told the voice, "theres nothing the commander could do to capture me!" Daisuke frowned at Dark's overly-confident attitude.
"Just...be careful," he warned, knowing an argument would be futile.
Dark continued his search. Eventually, he came to a large room. Tall pillars lined the hall. What little furniture filled the room would have been rich and kingly if it were taken care of. Now, cobwebs and dust decorated every item, except one.
"There it is," Dark stated proudly.
"I've been waiting for quite a while, Kaitou Dark," someone called from behind one of the pillars. A boy stepped into the light. He was the same age as Daisuke, but looked far more mature. He had blue hair and the light from the windows in the room reflected off his glasses.
"I was wondering when you'd show up, commander," Dark greeted him. Although Satoshi Hiwatari had been trying to capture him from the first night they met, Dark actually seemed happy to encounter decent opposition.
"You've come to steal the Angelbow...a move that will be your undoing," Satoshi said, his face showed he had something planned. Dark laughed mockingly. He was used to people telling him it would be the end, so he was convinced this would be just like the other times. He always escaped, no matter what...after all, he was Kaitou Dark.
"What kind of trap do you have set up this time?" Dark asked as if he did this everday, which he did.
Satoshi smirked in the way he did when he thoguht he had Dark beat. He slipped his hand into his pocket and withdrew a handheld remote. He pressed one of the buttons, which acknowledged his command by replying with a "beep". Dark whirled in a start as he heard a metal gate bar the exit. He groaned at the thought of having to find another way out, but was not particularly worried. Satoshi was not surprised by Dark's reaction and still had the smirk upon his lips.
The two adversaries were motionless, both waiting for the other to make his move. The pause only lasted a few seconds, but seemed to last an eternity. Finally, Dark decided to make a run for it. He took off toward the other side of the room where his target hung on the wall, waiting for him. Another beep sounded from Satoshi's remote and another gate crashed down in Dark's path. The kaitou simply veered to the right and dashed around one of the pillars. This area was not blocked by Satoshi's trap. He laughed in his head at the commander's pitiful attempts. Satoshi was still not worried.
Dark lept up and snatched the ornate bow, which served more as a decoration than a weapon. He looked back at Satoshi, hoping to see the disappointment in his eyes. However, his enemy seemed satisfied.
"Now," Hiwatari stated bluntly. He pressed another button and something beside Dark began to glow. The theif turned to see what Satoshi was so proud of. It appeared to be a simple crystal. Dark was obviously confused.
Suddenly, the crystal reached out and hardened over Dark's feet, cementing him where he stood. He grunted as he tried to pull his feet from the strange crystalline substance. The crystal began to grow and made its way up his leg. Now, Dark showed concern. He pulled harder, but the crystal only grew to encase everything below his hips.
"What the-" he exclaimed.
"Dark!" Daisuke's voice shouted from within.
"I know," Dark told his human counterpart through clenched teeth.
He continued to struggle harder and harder and the crystal continued to grow faster and faster.
"Wait a minute!" he exlcaimed as his eyes widened. He took a breath and relaxed his tensed muscles. He tried to be calm, despite the feeling of being trapped.
"What are you doing!?" Daisuke screamed at him, "you're just going to let it eat us!?"
"Relax, Daisuke," Dark replied, "it will go back down if we both relax".
Gradually, the crystal began to recede. However, it did not wither fast enough and Satoshi was getting closer. The comander walked to him in a way which told Dark he was definately not in a hurry. Dark ignored the rising feeling of anxiety in his gut and remained calm.