Facts:

1. This is an alternate universe where Mio is not a doll - she is a real person

2. Set during the first year of high school

3. She believes that Daisuke is connected to Phantom Thief Dark

The stage was set for the perfect show, for tonight, and tonight only, the infamous Phantom Thief was supposed to steal the Centennial Royale. The origins of this particular piece are unknown and lost farther back in time. Due to the mystery shrouding its existence, it has been estimated to be more valuable than any other artwork stolen by Dark. The connection to the Hikari name is still an irrelevant factor to the public, one the Police Commander is grateful for.

The shadowy wing of the western entrance was currently home to zero security cameras, hundreds of cardboard boxes, tarps, and other such supplies, and it was currently sheltering a blonde teenage woman. The Azumano Museum of Artifacts was currently undergoing some remodeling, giving way to the perfect opportunity to encase oneself inside its walls. This particular sector was being used for storage space, more than anything, while the main floor was being renovated. And it was in this highly unsecured room that fifteen-year-old Mio made her stakeout.

By the end of their middle school years, Mio's class had sent a rumor flying around that their classmate, Daisuke Niwa, had some connection to Dark. It was just a silly rumor at first, and Daisuke, of course, denied it. The topic was quickly dropped after several weeks of hounding and pestering, but a few people still held on to the notion. If their quirky, clumsy classmate could get close to Dark, then so could they. Even then, their enthusiasm was quickly dropped the more ridiculous the idea seemed. As far as most people were concerned, Daisuke was as bland as they came. He was far too average and graceless to bask in the presence of an elite Phantom Thief.

Not everyone was so sure. When it came down to it, only a few suspicious people remained. Satoshi Hiwatari is the first to come to mind. It had been a hot topic for a long time upon discovering that not only had he been working for the police for a long time now, but that he was also the lead person on Dark's case. With that in mind, he would obviously know if Daisuke had been seen hanging around. Unfortunately, he was reluctant to talk to anyone about those involved with the matter. No one has managed to get any information out of him thus far.

Then there were the Harada twins, two good friends of Daisuke's. They had both come into quite a bit of contact with Dark, even more so the more they hung around him. The older twin, Riku, has made it very clear that she has a strong disliking of Dark, something that has made her quite unpopular with the other girls in class. The younger one, Risa, admits that she, too, had suspected Daisuke of being involved with Dark. But like most other people, she also believed it was just plain impossible for them to be connected. Still, their contact with him leaves them open for suspicion.

Finally, there was Takeshi. Takeshi Saehara has been Daisuke's best friend since they were children. Even though their involvement with each other is limited these days, the self-proclaimed "Star Reporter" is still up-to-date on his friend. He has access to lots of information and he's unafraid to go after the truth on his own. His little charade involving the Agate Links is plenty proof of that. The nice thing about Takeshi is that he would talk to anyone... for the right price. He had no problem trading information for money, certain candies, and especially cleaning duties. If you offered to take over his work for a week, he'd give you a mile-wide folder of files and photographs.

That's what makes him such a valuable resource. The man is credible, whether people like him or not. He's been known to be frowned upon for his over excitement, his flapping gums, and his "reporter" attitude. He is tolerated by the public, genuinely liked by few, but the truth was that if anyone wanted legit information, he was the man they went to. As far as he was concerned, that made him popular enough.

So he wasn't surprised when Mio paid him a visit. Besides having the best leads on what she wanted, he knew she was finally coming around to his charms. He'd been working on winning her over for about a year now. Ever since she transferred into his class from America, he's had eyes for no other woman. Well, he's looked at other women, but he's never seriously pursued any of them. They just didn't compare to Mio Hio, the tall, cute, blonde-haired beauty of Azumano. She was still voted one of the prettiest girls in school, though she was more commonly labeled as a cute freshman. Either way, she was the object of his affections.

She strutted up to his desk one day, oozing with sexiness and confidence, traits he found incredibly alluring about a woman. When she told him that they needed to chat, he agreed in a heartbeat. "You can't be serious!" He had been expecting to be questioned about the new girl's gym uniforms, or the rumor about the crappy cafeteria food. Not about Daisuke and Dark. "What do you want to know about that for? I thought you weren't all crazy about Dark like the other girls!"

Abruptly putting a finger to his lips, Mio narrowed her eyes and told him to 'hush.' Takeshi was never one for using his inside voice. "I don't care about Dark," she started off reassuringly, "but I need to know about Daisuke." She was telling the truth, he could tell, and it both comforted and upset him. He was happy to know that he didn't have to compete with the likes of Dark, but... she still likes Daisuke. He instantly recalled her first day of class. How he offered her the flowers from their teacher's desk and she immediately passed them off to Daisuke. He died a little that day.

He never understood how his friend could get so many girls. There he was, just a tall, skinny fool with a grin on his face. He was clumsy, easily manipulated, and he retained the wonder of a child. But it was him, not Takeshi, with both Harada sisters and Mio surrounding him. He picked Riku sometime last year and they've been going out ever since. He wasn't exactly sure why Risa hung around like she did, but it didn't really concern him. It was having Mio be so infatuated with him that drove him up a wall. What was it about the redhead that she liked so much?

"But Mio, babe, that's just a rumor. I've been following Dark ever since he re-appeared. I've never once seen Daisuke hanging around, not even in the background of one of my photographs. Why are you asking me about this?" Mio dropped her gaze, put off by both his answer and his question. She told him on their first day of high school that she wasn't interested in him. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with him, he was a perfectly fine person, but... he just wasn't like Daisuke.

"Saehara, it's not exactly a secret that I like him. I have to find out if he's connected to Dark." She was met with his quick response of, "But why?" Not wanting to re-break his heart like she did that day, she smiled and said, "Because he's super cute, super sweet, and if he's running around with Dark, then he's also super adventurous. Is there any better kind of triple threat?" She turned away from him before he could speak and she walked away. She didn't really want to see the look in his eyes. She was sure that he was upset. He would never stay down for long, but she knew that he was serious about her and that he hated seeing her fawning over someone else.

But she refused to let herself get down because of someone else's feelings. She had been honest with him, she confronted him, and she only mildly teased him. She wasn't trying to lead him on, and as far as she was concerned, that was good enough. So she went back to their classroom and fixated on something out the window until the end of the day.

And that was how this whole mess started. Even if no one could tell her anything, Mio still decided to show up at the museum. Dark was supposed to arrive at a quarter to nine, and with a little digging around, she found out that he'd have to go through the main floor to get to his target. So she hid patiently behind the wall, safely cloaked in the darkness and limited window access to the bright lights outside. She had stumbled over to the doorway just in time to catch a glimpse of Dark.

Most women would scream, fawn over seeing him disguised (yet again) as a police officer, and more. All Mio did was scan the room, eyes desperately searching for a mop of spiky, red hair. But it wasn't there and Dark was already halfway upstairs. She heard one of the alarms go off and took it as her cue to follow after him. This whole building would be flooded with cops soon enough, so she might as well come out. She chased him and she chased him, barely keeping up with him rounding corners and going in and out of rooms. She finally caught up with him as he placed the art piece in his bag.

"Dark!" she hollered. He turned and stared at her in surprise, but he had no time to question her. Helicopter lights were flooding the room through the many windows and the police were hot on his tail. He knew that she was in no danger, she probably wouldn't be in any trouble with Hiwatari working the case, so he turned his back on her and leapt out a window. She bolted after him, desperate to talk to him, but he was nothing but a blur of black in her sights now. She leaned helplessly out the window, disappointed in herself for not getting what she came for.

When the police arrived to her location, she had completely forgotten about their existence. They held their guns to her and she was startled. So much so that she clumsily tumbled out the third story window. She heard one of the officer's call out, and she could see him in the window as she fell, but he could not help her now. She couldn't even think to brace for impact, she just let her body go limp. She could see the speck that was Dark reflecting in the moonlight, unaware of his concern for her. For Daisuke's concern for her.

Her body landed roughly in the bushes, but it wasn't nature that cushioned her fall. After some grunting and adjusting, she was finally able to look beneath her. "Saehara!" She scrambled off of him, embarrassed to have even hit him. What was he doing underneath her? "Hi," he said weakly, and rather painfully, "What brings you here?" She could tell that he was trying to sit up and he laced his voice with humor to make her feel better. He was always doing nice things for her.

"You know why I'm here, what are you doing here?" She was practically screaming in his ear. He was a reporter for crying out loud, what possibly useful information or pictures could he get from the bushes near the rear of the building? "I could've crushed you!" He laughed at her now, though he painfully gripped his side. A fall from a third story window hardly warranted that dramatic a response. With how light she was, she couldn't have even broken something.

"I figured this is where Dark would surface. Thought I'd get some shots of him leaving." He whipped out his camera, which had thankfully not broken upon her appearance. He showed her a very clear picture of her falling, while Dark was a barely recognizable shadow at the brim of the rooftop. She was amazed at his ability to predict where Dark would be. He had become rather perceptive over the past year, she supposed.

Takeshi turned off his camera and shoved it back in his bag. Dark was gone and he had no reason to keep it out anymore. He attempted to stand up with his bag slung over his shoulder, but he quickly slid back down. With the way he had been crouched, Mio's landing had done a number on his muscles. Walking wasn't going to be an easy task, at least not for a couple of days. But Mio noticed his struggle and immediately collected his things. With his camera bag clinging to her shoulder, she gently grabbed his arm to wrap it around her neck, while she snaked her arm around his waist.

The brunette blushed furiously at her actions, but he didn't let himself get too excited. She was only trying to help him up. Still, he decided that he would enjoy what he could get. His charm and amazingness would get to her one day. Either that or she'll realize that Daisuke is head-over-heels for Riku and she'll settle for him. It'd be a good day either way.

So the two of them walked off the property, Mio's head bowed the entire time. Takeshi used his free hand to dig around in his bag and pull his camera back out. He stopped walking and caught her attention. Before she could blink, he snapped a picture of the two of them. She didn't quite understand why he did it, but the goofy smile on his face forced to her to remain silent. If a picture together would make him happy, he could have it. Takeshi Saehara might not have been the man of her dreams, but he was one of the few people she knew that deserved the utmost happiness. He earned it every day.

"A/N: Obvious one-sided romance is obvious. I just wanted to write something, and with me starting my new blog, I figured this would be the perfect introductory piece. I believe that upon writing this, this will still only be the second MioTak fic, and I've still written the first one. Go me? Leave a review and let me know what you thought."