Chapter 1- The Alchemist and the Thief
Two figures sat alone on the ties of a railroad track in the middle of a barren desert. One, in a large suit of armor, who was looking up into the night sky above them, the other, looked as if he could be about the age of 15 or so, with long blonde gold bangs over his eyes, wearing a red overcoat. The boy's eyes were cast downward, as if he were half asleep. He was leaning against the man in the armor, one his right side and strattleling the railroad.
"Brother," said the man in the armor, though his voice sounded like that of a child. He brought his hand up into the sky and pointed to a green comet that was slowly crossing the night sky. "Look! Isn't it awesome! I don't think I've ever seen one like that before."
His brother looked up at the comet. "And to think," he said lightly chuckling, his golden eye gleaming up at it. "People will go and make wishes on those things when all they are is a chunk of ice."
"You always seem to take the magic out of things, don't you brother?"
"I can't help it," he said sighing and leaning up against his brother again, "I'm just not into those types of things."
A long silence passed between the two brothers, though the boy in the armor continued to look at the comet.
"Brother? Do you ever wonder about if there might be other worlds out there?" he asked.
"Don't be stupid, Al," his brother said shaking his head. "Don't tell me you believe in aliens or anything like that?" When he said the word 'aliens' he put his arms out and shook them and made a weird face as if he wasn't from this world, before falling back onto his brother.
Al shook his head, "No, nothing like that. It's just that it kind of seems sort of breath tacking, don't you think? When you look at the sky on nights like tonight?"
"Well if you put it like that it does," his brother said looking out onto the tracks. "Man. I'm hungry," he said point blankly changing the subject. He turned his body on the tracks and clapped his hands together, then quickly dropped them onto one of the ties. A blue light started emitting from his hand and the wood, and the wood started to change until it had shrunk down into a red slightly shriveled up apple. He smiled and picked the apple up, taking a big bite out of it. But once he did, he spat it back out again. "Blege! Tastes like wood," he threw it over his shoulder and slumped back down.
Al laughed. "I guess alchemy's not the answer for everything, huh Ed?"
Ed looked over to his brother. "Where'd that come from?" he asked still a bit annoyed from his failed transmutation.
"Nothing," Al said shaking his head, "You probably just needed more water."
Ed sighed, "We're in the middle of a desert Al. Where the heck am I going to get water?" Just then his stomach made a large growl. Ed slightly blushed and gripped his stomach. "Sooo hungry…" he moaned lightly.
"Ed maybe you should get some rest. I'll stay up and watch from the train."
"You sure Al?" Edward asked in a blank tone.
Al nodded, "We've been walking all day, brother. You must be tired."
Ed sighed. "That I am. But I'm not just about to fall asleep on you Alphonse," he said in a yawn, and leaning against his brother's side again.
Al shook his head again, "Don't worry about it. Go to sleep, you need the rest."
But before Ed could answer, he was out like a light. Al slightly laughed at this and looked back towards the comet as it crossed the sky.
"STOP! THEIF!" yelled a group of cops, as they rounded a corner into a side ally way of a city. The figure that they were chasing had a statue under his right arm, and was nimbly extending the gap between them. The man smiled and jumped onto a fire escape and quickly started to climb to the top. The cops below him stood a bit in aw at the thief's escape plan, until a black hair inspector ran up behind them.
"What are you doing!" he yelled. "Bring him down!"
"Open Fire!" yelled one of the cops, but by the time they had pulled their guns out and let out a round, the thief was already off the fire escape and onto the roof.
"Damn it!" yelled the inspector. "After him. NOW!"
Up above on the roof tops though the thief was quickly making his way, jumping from ceiling to ceiling, along the buildings, to the town square that was about 100 yards in front of him.
"That was a close one, Dark," said a voice from out of nowhere.
"Don't worry your head Daisuke," said the thief, with a wide smile across his face, "That's why I took over in the first place, isn't it? Because those cops have tried everything and anything in the book in trying to catch us."
"Yeah, but-" said the voice again, but Dark cut him off in mid-sentence. "But nothing," he said glancing downward at the statue under his arm, that had been covered up with a small tarp. "We got the statue didn't we? So why are you complaining?"
"Because they pulled guns out on us!" yelled the voice.
"And all is said and done. This damsel in distress," he said referring to the statue "is rescued by the good guys while the bad cops can do nothing but sit on their buts and do nothing to stop us. So what if they fire off a few guns at us? Your safe with me Dai, I've gone through worse."
"You mean, we've gone through worse," said Daisuke.
"Right so why don't we end this show with a bang?" Dark said approaching the final rooftop.
Below down in the city square were crowds gathered around and in the street, most of them girls, holding signs that said 'I love you Dark!', screaming and applauding wildly at the thief's appearance.
His long black raven hair flew out of his face and purple eyes as the thief gave the crowd a wink and a heart throbbing smile.
"Wiz! Now!" he yelled out jumping straight out and off of the three story tall building that he had been standing on.
"DARK!" yelled Daisuke, just barely above the screaming fan girls.
A pair of jet black wings sprung from the thief's back, and he sped along the head of the crowd, about three feet above them, encored by his many adoring fans below. Dark gave the crowd another smile before climbing in altitude and sailing out of sight.
"And there you have it folks," said a news reporter on the ground, "Another successful escape from the ever elusive Phantom Thief Dark. Now we go to Oboshi with the news on how our police force is dealing yet with another of Dark's master mind escapes."
Back above in the air, Dark had a successful look of triumph painted on his face.
"Dark! What on earth were you thinking?" Daisuke yelled.
"What?" Dark asked innocently, "I just wanted to have a little fun."
"But what if something bad were to have happened?"
"You worry too much Dai," Dark said turning his head back to look if the police had sent any helicopters to follow him. Thankfully he was alone in the sky. "Looks like we're home free body. And it's a good thing Satoshi didn't show up tonight. It could have gotten really messy if Krad would have gone and gotten in the way again."
Daisuke appeared by Dark as he started flying over the ocean. Daisuke was wearing mostly the same clothes as Dark, only they looked baggy and didn't fit him quite right. He had spiked red hair that gave him an extremely cute and innocent type of look, compared to Dark who looked wild and mysterious.
"But still," Daisuke said with a worried look on his face, "You can't just go and pull a stunt like that!"
"Oh, come on Dai!" Dark said turning to his partner, "We haven't switched in forever. How's a guy supposed to have any fun, and besides the fan girls loved it."
"You're going to drive me crazy Dark!"
"Oh so I haven't already?" the thief said laughing, and dropping altitude slightly.
"Ah," Daisuke said, something catching his eye. "Is that-"
"Yeah, that's Discord's Comet alright," Dark sighed, looking up as the comet passed through the night sky. It had been in the sky for about and hour now but it had been the first time that either of the two had noticed it. It was traveling at a fast speed as if racing to the center of the sky where the full moon hung high overhead.
"We've wasted a lot of time," Dark said focusing his eyes back along the coastline, were many houses stood on the face of the cliff. "We'd better seal this thing and fast or it might just activate."
"You don't really think it has the power to open another world up to this one, do you Dark?" Daisuke asked in a worried tone, looking down at the statue under his right arm.
"Who knows, but I don't think we'll want to take a chance like that."
Dark started to pick up speed and come into a landing. He fluttered there in the air were he landed on a balcony of a small house on the cliff side.
"Hey everyone!" Dark called out, "We're back!"
The wings on his back shrunk down to a size of a small animal and jumped off. It continued to transform through the air, until when it touched the ground stood a white long eared and tailed bunny. It shook its head once and gave a happy smile to the thief. "Kyu!"
"Great job tonight, With," Dark said kneeling down to scratch the rabbit behind on of its big floppy ears, tucking the statue tightly under her other arm.
The bunny made another smile and jumped onto the windowsill, "Kyu!"
Just then three people rushed into the room; one a fairly old man, dressed in a blue bathrobe, and two woman, one tall with brown red hair, and a gleam in her eyes, the other had a huge smile on her face and dressed in a maid's outfit. There names Daiki, Emiko, and Towa.
"Dai! Your home!" said Emiko, rushing forward to give Dark a hug. When she let go of him, she grabbed the statue from under his arm. She lifted it over her head and spun around on one foot with joy. "Yeah! You brought me another piece for my collection!" she sang merrily.
"Be careful with that!" Daiki yelled snatching the statue out of her hands. "Do you want to go and break it, Emiko! Or even worse activate it before the comet passes?"
Emiko smiled happily and stuck her tongue out at the old man, while snatching the tarp off the statue for everyone to see.
The statue was that of a beautiful woman reaching upwards towards the sky. It was made of a green crystal dazzled in the moonlight.
"Emiko! Are you mad!" Daiki yelled taken aback that Emiko had reveled the statue, his face lit up beet red.
"Relax, Dad, we still have time," she said pointing down to her watch, "The comet is supposed to pass the moon right at twelve midnight, right?" she asked herself, looking up at a sky light window that was in the center of the room. The full moon could be clearly seen overhead. "You don't really think anything could happen do you?"
"It's best that we don't take chances," Daiki said walking over to a desk that was underneath a raised bed. The placed the statue down on it, lightly, and stepped back, and folded his hands as if making a small prayer.
"This statue," Daiki started, "is said to contain the very soul of Discorda, the Roman Goddess of Chaos. Her hand is outstretched to the heavens, for a reason. Whenever that comet passes over the moon in two worlds at the same time, a gate way is opened between them-"
"And all hell brakes loose, right?" Dark asked as if board, and pulling out a black feather from his jacket. "Don't worry, I'll seal it before that happens."
But just then the statue's eyes lit up a fiery red and Dark's feather caught fire.
"Wha-" he yelled dropping it as it smoldered through the air. "I…can't…move," Dark shudder, trying to move, but only in failure.
"What's going on!" cried Towa rushing to Dark to try to help him.
"It looks like Discorda has other plans," Daiki said turning from the frozen in place Dark, to the statue, and finally up to the skylight. His eyes widened in fear, for the green comet was close to passing over the moon. "Get him outta here!" he yelled quickly.
Away in the night sky over the desert, Alphonse watched the comet. He let out a laugh of amazement as the comet hit the moon and lit up a bright green, just as it had in Dark's world.
"Brother look!" he said pointing upwards at the comet. But as he did a stream of red light beamed down from it and hit his brother, still asleep at his side. Al gasped and started shaking his brother, but Ed didn't stir or make a sound. "Brother! Wake Up!" Al yelled shaking him at first, then trying to smother out the light that was hitting his brother. But no matter what Al put in front of it, the light continued to make a contact with Ed.
At the same moment a black light came from the comet and hit Dark. His eyes widened for a moment and then closed. A feeling of dread came through the room as Toa continued to shake Dark out of the trance.
A few moments passed and the light disappeared as quickly as it came. Dark fell forward, as if he didn't have any legs, and he hit the floor, his mouth half open and breathing easily as if he was asleep.
Emiko rushed forward to Dark's side. "Dark! Daisuke! Talk to me!" she yelled.
Dark's eyes fluttered, and he rolled onto his side. "Al, would you quit shouting," he said tiredly, "Just a few more minutes…" But just as he said this his eyes shot open again.
"What the-" Dark shouted jumping to his feet and away from Emiko and Towa. "Who the hell are you people?"
"Dark? What's wrong?" Daisuke asked in a worried tone.
"W-Who said that!" Dark yelled, spinning around the room trying to find the source of the voice, even though it was coming from his own head.
Dark then turned back to Emiko and Towa, and clapped his hands together, then slammed them down onto the floor. His eyes were scared but fierce.
A silent pause went through the room. Everyone stood there staring at Dark.
Dark slowly looked down at the room floor, expecting something to pop out of it.
He clapped his hands together again, and made the same downward motion… Nothing happened… Dark did this again… Nothing…
He kept clapping his hands together and slammed them onto the ground, each time growing increasingly faster.
"WHAT THE HELL IT WRONG?" he yelled.
Emiko, Daiki, and Toa all looked down at him strangely.
"Um… Dark? What are you doing?" Emiko asked, breaking the silence first.
"Playing Patty Cake with the floor?" offered Towa in a cute voice.
"PATTY CAKE!" yelled Dark, standing up and pointing his right hand at the three. "Listen you! I don't know how the hell you got me here but if you don't-" but then Dark stopped and gazed at the pink ribbon that was tied around his right wrist. (This was the ribbon that Risa gave Dark in the painting.)
He looked blankly at his wrist for a moment, then his eyes started to scan his entire right arm.
"How did you-?" Dark started, but stopped, and started flexing his right arm. His eyes lit up and he slowly started to turn towards the window.
The glass shinned over once and showed Dark his own reflection.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"