I finally updated b/c Dan finally reviewed. It's about time too! Oh, and my gorgeous little sister also graced me with her thoughts.
Anyway, we've been introduced to our lovely heroine but we still don't know much about her, hence neither does Dark. This should give everyone a better perspective. Hope it's not too corny!
Chapter 4: Suspicions
The night wind whispered coyly past Imbri's ear. Her slender fingers were slowly tracing the silver wings of the creature on her necklace. There was jealousy in the motion.
"I almost remember… Why do I…?" Her eyes turned downward to the pendant. "Why do his wings touch me so?"
She rubbed its backing where a small blue gem responded to her question. Her mind was spirited away into the past—
"Why did you kill her?" the child's beseeching gray eyes blinked up at her.
"What brought you out here investigating a gryphon's nest?" Imbri berated him acidly as she cleaned the foul blood from her andora.
They should have known better than to attack a knightess. At least the female was dead and there would be no more eggs. She would have killed the male too since it would raise the chicks, but the little boy's safety was more important.
And there he was sniffling over the dead carcass of the blue-fletched creature. "I thought she was going to talk to me. All the stories say that gryphons can talk, and they'll answer questions."
"Oh really? And what question were you going to ask this beast?" she demanded.
"Why can they fly and we can't?"
She nearly slapped the child. "That is the reason you risked your life by disturbing a pair of gryphons and their clutch?"
"Haven't you ever wanted to fly?"
The question drew Imbri up short.
"I thought knightesses loved to fly because of their emblems."
Her eyes flickered downward to her necklace. Those words from the mouth of a little boy made her think for the first time in a long while. It had been years since she'd last wondered what it would be like to fly.
She didn't say another word as she dragged him back to his home. The foolish boy didn't know who he was talking to or what he was talking about. Childish whims were lost to knightesses as everyone knew well.
But then if he was so wrong…why couldn't she stop thinking about flying?
Imbri opened her eyes and realized with a slim smile that she was perched in a tree at the other end of the Harada mansion. Well, she'd ended up in worse places than this after using the Memory Crystal. Whenever her mind was away, her body would do anything.
With a hopeful sigh, she returned to the balcony and considered her revived reminiscence. The problem with looking into the past with the Crystal was that any emotions she'd felt long ago came back to her threefold. When before she had felt merely a wistful yearning, it had now changed to an urgent longing to soar high above the world beyond the reach of ordinary mortals.
The sound of rustling feathers descended from the night and Imbri tried to regain her composure for her interview with Phantom Dark. He landed softly nearby, folding his wings gracefully and her eyes were drawn to them despite her will.
Forcing herself to focus on him, she straightened and said, "I see both my andora and the wyvern have eluded you again."
"I have my suspicions," he replied with a secretive smile. "Now for my question."
"Ask." She had recovered her aloof poise and the command sounded more like a challenge.
"Would you like to go flying?"
Imbri's eyes widened with shock and she stumbled a few steps back. How had he known? Could she have been that obvious? What a fool she was! Why had she used the Memory Crystal just minutes before their meeting? She should have known it would affect her reaction to him!
"I won't even speak," he added.
She suddenly grew uncharacteristically shy, turning away from him. "I—I can't."
"I didn't ask if you could," he murmured, appearing at her elbow. "I asked if you'd like to."
Dreams of her own pair of wings came back to her in a rush and her resolve weakened. "Well… I suppose I can't pass up an opportunity like this, especially if you won't talk."
"It's a deal."
Dark lifted her up, strong arms supporting her as though she were a doll. His obsidian wings opened, reaching up as far as they could before sweeping downward. They propelled the Phantom Thief and the foreign girl into the air before catching a seawind that carried them higher.
Imbri's black hair streamed out behind her as she turned to look down at the city lights that grew smaller with each passing second. The air turned cold, causing her to cling tighter to Dark to seek warmth. As the knightess pressed closer to her anchor, she caught the smell of nightshade and clean cotton. Such simple scents, they nearly intoxicated her at the altitude and for a moment she was lost in them. Her head lolled against his shoulder and Dark glanced down at the peaceful expression of serenity on her face.
Are you glad you took my advice? Daisuke asked shrewdly.
Okay, so you have good ideas sometimes,his other half confessed. He couldn't stop looking at the girl's face.
He soared downward, heading in the direction of a pair of mountains. On the slopes of one were the remains of a home nearly destroyed in an avalanche where the thief had stolen a statue once. He alighted soundlessly on a cliff near the peak, and lowered Imbri onto a bed of sweet-smelling mountain clover. It appeared that she had fainted, though by her expression it couldn't have been from terror or lack of oxygen.
After a few moments her eyes slid open and she stared into his violet ones, gradually sitting up.
"That is something I've always wanted to experience. Phantom Dark, you have no idea how much it means to me."
"You don't have to call me 'Phantom', Knightess Imbri."
Kneeling down, he gave her a rare, genuine smile that she couldn't help but reflect.
"Well then, Dark, I thought the agreement was that you would utter nothing."
"While we're flying," he specified.
She tried not to laugh and almost succeeded, then her eyes turned upward. "They're all so strange. I've never seen constellations like these."
"I know some. That there is our North Star, also called Polaris. Pointing straight to it is the Big Dipper, which is itself part of Ursa Major, or the Big Bear."
Imbri followed his hand as he pointed them out. "I see them! They're very distinct. On my world, our north star is called Idelfin's Eye. Near it is the Snake-Drawn Carriage."
Dark couldn't help looking at her strangely. "How can snakes draw a carriage?"
Her eyebrow raised skeptically. "Why did your planet choose a bear for a constellation that could very well have been a frog? The Dancing Panther is my favored star-pattern, though," she breathed with nostalgia.
After a moment or two of silence, Dark raised his hand to indicate other constellations. "That's Andromeda with the—"
"I recognize that name!" she interrupted excitedly. "She was a princess set out as a sacrifice because of an insult to the sea nymphs!"
"As far as I know," Dark shrugged. He was just glad Daisuke was informing him as he spoke. "Right next to her is the Pegasus."
Imbri went rigid. "Pegasus?"
"Yeah. It's a horse with wings. The Greek legend behind it—"
"Dark." Her uncomfortable tone suggested that she no longer wanted to talk about the stars. "It's such a fair night. Let's not ruin it with tales that should have been long-dead."
The scent of mountain clover surrounded them in a calming haze and she leaned closer to her companion.
"Do me one more favor...bring back my andora soon."
"You'll have it by tomorrow evening," he promised.
(X)
The city's yellow streetlights illuminated the inside of Satoshi Hiwatari's limousine sporadically every seven seconds, giving him the feeling of not entirely being where he was. In the dark spaces between he could very easily picture other places that he'd been to before, most of them unfavorable.
France had only been able to occupy him for a week before he moved on to Italy and then Germany, but still there was the pull that drew him undeniably back home. Eventually he'd given in and returned, but he had no intention of going back to school. He'd tried to be normal and failed miserably. He would no longer deceive himself on that account.
Besides, questions from the Harada girls would be too uncomfortable, and what if they'd told everyone what they'd seen just before the destruction of the Second Hand of Time? He remembered the younger twin calling his name when Krad had taken him over, so she knew he was connected to the white angel without a doubt.
Satoshi's eyes softened as he recalled fighting Krad for control to save Risa Harada's life, then they darkened again as he remembered that things had been changing recently.
His worse half had been taking over more easily and was able to keep him senseless sometimes. Why was it getting so hard to restrain the other? He wished he knew how his grandfather and great-grandfather and so on had been able to rid themselves of Krad, but the Hikaris had kept no records of their family's secret. Satoshi's mother had died when he was still a very young child and everything he learned about their private history from her was oral rather than written, but never once had she given him the key to liberating himself.
It was the one mystery above all others he regretted being unable to solve.
His phone vibrated and he checked to see who the caller was. Ida, a clerk from one of the museums who was in charge of new exhibits. Suppressing a groan, he answered.
"Hiwatari."
"Chief Commander," Miss Ida's voice sounded stressed. "I'm sorry to disturb you so late, but your father told me you would be returning tonight."
Satoshi's eye twitched. How did the man always seem to know what his schedule was? "Has Dark stolen something else?"
"Not since you left, sir, but an artifact was discovered and given to us only yesterday. Since you asked us to inform you of all new additions to our collection, I am only obeying your orders by contacting you."
"Yes, but why call me at ten o'clock at night?"
"Actually, Commander," the woman began whispering nervously, "we have some men from two other museums inspecting the artifact and if you don't intervene they're going to take it. I'm afraid I don't know what to do. The only reason they haven't taken it yet is because they're fighting over which of their museums should be in charge of it."
"I see. I'll be there in ten minutes." Satoshi hung up and ordered the driver to turn around. At least helping the museum delayed the inevitable meeting with his father.
He stepped out of the limousine and mounted the steps to enter the large building. Miss Ida eagerly met him at the door.
"This way, sir. Right now they're arguing about the origin of the artifact, but earlier they were trying to decode some of the symbols. I discovered something you may find interesting, but I'm afraid that first you'll have to convince them to leave it with us."
She led him to one of the back rooms where Satoshi immediately heard angry voices caught up in a bitter debate. He caught the names of several countries including Mesopotamia and Greece, but as soon as he set foot in the room, the voices ceased and every eye riveted to him. Five men stood huddled in a circle around a table, faced off three against two.
"I believe the museum is closed for the night, gentlemen," he said matter-of-factly.
"Chief Commander Hiwatari," one of them bowed stiffly. "This is a private conversation among scholars which does not involve the police."
"And yet I am here." He stood by the entrance, straight-backed and clearly in charge despite his age. "I would hate to have to ask Detective Saehara to come here in the middle of the night and clear up any unresolved issues concerning a historic artifact donated to this museum."
"Recent events suggest that the artwork in this museum would be better protected elsewhere," one of the younger archaeologists snidely remarked.
Silence fell and none of the others offered to back up his statement.
Satoshi's expression didn't change but somehow without moving he seemed to be the tallest, most imposing person in the room. "This artifact is the property of the Central Azumano Museum and I suggest you leave before I lose my patience."
It was impossible to miss the danger in his voice.
Cowed, one by one the archaeologists left, squeezing past him since he refused to move from his position just in front of the door. He thought it was fitting after an insult like that. As soon as Miss Ida locked the door behind the disgruntled men, she returned to find Satoshi inspecting the strange relic.
"One of our employees found it when a belltower downtown was destroyed by a bomb a couple days ago. It must have been secreted away in one of the higher rooms and thrown nearby during the blast."
"No doubt it's a weapon," he speculated, "but I've never seen anything like it. It might have come from the design of a halberd, but this is much more elegant, and with two blades? I get the feeling the forger wanted to make it both beautiful and deadly."
"If you really think it's that nice, try picking it up."
The blue-haired teenager tried to lift it and couldn't even get it off the table.
"What sort of element does it consist of? I've never seen a weapon made from such a dense alloy. It must be at least five hundred years old by the markings, but there isn't a scratch or tarnish marring the surface. I can see my reflection in the blades ," he noted with surprise. His eyes followed the lines of indecipherable script. "They look familiar, but wrong somehow. I can almost see the Greek letters, but they're twisted and don't spell anything legible. I can see why the men were arguing."
"I know. I came to the same conclusion. Of course there are some dialects that could have stemmed from Greek that we don't know about, so there's always that possibility."
"Not very likely, but it's still a possibility. I still wonder who it would have been made for. Everything about it is feminine, even the script was written to be artistic, but the weight makes it impossible to use. It was probably only a decoration somewhere, but I'm not so sure. Oh, what was this discovery you mentioned when I arrived?"
"Oh yes! Sir, I think you're going to be pleased with me."
She picked up a crowbar in the corner and used it to lift the weapon up and then turn it over on the table with a resounding thunk. On the opposite side were more symbols, but one at the very top between the crescent blades stood out.
"Recognize it?"
Satoshi bent closer to the carved picture of a rose and noticed the distinctive pattern in the center of its bud that was definitely familiar to him. "The Rose of Eros?"
Miss Ida smiled. "It's exactly the same. I saw that this morning and compared them to make sure."
"Thank you for telling me about this. But if you don't mind, I'd like to see the Rose before I leave."
"I thought you would so I left some of the lights on. I know how you like to be alone when you look at art, so I'll be waiting by the side exit whenever you're ready." She bustled out of the room, darting him a last grateful smile as she left.
Satoshi wondered how she knew so much about his habits. She was rather thoughtful, but letting someone else find out too much about him was dangerous. He would have to change his routine. The young man walked slowly down the halls, following the lights Miss Ida had left on for him until he came to a small nondescript room with a few murals and broken statuettes as well as the Rose.
It was impossible to tell if it had once been a brooch or a necklace or a hairpiece. All that remained after so many centuries was the Rose itself. This artwork had always been puzzling to Satoshi. He sensed magic in it, but the power was sleeping and so small that he wondered if it could ever be woken. The Hikaris hadn't made it. This artifact was far older than anything in his own family, and yet little was known about it for certain except its name and that it had been an heirloom passed down through a Grecian family for generations.
But what was the connection between the Rose and the strange weapon that just happened to be donated to their museum? It was too much of a coincidence. Was there some other force at work here?
"Chief Commander!"
Miss Ida's voice shattered his thoughts and he heard the slap of her shoes as she ran through the museum halls looking for him. Satoshi met her just outside the exhibit room and she was breathing so hard she almost couldn't speak, but stuttered and thrust a paper at him.
"(pant) Found—outside (wheeze)—hurried—for you!"
A growing suspicion began to tickle the back of his mind and he quickly opened the letter to read its contents:
Thank you for taking care of the andora for me. It belongs to a friend who was devastated by its loss. Since this theft is much different than the others, this note is only to let you know it's too late to stop me, not that you could have anyway. Welcome back, Commander Hiwatari.
Phantom Dark
Satoshi crumpled the letter in his hand as he raced back toward the room where they'd left the weapon unguarded. Even as he burst through the door, he knew it was pointless to have rushed. The only object there was the crowbar. The blue-haired boy slammed his fist down on the table in frustration. The letter only added insult to injury.
Evil evil evil! The plot is thickening already! I'll bet you have lots of questions. Too bad. Only one question per day.