Chapter Ten- Messenger

previously in chapter nine...

"Come on, puppy. This isn't a game."

"Oh? But isn't it?"

She glanced at him, about to reply with 'No it's not.', but the words never left her lips. His smile was still on his face, but his eyes held something different. They weren't joking, but... focused. Serious.

Instead of replying, she just shook her head as she opened the front door, and the two kaitous raced inside, side by side.

"Game start!"

and now... on with the story!

As they entered, Jeanne took note of the officers surprised faces. She had never used the front door before, and they knew it. But that was what tonight was about. Being unconventionally straightforward.

Heading directly for the room where she knew the painting was, Jeanne dodged attempts to grab her from all sides. A glance to her right showed Sinbad faring fairly well himself. But then, considering the fact that he was less known and had 'stolen' far less than she had under their noses, the majority of the officers were aiming for her, not him. As such, he didn't have much of a challenge.

As he caught up to her, he tossed a comment her way.

"You do realize what what you just said was contradictory to what you told me."

She glanced his way briefly before returning her attention to the task at hand.

"Force of habit."

"Oh, really? And here I thought that you were having fun."

His comment irked her, but Jeanne refused to be petty and trip him as she gained more ground and pulled ahead.

"Not this time."

She dodged another onslaught of officers, leaping with ease over a hidden trap door that opened below her feet. The action gave Sinbad just enough time to pull even with her again. It barely even registered in her mind that Sinbad was keeping up with her.

Barely.

"This time, it's completely serious."

She forced her attention towards the task at hand once again, lengthening her stride to pull ahead once more. She knew that she had to get to that room first. Despite what she had told Sinbad that night on the roof, she had the sneaking suspicion that he had no intention of standing on the sidelines while she confronted Miyako if he could help it. And although she doubted that he knew any more about exorcising a human than she did, she'd be a fool to let him try to when it was her best friend on the receiving end.

Without even having to stop to think about it, she knew that he wouldn't try to use the distraction of her facing off against Miyako to get to the painting. He had built their whole nightlife relationship around trying to best her at her own game. 'Stealing' the painting while she was otherwise occupied would be the cowards way to do things. And whatever Sinbad was, he wasn't a coward.

The thief in question behind her sneezed, and Jeanne felt herself smile despite her focused state of mind. So that old superstition was true after all.

They reached the room at the end of the hall in record time. But just as Jeanne was about to put her hand on the door, she had a sudden foreboding feeling and hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

Sinbad glanced at her as he caught up. She found herself unable to look at him, her whole body focused on the doorknob that she was mere inches from grasping, trying to reason with herself through this ominous state of mind. There was no way... No way... Right?

"It's strange to see you this nervous." the other kaitou commented off-handedly as he reached for the handle, and before she could take a full breath to warn him, his hand grasped the knob-

and he immediately jumped and let go with a resounding

"Ouch!"

Sinbad brought his hand up to look at it, and Jeanne could see the heat singes on his glove. His eyes met hers in shock, and Jeanne found herself unable to speak.

She couldn't believe it. Miyako had actually electrocuted the handle. And not just a mild shock, too. She seriously meant to hurt them.

Or more precisely, she meant to seriously hurt Jeanne.

"So that's why you were hesitant to touch it."

Sinbad turned to look back at the door in question.

"So what are we going to do now? Should we loop around and go in through the window?"

"... No."

"Huh?" he turned back to her, confused.

"Then what do you want us to do? Are you thinking of breaking down the door?"

"No. This is someone else's house."

Feeling nervous, and knowing what was coming, she self-consciously tugged on her gloves to make sure that they were secure. Not that they'd protect her much, if Sinbad's reaction had been any indication.

"We're thieves, not house-wreckers."

-Sinbad; in the hallway with Jeanne-

He saw the look in her eyes change to one of stubborn determination, and in that instant, he knew what she was going to do. As she reach for the handle, he grabbed her wrist before she could touch the knob.

"Wait, Jeanne. There's other ways to do this."

She looked at him, the full force of her gaze, of her decision, in her eyes.

"No there isn't. Not this time."

She turned her stare to the handle in question, obviously dismissing him.

"Let go of my hand, Sinbad."

He wanted to be stubborn. He wanted to drag her away and go after Miyako himself, to keep Jeanne safe from harm. But the stare she had given him had shown him that, no matter what he thought or said, she'd made up her mind. And no matter what, she'd do what she thought was best. Even if she had to wait her all night for him to release her wrist.

Reluctantly, he let his hold on her loosen, until she was free from his grasp. Slowly, his arm dropped to his side, where it clenched into a fist. But still, even though he disagreed with her, and despite the fact that he knew what was going to happen next, he didn't step back. If she wanted to do it this way, fine. But he wasn't going to leave her to handle it on her own.

She didn't glance at him as she grasped the door handle. He saw the jolt go through her, and for a second, it looked like she was going to let go. But then he saw her grit her teeth and grasp the handle tighter. Slowly, she turned the doorknob, and pushed the door open.

And standing in the middle of the other side of the room was Miyako, arms crossed, with a smirk on her face.

-Jeanne-

She didn't let go of the handle until she was sure that the door wouldn't swing closed on them as she stepped into the room. Her eyes met Miyako's, clouded by the demon possessing her, as soon as she stepped past the threshold.

"And here I thought that my special doorknob would deter you. I guess I underestimated your greed for this painting."

The girl tapped the picture frame in question with her knuckles. It hung innocently enough behind her, but Jeanne saw the faint dark aura that it emitted. This time, unlike the music box, it wasn't a fake.

"It's not the picture that I was aiming for when I grabbed that handle." Jeanne replied, refusing to give the demon possessing her best friend the satisfaction of seeing the pain from her "joke doorknob" encounter on her face or in her body language as she strolled confidently towards the girl.

"It was Miyako."

Miyako retreated away from the painting, but Jeanne didn't even hesitate to follow her. And with each step she gained more ground than Miyako put between them.

As she drew closer, her friend's face became less confident and less sure of herself. When Jeanne had closed the distance to almost an arms length, and it was clear that she had no interest in the artwork hanging on the wall, the girls' face twisted in a combination of fear and horror.

"St-stay back. Get away from me!"

She pulled out a knife and began swinging it wildly in front of her, as if to protect herself from an attack.

"You- you thief!"

Undeterred, Jeanne continued to advance, until she was close enough to be in harms way of the knife.

"I'll- I'll cut you if you come another step closer! I don't trust you! You liar!"

Deftly, the female kaitou grabbed her best friend's swinging arm at the wrist, bringing it so that the knife pointed right at the female kaitou's heart.

"Ah... ah!"

Miyako's face looked close to tears from her combined fear, surprise, and frustration.

"What are you doing?"

"Cut me, then, if you're so willing." Jeanne said, her voice calm. She stared into her friend's face until Miyako dragged her eyes away from the sight of the knife's position to meet hers.

"If it'll get you to trust me, I have no complaints."

Jeanne felt her lips twist into a wry smile.

"I may be a thief, but I couldn't live with you hating me, Miyako."

"Ah... wa... what are you t-talking about...? You... you're just a... thief...A... criminal... Why should I... "

Jeanne watched the emotions cross Miyako's face, and the internal struggle between the girl and the demon possessing her.

"Yes, I am a thief. But I'm willing to make up for my mistake that time with you right now. I should never have done that. I'm sorry."

"You... you..."

The hand that held the knife began to shake, and tears rolled down Miyako's face, despite the fact that the expression on her face was reflecting the demon's hatred.

"No!"

In a sudden burst of strength, she pulled back, yanking her hand out of the kaitou's grip and flinging the knife across the room. She covered her face with her hands, tears falling faster than they had been a moment ago.

"No... I-I can't... do it... I...I don't hate you enough to do that..."

She slumped to the floor, as if her legs couldn't support her anymore.

"You're... just a thief... Why should I... care... what happens to you... "

As the two kaitous watched, her body was encased in a dark purple aura.

As discretely as she could, Jeanne pulled out one of her white pins.

"Here... Miyako. I have something to give you."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sinbad give her a doubtful look, but she chose to ignore it. She wasn't going to forcefully exorcise her best friend if she could help it.

The girl turned her head to look at her, uncovering her face in the process. The tears in her eyes and running down her cheeks highlighted the confusion in her expression.

"Wh...at... ?"

Jeanne held out her hand, and, after a minute's hesitation and an internal struggle with the demon possessing her, Miyako held out one of her own to receive it.

Carefully, the kaitou placed the object in her best friend's hand.

"A... pin?"

Jeanne smiled at her, a mixture of sadness and kindness reflected in her expression.

"It's my way of apologizing."

Slowly, Miyako's hand closed over it and she brought it close to her body, taking a deep breath that was a bit unsteady.

"Th-thank you..."

And, as the two thieves watched, the dark aura around her began to dissipate into the pin.

Jeanne was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw Miyako, who was beginning to get to her feet, wobble. The kaitou stepped forward quickly, and managed to catch her best friend just in time before she fell.

"Sorry... it seems I'm a bit... tired..." the girl mumbled, her voice sounding worn out.

It must be a side effect of having been possessed, Jeanne thought. Carefully, she adjusted her grip so that she was more easily supporting Miyako's weight.

"It's okay. I can help bring you to one of the officers outside so you can get a ride home."

It'd be best if she didn't let the girl know that she knew where she lived. It would just cause problems later on, and she didn't want another repeat of what had happened this time. Once had been enough.

"You... won't steal the painting tonight?"

Jeanne smiled at her.

"No. I'll 'steal' it some other time."

"And... Sinbad...?"

The girl glanced his way, a worried look on her face. Jeanne was surprised that the girl had even noticed the other kaitou, considering that he hadn't moved since they had gotten in the room. She didn't even bother looking at him for confirmation before speaking.

"No, he won't touch it either. I won't let him."

"Okay... Good..."

Miyako's eyes began to close as if she was too exhausted to keep them open, and the kaitou was relieved that she didn't question the fact that kaitou Jeanne had just promised that her rival Sinbad wouldn't 'steal' anything tonight.

"Hey... Jeanne?"

"Yes?"

"How... did you know my name?"

Jeanne gave her a wry grin that she hoped Miyako was too tired to notice.

"All the police in this area know about you. The daughter of someone on the force who works tirelessly to capture the famous kaiou Jeanne. I'd be a fool to not have done my research and know who it is that's pursuing me."

"You won't... use that to... do something underhanded during the day?"

Jeanne smiled at her again, but this time it was a sadder smile.

"No. I promise."

"G-good... But that doesn't mean... that I've... let you off the hook..."

"I'd expect nothing less from you." was the kaitou's honest reply. And with that, Miyako fell asleep. As her eyes closed completely, her breath deepened, and the hand that had held the pin opened.

Although it should have dropped to the floor, it hovered, drawing Jeanne's attention, and she stared at it. It was still glowing purple, and still a pin instead of a chess piece.

Suddenly, there was a sound like a cackle.

"You think you've defeated me, but this is just the first wave." a voice said, and Jeanne realized that it was the demon speaking.

As the voice disappeared, the pin began to change. Jeanne caught the chess piece before it could reach the ground. She did it automatically, but when she looked down at it, she was surprised, and a bit unnerved, to see that it wasn't a pawn like she was used to seeing, but a knight.

Did that mean that there were different levels of demons that she had to seal, and that up until now, she had just been dealing with the lowest type?

"So... it's started, has it?"

"Huh?" Jeanne looked at Sinbad, her one hand supporting Miyako and the other grasping the chess piece.

"What's started?"

She turned her body towards the kaitou, whose head was down, his bangs shadowing his eyes.

"Sinbad?"

The kaitou looked up. The moonlight coming in from the window cast light on his face.

And then he left, suddenly, leaving her all alone.

-Jeanne; alone in a room with an unconscious (sleeping) Miyako-

Jeanne stood there, able to follow him but at the same time, unwilling to. Sinbad had just let something slip that meant that he knew what was going on. The switched box, Miyako being possessed, Sinbad appearing, could there be a connection to everything that had been happening recently?

Remembering the painting, she gently set Miyako down and pocketed the knight. Keeping her steps light as to not wake the girl, she walked over to to possessed artwork. Pulling out another pin, she scribbled a message on a card and attached it to the object, sticking it within two inches of the picture frame without even glancing at it as she turned back to retrieve her best friend.

As she left the room, a breeze from the window blew in, fluttering the piece of paper.

'I have stolen the hatred from Miyako and will return for the painting of the Famous Friends in two days at exactly 11 o'clock at night. This time, I will not enter through the front door. I look forward to another fair and honest battle of whits between myself, Miyako, and the police force. - Kaitou Jeanne'

-two days later; 10:36 pm; outside the red house near the park-

Jeanne stood on the branch of a nearby tree. She had watched over Miyako's behavior the past two days, and was pleased to see that she had fully recovered, both personality-wise and health-wise. It was good to know that the fatigue that Miyako had felt after being exorcised was only temporary. And the girl was as enthusiastic as ever about catching Jeanne, with none of the hatred or distrust from before present in her voice when she talked about how this time, she'd 'capture that thief'.

It looked like this 'heist' would be back to the same agenda as always- pitting Miyako's ingenuity against the kaitou's physical prowess, and her mind against her best friend's. And that was just how she liked it.

Of course, there was one other thing that she'd have to take care of, but that wouldn't come until later.

She watched an officer pass the window that she was positioned near, checking his patrol walk against the large town clock. Only a few more minutes left.

-11:59 pm-

"Curse you, Jeanne! I'll get you next time!"

The kaitou looked back as she lept out the window and into the night. Miyako's eyes were sparking with competitive fire, but she could have sworn that as the girl turned away, she smiled. Yes, things were back to the way that they should be...

She glanced to her right just in time to see Sinbad exiting the building from a different window.

Well, almost.

Without hesitation, she changed direction so that she'd catch up to the other kaitou before her got too far. The night was young. Now, her real work of the night began.

-Sinbad; after the heist (and another failed attempt to 'beat' Jeanne), ten rooftops away from home-

It was so sudden that he almost didn't stop in time. Jeanne appeared out of seemingly thin air and landed right in front of him. If he had been a little less aware of his surroundings, he might've run into her- literally.

"Sorry. I just wanted to catch up with you before you reached home." the kaitou said lightly.

Suspicious, he stared at her, knowing better than to say something that might give his identity away.

Jeanne sighed, as if tired, and gave him an unreadable look.

"So, I'm sure that you realized that back when Miyako was possessed, I was being uncharacteristically straightforward."

"Yeah. I was a bit surprised by that."

"Well, I decided then that now would be as good a time as any to clear the air between us, just like how I did with Miyako."

He wasn't sure he liked where this conversation was going. Dozens of topics ran through his head as to what she could be talking about- most of them ones that he didn't like.

"So I made up my mind that this is the last time I'm going to be so up front as kaitou Jeanne."

She gave him a steady stare, not waiting for his to comment on that before speaking again.

"It'd be too much of a coincidence otherwise for you to appear like this as kaitou Sinbad if you didn't know, so I'll just come out and say it- you know my real identity, don't you, Chiaki?"

He felt his mind go blank with something that felt akin to panic, but there was no denying what she said. So, reluctantly, he gave in.

"Well" Sinbad sighed, "No one ever claimed you were stupid."

Well, there was no use in keeping the charade up if she already knew. He reached up to the tie in his bandanna and gave it a tug. As it unraveled, his clothes and outward appearance changed, until he was once again Chiaki.

Jeanne crossed her arms, staring at him in what he could almost call a glare.

"Now tell me why you're here." Jeanne said.

Chiaki sighed, knowing her well enough through observation and interaction to know that she probably wasn't going to like his reasoning.

"I'm here to help. I planned to tell you this later if it happened, but it has obviously already began escalating. The demons have begun to get stronger, more confident, and chaotic. I'm here to help you exorcise and catch them, as sort of a partner."

-Jeanne; on the roof with Sinbad-

Jeanne shook her head, unconvinced with his reasoning.

"I don't need your help. I've been doing fine on my own up until now. If that's really the only reason, then you should give up."

Was that it? Well, she should have known better than to suspect something underhanded from someone like him. Having satisfied her curiosity and leveled the playing field (although, to be honest, it was still pretty uneven), Jeanne turned to leave

only to be suddenly pulled back around by Sinbad. He gripped her arm firmly, looking into her eyes with a serious expression on his face. It was the second time that she had seen such an expression on him, and she didn't want to admit that it unnerved her just a bit.

"I know that you've handled everything until now, but things are just going to keep getting harder the longer this continues. I want to help you. You don't have to do everything by yourself. I can accompany you."

"No. I'm fine on my own."

How stubborn.

Jeanne pulled her arm free and began walking away again. She didn't need help. She was capable enough on her own. She was... strong enough on her own.

"Jeanne!"

She closed her eyes, willing herself to block out his voice. She didn't need him. She could do all the work by herself.

"Jeanne!"

The kaitou fought to keep her pace even. She didn't have to run. Not from him. No one could catch her.

"God sent me, Jeanne!"

She paused, steps faltering. His shout seemed to echo in the cool night air, loud enough to wake up everyone and reach the heavens.

Slowly, she turned, not wanting to believe her ears.

His eyes met hers as he stood, tall and unfaltering.

"He sent me to you, to help you."

end chapter.

end of chapter notations: One reader pointed out that Jeanne was contradicting herself in the last chapter, because she told Sinbad that it wasn't a game, but concluded with "Game Start!". I'm sorry for any confusion this caused. I completely didn't think when I put it in. Since it's her signature phrase (I can't remember if it's in just the manga, anime, or both), I automatically typed it in and considered it done. Although, I guess to be fair, it has a certain irony to it in hindsight. (insert wry smile here) So, to make up for it, I added more into this chapter to explain it away, and to justify my mistake (as they say, hindsight is 20/20). As always, thank you for reading, and thank you to the person who pointed out my error. I'm glad that my readers have been paying close enough attention to pick out my mistakes. :) I'm not joking. It's flattering, in its own way. Most importantly, it shows you care. :) I hope you enjoyed this newest update (which marks the first in a long time that I've updated two chapters of this story so quickly in succession), and see you next time!