True to his word, Kosuke and Emiko stayed locked up in the study for a week, copiously researching nonstop on the orb. Finally, one day, as Daisuke came home dejected from school once again because of the fact that Sakura was still avoiding him, Emiko happily greeted him at the door.
"Okaa-san!" Daisuke said, surprised. "You're all done with the research?"
"Yup!" she announced cheerfully. "I sent out a notice to the police. After you talk to your dad on how to use the orb, go to your room and finish your homework! You'll leave the house at nine!"
She pranced around the house happily, leaving a much more dejected Daisuke behind.
Alright! Dark said joyfully. This is it!
+++
"Oh no," Sakura moaned as she turned on the television.
"—Kaitou Dark, apparently, has not given up from his previous failure on capturing the 'Moonlit Walk' painting and is determined to have another shot at it. Stay tuned, and we will report to you the police's efforts to secure the perimeter of the museum–"
"Wow, this guy doesn't give up," Touya commented. He turned to Sakura, who was standing frozen in front of the television screen. "Sakura, you look pale," he said.
"I have to stop him," she muttered.
"What?! Oh no," Touya shouted. "The last time that you went after this bastard, you were knocked out for a complete day!"
"That had nothing to do with him!" she exclaimed. "I was tired…"
"I absolutely forbid you," he said.
"No," she replied. "We can't just let this thief to run around town, thinking that he can do whatever he wants! Onii-chan, I'm leaving,"
"Sakura--!"
Touya's arm shot out and he grabbed her upper arm. She squirmed furiously out of Touya's grasp and ran upstairs. Before he could sprint up the stairs and grab her, Yukito called out from the kitchen, "To-ya, calm down,"
"What do you mean?!" Touya cried, a vein pulsating in his forehead. "She's going to get hurt again! Shouldn't Yue be concerned about her too?! How can you two–"
"He says that she's strong," Yukito said. "The sky is clear and the stars are out. She's been eating and sleeping at regular intervals and seems to have recovered,"
"Nevertheless--!"
"She's not ten anymore," Yukito said. "She can handle herself – and with the cards with her, she'll be fine,"
Touya angrily crossed his arms, and grimaced. He could hear (and feel) Sakura climbing out of her bedroom window and flying off into the night. "I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered under his breath. "Damn you, Yuki," he said, more quietly.
"What was that To-ya?"
"Nothing,"
+++
Security seems to be just as lax as before, Sakura thought, annoyed, as she flew overhead. She flapped towards the roof, and landed soundlessly onto it with her white slippers. She fidgeted uncomfortably in another one of Tomoyo's costumes. If she had shown up on the news the previous time, she did not want to risk being recognized in her everyday clothes. So she bore with the white and black jester's outfit – complete with harlequin-patterned, ruffled sleeves that extended towards her fingers, and spandex leggings that complemented her white slippers with upturned toes. She felt the hat would have given herself away to the thief because of the ridiculous amount of bells attached to it, so she left it at home. After making sure her black and white mask was securely covering her face, she snuck inside the building.
After sneaking past numerous cameras with the help of Illusion, Sakura managed to make it to the gallery where the "Moonlit Walk" hung.
"9:29," she heard the familiar deep voice say. "I'm surprised she isn't here,"
"Wood," Sakura whispered.
Tendrils of leafy branches shot out and caught the thief. Sakura boldly stepped out from her hiding place and watched as the branches twisted around his arms and hung him in front of her like a ripe fruit.
"Hello, Kaitou-san," she said, giving him a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Hello, Ojou-chan," he said, giving her a genuine smile. "I see you came prepared. Again,"
"And you came unprepared. Again," she responded. He chuckled.
"Going to turn me in?" he asked.
"You already know I am, so why do you bother?" she asked. She noticed brown scars on his wrists and watched as tiny droplets of blood began to well from cuts. To Dark's surprise, the girl waved her hand, and his restraints loosened.
"I don't want to cause you more harm," she said quietly. "I'll just turn you over to the police," she turned and walked to the large window, and began to signal them.
"Hmm," she heard him say from behind her. She could still here the leaves rustling against his skin.
"Gomen nasai, Kaitou-san," she said. "I really don't want to hurt you like last time…"
"And I don't want to hurt you,"
Sakura gasped with shock as she whirled around, and came face to face with an unbound Dark.
"How--?!"
Dark grinned at her, turned, and ran towards the painting.
"Wood!" she screamed. She was shocked to see nothing appear. Sakura fumbled through her pockets to search for another card and after finding one, she threw it in the air.
"Windy!"
Gusts of wind blew around her and towards Dark, who was sprinting away with the painting tucked under his arm. Windy disappeared around the corner after him, and Sakura struggled to catch up with them. As she turned the corner, she found herself in a completely silent hall, with no essence of magic anywhere. Further to her dismay, she found Dark waving cheerily at her down a hall, completely unharmed.
"Try harder, ojou-chan!" he said gleefully. He placed the painting down, and spread his arms wide. "Here! Easy target!"
Sakura looked around, confused. "Windy?" Silence. She whirled upon Dark. "What did you do?!"
He continued to smile at her.
Sakura angrily pulled out her entire deck in response, and gave her wand an expert twirl.
"Flower! Blind my opponent!"
Flower petals appeared out of nowhere and floated in a thick cloud around Dark.
"Thunder! Watery!"
The two shot out of their cards and flew angrily towards the flurry of flowers down the hall. But before the lightening and water had even touched Dark, they quickly faded and disappeared, along with the flowers. Dark grinned as he held up his orb and revealed it to Sakura, laughing.
She was furious. After disposing of her cards, he had the nerve to wave a cloudy orb at her and laugh.
"Firey! Earthy!"
The two Element cards raced towards Dark who hopped nimbly away to avoid the flames and mountains of dirt. After neatly tossing the orb into the air, both Firey and Earthy were promptly sucked in to its crystal depths.
Sakura stared, open-mouthed. She fell weakly to her knees, and shakily gathered her blank cards in front of them and stared at them with wide eyes. Dark advanced to her, with a sure grin on his face. With every step that the Kaitou took towards her, she could feel the energy draining away from her. Light-headed and dizzy, she struggled to crawl away from the slowly approaching thief. She saw his lips moving, and then his eyes scrunched with some sort of concern with a hand reaching out towards her before she blacked out.
+++
"With," Dark commanded. The black creature flew towards Dark's side and looked up at him for instructions. Dark handed him the painting. "Hold this," he said. He knelt by the girl's limp body, and shook his head. He reached and placed his fingers gently on her wrist to and was somewhat relieved to find a, weak but steady, pulse.
Who is that girl? Daisuke asked. Dark stroked his chin, and his fingers hovered over the girl's mask.
"Let's find out," he said softly. His tugged the mask off with relish. As his fingers lifted it away from the girl's face, Dark felt his, and Daisuke's heart, clench as they realized whom it was.
Sa--!
"Sakura," Dark said in a hoarse voice. Dark turned to With.
"Go home! Bring the painting to Emiko. I'll take her," he said, automatically lifting Sakura's frail body into his arms. With immediately flew out of the window with the painting, avoiding detection from the police. He stood there, panicked, uncertain of what to do.
Roof. The roof. He heard Daisuke say.
Dark stumbled as he awkwardly ran to the stairs that led to the rooftop. He struggled as he tightened his hold on Sakura and ran up with much effort. He pushed open the door and staggered outside. He walked slowly to the edge of the roof, and look down. A large crowd met his eyes, and he felt all hope ebbing away.
The orb. Use it – use her magic! Daisuke said. Dark fumbled for the crystal that he previously tucked into his cloak and grabbed it with the tips of his fingers. He held up the orb, which was now pulsating lightly with a dull ethereal light, and squinted at it.
"Where's the button?" he muttered.
Dad said that you activate it the same way she does. So… figure out a way to escape? Say "Escape Card" or something!
Dark felt incredibly stupid as he said, "Escape Card! Let me, erm, escape!" He swore he could hear the crickets chirping in response.
"Run Card! Uh, Leap Card!" he shouted, to no avail. He rolled his eyes at the futility of it all, and asked Daisuke for more suggestions.
Perhaps Windy?
"Oh yes, let's rely on the Wind, which is absolutely capable of carrying two people!" Dark said sarcastically.
I don't know! Where the hell is With when you need him?
"He's still flying home with the painting damnit!" Dark exclaimed. To his surprise, the orb gleamed brightly with a pink light.
That's it!
"That's more like it!" Dark said with a grin, "Painting Card!"
…
He grimaced at Daisuke's frustrated and angry shouts at him.
"I was just joking," Dark sad. "Fly!"
Tendrils of pink smoke escaped from Sakura's pocket and it formed the shape of a card in front of him. In the next second, it was sucked into the orb. Suddenly, two white-feathered wings sprouted out of his back. He felt himself elevated into the air, and he wrapped his arms tighter around Sakura's body. With a large flap, he shot off.
"White," he muttered. "That's new,"
He suddenly heard a large uproar from the crowd below. Shit! Dark cursed, he tried with great difficulty to gain speed, but soon realized that he wasn't used to this pair of wings. His eyes widened as he heard loud gunshots being fired.
Shit, shit, shit SHIT.
He flapped away from the crowd before a bullet cut through the pinions of his wings. Feathers fell from them, and before his eyes, they began to molt.
Dark plummeted backwards towards the ground, with a soundless Sakura still held tightly in his arms.
"Windy! Wood!" he shouted. Gusts of wind erupted from the orb and glided him away from the crowd. The anxious mob ran towards where he was headed, but the strong winds caused him to outstrip them and he was thrown towards a grassy park. Large tree branches softened his landed and he curled himself around his precious cargo.
He panted heavily and looked down to check if Sakura was okay. To his amazement and despair, she was still unconscious, barely responding to his light touches on her cheeks.
"God," he said weakly. "I didn't know,"
In the distance, he could hear the rumbling of the large crowd of people rushing towards the park. He got up once again, and limped away, desperately trying to figure out a way to escape.
How can we hide? Daisuke said, his mind whirling. We'll need some sort of trick, an … an illusion.
"Illusion? What the hell are you talking a—"
A pink mist once again curled out of Sakura's pocket and surrounded him with Sakura.
"What the fu—"
Sh! Daisuke exclaimed. The large crowd ran into the park and the people dispersed throughout it, searching fruitlessly for Dark to either capture or grope him. Beams of light illuminated the area, and Dark squeezed his eyes shut as he found himself directly in the center of one of the light.
I don't think they see us… Daisuke said with awe.
Dark tentatively opened an eye and watched as the people hurriedly brushed passed him as if he weren't there at all. He nearly laughed with amazement.
I think we could try flying away now, Daisuke said.
"Good idea," he said softly. "Fly,"
He was lifted into the air, and with a final glance at the crowd to check if they had noticed anything, he flew home.