First off, thanks for Tink, Tsuki and DreamingRaine for those awesome ideas! It's really a BIG help for me!
Second, this is an extra chapter resulting for my lack of ideas on what activities they would do on their school trip (I'm still open for more suggestions!). This is a story of the former masters of the wings before it was passed down to Shade and Bright.
Third, remember that the title 'Phantom Thief Eclipse' was passed down through generations for those who will inherit the Black Wings.
That's all! Hope you'll enjoy reading this!
Chapter 11: Even Before Then
A young Elsa was sitting on the rails of the balcony of their family's mansion. The ice-cold air was playing with her dark cherry colored hair and the star-studded sky seemed to whisper a secret to her ears. Her ruby eyes were staring at the horizon that the night has painted and she made a sigh. It was the kind of helpless sigh where one dares to dream and hope.
"Oh boy…" a voice reacted to her sighs.
Elsa turned around and saw her friends at the doorway. The comment came from a dark blonde girl styled in a pixie cut with piercing green eyes. Those same eyes rolled as Camelia shook her head.
"Confessing isn't that hard," she assured Elsa, though coming from her, it sounded more of a snarky remark.
"What are you guys doing here?" Elsa asked.
"Don't change the topic, Elsa," Camelia countered as she put her prim hands to her slim waist.
The girl with the indigo short hair answered Elsa, "We woke up and didn't see you. We became worried," Malia explained as her eyes glinted in a concerned manner.
Earlier that noght, the friends were having a sleepover in Elsa's abode. They had lots of fun – squealing at the dares, throwing the pillows, eating midnight snacks and crying over the movies that they watched. The three girls went to sleep side by side but Elsa woke in the middle of her slumber so she went out to the balcony.
"You're thinking about Truth, right?" Camelia said, straight to the point and sharp as an arrow.
She gave them a sad smile, "Yeah…"
Malia took a step and placed her hands on Elsa's, "You could do it. I know that you'll have the strength to tell him what you're feeling."
"And if I get rejected?"
"Then you move on," Camelia said, "The important thing is that you told him."
"Then how about you?" Malia inquired, "How are you 'moving on' after Aaron rejected you?"
The girl in question didn't freeze or flinched, instead she asked her friends, "That's the catch, right? Why would he reject me? I'm pretty, smart, rich and popular. I'm every boy's picture of fantasy."
Camelia could put up this high and mighty front but with the two people who could easily read her, this was not enough to hide the hurt in her emerald eyes. She could act cold and indignant but they could see the tears that she's holding back for the sake of her sanity. She may put up her cold wall but it cannot betray the trembling of her fingers. (Apparently, Bright would inherit some of the traits in the future).
"Camelia – " Elsa started but she was cut off.
"I'm still not giving up," Camelia declared, steeling herself and making a determined stand, "I guess it's my nature after all… getting the things that I want for myself," she faced Elsa, "So go confess to Truth. Slam him with all of your heart so that he may regret if he ever thinks of rejecting you."
One minute ago, Elsa's heart was full of doubt but now, as she held Camelia in her gaze and marvel as how she could be able to handle her feelings towards Aaron, she was given a new flood of hope and courage. She gave them that bright smile that she was well known for (that was passed down by the twins) and nodded.
"I guess I'll just have to do it. One way or another," she decided.
Malia lovingly stared at her best friends as she witnessed the scene. Elsa and Camelia both have found the boys that their hearts yearn for and she idly wondered when will that certain boy arrive for her. What would he be like? What kind of person he'll be? As Moon Malia continued to thought about this, a figure in the sky was forming. Ah yes, such is the irony of life.
"What's that?" Elsa asked.
Camelia squinted her eyes, "I'm not sure… but I think it's a bird. A really big bird."
"It looks like the poor fellow has something wrong with its wings," Malia commented as she pointed the way it was flying.
The 'bird' desperately flew upwards and the three girls looked. It went overhead on the mansion and then Elsa gasped.
"It's not a bird!" she said.
Before her friends could react, the 'bird' fell down towards the balcony where they are. It shifted its black wings in order to prevent a drastic fall but upon reaching the ground, it rolled and bumped to Malia (because she was the nearest). It finally landed on top of the said girl and to their utter surprise; the 'bird' was actually a boy.
His hands were placed between Malia's head, his legs pinning her body on the ground. His dark pink hair touched Malia's forehead and his panting made her smell his sweet scent. The sweat coming from his forehead dripped down on her flushed cheeks and then he opened his eyes. It was a deep cerulean blue and Malia was lost and found at the same time. However, the boy's eyes widened in horror as he realized the position they were in.
"Get away from her!" Camelia demanded as she swung her fan that was always with her.
In the blink of an eye, the boy dodge the attack, moved away from his current position and even managed to steal the fan. He stood there as the three girls gawked at him and when he realized that they were all in their respective nightgowns, he blushed deep red.
"S-S-Sorry," he stuttered.
Elsa was the first to say something and the words she uttered were like waving red flag, "You're Eclipse."
The boy, Eclipse, flinched, "Yes… yes, I'm Eclipse."
"Oh my," Camelia said, eyeing him from his black leather boots to his mask, "You're not that hot at all."
Eclipse shrugged, "I get that a lot."
"You're hurt," Malia said as she noted that his left wing was angled in a bad direction, "You should go see a doctor."
"A doctor?" Camelia shrieked, "We should be calling the police!"
"No, please don't do that," he said.
"But Camelia was already putting out her phone. Eclipse flicked his hand and his whip appeared. He brandished it towards Camelia and successfully stole her phone.
"Hey give that back!" she yelled.
Unfortunately, the thief was already gone. Only a few feathers on the floor was the sign of where he was a while ago.
"Where did he go?!" Camelia furiously shouted, "He got my phone and my favorite fan!"
"He jumped out of the balcony," Elsa explained, "Then when I looked down, he disappeared. Maybe that's the reason he's called a phantom thief."
"Just great! Really, how marvelous!" the dark blonde girl sarcastically commented and Elsa (being the ever kind friend that she is) was trying to appease Camelia's rage. They didn't notice Malia as she picked a single feather and looked towards the horizon. She then directed her eyes to the thing on her left hand. It was an artifact – a staff with a crescent moon on top. The object was obviously a stolen item that Eclipse forgot.
"hm? Malia?" Elsa inquired.
She spun around and hid the artifact behind her, "Yes?"
"Let's get some cakes so that Camelia here wouldn't be so sour," her friends suggested.
Malia smiled her signature demure smile, "That would be a great idea."
Aaron's laughter was loud and obnoxious. A few students looked at his direction with interest. Why was he laughing so much? His eyes were already forming tears and his belly was already aching but he couldn't stop laughing.
Shadow, his friend, glared at him.
"Would you please stop laughing!"
"Why wouldn't I?" Aaron replied, "Ever since you became my friend, you always come up with these funny stories!"
Aaron's chocolate brown eyes met Shadow's blue ones, "First off," he started, "You're name! Like really, 'Shadow'? Couldn't your parents named you a better one? So what if you have a son, what'cha gonna call him? 'Shade'?"
Shadow's face flushed, "I-I was considering that name…"
Aaron burst into another series of laughter, "Then I would name my son Bright!" he joked.
"Aaron…"
"And then I found out that you were the master of the Black Wings and figured out why I was so interested in you! For a moment, I doubted my sexuality there."
"Aaron…"
"And then this happens! Making a fool of yourself in front of your crush – the mysterious girl, Malia! Where's that suave and cool Eclipse there? And to top it all off, you lost the artifact!"
"Gee, thanks for making me feel worse than before," Shadow said as he finished his melon-milk drink, "And besides, I'm not suave or nearly as cool as the other Phantom Thief in my family… I'm more like a…"
"A cute little boy obsessed with sweets and has his head over the clouds," Aaron finished for him.
"I would have punched your face if you weren't so accurate about my personality."
"Hey, you're my friend. I know you better than anyone else," Aaron declared as he waved at the girls who were smiling at him, "Also, part of my job is to tease you. Because that's what friends are for."
The fuchsia haired boy suddenly realized the absence of a certain someone, "Speaking of friend… Where's Truth?"
"He's in the clubroom, sleeping" Aaron replied, "Should we go get him?"
"Yeah, club hours are already over too."
The two of them stood up and took the path towards their clubroom. The school was already empty except for the few students who were either in their clubs or make-up classes. Aaron and Shadow were more than thankful for the temporary silence and peace in their chaotic lives.
It was a given that all the tamers of the wings will have a difficult life. Their lives would be ballads of suffering, pain and despair which implies that wherever they may be standing right now, things would never be normal with them. That's why Aaron and Shadow treasure their ordinary walks, the common routines of a student and the perks that comes with it. They hold their fragile time in firm hands – spending them in making memories than making a sad song. Yes… Aaron and Shadow were different. They did not see their wings as a hindrance; they became friends instead of mortal enemies and even helped each other to find a solution to the age-long curse.
And one of the treasures of not giving in to the curse was the people they have found; friends that they made and one of them is Truth. The dark blue haired boy was special in every way and even though he doesn't know about their secret, he could feel whenever they needed to be cheered up when they're weighed down. If the boys were perfectly honest with each other, they have that suspicion that Truth has a vague idea on what they're hiding from him.
Aaron and Shadow was already in front of their clubroom when they saw Elsa. There was something in the atmosphere that made them stop in their tracks and decided not to enter. On the farther back of the room, the boys noticed Malia and Camelia who were also hiding.
The place was silent except for truth's breathing and Elsa's light steps. She carefully sat down beside Truth's desk. Her chin was resting on her knees and her small hands were on the boy's table. Elsa gave herself a minute to admire the way the light hits on Truth's gentle features – his wavy hair, his delicate eyelashes, the bridge of his nose, his cheeks and then her eyes went to her lips. Elsa had to bite on her own so she wouldn't forget her real here and kissing was not it (though she would love that).
"Truth..." she whispered.
No response.
"Truth..." she repeated.
The boy stirred in his sleep and opened his eyes. It was obvious that Truth didn't have the full grasp of his surroundings yet, just like any person who had just woken up. consequently, Truth thought that he was still dreaming. Who wouldn't? He just found Elsa in front of him, uttering his name. Her ruby eyes bore into his heart and soul as she looked up to him.
'This is such a great dream,' Truth thought lazily.
"Truth... t-the thing is...um...well..." Elsa stuttered. She turned around to her friends for support and they urge her to continue.
"Truth... I like you!" she declared. Upon realzing this, she hid her face with her hands.
'Best dream ever,' Truth thought and then did the unthinkable. he removed Elsa's hands away from her face and bent down.
Truth's face were just inches away from elsa's and she forgot how to inhale. His sleepy eyes were mixed with a fierce emotion that could not be tame and needed to be fed.
"I like you too..." Truth said, his voice dripping with so much conviction but was broken from sleepiness because of the lack of awareness.
And even before Elsa could react, he kissed her.
Actually kissed her.
He claimed her mouth with his tongue and passionately seized her entire being with the act. His head bent to the left as he made his kiss deeper and bolder, making Elsa's heart jump out of her chest and lifting her euphoria. When she was about to kiss him back with an equal (or even more) amount of passion, he withdrew. And Truth's eyes were finally awake. His eyes were like big orbs flashing in horror and his face was contorted in the most terror-stricken expression upon realizing what he did. This would be his stupidest moment for his entire life and wanted to hide forever in a hole, never to be seen again.
They both blushed.
"I'm sorry!" Truth immediately said, "I'm so so sorry! I-I thought I was dreaming you were confessing to me and uh... uh..." he stopped, knowing that his explanation was sounding a lame excuse. How could he not know that he was already awake?! He wanted to smack his brain for its delayed reaction in this exact moment.
"It wasn't a dream," Elsa said.
"Huh?"
"It wasn't a dream... about me confessing to you..." she smiled, "I like you," she declared once again.
This time, Truth was rendered speechless.
"I...I like you too," he said once again.
"I know..." Elsa giggled. She boldly looked up to him then decided to kiss his blushing cheek, "Let's save the earlier kiss for next time," she whispered in his ear and his blush went to a higher level of red that would match Elsa's hair.
"I-I promise I'll make you the happiest girl in the world!" Truth suddenly declared, his feelings overflowing with so much love for this girl that's in front of him, "Because your smile means everything to me."
The girl nodded, tears of pure happiness forming at the side of her eyes, "Please take care of me from now on."
"The pleasure would be all mine."
Then the couple laughed at their formality. They knew that this would be the start of something knew. They knew it wouldn't be easy but they'll persevere because they have each other. And in the end, that's all that really matters.
"Finally! I found you!" Camelia declared as she walked up to Aaron who was on the rooftop of the school.
He put down his homemade lunch and tried to avoid the situation he was in.
"Tell me Aaron," Camelia purred, "Are you avoiding me?"
"Me? Of course not!" the brown-haired boy lied, "Shouldn't you be the one avoiding me since I rejected you?"
The girl glared at him, "Wrong move, Aaron."
The master of the White Wings gulped and then found the courage to ask, "What do you want?"
"What I want is an explanation as to why you rejected me."
"I don't like you, that's all."
"Look me in the eye and tell me that."
Aaron couldn't.
"Aaron, tell me that you don't like me in the eye and i'll stop this."
He still couldn't bring himself to do it. Why was it so hard to tell her those simple words? He knew. He knew the reason. It was because it wasn't the truth.
Camelia's heart was torn between happiness and grief. The questions were forming on her head like a swirling tornado. She gripped his sleeves and in a voice so far from her usual arrogant and self-conceited tone she whispered, "... Why?"
"We can't be together," he simply said, not looking at her face. If Aaron did that now, he would lose his conviction towards his decision of letting her go.
"Why?" she insisted.
"Because I don't want you to get hurt."
"I don't care if I'm hurt... as long as I'm with you."
The boy answered in a sad smile, "You don't know that."
"I do actually," Camelia said, regaining her fiery self, "In fact, I'm so certain that it's making me confused and frustrated that I'm doing all these things just to get your attention. It's making me insane. All I know is that I need you and that's all I care about."
Aaron held her hand between his in a crushingly tender way and whispered in pain, "Will you take me... even in my broken pieces?"
She moved to caress his face, "Of course I would. I'm a selfish spoiled brat and I'll gladly take all of you for myself."
"Then I guess I have to tell you something," Aaron said.
Shadow was depressed.
He didn't know what he did to make the universe go mad but now the moon staff that he stole was now in Malia's possession. How could he be so sure of that? Well, if Malia immediately returned the artifact to the museum, he would have already known about it but there was no news or whatsoever pinning this down.
'Why would she keep it?' he thought, then shook his head, 'That doesn't matter. What I need to do is clear. I need to steal the moon staff... again. and this time I'm not losing it!'
The boy was now walking to his way to his favorite cake shop. It was understandable that any male could have a big appetite and Shadow wasn't an exception to this. The thing that does bug him however is his inclination to sweets.
'Oh whatever. I just need a big slice of chocolate cake and I'll be better in a while.'
The clerk greeted him since he's a frequent customer in the shop. Shadow gave her a curt nod and proceeded in choosing which type of chocolate cake he would prefer today. He heard the bell at the door as another customer went in. At the corner of his eye, a girl wearing their school uniform stood be his side to see the cakes displayed.
"I'll take one of this," they both said as they pointed on the same cake.
Shadow turned his head and saw Malia. She gave him an amused smile and his mind went elsewhere.
"I didn't knew you like cakes," she said.
"Uh... y-yeah. It's lame, I know."
"No. It's actually cute," Malia commented as she giggled.
Shadow blushed, "Errr... so... uhmmm..."
"Oh!" the indigo haired girl gasped as she remembered something. She gave Shadow a calculated look and then asked in a cool unnerving voice: "Do you happen to know where I might communicate with Eclipse?"
"Huh? Eclipse? Who's that fellow?" he tried to dodge the question but Malia just pinned him down with her stare and so he coughed, "Er... W-Why are you interested in him?"
Malia continued to search something in his eyes, "He has my friend's fan and phone. I'm willing to exchange it for the staff that he lost."
The boy internally smacked himself, "Ohhhh I seeee," he said, "Well, i guess he'll come to you one way or another," he said as he masked his voice in a nonchalant way, even shrugging his shoulders in an unconcerned manner.
"Here's your order!" the employee said as he placed two boxes on the counter. Shadow quickly got his and muttered a hurried goodbye. He held his breath until he was at the other side of the street.
That night, Shadow hovered above Malia's house as the Phantom thief Eclipse. He circled once then twice before landing down on the windowsill where a few potted plants were held. He gave himself a moment before knocking on the glass window. The light remained unopened but he heard the light footsteps coming towards him. Then the window opened, casting the curtains outward because of the force and revealing a maiden before him.
Malia's eyes twinkled like the stars above him and her skin was like the color of the moon. Not one strand of her indigo hair was out of place and her lips were like apples.
He momentarily wondered if they were sweet.
Suddenly those same lips moved and said, "Good evening, Eclipse."
"Good evening to you as well," Shadow replied, "I believe you have something that I seek."
The girl nodded and raised up her hand, "I do... but first, my friend's fan and phone."
The thief unlatched Camelia's fan on his belt and opened one of his pockets to reveal a jewel designed phone. He showed the items to her and Malia reached out to grab it but he moved it away.
"The staff," he reminded.
Malia sighed and showed the moon staff, "Here."
"Good. Now, on the count of three, we exchange."
"One..."
"Two..."
"Three."
Malia got hold of her friend's fan and phone but they were both holding on to the artifact.
"Hey! Let go!" Shadow ordered.
"There's something I need to know first!" she replied as she pulled the staff.
Unfortunately, by the rules set by Mother Nature, men would be naturally stronger than women. And so when Shadow pulled the staff to him, he had also dragged Malia causing the girl to cling to him as they went out of the window and momentarily descended to the ground.
In between his unbelief that Malia was holding to him for dear life and her frightful scream, Shadow instinctively opened his black wings to stop the fall and fly to the sky.
"Uh... It's okay now," he said to the girl as she clung to his neck. The moon staff was at his right hand as he supported her weight. She's actually very light.
Malia opened her eyes to see the heavens and gasped at the lights below and above them. They were flying.
"I could lift you down to your room now," he said, concerned that she might be scared of the height.
"No..." she whispered, "Let me stay here for a little while."
He smiled, "Sure can do, my queen," he joked.
Malia slapped him lightly on his chest but she was smiling.
After a moment of watching the clouds go by and the twinkling stars, Malia faced the thief with a certain clarity in her eyes.
"What is it?" he asked.
But instead of answering, she lifted her hand to his face... to get a crumb of chocolate cake that was stuck to the side of his mouth. Shadow's eyes widened in the realization but before he could say something, Malia made a vow:
"I'll keep it a secret. I swear on the Milky Way Galaxy that I wouldn't speak of this to any living soul."
The boy expressed his gratitude with a nod and then giggled.
"W-What's funny about it?" the girl asked.
"Why did you swear on the Milky Way Galaxy?" he answered as he continued to giggle.
She flushed in embarrassment, "Well, that was the first thing that I could think of."
They looked at each other and laughed.
"Oh stop it you thief!" she said but she was still laughing.
Shadow obediently stopped but there was the laughter in his cerulean eyes, "If you say so, my queen."
Years later after these fated events Elsa will be married to Truth and will bear twin daughters that shall inherit her sun-dazzling smile. Camelia would conquer Aaron's stubbornness and will bear a son that would grow as an orphan because the two of them shall die in a terrible accident, making the said boy the next master of the White Wings. Meanwhile, Malia would tie the knot with Shadow and would conceive a son. but during her pregnancy for another child, Shadow shall die, making their son, the next master of the Black Wings.
Even before then, the fates of those four souls were already intertwined and even before then, they were destined to meet each other in the gale of the wing's curse.
Shade, Bright, Fine and Rein could only wonder so much as to where this fate would lead them.
I'm so sorry for the poor puns that I made for Shade, Bright and Milky's name! Also, I'm sorry for Shadow's name! I couldn't think of a better one, I was thinking that if Milky starts with the letter M like Malia's then following that analogy, with Shade's name starting with an S, his father's name should start with an S too...
So, how was it? xD
Which among the couples made your heart flutter (... if it did) or what was your favorite scene?
See you guys in the next chapter! :)
