I do not own DNAngel

Tonight at eleven o'clock, I will steal the Crystal Music Box

~Dark

Satoshi was crouched on the floor in the middle of the room, looking up at Dark, who was holding a delicate box with gems and gold coins framing the lid. Satoshi was wearing a black trench coat with deep inside pockets, which held the golden staff that he resented so much. Dark smirked down at him, staying only two feet out of reach to taunt him. Looking up at Dark with the artwork, and knowing he had the staff with him, he felt a pang of guilt.

"That all you got, Commander?"

Satoshi sighed, cursing in his mind. He reached into a smaller pocket, and grasped onto a small pocket knife.

'Are you going to use the staff, Satoshi-sama?'

I don't really have a choice if I'm going to get that artwork back, do I?

Dark stayed in his smug position, unaware of Satoshi's plan. Meanwhile, Satoshi took out the pocket knife, still keeping it hidden in his jacket, and made a sudden jump backwards. Dark flinched in surprise, and took a few steps back as well. In a matter of three seconds, Satoshi pulled out the knife and made a small slice on his arm where the other scar was still healing. Upon feeling the blood run down his arm, he dropped the knife and pulled out the staff, which started glowing as soon as he made contact with it. Dark looked around the room for a speedy exit, and backed up to the other side of the room, scowling. He spotted a window, and quickly started towards it. The staff lit up and a wind started to circulate slowly in the room. Then, in a sudden burst of energy, winds as strong as a hurricane began blowing, and the artwork was pulled from Dark's hands violently while he was almost out. He didn't want to risk going back inside, so he listened to Daisuke's pleading and left through the window. It flew to the floor on Satoshi's side of the room, but the winds kept blowing. Satoshi, who was still holding the staff, had his eyes closed as the air whipped around him violently. The blood from his arm was also being carried by the wind, fueling it. After a few minutes, though, his hands started to shake and the loss of blood began hitting him. He dropped the staff and instinctively covered his arm where the blood had been draining. It was still leaking heavily, and the cut had opened more during the procedure. It was about three inches long now. Satoshi looked over to the side where the box had fallen. It was safe for now, but there was no doubt in his mind that Dark would come back to get it another time.

'Excellent—your father would be proud.'

Satoshi didn't answer, and instead made his over to the box, placing it back inside it's case. The police started filing into the room, their mouths gaping when they saw the same room even more damaged than last time. They eyed their commander suspiciously, none of them daring to ask what had happened. Satoshi gave them a passing glare as he exited the room, and they snapped out of their trance and started cleaning up. Some of them followed Satoshi out to go tell the detective that the artwork was safe, when they noticed the gleam of gold coming from his pocket. They also saw the steam of blood down his jacket, and one officer opened his mouth and took a breath to say something, when Satoshi turned to face him, shutting him up. An air of tension filled the hallway as the group walked alongside him in silence. A second officer, a little braver than the first, started, "Commander, w-where did you get that—"

"It's none of your business." He replied icily, cutting him off. He walked faster, leaving them behind. He walked out of the building and made his way over to Detective Saehara—he would tell him about the artwork himself. The detective was busy ordering around frantic officers and shooing away photographers and civilians.

"Now, go inside and tell those policemen to—hey! No one crosses this line, not even—"

"Detective Saehara."

"What?! Oh, Commander…" He said, a sudden change of tone in his voice. "What is it?"

"The artwork is safe. I have your men inside cleaning up."

"Dark has failed?!" He exclaimed rather loudly, attracting news reporters and journalists. A huge crowd had begun to encircle them, so Satoshi pushed his way out before he could be swallowed in. "What—hey! I'm still talking to you!" Called Saehara as Satoshi walked away.

'So, are you going to visit Inochi-san tonight?'

No.

'Why not?'

She doesn't need to know about this. He replied, thinking of the long slice in his arm. He continued walking when he heard some people talking around the corner. He recognized the voices immediately as the officers he had met in the hallway, and decided to listen.

"I told you-- you shouldn't talk to him—he doesn't talk to anyone!"

"B-but I thought that he only gets like that when Dark steals an artwork." Said a meek voice, obviously a new officer.

"Are you kidding—he's not one to strike up conversation with!"

Satoshi listened intently to the conversation, staying hidden behind the wall.

"Didn't he have a girl with him at the Christmas party? Wonder how he managed to even find someone to go with…"

"I bet his dad paid her off or something—there's no way he'd make any friends on his own. Especially not girlfriends."

These guys have no idea what they're talking about—if they knew even half of what's been going on, they'd know to just keep their mouths shut!

'Now that the mention it, it was your father who invited her to that dance…'

"I saw them together a few nights ago in the museum-- maybe she's a gold-digger or something. The Hiwatari family is rich, after all."

Satoshi fought back the urge to punch the last guy in the face, and calmly continued walking.

I can't bear to hear any more of this…

……………………………

As the final bell rang and school came to a close, Shizuka eyed the white bandage wrapped around Satoshi's arm suspiciously. It covered half of his upper arm, and couldn't be hidden beneath the short sleeved school uniforms. While he was packing up, another boy ran past him and brushed against his shoulder, making Satoshi cringe and grasp the bandage in pain. Shizuka waited behind for Satoshi to catch up, offering him help with his books which he had dropped.

"Hikari-kun, why do you keep getting hurt on that arm? This is the third time—I know you didn't cut it on scrap metal." She asked as they walked down the stairs and out of the school.

Satoshi hesitated for a moment, weighing his options. If he lied to her now, she'd be madder than if he told her the truth. He stayed silent as they walked off school grounds and headed down the street.

"Don't lie to me!" She snapped, taking in the silence. "Please… just tell me the truth…"
Satoshi sighed, speeding up his walk a little bit.

"It's from… black magic." He said quickly. He continued walking, but she stopped and pulled on his backpack strap, bringing him to a halt.

"W-what?"

Satoshi stayed silent, letting her know she had heard correctly.

"You've been using… all this time? Why didn't you tell me?!" She said, coming to a sudden realization.

"I just couldn't… I didn't want you to worry…"

"But that's dangerous!" She cried. "Why would you do something like that? Don't you know it can kill you?!"

Satoshi watched as she let go of him, tears washing over her face. He was taken aback—he had never seen her upset or angry like this before. She hadn't ever raised her voice before, either.

"I'm sorry." He said, reaching out to take her hand. "I didn't know you would be so upset by it." He confessed, dropping his bag on the ground to take her into his arms. She didn't stop him, but didn't return the embrace either. His arms wrapped fully around her slim figure, and his head rested in the crook of her neck. "If you needed help, you could've asked me…" She said, her voice quiet again.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, running a hand through her hair.

"Please, just promise me you won't use it again." She whispered. Her voice began cracking.

'If you agree to this, Satoshi-sama, your father will be very displeased.'

"I promise."

Shizuka draped her arms over his shoulders, then around his neck, as Satoshi continued to hold her firmly, breathing into her hair. "Thank you", she whispered, pulling back to look at him. She felt her heart pulse faster as his blue eyes bore into her, and she felt like he could see straight through her. She didn't even notice that they were slowly getting closer together until his breath was hot on her lips. Her eyes closed instinctively and his lips touched hers in wave of passion. His grip on her waist tightened as did hers on his neck, and he continued kissing her slowly, pulling back a few times for air. That is, until his cell phone rang.

Not now… why now, he thought, absorbing every last second of the kiss. He reluctantly broke away, tugging on her lips slightly. Shizuka stepped back and watched him fumble in his bag for the still vibrating phone, laughing to herself.

"Hello?" He mumbled.

"Ah, Satoshi! I was wondering if you could stop by my office on your way home from school. It's urgent—I'd appreciate if you could go right now. Unless you're busy…?"

"Of course."

"Excellent! I'll be expecting you in my office."

He hung up the phone and picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Inochi-san—I have to go. I'll—"

"I'll see you later." She finished, smiling brightly.

"Yeah. Later." He said, returning the smile.

He turned and began walking away, leaving Shizuka by herself. She crossed the street, which was completely empty, and started heading towards her side of town, when she heard a car stop behind her. Parked on the side of the street was a shiny black business-car with shaded windows. Why isn't anyone getting out of that car? Actually, you never see cars like that in this area… She waited for a minute, pretending to look for something in her bag, and then continued walking. Sure enough, the car started moving too. Kidnappers?! She scanned the area frantically for an open shop, but everything was closed for some reason. The streets were deserted, and the street lamps weren't coming on, which was unusual since it was still February. Everywhere is closed… The car followed her to the end of the block, and when she turned the corner, an identical black car was waiting parked in the middle of the street. Her eyes darted from one car to the other, then to empty street in front of her.

There's no one here—where can I go?

……………………………

Satoshi walked miserably to his father's mansion, hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. He wasn't too happy about being 'interrupted', and by his father no less. The only worse thing that could've happened was that Takeshi could have turned the corner instead. Even the guards by the door sensed his foul mood and didn't greet him. He walked briskly to the upstairs office, passing up certificates and photos of people in tuxedos. These were all his father's acquaintances—people he hated, but stay friendly with for business purposes. When he came to the door he was looking for, he found that it was already opened. What's this? He never leaves this door open. Satoshi walked into the room, which was messy with strewn papers and a tin of pens knocked over. He examined the desk further, seeing no documents on Dark or the artworks. Instead it was just a bunch of signed papers and bank reports. What could he have wanted to talk about? He never leaves his office—especially if he's expecting me… Satoshi dropped his bag to the floor with a soft 'thud'. So much for wanting me to come right away.

"Ah! There you are!" Said a voice from the doorway. It was one of his father's butlers—his main butler, actually. "The boss told me to expect you. Although, he said you wouldn't be here till later on today…"

"What? He just called me, saying he needed to talk to me right away."
"Well that's strange—the boss has been out all morning. He left in such a hurry, bringing two cars with him."

Satoshi was about to pull out his phone to call his father, when something clicked.

'It's urgent—I'd appreciate if you could go right now. Unless you're busy…?'

If I could 'go' right now? And what did he mean by 'busy'…

"If you'd like, I can call him for you— hey! Where're you going?!"

Satoshi left his bag and darted past the butler and down the stairs, alarming the guards.

He was there the whole time, that bastard!

……………………………

A tall man came out of the passenger seat of the car, wearing a dark suit and glasses that gleamed in the sunset. Shizuka recognized him immediately as Satoshi's father—the same man who threatened Satoshi that he would kill her. She stood with her hands gripping her messenger bag subconsciously as Kei Hiwatari made his way slowly toward her. His expression was pleasant enough—just as it always is. He wore that same confident business man smile.

"Hello, Inochi-san—it's been a while. I'm sorry if I scared you before. I had to make sure we could talk in private, so I paid all the shops on these streets to close for the day." He said, scratching the back of his head and laughing.

When Shizuka didn't answer, he continued, "I wanted to clear up anything bad you might have heard about me recently—Satoshi may have told you some disturbing things, but I can guarantee it was just a misunderstanding. That boy is so quick to overreact—sometimes I feel like he doesn't even trust me!" He said, trying to make a joke out of it.

Is this guy for real? He acts like a complete idiot in public, but he's been threatening and hurting Hikari-kun behind the scenes.

"Now, I wanted to negotiate something with you. You see, I'm afraid my son's life is consumed by his work, and as a father, I worry that a relationship between the two of you might be too strenuous. I'm sure you've noticed his tense behavior—I don't think there's really anything for you to gain from being his girlfriend. If you break off all ties to my son, I'll gladly supply you with a proper home instead of that apartment you live in currently. I can give you monthly income—you won't need to work anymore."

He's trying to pay me to break up with his son—he's twisted. And how does he know where I live?!

I'd hate to pressure you with this information, but it seems there are rumors circulating that you have been dating my son simply for money—I would hate it if this spread in your school. But every now and then, these rumors leak…"

He's threatening me?! But that's not even true; how can he—

"Now—I have with me a check for five-hundred thousand yen. If you agree to my terms, you can live a life of comfort…"

"With all due respect, Hiwatari-san, I can't accept your offer." She said immediately. She saw Kei turn to one of the cars and give a nod, telling the driver to leave. The other car followed suit, leaving the two of them alone. He removed his glasses, putting them in his jacket pocket.

Why did those cars leave, she thought, stepping back. Kei began to advance towards her.

"I-I need to get going, so if you'll excuse me…" She said, starting to walk around him. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, throwing her back to the ground. Shizuka yelped in surprise, trying to find something to grab onto. Kei stepped forward and lifted her head up by her hair, pulling it hard by the roots. His eyes had become obsessive, and his smile demonic.

"I was afraid you might say that." He said, pulling her hair harder.

"P-please let go…" she cried, pulling back a little. This time Kei jerked her head forward and lifted her chin with his other hand.

"I tried being nice—I offered you money, a better home, a happier life…"

He let go of her hair and slapped her hard across the face, leaving a red mark. Shizuka gave a quick cry of pain and kept her head down. Kei circled around her and forced her up by her arm, nearly yanking it off. Her legs dragged on the ground, drawing blood. He squeezed her arm tightly, his nails digging into her skin. Shizuka tried to kicking him, but he stepped on her feet to immobilize her.

"But you just don't give up, do you? It seems like no one's been listening to me lately—Krad got too caught up with his own interests to finish you off, my son's been taking matters into his own hands without my permission, and you." He spat. "You keep interfering with everything I've been working towards. You might have saved yourself before—from sheer luck—but I can assure you that you won't be so lucky again. And don't think that you can stop my son from using that black magic—I ordered him to use it. I decide what he does, not you!"

"But he can die from using that much—"

"That's no longer your concern." He said, interrupting her sudden outburst.

Shizuka was about to try and knee him in the groin, but he threw her back down and beat her to it, kicking her hard in the stomach. She started coughing, unable to breathe. She was doubled over choking on air when she heard footsteps coming from around the corner. All of a sudden, there was a gasp and a thud, and heavy panting.

………………………

Satoshi ran all the way from his father's mansion to the street where he had left Shizuka earlier. She wasn't there, but he saw a black car parked down the street with his father's special license plate.

Where is everyone? Did he go through all the trouble of buying out the street?

He ran down the street that goes towards Shizuka's house, and listened for noise.

Where did he take her? For all I know he could have her locked up already, or worse…

He heard a cry and shuffling feet coming from around the corner, and sprinted quickly to said spot.

His father was standing in front of Shizuka, who was on the ground struggling to breathe. Without thinking, Satoshi charged forward and punched his father dead in the face, causing him to stumble backwards.

"Sa… Satoshi… what are you… doing here…" Panted Kei, taking out his cell phone and dialing for his drivers to pick him up. He wiped blood from his lips, and kept his confident smirk up.

"What did you do to Inochi-san?!" He yelled angrily, picking his father up by the collar. "Why did you hurt her, you son of a bitch?!"

"She refused to cooperate—she brought this upon herself, with your help."

The black car pulled up to the side of the street and Satoshi let go of his father's shirt, his glare still as hard as stone, not wanting to make a scene in front of outsiders.

"You'd do well to listen to me." He said, walking away. "Both of you."

Satoshi sighed and turned back to Shizuka, who was still on the ground. He kneeled down in front of her, noticing the red marks left on her arm and face, and the blood on her legs. She was shaking from either fear or the cold.

"He… he tricked me. He was watching us the whole time… I should never have left you alone…I'm sorry." He panted. "I've been so afraid that this would happen."

"Hikari-kun, he tried to bribe me, and he blackmailed me… he bought out the entire block just for this." She said, in disbelief.

"I told you my father was twisted" He said solemnly, wrapping a coat around her shoulders and gently pulling her up. "Inochi-san, if you're afraid—and you every right to be—you can—"

"I'm not leaving." She said quickly. "Don't even suggest it. But… he can't do that! He shouldn't be allowed to—"

"I know." He said, shushing her. "And he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. We haven't seen the last of him—that's for sure."

AN: Wow—I was really impressed with how fast people reviewed for the last chapter—it's comforting to know that people are keeping up with it! Thank you so much! This is actually the last chapter of the middle of the story. The next chapter will start what I consider the end. There are a few chapters leading up to the climax, so get ready! I'm curious what you guys have to say about this chapter—thanks for reading!

By the way, 500,000 yen is about 5,000 dollars.