The Saint and the Angel
(Fallen, that is)
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Saint Tail. Be glad; otherwise it'd turn out extremely weird.
Author's Notes: Yeah!!! Thankies to everyone for reviewing my fic! I'm happy! *grins* Here's the next chapter! It's not as long as my others, but I'm sorta suffering from writer's block. ._. *sigh* But I will be inspired! ^-^
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Episode Four: Shock! Home is Where the Hitan is!
With her usual cheerful attitude, Meimi snatched her briefcase from the table, bid her mother goodbye, and then ran outside to go to school. In her opinion, she was doing really well covering up her fury and sorrow at letting Fallen Angel get away again. A smile was on her face and her blue eyes were sparkling in the sunlight. Her orange hair waved behind her as she ran, catching Asuka's eye as she sprinted past him.
She arrived in the classroom earlier than Ryoko and Kyoko, for once. Seira wasn't there either, yet, so Meimi had no one to talk with before class, except for Sawatari. But she wasn't really looking forward to a marriage proposal this early in the morning. So the relief showed on her face when Asuka came in, followed by Kyoko and Ryoko. Asuka's face was buried in the newspaper, which bore the headlines "HITAN NO AI STOLEN!", "THE INFAMOUS KAITOU FALLEN ANGEL STRIKES AGAIN!" which did not help Meimi's mood. She headed over to Ryoko and Kyoko where they discussed where they would go to eat a snack after school.
The bell rang and they all went to their seats. Scanning the room, Meimi realized that Seira was still not there. Questions rocketed through her mind for the entire morning, successfully distracting her from her schoolwork no less than seven times. It was to her great relief when the bell rang again, signaling the end of school. She sped past Asuka on her way to the door and raced down the hallway. Paying little attention to the obstacles in her way, Meimi tripped over a trashcan, Rina, and Seira. She prepared to sprint away again before realizing that she had bumped into Seira.
"Thank God!" she exclaimed, helping her nun-in-training friend back onto her feet. "I've been looking for you all day! I thought you might be in the chapel since you weren't at school and if you weren't there you might've been at home so I was going to look. You had me worried because it seems you almost never miss a day of school!" said Meimi in a rush. Seira blinked once or twice before getting the gist of it.
"Meimi," she said quietly. "We have to talk." Without another word, Meimi followed Seira back to the chapel. Seira remained silent as they walked, her expression somber. The grave mood rubbed off a little on Meimi and she was fidgeting with anxiety once they were inside. Seira turned to her friend and sighed. "I've discovered where the Hitan No Ai is. My sources tell me that it's located in your house, Meimi. It's in your mother's closet, hidden in a small compartment in the back." Meimi felt her eyes widen and she gasped.
"You don't think... my mother?" she asked quickly. Seira looked away, not meeting her eyes.
"I don't know, Meimi. I hope not. I think that this thief is trying to lure you into a false sense of security. Be careful." Meimi nodded and sighed. What a day!
The walk home was filled with half-formed ideas on how to get the Hitan no Ai, all of them crazier than the prior. With a frustrated groan, Meimi then thought of Asuka. Her eyes widened. It would be a mission carried out without warning him! She couldn't break her promise... She couldn't! But... what if he was the one to get it? A plan formed in her mind and she smiled. Saint Tail would only be needed once. This would be fun.
~
Asuka yawned and opened the refrigerator door. Isn't there anything to eat in this house? he thought to himself. Then he spotted a chocolate cake lurking in the shadow of the milk jug. With a grin, he reached for it, and then jumped backwards with a yell as it exploded. A rain of confetti blasted him and a small note hit him in the face. Rubbing the small paper bits out of his eyes, he stared at the note.
Meet me in Park D as soon as you get this. I have something to tell you. Don't try to discover my identity, or I'll have no choice but to escape you again.
Signed,
St.*Tail
He gaped at the note for a moment. Suddenly his mind cleared and he grabbed his jacket and ran out the door.
It was a nice night, slightly cool with a gentle breeze, stars dotting the dark sky. The moon rose in a crescent above the trees as the occasional airplane flew across the sea of stars. The park was calm and empty. His dark eyes scanned the benches and the trees, but there was no sign of her. Then a familiar voice reached his ears.
"Don't turn around." He froze where he was and chanced a glance out of the corner of his eye. He could just barely glimpse a gloved hand resting against a sakura-pink skirt. That familiar orange ponytail shined in the moonlight. "If you want to get the Hitan no Ai back then walk away and slowly turn around." He did as he was instructed and then turned to face her. She had her head down, her bangs shadowing her face, and there was no visible smile.
Trying not to stutter, he asked, "Where is it? Where's the Hitan no Ai?" Many vague thoughts chased around his mind. Could it be at his house again? No. Then she'd send him her calling card and go after it herself. Where could it be that she didn't want to go?
Saint Tail took a deep breath. "The item you are looking for is located in the residence of Haneoka Meimi." Shock registered on his face followed by disbelief. "If you don't want to believe me," she added tersely, "then you don't have to. But this could be your only chance." The disbelief slowly ebbed away and was replaced by a suspicious look.
"Why don't you go after it yourself?" he asked distrustfully. "After all, you're the infamous Saint Tail. You could easily break in." But she shook her head and sighed.
"It's too risky for me," she said, a little sadly. "More risky than to talk to you like this. It'll be found in Haneoka Eimi's closet, in a hidden compartment in the back. Thanks, and I'll see you around." Saint Tail turned around and walked off, vanishing as a cloud of pink mist engulfed her. Asuka gaped at the place she had been standing. What was that about? But he knew he had to do it, and he knew he had to do it alone. It was, as she said, too risky to go in with other officers. The real thief could be lurking about. 'What if it's Meimi?' he suddenly wondered, and then wiped that thought from his mind. It couldn't be. She, of all people, wouldn't be able to pull off something like that. But what if it's a trap? Furiously, he blanked that out, too. That had been Saint Tail; there was no mistaking it. It couldn't be a trap. She wouldn't do that. And he nodded in sudden resolve.
There was no need to get the police involved. Kaitou Saint Tail had come to him personally for help, for the first time ever. That meant she was beginning to trust him. He could not mess this up! With that thought steady in his mind, like a torch lit within his soul, Asuka Jr. sprinted to Haneoka Meimi's house. His dark eyes scanned the front and spotted a lit window. As he was heading toward it, a rope was lowered down. He paused and blinked. None other than Meimi appeared in the window.
"Meimi!" he hissed. She blinked and looked down at him. Her blue eyes widened in surprise, but he cut her off before she could say anything. "Let me up!" Slightly confused, she nodded, and backed away. Asuka headed up the rope and flopped into her room. "Meimi, I have to do something important; could you bring your mother into the kitchen for me?" He winced inwardly; he hated lying to her. Meimi, however, had happiness fluttering about inside her stomach, even though she was a bit flustered to have just have Asuka Jr. climb into her window.
Asuka, expecting a protest, was quite shocked to her reply eagerly. "Sure! I'll go do that right now!" Without another word, she loped out the room. A few moments later, he heard footsteps going down the stairs. "My friend from school, Asuka, wants to talk to you," he heard her say. Now was his chance. He ran out of her room and peeked into the room across the hall. The bathroom. He checked the next one he saw, and was glad to find a bed, dresser, and a closet. Thank God. Asuka opened the closet as quietly as he could, and then ran his hand along the back, ignoring the dresses brushing against his cheek. A small handle grazed his palm and a smirk came over his face. He pulled open the secret compartment and was extremely glad to find the Hitan no Ai glittering in the muted light. Without a second thought, his hand snatched it out of the compartment, closed the closet, and then sprinted back to Meimi's room.
As he headed down the rope, a small squeak alerted his ears. With wide eyes, he looked up but only saw a small hedgehog watching him. It only hit him as he was sprinting towards the police station that the hedgehog was extremely familiar. A smile spread across his face. So Saint Tail was watching over him. And sure enough, she was standing in the shadows right in front of the police station. But no... he realized. It wasn't her. It was another of her dummies. It suddenly exploded into confetti and fireworks exploded in the sky. His eyes widened more as they spelled out words in the night sky.
"SAINT * TAIL SENDS HER AI!" Asuka grinned. Ai... Hitan no Ai... He got it. Smiling, he headed into the police station.
~
Meimi and her mother sat at the kitchen table. Eimi looked quite calm and casual, her blue eyes closed almost lazily. Meimi, however, was slightly tense, ears straining to hear him. And she smiled when she heard the distinct tap of feet hitting the ground behind the bushes. In an inaudible voice, she whispered, "One. Two. Three." And she smiled in a self-satisfied way.
Sure enough, not five minutes later, there came the trademark sound of Saint Tail's fireworks. Immediately Eimi launched herself out of her seat and to the window, Meimi beside her. Eimi drew in a hissing breath as multi-colored sparkling words formed in mid-air. When it was apparent that no more words were going to form, they message hung in the air for a moment, glittering and catching the light of the moon. People on the street stopped and stared, and some even snapped photos, eager to send them to the media. A news van paused on its route and cameras immediately set up, staring at the shining words, desperate to capture the last few moments before they faded into blackness. Eimi took a small breath and forced a small smile.
"It looks like you're friend isn't going to come after all," she said lightly, heading back to the stairs. Meimi nodded, looking slightly disappointed. An act, of course, but her mother didn't know that. Just like Meimi didn't know that her mother's nonchalant appearance was also a façade. As soon as she was out of her daughter's vision, though, she bolted up the stairs and checked her closet. And of course, the Hitan no Ai was missing. Fury overwhelmed her and she saw red.
Damn that Saint Tail! she thought crossly. How dare she steal it from right under my nose?! With a shuddering sigh, Eimi sat down on her bed and glowered.
Sure enough, the newspaper the next morning showed a picture of the sparkling mid-air message of Saint Tail. "HITAN NO AI RECOVERED!" "THIS IS WAR BETWEEN TWO LEGENDS!"
