A/N: oh look at that… I updated… there's something wrong with this picture --;;

Sorry for the wait guys, haven't been doing much on the computer. Trying to get best ending in FFX-2 and its taking its toll ::points to dark rings around my eyes::

- Choices -

Urei-sama

Your new serenity

Your only pleasure

For now

The morning rays shone brightly through a single window in his room. To this, Satoshi opened his steely blue eyes, the iris catching the light and giving it a warm glow. He moved his hand up to block the sun, pushing himself back to lean against the wall. His room was in tatters. The one futon lay against the wall where he leaned, deflated from use. His blankets were torn from his nightly tantrums, his mental battles that had always carried on, into his dreams… but for once… for this one fateful night they hadn't tortured him, it hadn't happened and his blankets looked as they should. No new red stains.

He got up, not staggering as he used to, and walked out of his room into the den. Blinking slowly, he froze as his eyes fell upon the winged chair. It was silhouetted in the light that emanated through the great bay window in the back. It's polished marble surface, indestructible to humans alone. Its broken wing, always a reminder of what he had lived with for years... for years until this day...

He could never get rid of it, not even if he wanted to. There was no emotional connection to the piece of rock anymore, he doubted there ever was but he had built it with his own hands. It was created to act as a shield for what was captured inside. One very special design that could break any barrier, any shield cast upon one self or another. Maybe that was why he wouldn't throw it out? Or maybe it was because he wanted to keep his pride. He would never think to give it to the Niwas... gods no.

Rather to keep it with him… where it was safe.

Daisuke entered his classroom with an air of happiness. He hadn't had a job in about two weeks. That's not to say that he didn't enjoy his steals, but they were tiring! He'd taken the rutile away from his father when he had discovered how he was protecting him, not wishing any harm on someone he loved. It was certainly gallant on his father's behalf and Daisuke appreciated it greatly but it was his own curse, his own gift to foster the thief. He'd concluded that the responsibility was for him to take on and whatever darks magic threw, he would take it on, full stride.

He took his seat, still deep in thought so it took him a minute to realize that there was nobody sitting around him... Panicking little that last nights dream had become a reality; he stood up, first to check that he was fully clothed, and second to make sure that everyone was here. Luckily he was clad in more than just his boxers and seeing as the class was all standing in the back, Daisuke didn't think It would've mattered. What were they doing anyway? It looked like everyone was clustered around… was that Satoshi's desk?

"That's amazing Hiwatari-kun!" he heard one girl say. "You're so good!" another chorused. Where was the teacher anyway? Risa was standing behind the boy. His desk was sheltered from Daisuke's view but a few students did look up to see him… whatever Hiwatari was doing to make those few students laugh had something to do with him... Daisuke looked over to see Riku sulking at her desk, her arms crossed and a peeved look on her face. Seeing as how she was the only one sitting aside, he assumed that it had something to do with her as well… Did those girls even know how to stop giggling??

"What's so funny?" Daisuke inquired, walking over to the desk so that he could get a better view of what was going on. Squeezing through a group of girls, he turned up in the very front of the desk. His cheeks went red at what he saw.

"A charapicture??" he said, his voice a little shaky as he stared at Satoshi as if he had gone mad. The viewers at the desk had all burst out in laughter when Daisuke had finally discovered what the blue haired boy was doing to his image. Upon the desk was quite an accurate sketch of Daisuke and Riku sitting together on a… ahem… Daisuke went beet red. Satoshi only smiled up at him as his face turned a deeper crimson color. His lithe fingers still sketching the shape of the hands, making them perfect without even looking at the paper.

"I didn't know you were such a good artist Hiwatari-kun," Riku spat his name like venom from where she sat.

"I only just realized I had a talent for it," Satoshi replied in a smooth voice, that same unnatural smile on his face. Daisuke could tell he had changed… something about his whole aura seemed altered, for the better even. He would never act like this any other day… had something happened to him over the weekend?

School was over before he knew it and it hadn't been a very interesting day seeing that Saehara was still on his tail about the recent dark sighting and Riku was avoiding him thanks to Hiwatari's little joke. That girl was not one to take crap from people and he doubted she would converse with the blue eyed boy anytime soon.

Daisuke walked home as he always did. Taking the rail car down to the lower part of the city and heading past the market place where his mother would shop every week. But upon passing the electronic store, he spied something unusual. A good deal of people were watching the news report in the displayed TVs. With no audio, Daisuke could only see the strange catastrophes that were taking place in, as the subtext had told him, The Americas.

The television showed footage of a wild storm that was blowing through some southern part of the country seeing as the foliage consisted of palm trees and such. Two tornados could be seen, tearing and ripping up historical parks and places. People running away from their homes in a panic and the camera shaking rather violently due to either the holders fear, or from the storm itself.

Before Daisuke was about to turn and leave, something shot past the camera, something that glistened bright silver in the dark storm. Something long in thin… something that had alarmed him. Daisuke stared at the screen hard, trying to find the object that had caught his eye for that one split second. For five minutes he searched the TV. The wind at the scene was blowing hard and carrying all different sorts of debris… his imagination was playing tricks on him of course… there was nothing there… as he though it, nothing appeared and figuring it was just a trick of the eye, he turned back to continue on his way home.

A raging storm in the Americas… they're smart enough to detect such things… how could they have seemed so unprepared? It was defiantly quite strange, but he had things he had to do tonight. Best not be late.

"Commander! Dark has just entered the temple!" One of the leading officer's voices carried through the halls. They were all waiting in the monitoring station, watching as the phantom thief whisked past every outlook, ever trap set for him with absolutely no trouble. Setoshi looked up from his place, sitting aside from the monitors, the light from which ran across his glasses.

It was always like this… they were all fools thinking they could capture 'the great phantom thief' with such trivial things. Darks magic had built up over the centuries that he had existed! The being that could possibly match his power was…

Setoshi stood up, willing to prove himself wrong. "Commander? Where are you going?" Another officer inquired as the boy pushed past him, a determined look on his face.

"Turn all offensive devices off; you already know how effective that is. You'd have a better chance going to fight him head on" Setoshi said, striding out of the room, and down the hallway. He heard the echo of their 'yes sirs' and smiled smugly to himself. It was quite nice to have authority over people, especially when these people are over 40 years old.. . Listening to a kid… who'd a thought?

Satoshi continued outside. The cool night air whipped across his face but he didn't stop to enjoy it. He began to sprint down to the temple. It was a little ways out from the town, located in a grassy valley which was always lush and green. The temple itself was placed right into one of the bigger hills, its point protruding out where the ground had been eroded down. The soldiers stationed outside watched Satoshi in curiosity as he entered the dark stone corridors of the temple.

The shrine was made of limestone. Strong bricks layered the walls, but what really set this place apart were the jade stones that were incrusted in the squares. They gleamed by the light that led into the temple, and sparkled when Satoshi walked past.

He was cautious now. For all he knew, dark could've been right behind him this entire time… checking first to make sure he wasn't, the boy spotted something up ahead when he turned back. The tunnel opened up into a new room, the stones now gold with rust and the jade. Oh wow the jade. The entire room seemed laminated by the emerald gems, shining all at once down upon one spot. The floor around the pedestal they illuminated was also a gem, carved birds glistened on the ground, their wings all facing, framing the artifact that lay on its stand... The artifact that dark had come here for, the jade feather of Athena…

Satoshi glared at the pedestal… no way… no way In hell had he gotten it and escaped in time. The stand was empty, the green spotlight showcased nothing but stone. Satoshi was angry… he turned around, looked up to the dark ceiling. There was no opening, and the only way out was by the path he had taken! How could he have…

"You wont leave will you?" Satoshi whipped around, toward the voice and the pedestal once again… Of course… The Phantom thief himself stood upon it, illuminated by the jade… a cocky smile on his face.

"Heh," Satoshi smirked. "Why would I ever let you leave with one of the national treasures? Its important to our organization that that stays her-"

"Or is it because its special to you?"

Satoshi froze. The smirked wiped clean off his face…

"If I'm not mistaken, Athena's rule holds a deep meaning to the Hikari's, does it not? Being the god of craft I would think so. Why would you come here otherwise? With no plans to capture me or proper traps set?" Dark had the upper hand now.

It was true. Satoshi had been rash earlier, running out of the station to confront the thief with absolutely no backup plan.

"Foolish." Dark said, jumping off the pedestal to walk past the Hikari. "So I suppose there's no point in a confrontation eh?"

All this time, Dark had been studying Satoshi carefully. When in his presence, the boy would normally look strained or troubled because of the obvious turmoil within him… but why wasn't he now? What had happened to him to make him look so calm…

Dark brushed past him who's blue hair curtained his eyes. He who waited until the thief was at the exit before whipping around with an attempt to stop him in his tracks.

"All you ever do is steal from the Hikaris!" He called after him. A sudden rage in his voice. "The heart that they… that we pour into our work is wasted because of you Niwas. Its not righteous! And you dare to call your acts justice? Its not even respectable." Satoshi glared at his turned back. He had got his desired effect. If even for a moment Dark had stopped walking, the feather tucked underneath his arm neatly. He wasn't a fool to bite back though. Never to keep alight something that was already burnt. So after exactly three seconds, he continued down the corridors, out of Satoshi's view and under the stations radar.

The boy stood there for a moment in a kind of shock. He had been blown off… so simply as that! It was as if his opinion held no meaning to the marauder… and he was never outspoken… could never be…

Cursing himself for thinking he could talk a thief out of stealing, he followed Darks path out, not even looking for his tracks… it was obvious that he was long gone by now.

As he left the temple and opened himself to the cool breeze of night, one question resounded in his now empty head. Something that he knew he would trouble with from now on…

What was the point?

-Chapter 1 End-

poor Sato-san. Took me awhile to do this, a lot going on, but I suppose that's everyone's excuse now-a-days. I figure this will be about 4-5 chapters long... 6 if I need to throw something else in. Short little angsty story.

You know the drill. Little button. Right there. Press it...

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