Galatea

Fourth Movement: Strange Bedfellows

"He who fights with monsters must take care,
lest he thereby become one as well."

Friedrich Nietzsche

The walk home from the police station after Satoshi's meeting with his father was a quiet one, neither he nor Krad commenting on the happenings to one another. The blonde wasn't sure what exactly his host's feelings were at the moment—if he was silently fuming at having his body stolen yet again, or if perhaps he was actually offering his tacit approval by not reprimanding him right off.

Feeling he'd rather guess than learn exactly what the boy was thinking, Krad simply wavered in the back of Satoshi's mind, waiting until he was called upon or spoken to, which might be a while, given that his Tamer was always loathe to speak to him.

Once they crossed the threshold of the apartment, Satoshi removed his shoes in the genkan and cast an eye to the clock on the far wall—nearly four hours before the posted time on the advance notice. Normally he would've been on his way to the site already, shouting orders at different units and putting his men in place…but not tonight.

Rather than sending the bow Dark was targeting on ahead to a museum, it had been kept in a vault at the Klein Cathedral—former resting place of a certain other artwork, the Second Hand of Time. Since many of the other weapons in the cache had been locked in the vault as well, Saehara had wisely moved the bow to another room where it remained guarded by four officers in a room with a single entrance. At least if Dark managed to take this piece, he wouldn't be tempted to grab the entire stash at once, the department reasoned.

Satoshi slipped onto the couch and leaned back, closing his eyes for a moment and enjoying the silence. For some reason he was beyond tired, but couldn't slow his thoughts long enough to even attempt a nap. Though no doubt if he did, Krad would soon prod him awake with reminders of the compromise and his duty for the evening.

'Tired, Satoshi-sama?' the voice came, as if reading his mind—which it probably had.

"…Is it that obvious?" the boy muttered in response, eyes still closed, too weary to snap at the intrusion, "…I've never…spoken to Niwa like that before…why now…?"

Krad balked—was that a question aimed at him? Or was it another of his host's rambling monologues in which he tried to determine just where his day had taken a downturn? Best to keep quiet, he was already pushing his allowances enough with Dark this evening.

"…Krad."

Golden eyes blinked as they phased into view; had he actually been called? He'd been summoned before, yes, but then he had always seen it coming, had known that something had happened in which his host would desire to speak to him. Right now he had no idea the train of thought Satoshi was following, 'Yes, Satoshi-sama?'

Turning his gaze quickly away after opening them to see if the blonde was responding, the boy frowned and leaned forward. "…I'm going to ask you something, and I—I want you to answer me. Honestly." He shot his gaze upwards and locked firmly on Krad's. "Honestly."

Wondering just what could make the boy ask him something civilly, the image shifted in its stance, crossing his arms and staring down with a blank expression. In what he hoped was a convincing gesture, Krad nodded firmly.

A deep breath was taken and slowly released, and Satoshi stood in place. "I want you to tell me why you're doing this—why you asked me to let you fight Dark, rather than just taking my body like you always do." As if to remind him, he narrowed his fierce blue eyes, "And I said I wanted an honest answer."

Krad's gaze now wavered uncertainly and he could no longer look the boy directly in his eyes. 'I…I'm afraid I can't tell you that…' was the pathetic excuse. Satoshi seemed to think the same of the reply, and scoffed.

"I knew it… You're planning something that I know I'm not going to like—and all I was hoping was that you respected me enough as your Tamer to at least give me some warning. It's not as if I could stop you anyway probably…" A harsh laugh, "Gods, I'm so gullible…"

'No!' the blonde protested, hurt washing over his face, and he took a step forward in desperation, 'No—it's not that! I just…I can't tell you why!'

"And why not?"

A pause, '…Because you wouldn't believe me…'

Blue eyes rolled, "That's quite possibly the most pathetic excuse I've heard from you yet! You're not me—you can't determine what I will and will not believe! Give me the reason and I'll be the one to ju—"

'You wouldn't, I know it. You wouldn't trust any reason I gave as truth—simply because no reason will suit you. You think this whole thing is simply a way to undermine you, or free myself from guilt, and you won't be satisfied with any reasoning short of that. Am I wrong? Truly, think about it—am I wrong?'

Satoshi opened his mouth to offer a sharp retort, then quickly closed it again and growled, "That's no reason to keep the truth from me! If I have to be your host, then I want some kind of compensation, dammit! I didn't have to agree to this compromise anyway!"

'That's right, you didn't—but you must have come to some conclusion regarding my motives that pushed you in that direction, didn't you? You're a very shrewd boy, Satoshi-sama…You don't view this as any compromise—you view it as more of…a treaty, with giving and taking to be done on both sides. You give me consent, and I give you my word: word that I will not kill—'

"There! That!" Satoshi interrupted, eyes flashing, and he pointed a finger accusingly at the blonde, "That right there! Word that you won't kill—see, I know something's up, then! You claim that that's your whole purpose for being here—to kill Niwa. Then suddenly one day you decide you'd rather submit to my demands that you not kill him than just take my body and do the damn deed!"

Krad seemed to be growing uneasy under the interrogation—he hadn't been expecting this. But, what exactly could he say? The real reason? Certainly not! Not yet, at least…Satoshi wasn't ready for that yet…

"You know I'll never give my consent for you to kill either Niwa or Dark—no matter how great a thorn in my side those two might become, because I refuse to take any lives for this cursed family that should have died out long ago. I refuse to perpetuate this feud any longer, and I refuse to give my approval for anything like murder. Dark's a thief, and so I will allow you to attempt to stop him—"

'Attempt?' Krad almost sounded offended that his Tamer apparently didn't think him capable.

"—But you know I'll never let you kill them if I have anything to do with it. You're stuck Krad! Stuck like this—there's no way out for you, don't think I haven't noticed it. And I know you are not one to accept stagnating away like this, so why consign yourself to it?! Tell me!"

Krad stared down at his host, studying the face and marveling at the emotions displayed consciously and unconsciously: anger, entreaty, anxiety, fear, confusion…all swirling in a beautiful mask.

'…Does it frighten you, not knowing my motives?'

Satoshi paled, anger rising up over the other emotions, now joined by a stark splash of pride in his eyes, "Like hell—I can handle you. But I'm not going to say it doesn't bug me not knowing what you're planning."

'Then I will tell you.' The boy perked up slightly, eyes hardening, '…When you're ready to hear it…which I'm afraid may be some time from now…'

It was only after their tiff regarding Krad's revealing his reasons for the compromise that the blonde realized that he was treading on very thin ice if he still wished the boy to allow him to fight Dark that evening. Satoshi had always, though, seemed to have the ability to make him forget almost everything else when he happened to acknowledge his curse's existence, rare though those occasions were. Krad settled back and decided he didn't need to be at the cathedral until the very last moment before the announced time, so he would refrain from pressing his luck any further that evening—should the boy "forget" their agreement, he would, of course, remind him at that point, and then…well, they would have to cross that bridge when they came to it.

Truthfully he was desperately curious as to how his host was taking all this. Of course he could sense thoughts which streamed over into him whenever Satoshi happened to be feeling particularly strong emotions, and he could even delve into the boy's mind and find hidden secrets himself should he need to—though he never intended to do such a thing, as with it came the risk of permanently damaging the fragile environment inside Satoshi's head. He could always use it as a threat though—what did his host know of Krad's abilities anyway?

Four o'clock came and crept by, and five o' clock with the same results—yet still not a word was spoken. The boy had lounged on the couch, no doubt thinking nasty thoughts about his curse, for an hour or so after he'd gotten home, then risen to cook a pot of soup which he'd downed quickly. Mundane household chores and school-related tasks took up the rest of the afternoon, and before Krad knew it, it was 5:45, a mere fifteen minutes before the announced time of 6:00—Niwa Emiko probably wanted her son home early for dinner this evening.

Satoshi was washing dishes, though, not even paying attention to the clock. He showed no signs of being done soon, nor gave any indication that he intended to halt his chores to allow Krad a night out chasing phantom thieves. Apparently their compromise hadn't been that strong…and the blonde's inability to provide his Tamer with a suitable reply to his question appeared to have driven the usual wedge which separated them even further. Dark would have an easy steal tonight.

"Would you stop that already? It's giving me a headache…your moping and whining." Satoshi toweled off one last plate and set it on the drying rack with the others to which he'd already attended, ignoring the pile that still remained.

Krad perked up at finally being addressed, but didn't intend on letting this show in his voice, 'Well can you blame me? After all this patient waiting and you're not even going to reward me—ignoring me the whole afternoon and not even having the good graces to tell me you were breaking our agreeme—'

"Gods, you're pathetic," the boy snapped, tossing the towel onto the counter by the sink as he wandered out of the kitchen and back into his bedroom, "That's no different from any afternoon before; I never talk to you. Don't act as if it's some new development." He flipped the light switch on and wandered over to his bay window, pulling aside the curtains to stare out at the skyline. "…And I never said I was breaking the agreement…"

'But…earlier, you weren't…satisfied…with my answer—'

"What answer? You never gave me one, remember?" he snapped, "…I never said that your response would have any effect on whether or not I let you out tonight, though. I simply wanted a reason. If you refuse to give me one, then what other choice do I really have?"

Krad paused before offering the hesitant suggestion, '…I did give you the option of forbidding me from fighting, you know.'

Satoshi's face twisted into a frown, as if he didn't like being reminded of this fact. "…I've already told Niwa I was releasing you though…it'd be something of an assault on my pride if I didn't." There, that sounded more like him, he hoped. "Rest assured that is virtually the only reason you'll be out there tonight." He reached up and unlatched the window, letting the doors swing inwards and relishing the nip of the wintry night air as it breezed softly over his flesh. "The Klein Cathedral—I trust you know where it is. I'm not going to be spouting directions in your head all night. You've got less than ten minutes—Saehara and the rest of the force will already be in place. The bow is being stored in the—"

'—parlor at the base of the bell tower.' There was a short pause as blue eyes shot open in confusion. 'Right?'

"…Right…but, how…?"

Another pause, and the reply came almost sheepishly, admitting, 'I read your notes when you flipped through them this morning…'

Satoshi's lips pursed into a frown, "When you knew I wasn't going to let you go anyways? You still looked, knowing it would do you no good?" The boy was having his doubts now, strongly suspecting that the blonde had intended all along to take his body and go out to battle Dark regardless of his consent, or lack thereof, rather.

'…I won't deny I was hoping you'd change your mind.'

Sighing, Satoshi resigned himself to his fate—there was no arguing with the blonde at this point. "Just—go. And don't talk to me." Then, just in case, he added, "And no killing." Gods, he sounded like he was lecturing a small child… But if he had to stop Krad at the last minute, he was sure he could. He'd wrested control from the blonde before, he could do it again—maybe. Possibly. He really didn't want to test that theory.

'Understood…'

Getting to the cathedral was one thing. Getting into the cathedral was another.

As per usual on a night when an advance notice was sent out, the area surrounding the building—parking lots, lawns, driveways, streets—was completely covered in vans, cars, trucks, even people sitting out in lawn chairs and picnic blankets. Everyone was waiting to catch a glimpse of the famous Kaitou Dark tonight: the media, police force, even the rank-and-file had gathered in droves. This, altogether, made it quite difficult for Krad to swoop in and catch his prey by surprise. Ah well—that simply made the game all the more interesting.

Alighting lightly on a rooftop across the street, and well away from the spotlights sweeping back and forth across the sky around the cathedral, Krad relaxed and slipped into a seated position to determine his next course of action. It would be foolhardy to rush in right now and lie in wait for Dark, as the humans scrambling below would see him and alert everyone—Dark included—to his presence. That meant a few more minutes of waiting until the thief fluttered into sight. And then…?

Should he allow his rival to enter unassailed, hitting him when he tried to leave? Or pounce on him just as he was about to land on the cathedral roof, engaging the thief in early battle?

The question was: from which situation could Dark most easily escape?

Krad had to remind himself that the point of this excursion was not to kill Dark…sadly. It was, rather, to gain some base trust from his own Tamer. Why would he want trust, one might ask? That in itself…was the entire basis for his current dilemma. He wanted trust, and Satoshi wouldn't give it to him until he proved he was worthy of it. So here he was, contemplating how best to maim and injure his nemesis without inflicting deadly blows…

And it was all his blasted host's fault.

Still reeling mentally from the guilt trip he'd embarked upon when Satoshi broke down the evening after he'd been rejected by one Niwa Daisuke, Krad reflected that this was in fact the complex reasoning behind his meager "compromise"—the reasoning his Tamer was not yet ready to hear.

For how on earth could the boy ever accept that he, Krad of the Hikari, had not once in his entire existence cried? No, never had his eyes felt that strange prick building up behind them, begging to be released. Nor had he ever felt his chest tighten up with pain, his breath growing short as he struggled to keep all that emotion in that was bound and determined to flow free.

He could recall one, maybe two hosts before truly breaking down in tears, but…it had never been because of him. Hikari Akira had lost his mother on the night of his fourteenth birthday as she rushed home over rain-slicked cobblestone streets to make it to the grand party which had been prepared for him—a party he fled in tears when the Monaco police-master arrived at the Hikari Estate in Villefranche on the Côte d'Azur with the news that his mother's carriage had overturned at a sharp bend barely a mile from the house and trapped the woman inside as she drowned in a sinkhole.

Then there had been the ill-fated Hikari Izumi, who couldn't seem to understand that the Niwas were his enemies…even female ones. That falling in love with one would only bring him pain…

On second thought, that incident with Izumi probably had been his fault…ah well.

There had, however, been some new element to Satoshi's tears—something foreign he couldn't quite reach out and grasp, something…something…that had made him want to change how the boy saw him. As more than simply curse he hated, day in and day out, as more than his horrid fate that he didn't deserve, as more than some demon without thoughts or feelings, who cared for no one and nothing. Something…

Well what did it matter? The point was he didn't intend to break his word. And Dark, he felt certain, wouldn't exactly stroll into his grasp without a fight, so there was little chance he'd need to hold himself back. Up to now he'd always put forth his all in battles with the thief, and so far this incarnation he'd held up quite well.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…Dark…"

In the distance, the great clock downtown echoed six loud gongs through the early evening air, sending a flock of doves from their roost in a tree to Krad's left. A wave of excited shushes rippled through the crowd, and cameras panned the sky, grateful for the bit of sunlight still present that would let them get a shot of Dark.

Almost in pity, Krad shook his golden head, "Really…how on earth does he expect to be a decent thief if everyone always expects his arrival with this much fanfare?" As if on cue, an excited yelp rose up from a girl seated near one of the news vans, and every eye was drawn her way. Golden eyes followed her pointing as he stood up. "About time…"

Two white wings he'd had pulled close to his body to conceal his figure popped open, catching fading air currents and making it difficult for the blonde to maintain his footing, but he wavered for a few moments more. Sure enough, there were the familiar black wings, slicing downward in what looked to be a free-fall, but was in actuality Dark simply showing off. "Cocky tonight, aren't we?" Krad mused, a sinister smile on his smooth features.

He adjusted his gloves disdainfully, as if he was about to touch something repulsive, and with a few measured beats of the great white wings, he rose into the air, waiting until he was a good few stories higher before plunging downward at an angle to slam into Dark as he alighted on the cathedral rooftop. The cold air whipped his face violently, stinging his eyes, and his golden mane trailed behind him like a flag.

In a flash, all the eyes that had been focusing on the rapidly descending Dark now were drawn over to focus on the rapidly descending Krad. Cameras flashed, the spotlight turned, and Dark pouted, "…Show off."

The thief had no more time to sulk than this, though, as his feet had barely graced the roofing tiles before he was nearly thrown off the ledge and sent hurtling five stories down. Krad was immediately in his face, "It's been a while, hasn't it Dark?"

"Not—long—enough—" Dark lashed out with one foot, intent on at least knocking the blond off balance if not off the roof entirely. Instead, Krad blocked the incoming appendage with his forearm before it connected with his chest, and nearly caused Dark's plan to backfire as he flailed about wildly with his wings.

"Come now, you're making this too easy…"

"Right you are," Dark shot back in a huff, and fluttered as best he could just out of Krad's reach, settling back down just in front of a skylight. "Let's take this elsewhere, shall we? I do have a job to do, and messing around with you up here isn't getting it done any faster." The blonde streaked forward, but Dark had already taken a step backwards onto the fragile glass pane, shattering it almost instantly and sending them both falling into the cathedral auditorium.

Both managed to right themselves before reaching the ground, but rather than engaging in a fight as he would have under circumstances other than a job, Dark tore off down the aisle towards the rear of the building, hopping over bits and pieces of glass and wood that the two had brought down with them. The bow first—Krad later, or not at all. Daisuke's screaming inside his head was enough to remind him of that much.

'F—FASTER! Hurry up and get the stupid bow so we can leave!'

"Why Dai, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were a little nervous," the thief panted as he took a flight of steps two at a time headed up to the bell tower. He emerged at the end of a long hallway lined with doors—no doubt the dormitories for students, since the building had long ago been a Catholic School. "Parlor…parlor…" He heard no following footsteps, but nevertheless he made his pace quick and light over the soft wood floor as he padded down the hallway, head turning left and right, scanning the plates on the doors. "Lucky!" He smiled, and reached forward to turn the knob on the second door from the end.

Dark quickly jerked his hand back, though, as if he'd been shocked, when a streak of light flew over it, opening up a long gash just in front of his wrist. He whipped his head back to the stairs, taking in the sight of Krad sashaying down the hallway, one hand resting lightly on the banister. "Tsk tsk tsk…growing lax in our old age are we?" Dark's eyes darted to the doorknob again, and he reached forward. Krad stopped and smiled softly, "That's a windowless room, Dark…and that door is its only entrance and exit. There are four humans from the police force already in there—and I fully intend to follow you… Should you really go in, do you think?"

"Well now, wasn't that nice of you to warn me, so I didn't go in there unprepared?" Dark leered, mouth relaxing into a lopsided grin, "I think someone has a crush on someone else, Kradders…" Golden eyes narrowed viciously, and he raised a gloved hand to fire another blast at the thief, who hastily slung the door open and slipped inside. He was flung forward by the blast which followed behind him, shattering the door into thousands of shards which scattered everywhere and blanketed the room in a fine sheen of dust.

The four officers shrank away quickly at the blast, covering their faces and coughing violently, yet making sure they maintained positions near the bow, which glittered surreally in its glass cage, almost beckoning Dark closer. The thief was only too happy to oblige—and speedily at that.

Not even waiting for the dust to settle all the way, he took advantage of the momentary blinding of the officers and cracked the case, slinging the bow over his shoulder so it wouldn't hamper any fighting he might have to engage in. Turning on his heel, his stomach did a little flip when he saw the familiar form filling the doorway, then jerked his head around back behind him to see that the four officers were standing upright again, each reaching for his firearm.

"K-Kaitou Dark…" one began bravely—most likely a rookie from the quavering in his voice at finally facing the famous thief—and trained his gun on the Niwa curse, who shrank away slightly, torn as to which way to turn now, "Y-you're under arrest, for the theft of—of the St. Tears, the Fallen Angel's Love Potion, the Moonlight Mask, the Sage of Sleep, the Kan no Ken, the—"

"Oh give up, would you? Honestly, your whole force is so pathetic I ought to start expanding my horizons and going after some real worthy objects…" He rolled his eyes and rested a hand on his hip, "I mean, you couldn't catch a cold—it's almost an insult to my pride to steal things this incarnation! And the way you all take orders from that Saehara oaf makes me wonder if you're not as stupid or more so than h—"

"Sh—shut up! Or I'll—I'll—" In what he hoped was a threatening gesture, he cocked the gun angrily, finger trembling on the trigger, and his fellow officers eyed him nervously, urging him to calm down.

"Ne, Norita…we—we haven't been given permission to fire…"

"Shut up!" he barked harshly, appearing to have gained a backbone now, "If he makes one move, I'm shooting! We were told to protect that artwork, so that's what we're gonna—"

There was a loud PING, and the gun clattered to the floor, exploding in a blast of powder as it fired, frightening all four officers into submission.

"I'll have you not wave such a thing as that so freely around my prey… I'm afraid I can't let you shoot him, boy." Five pairs of eyes focused on the golden-haired figure still standing in the doorframe, buffing his nails on the lapel of his coat.

"Who—who are you?" the officer who'd threatened Dark spoke up again, "And what authority do you have here? We were specially assigned to protect this work, and if Inspector Saeh—"

"Well join the club, won't you?" Krad drawled, glaring daggers at the man and daring him to continue speaking in such a condescending manner. "Do shut up." His gaze shot back over to Dark now, who had both hands clenched firmly around the grip of the bow, weight resting on his rear leg as if preparing to bolt. Taking a slow, measured step forward, Krad's grin widened—was Dark actually scared? He'd never seen the thief in such a stance as this; it almost made him look like a cornered animal.

Then, Dark blinked a few times, straightened up, and said something Krad had most certainly not expected:

"…Kyuu?"

Golden eyes narrowing in momentary confusion, he pondered if perhaps this had been the breaking point for his rival of so many generations. Perhaps their curse had finally taken its toll on the thief—

"Daisuki!" The voice was Dark's to be sure, but never had he heard the man quite so…cheery. It was decidedly unnerving, the way the thief face positively glowed in happiness now.

'It's that damn familiar, idiot!'

"The—familiar?" Gears began turning in the blonde's head, and he followed Dark's gaze, quivering with tears of happiness, over his left shoulder—just in time to meet the real Dark…along with the real Dark's hard right punch.

With no time to block, Krad flew backwards from the force of the blow, wings folding around himself instinctively in a cocoon. He slammed into the stand the bow had been situated on, sending the officers scattering about the room. Dark quickly motioned to With to get out of the room while Krad was down, to which the sprite was only too glad to oblige.

"H—hey! Wait one minute, you!" the guard piped up again, perhaps emboldened by Krad's fall, and pointed an accusing finger at the real Dark this time. "I—I dunno if you're the real Dark or not either, but y-you're under arrest as well, for stealing the St. Tears, the Fallen Angel's Love Potion, the Moonlight Mask, the Sage of Sleep, the Kan no Ken, the—"

"Shut UP!" two voices chorused, and Officer Norita's associates whipped around to face Krad, who was steadying himself against the wall while he regained his bearings.

'That was quite impressive, I must say,' a smug voice echoed in the blonde's skull, and Krad frowned savagely, though more upset with himself than his host's comment.

"I don't need any commentary, thank you," he hissed low, then turned his gaze back towards Dark as he dusted off his long robes. "Well it seems I've been fooled…"

"Understatement," was the droll response, with the thief suppressing a wide grin.

"You Niwas must have been practicing to trick me so."

"No more than usual…doesn't take much to pull one over on you—obsession tends to blind you a bit."

Krad's frown deepened, drawing lines of malice along his smooth features that made it look more as if he'd caught a whiff of some detestable scent that was lingering just under his nose. "…I wonder if you quite remember what happened the last time you embarrassed me, thief…"

Dark's laughing died away, and his face washed over pale as his heart skipped a beat. He was careful not to let anything resembling fear leak into his voice, but he still couldn't help the slight quaver. "If you dare hurt innocents outside of our feud—"

"You'll what?" the blonde laughed, "Punish me? Like you tried before?"

The familiar smirk slowly returned to Dark's face, "…I know about you and your little agreement with your Tamer—you can't kill anyone now. You're just where your precious Hikari clan always wanted you…right under their thumbs."

Holding up a slender finger, Krad tutted softly, "We simply agreed that I wasn't to kill you… There was nothing spoken of these petty humans." He jerked his head to regard the officers who'd regrouped in the corner, still trying to keep Norita from firing his gun.

Before Dark could respond, Satoshi took the chance to clarify himself in Krad's mind, 'No! I said no killing! Not Dark, not Niwa, and not the officers Saehara sent in here who had no choice but to get stuck in this fight! Do you hear me? You lay one finger on them and this is all over! I'll fight you with every shred of consciousness I have, I swear—'

'Hush, Satoshi-sama!' was the firm reprimand, and Krad pursed his lips for show, 'I knew that from the beginning. But there's no reason Dark needs to know as well—as if he'd truly call my bluff!'

Slightly more at ease from the reassurance, the boy settled back again and let his curse continue work unhindered.

From here on, all parties understood, it would be a battle of might between Dark and Krad—for the fragile agreement that had stood between Satoshi and Dark, the thief understood well, would not hold true for Daisuke and Krad. Regardless of the form a Niwa appeared in, Krad would stretch his allowances to their limits, assuming he intended on keeping the compromise or whatever it was.

If he transformed back…Krad would break the Niwa boy, most certainly—take him to the brink of death before reigning himself in. No…Dark would fight as himself before subjecting his host to that kind of torture. He'd endured it before, he would endure it again. There was no gambling on tacit agreements this time.

"…I know you have to let me go eventually, Krad."

"But before that happens I'm allowed a bit of playtime, Dark." He took a measured step forward, and the thief responded with a backwards step of his own, now quite distracted by his host's worrying thoughts flooding into him.

'With's already out of the building! Let's just get outside and leave! You can fight Krad…well, I don't know when you can fight Krad again, but not now! Come on, Dark!' There was no response; Dark was too busy eyeing the blonde's every move so as not to get caught off guard. His rival had an annoying ability to move almost imperceptibly should Dark dare even blink. 'Ne! Let's go!'

Frowning, the thief tossed out a soft curse and spun around on his heel, darting out the doorframe he'd been standing in. Running away certainly wasn't his style, but with Daisuke's urging echoing in his skull and the officers to be worried about, he couldn't risk a big battle—especially not in such small quarters.

"Ah ah ah…" Krad chided softly, not even moving to give chase, and twirled a finger around something in midair, yanking backwards with a hard jerk as if snapping a taut thread.

With a pitiable yelp, Dark clapped a hand to his upper left arm, grimacing in pain and nearly sinking to his knees as he clenched his eyes shut to keep tears from leaking out.

"Oh…did that hurt?" the blonde chuckled as he sauntered closer, "All that conversing with your host during battle makes you lose your concentration it seems… You really ought to work on keeping your threads concealed better, you know."

'Dark!' Daisuke continued pounding his counterpart with pleas, 'Get up! He's coming—GET UP!'

"I'm trying…dammit…" he hissed under his breath, and it wasn't a lie—it was taking all his strength and concentration to keep himself wobbling on two legs as he leaned against the wall beside him rather than simply sinking to the ground before Krad. Desperation was beginning to cloud his thoughts, rendering his usually lighting-quick thinking sluggish. His arm throbbed incessantly, but with more of a dull ache than the stab he'd felt when his rival had yanked one of his threads—that gave him roughly an hour before the damage became irreversible. An hour to get out from under Krad, an hour to get out of the building and find With, an hour to wing his way home with an injured arm that only astral energies could heal. He shook his head to clear his thoughts—the last thing he needed was to lose even more concentration and suffer another injury.

"There is no familiar here to save you this time, Dark…and no stupid bet to allow you to shift back to your weak little host. It's simply you and me, as it's been for generations." His smile waxed almost nostalgic, "It does bring back memories, does it not?"

"Of you being a homicidal maniac?" Dark wheezed, "Yeah, the good old days. Nice to see some things never change."

"I suppose that shows what you know," Krad retorted unthinkingly, then immediately reprimanded himself. He didn't need the thief going around thinking he was actually growing soft.

"After three hundred years, I'd think I knew you." He slowly pushed away from the wall and stood unsteadily on his own in the center of the hall, tottering precariously. "You not being a possessive freak anymore would be like me deciding offhand that I was bored with stealing your crap and pissing you off—it just isn't gonna happen, you know?"

The blonde was about to offer a scathing response, when the sound of feet shuffling behind him caught him off guard, and he cocked his head to the side to see what the source of the noise was. "…Not you imbeciles again…"

Certain that he'd gotten the culprit right this time, Officer Norita trained his gun on the white-robed figure whose back he was faced with. Third time was a charm, right? "N-now you listen here, I'm tired of going through this spiel and being interrupted, so you just stand there and shut up, alright?" Krad made no move to respond, merely glared and stood in as apathetic a pose as he could effect. "Right, s-so, Kaitou Dark, you're under arrest for stealing the St. Tears, the Fallen Angel's Love Potion, the Moonlight Mask, the Sage of Sleep, the Kan no Ken, among others, and…well, now I can add the Yume no Yumi, to the list, too. If you'd like to see a full list of the crimes you're being arrested for, one will be provided for you within twenty-four hours of your arrest. Now please raise your arms away from your body, and—"

"Do I even look like that thief to you, human?" Krad spat harshly, "Are you honestly so taken in by appearances that you can't even differentiate properly between myself and that Niwa curse?!" This was ridiculous; why was he even wasting his time? Didn't he have more important matters to attend to, like Dark himself?

"We—I…" Norita sputtered, "Just, you—and then he—ah!" He cut himself off and pointed, yelping, behind Krad, who turned a lazy eye behind him to see what had the human all excited. "Hey, you! We're not through yet! You're still a suspect! Get back here!"

Dark had apparently taken the few spare moments while Krad argued with the police officers to gather up his strength, and was now darting down the hallway towards a window near the staircase—too far gone for Krad to easily catch him.

Cursing softly to himself, golden eyes shot over to Norita again, whose mouth was still sputtering futile orders to Dark. A wave of apathy washed over the blonde, and he found himself actually somewhat grateful for the distraction; he still hadn't figured out just how he was going to "let" the thief escape after their battle, a necessary evil if he wished to gain his host's approval.

"Why don't you do us all a favor and never interfere with our battle again, ne?" he snapped to the officers, and all but Norita cringed.

"Why don't you do us a favor and keep your nose out of police business?"

A smile flickered across Krad's mindscape, and a light voice uttered approvingly, 'I always did kind of like Norita, he had such good ideas… And I can't believe you got distracted by a rookie…'

"Would you kindly shut up, Satoshi-sama?" Krad muttered, and Norita perked up, thinking he was being addressed.

"No I won't shut up! Because of your interference we've lost the Yume no Yumi, a priceless work of art—"

"Please, human, you've not been able to keep Hikari works out of Dark's hands before, even without my involvement. Why should tonight be any different?" Norita had no response. "Put up more of a fight for the blasted artpiece next time, won't you? It does get tedious doing all your work." With that, he turned and marched out the door and down the steps, emerging on the front lawn, and found himself faced with some fifteen police cars, each with officers standing by with guns trained on him.

'Oh that was a smart move. Even Dark had enough sense to jump out a window at the back of the building to avoid the front forces.'

"I thought you didn't want to talk to me this evening, Satoshi-sama." This seemed to effectively shut the boy up, and he cracked a small smile. True, he hadn't been expecting such a welcome, but then, did it really matter? When you were Krad of the Hikari, no it didn't.

It did sting his pride, though, to use a trick Dark had once employed, but if it worked well enough to get him and his host safely back to Satoshi's apartment, he would indulge it this once. Reaching around to his shoulder, he ignored Saehara's barking order to stay completely still and put his hands in the air, and instead plucked a single white feather and held it high over his head.

Before Saehara or any other officers could even realize what the being before them meant to do, they all squeezed their eyes shut instinctively as the entire front lawn was bathed in brilliant light so intense that they couldn't see anything for another half a minute afterwards—more than enough time for Krad to make his departure. When the world came back into focus, there was no Dark—white or normal. Saehara cursed long and loud, and no one really paid him much attention; the other officers were all too engrossed in the tale being related by one Norita Akira, of how he did battle inside the tower with—not one, not two, but three Kaitou Darks, protecting his fellow officers as they stood back and watched in horror.

The three officers he'd been "protecting" weren't going to refute him, though, as they were involved in their own talks. Talks centering on two names mentioned by the strange white-winged man who'd barged in and started fighting Dark…

Hikari…Niwa…

Satoshi sat cross-legged on his mattress and stared ahead at his curse, standing at the foot of the bed before him and apparently waiting for some sort of, "Well done" or something from the boy.

While he had no intention of rewarding the blonde with any sort of praise such as that, he did feel that Krad merited…well, something in response to his actions that evening. "…Dark's next notice won't come for at least another week…" he began softly, then his voice became firmer as he continued, "Don't speak of this agreement in any manner to me until that point in time. Only then will I decide what to do with you."

So, his Tamer wasn't displeased with his performance that evening? He was actually entertaining thoughts of possibly allowing Krad to go out again?

"…Goodnight," he muttered hastily, and slid underneath the covers, quickly pulling them over his head so his curse couldn't see his face crack an unwilling smile, elicited by Krad's own elation. His heart thumped a little faster in his chest as he went over the evening—he'd no doubt get a sound reaming from Niwa the next day, but it hadn't been quite as bad as he'd been expecting.

Had it been Krad's emotions simply flowing over into his own consciousness, or had he actually felt something of a thrill when Dark's face had washed over pale? He'd made snide comments every now and then, but they were mostly to keep himself in check, really, rather than to make fun of his curse's little shortcomings. Truthfully…it had been a new experience, actually having the upperhand in a battle with the thief—and what had Krad done that seemed to hurt Dark without him laying a finger on him?

There were so many facets to the two clans' battles he'd never noticed before—or rather, never cared enough about to notice. But…was he actually going to let this engulf him? Was he truly going to let Krad do as he pleased, provided he simply didn't kill?

Gods, his life was so confusing.

"Hi—Hiwatari-kun!" a voice huffed, obviously bereft of breath from darting through the halls in search of Satoshi. The blue-haired boy slowed to a halt and turned his head slowly to the side to glance over his shoulder at his pursuer, and then proceeded to narrow his eyes and continue to walk on when he saw who it was.

"Wa—wait! Hiwatari-kun!" Niwa Daisuke's voice grated on his ears now as it never had before. Any other time they'd spoken he'd been pleased to offer counsel to the redhead, who simply couldn't seem to grasp the fact that the two were enemies—or rather, refused to accept it. But right now he simply didn't wish to listen or speak to the boy, and he quickened his pace.

The steps following behind him sped up, and the crunch of gravel as he was chased across the school grounds ran rough and unwelcome across his eardrums, inwardly flinching. He was nearly to the gate, nearly out of Niwa's sight, until something yanked on his sleeve and pulled him backwards, almost sending him to the ground in an unruly heap.

"I said wait—didn't you hear me?" The voice was offended, and mildly annoyed, but still as forgiving as always, ready to accept almost any explanation Satoshi could offer.

Reluctantly he turned to look up into the red eyes narrowed at him in question—why was he avoiding him, they asked, why had he not answered when Daisuke had called? Straightening back up and turning his gaze down to his sleeve, still held tight in the Niwa boy's grasp, he grunted and snatched his arm back. "What do you need, Niwa? I've got quite a bit of homework to make up for missing class yesterday—I don't need to waste time here talking to you."

Daisuke reddened—though probably more from anger than the usual attractive blush he wore around Riku or Risa. "I just—" He cast a furtive glance around to make sure no one was listening to their conversation, "I…wanted to ask you something about last night…"

Straightening his collar and facing forward again, Satoshi simply replied, "Ask then. I may not answer."

"Why did…you let him out?" A pause, and then as if for some reason doubting Satoshi would know whom they were talking about, he added, "Krad…I thought you hated him—you said you'd never let him out…"

"My reasoning is none of your concern—he and I are—"

"The hell it isn't!" Daisuke snapped back, a little loudly, earning him rude stares from a group of girls a few yards away, and he backed down, hissing in a heated whisper, "It's my concern more than anyone else's! You just—let him out for a joyride! Have some fun with Dark, and hurt me at the same time. Two birds with one stone I see."

Satoshi's expression did not change in the slightest, still cold and unmoved by the implication. "You'll pardon me if you were injured…but wouldn't that be an issue you should take up with your own curse, and not with mine? It's his fault, don't you think? I cannot order Dark to stop stealing my family's treasures—so do not think yourself capable of ordering my curse to stop trying to kill you."

Face washing over pale, Daisuke's pupils shrunk to tiny dots, realization dawning, "You…you're just going to let him use you…to kill us?"

"Use me? That would imply, Niwa, that I was not a willing party in that escapade—or any escapades to come."

"To…come?" Satoshi nodded grimly. "Then you're…every time Dark goes out…"

"He will be there to greet you." He couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips, "I suppose I'll be seeing you around then, won't I?" A mock bow, "If you'll excuse me," and he turned on his heel and started back across the front lawn headed for the main gate.

With his back to Daisuke, he neither saw, nor would ever have expected, the punch that came flying into the back of his skull, sending him sprawling to the ground with stars flashing multi-hued in his eyes as he blinked stupidly at the ground beneath his hands, case flung open and spilling papers everywhere. He lifted his head slowly and turned to see Daisuke standing a few feet behind him, red eyes quivering with frustration, cradling his fist and trying to hide the reddened knuckles. Satoshi's breath hitched as he registered that Niwa had actually hit him.

The boy had hit him! Niwa Daisuke! The gentlest soul alive, who blushed when Riku complimented his paintings, who always bowed to his elders, who smiled entirely too much for a junior high student—had hit him!

And it wasn't a half-thought action—there had been no holding back, he'd put his full kaitou strength into the punch, aiming for what he deemed was the most vulnerable point on Satoshi's back. And indeed, the blow had snapped his head forward, straining his neck and clapping his chin roughly to his chest, making him bite his lip unintentionally, flooding his mouth with a familiar copper flavor.

A few students had seen the action, apparently, and gasped sharply as they watched the ever cool, ever calm Hiwatari Satoshi fall sprawling to the ground at Niwa Daisuke's feet, and then rise with some effort. This in turn pulled in other students to watch, and what a sight it was.

"I hope you were paying attention behind Dark all those nights." Satoshi wiped his lip nonchalantly, and picked his broken glasses up off the ground, placing them in a pocket. As he rolled up his sleeves slowly, a group of some ten or twenty had now gathered, sensing something brewing between the two least likely to ever speak a harsh word to one another.

Satoshi indulged another smirk, then zipped forward under Daisuke's guard and connected his fist to the boy's chin in a swift uppercut—apparently Niwa hadn't really expected any retaliation, the idiot. His chin snapped upwards sickeningly quickly, and he flew back a few feet before landing on his rear, massaging his jaw, with livid fury now bubbling in his eyes.

Stepping close to stand over him, Satoshi hissed low in a mocking whisper, "…And you call yourself a kaitou…"

Red eyes narrowing, Daisuke executed a swift—if not graceful—backflip from his seated position to put himself back onto his feet, then shot forward to aim a blow at Satoshi's throat, hoping to knock the wind out of him, but was foiled by an anticipatory block from the former commander.

"Can't believe…you let him…use your body like that…" Daisuke grunted, as he pulled back and aimed anew, only to be blocked once again.

"To carry out family duty?" Satoshi retorted, suddenly dropping like a brick to dodge a hit to his head, and rammed a fist into Daisuke's exposed stomach, sending him staggering backwards. A few girls gasped loudly at the action, but he tuned them out. "It's no different from you and him."

"I would…never…let him use my body…to hurt others…" Daisuke slipped to one knee, cradling his stomach, muttering curses between gasps.

"…Then that is the difference between us, isn't it?"

The Niwa boy raised his head to stare into the cold blue eyes, and growled lowly. Bracing his arms on both sides of him, in one swift fluid motion he thrust his legs forward out from underneath him and swept Satoshi to the ground, bringing them back around to stand triumphant over him, their roles now reversed.

Grinding a foot into his stomach, as if about to step on him, Daisuke leaned down and studied the bruised face, aware that his own, by now, looked much the same.

"No…there's something more… He's gotten to you…gotten his hooks in you, he's—"

"Shut up! You shut up about him!" Satoshi shot a hand out and grabbed hold of the ankle of the foot on his chest, giving it a sharp squeeze, knowing well that if the Niwa boy ever wished to use it again when leaping from rooftop to rooftop he'd remove it from his grasp as quickly as possible. When Daisuke stepped back, Satoshi leaped forward, using the break in the fight to gain the upper hand again—or at least, that was his intention.

"Hiwatari-kun! Niwa-kun!" Strong arms he could not break free from quickly encircled him, pinning his arms, useless, at his side, and pulling him away from Daisuke. As he watched, the same happened to his rival—the burly Kaseda-sensei had the lithe little kaitou's arms trapped, unable to escape. This, however, did not stop either boy from struggling futilely to get back to their battle.

"Let—me—"

"Boys!" a sharp voice slit the air, and Satoshi distantly registered that whichever teacher was holding him had spoken the warning, but he paid no attention.

He ground his teeth and clenched his fists all the same, as if ready for any attack his opponent might make, even while they were restrained like this, but Daisuke just glared, red eyes tearing up—not so much with pain or sadness, as utter fury…eyes Satoshi had never seen the boy wear.

"I hate you! I hate you, Hikari Satoshi!" he shouted, while on the outskirts students exchanged bewildered looks, pondering the strange family name Daisuke had used to address "Hiwatari-kun". "I hate you for what he's done to you!" He struggled against the arms that held him fast, continuing to chant his mantra "I hate you!" without pause to even realize the reactions he was receiving.

"Done to me? Like you could even understand it!" He spit on the ground at Daisuke's thrashing feet. "You don't know anything Niwa!" Pairs of eyes shot over to Satoshi, judging his response, "You, in your sheltered little life have no idea what it is to live like this!" His breath hitched. "Neither of you understand! Not you—and not Da—"

Daisuke's head shot up, as his face paled and his breath became short and quick, and Satoshi barely caught himself before he blurted out more than should have been said in front of others. It seemed even in this emotional state, the Hikari boy still had sense enough to know what should and should not be said in front of outsiders.

Had they been alone, the argument that would have ensued would have most likely been loud and colorful, but there was only so much in which they could indulge in a schoolyard full of people who had no idea of the feud between the two families.

Shaking in rage himself, Satoshi gathered his strength and roughly broke free from the teacher's grip, startling the man at the unusual show of strength from a boy who looked as if he wasn't getting quite enough to eat. He stood in place for a moment, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, and when it became apparent he wasn't going to leap back into the fray, Kaseda-sensei released Daisuke as well.

"I'm going home," Satoshi announced roughly, spinning around and stomping off to the front gate, readjusting his shirt collar. One teacher moved to stop him, but gave up quickly after garnering a cold glare.

After he'd advanced a few yards, though, he stopped and turned to look over his shoulder, earning an equally harsh stare from the Niwa boy. Narrowing his eyes he raised his right hand, as if about to deliver another punch, and announced in a voice Daisuke had never heard him use, "Death to the Niwas!"

Daisuke almost did a double-take; it was…a ritualistic ultimatum of sorts—one not unexpected of a Hikari to issue to a rival Niwa, but…this was Hiwatari-kun! The boy who would have sooner died than submit to his fate as Krad's host! He—he…he merited a response, that was for certain.

Death? No, that would have come as a blessing to the blue-haired boy…death was too kind a release for "Hiwatari-kun" now…He had made it clear by allowing Krad to try and kill Dark that he had no more qualms with letting Daisuke die, that the old Satoshi was dead…So, for the new one…

Daisuke's demeanor darkened, and he too raised his fist and returned, "And misery…to the Hikaris."

Satoshi's eyes widened slightly, but this was the only sign he had even dignified the response by hearing it—and he tore out of the schoolyard at a run, not even caring that it was only lunch, and there was still half the day to go.

"Niwa-kun, I think…you should go home as well," one of the female teachers urged him, lips pursed in a thin line—really, he was the last student she would have ever suspected of something like this, and with Hiwatari-kun of all people! Daisuke nodded mutely, gathered his things from a bench he'd left them on, and exited through a side gate, head throbbing painfully.

'I think…that talk could've gone a little better…'

"Shut up, Dark…"