Whee! Here's chapter 3! I'm so proud of myself... except for the cheesy get-together-alone scene and the um... fighting scene. You'll see what I mean soon enough.
Yay, the joy of this chap is so... I dunno, inspriring? Hope you find this one okay, cause it's the best I could do. Ah well, enjoy!
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Chapter 3: All In a Night's Work
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The night was pin-pointed with a number of small, gleaming lights that filled the somewhat deserted streets as Daisuke and Riku made their own aimless way to somewhere where they wouldn't be interfered: with a mother like Emiko, one could only wonder sometimes if their privacy was ever really there.
The air was fairly cool and Daisuke unconsciously passed a free hand through his hair, not being able to think of what to say to Riku and feeling incredibly awkward about the entire situation.
Dark, on the other hand, had plans to help the confused redhead.
((Come on already! Take the initiative! Go for it already Daisuke!)) he bellowed, ((There's no one around to see you two anyway!))
(DARK!) Daisuke blushed at his other half's unhelpful advice. (Why can't you just be serious for once?)
((I am totally serious this time!)) insisted the dark-haired Thief, while sniggering in the background. ((But you two haven't come face-to-face for a whole year now, and I think that it's the right thing to do. If Riku could hear me, she probably would agree!))
(Somehow, I doubt that.) The redhead grimaced.
"Eh? Niwa-kun, is something wrong?" Riku inclined her head slightly as she caught the redhead's expression. "You don't look too well at the moment..."
"Ah... ah! It's nothing, Riku-san! Nothing, really!" Daisuke flushed and waved his hands around wildly, trying to think of an excuse that was plausible, "I was just..."
((Just do it already!))
(Shut up, Dark!)
"... thinking about what mum said to me before we got here!" he finished quickly, trying to keep in time with his mental conversation with Dark and not actually speaking it out loud. "It was just very long and annoying, so..."
"Right..." by the look of her face, it was clear that Riku really didn't believe that. Not that she was going to interrogate him or anything. "It's a really peaceful night though, isn't it?"
"Yeah," agreed Daisuke, as they continued, "I'm really glad that you're back, Riku-san. Harada-san too."
"We missed you as well," Riku smiled at the memories, "But Risa wouldn't stop talking about Dark the entire time, whenever she got a call from one of her friends about that thief's appearances. It was really beginning to annoy me."
"That would probably flatter Dark quite a bit, though," the redhead commented in an off-hand voice.
"Maybe, but he's such a pervert! You wouldn't know, but he... he..." the brunette spluttered; flushing red with the memory that Daisuke was well aware of, as well as Dark.
((Hey! That was unintentional!))
"Are you... are you always going to hate the Phantom Thief, Riku-san?" Daisuke asked softly, on behalf of Dark, who was currently sulking in the corner of his mind.
"He's a womaniser!" she pointed out indignantly. "And the fact that my own sister would fall for someone like him! It just isn't right, and you know it, Niwa-kun. I just hope she finds out the obvious soon or she might get hurt..."
"Dark may be a womaniser," agreed Daisuke, wincing as Dark protested such a thing in his head, "But I don't think even someone like him would hurt someone who truly loved him on purpose."
"Why are we talking about him anyway?!" Riku frowned as the topic faded off abruptly at her question. "Whether or not Risa likes him, I can't change her thoughts, so... I just have to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."
"Hm..."
They fell in silence as they wandered past cars, lamps above them spilling dim light onto the otherwise unenthusiastic-looking concrete. Daisuke only looked down at it because he couldn't think of anything else to say for the time being; also so he could have a conversation with Dark without looking suspicious.
((Why does she hate me so much?! It wasn't like I meant to do that to her on that night. It was just one kiss!)) he protested indignantly. ((And she was the one who caused that to happen in the first place! I was just hiding from the police!))
(I know that, Dark,) replied Daisuke, almost wearily, (But try telling Riku-san that... it wouldn't take long for her to hit you over the head with something if she could.)
((And the very first night I saw her...))
(Strange, wasn't it?)
They stopped as they reached an empty area and both Daisuke and Riku sat down. After a while, Riku fidgeted slightly and turned her head to meet the redhead face-to-face, although Daisuke was still staring at the concrete for inspiration.
"Say, Niwa-kun," she started, so that he looked up at her as she continued, "I know that this may sound really absurd of me, but... um... you see..."
"Hm?" he blinked.
"... I was just wondering," she bit her lip, her brown hair falling over her face, "if, during the time we were gone... did you get into any other relationship with another girl?"
"... What?!" the redhead jumped up at the question, still trying to process it through his head, "Why... why would I just do that when I already like you?" he spluttered. (Dark, maybe, but me--!)
((Hey, leave me outta this!)) Dark yelled back.
"Aah! No, no, I didn't say that I thought that you were...!" she stammered, suddenly sounding fairly alarmed, "I was just, I didn't mean, I think I..."
She faltered, both embarrassed and worried as Daisuke just stared at her in shock. Silence blanketed the entire area as the two fell silent yet again, the awkwardness seeping into them.
"Riku-san, you know that I wouldn't do that to you," the redhead sighed as he continued. "I think... I have a feeling that... you're the only one for me."
Riku inclined her head at this, noticing that Daisuke wasn't mad at her, "Niwa-kun..."
"So let's try not to think that way," he smiled.
She returned the gesture shakily, "Okay."
A breeze picked up around them, but rather than being calm, Daisuke's back prickled and he shuddered; though not enough for Riku to notice anything out of the ordinarily.
(Dark?)
((Hm...))
"Riku-----!" Risa's voice cut past the breeze and the two jumped up, "We have to go!"
"Okay!" she called back, before turning to face Daisuke again, face flushed. "See you later, Niwa-kun."
"Aah, okay."
Without another passing word, the shorthaired twin ran off into the darkness, and the redhead took a passing glance at the sky above.
"What's with the sudden hostility--?" he wondered.
"Ah! There you are, Dai-chan!" called Emiko as she caught sight of him. "We have to go! You can't be late for your job, you know!"
"Yes, mum..."
As he prepared to transform – since it was faster that way – Daisuke couldn't help but look over to where Akane stood, eyes hooded over slightly. She ignored his gaze until Dark had taken over, and he just shook his head.
"You're a strange one, you know," he pointed out breezily as Emiko gave him the costume for that night. "Why Daisuke stands up with your behavior, I'll never know."
"Funny, I thought you and Niwa-kun were the one and same," she replied. "So how could you not know?"
The purple-haired thief pouted at this before waving over to the other Niwas, who were standing by their car. They returned the wave before piling into it.
"Akane-chan, are you coming?" asked Emiko cheerfully.
"Aah... no, Mrs. Niwa, I have some... unfinished business to attend to tonight," she replied, not even bothering to turn around to face them. Kosuke muttered something but no one asked what she was doing exactly, and Emiko waved to the two as the car took off.
"Take care, then!"
The two watched as the car faded off into the distance, and then Akane turned away.
"Be careful, will you? And... get changed somewhere where no one will see you," was all she ended up saying before she too, disappeared. At that, Dark frowned before trudging off.
((What's with her today?)) he grumbled.
(I don't know anymore...)
---
While in the car, Risa gasped, as if remembering something important. She moved over to where her mother was driving, and gasped out in a dramatic manner; "I have to see Ritsuko-chan tonight! I promised her I would!"
"But honey," her mother started in a placid manner, "it's late, and you need to sleep."
"But I promised!"
Riku rolled her eyes, well aware that that wasn't the case: Ritsuko had told her about Dark's appearance that night, and there was no other option for the younger twin – she just had to see Dark. Pure logic in the mind of Risa.
"Do you really have to?" she hissed from her side of the seat.
"Of course!"
"Aah, but not for long then, girls," their mother sighed as she changed the path of their journey and stopped at Ritsuko Fukada's house. "Call when you're finished."
"We can walk home from here, can't we Riku!" replied Risa, excited.
"Yeah..." 'I can't believe you, Risa!'
Their mother waved to them as the car took off again and they waited until the car was out of sight. Once gone, the younger brunette started to run off in the main direction of the museum.
"We're gonna be late, Riku! Come on!"
"Risa, why must you always--" grumbled Riku, but followed all the same.
---
"Dark will be making his appearance in five minutes!" yelled a voice.
The entire premise was crawling with guards, as usual, and the outside had reporters from every channel: even after a year, Dark appearing seemed to have some impact on the world of media.
"The great Phantom Thief Dark will be making another appearance today," said a female reporter in her cool voice, as if she was born to report all her life. "His target today is the Sacred Maiden's Portrait. This is, as we know, a very valuable piece that has been with this museum only for a week! Will Dark be able to steal this piece of artwork? Only time shall tell. We'll keep you updated on the news."
Satoshi ignored all of the chaos around him and looked at the portrait with cold eyes, not really knowing why he was doing so. Maybe it was because he couldn't get an answer, and something had finally hit a nerve; or maybe it was because he knew that Dark would succeed and nothing could stop him. It didn't matter either way.
---
"Great night, huh, Daisuke?" asked Dark confidently as he flew over to the museum.
(... I guess...) the redhead fidgeted, almost scared of what they were getting themselves into. If the Thief was worried – more annoyed, it seemed – he was doing a good job keeping it out of his mind as he descended towards an entrance close by. He stopped for a moment, as if considering the number of people that actually surrounded it.
"This is gonna be fun," he commented with his usual up front stand of confidence. "Don't you agree?"
(For you, maybe,) replied the redhead, (I can't do anything from where I am, can I?)
"True," Dark laughed, "But nothing's gonna happen and you know that already."
(Yeah...)
---
Akane watched from a safe distance as the familiar shadow of Dark descended towards the museum. The breeze picked up considerably as she turned, the wind toying with her plait. The lining of her wings faded in and out of the world, like a hologram that needed to be fixed, and she shook her head slowly.
'Something there... but what?' she wondered. The wind continued to grow stronger with each minute that passed, and still she remained where she was.
'What am I supposed to do?'
---
The guards had been easy to pass. The traps and alarms were also easy to pass without disturbing them. There was only one of two people that even phased Dark's ego; Satoshi Hiwatari and Krad.
As expected, they were waiting for him where the artwork was held, and the blue-haired commander wasn't exactly looking very pleased to see the Thief: if the situation had been anywhere other than the museum, Dark would have laughed. Instead, he just smirked as Satoshi stepped up, even though he could almost feel Krad inside the other boy trying to fight his way out.
"So, planning to try and catch me again?" he asked.
"What else did you expect from me?" retorted Satoshi.
"Hm... I thought by now you might have worked out that you can't catch me," Dark teased, well aware that he was going to get on the other boy's nerves soon, "so why waste time here? Aren't you supposed to be the smart one here?"
Satoshi's frown deepened as her lunged at Dark, who expected this and leapt out of the way. They continued for a moment – while Daisuke yelled at his other half to just get the painting and go and Krad was still trying to get out to kill Dark – and only stopped when a strange vibration seemed to pass the room. Both froze as the vibration passed under their feet and Dark shrugged.
((I guess I should go now, shouldn't I?)) he asked coolly, although he seemed a little unhinged about the strange occurrence.
(Dark... I have a bad feeling about this...) Daisuke said softly, almost hesitantly, (I think we shouldn't take the painting.)
"Are you stupid?" asked Dark out loud, making Satoshi turn to stare at them, "Emiko would kill us both for leaving it here."
As he took down the painting, the blue-haired boy behind him spoke to him, not even trying to stop him anymore. But it wasn't just that that made Dark wary: Satoshi offered him a warning.
"I wouldn't take that if I were you. And I wouldn't go outside either," he said in a low voice.
"What do you mean by that exactly, commander?" Dark smirked again, trying not to look worried. "And you think that I'm going to stand here with you around?"
"This is the only time I'm going to warn you," repeated Satoshi, "Don't leave with the painting."
"I'll do what I please," snorted the Thief, and made his way out of the room. He heard the commander running after him and, after tucking the painting so that he couldn't lose it, Dark took off at a run. He slid past a large number of guards and cursed slightly when he noted that Satoshi was still on his trail.
((I think the creepy bastard's getting faster.))
(Dark!)
((I know, I know.))
He summoned dark energy with his free hand and successfully broke a window close by. The alarms hit off and without hesitation the Thief jumped out, calling to With. The black winged creature instantly attached itself to his back and they flew off, the sound of the alarms getting dimmer behind them.
::I'm taking over now, Satoshi-sama.::
---
Risa tugged impatiently at Riku's wrist, urging her older sister to keep up with her.
"We're already late! Come on!"
"Risa! I really think this is the wrong time to be doing this!" huffed the older Harada twin as she brushed stray hairs off her face as she allowed herself to be pulled. "We only just got back home and already you're... what about school tomorrow, huh?!"
"I have to meet Dark-san!"
"Then why do I have to be here?!" Riku snapped back, although she was well aware why; if Risa went out to see the Perverted Thief, than Riku was sure to be close by.
"Ah! I think I can see him!" crowed Risa excitedly, pointing up at the sky. Riku waited until her eyes began to adjust and only managed to see the shadowed figure as it landed on a roof a good distance away.
"Uh... Risa? If you want to see him," Riku flinched at the thought, "Then you'd have to find a way to get onto the roof, and, personally, I don't see how you can do that in a skirt."
"I'll manage! ... Can you help me up?"
"..." the older twin raised both eyebrows at the determination the other girl was showing as she found a large tree with overhanging branches that snaked onto a roof close by them. With a suppressed sigh of resignation, Riku helped Risa up before climbing up herself.
"You do know how dangerous this is," she warned her as they somehow managed to get onto the roof without too much trouble. Risa shrugged lightly before scanning the rooftops before her.
"Let's go, Riku!" she called.
'She'll never learn...' Riku couldn't help but sigh again.
---
"I told you that it would be easy!" laughed Dark confidently. He sat on the roof, taking a closer look at the portrait. "Not bad. Not bad at all."
(Dark... I think we should go now,) Daisuke suggested in a low voice.
"Stop worrying so much," replied the Thief, "Creepy boy won't be around anytime soon. We all know that he can't run across rooftops even if his life depended on it!"
"I think you should show more respect to your betters, Dark," said a soft, yet dangerous, voice behind him.
"Crap..."
(It's Krad!)
Dark turned around in time to be hit square-on by an energy ball sent by the blonde. With a snarl, he leapt up, knowing that using too much energy would tire his host out, but not wanting to be killed then and there.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Why ask such an obvious question?" retorted Krad, as he summoned more energy to his palm, "You know that Satoshi-sama was only trying to warn you, but when you ignored it, it gave me the chance to take over. And now you're going to die."
"Nice prophecy, but it's not gonna happen," Dark smirked as he spread out his wings. Black feathers mingled with white feathers as a harsh breeze began to pick up around them. He dodged as another beam of white energy flew by him and summoned his own magic – not too much though – and jumped back a bit. Directing the beam at the blonde, he let it go before jumping off the rooftop, only to freeze when he heard a familiar female's voice.
"Dark-san!"
"Risa?!" he half-yelped - taken by surprise - only to be knocked back forcefully by another attack from Krad. "Dammit, get out of here! It's too dangerous!"
"But Dark-san--" started the younger twin, half shocked as she watched the Thief being struck by the attack.
"Risa, don't stay here!!" repeated Dark forcefully.
She stood on the roof, practically frozen out of pure terror at seeing the battle first-hand, and gave a yelp of surprise when Riku pushed her from behind.
"Move it, Risa!" she commanded, "Go now!"
Risa pouted at this – not liking it when she was pushed around – but it was enough time for Dark to move the battle elsewhere. Dodging each attack with ease, he led Krad a merry dance until he was sure that neither twin could find them. By then, of course, he was nursing a bloody shoulder and a not-too-fabulous bruise on various parts of the body.
"Damn you, Krad," he muttered, "Why must you always choose the stupidest time to try and pick a fight with me?"
"Because you won't die," replied the blonde, smirking. "Don't tell me you were worried about those two getting hurt in our little battle, Dark. I didn't think you'd have the heart for it."
"I think you're talking about yourself there, Krad," Dark shot back, while Daisuke continued to berate him.
(Don't hurt him! I know that he is trying to kill us--)
((Damn straight!))
(--but you can't do it! Do you know how guilty I'm gonna feel if your actually kill someone?!)
((This is the sadistic freak we're talking about!)) Dark pointed out, ((He probably won't care if he kills both of us!))
(But... I don't think that Krad's really bad... on purpose...) Daisuke hesitated. (That time when we were recovering the spirits... well, he wasn't that bad of a person.)
((That was because,)) started the Thief impatiently as he dodged yet another beam, "He couldn't hurt you then, dammit!"
Losing patience, Dark practically leapt on Krad, in a half-attempt to strangle him. As expected, Krad retaliated and it wasn't long before the dark sky was filled with streaming beams of both black and white energy, which might have looked pretty from a distance, but was dangerous and they both knew it.
"You're not thinking about giving up, now, are you?" taunted the blonde as Dark prepared his wings for flight once more.
"Man, he's persistent today, isn't he..." the Thief muttered in return.
As the battle raged back and forth – doing no more than minor injuries to the evenly matched foes – while the two hosts tried their best to regain control over their bodies.
(Dark! You'll kill him!)
:Don't do this to them. Krad, you sadistic bastard.:
Unaware to all four there, not only was a figure approaching them at a fairly quick pace, but the painting – that Dark had dropped as the fighting began – was beginning to shine with an unnatural aura.
---
A sharp feeling lanced through Akane and she bent over abruptly, coughing. Her eyes clouded over for a moment as the breeze nearly sent her off the roof. One hand lay on her knee while the other covered her face, as if afraid of what she was going to see.
"That was..."
She flinched as she felt the power getting stronger, almost uncontrollable. The pendant around her neck began to flash dangerously, in tune with the vibrations that could only be felt around them.
A shattering sound – like glass breaking – filled her ears and she almost screamed, unable to understand what was going on. But as her mind began to focus, so did her wits.
"No... the balance..."
---
'Yeesh, when I catch that Thief...' Riku ranted in her mind, as she tried to find him, 'It's because of him that Risa and I are here in the first place! I've told her so many times just to let the situation go!'
It was obvious that the brunette wanted to give Dark a piece of her mind; because of him, both twins had found themselves climbing onto a roof – which was dangerous unto itself – and now Risa was in shock, sitting and staring blankly at the sky.
"Dark! This is your fault!" she burst out in frustration, as she caught sight of him, still fighting with the blonde. Despite his earlier warnings to her younger sister, Riku was ready to tell him off.
Even if it meant getting in the way of an all-out, clearly dangerous, fight.
---
At the sound of an angry voice, both Dark and Krad stopped fighting for a moment, clearly surprised by the interruption. Dark hit his forehead while Krad just watched calmly, enjoying seeing the Thief in a bad mood – or at least annoyed.
"Riku! Get out of here! It's too dangerous!" he snapped, tensing incase the blonde decided to start attacking again.
"No! You started this in the first place, Dark!" Riku yelled back. She was about to say more, but was rudely interrupted as the painting suddenly flashed dangerously and a wave of transparent energy knocked them all back.
"What the--" started Dark, being the closet, as he turned to the painting: it was emitting a dangerous aura that made the sky waver in front of them. He swallowed and took a hesitant step back, while Daisuke yelled at him.
(Get out of here! Now!)
((Dammit... can't move,)) he replied, ((What the hell is this?!))
The wavering stopped, as a large hole seemed to open up to them. The wind all around them seemed the be sucked into the portal and Dark cursed out loud as he felt himself being dragged in, fighting back as best he could. Riku yelled somewhere in the background, while Krad remained almost transfixed on the ground, surprised at what was happening.
"Dark!" yelled Akane's voice, still a good distance away, "You have to get away from there! The balance--"
She was cut short, as the hole seemed to blast out a wave of energy that knocked everyone back except for one. There was a deep lingering of power as light engulfed the entire area, leaving a ringing silence in its wake.
---
A throbbing in Satoshi's skull was the first thing he noticed as he regained consciousness. He groaned and placed a pale hand gingerly on his forehead, wondering if his head was going to split open anytime soon. As he opened his eyes, he noticed a strange scene before him, besides the fact that he was lying on a rooftop.
Close by the older Harada twin, Riku, was lying sprawled out on the rooftop, still unconscious. Akane Takada was also close by, although she was clearly awake.
He sat up, glaring at her, expecting an answer.
Her eyes were hooded over. "Don't you remember what happened?"
He thought for a moment, flashes of images returning to him; Dark fighting with Krad, Riku yelling at Dark, the painting glowing with a power that wasn't going to be there, and...
"No," he said flatly, "No."
Akane bent over to help him stand up, her eyes glazed over with a deep sense of sadness and seemed almost hopeless. But besides that, her eyes seemed to flicker with something else deep within the other emotions, although Satoshi was in no mood to work it out. He turned to where the portrait had been, and stared:
The entire area where it had been was empty, save the portrait itself. And...
...A scattering of black feathers.
&&& (wow, a new page break...)
"How did it go?"
"As planned."
"So, do any of them know?"
"We do not keep tabs on them. They are both protected with an energy that we cannot surpass."
"What about the other one?"
"Also protected. How, we do not know."
"But everything else went according to plan?"
"The plan was a success."
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Hah! Take that! Oh, wait, what am I saying? This is terrible, isn't it?! Well, it could be worse, I think, and this is one of the best chapters I've managed and I shouda made Akane sick, maybe... and Riku's there for a reason. And where's Dark? Well, your guess is as good as mine.
Celes needs to say more, I think. And Akane. And what about that roof climbing part? Can't see Risa doing that. Riku on the other hand... and the fighting was bad, I know that much. So repetitive...
The next chapter will explain the whole balance concept, and the story's going to be split more so. And the action's going to start soon! Parallel dimensions and other worlds, here we come!
And Krad, well... we'll see very soon.
-- Talkback!
- Staryday: don't blame you for not liking the first one. Long, confusing, and um... boring I guess. If that concludes what one thinks of it, than Heaven help us all. It was my first attempt though, so I like it to a pretty strong point. It was really easy to type out. Came out naturally, I guess. And this will have more action! Go figure. Well, thanks for the review, love ya for that!