Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel.

Just a short story I thought I would write since I've wanted to do so for awhile. Hope it's okay!

Stolen Moment

"I don't understand, Riku. Why doesn't he like me?" asked Risa Harada as she brushed her long brown hair.

Riku Harada secretly rolled her eyes at her twin sister's question. "It's because he's a flirt, and wants all the women in the world. Nothing, but a huge pervert," she answered, plopping herself down onto her sister's bed. It was the same every single day. Her sister would get all teary eyed wondering why he never wanted to be with her. He, the one they were constantly talking about, was known as Dark.

Sure, he was good-looking with his wild purple hair that seemed to shoot out all over the place, and his deep violet eyes. Not to mention his bone structure was perfect, but the fact was; he also knew it and loved to play it up. Riku thought it was gross how he ogled all the women he came by and then flirted with. He was such a bonehead.

"He's not a pervert, he just likes to help people," Risa protested, waving her brush in the air.

Pushing a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear, Riku leaned forward with a stretch. It was tiring listening to her sister rave about an absolute lunatic. She flopped onto her back and sighed, "Risa, he's known as Phantom Thief; he doesn't help people unless, of course you're a babe."

Her sister primped up her hair and declared, "I am a babe, and everyone says so at school."

"Well, at least you don't have self-confidence issues."

"He's handsome, I'm pretty; we could make such a beautiful couple."

Rolling over onto her stomach, Riku sighed again. Okay, her sister was a tad bit self-centered, but she did have a kind heart. "I'm sure you would, but do we really have to talk about him?" she asked as she touched her forehead to the mattress. Sports or cooking, how come they couldn't talk about that? She just didn't feel like talking about a guy that loved himself more than he loved anyone else.

With an elegant twist, Risa pulled her hair up and clipped it in place. "Come on, Riku. Our party is in an hour; you have to get ready," Smoothing out her strapless blue dress, she wanted to make sure she looked great just in case Mr. Dark decided to show up for the party they were having for their parents' anniversary.

"I know I'm almost ready. What's wrong with what I have on?" Riku asked, looking at the yellow top and black shorts. She thought she looked okay.

"You're joking right?" laughed Risa. "You can't go to a party looking like you dressed as a boy, Riku. Mom and Dad want to show us off, not be embarrassed by you."

Riku knew her sister didn't say it to be mean, but it still hurt anyway. Why couldn't they understand this was who she was? She wasn't comfortable in beautiful dresses or having her face made up. She liked lazing around in shorts or t-shirts, being able to move without restrictions. Just say she was interested in a guys or a certain guy, did they prefer the girl being made into a china doll?

Getting up, she made her way to the door and said over her shoulder, "I'll meet up with you later," as she walked into her room and shut the door for privacy. With a deep breath, she calmed and pushed the feeling of hurt down. She was not going to feel bad about being herself, she just refused too.

She moved to her closet to examine her outfits then selected one she thought was appropriate for the occasion. The dress had been pushed way into the back since she thought she never would wear it. Don't get her wrong; it was a pretty deep lavender wrap around dress with flowers in a little lighter shade of purple. The sleeves were short, the collar high and the length just above her knees. In all honestly, it was a modest dress. But she just didn't think it fit her image. Also, she didn't want to wear it and still come up short compared to her little sister.

Yeah, she knew she wasn't as pretty or lovely as Risa, but when people spoke of it right in front of her, it felt as if she somehow didn't measure up. And she hated feeling small. It just didn't sit well with her.

Pulling off her shorts and shirt, Riku pushed her arms through the sleeves then wrapped the silky fabric around her body. After she had buttoned up, she went over to her dresser and pulled a butterfly clip she had gotten for her 15th birthday last year, out of the drawer. She clipped back half her hair and let her bangs feather around her face. She slipped on a pair of black sandals that added a couple of inches to her height.

She grabbed some makeup she had stored away in her bottom drawer and looked into the mirror as she put it on. Streaking a brush over her cheeks then glossing her lips and eyes, she felt all set. She felt pretty good about herself until the door opened and there stood Risa with a shocked expression on her face. With a nervous tickle in her stomach, she asked, "Do I look alright?"

"Riku, you can't go looking like that! You look- you look-" stuttered Risa, a hand going up to her mouth.

"What? I know it's not great but still," Riku answered, getting a little frustrated. What more could she do? Without waiting for an answer, she proudly walked out the door with her head held high until she got out into the open and she felt herself deflate. She didn't want to be perfect, but it would have been nice to be called cute or something along those lines every once in awhile. She knew she didn't have Risa's beautiful long brown hair or brown eyes that sparkled, but why couldn't anyone realize she wasn't her sister and she never would be?

She sniffled a little, trying hard not to cry. She would never give anyone the satisfaction of making her cry over something so trivial, even if had been her sister. Walking on the sand, she realized how hard it was to move with sandals and stopped to slip them off and carry it instead. With a deep inhale, Riku loved the smell of the ocean. A mixture of salt and wind, she could stay out here for days thinking about where her life was heading or even at that moment.

She thought about a certain redhead, but wasn't actually sure how she felt about him. Daisuke Niwa was his name and in truth, she really couldn't understand what it was about him that she would even consider. He acted clumsy, ditzy for a guy, yet, he was sweet. And another thing, he was in love with her sister. Of course, if anyone could tell her who wasn't in love with her sister; she'd give them a kiss.

Speaking of kiss, she thought with a scowl. Maybe that's why she considered Daisuke; he was the total opposite of the one that stole her first kiss. Yeah, it was stolen by that perverted thief. She had yet to tell her sister, but in all honesty, she didn't want to. Was it because there was a part of her that felt that little thrill of his lips against hers or maybe it was the fact she felt ashamed because she liked it a little and wanted to keep it to herself. She didn't know what to think, but one thing she did know; she wasn't going to be part of that pervert's groupie.

Bending down to her knees, Riku combed the sand with her hand then scooped it up to watch it sift through her fingers. Sometimes she would give anything to go back before boys mattered or looking like a prom queen was the rage. Those were the times she could get dirty without being reprimanded or considered an embarrassment. She was rolling a small rock between her fingers when a voice startled her and made her turn around and whip the rock at the noise.

"Ouch, did you really have to do that? I wasn't doing anything, but watching how nice the view was. Whoa, look at you. I'm speechless," Dark's mouth dropped open at the sight before him. He had another heist to do in about twenty minutes and had just been flying over when he spotted a lonely figure on the beach, and of course he had to stop to help. He never expected to see her. She consumed his thoughts ever since that kiss on the balcony. After that night, all he could think about how soft her lips had been or how her eyes reflected the color of brandy and not to mention, her body seemed to mold his as he held her.

He had loved long ago, but this was different. Different to the point he was starting to forget why he had to be a thief.

A thief to live, yet he wanted to truly live. Live to be utterly free and love the one.

The one that was made for him. Him and her, together.

Together, with the one named Riku Harada.

He knew from that day on, she would always be the one.

"If you're speechless, why are you talking then? Why do I have the feeling when you were talking about the view, it's the opposite of what you meant? I don't understand what's so enjoyable about being a pervert, I'll never know. What are you doing here, anyway? I have nothing on me you want to steal," Riku shook her head in disgust. If her evening hadn't been going downhill, it would be now. She really didn't want to deal with the Phantom Thief at the moment. Was it so hard to ask for a few minutes of peace?

Standing straight with an irritated sigh, she was getting ready to walk away when he came up beside her. She looked over and waited for him to either say something or go away. Although anything that came out of his mouth, it would most likely be something perverted.

Dark glanced over and noticed her usual fire had dimmed and there was an air of sadness around her. He wanted to reach over and tug her into his arms, but settled just asking instead. "Hey, you look down; what's the matter? A cute girl like you shouldn't be sad," he teased but couldn't take his eyes away from her tempting lips, but made himself look away before she tried to clobber him over the head, and stared right into her wonderful enticing eyes. He felt as if he was being pulled into a never ending tunnel and feared he would never return. But if this was to be his demise, he would relish it and embrace it with open arms.

Riku scowled at his statement and angrily bit out, "So, if I was ugly, I should go around crying all over the place because I wasn't pretty enough! Guys like you are the same, all they care about it how pretty a girl is. Well, you know what; you can take your pretty talk and good-looks and shove it in the cramped hole where the sun doesn't shine!" With that last statement, she took off away from him. The nerve of that-that jerk. He didn't have to rub in the fact she wasn't that pretty. She had more class in her pinky finger than he would ever have.

Yeah, if she kept on repeating it, maybe some day she would eventually start to believe it. She stopped running, fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around her stomach. She bent her head, closed her eyes and started to fall forward and would have hit the sand if it hadn't been for the warm arms that enveloped around her. She sniffled again and buried her head in the crook of his neck and tried to keep from breaking down.

"It's alright," Dark whispered, holding her body tightly. He had been surprised at her outburst, even a bit hurt than he cared to admit, but he had shook his head to clear the cobwebs from his mind to run after her. Acting on reflex, he held out his arms and caught her before she hit the ground and wrapped tight. The tingle ran up and down his body as she buried her face by his neck then it slowly dawned on him that she sounded close to crying. Who would try to hurt the one that was meant for him?

A rage like nothing he ever felt, swept through his veins just thinking about anyone hurting his Riku. Yes, he said it; she was his. If anyone wanted to take her, they would have to go through him. They didn't call him an angel for nothing.

Riku moved her head and just this once, she didn't want to fight. She was tired and just wanted to lean on someone just a few moments. "Why, Dark? Why?" she asked, her lips gazing his chin as she asked her question.

"Why, what?" he whispered back.

"Why does beauty matter in order to be loved?" she turned her head and looked out into the ocean. The crash of the waves, the cries of the seagulls were like a melody trying to lull her into a relaxing sleep as she closed her eyes again.

Dark was surprised with her question and wondered why she would be asking something like that. "Beauty doesn't matter. What matters is what a person thinks here and here," he reached around to touch her forehead and then moved back enough to lay a hand on his heart.

"No, that's not true. If it didn't matter, I wouldn't be judged as a failure on how I dressed or acted. Can I ask you a question and give me a straight answer, no joking around."

"Ask away, no joking around."

Riku stood up, walked a few steps away and then faced him. "When I look like this, how can I turn myself into someone people would be proud of?" she asked, then looked away from his hard stare. Okay, did he really have to drop his jaw? "Never mind, forget what I said. Pick up your jaw before I have the need to kick it shut," she growled as she turned back to stare out into the ocean again. She stiffened when his arms came around her from behind.

"You are a feisty one, aren't you? You didn't even let me breathe before you were down my throat, although I wouldn't mind something of yours down there. Hey, I was just kidding," he protested when she tried to knee him with her back heel. "As I was saying, beauty is a variation from one person to the next. For an example, take your sister for instance. She wears the cute long dresses and is very feminine and to some she's a real beauty, but put her in jeans and a shirt, she wouldn't have the same appeal. Now, you on the other hand-OOF, hey, what was that for!" he yelled out as he bent down to take a couple breaths after she had elbowed him.

"You're real funny. Like I don't know my beauty can't compare to Risa's! You don't have to make me the butt of the joke and tell me I can't compare when I put jeans or dresses on. Stupid me for asking a guy like you, especially when I know you like my sister. All I wanted to do was have a conversation to escape for a little bit, but can I do that? Nope! I think I would have a better chance at real conversation with a brick wall," she shouted back at him and walked away. Why was she so angry that he found Risa more attractive than her? She could careless what he thought; she didn't like him, right? Slowing down, Riku frowned at her sudden insight. No, there was no way she could like a pervert like him.

It was a given fact; anyone that loved him would get their heartbroken since he couldn't just keep one girl. He was a playboy and he loved to show it. She was not a groupie, she wasn't.

Stopping, she smacked her forehead. Oh god, she was a damn groupie. How did it happen? When? She was in trouble, knowing she had to step back and give him up since Risa was in love with him. It was for the best. She was about to dissect her brain more until she gave a little squeak when she was scooped up.

"Jumping to conclusions will only you get into trouble, now settle down and listen carefully to me. Continuing what I was saying, we will take you. You seem to love being in comfortable clothes, jeans, shorts and shirts. Although I think you should have my face on one of your shirts knowing then I'm with you all day," he teased.

Riku rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, wouldn't that make my day?" she said dryly, but couldn't smile at the image of her in a Dark t-shirt.

He laughed and continued explaining, "You look beautiful in your comfortable clothes and then wearing any kind of dress, you outshine others. Especially the one you have on, you about threw me for a loop. If it wasn't for these wings, I would have fallen and you would have made me into a fallen angel."

"Stop, you're puns are so bad. Don't you know you look cuter when you keep your mouth shut," groaned Riku.

He looked seriously at her and asked, "So you think I'm cute?" he slyly winked and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"As if you didn't know; you love to brag about it."

"There is one more outfit you would look cute in."

"And that would be?" Riku looked warily at him, afraid he was going to say something naughty.

"This one," he grinned at her then with a whoosh, he dunked both of them into the water and came back up. "If you need CPR, I'll be glad to help." he offered.

Riku coughed into her hand and glared over at him. "What was that for? You just ruined my dress and now I have to find something else to wear. Eww, now I'm a mess." she complained, grimacing as she looked down at her wet dress.

"And to finish my explanation, in your ruined state, you look absolutely beautiful." he whispered and with a flap of his wings, he covered her body in a sea of black feathers and lowered his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. Caught up in the magic of the kiss, neither saw the figure with a hand to her mouth.

Risa stood in shock as her sister kissed the man she wanted for herself. She had been there since Riku had run out of the house. At first when she had seen Dark, she wanted to make her presence known until he started talking. In the beginning, she had been so angry and wanted to march up to her betraying sister until she finally listened.

The more she listened, the more she realized how much her sister was hurting even though she didn't show it. Also, she was starting to understand the working of Mr. Dark Mousy. He may flirt with as many girls as possible, but the one that mattered most to him, he talked to and heard. He picked out the vulnerability underneath all the toughness in Riku before any of her family did and for that, she knew her twin sister was the one he wanted. He had made up his mind long before she ever got to know him.

Giving them privacy, Risa made her way back to the house. She wasn't going to lie and say it didn't hurt, but of course there was always more fish in the sea. She wouldn't mind getting to know a certain blue-haired fish, if only he would ditch the glasses and show his wonderful eye color. That would be perfect.

Riku slowly pulled away to stare at him with wide-eyes, opened then closed her mouth again. The thrilling feeling was back again with a mixture of warmth and comfort. The feeling was so foreign to her; she didn't know how to respond so she just kept quiet. Until the silence got too much for her and she broke it first. "I should be getting back soon, I have a party to go to," she whispered, and then couldn't help herself as she trailed a hand over his feathers. They were soft, almost like rose petals.

"Let me take you back, if anything happened to you; it'll be my fault," he tried to tease, then let out a smile as he watched her hand moving up then down his wings. The kiss they had shared was mind-boggling and had never happened to him before. He had been right, she was the one.

She nodded then held onto his neck as he spread his wings and flew up. The feeling of flying was such a rush; she watched everything go by with a sense of belonging until he tenderly placed her back on her feet at her balcony. She stared up at him and smiled then quietly asked, "Hey, Dark?"

"Yeah?" he answered.

"I still think you're a pervert," she softly touched his chest one last time then turned around to head back inside but stopped when she heard his voice. She turned back and waited.

"Hey, Riku?" he asked.

"Yes?"

Taking a deep breath, Dark lifted his wings and hung in midair and said, "You have a lot to learn about me and I have a lot to learn about you, but I want to answer your question you asked me earlier."

Riku cocked her head to the side and asked, "Question?"

Flapping his wings, Dark felt his body move up then called down, "Your heart, Riku, what you have that I'm going steal is your heart. No more stolen moments," With a kiss on his fingertips blown to her, he flew away with a smile on his face.

"Cheesy lines are not going to win me, Mr. Phantom Thief. You have to do better than that." she whispered to the empty sky, and then made her way back to into the room with a huge smile gracing her lips. She was surprised when Risa came in and hugged her, and as Riku was returning the hug, she couldn't help but think something monumental had happened.

Maybe someday she would figure it out, but right now, she was just going to feel happy and normal.

Normal, it was such an easy feeling.

They may be out of character, but thanks for taking the time to read and for those who review, a big Thank You!

Starlight Angel