Chapter 4: Suspicions Arise

"This way men! The room's over here!"

There was a loud scuffle of feet headed down the hallway toward the room where the jewels were housed. Hiwatari looked over his shoulder at the oncoming sound and narrowed his eyes.

"Get behind those drapes, Niwa!" he said as he pushed Daisuke toward the maroon curtains that hung on either side of one of the unbroken windows. He had just turned around when the double doors were thrown open.

"Hold it right there!" exclaimed one of the armed police officers who was pointing a handgun straight at Hiwatari. Other officers fell in next to him, each of them holding a gun and a flashlight.

"Honestly, do you think that the culprit would still be in this room when we all saw him flying away into the night?" Hiwatari asked calmly as he turned around. His cool demeanor quickly overtook the officers as they put down their guns.

"Commander! Wh-What are you doing here?" asked the officer who barged in first.

"I'm investigating the reports that Dark was here to steal the opals," he said, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"But… we didn't know about the-"

"I heard rumors from a source within the press that told me about the note they received," Satoshi lied. "I wanted to investigate on my own and I almost caught the thief before he was scared away by the helicopters outside."

The officers looked down sheepishly and sighed. "We're sorry, Commander, had we known that you were investigating-"

"You would have known had someone taken the time to call and ask me, right Inspector?"

Just then, Inspector Saehara entered the room. "Commander, I just thought that the element of surprise would capture Dark this time."

"The person who stole the jewels was NOT Dark. It was an imposter," Hiwatari informed them.

"Sir? We all saw the black wings that Dark flies away on. And look, this room is littered with black feathers!"

"A clever ruse to throw us off the trail." Hiwatari stepped forward and looked at Saehara and his men. "There's nothing else to find in here. I suggest you gather your men and head back to the station. We'll have to file the report."

"Yes sir!" They all said before they turned on their heels to leave.

Satoshi waited until the hallway was clear before he returned to Daisuke behind the curtains. The youngest Niwa had been quiet as a mouse the entire time and was now just waiting for his moment to leave.

"Hurry and head out the window and go home. I'm going to stay here and gather what information I can," Satoshi said.

"Right. See you at school then?" Daisuke asked.

Hiwatari nodded. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Satoshi turned around and left Daisuke alone to his devices. It would be up to the red-haired thief to elude the officers and dogs that were now patrolling the museum grounds.

----

The hour was nearing two in the morning before Daisuke reached his room. He collapsed upon his bed and sighed.

"Was that really you, Dark?" he whispered under his breath. He rolled over onto his side and hugged onto his pillow tightly. There was an ache in his heart that he hadn't felt in the two years since Dark was sealed away. He sighed again and closed his eyes.

"It wasn't Dark," he said softly as With crawled up to meet him face to face. Daisuke smiled and smoothed the soft fur of Dark's familiar. "I wish it was Dark though, don't you, With?"

"Kyu…" the familiar answered sadly as he snuggled up against Daisuke. The pair fell asleep soundly for the rest of the night.

-The next morning-

"Dai honey! You're going to be late for school!" yelled Emiko loudly. Daisuke looked up at the clock curiously; he had plenty of time before he had to leave for school and wondered if his mom had made a mistake. He traveled down to the kitchen two steps at a time.

"What are you talking about, mom? I've got lots of time left."

"Oh, I wanted you to eat some breakfast before you left, dear." She smiled brightly at Daisuke and herded him to the table. She practically shoved him into a chair and pushed him close to the table. A small "oof" emitted from Daisuke.

"But… I'm not hungry mom," Daisuke replied as he began to push himself away from the table.

"Daisuke." Emiko's voice held a sharp, almost stiff tone.

"Um… okay. I guess I could… eat something…" he answered reluctantly and with a gulp.

"Wonderful! While I'm cooking why don't you read the front page of the paper for me, hrm?" She began to beat the pancake batter with a whisk.

"Sure thing, mom." Daisuke picked up the morning newspaper and glanced at the front page. He gasped softly upon seeing the headline:

PHANTOM THIEF DARK RETURNS!

Heaven's Tears Stolen by Infamous Thief.

Daisuke hesitated and set the paper down. "Oh… there's uh… nothing really going on, y'know."

"Oh? Not even the story about Dark?" She glanced up at Daisuke with angry eyes. She had completely stopped cooking.

"Mom I can explain!" Daisuke said jumping to his feet to face his mother.

"Well I should hope so, Daisuke," said Daiki as he entered the kitchen. "We didn't think it was you but-"

"But when we didn't find you in your bed last night, we…" There was a quiver in Emiko's voice that wasn't there before.

"Mom, I swear I didn't steal the jewels. Hiwatari and I went to the museum though to figure out who sent the note and maybe catch them." Daisuke's heart was beating quickly within his chest and there was a slight sweat drop forming upon his right temple.

"We heard about the note, too. It was on the tv this morning. You swear you didn't do it, Dai?" Emiko asked pleadingly.

"I promise mom, it wasn't me. It was…" Daisuke paused. He didn't really know who it was or why they had even stolen the jewels or why they pretended to be Dark. He was just as clueless as everyone else. "The person talked to me and Hiwatari though. They said they wanted the real Dark to show up. Maybe that's why they pretended to be Dark." He shrugged and sat back down in his chair.

"But why would anyone want Dark?" Emiko asked finally as she finishing making the pancakes and served them up for both her father and son. "He's been gone for two years now and I know he's still sealed away."

Daisuke ate quickly and took his plate over to the sink. "I promise mom, with all my heart, that it wasn't me." He kissed her on the cheek and smiled.

"Oh Dai… I know. I just… I think I just got scared is all. And maybe…" She didn't want to admit either, but she too missed the Phantom Thief.

"So now," Daiki began as he nibbled on a piece of syrup covered pancake. "The only mystery to solve is who exactly this impersonating thief is."

Everyone in the room nodded just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it, mom. I have to go anyway." Daisuke grabbed his bag and sprinted for the door. "Can I help-" he began as he opened the door. "Miss… Miss Hattori!" Daisuke's heart tightened within his chest for some reason. "Wh-what are you doing here?" his voice squeaked with surprise.

"Hello to you, too," Maya said with a slightly amused tone. "I thought that we could walk to school together, Niwa." Her emerald-green eyes seemed to pierce straight into Daisuke's soul.

"Um… yeah. Of course… I guess," he stuttered. "Do you… how did… I mean, we've never really talked at school and… how did you know that I live here?" Daisuke's words were clustering together even before they left his mouth. He chided himself quietly.

"I saw you out here the other day with your dad. I live just down the way," she said, pointing to the right.

"Oh really?" He looked down the lane and couldn't remember anyone moving in recently; though how could he know since she probably moved in while he was on vacation. "Well, let's go then before we're late."

Daisuke closed the door to his house and began to walk to the uphill tram that would lead to their school. The trip was quiet with Daisuke unsure of what to say and the girl who seemed unwilling to say anything at all. In fact, she was an enigma to him and everyone else. She was quiet in school, barely talking or socializing with anyone. She ate alone and when the final bell rang, she was gone before anyone could ask her to walk home with them. But Maya was different today carrying a light and uplifting aura around her, one that was missing before. She did, after all, ask Daisuke to walk to school with her. As far as he knew, he was the first person she EVER talked to.

"So," Maya said to break the deafening silence. "Did you hear about that robbery last night?"

Daisuke's heart skipped a beat before he calmed himself down. There was no way she could have known that he was there.

"No, I didn't," he lied. Maya glanced at him from the corner of her eyes and smirked.

"Oh? They say that some guy named Dark committed the crime."

"It wasn't Dark!" Daisuke protested before he had a chance to catch his outburst. "I mean… it couldn't have been. He's been gone for two years now."

Maya giggled softly though there seemed to be a sinister tone to her laugh. "Just because someone's been gone for two years doesn't mean they can't come back, you know? Unless… you know something that the rest of us don't." She smiled at him and stepped a little bit closer to him before a voice interrupted the conversation.

"It wasn't Dark's style," Satoshi said as he approached both Maya and Daisuke. Maya glared over at Satoshi before a smile decorated her face. "Hiwatari... the person in charge of capturing the Phantom Thief; of course, you'd know all about Dark wouldn't you?"

Satoshi glared at her and took another step forward. "And why are you interested in Dark, Miss Hattori?"

But before Maya could answer and before Daisuke was about to pass out from the tension between Maya and Satoshi, a voice called out to him.

"Niwa!" Riku yelled as she ran toward him. She hadn't heard a bit of the conversation between Daisuke and Maya. She hugged him tightly and then smiled at Maya. "Hi there," Riku said slightly suspicious.

"Hello Miss Harada," Maya said with a bow. "And you too, Miss Harada." She bowed toward Risa this time.

"Oh! Call me Risa!" The cheerful girl said as she bounded forward. She had been looking for a reason to talk to the new girl and now seemed like the perfect time. "And you're Maya, right? I didn't know you came this way to school."

Maya smiled. "I normally take the long way," she said evenly. "But today, I decided I needed to get to know my classmates a bit better." She smiled at Daisuke.

"Is that so," Satoshi said with a glare. "I find that very interesting."

"Oh Hiwatari," Risa said as she hugged his arm. "You're always so suspicious of people." She began to tug him toward the tram.

Riku glanced at Hiwatari and then at Daisuke before she leaned up to whisper in his ear. "What are you doing here with her?"

Daisuke's eyes widened. He couldn't tell Riku that the girl had literally picked him up on his doorstep. "We ran into each other on the way here," he whispered in return. "She started talking and …"

"Tram's here," Maya said, disturbing Daisuke and Riku.

Riku narrowed her eyes and entered the car, followed closely by Daisuke. Risa and Satoshi were next, followed lastly by Maya. The car was packed and there was barely any room to move. Satoshi was practically pressed against Maya who was leaning against the door. He looked down at her only to find that she was staring right up at him.

"I want to know why you're so interested in Dark," Satoshi asked bluntly.

"Oh I dunno," Maya began in a coy voice. "Maybe I'm just interested in local history. I've read that the Phantom Thief used to only make his appearance once every forty years. I wonder why he waited so little this time around…"

"Because it wasn't him," Satoshi answered.

"Hrm, you know, Niwa said the same thing. I wonder what the both of you know that the rest of us don't."

"That's none of your business," Hiwatari said coldly. "And I suggest that you-"

The tram came to a halt and the doors slid open. Maya bounded outside with her bag in tow and waited for Risa to emerge. Once the younger Harada did, Maya pulled her aside and whispered in her ear.

"I need to talk with you later if that's possible."

Risa nodded happily. "Of course! I have a free period after lunch."

"Perfect… I'll meet you in the courtyard then." She backed away and waved at Risa and the others who had now joined her. "I'll see you all later!" And with that she ran off toward the school.

"That girl is weird," Riku said with her hands on her hips.

"I agree," Satoshi said.

"Well I think she's nice!" Risa exclaimed with a smile.

Riku immediately began to argue with her twin sister as they walked toward the school.

Daisuke just sighed and shook his head. He really didn't know what to make of Maya at the moment. The only thing he knew was that when he was near her, he could feel the strange power that surrounded her and that only made him want to know more.