-Thank you all for you're reviews! Now, to hopefully please you all again… chapter 17! But before that, I need to explain, due to my comp. getting infected with a virus, all my documents names got screwed up and I put in a chapter for Ancient Memories in this story, unlike where it belongs! I apologize for any inconvieneces, and it will not happen again, cuz my comp. is now clean. so please review and tell me what you think of THIS chappy!

-Men occasionally stumble across the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened –Winston Churchill.

In the middle of the night, in the girl's public restroom of the nearly park stood the most frightening sight Kitsune had ever seen in her life. It was him… Kellan. With cold eyes he stared down at her causing a frightening shiver to run across her body and then disappear without a trace.

"Hm? Well, Kitsune, I couldn't let you have all the fun. I hope that you'll remember, this is just business…" he muttered coolly, walking toward her slowly. Like a frightening animal she squirmed away, trying to get her legs and arms to move when she wanted them to. Even Dark was spooked by this unknown man, who he now knew to be called Kellan.

"You think I'm having fun?" she cried out almost hysterically as he kept walking toward her, backing her into a corner. Dark tried to rush over to help her but with one wave of Kellan's hand, he found he couldn't move.

Dark could only watch as Kitsune scrambled away from him, trying to stand and run but her knees kept giving out from under her, causing her to tumble back to the beige tiles. She gasped for breath, tears brimming in her golden eyes and Dark could see the realization dawn on her face. This man named Kellan was going to kill her. She was going to die. Finally, her back hit the corner and she jammed herself between the stall doors and the wall.

"Do you know why I have to kill you now? Because you ran away!" His hand raised and deftly slapped her across the face, sending her head colliding with a stall.

That's when Dark noticed it. The collar around his neck. It was steel and a glowing brightly in the middle a deep crimson red was a small oval of glass. But what caught this Phantom Thief's eye was the fact that blood was beading out from the nape of his neck and in the blush of moonlight he could just barely see the small needle inserted into his skin. What did this mean? How the heck should he know?

"I had to! Kellan, snap out of it!" Kitsune cried out and she prepared herself for another blow, but when it didn't fall her blood ran cold. She looked up to no longer see Kellan there. He now stood before the paralyzed Dark.

"Kellan? KELLAN! NO!" she screamed and forced herself to her feet, quelling her quivering legs and racing over to where Kellan stood, placing herself between the Phantom Thief and Kellan, trying her hardest to remain standing.

"Dark! Run! I'll hold him off!" Kitsune cried out, her own hands starting to glow as she tried to ward off Kellan.

"What?" Dark cried out to her. He wouldn't admit it to anybody but he was terrified of this cold, blood thirsty man standing nearby him. Of all things though, he couldn't figure out why, but he couldn't leave the young woman to fight this… monster, by herself.

"Please!" she cried out as she threw up a glowing, golden barrier the moment that Kellan threw a ball of blood red energy at them. The moment it collided with the gold barricade wind burst around them and it shattered, sending everyone skidding backwards from the wind.

"Kitsune, you're protecting someone? That is indeed rare…" Kellan whispered to her.

"Shut up! You're being used! FIGHT IT!" Kitsune cried out as she lashed her left arm forward. As she did her fingers traced gold gashes through the air and he could have sworn he had heard the air rip and soon the tears raced across Kellan chest in a spray of crimson.

"Damn… you're getting better at fighting, coming into you're powers, I see," Kellan traced his fingers over the large tears in his clothes and skin.

"Just wait, you sonofa…" but she stopped suddenly when the young man collapsed, his fingers clasped around the collar.

"What's happening?" Dark hissed but Kitsune just grabbed his wrist and nearly dragged him out of the bathroom. He struggled to get to his feet as she continued to lead him through the park, not once looking back at where Kellan's screams of agony could be heard in the night air.

"What happened!" Dark asked the moment she slowed to a stop and collapsed onto the bench located at the side of the walkway.

"He… He's fighting the toxins… it'll only buy us a few minutes though…"she gasped, her cheeks flushed from the running.

"What toxins!"

"He's property of Wyngs… that…collar around… his neck… releases a toxin into… his bloodstream that they use to control his actions…" her breathing finally steadied as she stopped gulping for air like a fish out of water.

"Property?" Dark asked, looking over at Kitsune who just sighed, groaning as she stood up.

"It's been a long night… and dawn is about to break. Looks like you won. Until next time, my Phantom Thief…" she said as she walked away, waving a hand casually into the air and cast a wry smile over her shoulder at the stunned thief.

"…"

Dark was lost for words… all he could do was stand there and watch her walk off, his head still reeling from the actions of the night. It was only when Daisuke spoke to him that he suddenly came out of it.

'She's right… we should head home,' Daisuke sighed and Dark could tell from his voice that he was worried about the young man named Kellan.

He didn't even argue as he just silently took off into the night and headed back home to quickly transform back into Daisuke…

Kitsune quietly creeped back to the restroom and slipped through the slightly ajar door to see that Kellan was sprawled on the floor, his fingers slowly uncurling from the collar as he lost consciousness. Her feet skipped silently over the small square tiles and she knelt next to him, resting his head on her knees.

"Oh Kellan… I'm so sorry…" she whispered, her voice wrought with distress and sorrow. His eyes slowly fluttered closed and his breathing slowed to the rhythm of sleep as she ran her fingers calmingly though his hair. Tears fell from her eyes down to create small salty puddles on his face. She gently raised her gently glowing hand and waved it fluidly across his wounds and watched them close up, becoming nothing but pale ridges in his skin.

(Kitsune's POV)

I don't know how long I sat there on the floor of the bathroom, just that it seemed like an eternity. The golden glow of morning was beginning to creep through the stalls and slowly washed across me. I didn't move.

Grief and guilt seemed to pour out of me through my tears, washing across my hands and his face. My fingers timidly ran across his collar and… oh how I longed to break it, to free him. But I couldn't. I gently picked him up, carrying him out of the restroom and deep into a deserted and long forgotten grove, laying him gently against an old oak and sighed, pulling away. My fingers lingered on the steel collar for a brief second longer than I wanted until I was forced to leave him.

"I'm so sorry Kellan… please… keep fighting…" I whispered, brushing my lips across his forehead ever so gently and then I left, fighting every urge to run back to him. I was alone. I would always be alone…

(The next day, at the Niwa House, 3rd person POV)

Light.

It danced through the slightly ajar window and hit Midorai on the face, nearly blinding her. Groaning, she sat up, the sheet falling off as she did so. Snow had melted into a puddle on the wood flooring and more was slowly drifting in. She swore softly, jumping out of bed to mop it up with the nearest piece of cloth she had, a small black skirt.

When the puddle was finally sopped up into the wool skirt she snuck across to the small bathroom and proceeded to wring it out. She prayed silently that no one would come in and ask her what on Earth she was doing. Much to her surprise no one did and she made it back to her room without so much as a question.

"Midorai? Are you awake?" a voice called out from the nearby room and she recognized it as Daisuke.

"Uh… Yeah! Sorry, did I wake you?" she asked apologetically as she rotated her shoulder, which was aching terribly.

"No… I was already awake."

"Oh…" she fell silent then cast a glance to the clock and nearly swore, "Daisuke! We're going to be late for school!"

"Midorai?"

She stopped digging through the piles of clothing for a moment.

"It's Sunday… and it's Winter Break."

"… oh…"

Midorai felt stupid… no… that was the understatement of a lifetime. She sighed, falling limp to the floor.

"Thanks Daisuke…" she could hear he was trying to keep from bursting out laughing.

'Ugh… great… just great… now he thinks I'm stupid…" she thought off to herself as she fell back against the floor. Muttering to herself she just laid there on her back, staring at the ceiling. Finally she remembered that the window was still open, and snow was still drifting in, getting the floor wet. Groaning, she heaved herself off of the floor and made her way to the window, pulling it closed… that's when she saw it… a black feather rested on the snow, partially covered by the fresh new layers.

"Hm? A black feather…" she trailed off, leaning out her window and gently plucking it from its frosty bed. As she pulled herself back into the room, her eyes would not leave the jet black feather. Just what was it doing outside her window… not to mention what was it doing here at the Niwa's? Thoughts raced through her mind like marathon runners but shook her head, clearing the thoughts. What connection could the Niwas possible have to the Phantom Thief anyway?

-Thank you all for your many reviews! I just felt it was a wonderful way to end this chapter, so thanks for all the reviews, I'll answer them all really soon! And please, review and tell me what you think! Thanks! Until next time… cheerio!