-Again, it always takes me a long time to force myself to sit down infront of my laptop and write out my stories. Yet again, as winter break looms closer, the teacher seem intent on making us as busy, if not more, as ever. It's really wearing me down. Ah well, should probably start to write out the story. Gotta find my little book of quotes too! Ah… there it is…

-Ah, "all things come to those who wait"/ I say these words to make me glad/ but something answers, soft and sad/ "They come, but often come too late."

-Mary Singleton

Tick… tick… tick…

Dark Mousy chanced a quick glance at the thick black leather watch strapped to his left wrist. How many hours had this thief been waiting? Three. Three agonizingly long hours.

"This is the DUMBEST thing I've ever done!" Dark grumbled, kicking at a pebble on the floor with the toe of his black boot.

'Well… I wouldn't entirely say that…' Daisuke trailed off quietly in his head. As usual, his other self heard and just barely, one eye twitched.

"Yeah, yeah…" he replied sullenly, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the old bench in the park. Running one gloved hand through his messy violet hair, he dislodged various snowflakes and did nothing to keep his bangs out of his eyes. Sighing, he resigned himself to wait. If only for a few more minutes…

Sitting, her legs curled up under her, on the dirty pavement of an alley was Midorai.

"DAMMIT!" she cried out, leaning over the alley's floor and slamming one fist into the cold pavement. Tears welled up in her eyes and splashed onto the floor below. Minutes passed, her hand throbbing and now bleeding. She was alone. Her one companion, confidant who always was there… was suddenly gone.

Then, softly, one tiny, nasty little voice spoke up in the back of her mind.

Isn't this what you always wanted? Didn't you want her gone?

Looking up, she realized that it was true. All she ever wanted was to be normal. Now here was her chance. So why did she feel so empty? Why was she suddenly so alone? Was it because she had grown so used to Kitsune that they were inseparable now? More importantly, where was Kitsune now?

Does it matter? She's gone and this is your chance! TAKE IT ALREADY!

The nasty little voice cried out to her as she pulled herself off the floor and struggled to stand in clothing too big for her. It couldn't be that simple… could it. And what if she's stuck somewhere, in pain? What did Kellan do! Her thoughts became frenzied as she ran her hands through her hair, each strand matted together with gutter water and a few bits of candy wrappers.

"KITSUNE! WHERE ARE YOU!" Midorai cried out in anguish, kicking the large, ugly green dumpster to her left and then cursing her stupidity as her foot throbbed in retaliation. Then just faintly, there was a voice.

'huh?'

It was quiet, barely there and rather confused… and very familiar. Midorai stopped crying, instead just stood in that alley, holding on to her aching foot.

"Kitsune?" she whispered quietly.

'Ugh… I feel terrible… is that you, Midorai?"

Sighing, Midorai let go of the breath she had been unknowingly holding. Quietly, breathlessly, she began to laugh, drunk with the euphoria of relief.

'WHY are you laughing? It feels like we got hit with a truck,' Kitsune mumbled but it only made Midorai laugh a little louder.

"I'm… I'm just happy," Midorai replied quietly, wiping a few loose tears out of her eyes while still laughing all the while.

'Whatever…'

Groaning, Midorai pulled her body off the floor, brushing her hands and knees off. Muscles aching she dug around one pocket for a watch, and upon finding it checked the time.

"AH!" she stared at the face, horrified. "We're going to be late!"

Ignoring the shooting pain that darted up her calves, she ran as quick as possible to the meeting place, praying that Dark hadn't left…

"Feh, that's it. This was a complete waste of time, I'm heading home," Dark stated, as he pushed himself off the bench's back and walking out of the park, his black boots crunching against the snow.

'Yeah… I guess… hope nothing's happened to her,' Daisuke muttered off quietly in the back of the thief's head.

"Well, I'm not. She's nothing but trouble!"

'You're just saying that because she stole from you! Quit being so mean and selfish!'

Dark winced as the young teen's voice echoed painfully in his mind. Rubbing his temples with his right hand he continued to take the back alleys until they arrived home…

Midorai skid to a halt at the park, but all that she could see was an empty bench and footsteps in the snow. Just her luck, Dark had already left. Cursing to herself she then began to race to the Niwa home. What would happen if they checked on her and she wasn't in the room?

Back at the house, Dark just snuck in through the front door, careful that nobody outside saw him and walked into the living room, where Emiko, Kosuke and Daiki were already waiting.

"Well, what did she have to say? Sure kept you there a while," Emiko asked in her own little demanding way.

"She stood me up," Dark replied curtly. And then it hit him… a girl had just stood him up! Without the exception of Riku, this was a first. Deep down, he couldn't help but feel a little angry.

"SHE WHAT!" Emiko stood up in an angry rage.

"Emiko!" Kosuke grabbed onto her arm. 'She always overreacts and gets so angry!' he thought to himself, sighing.

"Hm, well, Dark, obviously you know what you must do," Daiki said gravely, sipping the tea mixed with a hint of Sake out of its earthen ware mug and sighing.

"Huh?" Dark looked over, bored, "And that would be?"

"Arrange a meeting and trick her into telling where she hid the stuff."

"AND STEAL IT BACK!" Dark grinned as he punched a fist down in front of his face.

"YEAH! That's right! Nobody steals from the Phantom Thief and gets away with it!" Emiko cried out triumphantly.

'They're insane!' Daisuke thought off to himself as his father buried his face in one hand…

Jumping over the fence, Midorai quickly began to climb the tree outside her window and was soon perching on the ledge. Rubbing her cold hands together she whispered the spell and the lock slid out and with one shoulder she nudged it open.

Gently she pressed her feet against the floor, wary that some of the floorboards still squeaked. Avoiding the perfidious floor boards she began to slip out of Kitsune's outfit, shoving it into the closet, sliding the door shut. After three minutes of digging around the drawers of the small armoire she pulled out a smaller bra and a cotton nightgown…

Daisuke sighed as he transformed back from Dark. Now he was just standing there in slightly too big clothes.

Sighing he simply said, "I'm going to bed."

Nobody argued, it had been a long night after all.

Trudging up the stairs Daisuke stopped by Midori's room, nudging the door open slightly with his toe to see that she was indeed asleep, though oddly her window was just a crack open, a few snow flakes drifting in and settling on the tatami mats below. Sneaking quietly into the room he slowly closed the window and left, back to his room, falling gratefully into a rather deep sleep.

Night descended quickly upon the rest of the household and just like the softly falling snow, everything was covered with the thick blanket of dreams…

-SORRY! This chapter is so short! I need to get the story line progressing, huh? Well, I just finished up with finals, so I might be able to get some more work done. So thanks for bearing with me on this chapter. So… onward and upward!