Pawns
by Quicksilver
Part Two
Maron was annoyed. That was nothing new- especially when you considered the reason for her annoyance. Finn Fish smiled at her, looking cute in the way only an angel could. Her green eyes shone with innocence, but Maron wasn't having any of it.
"I can't believe you did this to me again!" she declared, her hands on her hips as she glared at her sometimes guardian. "How many times do I have to tell you not to send notice without asking me? It would serve you right if I didn't go!"
Fin Fish looked horrified. "You wouldn't! The poor lady is going to be consumed by a demon, and you want to do nothing? Maron!" she exclaimed as the teenager pretended to ignore her by filing her long fingernails. "Besides, I saw Access Time lurking around- and if he's nearby, that means Sinbad will be going after the target as well."
Maron fumed at the mention of her rival. The annoying kaitou kept getting in her way, telling her- her, the reincarnation of Joan of Arc herself!-that she wasn't suited to Checkmating. "Who does he think he is, anyway?" she muttered. "What time is the notice set for?" she demanded.
"9 o'clock. Miyako is already planning something."
"Miyako is always planning something," Maron said with a light laugh. She glanced at the clock, and saw she had a little over three hours. "Well, I guess I have time to do my homework before I go," she sighed.
It was trigonometry, and she hated it. At least it would keep her mind too busy to worry about Chiaki.
Maron looked at the mansion she would very shortly be breaking into. Within the pristine white walls she knew a special painting was located; a painting that, while beautiful, was more dangerous then most people were even able to begin to grasp. A demon lay within, eating the pure heart of a woman who'd done nothing more then admire the beauty of the pigments.
Maron hated that. Demons were evil, yet they kept attacking the most beautiful creations of humanity. It was wrong somehow- evil should look the same outside then as it did inside, but... well, life was never perfect. She had learned never to be deceived by appearances.
"Standard guards on the perimeter- I see Haruto and Fuyuta out there, but that still leaves two of the Four Seasons unaccounted for," she mused, talking to Fin Fish.
"They're probably helping in whatever 'special' Miyako devised for you this time. The demon is in the second floor, under a glass case. I think Miyako is probably up there as well, and I haven't seen Toudaiji-san. No sign of Access or Sinbad, either," she said softly.
"I guess it's time. Ready, Fin?" she asked, holding up her rosary.
The small angel smiled and meditated for a second, charging the cross with spiritual energy. Maron quickly transformed into the pretty kaitou of the heavenly winds, smiling as she took a hundred-foot drop without fear. There was really nothing like feeling the rush of the French saint's energy wash over her. She was invincible, unmatchable, and no ordinary mortal could compare to the majesty she now possessed. All too soon the pink energy deserted her, and she was left as Kaitou Jeanne, the thief who stole back the hearts of mankind's purest members. "Game start!" she called as she vaulted over a wall.
Immediately the police drones converged on her, trying to grab the elusive beauty. With a musical laugh, she easily avoided all of their best efforts, even winking impudently at the one who came closest. "Not quite!" she said teasingly as she passed through the courtyard to the door.
Normally she would have gone through a window, but her instincts said that that would be a bad idea. So she did the unexpected and walked through the front door, amazed that no one had thought to lock it. Behind her she heard someone swear, and it became apparent that she had foiled some kind of ambush. She raced up the stairs, darting between a group of suspended sandbags that had been rigged like pendulums. They were heavy and one of them managed to hit her back as she was breaking free, sending her tumbling to the floor. She turned her fall into a somersault, but she had been slowed down enough for Haruto to make a grab at her from behind.
Jeanne kicked out at him, hitting him harder then she'd intended. He went reeling backwards, and she winced as he fell down the stairs. The sandbags lining the staircase slowed his fall, but she knew that he would be sore for a few days. "Sorry about that!" she called as she went even further into the mansion.
A noise from behind her warned her of her next attacker. She did a flip, avoiding Akita's lunge for her. Her purple eyes narrowed and she looked around for the next of the officers.
Natsuda appeared as if cued, firing a special net that screamed Miyako. Lunging sideways, she laughed as Akita got tangled up instead. Grabbing her rebound ball, she flung it upwards, catching a hold of the ceiling. With a jerk of her wrist, the thin rope started to shrink, causing her to ascend with it.
She mentally started to count and realized that she was still missing one of the usual quartet. Where the hell is Fuyuta? she wondered. Fin said she saw him out front.
Her musings were cut short as the rope on her rebound ball was severed by some kind of knife, and she glanced over to see Fuyuta smiling slightly. Suddenly Jeanne was falling, and she didn't like it. Summoning her inner reserves, she prayed to Kami-sama to make her like a feather. Slowly she drifted down, defying gravity for a few essential seconds.
Her delay cost her. The police had recovered from her attacks and were starting to move in on her. The lights in the house flared into life, and she winced as her eyes, which had become accustomed to darkness, got hit by the brightness.
"We have you now, Jeanne!" came a familiar voice. "Give it up!" Miyako looked like she was in her element with Tokyo's finest flanking her.
Jeanne looked around nervously, trying to figure out her best option. Another voice cut through the stillness that had fallen. "Sinbad's here!"
Miyako swore. "How the hell did he manage to get through the traps?" she wanted to know. Jeanne could see her gnashing her teeth.
"Orders?" Akita asked Miyako's father.
"Natsuda, Akita- go after Sinbad. We'll get Jeanne," Toudaiji-kaji said with amazing intensity.
"I don't think so!" Jeanne said, firing her rebound ball up to the chandelier. With a grin, she swung herself up onto the landing.
"I thought you cut that!" she heard Miyako yelling behind her.
"I did!" Fuyuta said defensively. "She must have more than one!"
Her laughter echoed merrily as she continued onwards. Magic was a wonderful thing. Now this was living- she hated deceiving Miyako, but there was nothing like the thrill of the chase. Not that they would catch her, but... there was always that minute chance that kept her blood racing. Pitting herself against the rest of the world... there was nothing like it.
Finally she rounded the final corner and raced into the room. It was here.
In front of a delicate painting of a Shinto shrine, a middle-aged woman stood. "Leave! You're not taking it from me!" she declared.
Jeanne's eyes softened as she saw the tell-tale signs of a demon's possessions: circles under the eyes, hunched posture, furious face. "Shhhhh..." she said soothingly. "This is for your own good."
The woman roared and leaped at her, aiming a claw-like hand at the kaitou's throat. Jeanne easily caught the woman's clumsy hands and tossed her into the wall. Concentrating, she produced a pin and prepared to cast it into the picture to seal the demon. "You, demon born in darkness-"
"Checkmate!" a deep voice said, and she watched in horror as, yet again, the painting was turned into a black pawn by Kaitou Sinbad. Access Time grabbed it as it fell and flew away after congratulating his ward.
The woman started to scream as the demon left her, but neither kaitou paid any attention to her. They stared intently at the other.
"You!" Jeanne said furiously.
"Of course it's me," Sinbad said coolly. "I said I was going to steal all your targets, and I meant it," he declared.
Jeanne's eyes flared with fury, and she couldn't contain herself. This time it was she who attacked, aiming a high kick at his face. He dodged agilely and retaliated with a backhand, which caught her on the cheek. Rather then slow her down, it just made her more enraged.
Miyako raced into the room, finally catching up to them. She had taken the long route (someone, who she suspected was Sinbad, had re-triggered her traps and caught the rest of the police force in them), and was slightly out of breath. Her eyes widened as she watched the two fight.
They were so beautiful, was her first thought. Each of their moves was perfectly timed and executed, and it was like watching a lethal dance. One misstep by either of them could end in tragedy. Jeanne preferred to attacked with her legs, flipping out of the way of Sinbad's attacks with elaborate handsprings and back flips.
Sinbad, on the other hand, used his arms, striking at Jeanne with his hands. Miyako would have wagered quite a lot that Sinbad had had martial arts training, for his blows were accurate and fluid.
Neither one seemed to noticed her presence, and she was at a loss at what to do. Her trick this time had been a booby-trapped window system, but both had circumvented it. Jeanne had walked through the front door (who ever heard of a kaitou who just walked in the front door!) and Sinbad... well, she would figure that out later. What mattered now was that she was alone in a room with her two targets, with no back up, no weapons, and nothing else. Blinking, she decided that her best course would be to observe. She slid behind a chair, still unnoticed.
Neither of the combatants was able to get the upper hand. Even though Sinbad was physically stronger, Jeanne had the reach on him, and was quicker. Finally, though, they began to tire, and Sinbad saw an opening.
Jeanne had come a touch too close to him. One second she was aiming a sidekick at his gut, and the next he had her pinned to the floor, her arm behind her back in a painful hold. "I win," he said softly.
"Bastard," she hissed. "You devil."
He looked at her, his blue eyes serious. "Don't you wish," he replied. "That would make everything easier for you, wouldn't it, Jeanne? Things aren't always black and white, no matter what you want to believe."
"I recognize evil when I see it!" she declared fervently.
"Do you?" he asked softly. He pulled her up so that they were both standing. He spun her around quickly and caught onto her shoulders with his gloved hands. "It must be nice to be so confident in your judgment," he said.
"I hate you," Jeanne spat out.
Miyako had the impression that Sinbad was smiling at Jeanne, though it was impossible to tell since he wore a cloth across the lower part of his face. "Really? That's nice. Do us both a favor, Jeanne, and stop being a kaitou. You're not suited to it."
"Bastard!" Jeanne said, trying to break free. Miyako almost gasped as she saw the tears forming at the corner of the amethyst eyes. "I hate you!"
Footsteps came from the doorway and the two kaitou realized that they would very shortly have company. "We'll finish this later, Sinbad," Jeanne said.
"Wouldn't miss it for anything," Sinbad said. Then the two were gone, each taking a different window.
Miyako heard the cries from outside as the guards saw the fleeing thieves, but she was under no illusions. They wouldn't be caught.
Still, she had learned some valuable information. Sinbad and Jeanne weren't just rivals- they were enemies. There had to be some way that Miyako could turn that to her advantage. And if Miyako did it right, she might be able to bring about the downfall of BOTH the kaitou.
Now wasn't that an interesting thought?
