In the name of the holy spirits please calm the power given to this human!" Kuri said, waving the ofuda. "Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen! Akuryo Taisan!"
Satoshi's body bucked and the feathers disappeared in gold light. He collapsed into Kuri's arms, and she carried him to bed.
Kuri sighed, exhausted, then was startled and looked out the window.
"Dark..." She looked closer. "No...it was...Avos..."
Satoshi lunged out of his bed. "Let me! I must—"
Kuri firmly pressed him to the bed. "Tomorrow."
Xxx
"In the name of the holy spirits, please calm the power given to this object." Emiko said.
Feathers flew down and encompassed the Sacred Maiden and glowed and disappeared.
"It'll be fine now." Emiko said. "For the time being, the power is sealed. Why don't we go to bed?!"
"No, that's not it, Mom! What's up with my body?! Even after stealing the Sacred Maiden, I didn't change back to normal for a while, so I... I... But I won't change any more, right? I can stay this way, can't I? Tell me honestly that I'll be all right now!" Daisuke said.
"You'll be fine. Here..." Emiko said.
"No! That feeling again?" Daisuke said.
"Here." Emiko said.
"Yikes!" Daisuke said.
"See? As long as you continue to like Kuri Hikawa, you can definitely change, so you'll be fine!" Emiko said.
"That's not fine at all! And why Grandpa's picture?" Daisuke said.
"Doesn't it suit me?" Daiki said.
"Grandpa, you lied to me, didn't you?" Daisuke said.
"I didn't lie to you!" Daiki said.
"He's right, because you haven't stolen her yet. Your "Sacred Maiden"!" Emiko said.
"What? Sacred Maiden? Then..." Daisuke said.
"That's right. So you'll be fine! You can return to normal completely when she returns your love." Emiko said.
"Then I may be stuck like this for life. Why does it have to be like this?" Daisuke said.
"Dark's DNA in your body is affected by your feelings of love. Whether you become Dark or
Dark changes back into you, it's based on the same principle." Emiko said.
"The same principle? That means the reason why Dark changed back into me back then..." Daisuke said.
Xxx
"Right! It was Dark!" Takeshi said. "Do you know there were two traffic accidents during his appearance?
"Yeah, I know. I saw it on the news too." Classmate said.
"The two unrelated accidents happened at different times and places. Yet everyone repeated the same words. Those words were..."There was a bird." I surmise that the bird is undoubtedly...Dark! He escaped by flying away with his black wings. The victims were convinced that it was a bird." Takeshi said.
"It wasn't Dark." Kuri said. "It's name is Avos."
"What are you saying, younger-Hikawa? Do you have any evidence?" Takeshi said.
Daisuke was staring at her. Satoshi gave her a warning look.
"I mean...I saw it myself. It was a bird, not an angel." Kuri quickly amended.
"Wait! Give me more details." Takeshi said.
XXX
"There was a bird"?" Daiki said.
"Yes, I heard that all the victims said that and then fainted." Emiko said.
"A bird... Could it be the Central Church?!" Daiki said.
Xxx
"Morning Daisuke!" Hikawas wrapped their arms around him for a twin hug, but he shuffled away.
"S-sorry. I'm not feeling well." Daisuke explained.
His face was flushed. He was so confused. Kuri and Satoshi working together to catch Dark? Why? What did they have in common? She did look at him an awful lot. Were they together and that's why she had turned him down?
"Daisuke, you're putting too much sodium in the water. The experiment will never work that way." Reiko said, taking the salt out of his hand.
That's right! Kuri had said Reiko loved him. Was that true? Why did the idea make his heart race? Oh no, was he going to transform? But he liked Kuri right, so why...?
"Daisuke focus! That's too much chlorine!" Reiko said.
BOOM.
The explosion coated Reiko in chlorinated water and she had to go to the eye wash station.
Should he bring up what he heard, the love thing from before? Daisuke looked over at her in th eye flush station. She was giving him the stink eye for burning her.
Whoa. She was pretty mad.
Better not embarrass her or piss her off any further.
That's when he noticed he could see her bra through her t-shirt. Before he knew it, he was transforming. He managed to make it to the hallway.
What was he going to do. Three minutes til the bell!
"I'll be right back Satoshi." Kuri said from the classroom. Satoshi was her lab partner.
She exited and caught him before he could move.
"Well, well, well..." Kuri said. "Nice to see you in school. You seem to be rather stuck, Dark."
She leaned in, pressing him to the wall.
"You have thirty seconds till the bell." Kuri said.
Her lips locked with his. He transformed, but she was already walking away. Had she seen?
The bell rang and school ended.
Daisuke was walking home when he was ambushed by Kuri. He jumped.
"Relax Daisuke it's just me!" Kuri said.
So either she didn't see, or she was a damn good actress.
"So, I have some questions for you. Let's walk home together." Kuri said.
Oh shit.
"I thought about it a lot, but I couldn't think of anyone but you." Kuri said.
"No one but me?" Daisuke said.
"Listen... I need to investigate this bird. To clear Dark's name. I just think it's the right thing to do, ne?" Kuri said.
"You...are protecting Dark?" Daisuke said.
"I know he's a criminal...but he shouldn't be blamed for traffic accidents. It's just not right!" Kuri said. "But it's probably going to be night when he appears, right? So it's not safe to go by myself, but it's not easy to find someone who would go with me."
"So you picked me?" Daisuke said.
"Yes! There was no one but you!" Kuri said.
"All right." Daisuke said.
"Really?" Kuri said.
"Yeah." Daisuke said.
"I'm so happy! Thank you!" Kuri said.
"But...Being with me may prevent you from seeing him." Daisuke said.
Xxx
"What? Today too?" Daisuke said.
"That's right. Here." Emiko said.
"I don't want to do it! It was scary and a lot of work, and I don't feel like it now!" Daisuke said.
"But I've already sent in the warning letter. Your aim this time is to steal the relief from atop the Central Church." Emiko said.
"The relief was created by an engraver who loved this town. Wishing that it would watch over this town from the sky, he used a bird as a motif. The incidents last night must have been accidents that this bird caused by becoming a real entity. The power of the curse on the relief has been invoked." Daiki said.
"Oh, hold on a second. Dai!" Emiko said.
"For me?" Daisuke said.
"It's from the Sacred Maiden." Emiko said.
Xxx
"It was announced that a warning letter had arrived from Dark," Yukiru said.
"Listen, I heard that Dark will show up today again! It was announced that a warning letter had arrived from Dark, So you'll come with me, won't you?" Kuri said.
"Who has been revived after forty years." Yukiru continued.
"So you'll come with me, won't you?" Kuri said.
"The item that Dark sent the warning letter for" Yukiru said.
"The announced time is midnight, so we should meet at..." Kuri said.
"is the bird relief that adorns the bell tower of the Central Church." Yukiru said.
Xxx
"Well... Okay... Then, see you later. She got her way after all." Daisuke said.
"Good job! Okay, take a look." Emiko said, holding up the photo of Kuri.
"This is..." Daisuke said and transformed.
"You're just as handsome as before!" Emiko said.
"Finally, I changed!" Dark said.
"Good luck! The next target is at this place." Emiko said.
"Somehow or another, I could hear it." Dark said.
"It's a feather that you use to temporarily seal the power that is stored in the target. The seal should last long enough for you to you bring it back home." Daiki said.
"Oh, yeah, I remember something like this." Dark said. By the way, I would like to stay like this forever."
Xxx
"Something's wrong. Niwa... I wonder what happened? It's almost the announced time." Kuri said.
"With two straight days of this, I suppose you haven't had a chance to plan for security?" Satoshi said.
"I'm surprised that you, the young genius Chief Commander, seem so timid." Saehara said. "The airspace is wide open, and moreover the target is openly exposed. Even God would find it impossible to steal! Don't you agree?"
"Well, I wonder..." Satoshi said, then doubled over. "Not yet... Don't come out yet. There is no time for me to give to you."
Kuri caught him. "It will be alright, Satoshi."
"It's time." Saehara said. The lights went out. "What? What's going on? What happened?! What about the spare lights?!"
"We're switching to them!" Officer said.
"What about the target?!" Saehara said.
"No change, sir!" Officer said.
"I haven't been a Phantom Thief so long for nothing." Dark said in the church, finishing up. "Well, then..."
He transformed.
"What? Where am I? No way! Why?" Daisuke said.
"Hey, partner. From here on, it's a contest between you and me. If you can escape using only your own abilities, you win. If you fail and change into me, I win. Then I get to do whatever I want..."
"What?! What is this?!" Daisuke said.
"You've got no time to waste. The police have probably started getting alarmed by now."
"Late! You're late, Dark! Already late on the second day?!" Saehara said. "Be on guard! Strengthen security!"
"Yes, sir!" Officer said.
"Anyhow, I have to get out of here!" Daisuke said.
"I wonder if Dark has appeared?" Kuri said.
"I'm safe for the time being, I guess." Daisuke said.
"Dark, are you in there?" Satoshi said.
"Hiwatari!" Daisuke said. "This is it. He'll find out who I really am! Why does this stuff have to happen to me?"
He fell out the window.
"What? Niwa?" Kuri said.
"Ack! Miss Hikawa!" Daisuke said.
"So you came here for me after all." Kuri said.
"Don't pop up in front of me all of a sudden!" Daisuke said.
"Niwa..." Kuri said.
"So I win after all. Sorry, but she's mine." Dark said as he transformed.
"Niwa!" Kuri said.
"Hey!" Dark said.
"Dark?" Kuri said.
"As I promised, let's go out for a date. Or something like that." Dark said.
The relief came to life and flew at her.
"Hide somewhere." Dark said.
Kuri's face changed. "Now...there's no need for that. Capture charm! Activation!"
The pentacle around her neck activated, and the bird flew into it. The necklace glowed bright, and the bird flew out and settled into the relief.
"You...used Hikari magic." Dark said in shock. "Just like that woman..."
He managed to get away with the relief as he transformed.
"Ouch...What's going on? Miss Hikawa...She's spaced out. Don't tell me...Did that jerk Dark do something again?" Daisuke said.