A Change of Sorts
Hi I'm back! I was going to leave this story for awhile due to other stories, but I really can't help myself. This one has got the most exciting plot so far! Ok, now we're up to Dark's theft! Enjoy everyone!
Chapter 6: Not What it Seems…
"Wow…" Tohru breathed, looking out at the scene before her at the museum. She tried to spot the museum over the heads of the TV crew but failed. (Those TV people are too tall these days!) She blinked a couple of times then turned to the rest of the group.
"I wonder why there are only a few people here."
(A/N: Sorry, couldn't resist!)
"Hmm…" Shigure mused, rubbing the back of his head. "Shame, I thought there would be more people…" 'Awww, no high school girls here…'
"Most people must believe it's a hoax…" Yuki added, stopping to look around the near deserted museum, save the TV crew, numerous policemen and also…a, uh…certain…few…people.
"Hey Tohru!" Uo looked over to them and waved, motioning for them to come closer.
"Uo-chan! Hana-chan! Momiji-kun!" Tohru waved back and hurried over quickly.
Uo looked at Hana and grinned. "See, told you she would come." Hana sighed and looked away, ignoring Uo.
"Why am I here?" grumbled Kyo, breaking away from Kagura. A punch, a kick, and a strangle and a half later, he decided to raise the white flag.
"I hate you…"
A sudden shriek floated out over the air to the surprise of the group. They turned quickly, to see a blue haired person run into the museum quickly, pushing his way past the shocked TV crew standing there.
"Oh! That must be Hiwatari-san!" Tohru exclaimed, watching him. During this slight commotion, a black figure landed on the roof of the museum, quietly entering the building. Shigure noticed this (he's a dog, remember?) and pointed it out to the others, who immediately looked that way.
"Is that Dark-san?" Kisa whispered, inching closer to Hiro and Tohru.
"Most likely. But look over there." Shigure replied quietly, pointing over to a nearby tree. A separate black figure could be seen jumping from the roof on to the topmost branch, then disappearing from view. "He can't be in two places at once, can he?"
Before anyone could reply, a white bunny appeared, jumping down on the ground.
"Hey…isn't that With?" Yuki asked, pointing at the bunny. But nobody was really listening because they were all watching the museum, for the alarms had apparently just suddenly turned off.
Momiji headed towards it quietly, so nobody noticed him. He followed With as it bounded towards the museum and disappeared around the corner. Momiji peeked around, only to see and open doorway. Not noticing the police, Momiji slipped straight in, peering wonderingly at the dimly lit interior. (They must have poor security, huh?)
"Momiji!" Yuki called from outside. Sighing as he noticed that he was gone, he went towards the door where he last saw him. He hesitated there, noticing the guards at the front.
An explosion sounded from inside and he hurried in.
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"Alright With, do your job!" Dark set down on the roof, his wings turning into a replica of himself. With jumped off, ready to go mess with the security cameras a bit. Dark grinned; it was way fun stealing from under experienced police.
He noted Shigure pointing towards With's direction, but ignored it, instead quietly slipping inside the building. Inside, all was dark, and he quickly set to work disarming the alarm system. If he had calculated correctly, which he probably did, the control board should be right around…here. Of course, he could have used magic, but then again, where's the fun in that?
Dark quickly switched off the alarm system, pausing as he heard the surprised cries from outside. His finger hovered over the lights switch, waiting for effect. He grinned; click.
--Hear that Daisuke?--
-What?-
--The sound of satisfaction.--
-…?-
--Silence-- Dark grinned, looking around the dark room. He could easily see, that being his name, of course, and headed over to the desired room. He could hear footsteps pounding through the museum no doubt to check the alarm system and possibly the artefact as well.
Dark approached the gallery housing the artefact, the room shining slightly from the glow of the Necklet. The alarm system for that was still turned on, as well as that of every other artefact in the museum. The alarms only covered the general area of the museum.
Dark smirked, easily releasing the alarms on the Necklet. --5…4…3…2…1.-- he counted.
-?-
"Hello…Dark."
--See?--
-…-
"Well hello, Commander. What a pleasant surprise." Dark answered, turning to face the young teen.
Satoshi narrowed his eyes as he looked past Dark at the Necklet. "Wondering if your family's creation is still there?"
Dark looked off loftily, as if he wasn't interested. "I don't know why you even try to protect it," he remarked. "After all, we both know how dangerous it is."
"Because…" Satoshi replied coldly, "It belongs to us."
Dark looked at Satoshi from the corner of his eyes. "Yes, but you're not exactly too proud to be part of Hikari's, hm? Is that you're only reason?"
-Dark…what are you trying to get at?-
--His nerve.--
-…-
"Anyway, I've got places to go, things to do, girls to flirt with…so bye, Commander." Dark picked up the necklet and clasped it onto his neck.
He turned back to Satoshi as he prepared to leave. "One last thing. I probably won't be seeing you again, what with Krad and all…" he paused dramatically, and also to notice the effect that last bit had. "Krad really should consider a change of uniform. Ta!" Dark smirked, taking off through the halls of the museum. It was really fun toying with people.
-For a minute there, I thought you were serious…- Daisuke sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Yeah, yeah…what the?" Dark skidded to a stop as he rounded a corner. He could see a certain figure in white ahead of him, arms crossed in a calm way.
"Nice to see you again, Dark." A smooth voice was heard, seemingly echoing around him. The person did not look up from his position leaning against the wall.
Dark smirked, not letting his surprise show. "Ahhh, I was wondering when you would show up, Krad."
"You think I need a change of uniform?" Krad asked sarcastically, finally looking at him with those brilliant gold orbs.
"Yeah, well," Dark shrugged while maintaining steady eye contact with the white angel. "You know, stick with the times."
Krad rolled his eyes as he drew out a white feather. "Really, and people think you're my other half? What is the world coming to?"
Dark grinned in an annoying way. "A horrible end at the hands of the oh so terrible Krad."
"Something doesn't sound right. They must have mixed up the plot with that of another one," Krad commented. "We'll launch a complaint after the shooting."
"Good idea. It's too whacked out! I mean, look at these…oops! Pst! Hey! Stick with the script!"
Somewhere in Dark's mind, Daisuke falls off his seat.
"Oh right. Er-hem…You better give back that Necklet, Dark! Or-I can't do it right now! I got a headache!" Krad complained. He walks off the set oblivious to the gaping producers.
"Hey I want a break too!" Dark whines, running off as well. Out from backstage appears Daisuke, Yuki, Momiji…
Scene 2 act 4! Take 2! And…action!
Krad rolled his eyes as he drew out a white feather. "Really, and people think you're my other half? What is the world coming to?"
Dark grinned in an annoying way. "A horrible end at the hands of the oh so terrible Krad."
Krad narrowed his eyes and muttered something under his breath.
"Cat got your tongue?" Dark teased, holding up a few adorable kitties he plucked from nowhere.
"No…" Krad smirked. "But I'll watch out if I were you." He raised the feather and threw at Dark's feet like a dart.
Dark jumped back, shocked, as the glowing feather exploded. (Awww…it looked so innocent just seconds ago…) "Damn you Krad!"
"Meow!" Wailed an innocent kitty, wandering through the smoke. Dark paused to look at it, then threw it out of the way (for the safety of the kitten, ok?).
He pushed his way through the smoke, With appearing out of nowhere as his wings. He lunged towards the window, crashing into Krad on the way, and they broke outside in a flurry of falling glass and feathers.
"Who's laughing now?" Krad sneered, an energy ball forming in his hand. Dark narrowed his eyes and said nothing. He was really pissed now. Just because Krad didn't care what happened to Satoshi, he could use all the magic he wanted…
-Dark!-
Dark sighed. He couldn't ever use magic without the Niwa's consent. It made him feel too guilty for harming them in that way.
-Just use it…- Daisuke muttered, hugging himself into a ball in anticipation. -It doesn't matter anyway…-
--You sure?-- Dark asked seriously. (See? See?) --There's always a price to pay for magic, you know that.--
-Go ahead.-
--Fine-- Dark replied, masking his excitement. There was a thrill about using magic that could not be replaced.
He took out a feather which glowed in anticipation. "You're on, Krad," he whispered, before throwing the feather to meet the oncoming energy ball. Another explosion erupted and flecks of magic fluttered down around them.
Suddenly, Krad hurled himself at Dark and rammed into him violently. Startled, Dark raised his wings to cover himself and they did a pretty good job, repelling Krad effectively. The bad thing was that the two angels were slammed into the ground at the back of the museum, breaking tree branches on the way like twigs.
Dark gritted his teeth as he struggled to recover from the blow. He was the one that was rammed into the ground first. He sat up unsteadily, squinting from all the dust from the ground. A flash of yellow caught his eye. Amethyst orbs widened in shock as he noticed a bruised figure lying near them.
--Who-?--
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Momiji wandered around the museum, disappointed that he had lost the bunny. Come to think of it, why was it even here? He shrugged, instead concentrating on getting out from this dark place.
Momiji shivered; it was really quite cold, and he didn't like the paintings on the walls. Why did some artists have to have such scary imaginations? Speaking of which, what was that bang from before?
The boy turned to the right, noticing a tall figure approach him. He couldn't make out who he was, and immediately cowered as a thought hit him. What if it was a security guard, coming to tell him off for being here? Then he would make papa worried all over again.
He didn't want that to happen. Quickly, he turned and ran, back the way he came from (its funny how no one ever seems to think of going backwards to get out of the place that they were lost in), nearly tripping over the ground in his haste.
Momiji's brown eyes lit up as they spotted the doorway just ahead of him. A few more steps and he would be safe…
He nearly cried with joy as he tumbled out onto the soft grass outside. He hugged himself happily, glad that he was not caught. Momiji opened his eyes and looked upwards, then quickly shut them at the sight he saw. He scrambled to his feet and tried to run for it, but it was too late.
Two winged figures crashed down, the dust raised nearly blinding him. In his rush, he crashed into one of them and was repelled by something invisible. Tears came to his eyes as he lay, sore and hurt, on the ground a few metres away.
"Mama…" Momiji sobbed and closed his eyes, trying to ease the pain.
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"Momiji!" Yuki yelled, running outside. He paused because of the dirt that was unceremoniously blinding him. Yuki coughed a couple of times; this would not be good for his asthma.
He cautiously walked out, taking small steps so as not to trip over anything. After a few minutes, his feet scuffed against a soft figure and he immediately crouched down, feeling with his hands.
"Momiji!" Yuki looked at the young boy, who was lying bruised and battered on the ground. It was hard to see because it was more shaded in the area the young boy was lying in. "Are you ok? Why are you so bruised?"
'He's unconscious…' Yuki thought, checking Momiji's wounds. They didn't seem that serious, but they didn't look like they came from a simple fall either…
A groan caught Yuki's attention and he looked up to see the Thief sitting up on the ground. He shook his head a few times, clutching it as if he had a headache.
"You're gonna pay for that Krad…" Yuki heard Dark mutter as he stood up. He shrank further back into the shadows so as not to be noticed. Lucky for him Dark was so injured; otherwise he would have been spotted quickly.
'Krad? Isn't that the Satoshi Hiwatari person?' Yuki wondered as he shifted his feet while crouching on the ground. Sure enough, the blue-haired boy was also sitting up, nursing several wounds on his body.
Hearing a slight scuffle, Dark looked in Yuki's direction sharply, then frowned and rubbed his eyes. "I can't see anything properly…" he muttered, shaking his head again.
Satoshi stood up as well, giving Dark a hard glare. "Next time Dark." He said coolly, then walking off. Yuki watched him in surprise; was he giving up that easily? He could still get Dark at that moment…
Dark smirked at the boy's departure, and then looked around for the yellow flash he had seen before. "Hmmm…I was sure I saw Momiji here before…" Dark mumbled, scratching his head. He was silent for a moment, his eyes not focusing as if his mind was elsewhere. "Oh yeah…you're right. Maybe he left…"
Right, was he talking to himself? Yuki was surprised. That's something you don't expect from a Phantom Thief. And how did he know Momiji's name?
"Hmmm…the Sohma's are coming…might as well leave…" Dark mused, hearing the footsteps of curious Sohma's. He looked around once more before summoning his wings.
"With!"
Yuki gasped in surprise; that bunny just…shape shifted. He couldn't think of any other word to describe it, but Daisuke's bunny was more than just cute eyes and strawberries…
Dark looked around suspiciously once more, having heard the gasp. He was about to leave when Uo's voice called out.
"Who's that?"
Dark turned around, sighing as he noticed the group heading towards them. Hana looked at him and then narrowed her eyes.
"You're waves are very similar to Daisuke-kun's, Dark-san…" she intoned, watching him. (Insert sweatdrop on Dark's head…) Dark smirked as he rubbed his eyes again.
"Is that so? You know, you shouldn't speak to someone like that when they can't even see you properly."
"Yuki-kun!" Tohru cried, pushing past the others to get to him. "Are you al-oh!" her eyes widened as she noticed a bruised Momiji lying next to him.
"Momiji-kun!" She knelt down beside the two, feeling Momiji's wounds. She stood up determinedly. "We've got to get Hatori-san now!"
Dark looked over to them with minor interest. "Oh, so there was someone there…" He shook his head again. "Ugh…he is gonna so pay for this…"
Shigure looked at Dark sceptically. His eyes lingered on the wings attached to his back, then at the Necklet on his neck.
"What happened before?" he asked seriously, looking over to the bruised Momiji. Dark put on a defensive look, as if he was personally insulted.
"What? Me and Krad got into a fight, that's all! I don't even know how Momiji got involved with this!"
"How do you know Momiji's name?"
"…Tohru called it out before…?"
"Fine, but how do you know Tohru's name?" Shigure crossed his arms defiantly, not joking around as usual.
"I don't know!" Dark threw up his hands in annoyance (out of character, huh?). "I'm like 300 years old; I'm supposed to know these things!"
"Right…well who was that other angel? The white one?"
"That's Krad. He's an angel, simple as that." Dark said bluntly. "Well, a homicidal, sadistic, evil one…but he's an angel." He added thoughtfully.
(Insert sweatdrop on everyone's heads.) Just when they couldn't get even more shocked…
"Oh and he's my other half."
"WHAT!" All of Shigure's house's residents excluding Tohru shouted, surprised. "Other half? What does that mean?" Yuki asked, wide-eyed.
Dark sighed as if bored. "It's not important. You don't need to know our history."
"You don't exactly look like you're missing a half of yourself…" Uo remarked (she and Hana are still there!) casually, looking him up and down.
Dark gave a short laugh. "Do we look like we are one together? Maybe. But nah." he scoffed, amethyst eyes twinkling with amusement.
Tohru looked around the sky as if searching for something. "Where is Krad-san?"
Dark almost chuckled at the thought of Krad being addressed with such formality but nevertheless, he answered her. "They left."
"They?"
"Doesn't matter." Dark looked at Momiji, who was still lying unconscious. "Shouldn't you get him to a doctor?"
"Yes but…" Tohru looked down at her hands in embarrassment. "The house is very far from here. And…" she trailed off, glancing at the injured boy. Dark knelt down beside him, inspecting the wounds.
"Magic." He stated quietly. Noticing everyone's confused looks, he explained it a bit more. "He's been hurt by magic, so he has to be cured by magic."
"M-M-Momiji-kun has been hurt by magic? H-h-h-h-how?" Tohru started to panic, dancing around like an octopus stranded on land.
"Don't worry, they're minor. Just bumped into a little defensive magic, that's all…" Dark pulled out a feather and held it over Momiji's head. He seemed to be thinking for a moment (he was actually talking to Dai) and he nodded his head slightly, although a concerned look flickered across his face.
Dark closed his eyes and began to concentrate. A blue light surrounded him, making his hair sort of hover in the air (Uo: "Hey check it out, its Hana in male form!") and the light pulsed for a minute, before flowing into the feather through to Momiji. The rest of the group watched in concern and a slight bit of fear, but to their relief, and somewhat surprise, the young boy's wounds gradually faded, and he was soon looking new as ever.
Dark winced in pain, clutching his side; so much magic was beginning to affect him too, not just Daisuke.
Slowly, Momiji's eyes flickered, and then opened groggily. "Huh?"
"Momiji-kun!" Tohru cried, and would have flung herself on to him if it wasn't for the curse. "You're alright!"
He smiled sleepily at the many people he saw near him. "Papa won't have to worry now…that's good," Quite suddenly, he slipped back into sleep, his breathing now even and unimpaired.
Anticipating some sort of negative reaction, Dark jumped in. "Don't worry, its just after effects of some magic. He'll wake up soon."
With twitched on Dark's back; he was getting fidgety and an unexplainable desire to go home to rest. "Kyuu!"
Dark looked at his wings in surprise. With was normally not this restless. He turned back to the group and raised a hand in farewell. "Well, guess this is goodbye. I did what I did, and I got places to go too, you know? See ya!"
He was about to take off when a sharp pain hit him in the side. Dark doubled over, clutching it and swearing quietly to himself.
"Damnit…Krad's gonna die for this. Stupid magic…"
"Ano…Dark-san? A-are you ok?" Tohru stepped forward worriedly. "Is something the matter?"
Ignoring her, Dark took off unsteadily, relying on With to take him home. "That bastard…"
Uo and Hana left (I gotta get rid of them somehow), having seen enough for one night, leaving the Sohma's alone in the night. They watched Dark fly through the sky, then suddenly disappearing out of sight.
Shigure, recovering first, turned to the others and clapped his hands.
"Well, looks like you're going to be staying over tonight Kisa-chan, Hiro-kun, Kagura-chan, and Momiji-kun!" he laughed, oblivious to Kyo who seemed ready to commit suicide.
As they started walking back in silence, Shigure carrying Momiji, Yuki lingered behind a bit with Kyo, Shigure and Tohru, while the others walked ahead. He brought up something that everyone else was quietly tiptoeing around.
"I think Dark is connected with Daisuke in some way."
Shigure paused to look at him, Kyo and Tohru also turning around to listen. "What makes you say that, Yuki-kun?"
"Like what you pointed out earlier; Dark and Daisuke, there's something more than a coincidence."
Shigure waited silently, knowing that Yuki had something else to say. "And?"
"…With."
"Something interesting about that cute little furball?" Shigure asked teasingly, shifting Momiji's weight on to the other side.
"He can transform."
"What?" Kyo shouted, looking at the other teen questionably. "I knew there was something wrong about that…" he muttered to himself grumpily.
"Are you sure, Yuki-kun?" Tohru asked, thinking back to how cute With seemed when she first met him. "I mean, not to say you're wrong, but it's just that…"
"It doesn't matter Honda-san. But I saw him with my own eyes. Dark's wings are actually With!" Yuki explained, remembering back to when Dark summoned his wings.
Everyone gasped; this was a bit of a ground-shaker. Shigure looked up as they approached their house. He then looked over to next door, where Daisuke was living.
"Well Yuki-kun, I'm not sure how things are going to turn out, but," he paused dramatically. "As they say, Que sera sera!" Shigure laughed, waving his finger in the air. "Let's all go in for a good night's sleep!"
Punch!
"He he he…" Shigure chuckled, stumbling into the house with minor concussion. Kyo and Tohru followed him, but Yuki paused to look next door. He thought he saw someone on the roof…he shook his head; he'll think about this tomorrow.
Yuki entered the house, not noticing a pair of amethyst eyes watching him.
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Yay! I got the chapter finished! Yuki's getting real suspicious now…sorry for getting rid of Hana and Uo like that, I didn't know how else to do it! I hope you enjoyed, and I'll be off to do other things now…things you do not need to know…XD! R&R please!