Authors Note: Well, I'm back in school and have quit my 10-15 hour a day job... so I have time to write again (yay). Sorry to all those patient people who are reading this, and thank you to the person who stuck this in their favorites. Hope to meet your expectations with this chapter... I hope that the next one will be ready by mid November. Anyway, enjoy!

Page 6 Chapter of Change

I left the house for school, dreading the time I would have to spend with Mr. Burtson afterward. The worst part was I really didn't have anyone to blame but myself. I sighed as I pushed open the front doors of the school thinking that seeing Rika was worth a month of detentions. I ran to homeroom, my sneakers protesting on the waxed floor, and got halfway there before the bell rang. Not today, any other day, but I was in no mood to be yelled at today! I reached out my hand to the door, knowing the reaction the teacher would have: 'your late again Dante Niwa, you are really asking for a lesson this time! I shall extend your detention by an hour for this atrocity!' my mind played out in a terribly high-pitched imitation. Today would be the worst day ever…

I slowly pulled my hand back. I was Kaito Dark for Pete's sake, why should I have to put up with that! If I could get into a high security museum with vague directions and instinct alone, I could surly get into my own classroom undetected.

I pulled away and decided that through a window I would be seen easily, and going through the vent would cause too much noise even though it was my choice way. I needed a distraction, and I knew just where to find him. I walked into the bathroom and after making sure there was no one there I locked the door. I closed my eyes and searched the city for my magic, finding a large portion of it sitting where I had left it in my bed. I pulled it toward myself and was rewarded with a confused "Kyuu?" I was genuinely surprised that it had actually worked.

I dropped my disguise, "can you change into me please?" I asked. It nodded and after a minute there was another me standing in front of me ruffling his feathers. "Now I need you to fly outside my class window really quickly, just so everyone can see you. Then I want you to fly onto the roof and change back, make sure that no one sees you go up there. I will come up and get you for lunch and bring you a treat. If someone finds you though, they will not let me give you the treat, do you understand?" At the mention of the treat, With's eyes lit up and he started vigorously nodding his head. The plan was simple enough I hope it worked.

I watched With walk out of the school, and waited by the classroom door. It should be any minute now… I heard a scream of delight from one of the girls. "Ahhh! It's Dark, it's Kaito Dark!! I heard a scraping of chairs on the floor and glanced through the window on the door. Every one of my classmates was clambering at the window trying to get a better look at me while Mr. Burtson was walking around flustered attempting to regain order. I slid the door open and, keeping an eye on the teacher, moved to join the crowd at the window. At the last minute, I remembered that I still looked like Kaito Dark, wings and all, and quickly wove my disguise. No one noticed because of the me soaring into the clouds outside the window, but I tried to meld into the crowd even more as I saw Rika look at me with a slightly confused look on her face.

"Everyone will sit down RIGHT THIS MINUTE!!" came the angry and exasperated voice of Mr. Burtson over the 'oooooos' and 'aaaaaaaahs' of the students. Reluctantly we left the window and shuffled to our seats, me thankful that the little diversion worked. "Now I will finish row call and we will be able to get the lesson underway!" the teacher huffed.

"Present," I called when he yelled out my name after Braum and Naeome, causing everyone to look around in surprise. I shrugged and he continued with a little frown on his face. Everyone slowly turned back to the front of the class, which is why I found it strange to feel someone's eyes on my back. I carefully turned only my head and met the intense eyes of Rika, who was staring at me as if she expected me to change into a jack-in-the-box in the middle of class. I gave her a little smile and she quickly turned away, her expression changing to one that I could either interpret as 'I know your up to something and I'm going to find out what,' or 'I'm too popular to be seen staring at you, what will other people think… how about you jump out the window.' Girls were so hard to comprehend sometimes.

There was a loud SMACK on my desk and I whirled around to find Mr. Burtson standing beside with his textbook on my desk. "I see your mind is more focused on dark thoughts about certain classmates than our lessons today Mr. Niwa. Perhaps allowing your mind to fly around the classroom is why your head is so devoid of all knowledge. Now if you will kindly pay attention and stop disrupting my class, you may not find yourself getting more familiar with me every night till you graduate." He stormed back to the front of the class, leaving me once more open mouthed. I had tried to keep my mind blank, not thinking of how I had used With to sneak into class because of his seeming ability to read minds, but I still shivered when he said "dark,' 'fly around the classroom,' and 'familiar with.' I debated it being coincidence, but I couldn't be sure. The last thing I needed was more detention, so I took his advice and was on my best behavior for the rest of the class.

vnvn

At lunch I made my way carefully up the stairs and to the roof, as students were supposed to eat in the classroom, outside, or in the cafeteria. "With?" I called softly.

"Kyuu?" came the reply. I sighed grateful that the plan had gone off completely without a hitch. I placed the candy and apple that mom had put in my lunch down for him and sat with my back against the wall eating my sandwich.

"Thanks for your help today With," I said scratching him behind the ears. He nodded happily, his mouth full of gooey sugar.

Suddenly there was a loud click from behind me, and the door slowly opened. Rika stepped out blinking her beautiful doe eyes in the bright light. "Dante?" she said as my mouth dropped open, bits of sandwich falling out and onto my pants. My face turned bright red as I quickly tried to brush it off and hide With at the same time, horribly failing at both. To my joy and embarrassment, Rika laughed a cute little giggle and attempted to help me to my feet. It was then that I noticed With had run off and left his apple under my foot, leaving me to fall headlong onto the love of my life. She squeaked in shock as I tried to avoid falling on her completely.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Rika," I said jumping off and innocently rubbing at the back of my head while turning an even deeper shade of red. To my surprise she just kept on giggling.

"Why do you act so clumsy at school? You were so well composed yesterday," she said coming a little closer.

"Um, Rika, what do you mean?" I said getting a little nervous. She sounded like she…

"I know you are Kaito Dark. I saw it in class… the one out the window wasn't the real Dark."

"Hehe, Rika, I don't know what you are talking about. I wish I could be as cool as Dark, but…" I suddenly collapsed as she ran her fingers over my back.

"I knew it!!" she cried pressing her hand harder against my back, causing me to sigh in pleasure as my wings flapped out of the illusion. "Dante, I can't believe you are Dark!"

"R-r-rika, could you take… take your h-hand off my wings?" I stuttered. I sat up as her hand left and hid my wings again. "Um… people aren't supposed to know…" I muttered trying to think of something to tell her."

"Dark, why would I tell anyone? I swear I won't tell ever!" she said taking my hand. "But I don't want you to lie to me anymore… I… really like you Dark. I always have. I like you as Dante but it would have been rude to go out with you and still love Dark… I think maybe you felt the same way…" I couldn't believe it. She had just said what I had thought every day since meeting her. I was flying, feeling fuzzy. How could she have known that I loved her and… why were things getting black…

"My, my Mousy. Why do you lie to yourself. She can't be with you. You know that… that…"

"Come back Dark, wake up! The teacher is coming!" she whispered shaking my hand. I sat up quickly and dragged her behind the wall where the stairs came onto the roof just as I heard the door open.

"I could have sworn I heard voices up here sir," said the voice of Mr. Burtson.

" There doesn't seem to be anyone here," both Rika and I gasped as we realized he had brought the principal up to the roof as well. If we were caught we could be expelled.

"I thought I heard something from over here," his voice was getting closer. I covered Rika's mouth and held her waist and noiselessly jumped us both onto the roof of the stairwell. I held her down close to me and made a shushing motion as I watched the hated teacher examine where we had just been a few seconds before. He then made his way to the far end of the roof and looked over the edge.

"I don't believe there is anything up here Burtson," said the principal turning to go.

"Maybe you are right," the other man admonished beginning to turn. It was then that I realized that he would be able to see us from where he was standing if he looked.

"Stay down Rika," I whispered and jumped lightly to the roof below as Kaito Dark, cool outfit and all. "Sorry about the disturbance gentlemen, I saw a priceless jewel on your roof and couldn't help but stop to look," I said in what I hoped was a cool and cocky voice. The principal looked flabbergasted and Mr. Burtson looked like he was going to explode with rage. He hated Dark, maybe it was because his brother worked for the police, but he looked ready to strangle me. "Now that my gem has been secured, I must take my leave," I gave a small smirk and bow. I then ran across the roof, picked up my schoolbag, and leapt from the roof. Burtson merely glared daggers at me, unable to catch me in the air, and the principal shook his head, still speechless. They walked down the stairwell as I made my showy escape. I winked at Rika as she started heading back to the classroom before I dove into an alley near the school. Lunch was almost over and I needed to get back to class before the bell rang or teacher got there.

vnvn

I had finally done it. I had paid attention and not fallen asleep the whole day in class, I had been on time, and I hadn't earned a single detention all day! I already had to serve for the rest of the week, but I hadn't added to it. Maybe my luck was FINALLY going to change. I stretched feeling completely content as I walked home from detention.

"Dante!" my day kept getting better and better.

"Hello Rika, what are you doing around here, I thought you took the train home," I asked. She might have known that I was Dark, but I couldn't act any differently around her or someone might notice.

"Um… I wanted to thank you for earlier and maybe… you know… Dante, would you go out with me?" I stood there in shock, my mind yelling YES while I tried to formulate a reply. "That is, if you aren't busy tonight," she had on the cutest smile. No I had to pull myself together. I had finally redeemed myself to her, I couldn't throw away this chance.

"I could never be too busy for you Rik…" the rest of my well thought sentence was cut off by the ringing sound of the light post I had walked into. She laughed and helped me to my feet.

"So you'll pick me up at seven?"

I nodded, still a little dumbfounded as to how the light post had jumped in my way. "Yeah, seven sounds good," I said turning my attention back to her. "But how about instead of you picking me up, we meet in the park, just near the clearing where you found Dark?" Her eyes sparkled with how romantic my suggestion had been.

She nodded and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before running up the street. "I'll see you at seven then Dante," she yelled back at me before running around the corner. I stood there dumbfounded and blushing for a few minutes, before unceremoniously whooping for joy. Today might just possibly be the best day ever, if I didn't miss the train home.

As always, comments and constructive criticisms are welcome. Thanks for being patient with me.