Disclaimer: Still no sign of those real-life Dark and Krad models I ordered off eBay. Damn. Oh well, I own nothing except for my OC's, a bunny rabbit and a few badly named art pieces.
Fourth Theft
Arien silently closed the door of Suki's room, letting the girl slumber on undisturbed. She had suffered some sort of human heart-break the day before, and Arien was still learning just how difficult it could be to heal her master's broken heart. Luckily, training her new rabbit was turning out to take up most of her master's time.
The maid walked downstairs and checked on the rabbit. It was up and about in its cage, knocking over its food bowl and trying to jump onto its water bottle. Arien walked over to the bag of pet supplies she and Dark had picked out and took out a harness and leash.
"I shall let you out as long as you hop around inside the house." She told the rabbit. She slipped on the harness and let the rabbit hop around the living room. She stood and stared at it from the doorway before setting up a baby gate to block the rabbit from hopping up the stairs. "And now I will make your breakfast, little Onee."
She opened the fridge and pulled out an assortment of vegetables. After picking out the freshest of produce, she placed them on the cutting board and chopped them into tiny, edible pieces that the rabbit wouldn't choke on.
Suki opened her eyes and threw off the covers. She didn't want to dwell on Satoshi Hiwatari. What she wanted was to do something without thinking about him at all. She got dressed and made her way down the stairs, rubbing at her eyes as she approached the last few steps. Suddenly, she tripped over a baby gate that had somehow placed itself in her way.
"Holy crap!" She shouted, flailing her arms around as she fell. Arien's ears perked as she heard something begin falling in midair. She raced to the hallway and saw Suki falling over the gate. Placing the knife she was using to chop vegetables on her belt, she dove and caught her master before she could touch the floor.
"Are you alright, Suki?" Arien asked, bringing her up and setting her down on her feet.
Suki nodded. "I didn't see the gate there. I'm guessing you put it there for the bunny, huh?"
Arien nodded before taking the knife from her belt and heading back into the kitchen. "Breakfast will be prepared in a minute, master. I am just finishing Onee's breakfast."
Suki stared at the maid. She came from inside the kitchen as I was falling in the air, caught me, and made sure that knife was safely away in the time span of a few seconds. Not even Phantom Dark could pull off something like that, right?
Suki's eyes widened as she realized what she wanted to do today. She ran into the kitchen.
"Arien!" She said. "I want to be a better Thief than Phantom Thief Dark!"
Arien stared at her master and set down the knife. "How would you like me to fulfill your order?"
"Arien, as your master, I want you to teach me to become a Phantom Thief!"
Arien nodded and bowed deep at the waist. "Yes, master."
Onee hopped around in the shade of a large oak tree while Suki landed roughly on her backside a few feet away.
"Damn it again!" She cursed through her teeth. She climbed to her feet and took another stance.
"Your form is too weak, master. You will continue to be beaten if you do not improve it." Arien said from her place in front of Suki. Suki gritted her teeth and rushed forward, letting her emotions for Satoshi flow through her movements. Arien blocked the multiple attacks with relative ease, acting as the fighter her master wanted to train to be. Suki threw a punch and Arien took the opportunity to jab upwards and send Suki flying once more.
"Your speed is your greatest weapon, master, not your strength."
Suki stood from her fallen place again and took to the fight. Arien was working on spotting all of Suki's faults in the battle so that she could learn to defend herself if she had to when thieving. Suki knew there would be a chance of running into Dark, the police and even Hiwatari, but she wanted to be prepared to deal with any of those situations.
By high noon, the pair stopped the first part of Suki's training. Suki flopped down onto the ground beside Onee and gasped for breath. Arien stood beside the tree, gazing at the sky with a content expression.
"You know you have to practice stealth as well." Arien said suddenly. "The night you stole me from the museum you were nearly discovered. If you don't want it to happen again, you must practice moving silently under stressful situations so that not even the other artworks can sense you."
Suki looked up at Arien. "You mean the other art works have human forms too?"
Arien shook her head. "Not all, but some do. The emotions, thoughts and dreams of the artist go into the heart and soul of each item. We are all individually made and have our own selves to reflect on, because of the artist's desire."
She glanced down at Suki. "I only appear to you in human form because I am incomplete by myself. There was another piece to my original creation, but it has been gone for a hundred and fifty years. I may never find it again, but it lets me be out here with you, like an actual human would be."
Suki pursed her lips in thought for a few moments before smiling at the red-head. She sat up and leaned against the tree to stare at the sky while Onee hopped over to be pet on the head.
"You know Arien, sometimes you act more human than I realize." She said.
Arien shoved off of the tree. "Let us begin your stealth training now. I believe you wish to thieve tonight?"
Suki nodded and stood up, un-tying Onee's leash from around the tree. "Yes, that's exactly what I plan to do."
Satoshi Hiwatari woke with a gasp. He sat up and cradled his chest in pain from his previous night's adventures. The last thing he remembered before Krad had fully taken over his body was seeing his step father sitting in his living room. He glanced around, finding himself leaning against one of the walls in the same room he had lost himself in. He stood up shakily from the floor and headed up the stairs.
Kei and Krad talked about something last night. I have to find out what it was, so that I can prevent it. I know it must have something to do with Daisuke.
He collapsed on his bed, letting his aching body relax for the time being. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. I can't let whatever it is Krad and Kei are planning hurt Daisuke. He stared at the ceiling, chest heaving with pain from transforming.
Satoshi glanced over at his desk, eyes narrowing as he saw books that had been looked through and stopped on different pages. He recognized two of them as the books he had looked through before regarding the Jewel of the Scroll, but the third one was unfamiliar to him.
What does any of this have to do with Suki?
He groaned as another pain struck him in the chest.
"Master Satoshi, why not let me take care of things today?" Krad whispered into the blue haired boy's ear like a snake.
Satoshi gasped and clutched at his chest. "No, Krad. I know you're up to something. I won't let you take over."
"Oh Satoshi, you can be so difficult at times. I wonder if there's ever any time you're happy to see me?" Krad asked him mockingly.
Krad gazed at the boy who was his tamer, scheming eyes glinting in the tinted light. You can only resist for so long until your body eventually betrays you. And then, I will be the one roaming around with a demon inside.
Arien walked briskly through the streets of town once more, this time on her way to borrow a book from the library for Suki.
"I need a book about technology for my computer science class." Suki had said while holding a pose that Arien told her would improve her balance and stealth. "Can you go get it for me?"
Arien had accepted, and placed Onee in charge of Suki's stealth training.
"A rabbit is going to teach me how to be stealthy?" Suki asked skeptically. "I don't know about this one. I was okay with the whole 'girl inside of a scroll' thing, but a rabbit teaching me how to be a Phantom Thief is just a step more towards crazy than I ever want to be. What's next, she turns into wings?"
Arien placed Onee on the ground in front of Suki. "When you can move through obstacles with the quickness of a rabbit and the silence of rabbit feet, you will be a Phantom Thief."
Suki sighed, but started watching Onee for any of the 'super bunny' powers that Arien seemed to think she had.
Arien found the place labeled Library and walked inside, not realizing that she had a purple haired follower.
"Hey Daisuke!" Riku greeted him from beside the fountain. Daisuke had finally done it. He had worked up the courage to ask Riku out on a date, and she had said yes!
"Good morning, Riku!" He said, smiling at her. "Are you ready for our date?"
Riku blushed scarlet, not used to thinking of Daisuke in a boyfriend type of light. She had been crushing on him for a while, and felt ecstatic with excitement when he called her the night before.
"Yeah Daisuke, I'm ready." She said. "So where are we going?"
Daisuke flushed red and scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh, I don't know. It was hard just asking you out, I didn't even think of where to go!"
Riku shook her head at the boy but ended up smiling at him instead of being angry. She grabbed his hand. "Well let's go watch the ships leave the harbor! I hear today the captains are going to set off fireworks before heading out to sea!"
Daisuke laughed as he was strung along behind Riku. Man, I can't believe it! I asked out Riku, and she said yes! And now, we're going on what's hopefully going to be a romantic date!
They ran by a familiar head of red hair walking into the library.
"Hey Daisuke, let me out real quick!"
Daisuke's eyes widened. What?! I can't believe you, Dark! I'm on my first date with Riku, there's no way I can let you out right now!
"Aw come on, Daisuke! Please, I just need five minutes!"
Daisuke sighed and slowed himself and Riku to a walk. He looked at her sheepishly.
"I'm so sorry Riku!" He said, scratching his head. "I have to go to the bathroom! I'll be right back, and then we'll run there, I promise!"
Riku huffed and crossed her arms. "Alright, but don't keep me waiting long!"
Daisuke ran into the library and flew into the bathroom. You're lucky we're brothers, Dark. He shut the bathroom stall door and closed his eyes, letting the transformation take over. Dark opened his amethyst eyes and smiled.
"Alright, time to work fast!"
Dark emerged from the bathroom and scanned the library. He spotted Arien standing at the check-out desk and walked over quickly.
"Hey Arien, how's it going?" He asked when he stopped beside her. She looked up at him from the corner of her eye like the last time he had approached her.
"Oh, hi Mr. Dark." She said robotically. His thought process stopped again, like it had before. Does she greet everyone so enthusiastically, or is it just me?
'Are you here to check out a book too?" Arien asked, holding up the book Suki had asked for. Dark took a glance at it. So she's interested in computers? Well that explains the robotic greetings. She's probably a trek-y.
"Actually I was walking by and saw you come in." Dark said suavely. "I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go see a movie later."
Arien blinked. What is a movie? Is this another human social ritual? I should ask Suki whether this movie business is required to be human.
"I'm sorry Mr. Dark, but I have to get back to my sister." She said, clasping her hands together on the book. "We have more training to do for her project this evening. But thank you for stopping to talk to me, I appreciate it."
She waved goodbye and walked out of the library. Dark stood with mouth agape, wondering where all his charm was going because it sure wasn't getting to the girl like he wanted. Alright, I know we had fun together yesterday, so what the hell was that all about? She acted like she hadn't noticed the chemistry between us.
"Excuse me young man, are you checking out a book, or are you going to stand there with your mouth open like a fish all day?"
Without breaking his gaze on the door out of the library, he randomly selected a book and tossed it to the older librarian. "Here you go, old bat."
She signed it out to him under the name 'Light Yagami' and passed it back to him. "Enjoy your book, hooligan."
Dark walked back into the bathroom, book in hand, and transformed back into Daisuke. Daisuke blinked and looked at the book in his hands.
"Why would you check out the Azumano Museum of Art Catalogue from the library?"
"Daisuke! Are you in here?"
Diasuke blinked and gasped. "Oh no! I left Riku alone! I'm coming, Riku! Sorry for the wait!"
Suki lay exhausted on the wooden floor of her living room. Onee hopped over to her head and sniffed at her brow, tickling Suki's nose with her whiskers.
"I can't believe bunny rabbits can be better thieves than I can." Suki grumbled. She looked to her left and saw the three objects that Onee had hid for her to find and steal. Then she looked over at the fifteen things that Onee had hidden from her and protected from her thieving hands.
"How the hell do you do it, bunny?" She asked the white rabbit, gazing at her as if she might speak. The rabbit blinked and scratched at her floppy ear with a back foot. "I guess I should just send you in to steal what I want. That would sure surprise the police."
Arien stepped into the living room and raised a brow. "Are you talking to a rabbit, master?"
Suki flushed and opened to make a retort, but shook her head and hit the floor with her fist instead. "I've got nothing to say about that. Onee makes a better thief than Dark and I combined. I mean just look at how much shit she stole from me as I was headed back to the base!"
Arien shook her head and set the book she had checked out from the library on the table in the entrance hallway. "Are you ready for your last part of training, master?"
Suki peeked around the corner of her door, on the lookout for anything that might prevent her from stealing back Arien's scroll. It was four in the afternoon, but with the way Arien had sped about the house covering windows and places that leaked sunlight, it was as dark as it would be in the museum at nine.
Okay. All I have to do is steal her scroll without running into any of the traps she's set up, and I should be able to handle anything in that museum tonight. She cast another glance over her shoulder as she started walking from her room, the starting point, to find the scroll. Why do I feel like the museum is going to be ten times easier to steal from than my own house?
Suki stepped on a creaky wooden board and suddenly out popped a policeman cut out from the wall.
"Freeze!" It was recorded to say. Suki saw the hand that the cardboard held a flashlight in was programed to lift up and capture her in light. Thinking quickly, or not thinking at all, she ducked down and lashed out at the legs of the cut-out. The police man fell on his back, and Suki was on her feet again.
I have to stay focused! That guard was a complete surprise, but there are going to be bounds more surprises than that, I'm sure of it!
The stairs provided her with more challenges, some not quite so realistic, but they were all equally demanding of Suki to take down. By the time she got to the second floor, she was breathing hard and hoping that it wasn't easy to hear.
She peeked into the small Zaiaku family library room, looking for anywhere Arien might have hidden the scroll. Damnit, where would she hide it? She moved on to Arien's room. Suki hadn't noticed what Arien had done with the room before. She had gotten rid of all the junk that Suki had crammed into its space over the years, and she had touched up the window that wouldn't open even if Suki used all of her strength. The window . . . leads to the flat part of the roof outside.
Suki made her way over to the window quickly and wrenched it open as carefully as she could so it wouldn't make a sound. She stepped out onto the flat portion of the roof and grimaced at the bright sunlight. The scroll lay on the edge of the roof, just before the story or so plunge to the ground below.
"I have you now." Suki mumbled, treading over to the scroll. She bent down to pick it up, grabbing it's cool feel in her hands. Suddenly, a white flash came from nowhere and threw her off balance.
"Oh crap!" She shouted, falling forward and over the edge of the roof. She reached up with one hand and grabbed hold of the gutter to prevent her fall. She looked down at the ground below her, shock making it hard for her to breath. "Holy shit, that could've been bad. What the hell attacked me?"
She glanced up and saw a tiny pink nose sticking out over the edge. Suki scoffed. "Of course. I get pushed over the edge of the roof by a bunny rabbit."
Arien's head appeared from over the edge next to Onee's nose. "Master, you have successfully stolen the scroll, but you failed to make an escape. Though, after watching the footage I acquired from the art museums on Dark's many thefts, I do not think escape will be a problem."
Suki grinned up at Arien. "Great! Now, how the hell do I get back up there?"
Suki balanced her chair on two legs between the table and the wall. Onee was placed securely in her rabbit cage so that she wouldn't get crushed if Suki suddenly returned the chair to gravity. Her eyes were closed in thought, running through a mental check list of items and skills she would need to pull of her first (hopefully) successful theft.
Alright, I have stealth down to a science. I can look out for traps and what not with no problem. Guards are easy to take down, because Arien has assured me that they weigh the same as cardboard, and Onee is the backup plan just in case I fail. Now the question is: what does Dark have that I don't?
Suki opened her eyes and the chair slammed back to the ground. "Arien! We have a problem!"
Arien peeked her head into the kitchen. "What's wrong?"
"I don't have a costume!" Suki said, shouting out her realization. "Dark has a costume! Of course, he lets everyone know it's him stealing, but he always has something really kick-ass to wear on his thefts! I need one to protect my identity!"
Arien blinked at her master before walking over to the hallway closet. "Do you prefer thieving in pants or would a dress suffice?"
Suki peeked at the red head from around the kitchen corner. "Pants are more my style."
Arien pulled out a black cover bag from inside the hallway closet and presented it to Suki.
"Holy crap, you actually made me a costume?" Suki asked, stunned. Arien nodded and set the outfit on the kitchen table.
"I knew you would want to be a Phantom Thief at some point, master. You kept mumbling about it for the past few weeks. So, I thought ahead and bought material to make you a thieving outfit. I hope it is to your tastes."
Suki raised a brow before opening the bag. "When did you go shopping for this, anyway?"
Two weeks earlier, Arien was cleaning the floor outside of her masters room when she heard Suki mumbling for the five thousandth time (and counting) how she would make a better Phantom Thief than Dark.
Master keeps going on about being better than Dark. I wonder when she will order me to train her? Perhaps I should go and select an outfit for the occasion? Knowing my master, she will not think of it till the last moment.
Arien put away her cleaning supplies, fed Onee her mid-day snack, and set out to buy fabrics to create her masters thieving outfit. As she walked into town, she ran into Dark again. The figurative meaning for 'run into' applied here.
"Ohf!" She gasped, accidentally smacking her shoulder on a boy's chest. "I apologize, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."
Dark smiled down at the red head. "Well, it's been awhile Arien."
Arien looked up at Dark. "Oh, hi Mr. Dark."
Dark's expression seemed to become more confused every time she spoke with him. She looked around the market until she spotted a fabrics stand.
"You must excuse me, I have to purchase fabric."
Dark stared after her a moment before following her to the fabric stand. I'm getting really confused about all of this. When we first met, she hadn't heard of me. Then I learn she's from abroad, so that makes sense now. Now her greetings are all robotic. How in the hell does that make sense? Wait!
He looked around him, scanning all of the teenage boys his age for their height, build and looks. It can't be possible that she likes one of those losers! I'm the hottest guy here! Maybe she's playing hard to get?
Arien stood gathering multiple shades of grey, blue and black. These colors should blend into any kind of lighting, aside from daylight. I don't think master would be foolish enough to rob places in the day time.
"Hey Arien, will you go out with me?" Dark asked. Arien didn't spare the boy a glance.
"I'm afraid I must make a costume for my sister. I cannot 'go out' with you." She answered. Not to mention, I have no idea what 'going out' entails apart from walking around town. I seem to be approached by the same boy every time I wander around town.
She paid the fabric owner and walked away from the stand, leaving a confused and now frustrated Dark behind.
Suki opened the bag and pulled out a dark blue, tight-fitting shirt, and a pair of baggy black pants. As well as the outfit, she pulled out a pair of grey gloves.
"Why grey?" She asked, slipping on the gloves.
"Grey is the color that really blends with the dark light." Arien explained. "Black is darker than darkness, and blue bends with the light, instead of absorbing it like grey."
Suki smirked, tightening the glove on her right hand.
"I'm ready to rob a museum!"