Disclaimer: Even after finishing this story, the creators of D N Angel have not seen fit to give me Dark and Krad as a gift. This is very upsetting. I own nothing except for my OC's, a rabbit and various art pieces.
Ninth Theft
Suki reached the Hiwatari manor within minutes of leaving her house. She stood silently on the other side of the pavement across from the manor, looking for a way to get through the tall fence that surrounded the house. Her eyes scanned the wall until she saw a tree with long limbs that looked like they extended over the wall near the far right of the manor.
"Perfect, I can use that to climb over." She mumbled, before taking off towards the tree as silently as she could. Once she reached the tree, she climbed up with surprising ease until she reached one of the lower hanging branches. From the trunk, she inched her way out onto the branch until she could see the other side of the wall. Suki took a breath to calm her nerves before jumping out of the tree and falling towards the ground.
She landed with a thud and grimaced as the impact sent a brief pain through the soles of her feet and muscles. Personal reminder: never jump from tall places again. I'm surprised I haven't developed a phobia of heights yet, from all of the places I've jumped from already.
Suki made her way towards the house again when she could clench her muscles without it paining, and opted to stay in the shadow of the wall instead of running out into the yard of the manor like an amateur. Thank you Arien, for making colors that can blend into the night!
She spotted an open window near the right side of the house, close to the wall and hidden with shadows. Grinning at her good fortune, she ran quickly towards the window and stood on tip-toe to glance inside. She cursed her short stature, but was relieved that there was not a sign of anyone in the room. Suki reached up and pulled herself through the open window, using her arms to make sure she entered the house silently.
Now I have to find Satoshi, and get out of here. Something smells fishy and I don't think it's what had might have had for dinner.
Suki walked through the door of the room she stood in and glanced left and right, searching for any sign of Satoshi. Finding none, she continued her search up the stairs, figuring that he must have made the phone call to her in his room because of the late hour. The first door she saw was open just a crack, and she could see the moonlight laminating the door slightly. Pushing open the door, she glanced inside and let out a breath of relief, seeing Satoshi at the window, clutching it tightly and kneeling on the floor.
She entered the room and pulled her mask down. "Hiwatari! You sounded horrible over the phone; I came to check on you! Are you alright?"
Suki reached out a hand to the boy whom clutched at the window frame and began breathing heavily. Suddenly, she heard the door close behind her, and she spun around to see a man with brown hair wearing a grey business suit smile wickedly at her from the closed-door.
"Who are you?!" She shouted, holding up her fists to threaten the man. "What have you done to Hiwatari?!"
"It's not what I've done to him." The man said. "It's what he's about to do to you."
"What?" She whipped her head around just in time to see Satoshi stand, with glowing golden eyes, pointing a feather at her that glowed brightly for a second before it suddenly encased her in a glowing golden bubble. "What the hell is this?! You're not Hiwatari! Who are you and what have you done to him!?"
The would-be Satoshi Hiwatari smirked as a shower of white feather started to surround him. A short blast of white light later and Krad Hikari stood in his place.
"I'm afraid you're mistaken Suki." He said coolly. "I would never harm master Satoshi. We are one in the same."
Suki felt her confusion was prominent on her face as she stared at the white angel. "Krad . . .? Why would you-"
"Betray you? Use you? Comfort you and make you feel for him? I'm afraid that was all on my orders, young Zaiaku." The man in the suit said, pushing back his glasses and walking forwards into the center of the room. "I need you to help me in my plans, but to get you I had to lure you here. It turns out my son is better than what he's worth for once. This is his first success, after all."
Suki glared, trying to restrain her tears as she learned that nothing she had believed true for the past few days was real. It was all a part of this man's schemes, and it infuriated her more than Krad's initial betrayal did. She banged her fists against the bubble. "Just who the hell do you think you are?!"
"My name is Kei Hiwatari." He said. "Let's get on with my plans. We have a lot to do, and we need a bit of muscle power to do it with."
Kei walked over to Krad, who handed him the jeweled scroll. Kei turned back to Suki. "Call forth the Jewel of the Scroll. She isn't within the scroll at the moment, but if you summon her, she has no choice but to come to you form wherever she is."
Suki grit her teeth together and gave the man her best glare. "And if I refuse?"
Krad conjured a feather at Kei Hiwatari's beckoning and turned it into a ball of white fire in his palm. Kei held the scroll over the white flames.
"If you refuse, I will destroy the artifact." He said. "The choice is ultimately yours to make. After all, what is one servant to a girl like you, anyway? You're family certainly has its own dark reputation when it comes to your own selfishness. Let's put the Zaiaku curse to the test, shall we?"
His hand dropped closer to the flames, eyes never wavering from Suki's, but her eyes went back and forth between the scroll and Kei's expression. He would really do it. She realized with a sickening hopelessness. I have no choice.
"I summon you from wherever you are, Arien." She said. Kei moved the scroll from the flame as Krad extinguished it.
"A wise choice." Kei said, moving to stand beside the bubble. There was a bright streak of crimson light that blasted through the window, and then disappeared leaving Arien in its place.
"Master, are you alright?" Arien asked, seeing Suki trapped in the glowing bubble.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Suki said. "Arien I'm so sorry! If I hadn't doubted you and trusted Krad, you wouldn't be here in this situation! It's all my fault!"
Arien shook her head. "Don't worry, Suki. I'll get you out of here and we can debate your feelings of what I think to be guilt when we get home." She glared harshly at Kei and Krad. "Release her now!"
"I will let her go on one condition." Kei countered. He waved his hand at Krad who conjured up another glowing feather, but this time aimed it at the bubble that trapped Suki. "You will go to the museum of art in Azumano and steal the Rings of Heaven for me. That is, if you want your precious master to live."
Arien took one look at Suki before nodding. "You will have them."
She grew her vibrant red wings and tore from the room, racing off to steal the rings so that she could get her master away from that evil man before any harm could come to her. Please be patient, Suki. I'll get the rings as soon as I can. Don't do anything . . . moronic.
Kei watched with cruel satisfaction as the red-headed girl flew off to complete his task. He turned to Krad when she was out of sight.
"You're in charge. I have to go check up on the other part of my plan. If she starts to resist her capture, feel free to enforce on her some of your power." He said. Krad nodded.
"Yes sir." He said, watching as the man left the room and closed the door behind him. Krad looked everywhere but at her, and even though she knew she shouldn't feel put out by his ignoring her, she still felt it as a new pain in her heart. Suddenly, she watched as Krad gasped and clutched at his head and chest.
Through his pain, Krad began arguing with someone. Suki realized that it was Satoshi he was arguing with.
"Satoshi!" She said, placing her hands on the bubble closest to the blonde angel. "Can you hear me? You can break through his control!"
"Be. . . Silent!" Krad hissed at her. Master Satoshi, stop trying to come out! Your body has been placed under immense strain as it is! Coming out now would be detrimental to your life!
"I have to stop this Krad!" Satoshi argued from inside. "I can't let Kei continue to do this! What's to say he won't destroy us if he succeeds in getting rid of Dark and Daisuke?!"
Master Satoshi, you weren't supposed to know that. How did you find out? Krad felt his knee's buckle as Satoshi pushed harder against his conscience.
"I figured it out. It was easy when you know what to look for!" Satoshi pushed harder. "I can't let you help him! What about Suki?! What are you going to do with her after he gets what he wants?! He doesn't care about her! All he cares about is ending the Hikari and Niwa lines! Once we're out of the picture, he'll kill her too! Is that what you want?!"
Krad dropped to the floor, holding his head in both hands. "It's not . . . up to me."
Suki watched as the inner battle continued on. She was worried for Satoshi, and she surprised herself by being worried for Krad as well. But all that he told me . . . was a lie, right? The boy I liked lied to me about everything, isn't that the truth? Why am I still so damn attached to him?! She pounded on the bubble once more. "You can do it Satoshi!"
With an anguished cry, Suki watched as Krad glowed bright white and transformed back into his blue haired counterpart. Satoshi gasped for air on all fours, like he had exhausted himself in a physical battle. The bubble around Suki dissipated and she landed on the ground with a thud. She crawled over to Satoshi and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you alright, Satoshi?" She asked. He looked up at her and nodded.
"We have to get you out of here." He choked out and began struggling to his feet. She stood from the floor quickly and steadied him. He walked over to the phone and sank down the wall with it in hand. "I'll call Daisuke. If anything, he can get you out of here unharmed."
"Diasuke?" She asked. "How could Dai, the clumsy goof, possibly help us?"
Satoshi shouldered the phone and punched in some numbers. "There's more to him than you think."
He held his breath as the phone rang once, twice and three times before it was finally taken off the hook.
"Hello? Who's calling at this time of night?" Emiko Niwa spoke through the phone.
"Mrs. Niwa? This is Satoshi Hiwatari." Satoshi said, clutching the phone. "I have something important I need to ask Daisuke!"
"Oh, you're the Hikari boy aren't you?" Emiko's wariness of the boy was clear in her voice. "The Niwa family has never been able to get along with the Hikari."
"I know, but please listen! Kei Hiwatari is trying to kill both Daisuke and me." He said quickly. "I can't explain everything, but I need to speak with Daisuke as a matter of life and death!"
"Alright, Hikari." Emiko said at last. "I'll go wake Dai, hold on!"
A moment later, a flushed Daisuke answered the phone. "Hiwatari what's wrong?!"
"Daisuke, Suki is here at my house. Kei sent the Jewel of the Scroll to the Azumano art museum to steal an artifact that will kill whoever puts both rings on one finger." Satoshi explained. "I need your help, I can't stop the artifact myself, and I need to get Suki away from here as fast as possible. Please, go stop her!"
"Alright Hiwatari, I can help you." Daisuke said. "But wait, who's the Jewel of the Scroll?"
"It's Arien; the girl that Suki told us was her sister. She's actually an art piece one of my ancestors created long ago. She has to follow her master's commands no matter what, and Kei used that against her." Satoshi clutched the phone again, hearing something approaching the door from the hallway. "Just hurry Daisuke!"
He hung up the phone and struggled to his feet in front of Suki. "Run for the window! I'll hold him off as best I can!"
Suki nodded, but before she could take one step, Kei Hiwatari opened the door. His murderous gaze made her stop in her tracks. Satoshi leapt at the man, intending to strike him with his fists, but Kei gripped his wrists tightly.
"I should've known better than to let Krad guard her on his own." He said. "I'm not surprised you managed to break through the power of the Rutile of Grief. Of course, that's why I brought this!"
Kei held both of Satoshi's wrists in one hand and grabbed what looked like a medieval wrist band from his belt. He clamped it onto Satoshi's wrist and tossed the boy aside. Without sparing the boy another glance, and rushed over and caught Suki from behind.
"Planning on going somewhere?" He asked. "Your plans just changed."
He held Suki tightly, and she watched as Satoshi began transforming again. When the white light faded, Krad was back in control.
"How nice of you to rejoin us." Kei taunted. "I expected more of you Krad. Disappoint me again, and you will not be spared my wrath."
Kei turned his attention back to the girl that struggled in his arms. "I think we need to do a bit of reinforcing. Your freedom is not a part of my plans!"
He threw her to the ground and she landed with a loud thud. She grit her teeth as the impact sent some pain through her yet again. Kei walked over to the desk and studied it for a moment. Krad followed the man with his eyes.
"Master Hiwatari, what is it you plan to do when the Jewel of the Scroll returns with the artifact you seek?" He asked quietly. Kei answered without sparing him a glance.
"I will end our enemies, Krad. Dark Mousy will trouble us no more." He said. Kei picked up a decorative vase and tapped it with his knuckle. "Of course, you're asking about the girl, aren't you?"
Kei walked over to the blonde angel and leaned forward to speak directly into his ear. "She's our enemy too."
Then he turned back to the desk and picked up the vase again, tossing it from hand to hand as he turned to face Suki. "Let this be a reminder of just who is in charge here."
Kei raised the vase over his head as his eyes tinted with murderous rage as he stared down at her. His arm came winding down to strike her with the vase. Suddenly he cried out in pain as Krad shot him with a burst of magic. He sank down onto his knees as Krad hurried over to pick up Suki.
"Get away from here now." He said to her quickly. "Find Dark, he'll be able to protect you."
Suki looked up at him as he ran her over to the window and hefted up the window pane, allowing in the cool night air.
"Krad, you saved me. Why?" She asked. He looked down at her sadly.
"You've managed to steal me." He said quietly. "I know I lied to you, and I am sorry. But right now, you need to leave. If I make it out of here . . . I'll come find you."
He touched her cheek lightly. And then she was shoved from the window.
"Argh!" She grunted, having landed in the branches of a tree. "Son of a bitch!"
She untangled herself from the tree limbs and jumped down on the other side of the wall again. I have to go find Dark! There's no way Krad is getting out of pushing me from a second story window! Suki set off running towards the only place she could think the Phantom Dark would be; The Azumano art museum.
Arien flew to the museum like a shadow in the night, relying on the wind and her own magic to get her there quickly. Once she reached the heart of the city, she started looking down to see if she could recognize the rooftop of the museum. She spotted one that she was fairly sure was the museum and dove for a window. Before she reached the building she waved a hand at the window she was aiming for. The glass in the window suddenly dissolved and allowed her a silent entrance into the museum.
"Now to find the Rings of Heaven." She murmured. Arien folded her wings and willed them to disappear before she began her trek through the halls full of artwork. "It must be here somewhere."
She near sprinted through each art exhibit, glancing into each ward of the museum long enough to confirm the rings absence before taking off again. After searching the bottom floors, she made her way to the top. She opened the door to one of the exhibits and paused in the doorway. Across the room on velvet cushion sat two near identical rings. She hurried forward, hoping they were the two she needed.
The podium below the rings read Rings of Heaven, so she knew they were the ones she had searched for. Relived, she reached for the rings when all of a sudden they vanished in a shower of black feathers.
"What is this?" She asked. She picked up one of the feathers. "This looks like it belongs to-"
"Those would be mine, Arien."
She whipped around and spotted Dark stepping out of the shadows near the door, the rings placed on two separate fingers on his right hand.
"Looking for these?" He asked, showing off his hand. "They're not really my style, but a little birdie by the name of Satoshi Hiwatari called in a favor, so who am I to refuse this fashion disaster?"
"Dark, I need those rings." She said. "Hand them over, please. I don't want to hurt you."
Dark shook his head and smirked at her. "No can do, Arien. If you want them you'll have to come and get them from me."
Arien's back stiffened as she nodded and looked with a cool calm at the thief. "Then I must do whatever it takes to get them back."
She lunged at the purple haired thief and caught him with a bolt of luminescent red magic.
"Whoa! I didn't think you could do that." Dark mumbled as he dodged another bolt.
"Dark, be careful with those rings!" Daisuke said in spirit form beside his counterpart. "I know she can't help fighting you, but if we play this smart we should be able to turn her curse to our advantage."
Don't worry Daisuke I've already got a plan! Dark used one of his feathers to deflect one of her bolts back at her. Arien dodged with incredible ease, and tilted her body to avoid more backlash bolts of magic as she fired at him. Without a tamer like Krad and Dark, she had full control over her magic when she was on a mission for her master. The strain on her body wasn't nearly as bad as what Satoshi or Daisuke go through when their counterpart uses magic.
She backed Dark into a corner before he started to play seriously. He summoned With and deflected a bolt simultaneously so that he could jump into the air and soar out into the hallway. Arien huffed and took off chasing him, not wasting the time to conjure her own wings.
"You won't get away, Dark." She said, unleashing more magic. "I have to get those rings, under any circumstance!"
Dark dodged her attacks and deflected some back at her, but he could tell she wasn't running out of energy soon. If I stand even a chance of keeping these rings from her, I'll have to use magic of my own.
"Daisuke, I hope you're prepared enough to use magic." Dark said, landing at the end of the hallway with no other exit besides the window.
"I'll be fine Dark, just hurry up and do it!" Daisuke said. He wanted them to win this fight, if only for Suki and Satoshi's sake. They were his friends, and he would do anything to help them.
Arien stopped a few feet away from Dark and charged another bolt in her right hand. "It's over, Dark! Just hand over the rings!"
Dark shook his head. "Nope, I can't do that. You'll have to do something for me if you want them that badly."
Arien shook her head, nearly crying tears of frustration. "I will not be strung along any longer! It angers me that I must obey that madman, but it's all for Suki. I can't keep giving in to everyone's demands!"
But she knew she couldn't help it.
She swung her hand back to fire at Dark when he quickly unleashed his own attack. She was suddenly struck with a glowing purple feather in her shoulder. Arien felt its effect pass through her quicker than she could finish throwing the bolt. The magic dissipated in her hand and she sunk down to her knee's as Dark's attack knocked the wind from her and began to paralyze her body.
"But . . . I have to get those rings." She whispered as the magic held her in place. Dark walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. He lifted her chin lightly so that she had to look into his eyes.
"I'll give you the rings." He said quietly, gazing into her eyes. "But only if in exchange, you develop your own will."
Arien tried to understand him. She was confused still, about the gaze in his eyes, about her whole situation with Suki as her master, and most of all she was confused about herself. She didn't understand what he wanted. All she could think about was what was best for her master, there was nothing else. But then she remembered that feeling, the one that had brought tears to her eyes. Is that what I feel? What I am in control of? That was my own feelings. Not my masters, not anyone's but mine. Is that . . . will?
Light surrounded her as she began thinking of what was her own. When the light cleared, she found she could move again but felt no force behind her, nothing that she needed to do. Not for Kei Hiwatari, not for Krad Hikari, and not for Suki Zaiaku. Arien trembled as she took in this new feeling.
"I . . . I don't know what to do." She said quietly. She felt herself despair, she had never thought of what she wanted before.
Dark wrapped his arms around her. "You can do whatever you want to do."
She felt her heart start strumming as soon as he had her in his embrace. The feeling she had before she gained a will of her own was stronger now than it was before. She snuggled into his arms slightly, studying how it made her feel.
"You're being awfully silent." Dark said, chuckling slightly. "Something on your mind?"
"Earlier, you said that I loved Krad." She said. Dark's eyes widened slightly, not quite expecting the conversation to turn that way so quickly. He leaned away from her so that he could talk with her face to face.
"Yeah, I forgot about that." He said. Not really. It's all I've thought about since it happened.
"Dark, you have to understand that I don't know what love is." She continued, drawing back his attention. "It eludes me. I meant to ask Suki about it, but never had the chance. What I feel for Krad is anger, and rage and hurt. I'm sure that those feelings aren't what you were speaking of."
Dark let her talk, making more sense of her feelings as she spoke. He realized that it wasn't her presumed love for Krad that made her act unaffected by her emotions, or cause her to greet him so robotically. It was always her dedication to Suki that made her act so nonhuman.
He clasped her hands in his gently. "Well let's help you figure out your feelings. Tell me what you feel, holding my hands."
"My heart is beating fast." She said. Dark nodded and embraced her again.
"And now?"
"There's an inconsistent rhythm that my heart beats." She said. "It's jumping around a lot."
Dark moved back and tipped her chin with his finger gently.
"There's a heat on my cheeks now along with the unsteady beating." She said as a blush crossed her cheeks. Dark smiled and leaned closer to her face.
"And this one?" He whispered as his pressed his lips to hers.
A shocking but altogether pleasant sensation passed through her. Arien noticed her heart nearly stop, and her breath hitch in her throat. So this is love.
Suki rushed into the museum ward and spotted Arien and Dark sucking face on the floor. Alright, ew.
"Hey you two!" She said loudly, scaring them and breaking them apart in surprise. "I need your help!"
Arien and Dark stood quickly, both trying to regain some form of pride after being walked-in on by Suki. Arien felt her blush diminish as she swept back a piece of hair from her face. She glanced down at Darks hand and held it up by his sleeve.
"I found the rings, Suki." She said. Suki felt herself pause mentally before she shook her head at what seemed like Arien's first childish moment.
"I don't think we'll need them anymore, Arien." She said, walking up to them. Suki looked up at Dark. "As much as I don't like admitting it, I need your help, Phantom Thief Dark."
Dark raised an eyebrow. "Now that you mention it, Hiwatari was saying something close to that earlier! But here you are, safe and sound. How did you escape?"
"Well Kei Hiwatari was going to . . . I think he was going to kill me with a vase, but then Krad shot him." Suki said, a bit uncomfortably. "And then he kind of threw me into a tree. But that's not important! He said that when he was through with Hiwatari, he would come find me. It's been close to an hour, and he hasn't shown up anywhere yet. I need your help to go and find him."
"I will help you Suki." Arien said, walking forward and patting her head. "I have something to tell you. I broke the order that binds me to you. I no longer have to follow your orders, but I will do this for you as one last mission."
Suki nodded, thinking that the reason Arien managed to break her great grandfathers curse is the purple haired bird-brain standing behind her. Dark stepped up to her and nodded.
"I'll help you to. Daisuke and I have a score to settle with that man anyway. Plus, bailing out Krad from a bad situation makes me a better person than he is! Think of the bragging rights I would have over him!"
Suki shook her head at him. "Right. Let's go! I'm really worried about him." Wait, I'm worried about him now? Damnit, this feeling fluttering around inside me sucks.
"You'll have to hold onto my waist again." Arien said, and waved her hand at the window behind them. The glass dissipated magically as she grew her vibrant wings. "It's faster to fly than to run."
Suki nodded and wrapped her arms around the girl's middle. Dark took off out the window first, followed closely by Arien. Suki closed her eyes as they took to the air. Krad . . . for your sake, I hope you're alright. Because if you're not, I'm going to kill you.
They arrived at the Hiwatari manor a few minutes behind Dark. Having Suki hold onto her waist while flying had made Arien's speed a bit slower than normal, so Dark went on ahead to scout out the house. Arien touched down on the grass outside the front door of the manor, and Suki detached herself from the red-head.
"They were on the second story when I left." She said, heading for the door. "I'm sure they should still be up there!"
At the base of the steps, Suki clenched her muscles to spring up them two at a time, when suddenly an explosion from inside the house sent glass and wooden chips scattering everywhere in her direction.
"Suki!" Arien shouted as she rushed forward and tackled Suki to the ground to avoid the debris. An intense heat started to warm her side.
"Suki, are you alright?" Arien asked. Suki opened her eyes groggily.
"Arien, that was an explosion wasn't it? What happened?" She asked, sitting up and rubbing her head. She gasped as she looked at the manor.
The explosion had somehow caused a fire to erupt inside the house, and it spread quickly.
"Krad!" Suki cried out. She felt like the fire was caused by him, but she hoped that whatever the explosion had been from hadn't hurt him. No! Krad, please be safe!
Dark touched down on the lawn outside of the Hiwatari manor and quickly sprinted up the steps. He burst through the front door using his shoulder and hurried up the stairs to investigate a commotion on the second floor. He skidded to a stop as he saw the light from a lamp shine from underneath a partially closed-door.
He flung open the door. "Krad! Hiwatari!"
Kei Hiwatari turned to look at Dark, surprise clearly written on his face. Krad sat slumped on the floor in a corner, bleeding from a gash on his head. Dark felt a small twinge of sympathy towards the blonde angel. Whatever the deal was between him and Suki was evident, and Dark found himself sort of rooting for them.
"What have you done, Hiwatari?" He shouted, entering the room with a feather drawn.
"Dark Mousy." Kei said, mulling the name around on his tongue. "I sent the Jewel of the Scroll after those rings nearly an hour ago, yet here you are delivering them to me instead."
Dark glared at him. "What's your deal with these rings anyway?"
"Why don't you put them both on the same finger and find out?" Kei said. Dark narrowed his eyes as Krad struggled to open his.
"Mousy . . . "He said, barely managing to choke out the words. "Don't place them on the same finger. They will destroy you!"
Dark nodded. "Thanks for the info, Krad. Oh, there's a midget on her way that seems really concerned about you. I'll finish this quickly and you can go explain to her why you're so messed up."
"I appreciate it." Krad said.
Kei tried to edge out of the room through another door, but Dark wasn't having any of it. He swept the man's legs out from under him and watched as his head hit the door frame hard, leaving him an unmoving mass on the floor. Dark turned towards Krad.
"Let's get you out of here." He said, leaning down to try and help up the fallen blonde angel.
Krad stared past Dark and his eyes widened as he watched Kei raise up to his feet suddenly and rush at them with a glowing weapon.
"Look out, Dark!" Krad shouted, summoning a feather and unleashing it towards the crazed villain. The feather hit the weapon and their collision sparked a giant ball of fire and sound. Kei Hiwatari shouted as the blast hit him in the chest and sent him flying through the debris.
The blast knocked into Dark and Krad as well, because they were unable to dodge quickly enough. It hit them full on, and they shouted as the flames spread quickly to the other parts of the house.
Suki started tearing up as the flames reached a sky-high height, and there was no sign of Krad anywhere. Arien, still in mild control of her emotions, leapt up the steps leading into the house and ran through the flames.
"Arien are you crazy?!" Suki shouted from outside. "You'll get killed!"
She tried to follow, but the door way was suddenly blocked by burning beams.
Arien wound her way through the flames like a dancer, avoiding burning piles and leaping past fallen rubble until she came across what she was looking for. Daisuke Niwa and Satoshi Hiwatari lay, bruised and battered, on the ground floor surrounded by flames. She quickly sprinted over to them and gathered them up and over her shoulders as more flames tried to lick at her.
She looked around frantically for an exit, before desperately waving her hand at a wall and watching it crumble. Breathing heavily, she was relieved that it led to the outside, and sprinted past the flames once more until she was finally rid of the burning house.
Suki saw the wall blast open and quickly made her way towards it. Upon seeing Arien emerge from the smoke, she let out a happy cry of relief before falling into step behind her. Arien led them to the forest, far from the burning building, and quickly set the two boys down beside a stream that ran through the path they were on.
"Suki, they are badly hurt. We have to help them now." She said. Suki nodded and asked her what they needed to do. "I'm going to heal them as best I can. The rest is up to them."
Arien conjured a bolt of vibrant red magic and placed it on Satoshi's chest, directly above his heart. Slowly, she eased the magic into him until it was no more. Suki leaned forward and pressed her ear to his chest. She was relieved to find that he was breathing easier now, and that the cut on his head she just noticed was beginning to heal. Arien did the same with Daisuke, and before long the boys began to open their eyes.
"Arien . . .? Suki . . .?" Daisuke asked, looking up at the two girls wearily.
"We're here Daisuke!" Suki said. "And so is Hiwatari, so don't worry."
"That's good to know." He said, closing his eyes again. He suddenly opened them and looked around frantically.
"Dai, what's wrong?" Suki asked, concerned.
"Something's wrong, I can feel it!" He said.
"No." Satoshi said, opening his eyes. They glistened sadly, like the ocean after rain. "You can't feel it. That's what you mean."
"What are you talking about Satoshi?" Diasuke asked urgently. "Is there something wrong with you too?"
Satoshi shook his head. "No. Daisuke, you can't feel Dark. Just like I can't feel Krad." He looked into the two girls eyes. "They're gone."
Three months later Suki received a letter in the mail from her family. Arien thanked the postman at the door and carried the letter into the Zaiaku house. Onee sat comfortably on the small footrest in the living room, chewing on chopped pieces of carrot happily.
"Suki, there's a letter for you from a Mrs. Tsukiko Zaiaku." Arien said, entering the kitchen. "Is this woman your mother?"
Suki looked up from the newspaper she had been reading. "Yeah, it is. I wonder what she wants."
"Well read it and find out." Arien said, dropping the letter onto the table and turning to search for something sweet to chew on. Suki picked up the letter carefully and opened it. Inside was a letter, asking her to come and visit her family.
"They want me to come and visit." Suki said aloud. "It says they feel horrible about me living here alone, and they want to get to know me better."
"Is getting to know your family something that would interest you?" Arien asked, juggling a box of pancake mix in her arm and a carton of eggs in the other.
"Maybe." Suki said, placing the note on the table. "I just don't know if I can handle such a long trip."
Arien nodded understandingly, looking down at the ingredients in her hands sadly. "It still feels the same, doesn't it? I cried again last night."
Suki nodded and stared at the letter. "It's been three months, and it feels like nothing. I guess . . . I should go. Maybe the distance would help ease the pain."
Arien smiled at her friend. "A trip abroad? It sounds like you'll have fun exploring the world at least, in case it doesn't work out with your family."
Suki shrugged her shoulders and reached up to touch the white feather she wore on a chain around her neck. She thought of him every day, sometimes endlessly. She knew it was the same for Arien.
I wonder how long this lasts before it's gone?
"So long Suki! Don't forget to take lots of pictures and write!" Daisuke shouted from the train station loading dock.
"Have a safe trip, and bring something back for us." Satoshi said, pushing up his glasses as Suki smirked at them from her window on board the train.
"You two will be lucky if I even remember you when I get there." She said smartly. "And as for presents, how does seeing my bright and cheerful face back from a well-deserved vacation sound?"
"Like the biggest rip off in history." Satoshi said, folding his arms. Suki stuck her tongue out at him.
"Whatever. See you later, guys!" She called as the train began to move. She watched from the window as the two boys faded out of sight before plopping down onto the seat next to Onee's cage.
"Those two can be such geeks." She said, looking across the train cabin to the red-head reading a book.
"And I told you that it was okay if you didn't want to come with me. I've learned my lesson about all that ordering people around."
"I'm not going with you because you're my master." Arien said, flipping the page of her book. "I'm going with you because I'm your friend, and you need the support to see your parents for the first time."
Suki smiled at the girl who was so engaged in her book to notice. I would definitely fall apart on this train if I were by myself.
She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window.
All of a sudden, there was a blast from inside of the train, and it knocked both girls from their seats.
"What the hell?!" Suki said, standing up form where the blast had thrown her to the floor.
"Where did that explosion come from?" Arien asked sitting up, using the seat for balance. They could feel the train coming to a halt. Suki glared and reached for the door to the cabin.
"I don't know but I'm going to find out!" She opened the door quickly and stepped out fast, only to slam into someone. "What's the big idea?!"
"Is that any way to treat an old friend?" A cocky, suave voice asked her. She looked up into amethyst colored eyes.
"Dark?" She asked, poking him in the chest. "But we thought you were dead."
Dark smirked. "There's nothing that could hold me back from seeing Arien again. Now are you going to let me through, or am I going to have to move you myself?"
Suki stepped to the side and allowed Dark to enter the cabin. She watched as he startled Arien as he coaxed the book from her fingers.
"Don't you think it's time to put this down?" He asked smoothly. "It's hard for me to stare at your eyes if you're not staring back at mine."
"Dark!" She cried, jumping up and wrapping her arms around him. "You came back? How?"
Dark tightened his hold on the girl. "I couldn't let you leave Azumano before I had a chance to tell you I love you, now could I?"
Arien smiled up at him before closing her eyes and bestowing her own kiss on the Phantom Thief. She pulled away and shared with him a most intimate glance before promptly slapping his face.
"Ow! What was that for?" Dark asked, hissing as he reached up to touch his reddening cheek.
"That was for making me believe you were dead for three months." Arien said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. "I'll have you know that while you were gone I developed an anti-feministic view and do not appreciate you waltzing back into my life with a smile, like it makes up for all of the time I've lost grieving over you."
Dark felt a small smile tug up at his lips. He gently wrapped his arms around her. "I'll have to try harder then to make up for lost time."
"It'll take a lot more than this to completely make up for it." Arien said. She loosened her crossed arms and stared up at him coyly. "Though I guess this is a start."
She leaned up and kissed his cheek, laughing as he winced from the contact with his red cheek.
As Suki watched the love fest that made her a little queasy, she felt someone begin gently stroking her hair. She glanced sideways to see who it was, finding herself hoping that it was him. Gentle golden eyes stared at her in an almost lovingly light.
"Krad!" She said happily, but then blushed at her happiness and quieted down again. "Uh, you were gone . . . for a long time, and I was so . . . I tried to comfort Onee. She was really torn up about you disappearing."
"So the rabbit missed me?" He asked, twirling her hair through his fingers. "I had hoped that maybe someone else might have missed me as well, seeing as I risked my life to save her a few months ago."
Suki raised a brow coyly. "Well I'm sure she'll come around sooner or later."
"Yes, perhaps she needs a bit of convincing first." Krad mulled, and wrapped her in an embrace of their own. "I wanted to tell you that I love you. How dare you try to leave me behind? Come back with me, going abroad is boring. Trust me on that. There are much better sights and experiences to be had right here at home."
Suki nuzzled her way through his hair, inhaling his scent. "Sure, whatever. Just as long as those experiences you're talking about are good, and have you and I in them."
"Always, little angel." He murmured, before kissing her deeply.
The two angels stole the girls from the train, angering a few passengers in the process, but it didn't matter to them. They had their sacred maidens, and that is all that mattered.
END