Niika stretched lazily as she walked along the road to school. Wiz sat on her shoulder, basking in the warm morning sunshine. The twins, however, didn't even seem to be awake at all. The trudged along in a weary daze, leaning this way and that, threatening to topple over at any moment.
"Ko-niii-chiii-wa!" Ekai called, waving and coming over to the group. "How are the three musketeers doing?"
"Don't ever say that again," Niika commanded.
"Gomen," Ekai waved the fault off with her hand. "And what's wrong with you two?" she leaned forward to the level the twins had slumped to.
"They were up all night watching Phantom Thief Dark," Niika fought hard to keep the scorn out of her voice. Chances were Dark could hear her and she didn't feel like starting a fight with him.
"So was I, but I'm fine," Ekai said.
"Well you were relaxing!" Daika spat.
"Oh," Ekai tilted her head. "Why, what did you do?"
The two boys froze, eyes wide, realizing that they were stuck.
"Look at them," Niika sighed, "do you think they'd be able to hold still? Honestly, I could hear you guys up in my room."
"Oh is that it?" Ekai smiled, taking the bait hook, line, and sinker. "Well, I hope you don't get in trouble for sleeping in class or something."
Daika and Daiku sighed with relief.
Niika turned to them and mouthed "you owe me."
"Wonder what she's gonna ask for in return," Daika asked Daiku with narrowed eyes as the girls walked away.
"Don't bring it up and maybe she'll forget," Daiku answered. "C'mon, let's go before we're late…again."
"Yea yea," Daika followed drudgingly.
"Niwa-kuns!" the shout was the only warning the twins had before being violently glomped from behind.
"Haipa," Daika groaned, "not today, we were up late."
"So, Dark has some more fans, does he?" the dirty-blonde girl got off them and walked in front of the twins.
"Nothing get's by you," Daiku said. "So, I take it you were watching too, huh?"
"Of course," Haipa replied. "Everyone was watching it. Dark's pretty popular."
As if there was any doubt, Dark's voce resonated between the twins.
"What's wrong?" Haipa noticed their awkward reactions to Dark's comment.
"Uh…w...well…" Daika stammered. "Um….uh…did Chisakou-san see it?"
"Aaahhh, I see," Haipa said, slyly. "Don't like the competition!"
"N…no! It's not like that!" Daika exclaimed, waving his hands in defense.
Daiku's heart began to pound and he started to sweat. Oh know! He's gonna make us transform! "D…Daika, calm down!" He grabbed his brother's arm and tried to hold him still, but it was too late. It's no good! At this rate, we'll blow our cover on the first day! "Sorry, Haipa, we gotta go!"
He dashed off, dragging his twin brother behind him. They rounded a corner and stopped. Daiku leaned against the wall, panting heavily.
"Aww, now why'd you have to go and spoil my fun?" Daika's companion asked.
"Fun?" Daiku panted, "you were about to get us…" he stopped as he realized what voice was talking to him. "Dark?!"
"Surprised to see me?" Dark asked.
"B…but it's time for school!" Daiku protested, "change back now!"
"Now why would I wanna do that?" Dark asked.
"Because you'll ruin everything!" Daiku exclaimed. "How can you be so indifferent?"
"I don't care," Dark replied, "In fact, I don't wanna change back. It's no fun being cooped up inside you two all day."
"You come out at night when we steal stuff," Daiku grumbled. "The day is our time!"
"And who decided this?" Dark asked, folding his arms and glaring at Daiku.
Before Daiku could answer, the school bell rang out through the building.
"Oh no, we're late!" Daiku cried. "Dark, this is serious! Change back!"
"As if," Dark chuckled.
This is getting me nowhere! Daiku thought desperately. We're late for class and we're at school as Dark! Things couldn't be worse!
"Sure it could," Dark assured him. "I'll show ya!" and with that, he turned and ran around the corner.
"Dark!" Daiku exclaimed. "Oh great. Me and my big mouth!" He ran off after him, taking his cell phone out of his pocket.
Dark hopped the fence around the school, and continued to run. He looked back to see Daiku jumping over after him, keeping only a short distance between them. "He's not so bad."
Niika took her seat beside Ekai and placed her bag gently against it, so not to hurt Wiz.
"So guess what I found yesterday," Ekai began.
"I despise guessing games," Niika said with a taunting edge to her voice. "Out with it!"
"Alright alright," Ekai giggled. "It's this old jewelry-making kit! It used to be my mom's. When I asked her about it, she said she'd teach me to use it this weekend!"
"That's awesome!" Niika exclaimed. "You could make stuff and sell it here! It'd be a great business! I'll help!"
"I hadn't thought of that," Ekai said, sounding a little nervous. "But it's hard work, my mom says. I…I don't think it'll be very profitable."
"Mmmm," Niika nodded thoughtfully. The bell rang and class began, ending their conversation. It didn't take Niika long to get bored and begin to daydream. She stared out the window, which se sat next to for just such an occasion. A flash of a school uniform caught her attention. Then another. She watched as two rather tall students with matching purple hair jumped the fence and ran off.
"Bakas," Niika muttered. "What are they up to? And why are they Dark?"
"Kyuu?" at the mention of the phantom thief, Wiz popped out of her bag.
"They're leaving," Niika told him.
"Niwa-san!" the teacher snapped. "That's twice this week. What is so interesting that you can't pay attention in class?"
A sinister grin streaked Niika's face. "I…I saw two kids hopping the fence."
"Vandals?!" the teacher exclaimed. "In broad daylight?!"
"No, no, sensei," Niika explained. "They weren't breaking in, they were breaking out. They had school uniforms on."
"Playing hooky, are they?" the teacher asked. "Well then, children stay here, while I tell the principal. I won't be long at all."
Busted! Niika thought triumphantly.
"Wow, how dumb can you be?" Ekai asked.
"Wonder who it was," said the girl who sat behind Niika. "Did you see their faces? Were they guys?"
"Yea, two guys," Niika said. "Either that or girls in guy's uniforms."
The three of them giggled.
"As for who they are, sorry, can't help ya," Niika said. "I didn't see their faces."
"Aww, oh well," the girl sighed.
"Maybe they were vandals," Ekai speculated. "They broke in, took some uniforms, did their vandalism in plain sight and were escaping."
"Do you honestly believe that?" the other girl asked. "They're obviously students trying to cut class!"
"Don't jump to conclusions just yet, Karen," Niika said. "You never can tell."
The teacher came back to class and called for them to quiet down before she continued her lecture.
You guys can't do anything right, Niika thought, you can't even waste a decent amount of class time!
"Mom?!" Daiku spoke into the phone. He stood in an alleyway and Dark was nowhere to be seen.
"Daiku, what's wrong?" his mother asked on the other end.
"We have a situation!" Daiku exclaimed. "Daika transformed us both and now Dark's run off! I tried to chase him, but he's too good at losing tag-alongs; I've lost him!"
"I can't believe this!" his mother shouted on the other end.
"So you'll help?" Daiku asked, hopefully.
"No!" his mother snapped. "I can't believe that after all this training we've given you, you can't even catch your other self! You're not called his 'tamer' for nothing!"
"What are you talking about?!" Daiku cried. "You mean I'm on my own?!"
"And hurry!" his mother snapped, "you're missing class!"
Daiku slumped as she hung up. "You've got to be kidding me!" He clutched his phone angrily. "Daika's apparently worthless, this whole thing's his fault! What am I gonna do?!" He looked down at his phone and thought for a moment, an idea forming. "Oh great, racking up the debt."
"Kyuu!" Wiz popped out of Niika's bag holding up her vibrating phone.
"Shhh," Niika whispered to him and reached down to take the phone. She gasped as she read the display. "Sensei, may I use the restroom?"
"If you think you can afford to miss this information," the teacher answered.
"Thanks," Niika got up and headed to the bathrooms. By the time she got there, the phone had stopped vibrating. She dialed the number that had called her and waited.
"Niika?!" Daiku's voice exploded from the earpiece.
"What are you doing?!" Niika shouted, "why aren't you in class?!"
"It's Dark!" Daiku wailed. "Daika transformed and then Dark ran off!"
"For a mature phantom thief, he sure acts childish," Niika muttered. "And now you want my help, huh?"
"No, I don't want it," Daiku replied, "but I have no other choice. Mom's mad at me for not being able to handle this on my own, and Daika's no help."
"So wait," Niika said, "you want me to help you and not tell Mom?"
"Well…." Daiku stammered, "I hadn't thought of what to tell Mom. Right now, I just wanna be me again!"
"Alright, fine," Niika sighed. "I'll be with you in a minute. Call Wiz."
"Huh?" Daiku asked.
"You're Dark, right?" Niika asked, "call Wiz so he'll come to you and be there when I get there. He's still in the classroom now and I can't go back and think of an excuse to get out of here."
"Go to the nurse's office," Daiku suggested.
"That is so old it'll never work," Niika said. "But I'll try it. It's better than having gone to the bathroom and never coming back. Either way, I'll be there momentarily." She hung up and headed back to class. "Show time." She hunched over, gripped her stomach and put on a look of suffering. "Sensei," she moaned, opening the door, "ugh, I think I've got something. I thought if I went to the bathroom it'd be better, you know, but now it's worse! You mind if I go to the nurse's office?"
"If you must," the teacher sighed.
"Thanks," Niika hobbled to her seat, grabbed her bag and left.
"Kyuu?" Wiz asked, sympathetically.
"Nah, I'm fine," Niika stood up straight. "Good acting though, huh? Now c'mon, Daiku needs his big sister to save his ass!" She left the school and headed to the place where she knew there were no windows and hopped the fence. "Now then," she took out her phone and dialed.
"Yea?" Daiku asked.
"I'm on my way," Niika assured him. "Where are you?"
"In an alley about a mile West of school," Daiku told her. "It's between an apartment and a cake shop."
"Got it!" Niika said. "See ya in a bit." She hung up the phone and ran off in the indicated direction. Wiz climbed out of her bag and onto her shoulder.
"Kyuu!" the little rabbit-like creature pointed to an alleyway where the faint silhouette of a man with long hair in his face could be seen.
"Yep, that's him," Niika said. "Daiku!"
"Shhhhhhh!" Daiku hissed, "not so loud! I'm hiding. Don't forget I look like a wanted criminal right now."
"Which is why I have this," she took a red-orange hat out of her bag and threw it onto Daiku's head. "Tuck in the hair. Now, about Dark."
"Why do you have a hat with you?" Daiku asked, tucking the long purple bangs under the hat.
"It matches the uniform," Niika said, "and in case of a windy day, I can wear it to and from class to keep my hair from going crazy."
"Isn't that what your headband is for?" Daiku asked.
Niika rolled her eyes. "Boys. Now, where'd you lose Dark?"
"Here," Daiku replied. "Just about, anyway. He turned the corner back there and when I came around he was gone. Since Wiz is right here I know he didn't fly off."
"Plus that would be stupid," Niika added. "Right now he can play at being some random dude who looks like Dark, if he flew, he'd be busted."
"True too," Daiku admitted.
"Now, knowing Dark, which I don't, he probably noticed that he's 'won' by now and is no longer running from you, which gives us the edge."
"Um…sure," Daiku agreed.
"Capturing the phantom thief won't be easy," Niika added, "but if we can rely on the element of surprise, we may stand a chance."
"So you've got a plan," Daiku asked.
"Not at all!" Niika said.
Daiku toppled over. "Some help you are."
"Hey, this is your problem, not mine!" Niika snapped as her brother scrambled to his feet. "You're lucky I'm offering any help as it is!"
"Alright, fine," Daiku said, "so what do we do?!"
"I doubt we actually will be able to capture him," Niika said, thoughtfully, "but if we can get him to change back into you, we'll win anyway."
"You mean into Daika," Daiku added.
"Whatever!" Niika snapped. "Same damn difference. You want my help or not?! Look, Mom said Dark will change when he sees his true love."
"Yea," Daiku said.
"So who's his true love?" Niika asked.
"I don't know!" Daiku cried. "Daika changed back without me remember!"
"And you say I'm no help!" Niika muttered. "Well, looks like we just gotta keep trying people."
"What?!" Daiku exclaimed.
"Look around," Niika said. "First thing's first, though, we gotta find him, Wiz."
"Kyuu?" the white fuzz ball on her shoulder tilted his head.
"You have to have some sort of homing beacon in you," Niika said, "because you come when Dark calls you, so find him!"
"Kyuu…" Wiz sighed.
"I think Dark has to call him for it to work," Daiku said.
"Call him," Niika commanded.
"What?!" Daiku asked.
"Call him," Niika repeated. "Maybe if you call him, it'll activate his 'homing beacon' and he'll be able to find both of you."
"Or just get confused since I'm right here," Daiku said.
"It's worth a try!" Niika spat. "Now do it!"
"Fine," Daiku sighed. "Um…what do I say?"
Niika put her face in her hand in frustration. "You are totally worthless, you know that?"
"I didn't think I'd ever need to call Wiz!" Daiku defended. "And Dark hasn't done it yet!"
"Try something! Anything!" Niika snapped.
"O.K." Daiku said. "Wiz! Come!"
Wiz hopped from Niika's shoulder to Daiku's.
"No, no," Niika took him back. "We don't really want you to go to him. We want you to go to the real Dark. Can you do that? Find Dark."
Wiz's ears perked up. He leapt out of Niika's arms and, flapping his ears like Dumbo, he flew off over the street.
"I didn't know he could do that!" Niika exclaimed, giving chase.
"He is Dark's wings," Daiku explained. "I'd assume he could fly."
"Well yea, but in this form?" Niika asked. "Never mind, hurry up or we'll lose him!"
Daiku nodded and picked up the pace. After winding around buildings, they came to a busy street, with people walking up and down the sidewalk.
"There he is!" Daiku pointed up at the white creature in the sky as he started to descend."
"And there's Dark!" Niika pointed to where Wiz was heading. "He did it! Oh crap! He's going to Dark! He'll blow our cover! Call him!"
"Wiz! To me!" Daiku called.
Wiz immediately turned right around and flew at high speeds right at Daiku.
Niika reached up and caught him. "Nice going, little guy. I'll get you something good when this is over."
"O.K. we found him," Daiku said, walking with the crowds to keep Dark in sight, "now what?"
"We can't confront him," Niika resolved, "then we'd lose our edge. We have to get him to change back! It's the only way with this many people here. If we run up behind him and grab him, that'll only draw attention to us."
"But we don't know who is true love is!" Daiku moaned.
"Just look around," Niika said, "there's plenty of women around. He's got to feel some attraction to one of them! Any love will work, won't it?"
"It's just gotta get him nervous and weak," Daiku said. "Daika transformed because Haipa accused him of liking Chisakou-san and he freaked out."
"Alright then," Niika said. "Hey, there's a girl now, and he's looking at her! He's heading towards her and saying something. You feel anything? You gonna transform?"
"No," Daiku replied. "Nothing at all."
"She's blushing," Niika observed, "he must've said something slick. Why am I not surprised? Oh, now he's leaving, darn!"
"Somehow I don't think this'll be easy," Daiku said.
"That man-whore!" Niika snapped.
"Take it easy!" Daiku exclaimed.
"He's talked to just about every woman he's passed, made them blush and walked on!" Niika grumbled. "He's not in love with any of them, he's just being a….a….womanizer!"
"Chill out, it's not that bad," Daiku said, "so he's talking to girls, big deal."
"We need help," Niika said, "it's already past noon, call Mom!"
"But she already said she won't help us!" Daiku complained.
"She knows Dark's true love!" Niika told him. "Ask her for a picture, I may have a plan."
"How will we get it?" Daiku asked.
"Kyuu," Wiz replied.
"Now call!" Niika commanded. "I don't want Mom to know I'm in on this!"
"Alright, alright," Daiku got out his phone and dialed. "Hey, Mom? No…not yet, but I see him. W…I've been following him for some time now, kinda hoping he'd change back. W…well, yea, I kinda figured, but I didn't know what else to do! Look, I just need a picture of Dark's true love. You've got one, don't you? Great, I'll send Wiz to get it. Well, yea, I can call him. No, Niika's not here…I came up with this, yea. Why can't you believe that?! Look, just send me the picture!" He flipped the phone closed.
"Wow, I didn't think it'd be that obvious," Niika said.
"Just send Wiz," Daiku sighed.
"Alright," Niika agreed. "Go on home, Wiz. I'll get you an extra strawberry if you make it really fast."
"Kyuu!" Wiz exclaimed, leaping into the air.
"Did I say a strawberry?" Niika asked before he flew away, "I meant a big slice of strawberry shortcake!"
"Kyuu kyuu kyuu!" Wiz cried for joy and flew off as fast as he could.
"He'll be back in five minutes, tops," Niika said.
"But Dark's on the move," Daiku said, "we won't be in the same place in five minutes."
"Boy you're dumb, aren't you?" Niika knocked on his head. "What's in there? Not brains! He can find Dark, baka, that's how we got this far! He can find you too!"
"Alright, alright!" Daiku ducked away from her arm.
"Hey, don't lose him!" Niika pushed through the crowd, apologizing as she went.
Daiku followed as best he could as the people filled in the space in her wake like water behind a boat.
Dark had stopped again. Although girls still passed him, he seemed to have gotten bored with flirting.
Something soft suddenly clocked Daiku on the head. "Oww! What the?!" He took what it was off his head.
"Kyuu!" the creature in his grasp greeted him around the paper in his mouth.
"Wow, that was fast," Niika took Wiz before Daiku could even piece together what had happened. "Hmm, so this is Dark's true love. Well, let's give this a shot. Wiz, go over and give this to Dark."
"Kyuu!" Wiz saluted and flew off.
"And you hide," Niika shoved Daiku into the nearest alley.
"Why?!" Daiku protested.
"Because if this works you'll transform in front of everyone," Niika said. "I know you've got the hat and you think because of that no one will notice, but you're a bit shorter than Dark and we can't risk exposure."
"Oh, hey Wiz," Dark greeted his wings. "Shouldn't you be with that girl you like?" Dark noticed the picture Wiz held in his mouth, though the blank side was facing him. "What's this? Probably some demand from Daiku." He took the picture and turned it over. "What?! Th…this is…!" He crumpled the picture and closed his eyes, but it was too late. Desperately, he ducked into another alleyway.
"It worked!" Daiku emerged from the shadows, now his normal self. "Niika, you're a genius!" He took the hat off and handed it to his sister.
"So I've been told," Niika replied, smugly, stuffing the hat back into her bag. "Take that, you phantom thief!"
You got lucky! Dark snapped.
"Admit it," Daiku said, "she got you! You lost to a girl!"
Niika stuck her tongue out at Daiku, though it was intended for Dark.
It won't happen again! Dark resolved.
"No it won't," Daika approached them with Wiz on his shoulder. "You won't be getting out again!"
We'll see, Dark said.
"Well, either way, we gotta get you guys back to class," Niika said. "If the nurse is out, which she usually is when there's no one in there, we can say we've been in there the whole time and no one 'll be the wiser!"
The twins nodded in agreement and followed her.
"I can't believe we owe her now for this," Daika muttered.
"Twice," Daiku reminded him. "You gotta be more careful! Control your emotions!"
"Easy for you to say!" Daika countered, "you've got no love life what so ever!"
Daiku recoiled back, nervously. He and his siblings continued on in silence.