Daisuke woke up feeling happy. Last night, he had actually gotten a full night's sleep. He felt well-rested and pleased. Ever since his mom had only made him stealing paintings once a week, his life had turned to almost normality.

Almost.

After all, the hype about Dark had yet to seize. Because the police still hadn't been able to get any descent footage of Dark yet, reporters were scrambling to do so. And because reporters were scrambling to do so, Takeshi's dad, who is a policeman/reporter, etcetera, was able to do so too. And because Takeshi's dad was able to do so too, Takeshi knew some stuff. And naturally, he told everyone, being it the only moment he was in the spotlight.

"Dark's coming out less and less," Takeshi explained, standing on a desktop as his fellow classmates and random people from the hall gathered 'round. "I think the police and reporters are making him nervous. He feels he's really going to get caught this time!"

"No way! Dark is amazing!" came an angered cry from Risa. A mob of many fan girls protested with her.

"Hey, calm down ladies," said Takeshi. "Seriously, what other explanation do you have?"

'How about the fact that he needs to go to beddy on time?'

'Shut up, Dark.'

"Yeah, thought so," Takeshi replied in a mocking voice. "There's a new story about the next piece of art he wants, too. He wants it to do his evil bidding."

'Why does this kid know more about what I'm going to steal than me? I thought he was stupid.'

"How can art do an evil bidding?" asked an older boy. Daisuke noticed Satoshi was behind him, looking as though he had spent the night wandering around in a dark mansion.

"This art is possessed!" Takeshi said with a grin. "See, I know this, because it takes girls. And it took this whiny little brat on my block and let me tell you, it was great!" Takeshi coughed as silence reigned in the room. "But, uh, seriously, it's no good… Yeah, it usually only takes girls that are really little. I hear it looks like a unicorn. Draws it in- all little girls like unicorns, ya know?"

"I like wrestling!" said a girl with a rather deep voice.

"Thank you, Berneatha," Takeshi answered sarcastically. "Anyway, so the little girls go up to pet them, next thing you know they're on its back and boom, it flies away!"

"Oh my gosh!"

"How terrible!"

"What if it takes my little sister?"

"Maybe it'll capture that little brat who stole my bike!"

'A unicorn that takes away little girls?' Daisuke thought.

'No, Daisuke, NO, I went to go steal art three days ago, I'm not supposed to have to for another four!'

'Oh, come on, Dark. This is a really bad one. And you know that I as well as you don't want to do it either, but it's a big deal!'

'…Okay, okay. We'll go check it out tonight.'

"So, dude, what do you think about Dark?" Takeshi asked as they walked home from school. Daisuke drained his Sunny D and sighed.

"You ask me this everyday. I don't think anything about Dark. He's just a guy they can make into key chains and t-shirts and dolls and attracts weird tourists. Frankly, I think he's a hoax so we can get more people to come to our low-populated town."

"Well… I dunno, man. It does seem like your mom knows quite a bit. Speaking of which, how is she?" Takeshi asked, suddenly seeming very eager.

"Dude, she still hates you."

"I didn't win her over with the Mariachi band?"

"No."

"How about the-?"

"No, just stop it. Seriously, my mom's about to call in the Nat-"

"DAISUKE!"

Daisuke turned around quickly. Risa was peddling her bicycle like a mad person in order to catch up to him, Ms. Gulch's Wizard of Oz music playing maniacally in the background. "Daisuke, I need to talk to you about yesterday!"

"Oh man…" Daisuke wondered what Wiz had done wrong. "Could you just keep walking, Takeshi?"

"No, I wanna see this," Takeshi said, smiling obnoxiously.

"You can go to my house and see my mom."

"Later, dude." Takeshi raced off to Daisuke's house, a grin plastered on his inconvenient- sorry, incommodious face.

Riku hopped off her bike, letting it fall to the ground, and poked Daisuke in the nose. "You, Mister, have a LOT of explaining to do about yesterday's cabbage fest."

"Last night? Uh, yes, I can explain… by any chance could you give me an adaptation of last night?"

Riku growled. "Last night, you tried to flirt with me."

Daisuke gulped. "I did?"

"Terribly, might I add. You also insulted Mr. Intense."

"I did?!"

"And you never finished your cabbages."

Daisuke shook his head. "Sorry… I'm on a new… allergy medication and whatnot. So are we cool?" He blinked. "Hey, wait a minute! Risa was there, not you!"

She threw his backpack on the ground and ran over her bike with it. "I was filling in for her. But if you ever DARE call me honey-muffin again, I'll smack you silly!"

Daisuke stood there confused with his tire-tracked backpack.

"Honey, put him down! Now, I know he caused some trouble, but-"

"Some trouble? Some trouble? He totally embarrassed me! I have tire tracks on my backpack! I girl threatened to slap me! All because of him, so now he's gonna be the one taking the blame for it!"

"But chocolate-ears-"

"And no offense, but your terms of endearment are really stupid!" Daisuke shouted. "If you need me, I'll be giving away this rodent to the first person who pays over two dollars."

SLAM, said the door.

"That happened to me with Wiz. Twice, in fact. Once, I put him in the washing machine on high." Grandpa nodded in remembrance.

"Oh my gosh! What happened?" Daisuke's mom shrieked.

Gran-dude took a sip of his tea. "Wiz was alright, harm-wise… I just learned never to wash him with my red clothes."

"Let me guess: he turned pink?" Daisuke mom guessed.

"No, Daisuke's mom, all my pink shirts turned white! That little guy's got strong bleach in his fur! Now get me more tea before I fall asleep again!" he commanded.

"This thing," Daisuke said to himself through gritted teeth, clutching Wiz by the scruff of his neck, "is never entering my house again! He causes way to much trouble! Hey, lady, want a rabbit thing for three bucks?" The woman chuckled, ruffled Daisuke's hair and walked off.

"I hate it when they do that," said Daisuke, fixing his hair back into it's usually spiky appearance.

He passed by the pet store. 'Perfect place for this little hairball!'

"Yo, pet store owner guy," said Daisuke, ringing a bell on the counter. A woman came up. She looked excruciatingly bored and tired.

"What?" she asked, leaning on the counter with one elbow. "Make it quick, I've got a chinchilla back there in labor."

"Well, uh…" Daisuke said, ignoring the comment. "See, I've got this little guy. Isn't he cute, see?" Daisuke, said holding him up.

The girl looked at him. "He pregnant too?"

Daisuke blinked (again). "No, it's… a he…"

"I'm being sarcastic."

"Oh, uh… anyway, can I leave him here? No charge?" Daisuke asked, putting on his cute eyes that often won over teachers.

The girl sighed. "Well, whatever… we're a little short on room… now that we've got a lot of baby chinchillas, anyway…" She clicked on a ballpoint pencil. "So, what kind of animal is it?"

Daisuke sweat dropped. "Well, I'm not really sure…"

The girl glanced at him, annoyed. "You don't know? It's clearly a rabbit."

"Right… sure, I'll take that."

"And its male… is he spayed?"

"Uh…"

"Lemme just take a guess: you don't know."

"… No."

"Kid, you're not really helping me out here. I'm afraid I can't accept this guy, then. Now vamoose, I've got stuff to do. Like find out what the heck a chinchilla is."

Daisuke sighed. "That's it; I'm on the end of my rope here. You can stay with these guys; I'll just stuff you in there." Daisuke showed Wiz a cage full of rabbits. "Hey, Wiz, meet your new roomies."

"Oh my gosh!"

"The rope is snapping!"

"Get out of the way!"

"We're so fired!"

"Look, a penny!"

"Lars!"

"Sorry..."

Daisuke raced outside with a bunch of other confused pedestrians. A few workers were attempting to hoist up a piano, but the rope was snapping (hence what they said) and it was about to crash to the ground. A girl was standing underneath it, completely oblivious to what they were saying.

"Shoot, I think that girls deaf!" Daisuke shouted and knocked her out of the way milliseconds before the piano crashed onto her poor girly head.

"Um… you okay?" Daisuke said, trying to signal to her.

"Eh? Can't here ya," the girl said, than took out some headphones. Yeah… iPod's rule the world. I don't have one; I am immune to its musical powers.

"This boy just saved your life!"

"Smile and say cheese!"

"Front page on the Daisuke's Home Town Inquirer!"

"Wait… what?" Daisuke said. The camera flashes were making him dizzy.

And so the front page displayed something besides Dark for once.

Um... hoorah?