Chapter 3: Reencounters And News Of A Class Trip
It had been about a month since Yuki came into Satoshi's life and slowly he was forcing himself to remember that he only tried to make her happy because she was an important piece of artwork that Dark would try to steal. In fact he could use her as bait. That idea had crossed his mind before, but if Dark got away and figured out whom she was he would never get any rest. Yet, Krad began to notice what Satoshi was in denial about. The teenage boy kind of enjoyed seeing Yuki smile. It wasn't any particular attachment, he just felt at ease and relaxed when she smiled and despite how easy it seemed to make her smile, it was actually quite difficult to get a genuine smile out of her.
Yuki had also made some friends at school, though Satoshi would have preferred that she remained distant from Daisuke Niwa. It was inevitable; he was now forced to sit with a group at lunch instead of the quiet and lonesome atmosphere of the roof. Though, the change of scenery from the roof to the courtyard of the school wasn't that bad. Yuki waved a hand in front of Satoshi's face. Daisuke had asked her if he was okay as he seemed to be zoning out.
She smirked and gave a somewhat sad look, making her eyes water. Satoshi quickly snapped out of his daze upon seeing her eyes water and she wiped her eyes, laughing softly. "I fooled you!" she chuckled, grinning proudly. Satoshi just rolled his eyes, annoyed, as he snatched a strawberry from the lunch she'd made herself. She blinked and shot a glare at him, reaching to get her strawberry back. He leaned away from her and popped it into his mouth. She just puffed up her cheeks and turned her back to him in order to create a barricade between him and her strawberries.
At home he had taken out a few old recipe books and she began cooking small things, putting them into a boxed lunch for him. She would make about five of six dishes on Sunday evening and he would get the same things in his lunch all week.
However, her lunch was always different. She either made herself a simple sandwich or put a bunch of strawberries and a sugar packet in or something like that. Riku and Risa always wondered why she didn't eat the same balanced meal that she'd made. She always answered with 'because I like this better'. Satoshi was always quite amused by this. Her cooking, after the first week, which was just training, had gotten a lot better. Everything was freely edible now, or everything she attempted to make. He didn't expect that much from her that quickly.
Satoshi eyes widened an unnoticeable amount at Riku mentioned an interesting topic. "Can you believe that Dark shattered that one statue, well, Risa? You said he could succeed at anything but instead of stealing the 'Yuki No Kissu', he broke it," Riku teased. Yuki's head turned to this and she raised an eyebrow, glancing at Satoshi. Daisuke just chuckled softly and Yuki scratched the back of her neck, wanting to end the discussion before it spread, so she had to talk over Risa's whining over Riku's put down of Dark.
"Daisuke, that girlfriend of yours is rather rude." Dark pouted, not wanting to be reminded of his failure. The Phantom Thief, while inside Daisuke, could only speak and be heard by him and vice versa. The same went for Krad and Satoshi. Yuki had figured that out by now.
"Riku, I am sure he didn't mean to break the statue, but nothing was meant to last forever you know. I mean, I am sure that it was really that statue's time to go." she encouraged. Risa nodded in agreement and the twins finally stopped bickering.
Satoshi just rolled his eyes. 'What an idiotic way to stop a conversation,' he thought. Yet apparently it worked for the three girls. Yet, he was interrupted from ignoring them when Yuki leaned against him, giving him a cute look.
"Did Phantom Thief Dark send another calling card?" she asked. Her smile was innocent and her eyes drew in his gaze, possessing a desire and craving to know the answer. He hated it when she gave him that look because that was one he couldn't seem to resist.
"Yes. He is going to steal a mysterious painting from long ago that was said to be of the same model as the 'Yuki No Kissu'." He felt his heart skip a beat as she smiled authentically and quickly looked away, annoyed. 'Stupid piece of artwork.' His mental scolding just made Krad laugh in amusement.
"Well, off that topic, is everyone going on the class trip to the beach. I heard they extended it this year so we can do a lot more and because the teachers opted for a day of on location history lessons." Daisuke seemed to know a lot about what was going on. Of course he was the only person who really paid complete attention in class apparently. Well, excluding Takeshi who paid attention to everything and every discussion but the one-way conversation with the teacher.
Yuki looked over at Satoshi. She would only go if he went and that was all there was to it. After all, he was the master, so she had to follow him about. Satoshi nodded in a response and she nodded as well, singing in her head from joy. Riku and Risa both said they were going too and offered to share a room with her. Apparently, it had to be girls with girls and boys with boys. She gave a nod of reluctant agreement and then looked back at Satoshi who'd begun to stand up, carrying both bento boxes. She jumped to her feet as well and waved to her friends before following him inside.
Satoshi sighed; knowing this next bit of news would upset her. "Sakura, tonight is the full moon again." It had been a whole moon cycle since their first encounter with the 'voices'. "I have to go deal with Dark tonight, so I won't be there to sleep by your side. You can either come with to hang around outside with some of the police force or wait at home. Your pick." His offer was quite generous but he knew she'd still be upset.
She stared at his back, which was turned to her, slightly taken aback from surprise. She took a step back in the shock and then threw her arms around him from behind, embracing him tightly. He could tell she was doing her best not to cry. "I'll wait with the police," she agreed. That way she would at least know she wouldn't try to kill herself again if she became possessed. Yet, she wouldn't feel as safe as she did with her master.
There was the small click of a camera heard and Takeshi ran past them, yelling 'thanks for the good picture'. Satoshi just grumbled a few curses under his breath and ruffled her hair, assuring she did nothing wrong. The two went back to the classroom together and the day proceeded normally.
That evening Satoshi gave two of his unit strict orders to keep her away from cliffs and high places and make sure she didn't cry and was entertained. He also gave them a few tips on how to make her laugh before heading inside the museum.
He gazed at the painting. It held no emotion and he considered it horrid artwork, though the depicted image did look a good bit like Yuki. Her former master probably made it as well. It wasn't long before Dark flew in and Satoshi activated the emergency lockdown, smirking. "How are you going to get away now, Dark?"
The Phantom Thief just chuckled, plucking a feather from his wing and throwing it at the bars in front of the window. He activated the feather's magic and watched as the bars began to melt. While he was slightly distracted, Satoshi tackled him to the ground and Dark quickly pushed him off, flying out of the boy's reach. He quickly snatched the painting while Satoshi was rendered busy by his transformation.
Satoshi felt it coming, screaming loudly. This scream resonated in Yuki and her eyes shot open and darted up to the window. Yet, she resisted. He'd told her everything would be all right. Krad had regained control and he flew at Dark quickly, slamming his counterpart into the wall. Dark kneed Krad in the stomach and the two separated. It was now a race for the window and Dark flew full speed ahead, Krad caught up when the Phantom Thief slipped through the window. Outside, Krad plucked a few feathers from his wings, throwing them at Dark and watching as one dart-like feather lodged into his opponents back. Phantom Thief Dark had escaped again.
At the sight of the winged being, the two cops watching Yuki had run off and Krad flew down to her, his wings vanished, the soft smell of blood now in the air. Yuki smiled at him and hugged him tightly. "Master Krad!" she squealed.
Taking off his hair band, he handed it to her, kissing her forehead softly. "I'll see you again soon." With that he turned back into Satoshi. Yuki beamed and pulled her hair back into a high ponytail with Krad's hair band. Satoshi just watched this and raised an eyebrow, confused.
"Master Krad is letting me hold onto it until we meet again," she informed happily looking up at the sky. It was much darker than usual, the light of the moon absent from it. "Satoshi, could we go to the fountain plaza again?" she questioned. He just nodded softly, knowing she liked to be there on the nights she could hear the voice. Yet, she'd never go alone in fear of leaping off the cliff again.
As the two walked towards the plaza down the street, she slipped her hand into his, resting her head on his shoulder. Satoshi blushed lightly. "Sa...Yuki, what are you doing?" he asked, not used to her doing things like this.
"Your hand is warm and it is chilly out." She fell silent after this and separated from him as they got to the plaza. He went to go purchase a crepe, caught up in a line of about five. She stood between the bench and the cliff, spinning in a soft circle and laughing freely as she stole a brief glance in his direction. Satoshi just smirked at this, finding her childish behavior cute as she stood there in the dress she'd picked out for herself. It was a spaghetti strap dress, pitch black in color. Yet, embroidered on two inches of the bottom rim and one inch of the top rim, excluding the straps, were soft pink cherry blossom petals that seemed to glow softly. It matched her quite well.
Dark hovered overhead, camouflaging with the shadows of the sky. He was quite intrigued by Satoshi's closeness to his supposed stepsister. The Phantom Thief hadn't overseen the incident with Krad, but he did notice Yuki's hair in a ponytail. That was unusual. "Hey, Daisuke, how come Sakura never wears her hair like that at school?" Dark questioned. Daisuke gave no response, as he had no clue of what the reason could be.
Yet, with Satoshi still in line, Yuki heard the voice once again, eyes clouding over.
"Ne va li a li a cla eva."
The outline of the full moon was illuminated to her vision. She traced the rim in the air with her finger, nearing the edge of the cliff as she did so. Satoshi had looked away to pay for his snack and took the crepe, turning to see her standing on the very border of the cliff, jagged rocks and water awaiting her below.
"Li a lu ra e ne a rai."
She smiled meekly, no longer hearing the voices or sounds of the world around her as she stepped off the precipice, plunging to the rocks below. "Yuki!" Satoshi screamed, running towards the cliff's peak, leaving behind the crepe he'd purchased. There was a swift flare of black as he neared the position where she'd fallen from, causing him to curse under his breath. Dark was indeed there and Yuki would soon be in his grasp. Moments later, he recoiled in horror as he saw Dark soar back up with her in his arms. "Dark, let her go," he demanded, glaring at the Phantom Thief.
Dark smirked mischievously. "I believe I will just have to take your prized Yuki off your hands for a while," Dark replied, soaring off into the shadowy sky. Yuki came to her senses soon afterwards, eyes widening as she looked down towards the ground far below. She clutched the person who was holding onto her firmly, assuming it was Krad. Of course, when she looked up she hastily let go, gritting her teeth.
"Where is Master Satoshi?" she hissed, knowing that this bandit was her master's adversary as he often spoke ill of Dark. She was taken by surprise as Dark stopped flying, hovering in place as he adjusted her stance in his arms some. Flicking a pressure point on the back of her head, he chortled softly.
Yuki fell unconscious in an instant, lying limp in his arms. He continued the voyage to Daisuke's residence, flying through his tamer's window as usual and landing elegantly. With returned to his animal form and scurried onto Dark's shoulder, having a few problems, as rabbits weren't meant for climbing. Dark stroked the creature's head delicately a few times and lay Yuki down of Daisuke's bed.
Yuki awoke as Emiko walked in. Daisuke's mother blushed vaguely at the sight of Dark kneeling next to the young woman on the bed. "Am I interrupting something?" she questioned. At this astonished inquiry, Towa's head popped out from around the corner. Towa's eyes shot open at the sight of Yuki and she promptly left again.
Yuki just stared at Emiko in disbelief and parted her lips to speak, yet was impolitely interrupted by her abductor. "I found this senseless girl trying to kill herself. Her name is Sakura Hiwatari, yet Satoshi calls her Yuki," he explained. Emiko seemed to nod, taking in the situation.
She straightened her posture and smiled warmly at Yuki. "It seems you'll be staying with us for a while, so please don't be terribly upset. I am sure you will find it quite easy to get used to this place." Saying no more, Emiko turned and left the room. Dark closed the window and locked it before following. When Emiko arrived downstairs, she looked over at Towa who was cooking. "Towa, do you think you could prepare a snack for Dark's female friend? She must be quite uneasy about being saved from her suicide attempt by a Phantom Thief," the middle aged woman pointed out. She gave a tiny cackle before taking the painting that Dark had dropped off earlier before going out again. It wasn't long before she vanished into the basement.
Towa just sighed smoothly, making a sandwich quickly. She sensed that Dark had changed back into Daisuke and soon turned around holding a small plate with a sandwich and a few apple slices. "Daisuke, keep stirring the pot, please," she demanded. Daisuke joyfully agreed and Towa went to deliver the food to their guest.
When she arrived in Daisuke's room upstairs she saw that Yuki was just lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. It was apparent that she was quite calm about this whole thing on the outside, yet Towa was sure that she was quite uneasy inside. Towa placed the plate on the side table next to Yuki. "I know you don't remember me probably," she began, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Yet, I know who you are, sort of. Don't worry, I won't tell Dark. Yet, since I do owe you my life, I will keep your identity secret and answer any one question you'd like to ask me." Yuki just glanced up at Towa with a mystified expression.
The scene was so fresh in Towa's mind. A long time ago, Towa had been told of another creation that held strange powers, another living artwork. She went to go see for herself but when flying there in her bird form, she was hit out of the air by a hawk and her wing was broken by her fall. She waited there in the snow, exhausted from the long flight and unable to change back. Yet, instead of dying there in the snow, a girl walked up to her and kneeled next to her. The girl looked about seventeen and well proportioned and Towa gazed at her, her vision hazy. That had to be the female artwork that she had been told about.
The girl, or 'Yuki No Kissu', tore off a piece of her snow white dress from the bottom and tied it around Towa's broken wing to bandage it. Yet, the girl didn't stop there. She had taken a light pink handkerchief out of her small bag that she carried around and laid it out on a small platform of packed snow that she'd made. Once placing Towa atop the handkerchief, she had smiled. It was a sweet smile as Towa recalled, but hopeful in a way too as she stood and left. Yuki's kindness was something Towa never forgot, much less the image of her walking away in the light, powdery snow.
Being pulled from her trip down memory lane, Towa blinked, listening as Yuki spoke. "Do you anything about who created me and for what purpose?" Yuki questioned, sitting up. She took the plate from the side table and popped an apple wedge into her mouth, chewing it leisurely to enjoy the juicy flavor.
Towa, slightly bewildered, gave a cautious nod. "Well, knowing who told me about you in the first place, I'd say it was someone of the Hikari family. Yet you weren't in the hands of a Hikari family member at the time. In fact, I actually met you at a small cottage of a failing artist." she informed.
Emiko called her downstairs and Towa smiled and waved a quick goodbye. Yuki had a feeling she wouldn't see the girl again and usually her assumptions were definite. Yet, a Hikari may have created her. That was a good bit of information. Krad had mentioned that name. Perhaps she'd ask him next time they met. Lying down again, she ate unhurriedly, gaze directed towards the ceiling. Hours seemed to go by as she just remained there, unmoving and lost in thought. "Master Satoshi," she yawned, curling up and drifting off into a deep slumber.
When she awoke the next morning, she got out of bed, looking around as if she was at Satoshi's house. She then sat on the bed again, realizing she wasn't. Tears stung at her eyes and she pulled the covers over her head, lying down again. A soft, misty rain began to fall outside, wetting the supposedly dry day.
Satoshi, already at school, was furious. Dark had gotten Yuki, the worst possible thing that he could have let happen. "Master Satoshi, is that all you're upset about?" Krad inquired, knowing that he was more irked than normal. After all, he'd lost to Dark quite a few times, but he never got this upset over it. Satoshi ignored Krad's voice, staring out the window and watching the rain. Krad just sighed, recalling that the weather was supposed to be clear today. Sure, the weather anchors didn't always get it right, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky a few minutes ago. The blonde couldn't help but assume Satoshi came to the same conclusion that he had. Yuki was most likely crying wherever she was.
After all, it wasn't certain that the thief had taken their smiling Yuki to Daisuke's house. It wouldn't hurt to check though, that was for sure. Krad felt at ease when the rain stopped, assuring that Yuki was getting by once again. Of course, there was the chance she was bottling up her feelings to. Satoshi and Krad slapped their foreheads in unison. Why did the both of them think so much about that piece of artwork? Each gave their answer. Oddly, they came out to be the same. 'She is bait for Dark and she makes a good housekeeper.' The two just groaned, hating the fact that they for once agreed on something.
"Damn, she still has my hair band too," Krad reminded, irked. That had been one of his favorites and now he wouldn't get it back anytime soon, probably.
Yuki had found something vaguely relaxing to soothe her uneasy spirit. She had reminded herself of all the phrases she'd heard from the voice so far and sat there, chanting them and trying to imitate the way the voice said the phrases. She even got a few laughs out of the stupid sounds that she made on occasion.
"Meba li a li da cla eva.
Meba li a li da cla eva.
Ne va li a li a cla eva
Li a lu ra e ne a rai."
The day for all continued and dragged along, dull as ever. That evening, Yuki looked out the window for the first time since she'd been taken here. Dark walked in and sat on the bed, watching her. "Why does Satoshi call you Yuki?" She was afraid he would ask something like this, so she'd thought up various lies, but only one really seemed to work.
"Sakura Yuki Hiwatari. He calls me by my old last name before I was adopted," she explained. Dark blinked, slightly taken aback. He'd expected something more suspicious then that. Yet, it was just coincidence that she shared the same name, well sort of, as the statue he had broken and showed up at school the next day.
"How come you share the same name as 'Yuki' from 'Yuki No Kissu' and showed up at school for the first time the night after I destroyed that statue?" If she gave a legitimate answer to this, then he most likely was just a kidnapper.
"When I was adopted I was behind on a lot of subjects so I was home schooled for a while to catch up before going to high school. That just happened to be the first day I was really ready for the transition. Another coincidence. Yet it is pretty interesting, I have to admit," she agreed halfheartedly.
Dark nearly shattered behind her. 'So I saved her from the fall and kidnapped her?' he thought hastily, realizing it then. "What was that with walking off that cliff then?" This was the last question he had. He didn't notice that her eyes had been cloudy at the time, so he figured it was just a regular suicide attempt. Why in front of her stepbrother though? That was the part that got him curious.
"I really love the full and new moons a lot, so I watch them really closely and I don't look away. Yet, I guess I get kind of mesmerized and begin walking towards them and I wasn't paying attention to the edge of the cliff, so I walked off." That was the final lie. Dark nodded, convinced.
"I'll tell Emiko about this all and perhaps you'll be able to go home by tomorrow," he assured, leaving the room. She was left there alone, trapped inside a room. It wasn't her ideal way of being. Lying down on the bed again, she stared at the ceiling.
The room fell dark along with the night sky. Yuki had already eaten her dinner and the dishes had been taken away. Her gaze remained fixated on the locked window. She already attempted to open it in order to escape. Yet, luckily, she'd failed. Soon after she'd realized she didn't know how to get back to Satoshi's house.
As a silhouette of a winged man appeared before the window, her eyes widened. This was starting to get too creepy for her. She heard the lock on the window flip open. She then realized she never thought of unlocking the window to open it. Yet, as it slowly opened, she backed into the corner of the bed, leaning against the wall. She couldn't make out any details of the long-hared figure. Yet, despite her pathetic attempt to hide, he seemed to see her, looking straight in her direction and approaching her. She was about to shriek as the wings vanished, leaving the well-built male standing there. She could tell his gender from the shape of his silhouette. Shutting her eyes tightly, she opened her mouth the scream, but the man's hand quickly covered it.
"Hush, Yuki. It's all right." Krad cooed, trying to get her to calm down from her frightened state. Upon hearing the voice, she relaxed some, looking up into his eyes, which now gave off a soft glow in the very dim light coming from the window. She trembled some, refraining from weeping or embracing him.
He realized this trembling and pulled her close, sitting on the edge of the bed. Stroking her hair slowly, he smirked. "Your hair looks pretty up. I like it," he complimented. "You're okay, though, right? Did they find out who you are or hurt you?" he asked.
Yuki shook her head in response. "One knew who I was but she said she wouldn't tell anybody because she owes me her life," she explained. Krad nodded in acceptance of the circumstances, placing his hands on her shoulders. He gazed into her eyes deeply, smirking as he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers tenderly. He quickly pulled away, smiling warmly down at her.
"Come on," he ordered. He scooped her into his arms and his wings spread again as he walked over to the window. He jumped out and hovered a bit above the ground, flying off with her on his back. In front of Satoshi's apartment building he landed. "Hold onto that hair band for a bit longer," he commanded, handing the body back over to Satoshi.
She smiled brightly, embracing her other master tightly. He just ruffled her hair, practically dragging her behind as he walked up to the apartment door, unlocking it and going in. He locked it behind him once again and sighed. "You can sleep in my bed tonight. Only because you were scared after being kidnapped though," he explained.
She grinned, letting go and getting ready for bed. It wasn't long before she was cuddled up to him in bed, sleeping. She was exhausted and for the first time since her kidnapping two nights ago, relaxed. "Krad, why did you kiss her?" Satoshi asked, curious as to the answer.
"Just because I can. Besides, she looked cute at the time" he dismissed, pleased that Satoshi accepted this and fell asleep.