A/N : This one's gonna be short, but don't worry. Next chapter will be out in a couple of days! Because I love you guys :)

THREE

Theft

A few hours later, Kazuo's flat

Stolen. The word bounced around in Kazuo's head. Although his necklace had been missing a few hours, his stomach still lurched whenever he thought about it - the way it changed the moment he set eyes on the picture of Kagome, and how it vanished minutes later.

If there was one thing he was sure about, it was that he had not dropped it accidentally or lost it in any way; a fact verified hours ago by himself and his friends when they painstakingly searched the whole area. That left Kazuo with only one alternative - theft.

He hung his head as his father's voice resonated within. Son, will you be all right on your own? That was eight months ago, when he had naively assumed that living without his family would be a piece of cake.

The gritty reality came to him days later - when he had to do his own laundry, make his own food, tidy up his own living space, do the dishes and many things other than homework. But a family heirloom, snatched from right under his nose? Definitely something he'd never anticipated.

He had to act fast. No doubt the thief would want to sell it, and once that happened, it would be hard to trace. Which meant that he'd have to alert the police. Which meant he needed a picture for identification of the necklace. And for that…

Come on, pick up! Kazuo willed silently as the number he dialled began to ring. Three times, four times - click. "Hey, twerp. Missing me already?" Sakura asked. Kazuo grimaced. "Hey, Sis. I was wondering if you had those old birthday photos of mine?"

"Whaddya want those for anyway? They're ugly." "Sakura. Just send them." Sakura scrolled through the pictures her brother wanted. All of them, she noticed, were clearly focusing on the necklace. Did that mean…?

"Also, when are you guys coming over?" Kazuo asked in a slightly strained voice. She smiled. "In two weeks. It's just me and mom, though, dad's too busy to make it." Kazuo winced. Two weeks? How could he possibly find the necklace by then? "Kazuo? Everything alright?" Sakura asked. "Huh? Yeah, everything's great! Just perfect! Can't wait to see you guys in," he gulped, "two weeks!" Then, breathing heavily, he hung up.

Sakura frowned; in a second she had figured it all out. "You owe me one, kid." Then she dialled another number. "Hey, Sam? Yeah, about that internship.. I changed my mind."

Seconds later, Kazuo was looking at the pictures his sister had sent him. She was right, he had an ugly scowl on his face, but what mattered was that the necklace was clearly visible. All he had to do now was to head over to the nearest police station, and - loud Metallica suddenly blared, drowning out his thoughts.

He picked up his phone tensely. "Hi, mom." "Hi sweetie," he heard her familiar voice say. She sounded disappointed, and his stomach sank a few centimeters lower.

"We won't be able to visit you after all. Your sister just got an important internship, you see, and it lasts for two months," she said. "It was so sudden, and - I'm so sorry, Kazuo... We were both looking forward to meeting you, it's just -" she broke off sharply. Kazuo could hardly believe his ears.

"No, mom, it's okay," he said guiltily. "Really, I don't mind." "I'm sorry, sweetheart! We won't be able to visit you this year, but I promise - next time we'll stay twice as long," she said.

Kazuo comforted his mother as best as he could under the circumstances, even as he visibly loosened up. A whole year… meaning a whole lot of possibilities. By the time he hung up, he was feeling much more optimistic.

"Hey," his roommate entered the hall, yawning. He looked like he's just woken up. "Hey yourself." Kazuo replied. "Listen, I'm kinda in a hurry, so -" "Sure, sure..." he said dismissively. "Go ahead. I'll be right here." he went into the kitchen. Kazuo stared for at him, or rather, at the small box in his hands. "Tea? Seriously?" "Just go already." said his roommate, tossing him a bag of potato chips. "And find whatever the heck you lost."

Kazuo smiled as he locked the door. Daisuke could be pretty sharp when he was sober. Then, remembering the task ahead, he turned around and hurried along the corridor. If he wanted to get his necklace back, he had to move fast. Apparently, he was going too fast, because he tripped over something.

Fortunately, he didn't hit the ground. Unfortunately, that was because the ground was at least a hundred feet below him.

The wind rushed past his ears - or was he screaming? - and all thoughts left his mind as he began falling freely.