She stepped into the dark alley and somehow knew she was being watched.

She looked back into the think brightness at the end of the alley, wondering if she could bring herself to run that far. It seemed so long, the way, and she felt strangely at peace.

There was a silent woosh and the light was gone.

She blinked and tried to open her eyes. No...they were already open. And there were feathers...black feathers everywhere...

"Don't look," came the husky voice she knew.

She opened her mouth to scream, only to find herself falling.

*

Riku Harada blinked at the moonlight.

"Are you...awake?" came a voice at the far side.

The light poured over her and she sat up, gasping lightly at the slight pain on her head. She refrained from shaking her head; it seemed to throb. "Where am I?" she whispered.

"Somewhere above."

From the altitude and the other buildings, she could see she was on top of a roof. She made a move to turn but there were hands on her shoulders, a light pressure on her neck. "No, please."

"What are you doing?" she asked, a little afraid, a little unsure.

There a slight pause, then the figure behind her shifted and went on, "Please, don't turn. Don't look."

"You're a pervert," she said softly, but she closed her eyes. She seemed so much at peace.

Dark Mousy chuckled behind her. "Am I?" His breath was warm on her skin. "They say that so much...but when it comes from you--" He stopped.

Riku looked up at the moon again. If he didn't want her looking at him, she would have to look at something solid. She crossed her arms and drew her knees towards her. She suddenly felt angry. "What do you want from me?"

"I wanted..."

Riku waited.

"...No." Dark Mousy gave a humorless chuckle. "What do you know of me, Riku Harada?"

"That you're a thief, you're a pervert, and that you've stolen my sister's heart," she replied coldly.

The moon slightly disappeared from the sky.

"A thief...that I am. A thief who steals particular items scattered around this land. A pervert? I let you decide." There was a shift and then a back against hers. Dark leaned slightly into her back. He was warm. "However, your sister's heart--"

"She loves you."

"Who do you love, Riku Harada-san?" asked the thief almost playfully. "Is it that friend of yours at school who follows you around...Ukawa?"

Riku blushed and whirled around. "It's of no concern of yours!" she snapped, but the thief had risen and was not there. She scowled and then gave a sharp, "Ah," when a hand once more touched her shoulders from behind. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I needed to know..."

"To know?"

There was a sharp intake of breath. "Or is the one you really like...is it...Daisuke?"

"What do you know?" she asked, but it was softer this time.

There was another quiet laughter. "I know all. Especially about you." Riku caught the sadness in his voice and wondered why so. "You fascinate me, Riku-chan."

"Risa's fascinated with you, too," Riku replied and she lowered her eyes to her lap. "She likes you a lot, and she goes where you want to go. She thinks you're the greatest guy ever, the coolest. And she always wants to be with you. You confuse her so much."

"So you say I've stolen her heart?" Dark asked her quietly. "Because of that? But what of you...?"

Silence.

"You fascinate me, too," she finally admitted. "But...you scare me, too."

"Why?" He seemed genuinely curious.

"Because...how can I be fascinated with two different people at the same time?" She closed her eyes against her tears, wishing the ground would open and swallow her.

Silence once more.

Then, the presence behind her was gone, shifting to face her. She raised her face but the slender fingers touched her cheek, wiping her tears away. "Don't open your eyes," Dark said huskily.

"I want to see you."

"People who see me when it's not time," he replied quietly, "will see the face of death."

She laughed humorlessly but obeyed.

His breath was warm on her face. "Thank you." And he leaned closer, so close, it didn't surprise her when she felt his lips on hers. It was only a small kiss, like a drop of a tear on the ground. It was gone before she knew it.

She tried to open her eyes but the darkness enveloped her.

"You made me fall," she managed to say.

Dark laughed again: his figure was a blur against her visions. "And you stole my heart," he replied easily, his voice and figure fading with the void. In the darkness, his voice...sounded a lot like...Niwa-kun...

*

Riku woke on her bed, knowing she should not have been there in the first place. The window to her bedroom was open, the thin, transparent curtain flapping with the wind.

In her hands, clutched by her small fingers, was a single black feather.

She smiled and raised the feather to her lips. At least, she thought, it felt like a kiss. "I may have stolen your heart, thief," she murmured. "But I haven't caught you yet."

*

Outside, at the tree right across her window, a lone figure sat in the shadows offered by the giant branches and leaves.

Daisuke Niwa smiled and touched his lips.