" Chapter 6 , The Inner Spade "

Another morning passes by and Yukina stayed in the music room playing on the piano to herself. The soft melody came to a abrupt halt to the sound of frustrated yelling , perking Yukina's curiosity. She stood up and called back to the caped crusader. " Miyako , did you get your cape stuck in the washing machine again?! " she called out. Silence. With a long sign , she stood up and exited the room to find her. She could by this point feel the ends of her hair grow past her shoulders by a few inches. That was her only indicator that time had passed by. She would have to recut it when she got home.

She was greeted with exactly what she predicted. Miyako tugging at her soaking wet cape in the washer machine. When she finally removed it , she tripped on her cape and collapsed onto the floor. She stood back up and kicked the machine in frustration. It didn't help that a box of detergent tumbled and tipped over , it's powdery contents spilling all over her head. Eventually the box itself dropped onto her head and fell onto the floor next to her. " I didn't interrupt your piano lessons did I ? Then again , you were rather noisy. " still childish. " Miyako , when's the next heist ? I don't want to sit here and do nothing. "

That's when Miyako froze. " Well uh....I actually kinda forgot to say that we'll start tomorrow ? " she mumbled , poking her fingers together. Yukina was silent. Her arm slowly raised to her shoe to throw it across Miyako's head. " Wait ! Wait ! Wait ! Don't hit me just yet ! I-I've got something even better just itching to be revealed ! "

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" A way home ? "

" No "

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" You cancelled the bet ? "

" No "

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" You're getting arrested ? "

" JEEZ , NOW YOU'RE JUST ASSUMING ! "

Yukina sighed with her arms crossed. " You better give me a valid reason then. Unless you're ready for a bruise so big that Zacharias Janssen won't even need a magnifying glass to see it. " Miyako sighed and handed her a small blue and white diagonally stripped paper handbag. " Miyako what's this ? " Miyako shrugged and tossed it into her hands.

" Beats me. Someone dropped it off at our front door , and I didn't buy anything soooo , I'm going to guess it's yours. Now go get dressed. I'll get the surprise ready for you. " Miyako walked off to leave Yukina all alone with the bag in her hands.

She slowly searched for anything deadly inside the bag before her fingers grasped against something hard. She wrapped her fingers around the object and pulled it out to reveal a black velvet box with a purple clover engraved on the top. " A clover ? " one thought that once crossed her mind came back to her. The memory of the door when she first saw Miyako's mansion. The spade , diamond and heart were engraved on it but the clover was missing.

" The clover was missing...so does that mean theres a Phantom Clover out there ? " she mumbled , looking through the bag once more to see a small folded piece of paper. She fished for it and unfolded the note , her eyes widening in disbelief.

You can only hide Miyako from us for so long. Give her to us , and you will not be harmed. You have been warned girl. Share this with no one. Do as we say or fear the power of the Dark Ace.

' Who's the Dark Ace ? I can't remember much from the story ' she looked back at the box before noticing that something was off. A small corner of paper was peaking out , and with a slight tug , it slipped out of the box. It was another note. She pulled it out and unfolded it.

I snuck this in while they weren't looking. To whoever is reading this , do NOT trust her under any circumstances. She isn't who you think she is. I am proof of that. We'll cross paths soon.

- R

' R ? I never heard of anyone named R. Are they a new character ? ' looking back at the two notes in each hand , she couldn't help but feel paranoia. ' What do they want with Miyako ? '  she opened the box to reveal a luxurious golden ring with the card suites engraved on the sides. ' All the suites are on this ring. There's no doubt about it , whoever this person is , has to be Phantom Clover '

Sooner then expected , Miyako was there holding something behind her back. " I'm back ! Hope you didn't miss me too much. I need you to close your eyes. " Yukina , startled upon seeing her , quickly shoved the ring back into the box and threw it into the bag. " Hey , what did you get in that bag anyways ? "

She stayed silent , and gripped even tighter on the bag." Uh...yeah. Just some perfume " she took a soft sigh and closed her eyes to allow Miyako to do whatever it was. The same words from the night they first met came to mind.

Trust me on this , and if you can't do that , then trust in fate !

' Miyako told me to trust her , but the note is telling me otherwise...please don't end up being the bad guy here , Miyako ' Yukina sighed softly before feeling something against her hand. " Now you can open them " as she said , she opened them to see a cage and inside something hissed. She was trembling with it in her grasp. " Tell me you didn't...TELL ME YOU DIDN'T— ! "

" Yep ! I got you a snake ! "

" SNAKE?! "

As the slithery reptile it poked its head out of the cage , it revealed a large black snake with a white underbelly and tints of iridescence across its scales. Their eyes shined a bright gold as its tongue flickered and hissed in sync with its hypnotic movements. Its size was as big as the cage itself , the toughness of its skin putting it in the category of a rat snake.

" Yep ! You're very own pet snake ! Thought of naming her Dumpling since she has a round face like yours , but of course , I was also thinking Phantom since she IS a secretive one. Likes to get out of her cage at night "

" SO YOU BROUGHT IT HERE?! " she yelled , dropping the cage. It's hissing grew louder as it slithered close to her legs. She yelped in fear. " Well duh , where else was it gonna go ? "

" IT'S NATURAL ENVIRONMENT?! " she yelled out. Miyako chuckled to herself. " I know , I know , you don't have to thank me. I'm just naturally rich , so I bought it like the awesome millionaire I am. " Yukina sighed and gripped her fists tightly. " Miyako...I'm giving you three seconds to grab this snake and run or SO HELP ME , I'LL STRANGLE YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS ! " Miyako borrowed her eyebrows in confusion. " I'm...not understanding the problem. "

" Snakes are gross and they creep me out ! Get it away from me Miyako ! " Yukina whined , trying to move closer to Miyako and further away from the snake.

" Then that's more of a reason to try and build a bond between you two ! I'm gonna go out and pick up some growing. You two have fun , k ~ ? " swinging a pair of keys around her left index finger , Miyako walked off down the hallway with a chirpy whistle. " Miyako , don't you dare leave me with this snake !...Miyako ? Miyako!!! " upon realizing she already left , she groaned in defeat.

A loud hiss startled her to look down at the snake wondering around her feet. " I swear , she's doing this on purpose ! " swallowing her fear , she picked up the snake , and walked all the way to the garage , quickly placing the snake down. " Now stay there and be a good snake ! Just go slither around or whatever it is snakes do ! " making sure the snake wasn't following her , she walked back to the living room.

" Great. So what do I do now ? " Yukina grumbled , collapsing onto the couch. The TV was on Daifuku News. " Couldn't hurt to watch some TV. I need to get my mind off of that snake. " She grabbed the remote next to her and placed it on her lap.

" Goooooooooooood morning Daifuku ~ ! " This is news reporter , Janett Mirai Ichiro , with the daily scoop ! " her attention perked to the woman on stage that was swaying left and right. This time , her outfit was different. A light teal short-sleeved graphic shirt with a white and grey cat holding a brown sign that read " still hating ". She wore jean shorts above her grey knee high stockings and white heels.

" Are your pets too much to handle ? Ever wish you could have a day off ? A day to relax and get a manicure ? Well don't you worry , your furry prayers have finally been answered ! " Janett swayed to the side and revealed a screen with kids happily playing with their pets. " From the smallest goldfish to the biggest dog , we've got you covered all day long ! Just bring your pet down to the Daifuku News station in Hazami Square , and they'll be taken care of for just a day ! More outrageous info can be found at our website www.DaifukuNews/Janett'sPetCare.com "

The rest just went on about Miyako's recent heists or anything drama-based , nothing but white noise to Yukina. " I wonder if they take snakes. Oh , listen to yourself Yukina , you're insane ! You survived an attempted arrest as well as a masked maniac , you can handle a harmless reptile " Yukina boasted. A quiet hiss quickly interrupted her gloating.

She looked to the couch in horror as she saw the snake curling around her lap. With a loud shriek , she pushed the snake off of her. She eyed the TV with an uncontrollable twitch. " We're taking you to Janett. "

It took a long walk to get to Daifuku News Station , but it did help that it was the tallest building in the whole square. Two large men stood at the front with their arms crossed. Both were all in black suits and shaded sunglasses. ' I'm gonna guess they're Ms. Ichiro's bodyguards. ' She walked up to the guards and shakily held the cage in her arms with a tight grip. " I have an appointment with Ms. Janett Ichiro. It's about her Pet Care service ? "

" She's busy at the moment. Come back another time. " the first guard said. The other stayed silent. " Sir , I don't think you get it. I really need to see her. I have a pet , and she's...he's ? " she stopped herself to process what she was even saying. ' I don't even know what gender this snake is ! Ok ok , calm down. What did Miyako say again ? '

Yep ! Your very own pet snake ! Thought of naming her Dumpling since she has a round face like yours , but of course , I was also thinking Phantom since she IS a secretive one.

' She I think. Let's hope so '

" She's uh , she's- she's pregnant ! Yeah ! Uh , and she needs to see Ms. Janett right away ! " Another loud hiss came from the cage. A irritated one. Screaming , she dropped the cage , and the cage's hatch broke free. The guards quickly tried to grab the snake , but it kept slipping past them. " I'm sorry ! I'm sorry ! I'm so so sorry ! Let me just...uh.... "

A comical girlish scream came from one of the guards. Trying to rapidly shake their arm , it revealed the snake biting at them. The other guard tried to pull the snake off of him , but no matter what , she would not budge.

The sound of heels stopped the racket , and everyone turned to see who it was. " What's with all the noise ? " It was none other than Janett. The guards sweated nervously. " Uh , this girl tried to get into Daifuku News ma'am. " A loud scoff came from the News reporter. Irritated , she grabbed both of their ears , pulling them down to her eye level. " I put my manicure on hold for this stupidy?! Get a room if you two are gonna end up giving us noise complaints. Now if you're done acting like babies , get your butts back to position , and let the girl through ! " the guards quickly nodded. " Uh , yes ma'am ! " the two guards quickly left , leaving only Yukina and Janett. Yukina gripped on her skirt , refusing to look up at her. ' Please don't be in trouble , Please don't be in trouble- '

" So , this is your pet huh ? Aren't you an beauty ~ ! " she cooed , stroking the snake's head. Yukina's jaw dropped in shock , looking to the snake and back to Janett. " I have never seen a snake such as yourself. A rare breed , and such a healthy coat of scales ! " the snake flicked its tongue , happily wrapping it's tail around her arm.

Janett planted a hand on her hip , looking back to Yukina. " I'm assuming you're here for my Pet Care services ? " Yukina sighed. " Can you handle them for a day ? " with a confident smile , Janett continued to pet the snake. " I can handle that. I also apologize for my knucklehead guards. Trust me , I'd bend them over and spank em with a heel if they ever turned me down. "

Yukina stood there with a blank face. ' She's more...proactive than I remember. '

Yukina looked to the cage she had dropped and picked it up , sighing in relief that it wasn't damaged. She pulled out her wallet from her purse and handed over her payment. With a cheeky grin , Janett happily took the cash. " Thank you very much ! I'll be seeing you at saaaaay...8:00 ? Will that work for you Miss... " she paused and raised a eyebrow. Yukina perked up. " Oh ! Uh...Yukina , Yukina Odiyaka. " Janett nodded , and gently placed the snake back into the cage. " I'll see around then ! " with a click of her heels , she turned around and walked back into the building.

Yukina could only look through the glass doors as the reporter's silhouette slowly disappeared. When she was sure they were out of sight , she too walked away from the building.

' That was such a handful. Glad it's all over. So what should I do now ? Miyako's still out getting groceries... Maybe I should try to find a way home. I still can't believe it's only been 2 days since then. You must be so worried about me , mom. '

It frustrated Yukina. She had to be her own comfort , especially in such a foreign yet familiar world. Even in the real world , she had no one to be there for her. She had Miyako , but she's fictional. She's only this way because she has to be. Otherwise , she loses value as both a comic and now a TV protagonist. All of this was ridiculous to her. Why. Why was she here ? Was this God's way of punishing her ? If so , he was doing a pretty good job.

The sun had begun to set , and the clouds darkened to a vibrant purple and red. It was lonely. Being cooped up in that manor. All she had were the walls of her own shadow to talk to. But unbeknownst to her , a small hiss came from underneath her. She lifted the pillows from the couch , and to her surprise , the snake was there.

" What the– why are you here?! Did you sneak away from Janett?! " Tossing the pillows at the snake , she moved to the edge of the couch with her knees tucked into her chest. The snake inched closer to her , freighting Yukina. " Get away from me ! Go away , I don't want you ! " she cried. The snake refused to listen. Burying her head into her arms , Yukina could only whimper and cower in fear. She expected the snake to bite her or hiss angrily , but it didn't.

Lifting her head , she looked to see the snake close to her face. She pushed her head away , but the snake was no longer moving close to her. All it did was flick out its tongue and gently wrap its tail around her arm. " I... " Yukina took a deep breath , and softly released it , along with whatever tension that had been built up. She looked at the snake with guilty eyes , holding her arm still so the snake could comfortably contrast its body.

" I'm sorry I've been trying to get rid of you. I'm just... scared right now. I should've realized it's not your fault. I just... can't stand the sight of snakes. Yet despite all that...you're still here. " The snake slowly slithered away from her arm and onto her face , hiding its head in her hair. Yukina flinched , but allowed them to. " I'm guessing you ran away from Janett " she giggled. " Sneaky snake. You know...I think I might call you Spade. It reminds me of Miyako. "

She yawned softly , and grabbed the pillow near her and placing it under her head. Pulling out any hair from her arms and releasing any secondary thoughts of the worst to come , she allowed herself to enjoy some much needed rest. She needed it anyways. Someway , somehow , Spade being next to her just made all her fears slowly shake away.

The sound of muffled keys jingled through the others side of the door as a figure walked in , tossing the keys onto a nearby coffee table. " I'm home ! I bought some eggs and whatever else I could buy. I wasted no expense on our perfect breakfast tomorrow. I also could help but buy some nice trinkets down at the pawn shop. It wasn't easy , some guy wanted to rip me off and- huh ? "

To Miyako's surprise , the two were fast asleep. Yukina lying on the couch , and Spade wrapped around her arms. Miyako chuckled softly and shrugged her shoulders. " I guess I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. " Placing the groceries in the fridge , she looked to Yukina with a grin. " Told ya you'd conquer your fear. Sleep tight , Dumpling head. "