The scuffle of feet and gloved hands upon the railings to a balcony. Soft, carefully masked breathing. Then, silence, yet violet eyes met bright blue and that was words enough. Yes, the dimples on the beloved empress's cheeks spoke thousands.

The night was fitting for a heist such as this; the moon was full, casting its lunar light upon the night-time world. The stars were out, bright pinpoints in the dark sky.

"What do you think you're doing, climbing up my balcony?"

"I'm sorry, was I supposed to call, 'Aria, Aria, let down your hair'?" Phantom murmured laughingly.

Aria scrutinized him intently, smiling warily. "Well, you're hardly a prince, scoundrel that you are. So? What brings you here, oh master thief?" The empress's voice was quiet and breathy. Aria's petite hands were clasped behind her back that tried to be shy, but really, Phantom knew, though, that this woman was anything but shy. She was playing coy.

"You know exactly why I'm here," Phantom murmured casually, making a show of letting his eyes follow the swaying of a small, turquoise jewel that dangled from Aria's slender neck.

The master thief stood precariously, his feet between the bars of the balcony while his arms were casually crossed over the rail.

"Really. Why don't you just give in?" Phantom's voice was soft and persuasive, a tone he had learned to use on many people. People of a lesser will than the empress Aria. Despite her weak appearance, the blond was nothing but stubborn.

Aria tilted her head, almost as if she were considering it, and Phantom nearly leaned forward in his eagerness. Perhaps this was it.

"Over my dead body," Aria smiled.

Phantom eyes narrowed. "You do realize that I'm a dangerous criminal?" He murmured smoothly.

"Please, Mister Thief, don't try to tell me you are dangerous. It would offend your precious pride far too much to have to kill me in order to take the Skaia. I've met men like you before; you're the type to use your skills of persuasion instead! But really," Aria laughed softly, her eyes lighting up with it. "I'm made of sterner stuff than that, you know."

"I'm not dangerous?" A slow smirk spread across Phantom's face. In one swift movement, he leapt over the balcony railing and rushed over to her, catching her hand and wrapping an arm around her waist to dip her low. Her locks of beautiful blond hair flowed downwards to touch the ground. A shriek which the empress quickly muffled in Phantom's shoulder and soft giggles as her hands grappled for a grip on his shoulders.

"Honestly!" Aria protested huffily once he brought her back upright and stepped back. She was dusting herself off as if Phantom had spread germs to her, before crossing her arms over her chest.

Phantom did naught but smile innocently.

"You ought to ask a lady to dance first!"

"Why, are you afraid I might steal your heart?" Phantom idly spun a card about on his finger, his smug smirk widening.

"No," Aria smiled sheepishly before answering surprisingly honestly, "I'm afraid I might step on your feet."

Phantom let out a startled laugh, then, and for once it was genuine. "The empress has two left feet?"

"I don't get out much," Aria smiled sadly. "They won't even let me go to the stuffy old parties that tittering fools of royal ladies attend," The blond waved a hand. "Not that I'm missing out on much."

Phantom found that the empress's smile was strangely contagious, then. He was smiling as he stepped forward and dipped into a bow in front of Aria's startled eyes.

"May I have this dance?"

"I really can't-" Aria protested-

-Only to be swept away into a lively waltz that had her stumbling over her feet, her reddened cheek pressed flush against Phantom's neck.

"You only said that I ought to ask, my dear," Phantom purred. "Not that I had to give regards to your answer."

Aria did, indeed, step upon Phantom's booted feet, but it hardly bothered the man. Her hand was tightly squeezing his as he swung her about.

"One, two, three," Phantom murmured in Aria's ear as he stepped about.

Slowly, the woman managed to clumsily step to the beat he had set. She looked up at Phantom and her excited grin spoke everything.

Phantom, I'm doing it!

"Ready? Now spin," Phantom spun Aria about, watching as she smiled brightly. He dipped her down, pulled her back up, stepped back to sweep a bow once more, and then regarded her with a matching smile. That had been... Strangely fun.

It was with almost a sense of disappointment that Phantom uttered his next words. "I have to go."

"I bid you a good night, then, strange thief!"

"Mark my words though, empress. I will obtain the Skaia from you," Phantom tipped his hat to the lady and smiled. He climbed back onto the rail, arms outstretched, and fell backwards.

Aria gasped and ran to the edge of the balcony, peering down below, but all she saw was a flash of cards.

Unbeknownst to her, the phantom thief sat in a nearby tree, chuckling to himself.

It was almost as if Phantom was afraid of her.

That was right. Her. A tiny, mousy thing, as empresses tended to be. Aria. He had been avoiding her for days, now, and he really didn't have a good reason why.

His heart wasn't supposed to pound around her. He wasn't supposed to forget the Skaia every time he went there, until he panickingly made sure to mention it before he left, to keep his cover. This was going all wrong.

So he would go see her. He would take the Skaia and say goodbye and good riddance. Watch her beautiful face crumple.

Well, who was Phantom kidding, that the empress's eyes would sadden over a lowly thief?

...The next time around, it was good to see her again.

Phantom watched nervously as Aria stood on the railing to her balcony with her arms outstretched, smiling up at the night sky undauntedly.

"Have I ever told you, Phantom?" She asked softly. It was just another night spent in nothing but her company, with only the stars bearing witness to the soft words they spoke.

And Phantom would forever remember her next words...

"It's not the fear of heights, it's the fear of falling."

"Haah... Haah," Phantom panted, clutching at his pants. The pitter patter of rain. The smell of blood in the air and goddesses above, please no.

Phantom ran on, adrenaline fueling his tired body as the falling water drenched him.

And in the mud he fell to his knees at the sight of the beaten up empress, choking out a soft call of her name.

"Aria."

With shaking hands, the thief pulled himself closer, wrapping the smaller woman in his arms and shielding her cold body from the rain.

Nononononononononononononononononono-

"You can't just leave me like this, you know," Phantom grinned brokenly. "No. I was going to tell you tonight, you idiot."

Phantom buried his face in Aria's blond hair, shuddering as he felt sticky blood wet his cheek.

The thief began to laugh uncontrollably, doubling over and clutching his sides. "This is a joke, right?!" He cried out. "Right?"

And the laughter turned to sobs.

"You taught me something... Aria..."

"I was never afraid of you. I was afraid of loving you."

Phantom stared up at the sky hopelessly, his eyes dull.

"It's not the fear of heights," He echoed softly.

The dripping of rain on the ground. On gloved hands and wet hair. Mixing with tears on soft cheeks and washing away blood. Sobbing. Then, silence. Phantom slid a hand over Aria's dimmed blue eyes, slipping them shut.

The blood on her face spoke thousands.