Raven Moon

By: Aerys Krystie.

Theme: AU/XOver.

Plot: Recovering a painting sounded easy enough for Ban and Ginji, until it starts glowing. Waking up in a river, covered in feathers did not make things any easier, especially not when they find the painting is missing.

Sealing a painting sounded easy enough for Dark and Krad, who had joined forces long ago, until they are pulled into it. Dumped in an unknown place, with no memory, with only a feeling they need to accomplish something, they team up with others for help.

Warnings: Slight language, sexual themes, nudity, corny jokes told badly, OOC-ness.

Disclaimer: The characters of D.N.Angel and Get Backers do not belong to me. I make no profit from this.

A/N: I am a total Krad whore, and I insist he goes everywhere. So, please bear with me if this story seems Krad-centered.


Endless Rain.

"Dark!"

His own voice seemed to echo around the darkness, bouncing back at him, and still only his voice. He continued to run, though. Aimlessly and towards nothing. It didn't matter; all that mattered was finding Dark. Finding Dark and killing him for getting them both into this mess. He really didn't know whose fault it was, but it was just easier to blame Dark.

The last thing Krad remembered was he and Dark combining their powers to seal a painting. Without warning, a vortex opened within the painting, pulling them both in. When Krad come to, he was alone in the abyss, and Dark was nowhere to be found, nor responding. Though he would never let onto it, Krad hoped Dark was alright. If anything happened to that phantom thief, Krad would never forgive himself.

Finally! Krad thought as he saw a speck of light before him. He knew it was stupid to run towards the light, but at the this moment, it was a lot better than running through the darkness that was getting him nowhere fast.

As the speck of light got bigger, Krad slowed to a jog. Should he really be doing this? Was it a smart move to jump into the light? Krad didn't know. He just knew that trouble lay beyond that light. He wished, for the fifth time, that Dark were beside him. He knew Dark would jump into the light without a problem, and Krad would follow him, just to tell the thief was a moron he was for getting them into some unholy mess.

Krad smiled at the thought of Dark. They had been partners in crime for the last seven months. Ever since Dark had tried to seal them away in Black Wings, and ever since something went wrong with Black Wings. Both were thrown back out, with their own bodies, able to lead their own life. Dark hadn't changed, and Krad was a lot less sadistic than he use to be.

Krad stopped moving. He stared at the light. He couldn't see anything on the other side. He could hear rain and thunder. It sounded like a really bad storm. There was no telling if Dark had come through here. There was no telling if he would be fine if he went into the light. There was no telling anything. It was all just luck. As he stared at the light, Krad asked himself: Was Dark worth it?

Was Dark worth the risk of dying? Yes, he was. Dark was his partner, and Krad knew Dark would do the same for him. He had no reason to hesitate. So why was he? Was it because he did fear what was on the other side? Or was it the nagging at the back of his mind, that was telling him he would have to search for Dark once he stepped through? Did searching for his darker half scare him that much? Or was it that searching for Dark in an unknown place that scared him?

What did lay beyond the light? Krad wasn't that curious. But it looked as though he wouldn't be able to get out of the abyss, unless he took one more step. And he didn't really want to explain to Emiko and Daisuke why Dark wasn't with him, or what happened to the painting.

That damned painting! Krad gritted his teeth. Oh, sure. It sounded like a basic job. Yeah, Emiko, you just forget to mention a vortex would open and swallow us! Krad sighed, trying to calm himself. He was in enough trouble. He didn't need his temper to make things worse. With a deep breath, Krad stepped into the light. Whatever lay beyond was now out of his control.

The light engulfed him and he could feel himself falling. Falling from a great height. "Dark..."


Clayman looked from Ban to Ginji, who was soaked to the core. They had returned five minutes ago, empty handed. She lowered her eyes to her cup of tea. She didn't know what to say. She had been repeating the same line since they returned, and knew Ban was getting more agitated every time she spoke those words. Yet, she still couldn't seem to stop them from escaping her mouth.

"You lost it?" she asked again.

Ban slammed a fist on the table, glaring at Clayman. "Yes! We lost it! Never mind the fact we both woke up in a river or that the stupid painting started glowing!"

Clayman shook her head and stood from the booth. "You both knew what that painting was. I even warned you to take extra special care with it. Hikari paintings are more than just mere paintings. There is more to them than the paint and canvas and frame. Hikari paintings have a soul, the soul of the artist."

Ginji stared at Clayman with soft eyes. He knew what artworks meant to Clayman, and hearing her speak of them in such a gentle tone made him feel even worse. He nor Ban knew what happened. When he thought about it, Ginji wasn't sure if he wanted to know what had happened.

Ginji remembered shorting the security system of the museum they were to steal it from. They went inside, just as planned, knocking everyone they came across unconscious. They found the painting on the third floor. Ban had stared at it for a few long moments, with a look on his face Ginji had only seen when Ban knew something but couldn't remember what it was.

Someone had set off the emergancy alarm, forcing Ban and Ginji to grab the painting and flee the building as the police rounded the corner. They got into Ban's car, and drove. They were on the bridge when Ginji heard a strange sound. When he turned, the painting started to emit a dim glow. He told Ban about it, who slammed on the brakes, and got out of the car, pulling the seat forward to have a better look at the painting.

After that, Ginji couldn't remember. The next thing he knew, he was face up in the river, staring at the storm clouds and covered in black feathers. Ban was already making his way out of the river, covered in white feathers. As soon as Ban had wrung his hair out, he began blaming Shido for it. Ginji knew it wasn't Shido. None of Shido's beasts had feathers like the ones they were covered in.

They then returned to the Honky Tonk, sat down and informed Clayman the painting had gone missing. She had gone quiet for a few minutes, until she started repeating the same question again and again. Ginji had seen the painting, it was beautiful. But he still wanted to know why it meant so much to Clayman. It didn't feel as though her mother had painted it. No. There was something else special about it.

They turned their attention to the door of the coffee shop when it opened, Shido and Kazuki walking in. The painting in Shido's hands. Ban and Ginji got to their feet, staring in horror at the Beast Master.

"Y-You!" they cried in unison.

"Did you two knuckle-heads drop something?" Shido threw the painting to Ban and sat down at the counter. "Coffee, please."

Ban caught the painting and blinked. "That's it? You're just giving it back after you stole it?!"

Shido glanced at Ban from the corner of his eye. "I never stole it. I found it in the park. It was driving my animals insane. I took one look at it, covered it up and brought it back to you."

Ban took the clothe off and laughed mockingly. "Very funny, monkey-man! Where's the real one?"

"What do you mean?" Shido stood and walked over to Ban, glancing down at the painting. "That's how I found it."

Kazuki stood beside Shido and gasped. "Ms. Clayman, is that a Hikari?"

Clayman smiled. "You have a good eye for art, Kazuki. Yes, it is a Hikari." She looked around Ban, her eyes widening in horror. "And this is how you found it, Shido?"

"Exactly like that. Why?"

Clayman pulled a small photograph out of her back pocket and handed it Shido. "That is what this painting is meant to look like."

Shido looked down at the photo and frowned. "How can that be? Paintings can't change on their own!"

The photo contained two people, both with wings; one set black, the other pearl. They stood in a rose garden, facing each other, before a raven black moon. The painting only contained one of the people, the one with pearl wings. And instead of standing, he was on the ground, his eyes lifeless, staring out of the painting, with a black feather in his hand.

Natsumi watched as the five people spoke in a huddle. She couldn't understand what had gone wrong, but knew it had nothing to do with her. She finished wiping down the counter, and removed her apron. She stepped out from around the counter, calling out goodnight to everyone. As she reached for the door handle, the lights in the Honky Tonk flickered.

"Dark..."

Natsumi screamed, diving to the floor as something came crashing through the ceiling of the shop. She coughed and waited for the dust to settle before standing up, looking towards the counter. Paul had just side stepped, to miss being crushed. Ban had protected Claymen. Ginji, Kazuki and Shido looked ready to attack. Seeing as no-one was hurt, she turned her attention to the person on the counter and screamed again.

"Is she dead?" Natsumi asked, her voice quivering a little.

The person coughed, opening their eyes. She glanced at the people in the shop, getting to her feet. She fell to one knee, coughing up blood, until she put two fingers into her mouth and pulled out a glass shard, tossing it aside. Her gold eyes were blank, emotionless, like she was a puppet, being moved by strings.

"Um, Miss?" Natsumi took a shaky step towards the weird person on the counter.

"Ky-Kyoto..." was muttered as the person fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.

Paul hung up the phone. "Ambulance is on the way."

Ban, Ginji, Kazuki, Shido and Clayman all exchanged glances, looking down at the painting on the floor, then back at the person that had come crashing in. "Hikari," they uttered.


End Chapter I.

Not exactly my best first chapter, but it is two thirty in the morning here, so please forgive me. Also, please ignore all mistakes. I will actually get around to editing this.

Reviews would be wonderful - only constructive critism is welcomed.

. Auska.