In a room of unknown dimensions sat a little light floating in the air. It swayed back and forth like a wave as it waited and shined in the dark chamber of nothing. The Light shimmered when it got restless and decided to roam the vast area. It didn't like to be left alone. It dimmed as it saddened and floated lower in the dark space. The Light brightened suddenly as it felt a presence appear right next to it. The thing hissed at the bright light and tried to make itself bigger.
The Faded being growled till the Light dimmed once more and the darker relaxed just a fraction. The new being grunted as it shrunk but still kept its size bigger. Its shape was weaving in and out of focus as it faded into the dark but was still visible where the Light touched. "Still snivelling for your Dark oh, dear Light?"
The Faded snapped at the Light who glowed in warning. The Light was stronger than the Faded but it didn't like to fight unless it had too. "I'm not snivelling Faded one, am sulking, there is a difference."
"Hardly" It snipped back as it swirled between the dark of the space and the light being. "Why aren't you out there doing something productive, instead of being here disturbing my peace of mind?"
"When has your mind ever been at peace?" The Light huffed making its body swell "don't answer that and the reason I am still here is because I still can't feel where they are"
The Faded one growled once again but inched closer to the Light as a sign of comfort that it only reserved for the other being. The dark one of their trio had been missing for some time and it was playing havoc on their entities. The Faded one would snap more often, growl constantly, and stayed on the darker side of things when around the light. Whereas the Light would dim more often and become confrontational when pushed too far.
The Light hmmed in response to the comfort the other displayed. It wasn't the same as the Dark but there was slight comfort that the Light appreciated. The Light flickered as he thought on what to do and the Faded one weaved calmly between the two areas before speaking. "Why not come topside with me?"
"Topside?" The Light sparked brighter causing the other to hiss but the Light was worried "I never been topside without the Dark or a body for that matter, I don't know what my presence would do, it could upset the balance"
"Not anymore than it already is, the world could use a bit more Light, trust me on that" The Faded one mumbled the last bit out before shrinking in thought. "I have the facilities topside that would be of use to you, if you do decide to come, I would look out for you"
"I'll think about it" The Light moved enough away so that it could brighten as if smiling at the other "I'll let you know when I do"
The Faded one grunted in response and slowly ebbed off. "At least you've stopped snivelling"
"Sulking! not snivelling!" The Light huffed as it spread out to get the chuckling Fade but had been too slow. Feeling childish the Light brightened enough to give the other a headache and sped away giggling.
Seto Kaiba the CEO of Kaiba Corp winced as a headache formed and silently cursed out the one that caused it. "Damn Light"
This caused the other occupant in the room to automatically dim the lights in the office. "That better?"
Kaiba blinked as he had forgotten that he had someone with him when he went to talk to the pesky Light in his life. He smiled dimly at the gesture of the dirty blonde that sat on the other side of the desk. He raised his hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Thank you Joey"
"No probs, You got a migraine coming on? You zoned out on me for a few moments" Joey grinned at the rare thank you comment from the normally cold CEO. They had only been going out for half the year but he understood that the other was still warming up to him. It was shaky to begin with but it calmed down after the first proper date they had four months ago. He nibbled on his yakitori (chicken skewers) as he waited for a reply.
"Something like that" Kaiba idly twiddled his own yakitori in his free hand. His thoughts were a bit over the place as he wasn't sure if the Light would come or not, but just in case. "Joey?"
"Yeah?"
"I have a... friend... That may or not be staying with me, at some point in the future," Kaiba shifted uncomfortably in his chair before sitting to face his boyfriend straight on. "They are quite fragile at the moment and need help"
"Okay... Is there anything I can do to help? If your friend is anything like my sister, then I'm more than happy to help" Joey placed his food down and the other knew he was being serious with his offer. It eased Kaiba's headache a little. Having met Joey's sister, Serenity, he could easily see her as a being similar to the Light.
"They are similar in a way, they have been through a lot in their lives and still have a sunny disposition afterwards" Kaiba's eyes grew calculative, he was going to have some trouble if the Light did decide to show up, mainly the light's appearance. He knew it would be a touchy subject however thought it would be the best way to explain it. specially when it looked like Joey was curious on how the experience was similar. "My friend has received chemotherapy and I have offered my home as a respite for his recovery. Thankfully he is cancer free for now but he also suffers from migraines on top of it so wears sunglasses, no matter what the light"
He had to reframe from snorting at that since his 'friend' is and always will be Light. Joey smiled sadly "Poor guy, well like I said before, I'm more than happy to help out. Well when I'm not at the restaurant but you know what I mean"
Kaiba nodded his head in understanding. Even though he had only known the man for seven months and been going out for six he had become slightly dependent on the other. Joey was, or had been, light before but Kaiba could see the dark that lingered and in doing so made Joey a Faded just like himself. "I appreciate it. I'll let you know when he arrives, if he accepts my offer"
Joey seemed to have a glow about him when he felt that Kaiba trusted him with the situation. He knew of Kaiba's reputation before even meeting him but after what the guy did for his sister he knew the other wasn't as bad as people made him out to be. "You can depend on me!"
"I know I can puppy" Kaiba smirked at the blush that crossed his boyfriend's nose in both embarrassment and anger at the nickname. "I adore that about you"
In spite of himself Joey couldn't help but melt at those words and decided if he couldn't vocalise his annoyance then he could at least be playful by flinging spare yakitori at Kaiba's face. Kaiba saw the challenge and returned it with a smirk.
A few months down the line saw Kaiba have a new occupant within his household. The person was frail, bones just encased thinly with skin and nothing else. It was a sad state to see the Light in. Kaiba knew it would at least be a month for the Light to be in any sort of decent state to be seen. So he hadn't mentioned anything to Joey about his 'friend' being here. He sighed slowly as he edged closer and sat gently on the bed, reaching out to take the skeletal hand into his own. This seemed to soothe the being for having a familiar feeling. "Just take it easy Light, you'll eventually get used to the feeling of this life again"
The other nodded just slightly but it was noticeable.
"I have all the paperwork sorted out, stating who you are and other crap that is needed" Kaiba could feel the other twitch in amusement at all the stuff that he was doing, this made him glare and the other smile a little. "Since you can be so childish, I've given you a name that means game, you are now Yuugi"
The smile grew for a moment before there was a grimace at the pain it caused.
"Give it time, it'll be worth while," He rubbed soothing circles with his thumb on the others hand as he spoke as softly as he could "I promise you that"
There was a soft exhale of acknowledgement before sleep grabbed at the Light being and he drifted under.
"Can you say back to me what I had said to you?"
Joey groaned at his year long boyfriend but replied anyway "I'm not to touch Yuugi in any way, I'm to try not to stare at the bandages and whatnot, also to keep my voice down as his ears are sensitive also."
"Ah so you do listen" Kaiba snickered as Joey let out a growl "I'm sure if you're good he'll give you belly rubs and ear scratches"
Joey side stepped when Kaiba reached up to scratch at his ears and smiled in triumph when he managed it. "Ha!"
"That's once out of how many times?" Kaiba shook his head and hmmed as he got to Yuugi's room. "Everything alright in here?"
He waited a moment for a response as the Light was still learning the use of his vocal cords. The light could be heard softly through the door. "I need a little help with my top, if you wouldn't mind, please"
Kaiba motioned for Joey to stay where he was while he went in to help his 'friend'. Yuugi was sitting on the bed in a way that showed the bones of his spine, that had Kaiba wincing inwardly, but ignored it as he picked up the shirt. "You'll grow some more muscle one day"
"I look forward to it" Yuugi smiled a little as he shifted into the top with Kaiba's help. "Thank you"
"You're welcome, now are you up for meeting someone new?" A slight hesitance could be heard in his words. It's not that he didn't trust Joey to be careful. He was just nervous that Yuugi might feel overwhelmed by a different sort of faded in his presences. "If you're not, you don't have to push yourself"
"I'll be fine Seto" His voice stayed soft as he ran a hand over Kaiba's arm in a soothing manner. "I have to get used to other people, and who better to start with than your sweet and charming other half?"
Unbeknownst to the two, they had been watched by Joey through the gap in the door, in the mirror that was angled just enough to view them. He was shocked too see how frail Kaiba's friend was, that he looked like a starved child. A protective instinct grew in that moment when he saw how tender and caring Kaiba was being towards the smaller one. This person was special. Just like his sister. A blush broke out over the bridge of his nose as he heard the words that Kaiba supposedly used to describe him. Did Kaiba really find him to be charming?
"Are you okay Joey?" Joey let out a squeak that caused his boyfriend to raise his eyebrow in questioning.
"Yes, sorry, I was just thinking" He mumbled out quickly as he toed the floor.
"Well... try not to hurt yourself" Seto teased as he opened the door more fully so that his boyfriend would enter. The dirty blond huffed in annoyance but didn't let it get to him as he entered the room and took a good look at the figure on the bed. "Joey this is my... friend Yuugi, Yuugi this is my boyfriend Joey"
"Hello Joey, it's nice to meet you" Yuugi tried not grimace when his face did a spasm when he smiled. "Thanks for looking after Seto, I know he can be handful at times, but he means well"
Seto scowled at Yuugi's words but it had Joey laughing despite the state he could see the other being in. Yuugi was sitting in the bed under a blanket up to his waist, the top had long sleeves to hid most of his skeletal frame, a bandana covered the top and back of his head and he had darkened glasses over his eyes.
Joey walked over and sat next to Yuugi's legs on the bed much to his boyfriends displeasure. Yuugi was much like his sister when she had been in the hospital that he couldn't help but reach out and take the Light's hand into his gently. "It's great meeting you too, hope we can be friends?"
He received the warmest smile he ever seen in response.
It took awhile but several months later Yuugi was able to walk by himself with very little help. He was so happy that he took to running, really quickly, that he wouldn't sit still for very long. Seto couldn't blame him after all those months trapped in bed but it was really getting on his nerves. That and it was teaching bad habits to his adopted brother, Mokuba. He did see something good out of it when it came to him having to work at home and his little brother got board, it also meant that Yuugi had company other than Joey. Mokuba at least knew who what kind of beings they were. Seto really wasn't looking forward to that talk with Joey.
Seto grunted and crippled his newspaper when the two little tornados went past him in the kitchen. It wasn't often that he would raise his voice but this was one of them. "Don't run around me!"
"Sorry!" was the yelled reply but giggles had followed after so he knew they weren't sorry. at all.
He let out a snort as he stood up from the kitchen counter and waited by the kitchen entrance. within two seconds the little ones had ran back in but he quickly snatched them up and held them up in the air. The boys laughed despite being caught. "Now can I get a real apology?"
"We're sorry Seto/big brother" they chorused together and made sure not to giggle at the end of it.
"Better" He hmmed as he carried the childish duo into the living room. Since he was carrying the both of them he was able to compare the weight of the two. Yuugi had been eating bigger meals lately so he was glad to see that he was close to the same weight as Mokuba.
"What are you going to do with us?" Yuugi asked as he was back into his giggly mood. Apparently with Seto's arms wrapped around his waist, Seto's fingers had found a ticklish spot that had him squirming. Not that the taller one had realised this.
Seto choose to ignore the question as he stood in front of the comfier couch that had cushions that would eat you up if it were alive. He then proceeded too dump the duo onto the couch that went thwump. The boys laughed happily when they landed. It wasn't often that Seto joined in on their fun times. He walked away from the two and went over to the large entertainment centre that was across from the couch. "You boys up for getting your ass kicked at Mario Kart?"
there was an unanimous 'yeah' from the duo that had Seto smirking. He remembered the time when Yuugi was gaining motor skills in his hands and the game pad controllers were a big help. After getting the necessary equipment sorted and handed to the other two players and they began too play. Seto only managing to kick Mokuba's ass while Yuugi went to kick his multiple times over, much to his displeasure.
Yuugi chuckled "Who is kicking whose ass Seto?"
He didn't dignify it with a response as he clicked for another rematch. Yuugi just giggled again and concentrated on the race. Seto took the time to glance sideways at the Light and had let his smirk turn into a small smile. As well as being able to walk and run, Yuugi's eyes had taken colour, a strange colour to humans. The deepest of boysenberry to the brightest of amethyst depending on when the light hit. The Light's hair decided to grow as well into black locks at the back though the front stayed the baby tufts of blond and curled enough to frame his face. It was unusual, however considering who Yuugi was, it was pretty normal and it suited.
When it was late enough, Seto sent Mokuba to bed and spent a wee while speaking to Yuugi. Just as he was getting ready to say that it was best for them to get to bed the Light gave a big sigh that even affected the lighting. It had taken awhile for his natural ability over anything light to manifest in this realm. Unfortunately it was a time that Joey was around that they had found out that the ability was back and had caused a blackout. Luckily Joey had bought that a power surge was the cause of it. Yuugi had then given Seto a look that told him that he should tell Joey about what they were before he found out from another source.
It didn't take long for Yuugi to voice his the reason for his sigh. "Do you think we'll find our Dark?"
Owh. The reason that the Light had gone through the whole mess of getting his own body. He hoped for both their sakes that they would. He took a hold of Yuugi's hand and rubbed soothing circles over them as he spoke softly. "Someday"
"Thanks for getting me out today Joey" Yuugi smiled as he walked to Burger World with his friend. It took some convincing but some how Joey managed to get Seto to allow Yuugi out of the house. Joey grinned down at his little friend and rubbed his hand over Yuugi's head causing the beanie to land over the boysenberry eyes. Yuugi grunted but was amused by the others antics and shifted the beanie back to its original position.
"No probs! I woulda been dying of boredom if I didn't get out the house. Surprised you managed to survive with just us three for company" Joey walked with his hands behind his head and made sure to keep an eye on his surroundings as well as on his friend. He couldn't help the feeling that he was being watched. Maybe Seto's over protectiveness wasn't unfounded. "So you ready to taste your first burger? This place serves the best in the world!"
The Light giggle at that as he followed his taller friend into the place and got to the booth that they were directed too. "I did wonder about the name. Do they have many varieties?"
"Yup! From all over the world! but I suggest that you start off with the original and go from there" Joey flicked a menu with practised ease to in front of Yuugi's face as he pointed out the starter burger. He then grinned "However if you would like to taste many today we can get the sharers platter that does a set of twelve mini burgers of your course"
Yuugi placed a finger to his lips as he pondered "Well if you don't mind sharing with me, then can we get the platter?"
"Sure, just pick out the eight types that you wanna try and i'll pick out another four"
"Eight? wouldn't it be six so that we can share evenly?"
Joey waved a hand in front of his face as he looked sheepish. "Nah, I'm gonna get one of my normal orders as well so really those four are gonna be starters for me"
"Well if your sure Joey" He smiled once more as he took out a small notepad from the side pocket of his cargo trousers. He wrote down the burgers that interested him, so that he made things easier for ordering, then he handed the list over to Joey.
"Nice choices Yuug" Joey put down his order as well and waved over a waitress to had it over to her. She double checked the order to make sure she was reading it right and said it be twenty minutes but she'd get the drinks for them. Joey was scratching the back of his neck when he received a disbelieving look from Yuugi. "That's actually a small order from me"
"I don't think that makes it any better Joey" Yuugi laughed as Joey bloomed red but laughed along with him. They thanked the waitress when she came back with the drinks and got to talking about what they were going to do for the rest of the day. Yuugi fiddled with his straw as he looked at Joey with an intense look that made his eyes shine intensely.
Joey had to blink his own eyes of amber with golden flecks at the sudden changed of Yuugi's attitude. That and his friends eyes looked like they held a purple cosmos within them. He swallowed nervously "You alright Yuug?"
He blinked, making the light show in his eyes disappear, and his 'normal' colouring came back. This made Joey breath a little easier. Yuugi glanced down at his drink and spoke softly so that only Joey could hear him. "Do you believe... in different beings... that aren't quite human?"
Joey had to refrain the laugh that bubbled from the question but it seemed that he was being asked seriously. He coughed into his fisted hand and actually had a little think about it. "Can I get back to you on that?"
He was relieved to see his little buddy smile at that, apparently the answer was going to mean a lot. Yuugi tilted his head and continued to smile "Sure thing Joey. Take as much time as you would like"
He certainly was going to after a response like that. He was thankful when the food arrived and they went on to talk about a safe topic that turned out to be Seto. Surprisingly and when ever Yuugi got Joey to blush about him, he would get fries chucked at his face.
Whenever Joey would cover his own face with his hands to get rid of the blush, Yuugi would be looking in a dark spot of the restaurant and made it shine a little brighter in that direction. Yuugi would wear a smug smile whenever he made the dark spot change locations but would change smiles when Joey was given him his attention again.
Seto had a bit of a headache by the time they got back to his. Despite the attention he got from Joey to make him feel better, He was grumpy for the next few days whilst Yuugi was overly chirper, he was worst off for the little game they played.
"Maybe I should have been a bit quicker in answering Yuugi" He yelped as the wall above him was suddenly struck with a dark force. He didn't dare look behind him as kept forging ahead. He made his way out of the alley onto a busy street, straight onto moving traffic that he had too slide over a cars bonnet, so not to get hit and made it to the other side. He didn't pause for breathe as he could still feel a sickly presence watching him. With a gulp he saw an unattained bike and made a grab for it. "Screw the consequences"
Once he was on he heard a guy shouting but he didn't intended to stick around with those things chasing him and peddled as fast as he could to Seto's. He tried his best too shake what ever those things were and managed to get to Seto's gate that luckily was open. He guessed that Seto had just gotten home. Without a second thought he cycled up the driveway, saw that the car was parked out front and was relieved. He bumbled off of the bike and hit the stones running to up the stairs then hit the door noisily.
He was gasping for breathe when Yuugi came and opened the door with a gasp. Joey leant against the doorway haggard as his eyes sought out Yuugi's that where shocked to see him in such a state. Through desperate breathes he managed to speak "I believe"
It took a couple of moments for the words to register in his head and when they did he managed to get on his tip toes to drag Joey down into a hug. His arms were wrapped around Joey's shoulders as he managed to bury his face into the crook of it. "They got to Seto first"
Joey gasped harshly as he steadied himself against the smaller frame. "What?"
Yuugi smiled sadly and took his friends hand to guide him indoors and closed the door behind him. He made sure to wrap Joey's arm around his shoulder before directing him to Seto's room so that he had something to lean on. Yuugi spoke calmly even though inside he was pretty angry about the situation. "The lesser Darklings caught Seto unaware in the parking lot of his work. I'm not going to sugar coat it but Seto doesn't look good but inside it's thrice as bad."
The dirty blonde stumbled at that but held on tight to keep on going ahead. "Will he be okay?"
"I'm not exactly sure... I haven't seen a human body like this in a long time. This is the first time I've been in this realm in thousand or so years." Yuugi paused when they made it upstairs and were in front of Seto's door. He was slightly out of breathe as he had only dragged Seto up half an hour ago. "With your help, I think he will be"
There was a moment that had Joey think he would have been better off just leaving and forgetting about every thing. It must have shown on his face for a moment as Yuugi had looked up at him with that look of understanding. That it would be okay if he goes, that he wouldn't be blamed if he did. Joey swallowed and that thought was gone once he shook his head. He felt his best when he was around Seto and he had done so much for him over the two years they've been together. He wasn't going to back out now after something like this was being thrown their way. "I want to stay with him"
Yuugi breathed out a sigh of relief that Joey wasn't going to run for it and pushed on forward into Seto's room. He had left his 'friend' in Mokuba's care when Joey had came around and Seto hadn't moved since he was placed on the bed.
Seto's clothes and exposed skin was tainted with dark splodges here and there. It was like a black and white with odd colours dusted through. Joey had stumbled closer to the bed, enough to sit by Seto's legs like he had when he first meet Yuugi, and looked at Seto with fresh eyes.
The dark splodges were the worst at the hands that it looked like he had stuck his hands in a dark coloured treacle jar and made it's way up his arms. From what Joey could tell was that they had been in a defence position when he was hit. The treacle like substance made a mess of his legs and of his chest, rising and falling heavily, and when he saw Seto's face he had to hold his breathe. There was a dark stain just by his jaw line but it appeared to be seeping into his skin that it faded outwards to over his left eye and just lightly ended near the right. What startled him the most was that Seto's eyes were looking directly at him and they looked so different from the other.
The normal azure eyes that could be the brightest of sapphires when he was experiencing positive emotions were faded to stone that looked so dull compared to what he was used too. Joey felt tears reach the corner of his eyes as he reached out to run his fingers over Seto's darkened cheek and couldn't help but choke out "Please stay with me Seto"
There was silence, apart from Seto's heavy breathing, he kept his eyes on his boyfriend as he tried to concentrate on the feeling of the finger's on his cheek. It help enough for Seto to fight of the dark treacle that it receded a little on his face that it gave Joey enough of a reaction to say that he would.
Joey sobbed in relief that he didn't see Yuugi motion to Mokuba to help him gather new clothes and cleaning supplies. The blond kept stroking the faded areas but didn't dare try touching the darker substance and was a little bit afraid to see the state the body was in. He pawed away his tears with his free hand as it seemed that Seto was getting annoyed that he wasn't able to do it himself. Joey had to chuckle at that when Seto seemed to ease slightly from the action. "You better hold me a lot after all this mister"
There was a slight twitch in the face that made it look like he wanted to nod in response but couldn't. Before he could give him reassurance the smaller duo had came back with supplies but Joey took note that Yuugi wasn't coming any closer.
Yuugi noticed the look and rubbed his own arm to keep the chills away. "I had to put many barriers between me and him before I could even touch him to help him into the house. At my core, I am a being of Light, and the Dark essence that has infected his being would have knocked me out. Until he has fought it out enough to become faded, I won't be of much help, other than to fetch supplies. Mokuba will be able to help with the cleaning and changing of clothes"
"I leave the healing kisses to you Joey" Mokuba teased and grinned despite the situation he found his older brother in. He had known about what type of beings Yuugi and Seto were but this different however he couldn't feel down because he had the support of both Joey and Yuugi looking after Big brother. He could get through this. That and he could get hugs from Yuugi to cheer themselves up a bit.
Joey blushed enough that it showed on his face but ignored the others giggles as he started undressing Seto from the chest to his waist to get the healing process started. He mumbled just enough for Seto hear "Maybe later"
It took several hours but eventually Seto was sleeping easy in his boxers underneath a blanket that Yuugi had managed to embed some of his Light essence into it to speed up his recovery. Yuugi had sent Mokuba to bed and now both he and Joey were out the back having a bonfire to burn the tainted clothes.
Joey had managed to bring over the bench from the patio set to near the fire so that they could keep an eye on it. He had sat himself down with a grunt as he felt sore from being bent over Seto's form for so many hours. As he looked over to the blue fire that was tainted green from the Dark essence he let his mind wonder over the nights experience. As soon as Yuugi had sat down next to him did he breath out his question. "What are you two?"
Yuugi had let out a startled squeak as Joey had been quite for so long that he didn't expect the taller to speak to him any time soon. Once recovered he settled with his hands under his thighs and took a moment to think over his answer. "Our bodies are very much human, where you would have a soul at your core, we have our essences. Mine is that of Light, Seto is that of a Faded, and our missing third would be of the Dark."
"What were the lesser Darklings that you mentioned earlier?" Joey joined his hands together under his chin as he rested his elbows on his knees. "Why would they attack him and me?"
"The lesser Darklings are beings that respond to a Dark that makes them. If I or Seto wanted too, I could have Lightlings, and he would have Fades." He raised a hand from underneath his thigh and created a little ball of light that he made a motion for it to float in front of Joey's eyes. Yuugi giggled when Joey blinked cross eyed before giving a jerk backwards. "My Lightlings would look like, what you humans would call them, Fairies. I think Seto's would be similar to that of Pixies, and Darks would have trolls. However if there was a bunch then they can come together to look like either you humans. A illusion of one, unlike the bodies me and Seto are inhabiting, which have been made specifically to hold our essences."
Joey eyed the little ball of Light wearingly till his eyes adjusted to see an ambiguous fairy within it. He waved at it unsurely and received one in return. He chuckled at that when they had smiled and buzzed straight for Yuugi who seemed to have given them an order. Once the little thing had zoomed off he looked directly at Yuugi "Still what would be the reason to attack us?"
"I think they don't want us to find our missing Dark. Without our Dark our balance is off kilter because of me being pure Light, Seto is not able to balance me by himself as he is a Faded one. He can only go so much one way without loosing himself." Yuugi sighed as he curled his arms around himself. Joey was about to apologise for he hadn't heard the missing part in the earlier part of the conversation but Yuugi kept going. "It has been... quite a few years since I last saw my Dark"
Just before a sob had escaped from the Light, Joey had scooted over quick enough to bundle his little buddy up in his arms for him to cry. As soon as he had heard the 'my' He knew that whoever this Dark was, meant a lot to Yuugi, just like how Seto meant to him. He hooked his chin over Yuugi's head so that Yuugi was tucked in close to his body and rocked gentle from side to side as he stroked Yuugi's back. He kept his voice low and despite the softness he spoke with confidence. "We'll find your Dark. You can count on me"