Author's Note: Just so everyone knows from the start, I'm not trying to make a Daisuke/Dark implication, but I know that there might be some of that in this chapter. Oh well. Enjoy!


Daisuke opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. There was a bright streak of dawn light that ran across it. It was early morning and he had to get up for school. But, today, Daisuke wanted to stay in bed. He didn't want to say hello and good morning to the world. For some reason, it would just feel fake to him.

Perhaps I'm just feeling ill. I could tell Mom and I'm sure she'd let me off school today…

But Daisuke knew what would happen if he did that. His mother, Emiko Niwa, would feel sorry for him, and she probably would let him stay off school. But, she wouldn't do anything before expressing sympathy for Daisuke feeling ill on his birthday.

It was his fifteenth birthday, this day. There would be plenty of presents and cards and well-wishing for another great year, and that was where the problem was. This was because any other year could never be as great as the previous.

It had only been a year since he turned fourteen. It had only been a year since he had found out about the Niwa family legacy. It had only been a year since he had become the host to the Phantom Thief known as Dark Mousey.

And it had been less than a year since Dark had been gone.

Dark and Krad, the entity that had been within Daisuke's best friend, Satoshi Hiwatari, had both been sealed in a piece of artwork called The Black Wings. Satoshi and Daisuke had been freed from their families' joint curse, and were now able to live normal lives.

So why do I feel like this? Daisuke wondered. I'm not even sure what I'm feeling, but I know I don't like it.

"Dai? Dai! It's time to get up, you'll be late for school," Emiko's voice floated up the stairs.

"Yes Mom," Dai called back.

Heaving a sigh, Daisuke got up and prepared himself for school, and all the joys of having one's birthday on a school day.

---***---

"Niwa!"

Daisuke turned his head to look to the person who had called him, although he had a pretty good feeling that he already knew. And, sure enough, the Harada twins were zoning in on his position. He was half a nanosecond from smiling, happy to see them, when he realised what the pair were carrying.

Presents. Tons of presents, half were wrapped in brightly coloured paper, the other half in not so brightly coloured paper. He didn't have to guess who they were for, nor who was giving him which present.

"Morning, Niwa," a calm voice greeted him from behind.

"Huh?" Dai turned round in confusion, and almost walked into another of his friends. "Oh, morning Hiwatari."

Satoshi's lips twitched to show a small smile, which shone in the boy's bright blue eyes. He hadn't worn glasses since the day Krad and Dark had left, explaining to Dai, Riku and Risa that he hadn't really needed them for himself.

"Ladies," Satoshi greeted as the girls arrived.

"Morning Hiwatari," Risa greeted in response.

"Yeah morning," Riku agreed. "Hey Niwa, happy birthday."

The twins handed Daisuke the presents that they had been holding, and he took them with a smile. He prayed that the smile reached his eyes, and told himself that he wasn't faking it.

"Thank you Miss Riku, Miss Harada," Daisuke hoped that he sounded grateful.

"I can't believe you're fifteen today," Risa stated.

"Yeah, well…" Daisuke shrugged, not knowing what else to say.

"We'd better get moving, or we'll be late for class," Satoshi observed, already beginning to walk towards the school.

The three of them followed Satoshi. Risa ran ahead to walk beside Satoshi, getting as close as she dared. Daisuke and Riku were a step behind, holding each other's hand, and all of Daisuke's presents.

If Miss Harada and Hiwatari get any closer, you won't be able to see between them, Daisuke thought with a smile.

---***---

The first two classes had gone without a hitch. Saehara had been unable to resist giving Daisuke the infamous 'birthday beats', but it hadn't hurt. Daisuke jokingly reminded Saehara that, when his birthday came, he would find no mercy.

It was a break period, and Dai had found somewhere quiet to be: an empty corridor. He stared out into the sky, thinking of nothing in particular. He didn't hear a pair of quiet footsteps approach.

"Something on your mind, Niwa?"

"Hiwatari?" Dai asked confusedly when he looked at the young man.

"I would assume that you'd be happy on your birthday, but... you aren't," Satoshi observed.

"I guess you're right," Daisuke agreed, turning back to the window.

Satoshi stood still for a while, observing his friend. He felt certain that he knew what was bothering Daisuke, but was unwilling to reopen that chapter of his own life. Neither of them had spoken of that day back in December, and Satoshi had been more than happy to not think of it again. But

"I guess you don't... miss him, huh?" Daisuke asked, so quietly that Satoshi almost thought he'd heard him wrong.

"He wasn't like... Dark," Satoshi admitted, silently thanking Daisuke for not mentioning Krad's name. "He didn't care about what happened to me. But, Dark was different. He did care about what happened to you, he did care if you were in pain."

Daisuke didn't reply, and he didn't turn to face Satoshi. He wondered if it had been justified bringing up such a sore topic for the both of them. He inhaled deeply, and opened his mouth to speak.

"You miss Dark, don't you?"

Daisuke exhaled. Finding himself devoid of his voice, he nodded. He could feel tears swelling up beside his eyes, and quickly shuts them. There was no way he wanted Satoshi to see him cry, he was fifteen years old for crying out loud! Fifteen year old guys don't cry!

There's a small click as something light is set down on the sill. Daisuke opened his eyes to find himself staring at a long, cardboard box. There was a length of string keeping the lid on, and a tiny card with a hole that the string had been threaded through. The words were written in very clear, very neat handwriting: Happy Birthday Daisuke Niwa, from Satoshi Hiwatari.

Daisuke looked over his shoulder to where Satoshi had been standing, but noted that the young man was walking down the corridor. He returned his attention to the box. It wasn't anything impressive, just a simple box held together with string. Daisuke pulled the string clear with his closet hand, and then picked up the lid and set it aside.

Inside the box was half a feather. It wasn't a normal feather. This was a piece of art, Daisuke could tell. From the rachis to the tips of the barbs, it was pitch black with purple highlights showing wherever the light touched it. A small strip of paper lay underneath the feather. Daisuke took it out of the box and began to read.

Niwa. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't know what else to get you. Just so you know, my half is white. Have a happy birthday. Hiwatari.

Daisuke smiled weakly and put the note back in the box. He then realised that Satoshi hadn't answered his question. While he had admitted that Krad was an evil entity that had lived inside him, he hadn't said that he didn't miss that psychotic white angel.

Of course he misses Krad, if only a little bit. Krad was a part of him, just like Dark was a part of me... Is that what I'm feeling? Do I really miss Dark that much?

---***---

"Oh, Daisuke, you're home!" Towa chirped happily.

"Huh? Oh, hi Towa," Daisuke greeted absentmindedly.

"Hmm? Are you alright?" Towa asked, frowning slightly in concern.

"Everything's normal," Daisuke answered. "I'll be in my room; I've got stuff to do for school."

"Okay," Towa agreed, unconvinced. "Well, dinner will be soon, in celebration of your birthday. This is so exciting!"

Daisuke smiled at Towa's enthusiasm, glad that at least someone was enjoying his birthday, even if he wasn't.

He made his way upstairs, remembering the events of his last birthday. He'd long since given the painting of Risa Harada away, to Risa herself for her birthday. She had been the one that had awoken Dark inside him, by not loving him as he had loved her. Not that that mattered now, since he was with her sister, Riku, and Risa was with Satoshi, or, at least, trying to be.

Daisuke put down his school bag and climbed up to his bed. He laid down and stared at the ceiling as he had done that morning, trying to remind himself that he should be happy. But he couldn't think of anything that warranted him being happy.

"Kyuu!" Wiz bounded happily onto Daisuke's stomach.

"Hey Wiz," Daisuke smiled sadly, looking at the little creature before returning his gaze to the pattern above him.

It's so weird. I don't usually mope like this. Is it just because Dark came into my life only a year ago? He's been part of the Niwa family for four hundred years...

Daisuke looked back at Wiz. The strange little creature had probably been with the Niwa family as long as Dark had, serving as Dark's wings since using his own would cause Dark's host a lot of pain.

I wonder if Wiz misses Dark....

"Hey Wiz, can you keep a secret?" Daisuke asked earnestly, slowly rising to sit cross-legged.

"Kyuu?" Wiz cocked his head to a side, curiosity shone in his eyes.

"I miss Dark," Daisuke stated. "On that day, when he and Krad were sealed into The Black Wings, I felt like a part of me had been torn out. I know that as soon as I'd won my 'Sacred Maiden', he fade away until the next son of the Niwa family came around, but... but he didn't just fade away. He was ripped out of me, Wiz, and while I'd won my 'Sacred Maiden'... I'd lost him."

"Kyuu?"

"I doubt it makes much sense to you. I mean, you've probably had Dark come in and out of a member of the family for a long time. You're probably used to it. But... to me... I don't know," Daisuke paused.

Wiz watched Daisuke reverently, waiting for him to continue. He seemed completely engrossed by what Daisuke was telling him, and was eager, but patient, for the rest of the admission.

"He would tease me, and be irritating and embarrassing and would make me want to scream or pull all my hair out. But, that wasn't all that Dark did. He cared about my safety, he'd be worried if his magic hurt me, and... and all that kind of stuff. He was like the big brother I never had," Daisuke smiled earnestly.

"Kyuu?"

"I really miss him, With. You... you won't tell anyone about this, will you Wiz?" Daisuke asked.

"Kyuu!"

"I didn't think so. Wiz, I... I'm not as strong as everyone thinks I am. I think about Dark all the time, about all the great things that happened because he was around. And sometimes... sometimes I even think about ways I could get to him."

"Kyuu?"

"I think about that a lot, actually. I think about how I could break the seal on The Black Wings and get him out, but then everything else crops into my head. I mean, if I break the seal, and Dark comes out, what's there to stop Krad escaping too? And, Dark and Krad use to be one being, right? So, what if Dark isn't there anymore, but this other creature that's half-Dark-half-Krad? And they're like complete opposites, so would this creature be mad from a conflicting personality? But, let's say that there isn't one being in there, and I break the seal and Dark comes out. It's safe to say that Krad will come out too, so what'll happen there? Will he go back into Hiwatari? He's spent so much time being a prisoner in his body, having to fight Krad every day, being in so much pain whenever Krad wins over him. I couldn't do that him! I couldn't put him back into that situation. He'd never forgive me, and I'd never forgive myself."

"Kyuu..." Wiz stated sadly, either empathising or feeling an equal sadness.

"You can't tell that to anyone, Wiz," Daisuke ordered. "I don't want people to know. I... I don't think they'd understand."

From the stairs, Emiko held a hand to her face. Her eyes were closed as she willed herself to stay quiet. Then slowly, she turned around and walked back downstairs as quietly as she had come up. She hadn't intended to eavesdrop, she had been planning to go up, say hello and happy birthday and tell her son that dinner was ready. She hadn't been expecting to hear that kind of thing from Daisuke, she'd always thought that he didn't like the black winged angel that lay in the Niwa family genes.

How wrong she was. And now, Emiko felt a pressing need to find a box of tissues.

---***---

Daisuke... are you there?

......

Can you hear me, Daisuke?

......

I'm trapped. I need your help.

......

Where are you, Daisuke? Where are you?