D. N. A n g e l

Cambiare

One: Introductions

Disclaimer: We do not own DNAngel. All characters belong to their respective owners.

InvalidUser, here. There's not much to say, really. I've always enjoyed writing DNAngel fanfiction, although this'll probably be the second one to be published here. I presented the idea to my friend, who has still not chosen a pen name, a few moments after conceiving it. And I was like, "hey, why don't we co-write this fanfic?" and so, yeah! That's how it went.

We named it Cambiare because it means "to change" in Italian. As most classical musical terms are named or labeled – in the really cool Italian language. Change, because this story is based on an AU of DNAngel, where Daisuke is born from a rich, aristocratic family (and has a sister) and Dark is simply just a disguise. So, if you guys were hoping to see Dark, you guys are going to be disappointed. The Haradas are but servants of the Niwa family. Oh, and Satoshi's a girl.

And so, without further ado, here is our story – Cambiare .

The moonlight painted the whole city a nightly shade of silver. It was a haunting color. A cold, eerie, but still somewhat, beautiful silver that bathed the town in its very essence. A cloud dared not to litter the evening sky, for their presence would surely be lost in a night such as this.

Luna graced her reflection at a lonely mansion at the end of town. It stood gallantly atop a cliff, it's white marble shining only more magnificently as the silver light from the moon grazed its skin. Situated at the end of the cliff, hollowed out at the bottom was a cove. The white sand glistened as the stars had, as each passing moment the sea sang to the moon it's moonlight sonata.

The mansion belonged to the Niwa family, a family who's wealth and lineage was legendary throughout town. It was said they could trace their lineage back to the time of the Renaissance. Inside the European style estate lived Daisuke Niwa, your not-so-regular fifteen year old. He had a red spiky mane, it's eye catching crimson color akin to the color of his own eyes. He had a slightly sharp jaw, and his strong features went parallel with his eyes' kindness. He was about five, seven and weighed at something around a hundred and twenty pounds. Nevertheless, he was quite handsome. A nimble, yet lean fellow.

Although it was not quite normal to live in a home as big as his, it was Daisuke's heritage and rather... questionable upbringing that was far from what was considered normal. By the time he was nine, his family had honed his body to the levels of an Olympic athelete. His mind was shaped as equally sharp as his senses. He was faster, stronger and smarter than mostly anyone in the planet. At twelve he had already but mastered advanced hacking and espionage. He had been bored one night, so he stole a couple of hundred thousands through the internet. All done with his laptop on his lap. He was thirteen. You'd think he was being trained for a noble profession, but it was completely the opposite.

His upbringing had been a little bit to cruel. He was beaten into shape and made into a super thief. A thief who could steal the most priceless paintings and relics from heavily guarded museums without even breaking a sweat. That was how he and his sister were raised – that was how all Niwas were raised. The world did not know it, but behind all the business fronts the Niwas had put up, be it business, real esate or restaurants, they were at the very core, a family of thieves. They had all been Dark, the alias all Niwas went by when stealing. And Dark was supposed to be able to do all sorts of magic. Yes, there was magic, but most of all it was just trickery. Unlike real magic, deceit was less energy consuming – but more or less, provided the same sense of bewilderment. It was said that Dark could appear at two places at once, and had the power to move his shadow. While, that may all be all possible with powerful magic, the simple answer was; Dark didn't work alone. Although occasionally, certain generations of the Niwa line had worked alone – but usually they worked in pairs.

Caska, his older sister, and he had always worked as a pair. Although they did do missions solo, when the occasion called for (or when they felt like it), they always did their most beautiful artwork-snatching when they worked together. Although, Caska was arguably better than Daisuke when it came to anything – there was one thing she lacked, and that was Daisuke's perceptiveness. And when they were together, it was a deadly dance of deceit. They were never caught. No alarms ever went off, and they left no trace whatsoever besides a simple note on where the painting or sculpture was, that simply said, "Thanks for the painting."

Daisuke, wearing a white shirt and a pair of boxers, his hair still almost dripping wet, sipped his tea silently as he waited at the sitting room. Evidently, the whole Niwa household was there awaiting some grave news. Caska, wearing nothing but a long white t-shirt, sat beside Daisuke, equally silent as her younger brother. But she was far from interested at whatever the family had to say. As she leaned over her brother's shoulders, her eyes traced the words on the book she was reading, sometimes even mouthing the words that she read while Daisuke's eyes wandered around the sitting room. So far, it was only he and his sister, Caska, who was there. Caska looked a lot like himself. She had chin length hair that was a little less bright than his own red mane. Lively hair that was styled with a long sweeping fringe, softening Caska's features. She was quite beautiful, but that was expected from the superior Niwa genes. She was a little shorter than Daisuke, but there was no doubt that in a crowd you could pick both Niwas out as siblings.

"What's taking them so long?" whined Caska as she half-slammed her book on the coffee table. "They said it was important."

Daisuke just shrugged in reply. He wasn't very worried. Their grandfather had always taken his time when deliver important news. Thinking back, maybe it was just one of those childish whims his grandfather had. He had once called a family meeting just to say that when he was out in town, a woman had told him that he didn't even look anywhere near his age at all when his age was brought up. Imagine the face on everyone as they listened to him.

The elder Niwa clung to Daisuke's arm and pulled herself closer to him. She nuzzled his neck with her nose playfully as she tried to get rid of her pending irritation. She could still smell the soap on Daisuke's neck which made her a little less irritated. "I hope they do hurry up," she wandered aloud.

She titled her head a little bit higher, her lips now casually grazing his neck. She nibbled playfully with skin, as he continued sipping his tea. Although it did seem weird, and even perhaps disgusting, this was how their sibling relationship was. "Would you care for some tea, Caska?" he offered politely.

"I'm fiiinee," she said – now kissing his neck lightly in a upwards then downwards like motion.

With a sigh, Daisuke pushed Caska away lightly with his two fingers. It wasn't so hard as to hurt or bother her, but it did bring a pout to her face. She moaned in defeat, that "awww." sound that Daisuke had now all gotten used to. She leaned on his shoulder again, sighing as she did. She took his teacup and plate and set it down at the coffee table. He muttered a silent thanks, as he was done with his tea anyway. He began fiddling lightly with her hair – twirling her hair with his index and middle finger. This brought about a small squee of pleasure from the older Niwa. She liked it when Daisuke played with her. Although he rarely did, she did really try to savor these moments. Even if it was only him fiddling with her hair.

Yes, maybe their relationship wasn't really normal, brother-sister like. They were very close with each other, although Caska being the more affectionate one. And with how they worked as a team when they performed as team Dark, it was easy to see how their relationship affected their work. They were flawless when they moved, both knew exactly what each other was thinking. But nevertheless, the truth was they weren't at all bothered by what was the norm and what wasn't. If their relationship was unbecoming of siblings, they just simply did not care. They could afford to, anyway.

There was a light knock on the door, and then two identical-looking brunettes entered the room. They wear wearing simple brown kimonos, with a white satin apron over it – traditional garments of the Niwa family's servants, the Haradas.

The Haradas had always served under the Niwa family since Daisuke could think back to. He was told as a child that it all started with their family patriarch Raikou Harada, long ago. The Niwas had saved their village from a rogue artwork that belonged to a prestigious family, known as the Hikaris. Their paintings were magical and had special properties to them. This specific artwork caused certain members of the village to go mad and attack each other. When the Niwas had sealed the artwork, the crazy village members had came to. Raikou was one of them, slaughtering his own brother and his wife. As his debt to his village and to the family, he offered Dark for him and his family to serve under him until the end of Dark's life. Little did Raikout know, that Dark's life would never end – but never the less; it was a blood debt, and it was honored until this very day.

Although the identical-looking brunettes' grandmother had passed away a few years ago – the two had easily taken over all the duties of their grandmother. That was how it was in the family. It was tradition and tradition was never broken.

"Daisuke-sama, Caska-sama," they greeted, bowing slightly.

Both Niwa siblings replied with a small nod of acknowledgment of their own.

"They will be arriving in a short while," said the one with short hair Riku. "Please let us know if you need anything."

With those simple words, the short-haired one, Riku, took the empty teacup and plate and departed to the kitchen. The other one, the longer-haired twin, Risa, regarded Caska's book on the table.

"Excuse me, Caska-sama," she said, her voice a little bit higher than her sibling's. "Are you finished reading your book?"

Caska already had her eyes closed, almost falling asleep on Daisuke's shoulder as he toyed with her hair. "Yes, Risa. Please take it away to the library."

"At once, Caska-sama." And with that, she was gone.

With Risa's disappearance came Daichi – their grandfather's appearance. On his right, he was flanked by the Niwa siblings' mother, Emiko.

The two Niwa siblings stood quickly, backs straightening. "Grandfather," they said, bowing deeply. Their grandfather was someone they respected, and who they thought deserved to be respected in the utmost degree. Although he was the one that had whipped them into shape, to become the thieves they were today, when he wasn't playing the part of the cruel taskmaster, he was a very loving and caring grandfather who shared his insights and adventures when it was his turn to be Dark.

Their grandfather, cane in hand, motioned for them to sit with his free hand. By the time he was coughing, the Niwas were already seated. The thief in him was slowly starting to fade away with age. He wasn't able to move much without his cane nowadays, but he was still living strong – a testament to his heritage.

"There have been reports on the painting called, Streah aht Ibnd." he began, coughing afterwards. Instantly, the two siblings interests were piqued. A new painting to steal, perhaps? "It was painted in the Netherlands during the Dutch Renaissance by Ardienhert V. Hikari."

The tension in the room had just escalated. A Hikari painting was never good news. Daisuke grit his teeth thinking in irritation now and Caska bit her lips in anxiousness. It was always like that when they stole Hikari paintings. The last time they had stole a Hikari painting, they were told that they had to work solo. Daisuke had stolen two of the Hikari's artworks, while Caska had stole five. And every single time, they came home with a new bruise, broken body part, or gun wound. It just simply was just not an easy thing to steal and it was because, unbeknownst to most people, the Hikari's paintings were just magical.

Not magical in their beauty, but really – unexplainably, supernaturally, magical. The Hikaris had that ability. To instil human emotion and human beauty inside an artwork, and when they did that – the artworks came to life. They were dangerous pieces of artworks. There were other artworks that granted miracles, and other artworks that just caused destruction. And the real and sole reason for the Niwa family's descent into the dark world of crime was because of the Hikaris. They were the exterminators, the keepers of the Hikari's artworks. When they stole a Hikari artwork, there were only two choices. To seal the magical power, or to destroy the artwork; and more often than not, they were destroyed.

There was a brief silence for a moment. The two Niwa siblings were deep in thought. Daisuke had reclined slightly, allowing Caska more room to cling to his arm. He didn't like stealing Hikari paintings – he didn't like stealing in general really. But, it was tradition, and that was very important for the family. But still, a Hikari painting was almost close to a death trap. Caska thought about that too. One of them was going to steal this painting, and she silently hoped that it wasn't her. Unlike her brother, she enjoyed stealing – but she never liked stealing Hikari paintings. Nevermind the challenge of getting in whatever place that contained the artwork, it was the day after that wasn't very pleasant. Aside from all the weird magic they had to put up with when stealing this specific kind of artwork, they had to deal with the injuries they sustained.

"Grandfather," called Caska, wanting to get straight to the point. "Who's going to steal this painting?"

A pause. Caska swallowed air. Maybe she shouldn't have asked...

"Both of you," their grandfather said.

And then Daisuke slowly sat up from his reclined position and Caska had almost let go of Daisuke's arm. This was surely unexpected. They had never stole a Hikari artwork together. Damn, they both thought. This must really be dangerous.

"Daisuke will act as an operator for this operation, Caska will be the one who steals the painting." he continued. "I will see you both tomorrow in the morning. In the mean time, goodnight."

He struggled to his feet, and in the end Emiko had to help him get up. With a courteous nod, she bid her children a silent farewell. Then the two elder Niwas departed and the younger ones were left alone to think, think and think some more.

"... an operator..." Daisuke had mubled after awhile. "It's been so long since I've heard that."

Caska nodded, ever since Daisuke had turned 11 – he had never acted as an operator. She had him by his side all the time when they worked as a pair, but the idea of an operator for this operation was slightly comforting for her. Someone was gonna be there to watch her back, and if she had to pick anyone to do it – Daisuke was her perfect choice.

"I feel so nostalgic," she admitted, chuckling a little. "But don't worry, Dai-kun; this will work out fine."

Daisuke nodded, he had full confidence in himself and her sister but even if it has been only four years since his last turn as an operator, he couldn't help but wonder if he had gotten a little rusty.

As if on cue, the Harada twins arrived in the sitting room. Risa smiled and clapped her hands together, "It's already bedtime," she reminded them with a smile. "Riku-chan and I are going to escort you to your rooms now."

The two Niwas nodded. There were a lot of rules in this household, that was for sure. Meals were set on the same time of day, and you were expected to be there. Missing a meal, was tantamount to sin here. You would be sent off without food, or whatever else cruel corporal punishment the Niwa's could think of. Also, the curfew was set at 8:00 sharp. Anyone, unless on official family business wasn't allowed inside the premises after this time. But of course, climbing a twelve feet tall wall or fence was child's play for a Niwa – so that rule was basically obselete. Bedtime, however was always 10:00, unless if it was a weekend after, when it is pushed forward to 11:00. Admittedly, the siblings never liked this rule – but they had to adhere to it, for it was true that their body needed to recharge, especially when they were out a lot.

"Goodnight Dai-kuuuuun," Caska had called. She gave him a little peck on his lips and then proceeded to her room, acompanied by the cheerful one among the two, Risa.

"Goodnight Onee-chan," he had said after they had kissed. He found their relationship odd at times, him and Caska – but really, it was all good. They were just more affectionate than most siblings were.

So he rose from his seat and was escorted by Riku, the silent one, to his room.

OH, YEAH. FIRST CHAPTER. =))

Been so long since I've posted anything here in and it's such a pleasant feeling to be able to post this one.

Well, please, please, please tell us what you guys think! We really need feedback on this one. Was this chapter too short? Iunno, just -- please reviews. :D