AH! I actually submitted a story. I thought I would start out with something small, so that I could get used to this, and you could get used to my writing style. This is all in Dai-chan's POV. A bit sad, IMO.

On an interesting note, I could have sworn my first story would have been Naruto. I mean, that's why I created the account. XP Guess again . . .


Soul's Reflection

Dark. An Enigma to all who remember him.

Even to me, he was an Enigma. I didn't know much about his past, his hobbies, his interests . . . anything.

All I can remember was how cocky he was. Always up for an adventure. Heh . . . he was always getting either himself or I into trouble. He never apologized, either. Emotions weren't his strong point. Even when I had disappeared into the Second Hand of Time, he never showed much care towards me.

. . . Although . . . I know better than that. That irritability that he portrayed when he found me was definitely his way of showing concern. "How could you have been so careless," and "I had to go through all this trouble of finding you." He must have been worried.

He wasn't always cocky. He did show some emotion towards Risa and Riku. Risa received it well enough, but Riku just thought he was trying to get some. Ha! Despite the fact that it annoyed me to no end to see him flirting with her like that, it's amusing to look back at it now.

Satoshi, too, had an interesting relationship. Rivals on good terms–that's what they were. There was an element of respect for each other that only they could understand. Dark was such a large part of Satoshi's life. It was always a game of cat and mouse. And I was always caught in the middle. Looking back . . . it wasn't too bad. I mean, it was a sense of adventure.

And Mom. Oh my. She loved Dark. Although, I'm not sure even she understood Dark all that well. Grandpa also had a good relationship with him. And even Dad got along well, considering his knowledge on artifacts, and his amazing insight. Poor With doesn't know what to do with Dark gone.

Dark. The Enigma. He has everything I wish I could have. Self-esteem, communication skills, luck with the ladies, and handsome to boot. He was like my other half. Someone who completes you. Although, I suppose that in my case, it was much more of a literal explanation. I can't explain what it feels like to have someone trapped inside your consciousness with you. Of course, it was weird and quite annoying at first. You feel as though your thoughts are open to the entire world, instead of just the other person inside your head. It did get better, though. And it wasn't just because I had learned to block off my thoughts.

Dark respected me, almost as much as I had learned to respect him. He had once told me that, just like he had everything I wanted, I had everything he wanted. I'm mortal, kind, with family and friends with whom I can grow up with. Dark, on the other hand, has had to learn to let go easily and watch his loved ones grow up without him. I can only imagine how painful that must be for him. Only now that he's gone am I able to understand what he meant when he told me that.

He is gone for good now. Dark is completely sealed. He could be happier that he's gone for good. I'm not sure he could deal to be with another Niwa as a host. He and I . . . I don't know how to explain it. He is, after all, an Enigma.

His disappearance had an immediate after-shock. Risa almost broke down crying, even though she knew this would happen at some point. Riku's heart was torn. She didn't like him that much, but knew that both her twin and I cared for him a lot. I can't quite place Satoshi's expression. His reaction was probably similar to Riku's. Saehara wasn't too pleased. He had wanted to catch Dark with his own two hands. Saga, on the other hand, is a bit confused. If Dark was gone, he rationalized, then I should be gone too. We are the "same person," after all. So many people miss him. Risa, Riku, Satoshi, Saehara, Saga, Mom, Dad, Grandpa, With. But for some reason, I can't sympathize with them. It's as though I feel that they shouldn't be missing him. That only I have reason to be sad that he's gone.

For the first 14 years of my life, my body housed one conscience. When Dark came along, my mind space felt crowded and taken over. Slowly, I adjusted to that invading mind. My first experience with him that truly bonded us was when I had kissed Riku on White Day. I . . . felt so defeated. He had taken over my body at first, but had soon retreated inward to help me. He had told me that "I AM you." That was when it clicked. It was then that I had never wanted to lose him. When I did during the school trip, I didn't know what to do. Him being locked I the mirror part of The Sleeping Sage brought me to a horrible realization: Dark WILL disappear some day. Even being separate from him when I was dragged in to the Second Hand of Time strengthened that relationship. That separation strengthened our bond more. We didn't want to be separated, even though we knew it would come.

Now that he is gone . . . it feels like my heart is too big to house just one soul. That my mind is too large for just one conscience. It was meant for Dark to be there. The darkness that is in those open spaces now seemed to light up when he was there. I was him. He was me. The closeness we shared defied any explanation. It was more than friendship, brotherhood, love–we were each other's reflection. We completed each other. Without him there, I feel empty. Who else has the right to miss him as much as I do? No one understood him. That hidden compassion that few got to see, the hugs that let me know that he was there, the words of encouragement from him that would always cheer me up, those petty arguments that we had. Those were the types of actions that only I was able to witness.

Dark defies explanation. He is an Enigma to all those but himself.

. . . I was wrong. I do understand Dark.


So, how was it for my first time? Please R&R. All comments eagerly awaited. As much as I would like only praise, critcism is good for a writer's growth.