Disclaimer: Phooey... D.N. Angel is not mine this day. I doubt it will be tomorrow either.
)*(It Reins and Burns)*(
By: Fireflower19
-)*(-
It was one of those rare times when Daisuke allowed Dark freedom. And also, an evening all to himself, with no intended target to steal.
Totally awesome, in most aspects.
The sun was a burning red-orange ball, hovering halfway past the flat, green horizon. The clear sky above was dazzling with all the bright hues mixing. But, if he looked a little farther, opposite to the setting sun, he could see a variety of colors more suited to his nature.
Night was coming. And like the thief he was, he couldn't wait to have it.
He twisted back to face forward on the small, wooden porch where he sat, the modest cabin behind him. I have it well this generation, Dark thought, the Niwas really care about me. At first, Daisuke hadn't realized that, if he had it bad with being pushed to second inside his body, how much worse Dark had it being the second entity; whom needed permission or circumstance to be out. The kaito really didn't have as much time for himself as Daisuke did, but without complaining Daisuke had come to notice this and Dark had been granted more freedom – and a night at this rented cabin!
Alone.
Dark smiled, cupping his face in his hands while breathing in a large breath of fresh country air. The scent of the pine trees that surrounded the distance mingled with the slightest aroma of the gardenias that hung from the decorative cabin. A touch of dampened Earth combined with the flavorful oxygen in the air. Somehow, it made his soul feel at peace. He closed his luminescent eyes.
This is nice...
Many hurried whispers fell from the sky. It sounded like soft brush stokes stirring against the rapidly cooling air. Amethyst opened and Dark tilted his head up. A flock of cranes flying in 'V' formation were passing overhead. The sight caused something within his heart to swell. The birds were a lovely view in this place where he felt almost too lonely.
But...
He was standing before he knew it – jumping to get off the porch and moving to where he could watch the cranes continue to fly over the cabin. He moved further back when his view became blocked, but the tips of the trees hid them anyway. He smiled, but sadness glittered in his eyes. He wanted to fly now, although that wouldn't be quite enough at the moment.
What would it take to have someone flying with him every night?
Dark barked out a bitter laugh. What had happened to his peaceful evening?
Without much thought he flexed the small wing muscles that always rested underneath his skin – his true wings wanted out now, lured by a temptation that could only ever be half-fulfilled. Because he, himself, could only ever be a half.
"I want to be alone. That's why I was given this." Dark took in the beauty of his cabin and the open space of the land on which it rested. There was a big lake not far to the left. He went to it, looking at his tall, purple-haired reflection as he stood beside it. The large body of water barely rippled on its own, but the light current made it look as if burning red diamonds floated in the distance. The flow of nature's magic was strongest at dawn and dusk – Dark could feel it move over him and attempt to soothe him like it had done just a moment before.
Extending his right arm, Dark welcomed the magic with his own, touching it and swirling it between his fingers. His signature didn't quite mix into the flow with nature, but it didn't fully reject him, either. That was pleasing, in a way. Considering how he'd been born it was a wonder that the earth accepted him at all. Maybe his life wasn't so against that of Fate's will. Maybe somehow he fit in with his strange circumstances.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but when he looked up the sky was a deep purplish-blue, almost black. A few wisps of clouds drifted past a waxing moon and many stars. The pull he felt from the sight was enormous. He stared in awe, until his acute hearing picked up on it; a crunching step against a tree root. Someone was hiding behind one of the enclosing pine trees. They weren't too close – maybe ten yards away, but they also weren't that far. He decided to play dumb about it.
Blinking, Dark squatted down to spread a hand into the wet sand before his feet. The tips of his fingers broke into the water, causing his print to start filling up with the clear liquid. A minnow slipped into the small, forming pool. It circled around before jumping high and, with a flick of its tail, was back in the lake.
The wind suddenly shifted ominously. Dark had to work at keeping his posture from stiffening, unconsciously letting his enemy know that he was perturbed. For whoever it was, was still watching him quietly from within the trees. He stood, dusting his wet palm off onto his bluejeans. The wind tugged at his collared mint-green shirt, pulling it heavily to one side since it wasn't tucked in. He turned his face opposite of the intruder, for he couldn't help it; he was becoming revved for a fight, and he was sure it was coming. Damn the resulting glow in his amethyst eyes.
A pine cone shot out for the back of his head. Dark leaned, dodging and whipping around towards the intruder in the same motion. Whoever the smug bastard was he wanted Dark's attention. The kaito had no sooner turned than a patter of a footstep sinking in the wet sand sounded off behind him. Dark quickly twisted back. Nothing but the strip of beach-like sand and nearby lake were present. Becoming uneasy, Dark looked up where the moon rested. Nothing was in the sky. What was hunting him?
Or haunting him?
Eyes dropped back to the sand. A new boot print – the same size as his – was captured, filling with a coating of water. Dark released a few tendrils of magic in a circle, covering a good length of area around him. It wasn't long before one of them was pulled... completely on purpose. Dark's smile was grim as he recognized the familiar magic wrapped firmly around his own. He wasn't surprised, but he was confused.
"What brings you here?"
Krad's retort seemed to come from the sky itself, "How rude of you not to notice me, especially after you called."
Dark sniffed haughtily. He would never call for his opposite. "You want to fight?"
"I think you do," came Krad's sarcastic response.
"And you're just happy to answer, right?"
Dark's wing muscles, once again, flexed between the shoulder blades underneath his skin. His grim expression slowly turned to one of almost delighted anticipation.
Sometimes, there was just nothing like a good fight to clear out lingering frustrations.
Krad's attack came swift and focused – a thin, condensed line of white shot out from across the lake. The beam nearly scored his chest before he could dip backwards. As it was, it only sliced through the front his shirt, causing the skin closest underneath to turn an angry red.
"Thank God I'm limber," Dark whispered, as he straightened up from the severe back-bend. "Is this the final showdown, or something?"
"I've had enough playing through the centuries with you." Krad finally separated from a clump of trees, arrowing straight for Dark from over the water. His white wings battered heavily at the air. A white feather was in his hand. Dark threw himself to get out of the way.
'Oi! Daisuke! Wake up! I don't need you coming to and distracting me!'
'Eh?' The redhead's consciousness touched upon his and brightened as he awoke. 'What's going on?' Their heart gave its familiar squeeze at Daisuke's surprise, just as Dark was dodging another blow. The kaito ignored the sensation as he rolled, countering to come up behind his opponent. Krad gave a small choke as he was put into a headlock.
'You can see what's happening well enough on your own.'
Krad struggled, suddenly falling still for all of two seconds. It seemed he had surrendered to the hold before a pulse of energy had Dark reeling back, sucking in great gulps of air. Dark wheezed, having somehow been winded. He grabbed his stomach, his features twisting harshly. Krad snarled and bent backward, using his wings and, within a single graceful arch of feathers, the hunter was righted in midair, flying with his arms out and hands like claws for the kaito.
Dark pulled in a last breath before purposely falling onto his back. Pale skin reflected the moon's light as it sailed over. Time seemed to stop. Golden eyes looked down into his, a hint of dread in them. Krad's chest came into the range he needed.
Payback, asshole!
Though his feet were bare, Dark's kick still made an impressionable impact. As his foot sank into the body stretched-out above him, Krad hollered what he could before his breath was choked off. The kaito then kindly helped the hunter keep his momentum by giving an extra push. Krad vaulted over, landing with an impressionable thud on his back. He immediately curled in on himself, his wings rapping out a tattoo against the ground as he growled and moaned.
"Hurts like a sonuvabitch, doesn't it?" Dark spit out with a mild laugh, rising to his feet. Stunned, Krad could only manage to glare hatefully up at the kaito. And what a glare it was. The hunter coughed. A small trickle of blood ran down the corner of his mouth, though the fire in his golden eyes wasn't dimming any. The air grew heavy and crackled as Krad's right hand started glowing. The white angel picked himself up to his hands and knees. Dark frowned and stepped close to his fallen reflection.
"Keep this up and your Tamer will die," he warned. Of course, the enraged idiot didn't listen. For all his grace, his temper was a serious flaw. A dangerous one too. Dark kicked the glowing arm as it aimed upward for a quick strike. As a result, it fired off without harming him. But the land a small ways behind suffered as it left a shallow trench and scorched grass.
The wind changed directions and became cold; almost piercingly so. Krad's glare shifted to Dark's left. Uncertainty flicker on his face before he looked back into amethyst. Krad's other hand started to glow, and that's when Dark heard it. He glanced to his left, seriously hoping that Krad would stall his attack.
"Drums?" The kaito scanned outward, perplexed. The sound was all around them, the beatings small, but quickly becoming louder and more insistent.
It was a chilling sound.
Dark looked back down at Krad, but the hunter was staring up at the moon, looking even more perplexed than he had a second ago. Dark turned to do the same, and his eyes widened. The moon was being swallowed by huge, rolling clouds. The sky was then distorted by a sudden flash. Seeming made a bit more meek by this, Krad let the energy in his hand dissipate – wouldn't do to call the lightning down to them. The angels turned to stare at each other, wondering what the other was going to do now in whatever this weird predicament was that they had landed themselves in. Slowly, little by little, the drumming started to fade, indiscernible in a sound of distant thunder.
"This place rejects our feud."
Krad's words jogged some of the kaito's memory.
"Lore speaks of this place as being an ancient Indian burial ground once upon a time," Dark spoke in a harsh whisper.
The fire in golden eyes turned to ice. "I am not so easy to deter."
"I am. And I insist that you be this go-a-round. It's not wise to mess with spirits."
"I want to fight. We will fight."
-)*(-
A/N: The ending is abrupt, I know. That's why this was intentionally suppose to be a one-shot. But I wanted to ask if this is worth continuing. It's an idea I had a bit back concerning the land that I live on. And, trust me, weird things do happen when you live on an Indian burial ground...
If this continues, then you will see the price of Krad's hardheadedness. I'd also appreciate feedback on the fighting scenes. I feel they could improve. Somehow. Urg! I make myself so frustrated! Please, give me any constructive criticism that you can.