Chapter 1: Dark Angel
Risa's eyes widen and she holds her mouth. Her mind began to stir, thinking of what just had happened when Daisuke was supposed to be right there beside her. Dark grins.
"Yo."
Risa shakes her head lightly as she takes some steps backward unconsciously.
"There you are!" Riku yelled from the back.
Dark turns his head. Riku is approaching from behind looking girly yet fresh with longer hair, better-molded figure, and a height a little higher than the last time he saw her.
"Risa, why didn't you give these papers to Maya-chan? We need this tomorrow!" Riku frowned flapping a thick file.
Dark only stared at Riku. Even though her physique has improved, her attitude hasn't changed—which surprisingly relieved him. Riku finally notices the new face standing beside her and stared back. Dark grins back and waves a couple of fingers to her. Riku's eyes narrowed, finding his gesture too airy.
"The hell is with this guy?" Riku thought, but brushed him aside and turned back to her sister. "Risa! What's wrong with you?"
Risa is still dumbstruck over the incident. After all, it's not every day you witness a person disappear and a new person appear.
"Ugh!" Riku hissed and turned her back on her when she still finds the unnecessary cast still there. Riku raises a brow; Dark grins. She just went on her way.
"R-Riku. Wait!" Risa called, running after her sister despite her still-wiggly knees.
Dark only watched the two now-grown-up-and-pretty sisters walk away. He then realizes the strange reaction of Riku and Risa. Risa didn't even call out his name.
Daisuke sat by the fountain that was once destroyed 2 years ago. He looks at the sunset that gives off a solemn scene as the day ends. Ensuring he's finally with no one else at sight, he spoke. To the one living inside him.
"First of all, anyone would be surprised having someone suddenly disappear and another person appear in place of the other," said Daisuke. "Second, because their memories of you were erased."
"I don't understand," Dark said.
"I'll answer all your questions, Dark. After that, I'll ask you too," Daisuke offered.
"How did you erase their memories with the massive destruction that was left here?" Dark asked.
"Well, you see, during the last battle you had with Krad, you left behind one of your feathers. I gave it to jii-chan, and he said it still resonates to With. He later concluded that the feather still have your powers in it so he combined With's power and your feather together, and he wished on it," Daisuke explained.
"I see. But how come you and your family still remember me?" Dark asked.
"I just think it would be unfair in your part if people will forget about the legendary phantom thief, so I asked jii-chan to preserve my memory of you," Daisuke said. "Grandfather thought of it to be a good idea so he preserved the memories of the Niwa family about you."
"How come Satoshi remembers me too?" Dark asked.
"Satoshi is the one who found the feather. It was on the coat I gave him. When he found out about our decision of preserving our memories, he requested that his memories be preserved as well," Daisuke explained.
"I see," Dark said.
Silence came between the two of them. "Can I ask you now?" Daisuke said.
"Ah, yeah. Sure," Dark said.
"How come you still chose to live within me?" Daisuke asked. "We summoned you with your body intact and well. I'm actually surprised myself when I suddenly transformed to become you."
"Hm?" Dark chuckles. "It's kinda funny living here, until I figured you've changed from back when you didn't want me here. Guess it got boring here. Maybe I should leave?"
Daisuke laughs.
That's right. At the top floor, seemingly attic room, of Hiwatari's mansion lies a living body of Dark—breathing and well.
"So, what about Krad?"
"He's here with me."
"What do you mean?" Daisuke raised a brow.
"The one inside you is both Dark and Krad. I'm one piece Dark Angel at your service," Dark snickers.
Daisuke rolls his eyes, feeling uneasy. "Hey." He calls out. "Is that safe now?"
"Of course." Dark chuckles. "Don't worry. I'll save you."
Daisuke chuckles.
"Oh yeah!" Dark claims. "Unlike before, my existence in your body has left a sign that's found at the back of your neck."
"Huh? What is it?" Daisuke asked and touched his nape.
"Niwa-kun!" a girl called. Daisuke turned. It's Riku cycling toward him.
"We'll talk later; you hide first, okay?" Daisuke pleaded.
"Hide?" Dark laughs.
Riku attempts a wave to him but loses balance on her bike. Daisuke smiles. "Riku-san, you should pay attention or you'll slide off the slope."
Riku clumsily paddles her bike closer and closer to him; Daisuke stops her bicycle. Riku sighs in exhaustion and smiles at him in greeting.
"Did I make you wait too long?" Riku said. Daisuke shakes his head lightly, smiling. "You're just in time, as always. I just came early."
"Really?" Riku looks at the wall clock. It's almost quarter to six o'clock.
"Liar," Riku chuckles.
"No, it's true."
"Anyway—" She gets off her bike. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Ah, yes." Daisuke reaches in his pocket and brings out a curious-looking velvet box; one you'd usually see a ring rests once you open it. Riku flushes. He takes her hand and places in the box. "It's for you. Happy birthday."
Riku giggles. "You could've given this to me earlier."
Daisuke flushed. "Yeah, well. I don't want to be bundled into the same crowd of presents."
"You're the only boy who greeted me happy birthday." She smiles. "So anytime doesn't change how special this is to me. Plus, it's you."
"Oh, stop. You're embarrassing me." Daisuke said.
"Eh? The only boy? They're such a bunch of idiots to ignore such a hot chick like you," Dark said inside Daisuke.
Daisuke sweatdropped. "Well, not all guys are perverts like you," he thought.
"Hey! Take that back." Dark protested.
She holds the box with both hands. "Can I open it?"
"Yeah, sure," Daisuke said.
Riku cheers as she finds a pair of charm ribbons inside it. Not a ring, but she forgot getting disappointed.
"They're so beautiful, Niwa-kun." She immediately attaches it on the strands of her hair that don't hang on to the tie of her ponytail. "It's so pretty. What do you think?" She twirls like a fairy in front of her; Daisuke is bedazzled just as Dark is inside him.
Daisuke smiles, cheeks flushed. "You're prettier."
Riku blushed; she giggles. "That's new."
"What?" Daisuke asked.
Riku jumps playfully at him, hanging her arms around his shoulders, clipping her hands at the back of his neck.
"Won't you say that again?" Riku said sweetly. "Please?"
Daisuke's heart skipped a beat and pounded since. He instantly got conscious of Riku's thin waist and well-endowed chest and hips. He realizes his heartbeats are way too fast. He thinks Dark is definitely coming out.
But nothing. Nothing happened.
He stands stiffly before Riku, embarrassing her. She pulls away from him. "I'm sorry!"
"Daisuke," Dark asked. "Were you expecting me to come out?"
"Ah—"
"Well, if that was your wish. I'll gladly comply."
"NO!" Daisuke squealed.
Dark feathers started to scatter everywhere and surrounded Daisuke. Riku got surprised; she fell on the ground with the strong wind and feel of feathers twirling about the strong gust.
"Niwa-kun!" She called out helplessly. No reply. She struggled to look through the feathers; she could trace a single image. The feathers dispersed as instantly as it came around. But instead of seeing Daisuke still, it revealed another face instead. Dark Mousy.
Riku stares at him with eyes wide open, lips parted as she tries to think of whether to yell, scream or speak. A guy with purple hair and golden eyes, but wears the same clothes as Daisuke.
No, this is the guy she saw at school. That time with Risa.
Dark grinned just as the same—airy. "Hey there, stranger."
Riku just stared at him, but the anger is fuming inside her and it's getting hard to bear.
"Is that really how amusing I am? You can't even say a word."
When Dark looks back to her, he found her approaching...no, attacking. She tackles him, pushing him off to the cliff with all her weight, but her force was too strong that she, too, fell off.
Dark immediately spreads his black wings.
Riku's eyes widened as she witnessed the black wings tore through Dark's shirt and spread like wild fire before her eyes.
Dark's eyes widened. His heart twisted upon seeing her falling. For a moment, he was in great agony with the wild imagination showing nasty images in his head.
"NO!" He screamed as he closed his wings to fall with her and catch her there where she almost touched her life's end.
Dark took flight high and fast until they're back to the ground where they were. He threw her there, unintentionally.
"Wha—" Riku groaned and got herself up immediately. A dangerous black-winged man is with her after all. And he's got Daisuke, somewhere.
When she looked back at Dark, he's trembling really badly. He held himself and rolled in pain on the ground. Her eyes widened.
"Crap. What's happening?" Dark mumbled.
"Dark…stop it!" Daisuke groaned inside him, too.
"Daisuke, what's wrong?"
No response anymore.
"Damn it."
Riku cautiously approached him and touched him arm. "Don't touch me!" Dark yelled, seething in anger he could not explain without him realizing Riku is witnessing another fantastic event with him—his hair is turning gold in color.
She held herself as she only watched him roll in pain. Riku gets up and runs to her bike.
Dark watches her paddle away with her bike.
"Damn it!" He yelled out really loud.
Riku just went on paddling like her life depended on it. "Niwa-kun, Niwa-kun—" She repeated on and on in her head.
Upon reaching the nearest telephone booth, she topples her bike to run to the booth. She rummages into her pocket for change, but she took out the wrong dime. She takes one out again but gets another wrong dime. In her annoyance, she takes out one again but accidentally pulls out all the coins in her pocket.
"Oh great!" she yelled but just left the coins in the ground and dialed on to Satoshi's number and, fortunately, Satoshi is the one who answered.
"Niwa-kun, I'm so glad you're home!" Riku greeted.
"Um…uh—" Satoshi sweatdropped. "You got the wrong number."
"Niwa-kun, please help me. You see Niwa-kun is gone!"
"Okay, I'm getting more confused."
"Niwa-kun and I were at the...the...the fountain with a cliff...what do you call that?" Riku said. "Anyway, we were there. Then he's not there anymore. Black feathers came flying around. Then a man appeared. No Niwa-kun. The man...has wings. I was scared. I pushed him; we fell. He saved me then we had a fight. Then he's suddenly on the ground! He's cold and unconscious. PLEASE HELP ME!"
Satoshi sweatdropped hearing weirder descriptions by the time. "So where is he now?"
"He's still there. I left him so I can call you," Riku said.
"Go back there immediately. I'm going to pick you up," Satoshi ordered. "Whoever this is, I'll meet you there."
"Okay, okay. I'll wait for you. Thank you," Riku said and hanged up the phone. She ran back to her bike and immediately paddled her way back to Dark. When she arrived, Dark is unconscious.
Riku topples her bike and ran to him. She takes him in her arms; Dark breathed out a groan. She sighs in relief. She brushes off the hairs that scrambled on his face, revealing the handsome face she didn't notice before. She flushed.
She pulls him to sit up and lean on a steadier support and she touches his cheeks as she adjusts his head's position to a better alignment to his body. The color of his face had turned warmer in color and he's back to breathing more normally. She sighs in relief once more.
She sits beside Dark and sighs again. She glances at him. Her face became anguish. She remembers what happened a moment ago...when she was with Daisuke.
"Where did Niwa-kun go?" she asked Dark, hoping he could hear it. "Are you hiding him or something? And who are you?" There was no reply. She sighs again. "Niwa-kun..."
Riku didn't realize she fell asleep out of exhaustion, worrying for both Daisuke and Dark.
When Satoshi arrives, he's surprised to find Riku beside Dark. "What the hell?"-
When Riku came to; she's already in her room, and Risa is by her bed.
"Oh, you've waked!"
"Sorry. What happened, Risa?"
Risa leans over to her and squeezes Riku's cheeks. Riku groans in pain. "Hey, what's that for?" Riku complained.
"Do you realize how I felt when Satoshi brought you over unconscious! And he said he found you alone by the fountain!" Risa scolded.
All the memories came back to Riku. She remembers everything now. She met a stranger; and Daisuke disappeared. Riku became alarmed. She stands up from her bed.
"Hey, Riku. Where are you going?" Risa called as she watches Riku walk fast to the telephone. Riku dialed Daisuke's phone number. Daisuke's mother answered it.
"Mrs. Niwa, is Daisuke home?" she asked directly.
"Oh, yes, dear. He's here, but he's resting now," Emiko said.
"I'm so glad," Riku sighed. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Uh, sure. Uh, is that all?" Emiko said.
"Yes, thank you, ma'am," Riku said. "Goodnight." Riku hangs up the phone and sighs in relief.
"What's going on?" Risa is standing at her side all along.
Riku laughs awkwardly. "I also can't tell, Risa. Everything happened too fast and too weird. I also couldn't explain."
"Like?"
Riku looked at her. "Uh…can we just talk about this later?"
Risa raises a brow at her.
Emiko sighs as she looks at the phone.
"Who is it, Emiko?" Daiki asked. Emiko turns to him. Daiki and Satoshi look at her. Dark is lying on the sofa—still out cold. Towa-chan arranges the blanket on Dark. With is sitting on Dark's chest, looking down to him in concern.
"It's Riku-chan," Emiko answered.
"We have to wait until Dark wakes up to change him back into Daisuke," Daiki said. "Dark and Daisuke don't have the need of the sacred maidens to change forms. It has to be own will to change form. So as long as Dark is still unconscious, we can't do anything but wait."
"I have a suspicion that the reason Dark became weak was because he has no powers," Satoshi said.
"What do you mean by that?" Daiki asked.
Satoshi looked serious. "Well—"
"I see. The Hikaris are the only ones who have eyes who can see a person's aura," Daiki said. "Dark uses power to change from Daisuke."
"I think Dark uses Daisuke's strength, because I can see nothing but Daisuke's aura around him," Satoshi said. "But how is that possible?"
"I guess this has something to do with Dark's two personalities," Daiki said.