This is a short I did for my friend...She wanted something DNAngel, and so here we go. Originally this is supposed to take place in volume 9/10, and is as kind of "alteration" of what really happens. Hope you enjoy. sorry the title sucks! XX

DNAngel doesn't belong to me...pity.

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The clock across the room flickered as the numbers switched from 11:59 to 12:00. Daisuke leaned back in his bed, sighing from something more than exhaustion. It was midnight, yet he couldn't fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her. A tall, slender girl with long brown hair, who looked at him with such pleading eyes it hurt. Risa...

Risa was gone, or "missing" in everyone else's eyes. The whole town was in uproar. Men ran out that same night with flashlights, calling out her name into the darkness. They were still at it, hours later. But they wouldn't find anything. That much was certain.

Because Risa wasn't "missing"; a much worse fate had been bestowed upon her.

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A long, pale arm reached for her. Risa screamed, her fingers wildly searching for any hard object to grab on to. Finding a bar which served as a wall, she clung to it, instinctively pressing all of her weight against it. It did no good.

The hand was stronger, and it pulled her towards it, breaking her hold. She screamed, a high pitched sound that would have normally alerted someone right away, but it was drowned out by the rides and music of the carnival below.

"Dark, we were supposed to be there ten minutes ago!" Daisuke muttered.

His voice was calm, but Dark could read his frantic thoughts. All jumbled, they were primarily of Risa and what could happen to her while they were still on their way.

"Chill out, Daisuke. We'll make it," Dark said firmly. But he knew Daisuke could read the panicked thoughts running through his mind as well.

That was the curse, in his eyes, of having a partner. With his barriers down as he concentrated solely on flying, Dark's mind was open for Daisuke to read like a book. Lucky for him, Daisuke was too focused on the present task, Risa.

Dark felt the tug of exhaustion come over him. He was enclosed in a blanket of weariness, each flap hurting worse and worse as he steadily beat each wing towards the Ferris wheel. He could feel himself going slower and slower until he could make out each beat of his wings. He gulped, this was dangerous. At this rate he wouldn't be able to fly much longer. But he had an obligation. He had to save Risa.

"Faster, Dark!" Daisuke urged, too distracted to notice his partner's weariness, "We're not going to make it."

"Forget it," Dark's voice came out in between puffs of air, "If I rush anymore now I won't have the energy to fight later. It isn't enough just to reach her. You know that."

Dark felt a swell of anger spurt from his partner. Sighing, he carried on, feeling his wings grow weaker and weaker.

And then, just as he was about to give up, a mass of energy hit him like a bolt of lightning. His whole body shuttered, and it took him a moment to realize what was happening.

Inside his body, he felt the constant pounding, each lightning bolt harder than the last. He felt his mind begin to stray from his physical body and a surge of power feeling like a giant hand pushing him or burst of wind forced back into the crevices of Daisuke's mind.

Daisuke was trying to take control. And he was succeeding.

Frantic, he pushed back. But his exhaustion caught up with him, and wearily he fell back, too tired to keep fighting.

"No," he cried out, trying to reach Daisuke through words, "If you do that, you'll--"

But it was too late. Daisuke hadn't heard, or didn't listen, and Dark felt the last thread of power slip from his fingers. He had lost.

Shaken, he watched his body melt and shift until his dark hair turned bright red and his clothes became baggy enough for Daisuke to swim in.

Then, in a brief moment, his wings disappeared, and Daisuke fell, free falling, through the air.

Daisuke was too shocked to scream, but Dark wasn't. His voice rang out like a siren, right in Daisuke's ears.

Daisuke closed his eyes, trying to shut out the noise and the fact that not fifty yards (sorry, don't know my math here) below him was cold, hard concrete and perhaps a dozen or so people he could kill as well as himself just by falling on them.

"Wings..." he murmured aloud, his voice soundless against the air rushing past him. Give...me...wings..."

For a moment nothing happened, and then Daisuke felt it.

It was a little tickle at first, causing him to involuntarily giggle. But soon the giggles turned into screams as Daisuke felt the wings begin to emerge. His entire body was on fire, and he felt the searing pain as his back begin to split open.

With one last mighty cry, two enormous ruby red wings spurt out of his back, meeting with the night sky.

Suddenly the air stopped, he wasn't falling anymore. He flew, supported by his own wings. For the first time, a Niwa had done the duties of Dark on his own.

Without a second thought he rushed towards the Ferris wheel, towards Risa.

The Ferris wheel was frozen, its lights dim, as if all of time had stopped with his arrival.

Daisuke met the top of the car Risa was in, and stumbled into it. His body gave way and he landed in a heap on the floor, his wings gone and his body exhausted.

"Kokuyoku, I presume," a cold voice said from the darkness.

Daisuke looked up just as the man stepped forward, into the light of a nearby flood lamp.

Before him a blond boy stood, smirking at him. His eyes were a deep violet, and could have almost been considered beautiful if they had not been narrowed in cold malice.

"I have the girl," he continued, his voice never changing.

He took a step back from Daisuke and pointed to an indistinct shape seated on the far end of the car's bench.

'Harada-san,' Daisuke thought, 'It has to be Harada-san.'

"If you want her back, come and find me," the boy smiled, not at all kindly, and took another step towards Risa. He lifted the shape up in his arms as if she weighed no more than a grain of sand, and headed for the door of the car opposite of Daisuke.

Daisuke looked in horror as he began to open the door slowly as if trying to provoke him.

Summoning his strength, Daisuke tried to stand up, to reach the door. But he felt his muscles stiffen, refusing to move properly. He stepped forward, ignoring his muscles' protesting cries, and toppled over onto the floor, head hitting it with a smack. His body had failed him. It was over.

The boy laughed and opened the door completely. Then, flashing a smile, he leaped out into the night sky, Risa still clutched in his arms. Daisuke expected to hover over the car, taunting him, but instead he had simply vanished.

"Harada-san," Daisuke murmured, reaching a hand towards the open door. The hand wobbled for a moment, loosing balance, then fell to the floor.

"Harada-san," he whispered again, watching his world fade into darkness.

With a large thump, the lights came back on, and the ride began to start again, once again adding to the cheerful of the park. Kids and adults oohed and aahed at the view, as you could see the entire park, completely oblivious to the inner battle that had raged just moments before on car number 8.

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Daisuke couldn't forgive himself for what had happened. And now he didn't even have the ability to beat his fists into his pillow, let alone save Risa from that monster.

A lone tear rolled down his cheek, adding to the already tear-soaked pillow.

He'd get her back, he promised, feeling another tear carve its way down his face. If only to stop himself and Riku-san from crying, he'd get her back.

the end

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Where was With/Wizu this entire fic? To be honest, I completely forgot about him. Let's just say he was running around trying to pretend to be Daisuke for Riku. sweatdrops. Yeah, there we go.