Chapter 10:
(While Dark was battling with the sorceress of 'Ketteiteki Yasumidokoro'…)
Everything was so dark and quiet; Satoshi might as well have been lying in a mausoleum. Satoshi had been kneeling on the floor, resting his head on Krad's arm, while gently stroking the fallen angel's hand as his lifeless body lay on the alter, since Daisuke had left. He couldn't help but feel a slight sense of comfort just lying there next to Krad; it brought him peace and sadness. After he had made his silent prayer for Krad's pain to end, he seemed to sense that Krad's soul, wherever it was, was slowly coming to a rest…and eternal rest. Every time he felt tears threatening to burst from his eyes, he reminded himself that Krad was in pain…and at least death would allow his soul the freedom he so longingly desired. Even though it caused Satoshi immense internal anguish, Satoshi repeated to himself over and over again that if he truly loved Krad…he wouldn't allow himself to cry when his inner demon was finally granted peace. He would miss Krad, but it was clear to Satoshi now that no matter what Daisuke and Dark did…they would be to late, they were doomed to fail the moment Krad made his decision to step in front of that blade. Looking back on it, Krad would have never done this for Dark…ever, if anything, it would be Krad wielding that sword to take the Thief's life in the first place, but he had changed. Krad would do anything to protect Dark now, even though he'd never admit it, Krad loved Dark more then life itself, because he didn't hesitate to give up his soul to spare Dark's. Maybe it was meant to be this way. Fate's cruel irony that Dark's most hated enemy would be the one to save his life in the end…Fate is a wicked goddess.
As blue eyes were closing due to fatigue and weariness, a sudden flicker of magic began to fill the area around the alter. Satoshi's eyes snapped open and he quickly looked up to Krad's face, he was astonished, Krad's color had returned and as Satoshi's hand remained on the angel's, he could he magic swelling up inside of him. Krad was alive! But before Satoshi had a chance to let it sink in, or even jump up, he was thrown backward by a sudden burst of energy emitting from Krad and a flash filled the room blinding him and dousing the magical flames that lit the room. Slowly Satoshi regained his senses and opened his eyes to darkness, the room was completely eclipsed in shadows, a sudden lurch of panic and joy made Satoshi looked immediately back towards the alter to find it…empty. Krad was alive…gone, but alive! Finally the tears that Satoshi had fought so hard to control over came him and he smiled. For the first time since Krad had left him…he could smile, and even though he was close to collapsing, he felt better then he'd ever felt in his life. But the feeling wasn't to last, he looked inside and found…the void still in his soul…Krad had not returned to him. Confusion, happiness, exhaustion, and dizziness soon over whelmed the young man and he fainted on the cold floor of the darkened room.
Daisuke had made the long walk home in silent thought. He couldn't get the images of the night out of his head…or the words spoken by the fallen angel that both he and Dark had risked their lives to save.
"I said beat it, kid. I saved you once but don't expect the same courteously again!" The demon yelled frustratingly and glared down at the child he'd just knocked to the ground.
Krad didn't know who Daisuke was…
Daisuke looked up at Krad with wide eyes and trembling, "K-Krad…what's wrong with you…?" He asked in a shaky voice.
He didn't even know who he was!
"Besides you and the fact that you're calling me by that damn name?" Krad growled and turned his back on the horrified child. "I don't know who this Krad is, but call me that again and I won't just tap you like that. Now leave here and go home, and don't make me repeat myself."
Now it made sense…how that witch was able to return to the living world…and how Krad was still alive. Daisuke looked down at his torn coat and shirt where he'd been hit with the flaming shard of crystal, the bleeding had stopped and the wound was closed, but the burn mark and a scar were still very visible. Krad could have easily made it look as though nothing had ever happened…but he was unable to. That bitch not only stole his memory…but his magical abilities too.
"But…! Wait…!" Daisuke yelled, but by the time he'd gotten to his feet Krad was gone into the night.
Where would he have gone? If he had really forgotten all of his memories, then he must have forgotten about the Niwa house, Satoshi and his home, he would have forgotten…Dark. Where would he have left to go? He seemed like he was in a hurry to be somewhere…or he just didn't want to have been seen by the people coming to investigate and put out the fire…but then, why would he have saved Daisuke? If he truly didn't remember him, then why would he go out of his way to save him, heal him, and hide him? Daisuke's head was clouded with shock, disbelief, and questions.
As Daisuke's mind flooded with uneasiness and worries, Dark found it impossible to rest. The last thing he had remembered was Daisuke performing a forced take over only to fall to the ground with a dagger like shard sticking out of his stomach…then he blacked out. Now his strength had gradually returned, being able to recuperate faster in the astral realm, and he had a hard time getting through to Daisuke with all of these damn questions blocking his link. As he was about to call out to Daisuke, one of Daisuke's several thoughts of recapping the events of the night caught his eye, white wings. A pair of huge white wings were wrapped around Daisuke speaking words of magic, then Daisuke on the ground far from the blaze crying out for the angelic figure not to leave, then back to Daisuke walking slowly away trying to make sense of everything.
'Krad…where is Krad?' Dark suddenly found himself asking aloud and Daisuke jumped at hearing the voice of another after such a long period of silence. Then he suddenly calmed down and stopped in his tracks. 'You saw him…you saw him alive…where's Krad!' It was time to break the news to Dark.
"…I'm sorry Dark…but…I can't answer your question…" Daisuke softly replied after a moment of silence.
'Wha-What do you mean you can't answer my question? You saw him, you saw Krad…Where is he!' Dark demanded again, this time with a more awake and in an angered tone.
Daisuke thought his words out carefully, there truly was no sugar coated way to break this to his other self, and he was bound to find out sooner of later…he had to tell Dark the truth, Krad was alive…and didn't remember any thing. "Dark…Krad…he's…he's alive…but…" He thought telling the truth would be easier to say, but he found it even more difficult, if not worse. The words would come to him then die on the tip of his tongue and Daisuke bit down on his lower lip. "…Can we go home?"
'Home…?' Dark wasn't expecting that one. He wanted to know where Krad was, his other half, his lover, his fallen angel…and Daisuke couldn't answer him, and he could only ask if they could go home? Something terrible must have happened…Daisuke was trying to protect him from something…but what? 'Daisuke…it's okay…you can tell me. What happened…what happened to you and Krad?' Dark asked in a more gentle tone and softly held Daisuke comfortingly.
Daisuke wanted to tell him, he so badly wanted to just blurt out the truth…but he couldn't, Dark's heart was already broken enough, he couldn't bare to see Dark in any more pain, "…Please, can we just go home…?" Daisuke pleaded again as tears began to swell up within him.
With a slight reluctance, because he was not one hundred percent recovered, Dark slowly shifted places with Daisuke and the quiet young man took an enclosed refuge in the back of Dark's mind.
Dark stood still for a while, gently fanning his wings against the cold night air slowly. Daisuke must have seen something that made him feel that telling Dark the truth about Krad would do more harm then good, and now Dark was even more worried about it. If Krad were alive, soul and body again, then why would it be such a bad thing? The longer Dark thought about it the tighter the knot in his stomach pulled. He shook his head and focused on acquiescing Daisuke's request, and go home.
Dark looked up at the darkened black sky, the moon was becoming lower to the west but the stars still shown beautifully. Dark could remember a time when he would be enjoying this beautiful night in the heat of a dreadful battle with his light half, but now, he would have been curled up safety in his lover's arms waiting for the sun to rise in blissful peace. The phantom thief's eyes slowly became saddened wine colored orbs of loneliness and uncertainty, how much he longed to see Krad again and beg his forgiveness for not being there for him sooner…but for now, just knowing he was alive and whole again was enough.
Midnight wings spread wide as the Phantom thief took off into the night sky, he hovered high above the earth for a while, looking out into the chilled air over the landscape. Daisuke had absentmindedly wondered into an area untouched by humans, there was a large wooded area not far from the university, Dark guessed that's where they were. It was getting near November this time of year, Dark loved to watch the snow fall softly in the old days…and he still loved it, but before he and Krad had ending their three century old battle, the snow always made Dark remember how alone he truly was. Everyone and everything he'd ever known died due to a short mortal life, while he remained…eternal. The only thing that remained the same for him was death, rebirth, and an endless battle in the night, and the snow…the eternal snow. Dark always admired the snow, it was so pure and coated everything in a color that reminded him of his light…yet standing alone upon the snow made him feel like a dark blemish on the beautiful sea of white…but that didn't matter. He always felt that the snow never minded his presence, for without the dark; there can be no light. Dark needed his light, more then ever now, because without Krad…there could be no Dark.
Dark gave a sigh and watched his visible breath fade into nothingness before his eyes, Dark felt so incomplete without his light…he longed for him once more, as he always had whenever they were apart. His heart ached worse the more he longed…but he couldn't help it, he needed Krad, and he knew Krad needed him.
Dark flapped his great wings and started to head south back towards the Niwa home when he suddenly stopped and quickly turned around, no doubt about it, however small that one flicker of magic was, he knew it was him. His other half.
"Krad…" Dark barely breathed.
There was no mistaking it, Krad wasn't far from here and his was giving of small bursts of magic. Dark had completely forgotten about Daisuke and his plea to go home, with a sharp flap of his wings he took off in the opposite direction of home, to the north. Krad was there, it had to be him! Then again…that woman was also radiating the same signature as Krad, and in this condition he was in no stat for a fight with the shadow of a dark sorceress, but he didn't care. He had to see for himself if it really was Krad; whatever awaited him there he was going to risk it.
Dark flew so fast that he didn't even bother to look down at the commotion of the humans finishing off the fire from the mansion below, all he wanted to do was find the source of this feeling and pray it was Krad, and not a temptress waiting in ambush.
A white-gloved hand balled into a fist and with a sudden burst of frustration, came crashing into contact with a large tree snapping it in two.
"DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" Krad screamed and bashed in another tree panting and snarling in frustration, "WHAT THE HELL AM I?" He screamed again and his wings shot open and turned another four trees into nothing but ashes.
Finally he dropped to the ground holding his head and fighting back tears of anger and confusion.
"What…what the hell am I?" He asked aloud as his legs gave way and he fell to his knees still clutching his head, "Am…Am I some kind of…monster?" Krad shut his eyes tightly and clamped his teeth together in a final attempt to fight back the tears.
The first thing Krad remembered after his body and soul were merged together again was a horrible red light, the painful and agonizing torture of a burning blade cutting into his body, and the horrible noise of shattering crystal as he was forcefully thrust into living flesh. The next thing he knew, he was standing in a red room of fire with a dying child at his feet, something inside of him acted without his consent and he saved the boy…though he wasn't sure why. He was so lost and confused, he didn't know his name, why he looked so different from humans, and why he had these awful powers that scared him out of his mind. Where did he come from, why was he here, who was he? He had no answers to any of these questions…only more questions and pain. Then finally he could no longer hold back the tears that were now drowning and burning his eyes, he couldn't control himself and felt like screaming again…but he didn't.
Suddenly his magical senses began to come alive as he felt someone nearing, was it that horrible knight again, or was it that witch that laughed at his torment? He would find that bastard and that bitch and kill them for what they had done to him…maybe then he could find out why they had held him there and who he was. But this strange person approaching didn't feel like someone from the hellish prison…this person was…different, yet so familiar. He couldn't be seen like this…though this person may not have been from that horrible place, he was still magical, and therefore and enemy. Krad pulled himself back together and awkwardly flapped his wings and vanished into the surroundings, he would watch this person and kill him if necessary…but then again, he felt that anyone with magic was a devil, including himself.
Notes from the Author:
YES! I FINALLY UPDATED! bows a million times Please please please forgive the long wait, but I finally found a job and it keeps me pretty busy since I'm working full time now, but I'll do my absolute best to update as much as I can! Next chapter should come a little faster though because I have a few days off coming up, but I can't make any promises. bows again Thank you for you patients and your comments! To all of my readers, I love you all!