Shiro woke up to find Kuro still asleep next to him. 'I hope he's alright.' He got out of bed slowly to avoid waking him; his brother's ordeal the day before more than earned him a few extra hours. He put on some comfortable clothes and rushed downstairs to find Daisuke. 'I'm sorry, Kuro.'
"Is Kuro still asleep?" Daisuke asked when he spotted him from the living room. He had managed to get out of bed in time for once and was in his school uniform as he enjoyed his few minutes of freedom before school.
"Yeah," Shiro replied, "I need to talk to dad before he wakes up."
"Oh," Daisuke glanced at the clock and sighed, "I guess I have enough time."
"This must be important," Dark guessed once he came to the surface.
"It's about Kuro," Shiro answered, nodding, "he told me something and I'm scared for him."
Dark kept himself from showing his surprise. Did Kuro tell him the truth? He wondered how so much trust could exist between two creatures created from a mixture of himself and Krad. It must have been strong. The fact that Shiro was breaking that trust told him the truth was something dire. Dark kept his feelings to himself and pretended not to suspect anything, "scared for him? Is he in danger?"
"I don't know, dad, I was hoping you would!"
"Ok, calm down. What did he say?"
Shiro told his father everything, using intricate detail. He decided any detail left out of his narrative could affect Dark's opinion of his brother. He made sure to include a few pieces of his own thoughts; the last thing he wanted to accomplish was making Dark treat Kuro differently. The thief patiently listened to everything he had to say. Once he was finished, he added one last plea, "don't tell Kuro I told you. He was just…scared and he wanted to tell someone. That's what I'm doing…only, I was hoping you'd be able to help him."
"Naturally." Dark hid his new worries deep inside. 'So, we were right in keeping them away from the outside world,' he thought, 'I had no idea it could affect them so quickly.' He crossed his arms and put on a care-free smile. "It was a frightening time for all of us. I'm sure he'll be fine after some rest and a few days of normalcy."
"Are you sure?"
Dark placed a hand on Shiro's shoulder and smiled reassuringly. Daisuke almost felt appalled at how easily he lied to someone he cared for.
OOOOOOOO
"You don't belong there."
Kuro sat up on his mattress. He was certain someone had said something, but there was nobody in the room. He rubbed his eyes and opened the bedroom door. "Did you say something?" he asked as he descended the stairs. When no one replied, he took a good look around. "I'm alone?" he asked himself, "But it's too early for everybody to be gone! Shiro?"
The room began to change right before his eyes. He was in the public restroom and the three boys were in front of him again. He wasn't afraid this time. Instead of attacking, the three sneered at him.
"What are you, some sort of freak?" they asked in unison.
"No!" Kuro exclaimed.
"Yes you are! They should lock you up."
"NO!" Before the three could respond, the colors around them began to change. As Kuro watched, their faces were ripped from their heads. He screamed and clasped his hands over his own face to protect it. He could feel the wet warmth of blood on his arms. "SHIRO! Help!" A deafening, high-pitched noise drowned out his cries.
Once the sound stopped, he couldn't hear anything; everything around him was silent and, after a few minutes, he summoned the courage to move his hands away. He wasn't in a room anymore. In fact, he wasn't sure he was anywhere. The space before him was all gray. There were no shadows and no light, just the gray. There was moisture on his hands; he had been crying. He wiped his sleeve across his face and sniffed to clear his nose. Once he looked up again, there were three colors instead of one. In front of him, everything was white. He looked back and saw only black, but the area he was standing in was still gray. The darkness behind him should have been frightening, but all he felt from it was familiar warmth. The whiteness ahead of him made him shiver. It was cold, alright, but it also filled him with excitement. He grinned and tried to take a step forward, but found his feet were stuck where they were.
"You can't do it on your own."
Kuro gasped and looked around, but found he was still alone. "Who said that?"
"I know you exist and I'll find you. I'll help you out of that gray area."
The voice failed to bring him comfort. It frightened him. He didn't know why the fear was there, but it kept him from replying.
"Kuro, come back!"
Kuro looked behind him to see Shiro standing on the edge of the black space. He tried to go to him, but his feet still wouldn't move. "Shiro, I need help!"
Shiro didn't respond, but Dark appeared next to him. "I knew it," he stated grimly.
Kuro called to him, "Father, help me!" Shiro glanced up at Dark, who shook his head. As Kuro watched, they vanished. The darkness no longer felt warm. He was alone again and everything around him was cold and foreboding. "What do I do now?" he whispered to himself.
"I can help you," the disembodied voice told him again, "but I need to find you first." Kuro felt tears falling down his face again. "Wait for me."