You're welcome, sir—you may have another.

XXX

"Dark's getting weirder." Electric blue eyes turned to him. "How so?" "He's just so…" Daisuke struggled for the right words. "Depressing? Angsty?" "Oh." The redhead frowned. "What do you think might be wrong with him?" Satoshi hummed lightly. "I don't know, Daisuke." The two youths rose from their seats quietly. One blue-crested head poked around the corner to the living room, followed shortly by a mass of red. There, splayed out like a common whore, laid the despondent thief—his legs thrown over the sides of the sofa, head half off the cushion, mindlessly staring at the television. "See?" Dark let out an almost inaudible grumble. "Not nice… to talk about… people…"

They emerged from their hiding spot. Satoshi gave him a knowing look. Dark stuck his tongue out at him. "Dark…" A sigh. "I wish you'd tell me what's wrong." "Nothing's wrong, Dai." The redhead stepped forward. "I know something's wrong. I wish you wouldn't lie to me. And I wish you wouldn't keep secrets from me." Dark sat himself up. "I don't lie to you, Daisuke! And I don't keep secrets from you!" Small arms shot up. "That's a lie! You keep tons of stuff from me!" The thief stood. "You don't need to know everything. And this thing that's bothering me, I'll deal with it myself. And I'll get over it. So don't worry about me." He turned to leave. "But… Dark…" "No buts, Daisuke. End of conversation."

Daisuke traced the angel's movements as he left the room. He sat down in a huff. "It's like he doesn't trust me. After all we've been through!" Satoshi rubbed his shoulder. "I don't think it's because he doesn't trust you. He's probably just too proud." Daisuke buried his face into his hands. "I just don't like seeing him this way! I wanna help…" "He'll get over it, like he said."

xxx

At times, Hiro could understand Krad's cognitive absence, more so on days like this. Days where he would calmly enter Hiwatari's bedroom, only to see blood spattered on the floor and the blonde curled in on himself with fresh cuts and bruises; and he had to step outside of himself—pretend that this kind of thing was normal, and something that everybody had to deal with. Today was one of those days. It seemed that Kei was trying to goad reactions out of the angel. But Hiro couldn't understand that. What did the man expect—that after being worn down completely, Krad would just spring back to life with more abuse?

With a heavy heart, the young man gathered bandages and towels from the bathroom and sat beside the captive. It was getting harder to remove himself. His employer was using... odd tactics. Crusted-over knife cuts were peppered over his body, almost in a pattern. They were shallow, but in the body's most sensitive places. Some of them ran through burns that he'd bandaged just days ago. The young guard cringed. "Krad... Krad, it's me, Hiro. I'm going to move you so I can clean up your wounds, okay?" He wasn't expecting a response, but he always warned the blonde before he touched him. He'd hate to somehow make things worse.

As he turned Krad over to bandage his front, he stilled. Almost lucid, wild blue eyes bored into his own. The blonde's breath was coming quicker and quicker; he seemed to be panicking... as though he'd just woken from a nightmare. "Hi–Hiro?" His voice was hoarse and cracked as he whimpered the man's name. Of course, Hiro was shocked. This was the most conscious the angel had been in months. He honestly didn't know what to do. "Yes, Krad... what is it?"

The quick, shuddering breaths became whimpers, and whimpers became heart-wrenching sobs. So Hiro held the angel tightly as he bawled into the young man's chest. In the moment, he thought that the conventional whispers of comfort seemed inappropriate. That everything wasn't "going to be all right", nor was it "okay". And there certainly weren't any platitudes that wouldn't serve to remind the blonde that he was trapped forever. The only thing that the young man could do was be there.

There were times when he'd thought about breaking the angel out himself. But though he didn't have much family, Salvatore did. He'd met the man's wife and children. And seen pictures of his brothers and sisters, and their many children. With that kind of leverage hanging over his head, he couldn't bring himself to try. As he held the angel close, that thought stabbed at him over and over, beating in time with the heaving of his cries.

Over ten minutes went by before the sobbing slowed. Krad's breaths rattled in his lungs. He pulled back, and as the young guard stared at the tear-streaked face, he realised that he'd been crying, too.

xxx

He heard the door open and then close again. In the darkness, it bellowed. The familiar shuffling confirmed what he already knew, and when the lamp flicked on and his pupils involuntarily constricted, somewhere in the far reaches of his mind, he wondered what the man would do to him this night. Electric blue eyes stared unabashedly at the cruel man as he disrobed and donned more comfortable attire. The man went about his business like Krad wasn't even there.

After his outburst earlier in the day, he recessed back into himself, much to Hiro's disappointment (though the man confessed that he was not surprised). Every now and again, his world would come into focus, and he would have a breakdown. Only, most of the time, nobody was there to see it. When Salvatore had returned him to the room after his afternoon chores, he had sat on his bedding and absently picked at his bandages. As he prodded his freshest injuries, he thought that it was interesting that he couldn't feel them. Which was strange, since he could remember that it had hurt when Hiwatari had cut into him. He could see, vividly, the cold brown eyes staring down at him; smell the blood and his cologne; hear the sickening trill of Hiwatari's laughter; taste the bile at the back of his throat.

So lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear his "master" addressing him. The stinging slap meant to bring him out of his stupor was unsuccessful in its primary intention, but it made the man feel better as the blonde pitched to the floor. He sneered, standing with just the slightest lean over the angel. His physical therapy was coming along marvelously.

"Look at you. Pathetic. Some hunter. You used to scream for me. You used to fight me." He circled the blonde like a predator. "Maybe I can get you to do it again." With a bit of effort, he bent down and filled his hands with golden hair, pulling hard. Krad's hands shot up and encircled the man's wrists as he was dragged to the en suite. Kei stumbled a bit, not quite having full strength in his legs, but reveled in the sight of the blonde kicking weakly against the floor. He deposited Krad just in front of the bathtub and began to fill it. Hair in disarray, the hunter laid in a heap on the cold tile. Hiwatari narrowed his eyes at him.

The brunette turned off the water and leaned down, hooking his hands underneath the angel's arms. He pulled Krad up to the rim of the tub and grasped him by the hair again. "Look at yourself!" And he did, his expressionless face thinly reflected on the surface of the water, broken by ripples from the dripping faucet. "Do you see? How worthless you are?" His hands roughly stroked the blonde's face, brushing dull locks back behind his ear. Deceptively warm lips drifted over the shell. "Hold your breath."

Hiwatari plunged the angel's head under the water and held him there. His arms flailed lamely while the man holding him down grinned. Thirty seconds went by before the brunette removed Krad from the water. He gasped and spluttered, hands scrabbling at the rim of the tub. Very little time went by before Kei submerged his head again, holding him under for another thirty seconds. Over and over, for several minutes, the cruel man held him under water while the blonde fought him.

Finally, after what seemed to be the hundredth time, Hiwatari simply held the angel's head, bowing his back at an odd angle. Shaking and out of breath, Krad tried to push away from him, but his hold was tight. "You know... I wonder what would happen if I activated your collar while you were under water... It would be a terrible shame if you died, though... I've put so much work into you." Slowly, he lowered Krad's head to the water, his nose sitting no more than an inch from the surface. "Although... I do miss your fire. You don't even fight back anymore. Maybe I should just get rid of you... and find a new toy." The angel stared at the water, waiting. In that moment, he wasn't so sure that Kei wouldn't just kill him, but he had gone past the point of caring either way. He'd already tried to kill himself. And in actuality, it would be a relief to be released from this man... this monster.

"But you'd enjoy that too much, I think." He threw the angel back suddenly, his head cracking against the wall. For the first time in months, he actually cried out from the pain. "That's what I like to hear." But all Krad could hear inside his head was static, overlaid intermittently with horrendous screams. The brunette pulled the stopper of the tub and then stared at the blonde on the floor. After some time, he hauled his "pet" up by the arms and dragged him back to the bed.

He flopped the angel onto his back and fished some rope out of his locked nightstand drawer. Bony wrists were bound together and secured to the headboard above Krad's head. Kei grinned, trailing his lips down the blonde's body. Smooth hands pulled off meager trappings, and removed the fresh bandages to reveal long lesions on the insides of his thighs. The angel didn't flinch when Hiwatari stroked them none-too-gently. He was a sadist at heart, he'd come to realise over the years, and he missed the thrill of breaking the hunter.

Clothing was discarded quickly. Krad stared blankly at the ceiling as the man moved between his legs and slid himself inside. Compared to most other nights, his pace was rather gentle. That was disconcerting. But not for much longer.

Kei stroked his throat just above the collar before a wicked grin crossed his face. "Quertas fehl moder." The angel's arms snapped tight against the rope as the shocks began. He thrashed as the man thrust roughly. With his pet writhing uncontrollably beneath him, he was in ecstasy. Really, why hadn't he thought of this before? Krad was actually moaning in pain; something he hadn't done in months. The brunette was thrilled, laughing as he came, watching blood seep down the angel's arms. As he pulled out, he ceased the collar. Krad slumped back, gasping for breath.

After cleaning himself up a bit and redressing, Kei stood beside the bed, staring at his pet. "Well, you are good for some things... I guess I'll keep you." He produced a knife–the same knife he'd sliced the angel with before–and cut the rope from the bed frame, leaving his wrists tied together. With some effort, he dragged the blonde off of the bed and dumped him on the floor.

When Hiro came in that next morning, he wondered just how long he could keep doing this. "That son of a bitch."

xxx

The night was warm, and the scent of oleander swirled thickly in the air. A strange, violet haired young man wandered the streets almost aimlessly. He came to a cliff side, overlooking the gently licking sea. The small voice inside his head warned him that he'd ventured too far from the manor, but the man insisted that it was all right. The boy inside his head was nervous—they were too close.

Not far away, there was another large manor by the sea. And on the balcony stood a creature with skin as pale as moonlight and long, flowing, golden hair. Much of it pooled over the railing of the balcony on which the ethereal being leaned. It was an angel, that he was sure of. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Though, truth be told, he hadn't seen that many women. But he was absolutely sure that this had to be the most exquisite one. His other half was wracked but curious.

It hurt, spreading his wings, and he apologised, as he had not anticipated that. Sharing his body was such a strange phenomenon, and not being able to fully use his power was disheartening at best. But he supposed he would have to make the most of it. As he flew over to the balcony, the almost glowing eyes of his beauty followed his movements.

He touched down gently on the stone, gaze never leaving the gorgeous sight before him. His angel faced him fully, putting a hesitant step forward. 'She's so shy...' The phantom smiled, beginning to close the distance between them. "Hello, my angel. I'm Dark. What's your name?" He took a pale hand in his, brushing long bangs back from her face. "I... I am Krad." 'Hold on. That's no lady.' The angel's brows knit together at the stunned look on Dark's face. "What?"

In that time, Dark decided that he didn't give a damn that his beauty was a man. He felt this undeniable attraction to him that reached deeper than a physical level. "Are you... the other half of the Black Wings?"

Dark started himself out of sleep. He hated that memory. Right now, at least. Whereas for most of his half-existence, that time had brought him happiness, it now served to exacerbate his guilt. Which was becoming increasingly more difficult to hide from his family. The phantom sighed heavily, crossing his arms over his face. It seemed like Krad was the only thing he could think about for the past few months. Ever since that night in the park...

He needed to get out. It was late, but the phantom lived for the night. And he needed to clear his head. The frigid air would certainly do the trick. Inky plumes floated in the air as wings unfurled, and the thief took off into the darkness.

XXX

I'm going to admit, this is a bit of a filler chapter. But it is something. I'm forcing myself to write a little each night. Even if it's just a line or one or two edits. It's keeping it on my brain, and that's important. XienRue has expressed hope that I will finish this. I will. I vow to finish this before its ten year anniversary. Which is in two years.

That's right-I've been writing this damn thing for EIGHT years. That's nuts. There are people who can write 100,000 words in one month. I'm averaging 5,000 a year. That is kind of depressing. Oh well.

Thanks for reading! Love you all! I promise things are going to pick up! But... for the better? Who knows? I do. But I'll never tell... ^.^