Title: There Isn't Time... For You or Me
Author: SapphirexKat2
Rating: PG 13 (for now) Overall: R
Pairing: SatoshixDaisuke .
Warnings: Slightly AU; Spoilers. Angst. Maybe a little OoC on Dark's part.
Disclaimer: I do not own DN Angel. [pout]
Summary: Satoshi has to move to America for a while. He has exactly one week before he leaves. Can he tell Daisuke how he feels before then? In this chapter, Shizuka has a chat with Satoshi, and Dark gets caught with one request.
Status: incomplete series 7/9.
Chapter Six: Dark's Good-bye
Satoshi leaned over the sink and ran the warm tap. He stood for a moment before taking off his glasses to rinse his face, rubbing also at his tingling eyes. He needed to get a hold of himself! Satoshi honestly didn't want to leave Daisuke hanging out there, but he had to regain his composure before he completely lost it. It's just that the red head evoked so many emotions out of him, and he was quickly drowning in the confusion.
Satoshi knew he had to be one thing: a Hiwatari, perfect in all aspects and dependent on no one. He had been alone for most of his life, only remembering bits and pieces of his past with his real parents. His foster father only adopted him and then sent him to the University a little after. It was both in their personal interests that Satoshi take the Phantom Thief case; for they knew that he was capable of the task. But this was more then that, now. This was the first time that Satoshi had truly felt alive in his known life. It was this "hunt" that gave Satoshi a reason to live. His purpose was to catch Dark Mousy.
Initially, Satoshi studied passionately with the goal of putting Dark behind bars. Each day, he grew more anxious to see the famous Phantom Thief. He promised that he would study Dark for his whole life, even if it meant that he would be forty (or more) until he caught a glimpse of the Kaitou. If Satoshi died, his only regret would be missing the opportunity to see him. And his waiting wasn't in vain. The Phantom Thief had returned after forty years, and Satoshi was the first to come into personal contact with him.
Niwa Daisuke. Satoshi could never forget that name or face. He had met him in the seventh grade when he first transferred into Azumano Middle after graduating. Daisuke was responsible for taking him around the campus and introducing him to everything (even though Satoshi was capable of all that himself). There was just something about the innocent redhead. Satoshi felt drawn to him, and he wasn't sure what it was. But it felt right. He knew that Daisuke would be someone he would definitely get to know later on in life.
How ironic that everything Satoshi had worked for in his whole life revolved around and led him to Daisuke.
Daisuke was causing him to be something else. He was calling Satoshi to live out of the ordinary, to forsake his adopted name, to just be himself. He was asking him to do things he couldn't and feel things he shouldn't. Whenever Satoshi was around Daisuke, he wanted to reach out and touch him, so that maybe that bright aura could rub off onto his own life.
Leaving would mean to die. Staying would mean pain. What, Satoshi wondered, was better?
Daisuke's first reaction was to hide. He knew that Shizuka didn't know his true identity (like Satoshi), but he still felt a little paranoid. If she was as sharp as his friend, then it would only be a matter of time. But it would be even more obvious if he did hide and was later found.
Shizuka was stepping around the debris, looking quite worried. She overheard some of the tenants complaining about some earthquake, but nothing happened outside. She was on her way to pay a visit to the blue haired genius. Apparently, there were missing paragraphs on Dark's report. Either Satoshi didn't want to write them, or he didn't notice anything to write (which she highly doubted).
There was no reply, and she made her way through the den, passed the extension, and into Satoshi's room.
" Oh! Who are you?"
Daisuke was trying to look as innocent as possible as he sat at Satoshi's desk on the other side of the room. He was quickly failing since Dark was stirring once again.
[ Damn, it's her,] Dark hissed venomously. [ I swear, I'd love to pay her back for that cheap shot.]
== Dark, calm down for a second.==
Daisuke put on a surprised façade. " H-hello." He stood respectfully. " I'm Niwa Daisuke, Satoshi's classmate," he replied, smiling. It proved to be difficult with all the frustration swirling inside of him.
Shizuka frowned a little, obviously disappointed. " I see. Where's Satoshi-kun? And what's wrong with the living room?"
[ Is she blind?]
" Ano… Satoshi and I were… doing… an experiment!" Daisuke chuckled nervously. " Yeah, it kind of got carried away."
Shizuka looked skeptical, but before she could say anything, the bathroom door opened and Satoshi came out.
Satoshi had managed to clean the blood off him, recollect his emotions, and decide to face Daisuke once more. Only, the redhead wasn't alone.
" Katen-san?" he questioned, gaze landing on the woman. His eyes flickered to a flustered Daisuke.
" Ah! Satoshi-kun!" Shizuka looked pleased at seeing the blue haired teen, but her eyes fell to his torn shirt and gasped. " What happened?"
" I was just telling her, Hiwatari-kun," Daisuke said quickly, " that we were doing an experiment."
Satoshi caught his eye and nodded slightly in understanding. " I was too close to the explosion. So much for that," he said to Shizuka.
" Oh, god! What were you thinking? This isn't like you, Satoshi-kun," Shizuka lectured.
Satoshi stole a quick glance at Daisuke. ' Nothing is like 'me' anymore,' he thought solemnly.
" I'm fine, Katen-san. What are you doing here anyway?"
Shizuka tore her eyes away from his chest and crossed her arms. " I believe we have something to talk about," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly. " I'm sure you know what it is."
Daisuke looked between the two, his expression unreadable. " I guess… that I should go now. My mom will be worried."
Satoshi didn't want him to leave… not yet. There was so little time. But he had no control over that. " Hai. Sayonara, Niwa-kun." His voice was straining to keep itself level.
Daisuke locked eyes with him. It looked as if those crimson orbs were trying to say something, but there was a screen obscuring the message. Satoshi could not read what was there.
" See you on Monday, Hiwatari-kun." If you haven't already left. Daisuke flashed a smile of courtesy at Shizuka before leaving.
Satoshi watched until Daisuke was out of sight and until he thought the red head was gone. He turned to Shizuka with a defiant glare. " Now, why are you here?" he asked again, clearly agitated.
" I've noticed some things about Dark the other night," she began. " For one, he's not a Phantom at all. He's very much human."
The teen's heart skipped a beat. " How would you know that?"
" I gave him a dart to the right shoulder. And when he escaped, I also noticed that he has some kind of creature with wings."
Satoshi's blood quickly grew to a boil. When he was wrapping Daisuke's arm and he took off his shirt, he noticed an ugly bruise on the pale shoulder. She did that to him? " What?"
Shizuka seemed a little startled by his reaction. " I don't know what this is, Satoshi-kun, but I'm sure you have something to say about it." She was growing more suspicious now, as if she was confident that he knew Dark personally. " You're holding some useful information back. Who is Dark Mousy?" She was too eager to know, and it reminded Satoshi of himself. But he wouldn't tell her. Not a word.
" What are you implying? Why don't you just ask him yourself?" he suggested darkly.
" Don't you dare play smart with me, Hiwatari. My father sent me here to finish something that you couldn't. And I swear, I will do whatever it takes to solve this mystery."
Green eyes burned with a determined fire that Satoshi matched in his own azure orbs. He could tell from that little speech that Shizuka was dead serious. For a moment, he was afraid for Dark. And Daisuke would be in even greater trouble.
" You're insane, Katen-san," Satoshi muttered.
" Oh, so you have no idea what I'm talking about?" Shizuka asked bitterly and sarcastically. " Fine, then. I'll have Dark right before you leave so that you can see where you failed." She feigned a flirty smiled. " Bye, Satoshi-kun."
The woman left with a flick of her long hair. Somewhere since their last meeting several years ago, she had changed. Satoshi could tolerate her before, and maybe they were something like friends. Now, it was as if Shizuka was competing with him. And the way she said she had wanted to catch Dark…
He knew that she would, using every method she knew.
Sunday.
Satoshi woke up at exactly 7:00, sitting on his bed in a daze for about 30 minutes. He blinked to clear his vision and turned to get up. The chair beside his bed was still there from the day before, and Daisuke's shirt was still folded neatly on the seat.
He gazed at it for a while, trying to remember yesterday. Everything seemed out of reach. The past was moving farther behind while the world propelled him forward. Would Azumano forget him? Probably. Will he forget Azumano? No, it was etched into his stony heart.
His chest was doing quite well, as were his hands. After showering and getting dressed, he turned on the television and waited for the men to come over and check his non-existent door. Satoshi had a lot of work the night before, sweeping up and taping a wall of plastic over the hole.
The local morning news came on: " And now, we have another note from the Phantom Thief " said a woman with short black hair, practically sighing with delight. " He says that he will steal the Crystal of Winter 9:00 tonight at the Nightingale Museum. The Police Force are doing all they can to prevent this from happening. We now go to an interview with one of the top Inspectors."
Inspector Saehara stands in front of the Crystal of Winter, a beautiful, foot-tall, shining sculpture of a woman holding a snowflake in her outstretched hands. " We are very confident that we will catch Dark Mousy tonight," he says, smirking as usual. " Our defenses have been reestablished and we're taking extra measures to secure the whole building. Not even a ghost can get in here unnoticed."
Satoshi watched with mild interest at the gleam in Saehara's eyes. They were mocking him. Obviously, Shizuka had no sleep last night, instead spending endless hours on new traps. Perhaps they did have a better chance than they did with Satoshi as Commander. But he guessed that he'd have to see that for himself. He still knew, after all, the passwords to the databases of the APF.
Apparently, the ceilings were going to be equipped with nets, the exits would seal right at 9:01 with two guards at each door, and the roof was aligned with policemen as well. Shizuka herself was going to stick to Dark like glue. This was all out war.
Satoshi wanted to warn Dark, and the other part of him wanted to see him thrown in jail. However, the thief was only allowed to be in jail if Satoshi was the one who put him there. There was no way that Satoshi would accept Dark behind bars in the hands of someone else.
So by 8:30, the blue haired teen stood in an alley nearby the museum. Dark mostly lingered close to the future scene of the crime before the actual event. And just as suspected, there was a shadow, a flap of wings, and a soft tap of landing.
" Hm, creepy Hiwatari-kun," Dark said teasingly, watching the teen across from him leaning against the wall. " What are you doing out here all alone?"
Satoshi truly missed this. How was he so stupid as to skip their last meeting? " Waiting for you, of course," he replied.
Dark smirked. " Are you sure it's me you're waiting for?"
Blue locked with violet. " Positive."
The thief smiled, albeit sadly. " Lies, Hiwatari-kun."
" Shizuka's waiting for you. You shouldn't be worried about me." Satoshi's voice was level, but it hurt to say that.
" No, I suppose not," Dark bitterly retorted.
" She'll do anything she can to catch you. Maybe even more than me."
" Your traps were child's play." Dark's tone was becoming harsher, as was his gaze.
" I… think that you should be careful."
Dark's eyes narrowed. " Why? Worried about me? How sweet," he said sarcastically. " Or perhaps you can't stand someone surpassing your strategies."
A knife through the heart. " Is that supposed to sway my decision to leave?"
" What's the matter? Do I bore you now?" The Kaitou continued, unusual frustration and anger seeping through. Both his and Daisuke's emotions were melding into one, and it couldn't be contained. " What are you doing here then, you bastard? "
Satoshi was startled and hurt, but most of all, worried. " Dark…"
" Forget it." Great black wings stretched and spread out to take off into the sky. Satoshi watched, feeling worse than he ever had in his entire life. Seeing Dark fly away tonight was almost too much to bear. Is this what he would look like when he leaves on Wednesday? Would Daisuke feel like he does as the redhead watches the take-off?
Satoshi's heart ached at its every dreaded beat, and he could feel 'his' presence within him stirring with hurt as well.
" That's not like you, Niwa-kun."
The men managed to finish covering up the hole. All that was needed was painting and polishing (on the door's part). Satoshi was most grateful. He had gone straight home after the ordeal with Dark in the alley and decided to just stare out the window. There was nothing else better to do. On any other night before, he would be plotting ways to capture Dark, or maybe chasing after him on the spot.
What made the thief react the way he did tonight? What was Daisuke feeling? Were they still upset about the day before? Well, of course they were, and Satoshi had the feeling that it was more personal than that. Dark was attacking Satoshi by including the facts that he was giving up the chase and leaving to America.
" Why?" he whispered into the empty air.
It was nearing 10:00, and Satoshi decided that he was too bored. Azumano looked great at night, though. Against the black, placid sky of stars and a moon, the street and house lights decorated the earth below like pieces of bright and scattered jewels. Would Mississippi look like this? He didn't think so.
Ring…ring…ring… Satoshi didn't feel like answering the phone. The answering machine picked up.
' You've reached Hiwatari Satoshi's residence. I'm not able to answer the phone right now. Please leave your name and number, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.' Beep…
" Hi, uhh… sir, this is Inspector Saehara. " A lot of commotion could be heard in the background. " We would like you to come by the Police Station ASAP. I believe we have something you would like to see if you don't already know about it. Good-bye, Commander."
The blue haired teen stared at his phone, his thoughts racing. Did this mean what he thought it did? Was… Dark captured? There was honestly only one way to find out, and it would be to go to the Station.
There was major traffic on the way there. Satoshi had to get out of his taxi and run the rest of the way. He could see the media and other patrons bombarding the entrance of the APF Headquarters. Satoshi had to race to the back, searching for a more exclusive way to get inside. Sure enough, there was no one else at the secret exit, only the Inspector.
" Commander Hiwatari, you're here," Saehara said, mildly surprised, but expectant. " I'm glad."
" What is this about? Was Dark captured?" Satoshi practically demanded out, catching his breath.
" You mean you don't already know? It should be all over the news by now! Right at 9:30!" The Inspector looked incredulous and a little outraged.
Satoshi's blood pounded in his ears." Where is he?"
" He's in the Solitary Unit, guarded by ten men. Come on, I'll take you." Saehara led them inside the large three story building, the heavy metal door locking behind them.
Satoshi stuck by the fast pace as they went through the stairway on the left. " Where's Katen-san?"
" She's outside dealing with the media."
" How was Dark caught?"
" The nets on the ceiling. He mustn't have seen them or something."
Satoshi's eyes narrowed. " Careless."
" That's what I was thinking." Saehara looked thoughtful. " After three months, you would think we know what would work by now. It's strange how he just triggered the nets and got tangled in them."
Satoshi needed to give the Inspector more credit; he studied strategies a lot more than Satoshi thought he did. They arrived at the heavy double doors and entered after a swipe of the man's ID badge on a key pad. The Solitary Unit was made mostly of metal and locked electronically. There was a single hall with four bulletproof glass as doors on each side; each cell 10 by 10. A group of men stood on the far right corner.
" I don't know why, Commander, but Dark said specifically that he wanted to talk to you."
Satoshi's frowned thoughtfully. " Do you know why?" he asked.
" No, sir." Saehara approached the guards before Dark's cell. " Tadamo, Gira, you two can stay. The rest of you watch the entrance. No one is to come inside."
They all saluted, and eight of the men left to do as Saehara commanded. Tadamo and Gira stepped aside.
Dark was sitting on the cot, his back against the wall. He waved his hand once when he saw Satoshi.
" We'll be right here, sir," said the Inspector.
Satoshi nodded, keeping his curious gaze on Dark. " I'm not your superior anymore, Inspector. You don't have to do this for me."
Saehara laughed. " Yeah, well, I was hoping that if I was nice enough, you'd stay. I honestly don't like Katen, no matter how cute she is."
" She gave you Dark."
The man made a face. " I suppose," he replied dryly.
Satoshi waited until the door swung open before he slipped inside. There was a top box in the front where the cells were monitored and controlled. The blue haired teen stood in the middle of the room, feeling a little awkward and claustrophobic. Dark looked quite comfortable, however, smirking pleasantly.
Somehow, this didn't feel right. The beautiful, winged creature that was Niwa didn't belong in a cage like this.
" Hello, Commander," greeted the thief. " Surprised?"
" What are you doing here, Dark?" Satoshi asked, upset and irritated. To him, this wasn't a laughing matter at all. Dark seemed to think it was, though.
The Kaitou shrugged. " Stupid nets," he replied carelessly. " I guess I wasn't watching where I was going."
" Like hell you weren't," Satoshi retorted, eyes narrowed. " So would you mind giving me a straight answer for once and tell me what you're doing here?"
Dark stood up, closing some of the space between them. He smiled ruefully. " This is my parting gift to you, Commander."
Satoshi grew even more annoyed with Dark's riddles. " What? What are --" He was cut off as the thief suddenly grabbed him and pushed him against the side wall. His wrists were pinned on either side of his head, much like how he had Dark the first time they met.
Their faces were so close together that their noses brushed. Satoshi could vaguely hear the panic from the others outside. He only cared to focus on the being before him, and the familiar and welcomed warmth of his body. Satoshi's lashes lowered.
" Good-bye, then… Hikari Satoshi."
The power tripped and then shut down. Satoshi blindly felt Dark release him and make his escape. His body stood paralyzed a second more before his instincts kicked in. Satoshi took off after him in the blackness. Even the emergency power was cut off.
Dark did plan to get caught. Satoshi almost felt flattered.
He raced through the secret back door he came in through earlier, exiting just in time to see the silhouette of a dark angel against the moonlight. Satoshi watched after it until he couldn't it anymore.
" Thank you, Niwa-kun," he whispered quietly. Perhaps he could leave in peace now… if he was even leaving at all.
Exactly 48 hours until Wednesday.
Okay, I personally liked this chapter. I had so much fun writing it. Sorry if it was too long. I tried to make up for the last chapter.
As you all now know, this story will have two more chapters for the last two days. [Sob] It's almost over!! Thank you for all of your support. My work goes out to you guys.
SapphirexKat2