Animegoil- O.o I just posted that chapter. Over here it's only 11:00 at night- I'm actually typing up the next chapter as I make my response to this review and you just gave me a new burst of confidence to do so. Thanks for reading fan fiction so late at night!

Pink3Butterfly- Yup, damned Eriko, getting herself into trouble.

SilveryKitsune- Glad you likeys! I checked out that fic and I have one thing to say… TT.TT I never have been good with sad endings…

MusiqMistress- It's all Krad's fault! He got a stomach ache and refused to tell his story and- Krad:: --; I hate the author. Author:: TT

Mutou Yasu- It's almost kinky isn't it? .-

Ember Ellid- I'm glad that you decided to read my fiction. You give very constructive (And flattering) reviews and I hope to see that you continue reading and most importantly enjoying the Dark Krad-ness .

SilverTears- runs after Krad No! Don't kill her! She's my fav reviewer! runs off into the distance Dark meanwhile walks into the white plane of existence that is the document before looking around, spying the remainder of a plate of cupcakes, and chowing down.

xXLil Yu JahXx -Tehee, I think I'd mentioned that he used it as a stress reliever…And our Sato-chan is stressed!

Fatalis-Don't I know how that is! Only for me it's constant because it's clinical! There's no better way of pulling yourself out of it than by reading and writing though! Oh…And yes…yes Krad is sexy when he's violent!

Kloudy Reignfall- "…insert ear piercing girlish squeal" That makes me so happy! Though, I read through yesterday and I actually found a huge flaw, I went back and fixed it but it was there. I'm glad to hear you say that! That's incredibly flattering considering how many great stories and talented writers there are on I read through and I was thinking, "Wow. My writing sucks." but your reviews make me feel better.

WARNING: The reason the rating was changed was because this chapter contains reference to rape. If you are uncomfortable with this, that is understandable, it's a vague reference, but the piece has been put in all italics nonetheless. Thank you.

CH9- Trials to break an angel

The first words Krad heard weren't ones of comfort or love, but then, he didn't mind, in his innocence he immediately loved his creator. The man with the cold blue eyes and blue hair. The man who's first words were, "You will suffice."

Krad's growth from a picture to a flesh and blood creature had been somewhat of a painful transition and he found himself inexplicably embarrassed to stand before his creator in the nude with only his wings to cover himself- though the appendages were new and painful to move still. He covered himself with his hands immediately and the man frowned as if perplexed by his actions.

Krad opened his mouth to speak but he didn't know what words to speak, couldn't rather. He didn't understand what this was, this ache at his joints, the fact that he had form in the first place, or the fact that he had thoughts running through his mind. He didn't understand that he existed and he didn't understand his sudden urge to cover his nether regions with his hands.

"Interesting." murmured Hikari Kyo. "Why do you cover yourself?"

Krad almost shook his head but a sharp pain went through him. He didn't know how he'd known that signal was a no. He didn't know how he understood the words in his mind. His hands moved from his genitalia to clutch his skull. "What is this?!" he screamed writhing on the floor.

The Hikari let pity cross his face momentarily before kneeling besides the angel and grasping his shoulder's firmly forcing him to meet his blue eyes. "Krad."

"…Nani?"

"Your name. Your name is Krad. And you now exist. I created you from a painting and emotions. And you are the greatest work the Hikari family can ever lay claim to."

Krad's perfect lips quivered as he processed all this knowledge. It made sense, at least the thoughts in his head told him this, but he still didn't understand. "I exist." he said as if making confirmation. "But why does it…hurt?"

The Hikari frowned. It seemed where the Niwa's creation looked human and had an ethereal nature, this creature looked ethereal and had a rather human nature. But he would suffice. "It hurts because you, unlike your counterpart, were created from necessity, and not love."

"…Love? Counterpart?" murmured Krad.

"You'll learn. I will teach you," he said standing up. He held out his hand to the angel. "Don't trouble yourself now, your body is perfect."

Krad felt uneasy as he took the Hikari's hand to stand on unstable legs. "Perfect?" he asked uncertainly.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The first thing the Hikari had done was take Krad to a room where he took a set of white clothes off the bed and handed them to Krad. "Put these on. In this society, to bear your body is not appropriate."

Krad learned his first lesson there. His body may be perfect, but it was also sinful. Immediately he covered himself. "Arigato Hikari-sama," he said quietly.

"You're welcome." replied Hikari. "Now, do you wish to know the reason for your creation?"

Krad knew that the Hikari was…sensible…and business-like. Two useful traits. But somehow the straight forwardness of his question hurt almost as much as using his new limbs. Something was missing… "You…You created me." said Krad. "I am grateful."

"It was necessary." replied Hikari, immediately quelling any unnecessary emotion within his creation, or so he thought.

The angel quickly acknowledged that the Hikari's refusal to bear emotions…hurt. He noted this in his mind as his second lesson before turning to another subject. "Yes. I want to know why I was created."

The Hikari calmly explained that some lowly but magically adept peasants had created a creature much like himself, but less perfect. An angel. This show of power was dangerous to the Hikari family so in response Krad had been created. "But, you are not like him." ended Hikari.

Krad paused before speaking. "Because I was created from necessity…and not some unbound emotion?"

"That is true," agreed Hikari. "Because of this you'll have more control over your own emotions, and this will make you more powerful. Another reason is because of the ignorance of the peasants who created this…Dark. They knew nothing of the European angels he was based off of. He's beautiful, but his beauty isn't angelic. You were made from the study of true angels,"

"…So…Am I an angel?"

"No." said Hikari calmly.

"Then…What am I?" asked Krad.

"…I don't know yet," replied the Hikari honestly. "You were made by the hands of an imperfect man, and by the order of my father for what I feel are the wrong reasons. But that's not your fault." he noted sensibly, almost as if to himself rather than Krad. "You are a being with a perfect body. So long as you uphold the honor of the Hikari family you may do as you like. Your actions will define who you are. To answer your question, about why you knew things…Apparently I put more of myself into you than I'd predicted, thus you comprehend things and think, so you can stop worrying about that. Now, anything else?"

"…My purpose…Is to be more impressive than another entity?" he murmured. "Then…What am I expected to do now?"

Hikari sighed before looking out the window. "It grows late. You will sleep now. In the morning, you will be introduced to many powerful people. You will show them the same courtesy you show me, but you will not ask any questions."

"…Hai…but-"

"Good night Krad."

Krad watched the small sliver of light disappear as the doors closed and the lock clicked shut. He was left in the dark confused by his existence and hurt by the indifference of his creator. But…His creator knew all the answers…And his creator showed little emotion. So immediately he decided that was the best course of action. He laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling until he fell asleep.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Krad behaved perfectly well for the important politicians the next day. But he couldn't help but think that he was indeed the most physically beautiful creature there. The only one that came close was his creator.

Everyone treated him so kindly, but he couldn't help but feel it was only because his physical form was so pleasing, so immediately he grew bored with them.

That night before he went to bed he looked in the mirror and touched his face. For some reason, doing this caused him to wonder about his "Counterpart."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As Krad tended to the horses he tended to peer across the horizon to where his vision was always impeded by a high stone wall. Once, he'd asked about what was behind that wall. Always honest, sometimes painfully so, Hikari hadn't failed to reply.

Beyond that wall were peasants, or the poor. Beyond that wall people suffered because their emperor was a foolish man more concerned with his own prestige than the food in his people's mouths.

Krad's curiosity was immediately sparked. His world was all pretty fabrics, painted women, and fake people. He wondered, if for their lack of adornment, the peasants were real people. Where he was no true angel, where the aristocracy held no true grandeur, could the peasants hold true humanity?

He wanted to go exploring but he knew the head of the Hikari family would never allow it. His creator though, was a different story.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"…You want to go outside the walls?" he asked, his expression calm.

"Yes." said Krad firmly. "Everyone within these walls, save you Hikari-sama, hold up a constant façade as if trying to hide their humanity. I want to know what it's like out there."

Hikari sat in his chair, a thoughtful look on his face. Though he was not a man given to emotions he did care about his creation and his creation's desire for knowledge pleased him. He paused however. "It is dangerous for you Krad, beyond those walls. Several men wish to kidnap you because of what you are, and others would want to…harm you, because of your beauty."

"I've seen the looks in men's eyes here, and feel no safer," replied Krad.

Hikari smiled. The first genuine smile Krad had ever seen him bare. "You are wise Krad, and prove yourself a good judge of character…You may go, but you must cover yourself with a cloak, and reveal your full countenance to no one."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Krad had quickly taken the opportunity to enter the new world. The market place was the first place that drew his attention as a plethora of different types of people all gathered willingly in one area. The women, he noted, were unpainted, still, they held no appeal. There were large men, painfully thin ones, even a few he might consider beautiful.

But still, being aristocratic by nature he found the drudgery a bit painful to look at. Hikari had warned him about the hungry children, the thieving men, even the whoring women. But no mere words could have prepared him for the world outside of his gilded cage.

It was on the brothel street that he found the most disturbing sight. A girl, barely above fourteen desperately trying to sell her body to a fat merchant, and the merchant offering her half her price for her wares.

He turned away at the sight and began walking more quickly only to bump into someone. He barely glanced at the other boy murmuring a "Gomen," before continuing on his way.

He was distressed, true, but not too distressed to hear that he was being followed. He slowed momentarily, before taking off running.

Horror ran through his mind as Hikari's warnings ran through with crystal clear accuracy. Could this possibly be one of the people that wished him harm? Or a kidnapper? That made more sense. The man was clearly good at what he did if he could keep up with the angel.

When they entered the woods Krad was panicked already. Fear turned to hostility quickly and he turned around to punch his pursuer. Immediately however, he felt his slender wrist encircled by another hand and was jerked forward to be pinned beneath another boy.

A beautiful boy.

He was slender, tall, perfectly built. He had the face of a lust demon and the eyes of a naughty child, dark purple. His hair hung down in messy strands around a beautiful face and his supple form pinned Krad's with ease. This was clearly his counterpart.

The other boy's lips moved as he stared on equally in awe. "Ah- Angel!" he murmured allowing his gaze to wander all along Krad's prone form.

It was then he remembered, counterpart or not this boy had pinned him to the ground and he didn't know his intentions. "Get off me!" he snapped struggling about. But it was pointless. The boy had been born of the streets and lived on the streets. His dirty tunic said so much. And he was most likely not moving until he damn well felt like it.

"Who are you?"

The question made Krad more uncomfortable than it should have but he didn't take time to think about it before yanking his hand out of the boy's grasp and beginning the struggle anew. He was acting on instinct alone considering he'd never fought before and he was more than irritated to find him and the other boy rolling on the floor in a less than dignified manner.

The moment he managed to pull away from the other boy his wings sprouted for lack of effort in hiding them and the boy grabbed his cloak ripping it away. Krad stood before him, garbed in a rich white kimono. He couldn't have felt any more naked though.

"You're- You must be- Krad…" said Dark in recognition as he gazed at the other's perfect body. Krad couldn't help being a little resentful considering Dark was looking at him the same way everyone else did, he'd expected more.

"You must be one of the kidnappers they told me about." replied Krad brushing himself off though he knew it was far from the truth, he wanted the other to introduce himself.

"No." scoffed Dark. "I'm no kidnapper. I'm Dark," he said proudly.

Krad gazed over the perfect form knowing this was what he'd been looking for. And for the first time in his life, he lied. "No where near as impressive as I was told,"

"Excuse me? Not impressive? I just kicked your ass there!" protested his counterpart, clearly not expecting the slight.

Krad distracted himself by looking about for his sandals, wincing as the rocks cut into his feet. He could only find one, and the boys glare was still upon him. Krad rolled his eyes as he looked about for his other sandal. "You fight like a common street thug, that doesn't impress me," he said. He turned to see Dark holding up his other sandal with a mischievous smirk on his face. "Give that back." he demanded.

"Tsk tsk tsk," clicked Dark with his tongue. "How rude you are Krad! I suggest you as more nicely,"

Krad narrowed his eyes before lunging at the other boy. Dark held the sandal out of reach with one hand and used his other hand to turn Krad's momentum spinning him into a tree, and pressing his lips against his claiming a kiss.

Krad's face turned a deep red as his arms went limp at his sides and the other youth took this time to deepen the kiss making his knees weak and his breaths short.

Then he pulled back. He looked into the violet eyes frozen by the wild beauty of the creature before him. And Dark only uttered one word. "Beautiful."

Krad shoved him. "How dare you!" he sputtered. Immediately his hand shot out and slapped the other boy. And immediately he winced. The other boy had already proved himself the more adept one at fighting. Krad closed his eyes expecting to be thrown to the ground again.

"I'll meet you here, tomorrow at sunrise,"

Krad opened his eyes sputtering as the boy walked away. "I will not!" he shouted, growing angry when the dark angel laughed at him. Not knowing what else to do Krad threw his sandal at him missing by a long shot. Oh he'd be back! If only to wipe that arrogant smirk off Dark's face.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Krad let out a grunt as his back hit the floor and he struggled under Dark's weight as Dark stared down at him, amused. It had become a tradition for them- albeit more of a desperate attempt to regain his pride on Krad's side- but a tradition nonetheless.

Krad would come to the woods, look for the other boy, jump when the other boy snuck up on him, and attempt to tackle him. And every time, Dark would pin him to the floor and claim a kiss. He glared up at Dark icily. "Get off." he said knowing no compliance would be made.

"Now why would I do that?" asked Dark with a smirk. "It seems to me I won fair and square and I have a right to claim my prize,"

"You cocky bastard-" began Krad before once again Dark roughly pressed their lips together in a passionate kiss. Krad had tried being cold at first but eventually he found himself incapable of denying this beautiful demon and kissed back with passion all the while trying to free his wrists from his grasp. When Dark pulled back Krad glared at him coolly.

"Don't look at me like that," sighed Dark. Krad obliged him and turned away. "Don't do that either!" said Dark in irritation freeing one of his hands to turn Krad's face back to him. "…Why do you return to me?"

Krad froze. He couldn't tell Dark it was to defeat him and regain his pride. Dark would know he was lying. He was puzzled over that himself.

"Why do you always return?" challenged Krad. "To steal kisses and mock me?"

Dark's attention seemed to snap back to reality as he gazed at the creature below him with far too much scrutiny for Krad's taste. "Stop it." he said in a low growl glaring at Dark.

Dark scoffed. "Somehow, upper class or not, you don't seem to be in a position to give orders,"

"Oh and you are?" challenged Krad. "Just because you can pin me do to unsavory experience in street fights you have the right to order me around?"

Dark smiled warmly. A smile that Krad couldn't understand but wanted to so badly. "No. I don't order you around. You allow me to be in your presence. Because since we were created, we've sought each other out. Somehow, I think we always will."

Krad stared up at Dark, his lips parted, it was then he realized Dark's hold on his wrists was no where near strong enough. So he took his opportunity.

He shoved his weight at Dark's, knocking him on his back and pinning his wrists above his head. It gave him a great deal of pleasure to have done so. "Sentimentalism Dark? I thought better of you,"

"What the hell!" snapped Dark. "What are you-"

Krad pressed his lips to Dark who immediately responded with a kiss of his own. "What am I doing?" repeated Krad huskily. "I'm stealing back my damn kisses you hypocrite!"

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Krad lay in Dark's arms wondering if he'd made a mistake. He'd heard women whining about men ignoring them once they lost their innocence and he didn't want to be in any way shape or form like some whining woman. He sighed- right before Dark nuzzled his neck.

"I love you." murmured Dark.

Krad's eyes widened. "Do you mean that?"

"How could I help but love you?"

"…Is it because I'm beautiful?" asked Krad, terrified.

Dark spun him around so they were nose to nose. He looked over Krad's face. "Hmm…Nope, your face isn't enough to make up for your violent tendencies. To be honest, I don't know why I love you." admitted Dark making Krad's face fall. "You're snobby, rude, too delicate for your own good, you snore-"

"I do not!" snapped Krad, face reddened with the realization that he was being made fun of.

"It could be that you know your own self worth far too well for me to have to explain it to you," replied Dark warmly kissing Krad's nose.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dark walked his lover home as he did every day even back when Krad's main objective had been defeating him. Krad would normally glare at him the whole way but this time it didn't seem right. Dark was smiling brightly and he couldn't help but smile with him. His pretty peasant angel.

Later he would wonder how Dark had heard them where he hadn't.

Dark shoved him behind him just as a group of men stepped out of the alleyway, clearly quiet drunk. At first it appeared they'd be able to fade into the background of the dreary empty market place. They had no such luck however.

One of the drunken men spied them and a bright but disturbing grin crossed his face. Dark stood up even taller adjusting his cape as if to hide Krad. "Well!" spewed the drunk. "If it isn't our good friend Dark! The one who plays dice so well!"

His five friends flanked him smiling at Dark. "Yeah…Dark…The pretty one…Who's that behind you?" demanded the second man.

"No one you're to be bothering," replied Dark coolly.

"Ah! Has the pretty boy found himself a pretty woman? Don't be so stingy boy!" said the first one approaching. Dark shoved him away only to have the second one wrap his meaty hand around Krad's wrist and yank him forward.

"Let him go!" snapped Dark jerking Krad into his arms.

The men stared on in awe. They'd often lustily admired Dark's beauty, but from afar. Between Niwa Toshi and all the other street ruffians Dark had learned enough to protect himself and return all he was given. But this was clearly Krad, the untouched aristocrat beauty.

Krad felt the need to sink behind Dark at the stares of these disgusting drunks. Dark had always stared at him lustily, but this was different, and uncomfortable.

"What are you doing little beauty, trying to hide behind Dark?" asked the first man sneering as he tried to get a better glimpse of Krad. "He's just as dirty as the rest of us!" he said reaching for Krad.

All Krad saw was a glint and the man's hand jerked back bleeding from a mild cut. "Don't, touch, him." hissed Dark.

Krad's mouth fell open. He'd rolled around with and attacked Dark on several occasions, but he'd never known the boy had possessed a weapon.

The other men laughed as the drunkard fell over whining about his "horrible wound" and cursing at Dark.

"Do you intend to let us pass un-harassed ?" asked Dark trying to keep his eyes on the men at all times.

"Why the formality Dark? Why don't you and your friend stay and have some fun with us?" said the man grabbing at Dark's wrist.

Dark shot out with the dagger but this man was clearly as rough around the edges as the younger boy and twice as experienced. He twisted Dark's arm behind his back and put all of his superior weight on the boy's arm causing a sickening sound. "Now now boy! Don't disrespect your elders! It's a good thing we're here to show you boys the right way!"

Immediately when the two men descended on Krad the fourth standing man had to run to restrain the furiously fighting and cursing Dark. Krad however, had been training with Dark and wasn't about to go down with a fight. He lashed out shoving and punching in a manner to do Dark proud but in eventuality the men grew irritated at his struggles and one of them grabbed him by his long blonde ponytail and slammed his fist into his ribcage.

"Krad!" cried Dark from a bloodied mouth.

Krad would have cried out for Dark if he hadn't been shoved to the ground and pinned by one of the foul smelling drunks. He immediately began lashing out with his arms only to find them roughly pinned by the man who remained an unyielding weight on his ribs, far heavier than Dark crushing all the air out of him.

"Now don't you struggle pretty one…This'll only hurt a little," he said pulling down his pants.

All of a sudden a pained cry came from their left as one of the men restraining Dark fell to the ground clutching his bloodied ribs. And in Dark's hand was a broken bottle. The man looked into Krad's eyes and Krad shuddered at the sadistic hatred in the man's last thoughts. Then he fell to the floor. There was silence for a second then it came.

"You bastard." snapped the second man restraining him. "You killed him!"

Dark's eyes were wild but he dropped the bottle before slamming his fist into the man's jaw. When the four remaining men attacked him in full force he fought to the best of his abilities for a few seconds knocking out two before running up and grabbing Krad's wrist. "Let's go!" he shouted as they took off.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They'd threaded through back alleys and into the brothel lane before Dark pulled him into the doorway of a brothel holding him to his chest as the men ran past. Krad could feel Dark's heart beating. It pounded more violently than his own.

"Dark," he murmured.

"We have to get you back." he said sharply. The brothel mistress approached.

"Dark honey! What happened!" she asked in genuine concern.

"Trouble with some drunks." he said turning to her. "Himi-chan, your brothel owns a horse don't you?"

She knitted her brows worriedly. "Yes…What's going on Dark?"

He immediately held Krad before him. "This is Hikari Krad, he needs to be taken to the Hikari estates immediately."

She gasped. "A Hikari? In this area?"

He heard the men running past the brothel again. "Yes. Can you remedy that Himi-chan?"

She smiled. "As well as I can remedy any of your other afflictions Dark. Follow me onegai Hikari-sama."

With that and a few protests that weren't quite loud enough Krad found himself safely behind the gates of the Hikari estates.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the next morning the mansion was fixated on the latest news. The Niwa's creation, the dark angel, was a murderer. Eyes turned on Krad in concern and he ignored them as he rushed to his creator's quarters. He was stopped by a house servant.

"Out of my way!" he snapped . It wasn't the same arrogant voice of a few months ago, Dark had changed that. But he had to make it sound that way if he wanted to get through.

"The master is in there with the authorities!" said the servant with frightened eyes. Krad was at least twice her size and he looked furious.

"The authorities?" asked Krad, pale.

"Yes. The creature the Niwa created…It killed someone." she said in disgust. He flinched, she must have thought it was because of the news when in truth it was because of the way she'd called Dark an it. Thinking this, she continued. "The Niwa had to destroy it this morning, but the- Wait! Where are you going?"

Krad took off at a run to the stables shoving one of the stable boys out of the way to get on a horse bareback. Immediately he rode towards the Niwa residence.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When he got to the front of the Niwa residence the first thing he saw was the pregnant Niwa female crying as she relayed events to some soldiers. Her pale shaking hand pointed to a pile of rubble, the remains of a statue that bore Dark's face.

The blood left Krad's face. And he ran. He ran and ran until his legs gave out from under him and he found himself in the clearing where he and Dark first met.

His loud sobs rang through the forest as he slammed his fists into the unyielding and uncaring soil. "Why?" he murmured as he lay in the dirt, wishing for once in his life that the cocky Dark were pinning it to him rather than the shear weight of his depression.

"…It's you…" said an all too familiar voice. Krad looked up to see the men that had attacked them in the previous night.

He shot up only to be knocked to the ground. The next hour or so was a blur of his clothes being ripped away, his pale skin being pummeled, sucked on, and bitten. He'd scratched, bitten, wept, and screamed until his voice was nearly gone.

All he could think of was that he didn't want to do this. Dark had called him innocent. Clean. And these men wanted to take that from him by force.

When the first one had yanked his legs open and forcefully entered him he'd cried out in anguish as he felt he was ripped apart both physically and emotionally.

It was an hour that seemed to last an eternity before guards entered the clearing yanking the men off his broken form, covered him with a cloak, and rode away with him to the Hikari estates.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

His creator wiped the dry blood off his unresponsive body. When the young Hikari had hear what state his creation had been found in, he'd carried him to the bathing furrow himself and set about cleaning him. "What have they done to you my poor angel?" he murmured.

Krad kept his head bowed in shame, until a crystalline tear dripped on his wrist. He looked up, horrified to see tears drenching his Hikari's face.

"Hikari-sama!" he gasped.

"They want me to destroy you Krad, but I can't." he said shaking his head. "The Niwa didn't destroy their creation!" he spat savagely.

"…Nani? Dark…is alive?" asked Krad in disbelief.

"In some senses," muttered Hikari wiping away his tears. "His body is gone, but I can feel his essence bound to the child being born of the Niwa woman. When he heard he was being charged with murder he ran,"

Ran? Alive? All emotion left Krad's face. "He will be back?"

"Yes," said Hikari.

"Do it to me. What the Niwa did to Dark."

"What?" asked Hikari in shock.

"They will come for me Hikari-sama, they will ask you to destroy me. And if I am destroyed, Dark will come back. Your sister is pregnant, bind me to her child and I will protect your family from Dark eternally."

Hikari looked uncertain for a moment, but one look at the broken wing of his creation and a look of determination overcame his face.

"Hai. I will do it Krad."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Satoshi was quiet in Krad's mind. Terribly quiet. But Krad had expected that. He looked down at the Niwa who had ceased struggles long ago. Tears ran down Daisuke's face. He glared. "Stop it. I don't need your pity!" he hissed.

Daisuke looked away. "There's a difference Krad, between pity, and concern. This…This hurt you…That's why you and your hosts-"

"Stop." said Krad sharply. "I don't need your concern or your analysis!"

He released the Niwa who collapsed into a chair, rubbing his sore wrist as he thought. Krad leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He wasn't surprised in a way that Daisuke didn't immediately transform into Dark. Why would the kaitou risk it? It wasn't like he really cared.

But when Daisuke looked up, his eyes held a spark of violet. "But…it was unfair."

His eyes widened in shock as the wing master voiced the thought that had kept him awake at night, right before transforming into Dark.