Chapter 4:
Dark had tried everything, talking to Daisuke civilly, trying to reason with him, yelling and screaming at him, even trying to perform a forceful take over…none had worked. What Daisuke lacked in physical strength he made up for in sheer will and stubbornness. Daisuke had completely blocked Dark out of his mind; he now stood on the second story window of the museum that housed the cursed blank canvas. Since the incident two days ago, no one was allowed in the museum until the police commander Satoshi himself allowed it, which he wouldn't until that painting was sealed.
'Daisuke! DAISUKE PLEASE RECONCIDER THIS!' Dark screamed from the prison Daisuke had locked him in located at the back of his mind, 'DAISUKE I'M BEGGING YOU TO STOP!'
Daisuke wasn't listening, it was as if he'd turned off Dark's volume control and only heard the slight blowing wind gently rustling the leaves of the trees surrounding the building. Daisuke may not be the great phantom thief himself, but he'd trained all his life to be a thief and planned to use every ounce of that training to the fullest tonight.
He quickly and easily disabled the lock on the window and slipped in, but being as it was on the second floor he held onto the window until he'd set his balance up and soundlessly dropped to the floor landing in a crouched position. The museum looked no different then it had the first night he and Dark had infiltrated the place to steal the painting that eventually swallowed them whole.
Daisuke had dressed himself completely in black, much like Dark did whenever he went on a mission, and pulled out a small flashlight to illuminate the darkness. Though Dark never required a flashlight because he could easily see in the dark, Daisuke couldn't see his hand in front of his face without with out one. Slowly Daisuke walked through the museum's marble halls, looking intently for the large room where the painting was held. He could vaguely feel Dark slamming up against the cell in his mind he had put him in, each attempt felt like a slight twinge of pain through Daisuke's head, but he ignored it and focused on the task at hand… find that painting and make off with it as fast as possible. Satoshi alone may not have been able to seal the painting, but Grandpa and Emiko had twice the power of one lone Hikari… and once they had sealed it, as he was confident they could, things would return to normal and he could see Satoshi again.
Suddenly coming out of his deep train of thought a realization struck him… was the air suddenly colder? No, perhaps he was just nervous… this being his first real theft without Dark at his side…he was so nervous but his sense of determination quickly suppressed that. However, he did feel a bit guilty having to seal his best friend and partner away like this…but at the same time he did feel a sense of anger towards the spirit…for making a promise like that to Krad without his consent! The nerve! Did Dark really think Daisuke was just going to sit back and let them handle such a dangerous task on their own? Pride, anger, determination, and a need to prove himself spurred Daisuke on as he quickly dashed through the empty halls of the ancient building. In a way he was kind of excited, the thrill of a theft all by himself! He'd done countless ones with Dark…but never was he in control of the mission or the target. However, Daisuke could have never been prepared for what he was about to encounter.
"Ah, finally…" Daisuke said softly aloud and peered into the room from around the corner. 'Hmm…no cameras in this room…the coast looks clear…I guess when Satoshi planned to seal the painting he didn't want anyone to see and took down all of the security cameras.' He said to himself and cautiously scanned the rest of the room…the canvas…wait… "Where's the canvas?" Daisuke exclaimed.
The room was empty! The canvas gone! Quickly Daisuke ran into the room, the canvas was gone, but where…and who would move it?
"Daisuke…you're early…" Came a familiar voice from behind.
Daisuke was completely shocked and jumped around and came face to face with deep blue eyes, "S-S-Satoshi?" Daisuke asked in shock and confusion. Satoshi's blue eyes gleamed from behind those large and unnecessary spectacles with a certain…mysteriousness that Daisuke had never encountered in the young Hikari's face before.
"Oh forgive me…" Satoshi said with a slight bow never taking his narrowed eyes from Daisuke's as a sinister smile played on his face, "I didn't mean to startled you… Daisuke Niwa…"
Dark from deep inside of Daisuke's mind heard the voice of Satoshi…but something was wrong. A true Hikari had a particular aura and presence…one in which he could not sense at all from the young man standing in front of his host…yet through Daisuke's eyes there he stood! Tall, blue, and creepy…no, this couldn't be Satoshi. Krad had said that Satoshi didn't want to involve Daisuke in this mission any more then Krad wanted to involve Dark. This wasn't right…something was wrong.
'Daisuke! Daisuke let me out of here! Listen to me Daisuke! DAISUKE!' Dark called out again and again.
Daisuke heard the pleas of the thief little by little but ignored them; he was to surprised any way with Satoshi's sudden appearance.
"I-I didn't see you come in Satoshi-sama…" Daisuke began backing away a bit at the other's sudden smirk that troubled him a bit, "W-W-Why are you here?" He asked stammering, he didn't know why though.
"Same as you… to seal what's left of the canvas I suppose…" The young blunett replied stepping closer to Daisuke as Daisuke stepped farther back approaching a wall.
"But that painting…it's not here…" Daisuke said trying to figure out why his friend was looking at him so strangely.
"No, I suppose it isn't." Satoshi replied never taking his cold blue eyes off of the Niwa's.
"Where is it…?" Daisuke asked as a sudden knot in his stomach began to tighten.
"I put it away…you know for safe keeping by those who would…use it against me… Daisuke Niwa." He replied stepping even closer little by little.
Suddenly Daisuke heard a soft thud as he realized he'd backed himself into a corner, and Satoshi was now right on top of him cutting off any chance of escape…escape? But why would he need to escape from Satoshi?
"Satoshi…um…could you back up a bit…I'm kind of against the wall…" Daisuke said and then suddenly he felt his wrists being grabbed and violently trusted over his head against the wall. "Satoshi what are you doing?" Daisuke nearly screamed as Satoshi pulled his face no less then an inch from his own causing him to blush madly.
"No Daisuke Niwa…I don't think I will…" Satoshi replied as his grin widened, "You know…my whole purpose in life is to capture Dark…and here you stand, so defenseless, so helpless…now that I have you…it's only a matter of time before your screams of pain draw the kaitou to the surface." Satoshi purred wickedly and tightened his grasp on the young Niwa's wrists.
"What? Satoshi-sama!" Daisuke yelled struggling against Satoshi super human strength, "Satoshi what are you doing? Arg! Let me go!"
'DAISUKE!' Dark screamed, 'Transform into me quickly! DAISUKE!'
Daisuke clamped his eyes shut tightly and gave into Dark's pleas to be released, but just as Daisuke was about to dissolve the prison holding the Phantom Thief he felt a complete assault on his senses and couldn't think straight! It was as though someone had entered his brain and then he felt as though a jolt of electricity surge through his body and he screamed in pain.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!" The pain was immense; his who body was on fire and freezing at the same time, and his wrists where Satoshi still held onto him were going numb.
Dark was screaming in his head, Daisuke figured that that was the only thing keeping him conscious, he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.
"That's it…scream…feel the pain and fury of a dozen centuries…" Satoshi said with a low and cruel laughter, "Can you not hear him scream Dark Mousy? Or are you too afraid to come out?" He asked manically and sent another powerful jolt through Daisuke's body.
Suddenly a new sensation washed over Daisuke, it felt like someone flooding his brain and unlocking every memory and experience he'd ever had. Someone was feeding on his memories! But that's not all they were after…whatever this was was trying to get at Dark's consciousness, the only thing holding it back was Daisuke's prison that he'd locked the spirit in. This was all Daisuke's fault…if he had listened to Dark this wouldn't be happening! If it took everything he had left in him he was going to protect Dark and suddenly added the last of his energy to the barrier around Dark.
'DAISUKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING!' Dark screamed, 'DON'T DO THIS! I DON'T CARE IF HE GETS TO ME! IF YOU DON'T DROP THIS BARRIER YOU'LL DIE! DAISUKE!'
'No…this is my fault…' Daisuke said mentally to his second soul, 'Can you ever…forgive me…' Suddenly Daisuke's voice stopped and he slipped into unconsciousness.
'Daisuke…DAISUKE!' Dark screamed.
"DAISUKE!" A second voice screamed from the outside world, the real Satoshi.
In a flash, the white winged demon had tackled the false impersonation of his host and Daisuke fell to the ground motionless and lifeless.
The demon in Satoshi's form slid across the marble floor and then quickly righted itself on two legs and glared at the golden haired angel as he quickly looked over to the unconscious red haired boy then quickly turned back to the monster.
"Demon!" Krad roared and clenched his fists as his feline like eyes became pure angered slits, "Taking the form of my host to inflict damage on another child!"
The demon slowly smirked and whipped the small amount of blood from his lip and glared at Krad, "Krad Hikari…Hmph, you have no real care for that boy…your only concern is for the kaitou, which you'll be pleased to know that this boy prevented me from touching him…stubborn fool." The creature replied and changed his form to the longhaired version of Satoshi…the sorcerer Zanus.
'Damn! He did absorb my memories!' Satoshi growled.
Krad wasn't really paying attention to Satoshi or the demon; his gaze was on the unconscious child… his lover's host. 'What the hell is he doing here…he promised me!' Krad yelled to himself inside trying to suppress the urge to go over there and finish the job by wringing Dark's neck…but one thing didn't sit with him, if Dark were here he would never let anything happen to his host…so why…why was Daisuke lying on the floor instead of Dark?
"You left your guard down!" The false Zanus laughed manically as a large ball of magic shot towards the preoccupied angel.
"Damn!" Krad growled and barely pulled out a feather in time to split the spell in two before it hit, but that was just to close for comfort. He'd have to worry about Dark later and seal this thing now. But just as quickly as the first attack had come, he opened his eyes straight into eyes exactly like his own…only tainted with the curse of inhumanity.
"You let your guard down again…" the false sorcerer replied and suddenly Krad was sent reeling to the other side of the room crashing into the wall with a sharp blow of intensely concentrated magic straight to his stomach.
Krad didn't even have time to scream in pain before he was bombarded with a never-ending supply of demon magic. The pain surging through his body was intense, however accustomed he was to pain he knew all to well that Satoshi was feeling it too…and unfortunately, human body are very susceptible to demon magic.
'SATOSHI! PLEASE HANG ON!' Krad screamed in his head trying to reach him over Satoshi's own screams of pain.
Finally the wave of attacks stopped. Quickly Krad wrapped his wings around himself when the sorcerer seemed to be recharging, Krad knew that a sorcerer of that high a level could return to full strength…or at least enough to finish him off, in a matter of seconds. With a quick burst of energy and magic, Krad's wings snapped open sending a cloud of deadly magic filled feathers and free energy into the false Zanus sending the sorcerer caught off guard flying through the air shrieking and hissing in pain as he crashed to the floor. Then in flash Krad was over him with a sword of ice created in his hand.
"My turn!" He yelled and thrusted the sword deep into the demon's gut with all of his fury and anger surging through the magical blade.
"ACK!" Was all the demon could muster as the deadly blow was given piercing right through him. Angered and shocked golden cat like eyes glared up at Krad before fading into lifelessness, as a sea of red began to flow from the wound.
Krad stood there staring at the thing a moment longer and twisted the sword deep within the demon's flesh to make sure there was no reaction. There was none, and the demon's lifeblood was flowing out of him with a deep crimson glow. This finally satisfied Krad enough, and he yanked the icy blade out of the demon's dead body and it vanished in a swift flash of light.
'Well…I guess there really wasn't anything to worry about after all, huh Krad?' Satoshi said weakly from within the ice demon's mind.
'Satoshi…are you alright?' Krad asked concerned for the boy's health after that last attack.
'I'm fine…I just need some rest…' Satoshi said with a sigh. He was still in pain, Krad could tell, but he had already gotten revenge for his host and the Niwa. Wait, the Niwa…
As Krad's attention turned back to the young man on the floor, a sudden chill of electricity surged up his spine. Someone had grabbed him from behind!
"Are you making letting your guard down a habit…Krad Hikari?" The venomous voice hissed as it continued to hold onto Krad's neck from behind, squeezing him harshly and draining him of the ability to breath, "Did you actually think it would end that easily? Did you actually think that after all of this time…that I wouldn't have my revenge…"
Krad couldn't move, he couldn't breath or think… all he felt was the sharp pains of electricity surging through his body and the rude intrusion of someone penetrating his brain and trying to dig up old memories of the past. His memories…no! No he never wanted to live those again! He'd buried them deep within his mind even from Satoshi, no one should have to see them…he would have preferred to feel eternal physical anguish then relive the pain of those horrid memories… 'GET OUT OF MY HEAD!' He screamed inside.
"You see Krad…I'm not just any ordinary demon…I am a soul embodiment of the most powerful magic in existence!" He hissed still holding onto Krad tight and still paralyzing him, "See I can take on many forms…and as long as I still have an identity to inhabit… a memory to feed on…I am eternal…" A wicked smile now crossed the lips of the second sorcerer of the World of Shadows…Daisuke's shadow, Adel.
Krad was to busy to listen to the demons voice, he was using all of his energy to keep the demon out of his head…out of long forgotten and painful memories that would no doubt satisfy this monster's appetite. 'Get out, get out, GET OUT!' He screamed over and over again. He was fighting to keep them locked away, a battle he was losing fast.
"Hmm…what's wrong Krad? Something in there you don't want me to see?" The demon sorcerer asked with a devilish grin, "You know…now that I can never use Zanus's form again…seeing as you killed it…I have room available for a different form…so who's should I take…perhaps one of your former…more powerful hosts, one of the damned Hikari's that locked you away in an eternal cycle of never ending suffering, or maybe…maybe I'll just take yours?" He chuckled relishing in Krad's pain, he was nearly through to accessing all of Krad's memories, past experiences, every death he'd ever experienced, and each time he was cursed with rebirth. So close…yes…only a moment now as he could feel Krad's cling to consciousness fading, but my…he is a stubborn one he'd give him that. He was going to protect those memories until it killed him. But this only intrigued him more…if his memories were so precious to him that they were worth protecting till the end…then the must be delicious.
"G…Get…out of…my…h-head…" Krad managed to growl squeezing his eyes shut tight.
The demon smiled, he was so strong that he could still talk even after enduring this brutal assault on his senses? My was this becoming far more fun then previously thought, "And why should I? This is far to much enjoyment…" He said with a grin.
"Y-You…monster…" Krad spat and cringed again as another wave of pain washed over him, he couldn't keep this up much longer…but no matter what…no matter what…he cannot touch those memories!
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Dark had given up trying to wake Daisuke; he was out cold, his energies were now concentrated on breaking out of this prison. With Daisuke out the mental block had weakened, but without Daisuke…so had Dark's strength.
He had to get out, even though he could only vaguely hear the sounds outside of the demon's taunts… the screams from his other half were screaming loud in his head. Krad was losing and in danger of depleting all of his energy fighting off something, the demon must have gotten inside of his mind like he had Daisuke. Krad's memories…however intriguing that sound to see, must have been extremely secretive if Krad was willing to kill himself to protect them.
'Damn it…LET ME OUT!' Dark screamed with one final burst of energy and finally the mental barrier was broken, 'Krad hang on!' Dark said and surged forward and began to take over Daisuke's lifeless body. Messy crimson hair grew longer and a deep shade of purple, once red eyes opened to become as violet as wine, and a growl spread across a lightly tanned skinned face. This thing would pay for daring to harm his light!
Suddenly Krad's energy reserves had failed and he fell limp, he'd used up everything he had left and failed. He was powerless to stop his past from coming back to life.
"What, giving out so soon? Haha, to bad…looks like our game ends early…" The false Adel laughed and slowly began to penetrate Krad's sealed memories, wanting him to feel the slow pain and suffering of three hundred years of memories relived. Krad's groans of despair were like music to its ears.
"LET GO OF HIM!"
Suddenly the demon felt a hard crash into his side as Dark slammed into him and he dropped Krad on the ground struggling to breath.
"How dare you even touch him!" Dark yelled as he stood protectively over the fallen angel.
The odds were no longer in favor of the demon. It took precious energy to battle with the angel for control of his memories…and now with Dark here, he'd have to retreat for now. A shame really, he was having so much fun toying with him, but he would come back later and finish the job. He was confident that at least for now…he'd given Verruckt's murderer a slight taste of the hell it was about to unleash.
Quickly the demon, reminding Dark of his host, glared at him and quickly disappeared and fled. Not a trace of it left, only the Phantom Thief and the demonic angel who had slowly returned to his feet unmoving and silent.
Dark cursed slowly under his breath after he was sure that the demon was gone, angered that he had escaped. He sighed and slowly turned back to the golden haired angel who had his gaze averted to the floor emotionless and pale, not that his skin wasn't always pale…but now more of a ghostly white complexion.
Dark didn't know what to say…obviously the demon had done something to him in his mind…unlocked some memory that must have caused Krad great pain in the past…but he was more worried about how Krad would react to Dark breaking his promise…though he couldn't stop Daisuke from doing it, but the fact still remained…Dark Mousy was here, the place where he'd promised his other half he would go. Slowly Dark walked over to the angel…cautious to make sure he wasn't going to attack…but the angel didn't move.
"Krad…" Dark said with a hint of guilt and sympathy in his voice as he moved his hand over to Krad and slowly placed it on his shoulder.
The silence between the two was long and painful for both. The silence seemed eternal for a while.
"…I asked you…" Krad began as Dark looked down at him still with eyes unmet, "I begged you not…to interfere…" His voice was emotionless and almost silent.
Dark felt a twist in his gut as the pain of guilt washed over him, an emotion he rarely felt.
"And…yet…" Krad continued still unmoving, "Here you stand…" There was a long silence between those words, "So why?" Krad growled, his voice turning for calm to maddened with rage and fury and he quickly turned around and wrapped his hands around Dark's throat surprising the thief with this sudden attack, "WHY ARE YOU HERE?" Krad screamed, his eyes had lost all attempts at humanity and forgiveness. It was almost as if Dark were the Demon himself.
Dark grabbed Krad's wrists in an attempt to throw the demon off of him, but Krad's madness was making it impossible to pull even enough room to breath, "K-K-Kra…d…" Dark managed before the demon put more pressure on him.
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE!" Krad raged losing all control, "I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF THIS! YOU NEARLY GOT YOURSELF KILLED!" He screamed.
What? He…He was worried about him? Dark stared at Krad in shock and confusion…was this why Krad didn't want him to interfere?
Suddenly, Krad's eyes began to flicker from blue to gold. Krad clamped his eyes down tight and his grip began to waver, Satoshi was trying to take control. Krad's hands were moved enough so that Dark could slip away and then quickly jumped out of the demonic seraph's path.
"D-Damn…you…" Krad growled harshly as he grabbed his head obviously trying to fight back Satoshi from taking control.
"Krad…Krad please don't do this!" Dark pleaded as the demon turned to glare at him, the only thing holding him back from strangling Dark was Satoshi, "I would never betray your trust…please listen to me and let me explain…"
"NO! I don't want to listen to anything you have to say!" Krad screamed as Satoshi fought back for control harder.
"Krad…" Dark whispered and tried to walk forward towards Krad when the seraph flared his wings as a sign of a warning and he stopped dead.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME! DON'T YOU EVER COME NEAR ME AGAIN!" Krad screamed and with one might flap of his wings the maddened angel was gone.
Dark stood alone in the room and fell to his knees, his body racking with guilt and pain, "Krad…he said in barely a whisper, then turned his head up ward after the already gone fallen angel, "KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!"
Notes from the Author:
WOW! 9 pages? Damn I'm good! Hehehe! Okay well now guess I've left you another cliffy…and if ya'll have no sympathy for Krad or Dark right now… YER INHUMAN! Cries But then again it is all that demon's fault…EEEEEEEEEEEP! Must kill that bastard for turning my babies against each other! Grrrr… Well on a lighter note thank you all so much for your comments and support! Bows Meow Meow! Till next chapter!
General Kitty Girl