Satoshi smiled and relaxed back into his seat, feeling the muted emanations from Krad, the softness, the need and the acceptance, and relief spread through him.
After a while he rose and walked silently toward the bedroom where Daisuke was still sleeping peacefully. His lover and partner would probably pick up on events come morning, but for now Satoshi was glad that at least one of them was at peace.

Stripping, he crawled under the covers and Daisuke moved sleepily, muttering briefly. Satoshi smiled softly and drew the cover around them, then settled in for the rest of the nightor early morning, depending on what angle one looked at it.

° ° °

Daisuke did feel something from Dark the moment he was awake enough to be aware of his demon, and after some careful prodding and a glance toward Satoshi, he listened to the whole story while having breakfast.

"They'll be fine," Satoshi told him as he emptied his coffee.

"Guess so."
Hikari leaned over and gave his lover a little kiss. "We'll all be fine. These are echoes and waves I expected, actually. Krad's a complicated entity with a past I don't envy him. Things are bound to boil up now and then."

Daisuke nodded thoughtfully. "We all have our demons, one way or the other." He smirked. "Some more than others."

Satoshi caught the ambiguity and chuckled. "You're bad, Dai. Very bad."

"Uh-huh. So, what's the plan for today?"

"Your plans involve the U. My plans are stuck as long as I don't get a call from that guy over at LiteSpeed concerning the offer I made to upgrade his security."

"He still hasn't called?" Daisuke chewed on some toast.

"No."

"Prick."

Satoshi chuckled. "That he is, but he's also a customer, he'll see the light."

Daisuke left an hour later, heading for the university, while Satoshi simply went back to his work at home. Dark and Krad had not shown up this morning, both still in their hosts. For now, the realm they shared was enough. Satoshi knew that both would come out sooner or later, but the healing had started inside now.

Good.

° ° °

It was one of their usual 'jobs'. Or 'missions', as Dark sometimes joked. Krad had found an obscure reference to a possibly dangerous art work and Satoshi had researched it thoroughly together with Daikii before they had decided to give the object a closer look in person. It was the Teardrop of the Goddess, an innocent appearing piece of glass that had been artfully manipulated to look like a giant tear drop, precariously balanced on a dark stone plate. It was delicate, enticing, wonderful... and from Daikii's tome they had read that it was also rumored to be a powerful magical object.

Dark had been all for making an announcement and then stealing it, but Daisuke and Satoshi had been firm on the decision not to. Those times were over. Not that anyone, except for maybe Satoshi and Krad, would have a chance to stop the kaitou, but bringing attention to the return of Dark was out of the question.
Dark pouted for a whole five minutes over it, as he usually did just before they set out to steal or seal something.

Satoshi, as was his part in the operation, remained outside the building the Goddess was locked up inside. It was a small, private museum that had rather good security, but nothing a phantom thief couldn't crack. There was little to hold Dark and he knew it.

Krad was with them, an alert presence inside his host, watching the screen with Satoshi, who, dressed all in black, had his small palmtop with him. He was monitoring for trouble, but it looked like it was just an easy go and fetch operation.

Still, the demon was radiating something Satoshi couldn't pinpoint, something close to anxiety, and he wondered what had set it off. Nothing was wrong; everything was going perfectly.

°

Krad felt unwell. He had no explanation for it other than that something was about to happen, something bad, and it was out of their immediate control. He shifted restlessly and caught Satoshi's frown.

:What's wrong: his host asked as he checked and rechecked the readings on the screen, finding nothing amiss.

:Nothing:

A sigh. :Krad...:

:It's like... something's about to happen. I can't put my finger on it:

Satoshi's frown deepened.

Suddenly Krad felt something tug at his mind subtly.

A jolt raced through the demon and he flared, the powers overwhelming Satoshi who gasped softly at the rush.

"Krad!" he moaned, collapsing forward, white wings exploding out of his back, the change overtaking him, pushing him away into the back of their shared mind.

Krad had not been conscious of the change he had so suddenly initiated. Ever since his return he hadn't forced himself upon his host, had asked permission, had hesitated to take over, but this had been instinct. Primal, fearful, needy... and his sense of danger spiked even more.

The tug intensified, screeching, and he staggered.

:Krad...: Satoshi tried.

He didn't get the chance to reply as he heard Dark scream in agony... and then the voice changed, turning into...

"Daisuke!"

Krad's wings unfurled and he took off, heading for the museum. Inside he felt Satoshi's fear combine with his own, felt his host's powerful presence join his own.

°

The Inshi Museum of Art wasn't very large, but it was still a maze. Stretched out over two floors and one basement, the collection ranged from modern art to old artifacts. There were books and vases, figurines and plates, even old clothes and toys. Each room had a theme and the walls and display cases matched it.

Dark had slipped in through a window on the top level since the Goddess was situated in one of the corner rooms together with other glass and crystalline objects of the same time period, and Krad used the same method of entrance. Slipping inside was no great feat. He lithely accomplished the fact, attesting to his own talent at breaking and entering. Wings tucked close to his body as not to bump into the display cases of this room, he hurried to where Dark had to be. Where he should be.

The Goddess's room was one of the largest with an elaborate make-up. All centered toward the main attraction, the Goddess, and since everything was made of crystal or glass or jewels, the room seemed to glow faintly in the light coming in from the outside. Starlight caught in the numerous works of art, bringing them to life.

The demon found Daisuke where the young man had fallen, laying curled into himself, whimpering and panting through the pain he was obviously feeling. His clothes were ripped in places and there were a few cuts and already visible bruises, but nothing immediately life-threatening. Brown eyes were wide and dilated, each breath a testimony of his survival and pain in one as the harsh pants continued. His hands dug into the wooden boards, trying to attain some kind of purchase or just in spasm. It was hard to tell.

Inside Krad, Satoshi gave a horrified cry, pushing forward, wanting to touch his lover, but Krad mercilessly clamped down on the take-over. Not now.

"Daisuke? What happened?" Krad asked as he kneeled down next to the other host.

He was horrified by the state the young man was in and instinctively searched for his partner. When only emptiness answered he felt desperation rise.

Satoshi pushed from inside once more, frantic to be with his lover, and Krad finally let him, initiating a separation. Daisuke's whimpers subsided as Satoshi's arms closed around him. Satoshi whispered softly, soothing him, stroking through the tousled hair. Krad looked around, noticing the little pile of broken glass and crystal that once had been the Goddess. The display case was unharmed, attesting to Dark's success of getting the work of art out of there, but then what had happened?

There wasn't a sign of Dark, neither physical nor magical.

Where are you? he thought desperately.

He felt something in the air, something hungry and sharp. Something he had felt before. It made him shiver and sick to the stomach. It made him itch...

"Satoshi? Take Niwa, we have to get out of here before the alarm goes off," he whispered, strained.

He didn't want to go, didn't want to leave his lover behind, wherever he might be, but it was unavoidable, and Dark would understand. Explanations later, escape now.

Blue eyes met his golden ones, his host drawn between doing just what the demon had told him, and staying to look for Dark.

"Sato," he insisted, voice dropping a little. "Daisuke needs our help now. We can't be found here."

Satoshi nodded and almost easily pulled his lover up, biting his lower lip at the soft whimpers of pain. Krad's wings opened slightly in agitation as his eyes roamed around the room, finally coming to rest on the Goddess once more. He stared at it, useless and broken, then turned and followed his host.

°

"What happened in there?" Krad demanded when they had reached a safe distance from the museum.

It was a small park with old trees and a little lake in the middle. At this time of the night there was only darkness. No one stayed here and though it was a balmy night, no late strollers or couples could be seen or heard.

Satoshi had settled down against a tree, holding his lover in a protective embrace, fingers stroking soothingly through the unruly hair. Daisuke was still pale, the blood from the cuts in sharp contrast to the skin, and his breathing sounded harsh to Krad's ears.

"The entity..." Daisuke whispered, obviously still horrified, and Krad's eyes widened. "The one that once got you and Dark... it was there, inside the Goddess. When Dark realized the soul of the Goddess wasn't her own it was already too late. It grabbed him... pulled him out of me, and it hurt... it hurt so much. Sato..."

There were tears in his eyes as he leaned against his lover, still trembling. Satoshi soothed him, speaking softly, trying to calm him down. Daisuke's hands clawed into the black outfit as if he was afraid Satoshi would up and leave. His eyes were screwed shut and the tears streamed down unchecked.

Krad stood frozentoo vivid was the memory of what the entity had done to them, how it had tortured and tormented the two of them.

And it had Dark.

The Teardrop of the Goddess was destroyed, so there was no possibility to go after it that way. But damn if he would stay behind!

"Let's go."

Satoshi looked at him quizzically, still stroking over Daisuke's head. The other had quieted down a little, head still buried against Hikari, sniffling now and then.

"Daikii," Krad said without even looking at his Tamer, as he spread his wings.

Time was of crucial importance.

"Daisuke?" Satoshi asked softly. "Can you walk?"

Daisuke's eyes opened and the steely resolve Krad had seen in a much younger Niwa Daisuke returned. Despite his appearance, despite his youth back then in school, Niwa had been so much stronger than he appeared. Not the bumbling fool, not the average boy... so much more. Like Satoshi he had been trained for the day his DNA awoke in him, but he had become more than a simple host or Tamer.

Brown eyes met the feline gaze, hard and unyielding but still reflecting the pain he had gone through at the unwilling separation. Daisuke was wounded, body and soul, but he was a fighter.

"Yes," he answered Satoshi's question. "Let's go."

tbc...