AN: Listened to a song on a loop while writing this fic. I succeeding in getting a headache, but I think it's worth it. I like this fic…

Disclaimer: I do not own!

I AM KRAD. : this means that Krad is speaking to Satoshi

I am Satoshi. : this means that Satoshi is speaking to Krad

Sparks from the fire rise up to the sky
Higher and higher, oh I want to fly
Out of this story, this time I'll be free
Wake up for a moment from this dream of me

Just a legend, cold words on a page
Lift up my eyes and I'm soaring away
On silver wings, spread out to the sun
I'm leaving this city for the skies above

--The Skies Above

Freedom

Call Satoshi a paranoid bastard all you want, but if you had a homicidal maniac living within you too, you'd be just as paranoid—or more.

His blonde counterpart was usually the subject of Satoshi's thoughts and this time was no different. Usually, the thoughts would be about how to get rid of him permanently, or how to prevent him from a forceful takeover. But this time, it was different.

Krad was quiet.

Krad was too quiet.

He was silent for almost a week now and Satoshi was getting suspicious. Exactly what was he doing now? Planning the demise of every living creature that ever existed? And especially…

Satoshi shot a glance at his cleaning partner—Niwa Daisuke. Was Krad thinking of ways to kill him too…?

No, that wasn't right. Whenever Krad had plans, or even passing thoughts, about killing the Niwas or Dark, he would tell them to Satoshi—in extreme detail.

So just exactly what was Krad doing now?

The silence was unnerving. It was getting to him. It was making him all the more paranoid…and curious.

Krad might not be a loudmouth like Dark, but he still talked to his host quite often. For as long as he could remember, he had always been there, a strong presence in his mind, but now…It was like he faded away.

He could ask Daisuke to ask Dark for him…But…

Oh, what the hell. His curious nature got the better of him and he made his way to the other end of the room where Daisuke was cleaning up the chalkboard.

He really hoped Dark had an answer for this.

Because loathe as he was to admit it, Krad was a constant in his life. And that constant was more comforting than not.

…If anyone ever found out, he was going to kill himself.

Freedom.

He wanted freedom.

It lay so close within his grasp, but every time he reached out for it, it eluded him. Just as the food and water eluded Tantalus.

Krad's face broke out into a hateful scowl. Freedom would always elude him…From the time of his birth until the last moment of his life, he would be in chains, wishing for freedom and never getting it.

He wasn't always like this. But hundreds of years of being chained down firmly, of being cruelly reminded of what he could never have, jaded him. He emerged as a hateful and cynical being because of the freedom he could never have.

And Dark…He made it all the more worse. He had always watched Dark soar in the night sky without limits…Sure, he had to share a body like he did, but the Niwas always treated Dark like another part of the family instead of a burden.

It was because of Dark he gradually learned what freedom was.

And it was because of Dark he realized what he had.

He had an existence. He merely survived.

Dark lived.

And that, that was probably the thing that hurt the most.

And so, with that realization, what else could Krad do but hate Dark? What else could Krad do but hate the Niwas that gave Dark so much freedom?

Maybe it was only petty jealousy. But it was all that Krad had left in his chaotic, half-life. The half-life that he lived…no…the half-life that he survived.

Because with the Hikari family, there was no life.

So Krad, who once was a kind and gentle soul, became a shadow of his former glory. All that was left within his being were churning currents of rage and anger that turned him into a cynical and heartless being.

When Hiwatari had given his son to Krad, he finally thought he would have a taste of freedom. He was desperate and Hiwatari knew that…Hiwatari knew that he needed a taste of freedom before he descended into madness and dragged the Hikari family with him.

But it wasn't freedom. Satoshi fought back, contained him…he chained Krad. Just like his ancestors did.

He was no closer to freedom than he ever was.

So what else could Krad do but speak to his host in a voice like sugar, but words of poison?

But Satoshi denied him. He fought back.

Krad was impressed with Satoshi's will and hated him even more for it. Because if Krad had the strength Satoshi had, then maybe he would have survived the Hikari family. But all he had now were fragments of memories filled with contentment…and his bitter past.

After Satoshi had told Daisuke his problem, Daisuke, being the nice kind of guy he is, promised to ask Dark about it later and would tell him tomorrow at school what Dark had to make of this situation.

Satoshi had thanked him and the two left for their houses.

Well, Daisuke had told Dark the problem, and it just caused Dark to be silent as well.

Well, Daisuke was sort of worried. He didn't know how much long it took Satoshi to be suspicious of Krad's silence, but an hour of silence from Dark was too much. Now he was suspicious of his counterpart.

Well, that was a lie. Dark was exactly being quiet. He was muttering and every once in a while, Daisuke could hear exactly what Dark was muttering about.

It was something concerning the Niwas, the Hikaris, and flying.

Daisuke really hoped that it made a lot more sense to Dark than it did to him.

Finally, just as Daisuke was about to drift to sleep, Dark asked him to tell Satoshi to tell his counterpart to meet him tomorrow at midnight.

Daisuke agreed and as he fell into a deep slumber, he wondered just what Dark planned to do.

He didn't have to know.

He just hoped that Dark knew what he was doing.

It was midnight and Krad was spending it outside in the cool night air, instead of sleeping in a warm, comfortable bed. Earlier that day, Satoshi had told him that Dark wanted to speak with him at midnight in the local park.

So here he was, sitting on a cold metal bench that dug painfully into his back. He shifted slightly and crossed his legs.

Where. The. Hell. Was. He?

Quick footsteps coming his way alerted him to the thief's presence. He looked up slowly to see the thief's face a few inches away from his.

"Hey, cranky." The thief joked. "Sorry I'm late. Emiko kept fussing over me before I left." He said apologetically, scratching the back of his head.

Emiko…That was Daisuke's mother, wasn't it?

It must be nice…

For someone to fuss over you…

For someone to worry about your health…

No one ever fussed over Krad before. They never cared if he lived or died…

A hand waving in front of his face brought him back to reality. He looked at the owner's face, a pale eyebrow raised.

"Sorry…" Krad smiled wistfully. "I was just thinking of how lucky you are…to have someone fuss over you…"

Dark rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah…I guess it is…" Dark agreed slowly, not exactly sure what brought this topic up. "But, it gets kind of annoying after awhile, you know?"

Krad shook his head. "No, I don't know…I never had someone fuss over me before…I never had anyone wonder if I was okay or not…"

"Oh…" Dark blinked. "Sorry. I didn't know that."

Krad just shrugged. "So…what did you want to talk about before?"

Dark sat down next to Krad on the park bench and sighed.

Krad noticed he was sitting a little too close, but…well, it was cold out and he was cold, but Dark was warm so he kind of scooted closer to Dark minutely.

"Satoshi was telling Daisuke and me how you were too silent lately. He was worried about what you were doing?" Dark said.

Krad blinked. "He told you? When did this happen?" Krad asked.

"Yesterday, when the two of them had cleaning duty." Dark replied.

Krad looked slightly surprised.

Dark caught the look and added, "Yeah, he figured you were really out of it all week and wanted to know why."

Krad smiled bitterly. "He was worried that I was thinking of plans to kill you two?"

"Well…sort of. But mostly, he was worried about you." Dark said quietly.

Krad blinked. Then, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I don't believe you." He countered softly.

It's true. I was worried about you. You've been quiet the entire week and… Satoshi shifted uncomfortably at the back of Krad's mind. You've been subdued. It's not like you to do that.

Did you think that I was going to commit suicide or something? Krad asked with a touch of sarcasm. Because, in case you can't recall, I can't exactly commit suicide as I don't have a body of my own.

I was just worried about you! Satoshi defended. You're a…constant in my life. Satoshi shifted again. The next words were hard to say, especially when he promised himself that he'd kill himself if anyone ever found out. It's…comforting to know that you're always there. I sort of missed you talking to me…

Krad just exuded shock from his body. His sharp wit failing him for once, he just chose to talk with Dark instead.

"So, I assume you wanted to know what I've been thinking about this past week…" Krad said slowly, looking at Dark.

Dark nodded. "Exactly." He smirked slightly. "I've always wanted to know what was going on in that pretty little blonde head of yours."

"A lot more than anything happening in your head." Krad replied dryly.

Dark rolled his eyes. "Can you just tell me before I lose my head and try to throttle you for saying that I'm a dimwit?"

Krad's smirk was short lived as he remembered just what he was thinking about.

"I was always jealous of you…" Krad started. "The Niwas loved you like a family member. You coexisted peacefully with them. You had fun together. You were free." Krad sighed. "I was never free. I was always treated like a burden. I was chained down to my family bloodline. I wanted freedom. I wanted what you had."

"And that's why you wanted your own body." Dark said sagely. "That's why you were so desperate."

"Hundreds of years of being chained and longing for freedom often make people desperate." Krad replied. "I wanted to be free, like the birds that soar through the sky, freely roaming the air."

"Yes, but don't you think that birds don't really have freedom?" Dark asked. "They fly and fly in search for a home until their wings are sore. Don't you think they wish that they were wingless so they wouldn't have to fly?"

Krad frowned. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying…that I think freedom is just having a home to be in and to be surrounded by people who care for you."

Krad raised an eyebrow. "Oh yes, because I'm welcome in Satoshi's home and he just loves me." He shot back sardonically.

"I think he loves you more than you think." Dark replied cryptically.

Krad frowned. Those words that Satoshi had said came back into his mind…

You're a constant in my life…It's comforting to know that you're always there…

"And, furthermore," Dark continued. "I care about you very much. We've been in this thing together for four hundred years now. You're the only one I can really depend on."

Krad stood up quickly. This was getting too much to handle. He quickly formed his wings and took to the sky.

"Where are you going?" Dark demanded.

"Home." Came the curt reply. Krad turned around in the air to face Dark. "If you think that this changes anything between us, you're sorely mistaken. The next time I see your face, I'm going to kill you." He warned. Then, he took off, leaving Dark sitting on the bench alone with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that…" Dark muttered. "Something's definitely changed within you. Our next meeting will be an interesting one to say the least…"

Satoshi cursed quietly as he ran down the hallways of the museum, trying vainly to catch Dark before he could break another window and escape from his clutches again.

Satoshi… Krad whispered in his mind.

What? Satoshi asked, annoyed that Dark was getting farther away.

Allow me… Krad said.

Satoshi grinned. Of course. Just wait a moment…

Just as Satoshi predicted, Dark broke yet another window to escape from Satoshi. He hovered outside of the window, smirking mockingly as Satoshi came closer.

"And once again, I escape from your clutches!" Dark said victoriously.

"Not this time!" Satoshi replied, jumping out the window.

Both Dark and Daisuke almost had a heart attack when they saw Satoshi plummet to the ground. But then, in mid-air, Krad replaced Satoshi and flew up to meet Dark in the air.

"Hello, Dark…" Krad purred dangerously. "Would you honor me with a chase?"

Dark almost laughed. "I hope I am a worthy enough prey!"

Krad smiled. "I'll be the one to decide that."

And two figures raced in the night, one dressed in black and the other dressed in white. But this time, the chase was different. There were neither hurled insults nor magic aiming to kill. The chase was purely for thrills.

And the two were enjoying it indeed.

End

AN: Krad finally has the freedom he's been yearning for! Everyone, please stand up and clap for him! XP