Towa stood on the terrace, overlooking the large garden and her eyes were on the tall, blond figure sitting on the wall that separated the garden from the steep cliff side. The sound of the waves crashing far below was distant today. The sun shone down with abandon, sea gulls circled above, and it was a perfect day.
Perfect like the creature she was watching. Even in clothes that didn't remind her of the pristine, elegant way of dressing Krad looked... like Krad. The hair was shorter, the single, long strand that hung over his eyes was gone, and there were no wings, but Towa only saw the monster. He had his knees drawn up, lower arms resting lazily in them, and his eyes were hidden behind a pair of shades as he soaked up the sun.
"Towa?"
The soft voice startled her a and she turned, almost flushing with embarrassment as she looked into the deeply violet eyes of Dark.
There had been a time she had been completely stricken with him, had felt nothing but almost hero-like adoration. Dark had been a hero back then, and he still was. All the works of art with a soul, with sentiency, had heard of the Phantom Thief, of his work. When she had met him, it had been like a dream come true. He had saved her, he had brought her back to the Niwas, and she had decided to serve them. Created by a Hikari, she had finally found a purpose in serving the Niwa family.
Until the fateful day when Dark and Krad had returned she had never felt like she did now. Towa had been ecstatic to have Dark back, but Krad... Krad was the monster, the horror, of their past.
"Dark," she now greeted him.
Like Krad he looked different, but not too much. The wild hairstyle was still there in a way. Just shorter. He was dressed in jeans and t-shirt and sneakers, looking cool. He had always looked cool and like everyone's wet dream.
Towa turned back to watching Krad. "Is he really that different?" she asked evenly.
"Yes, Towa, he is. Very much so."
She frowned a little. "He tried to kill you and... and Daisuke... even his own host. How can you forgive him?"
"Because I've seen his pain, his past... and him. He's not who you remember. You only saw a moment in time, not the whole thing. Without the knowledge I have, you can't understand him."
Towa studied him closely. "I can't forgive him, Dark. I can't forget what he did."
His eyes appeared old all of a sudden, as old as he really was, so much older than her, actually. "He tried to kill my host, Towa. Daisuke was his target more often than not. Satoshi suffered a lot under him. I don't ask you to accept him as a friend or confidant. I just ask you to have an open mind. Krad is part of Satoshi, like I am part of Dai. And he's part of me. A very integral part. Essentially, we are the same. We're both demons."
"Yes, but you..."
"There is no 'but'," he interrupted her almost harshly. "We are the Black Wings. We are one and the same. Two souls who shared the same work of art. Like you, Towa, we were created by a Hikari. I love Krad. He will always be half of me."
"Sorry," she whispered, shaking her head. "I just can't... he is... he... I just can't see him like I see you."
Dark nodded his acceptance. "I can't force you to change your mind. But remember that Satoshi is part of Krad and vice versa. You can't have one without the other. When Satoshi visits, Krad will be there, too. Krad's already doing you a favor by removing his presence despite the fact that he can't exist outside for a prolonged amount of time!"
Anger swung in the usually so light and humor-filled voice. Satoshi and Daisuke had come because Emiko had finally decided that the computer needed a serious upgrade, and Satoshi was the man to do it. Daisuke had tagged along, spending time with his family. That family now included the blond demon.
Towa's lips became a thin line. She glanced at the blond again. "Sorry," she whispered. She turned and walked away.
Dark sighed softly and looked after the disappearing form, then walked over to his lover, who hadn't moved an inch. Krad was perfectly aware of Towa, he was convinced of that. He just hadn't reacted. Now that he approached, the blond turned his head and a smile crossed the handsome, smooth features. Dark felt himself mirror the smile. He reached out and pushed the sunglasses further up his lover's nose, grinning.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself," Krad replied, catching the hand and wrapping his fingers around it.
Dark leaned down and kissed the tip of his nose. Before he could remove himself, Krad caught him and kissed him on the lips, nipping and licking until Dark opened up under him.
"That's a kiss," the demon whispered.
Dark chuckled. "Fast learner," he murmured. He stroked over one cheek, noting the way too faint emissions of energy. "You need to recharge, love."
"I'll be fine."
Dark scowled. He didn't like the differences made between him and Krad, but he understood the reasoning behind it. Krad had been the enemy, he had hurt a lot of people, Dark and Daisuke included, but all of them who now lived together knew about Krad's past.
"Dark," the blond whispered and tugged at his hand. "I understand. She fears me and I won't help her along by hanging around the house. I had to be away, even outside Satoshi, to calm her fear."
"It's wrong."
"We can't change it. We've been back for less than a year. Towa needs time."
Reaching for a strand of long, blond hair, Dark played with it, curling it around his finger. Krad scowled a little, but he didn't stop him.
They simply stayed together, enjoying the sun, the waves below, the breeze ruffling their hair. Dark wrapped his arms around his lover, burying his face in the sun warm hair, enjoying the smell, the texture, the sheer presence of him, trying to ignore the alarmingly low rate of energy. Finally he transferred a little of his own into the slender form and Krad started as if shot.
"Dark..." he muttered, slightly annoyed.
"Don't fight what you need," was the softly murmured reply. "I don't want you fainting on me."
Krad chuckled. "I'm not that weak."
The kaitou didn't answer, just sought the nearness again. It had frightened him in the beginning how attracted he was to the demon, how much he needed the other. Now it was just natural to be like this.
'You were that close in the Black Wings,' Kosuke had told him one evening with his ever-present faint smile. 'You were two entities, entwined, aware of each other, seeking each other for comfort. It's no surprise that you did the same in this world, though for the past centuries that attraction had a violent touch to it.'
Yes, because Krad had been conditioned to hate him. The hatred had disappeared with the changes all around them, and the conditioning... well, it was still there. Sometimes Dark saw the chains and the scars and the hurt from so long ago, especially when Krad was low on power or his defenses were down. The slender, smooth-skinned form would show the traces of abuse, the scarring around his wrists and on his back. It would take a long time to heal because it had been inflicted over a long period of time.
"Love you," he murmured.
Krad hugged him wordlessly.
end of this ficlet
to be continued