Dark looked pale but composed, nodding at Krad to go on.
"Satoshi inherited an incredible power. Not just the blood-line of Riu, but of a second Hikari gene as well. He became a double Hikari, Dark. I never knew why this child had drawn me so much, or why he was powerful enough to fight me. I never understood, Dark. When we were fighting, over Rutile for instance, he took over, even after I had so violently made my way to the forefront. He should have been weak, but he wasn't."
Dark nodded. "Yeah. He was always a rather strong personality."
"And now I know why. He's a Hikari, through and through. Like a pure-bred."
Dark reached out and curled his hand around Krad's wrist, squeezing it gently in reassurance.
"But Kei didn't stop with the knowledge that his step-son was powerful. He experimented with him. He knew Satoshi was a double Hikari, with powerful genes. He had found out about the family curse. Me. I was a tool for him to get the ultimate goal, the ultimate price, and he didn't stop at that. He wanted to know if Sato could influence me. Maybe the genes would draw me out even earlier than the fourteenth birthday."
Krad shuddered and felt Satoshi stir with his emotions rising. He calmed down forcefully.
"He hadn't realized that I had always been there; waiting. I never slept," he whispered roughly. "So he just experimented. He thought that maybe he could break the seal of the Black Wings without you being present, Dark, or even without me. Or maybe he could create something as powerful as the Black Wings itself."
Another shudder and this time Satoshi gave a murmur of pain. Krad spread his wings a little, encasing the trusting soul, radiating more calm than he felt. He sensed Dark's wings coming out even before the kaitou shielded them both with the pitch-black appendages, and the hand around his wrist uncurled, starting to stroke him soothingly.
"Krad..." he whispered.
"It's okay... I want you to know..."
Dark leaned forward and kissed him softly, lips brushing over his cheek.
"Kei... he had never counted on the balance between the two boys," Krad went on, voice steadier. "Even back then they had balanced each other. They were friends. Niwa had refused to hate the enemy, and Satoshi had refused to play the ultimate evil. So Kei had to work on getting the two of us into the Black Wings after all. He lied to me, used me, and I followed his orders like a good little pet." Disgust rose inside him. "Because of my hatred for you, I didn't see the danger. I had his promises of an existence without chains and I was so desperate, so hungry for it. But things went wrong again. You didn't enter the Black Wings alone. You had Daisuke with you."
"Not voluntarily," Dark murmured softly.
"Yes, but it probably saved us all. Satoshi was in the back of my mind, fighting to stop this madness... even by killing himself." Krad swallowed as that bad memory rose once more. "And Daisuke was there with you, clinging to your soul, making you so much stronger. If we, the two souls of the Black Wings, had been alone, the plan would have worked, Dark. Kei would have had the magic of the art work at his disposal, Satoshi would have been destroyed, and with the death of his soul, I would have perished as well."
Krad gazed at the spark of life curled against him, the soul of Satoshi represented in such warm light.
"I understand our connection now. I understand that I cannot live without a Hikari to be my host, to be my guide, and to be my friend."
Dark was silent, probably thinking about his own connection to the Niwas. He couldn't be without them either. The four of them were bound together. Unbreakable.
"And I don't want to," Krad added softly. "I don't want to be without Satoshi. Maybe that makes me a possessive son of a bitch, but it's what I feel."
Dark chuckled. "Yeah, so do I. I know what you mean. I feel just the same."
° ° °
Daisuke didn't know what to say when he finally heard the full story. He was speechless, then he just hugged Satoshi close, whispering softly he loved him. Nothing would change that. Not his blood line, not his genes, not his ancestors. Nothing at all. Satoshi just held him tightly, then their lips met in a close to desperate kiss.
So much had happened to them in the close to two years Krad and Dark had been back. So much had been revealed and not all was positive. This... this Daisuke didn't know what it was. His lover was a Hikari; he had always known that. But that he had Hikari genes from both sides was... astounding. It had shocked him a little, then his mind had gone into overdrive, flashing back to Unity, the innocent little piece of art work that had radiated such strong magic -- after existing for only a brief time.
Satoshi wielded a lot of magic because of his bloodline and now it was a dangerously high magic because of the double gene.
Their love-making had been intense. Satoshi's expression had been one of need mixed with fierceness, the blue eyes glowing with something deep inside his soul. Daisuke had retaliated the kisses and touches, had fought the mock battle for dominance in their encounter, and had finally surrendered. He had arched into each touch, moaned and whispered his pleasure, had whimpered at Satoshi's strokes and licks and little bites, and he had protested each time his lover refused to let him reach his peak. When he finally did, it was like an explosion and Satoshi came with him, crying out Daisuke's name.
Lying together, sweaty, hot, deeply satisfied, Daisuke tiredly stroked over the slender, muscular back, feeling each of Satoshi's breaths.
It was how they fell asleep. Messy but too exhausted to care, and Daisuke knew they would pay for it in the morning. Not just the soreness that he felt already, but everything else.
He didn't care.
Only the man in his arms mattered.
° ° °
Satoshi sat at the kitchen counter, a bowl of ice cream in front of him, with warm chocolate sauce on top of it, and was eating it spoonful after spoonful. Daisuke was still sleeping and Satoshi had let him. They had woken a few hours ago, cleaned up the mess, and Satoshi had watched Daisuke roll over and drop off into sleep once more. He envied his lover, since all he could do was doze a bit more. Part of him had looked inward and seen nothing but a small figure far away in the recesses of their shared mind.
Krad was still there, watching him carefully, guarding him, but he wouldn't touch him. So Satoshi had left the bed and gone into the kitchen for a little snack.
/Krad/ he coaxed gently.
There was a little movement and the demon came carefully closer.
/Wanna share/
Krad hesitated, then he came even closer. Satoshi kept his mind calm and even, his emotions steady, but when Krad finally separated, a little gasp escaped him.
"Oh Krad..." he whispered.
His symbiote's state was... bad. It wasn't the pale skin or the tight lines in the handsome face.
It were the scars.
Satoshi was on his feet, the ice cream forgotten, and with Krad without thinking. Wide blue eyes took in the marks around his neck, his wrists, and he knew there would be more on his back. Everywhere the chains his family had tied this proud being down with had left the scars.
He reached out and his palm touched the scarred neck.
"Krad..."
The blond flinched a little, but he didn't move away. Satoshi knew that those marks only came out when his symbiote was exhausted, could no longer keep up the flawless appearance, and right now Krad had reached his limit. He hadn't really touched Satoshi in the last few days, keeping away, alone with his own hurt and anger and confusion. He had gone through hell, at the hands of Hel and later with the knowledge gained from Kei's files, and he had born the weight of the knowledge and the memories alone.
Satoshi let his hand stroke over the soft skin.
"I'm not angry, Krad. Just shocked. And a bit confused. But not angry. You should have come."
The golden eyes lowered. "I didn't think you'd take it... very well."
"I'd never push you away. We were all victims. I knew that even before this was revealed. Nothing changes, Krad. Nothing at all. I'm your host. I'll remain your host."
Krad swallowed. "Thank you."
Satoshi smiled. "Hey. We're one. You're bound to me, I am bound to you. It's in my blood and in your soul. Krad, I love you. Nothing changes that, not even the truth about my heritage. I knew I'm a Hikari. Finding out that I'm twice a Hikari, from both sides, well, it only makes me glad that my mother didn't sleep with a closer relative. It might have left its marks somewhere else, too."
Krad grimaced and grabbed the hand cupping his cheek. He pulled Satoshi into an embrace.
"I can never repay you for what you've done for me. Never. I owe you a lot."
Satoshi chuckled softly. "There are no debts, Krad. There never were. "
"You had no obligation to take me back," the demon reminded him.
"No, no obligation, but it was the right thing to do."
"To sacrifice yourself to an insane killer?"
Satoshi looked into the feline eyes. "Yes. Back then I did it for Daisuke. Today I know it was also for you to heal. You're not insane, Krad. But you always were possessive." He smirked a little.
"Can't help that," was the soft reply.
"I know." Satoshi smiled. "Ice cream?"
Krad grinned. "Sounds good. Vanilla?"
"With chocolate sauce or chocolate chips? And if we do it right, we can even steal some of Daisuke's double chocolate chip ice cream and he'll never know."
Satoshi watched with satisfaction how the scars seemed to fade a little. Krad heaped ice cream into a bowl and both settled down, talking and eating. Looking at his former curse, Satoshi suddenly tilted his head.
"Krad?"
"Hm?"
"Did you change your looks?"
Spoon stuck in his mouth, Krad looked almost comical in his expression. "Change?"
"When I was younger, you looked like an older teenager. Older than Dark anyway, but not that much. Now... Maybe it's my point of view, but you look.. more like my age."
Krad played with the spoon. "We can adjust," he murmured. "I can look like whatever I want to. Well, almost. There are limits. When I first showed myself to you, I chose to be older... intimidating..." He shrugged with embarrassment. "Now... we're equals."
So he looks more like my age, Satoshi added silently.
"Thank you."
Golden eyes blinked and Satoshi just smiled.
tbc...