27-08-04 Footnote (well, more like head-note, but is that possible?): Yep, redid chapter 2 in case you're wondering! Who's keeping up? Not many, by the looks of it... [sniffs] oh well, I bring it on myself. So... with the help of my beta-reader ScahiAmi, I've done a complete remake of chappie 2. Well, not really a remake, just a sppokiness increase. Or an annoying increase. And I do have a tendancy to add long useless descriptions in my writing now, no? Just the way I am. Anyway... hope you like this redone chapter 2!
And chapter three is... floating around uselessly. Not because I don't know what I'm doing, but because I can't seem to work out how to keep chap3 in the mood... will have to speak to all my helpers [I have more now. Whee!]. But other than that... this could be awhile...
Oh, and I suggest you read a few stories from various other DNAngel writers. No, really, I insist. Or do I have to get the flamethrower...? Anyway, the one's I (strongly) suggest is the Ice Rose [by Clarence Hikari], Escaping Expectations, by Starday (come on... I think you'll like it! A really different HP/DNAngel crossover. Now... please read it, I'm the only one who is, so... pleeaaassseee?), Haunted by the one and only Neko-nya (and all those other stories that're there) and... uhm... Nostalgia by baka-chibbi (I think that's how you spell it. Sorry, long night. Not good for the eyes, you know...) and, aw... I give up for now. When I can pull out all my favs, then I will, or just check my favorite stories, most should be there. I hope...
Thanks for all the nice reviews! This means I'll be working on this story a bit more, since so many people like it! Heh... dark-type fics aren't usually my favorite type of fics, but this story really gets... spooky. It looks like I'll be planning it for a while yet, but I've got the main idea, and it's freaking me out. Yeesh...
Hmm... chapter 2 isn't all that freaky. I wasn't angsty enough to write it really spooky, and I think Dark is WAY out of character here (Daisuke as well, but that's what supposed to happen). Um... you decide. [fixed them up slightly. Hope I got a bit more Dark-like character in it... or not...]
Now, this story will most likely focus on Daisuke, Satoshi and, of course, their alter-egos. I've always had a thing of having two points of view in different areas, so expect that to happen for this whole story, and it shouldn't be hard to spot who's who anyway.
Again, thanks for the review! (putting up a thanking list at the end, if you really wanna read it. Heh...)
Disclaimers: I don't own this, nor can I control where this story will go. The darkness is taking over... oh yeah; I own the newer introduced characters, obviously. All originals... What would happen if the darkness was to take over??? ... I don't want to think about it.
Summary for Chap II: If what it seems, really isn't what it seems, then what is the real truth behind all this?
... Satoshi finds himself awake in the middle of the night for no reason, Daisuke is worried about what the dream/nightmare is actually about, and Dark seems to be thinking one thing; somehow, it all seems familiar to him.
... Like the past is repeating itself.
Other:
() Daisuke
(()) Dark
And just 'cause it'll happen... [in the end]
:: Satoshi
:::: Krad
Chapter II: A Dark Night. Contemplation.
In another area of the Azumano district, Hiwatari Satoshi jerked up abruptly, the silence of the night forgotten completely. He'd been jolted out of his sleep so unexpectedly that he wasn't too sure whether he was still dreaming or whether he was now facing reality. Not that it mattered, either way.
After scanning his surroundings, he decided that he wasn't dreaming. This was because the only ones he could actually remember consisted of either him actually catching Dark once and for all and ending the Hikari curse, or Krad killing Daisuke rather brutally.
He considered himself spared from the Krad-Daisuke dream, since it always left him drenched in sweat when he woke up.
The tall, blue-haired boy unconsciously reached for his glasses, pushing them on and looking at the bare walls which made up his bedroom. Nothing was out of place, to his relief - if that was any sort of consolation to him. But, since he still felt uneasy, he decide to take a walk outside, despite the fact that he'd slept less than a few hours, since his other, homicidal-half had been talking to him for quite some time, keeping him awake mercilessly.
Having not changed out of the clothes he'd been wearing that day, he passed the empty hallway and pulled the front door open a crack, cautious of any suspicious activity. Satoshi sighed, wondering what had woken him up, but only catching snatches of what he'd been dreaming. They were quite blurry, like an out-of-date movie, but some scenes made horribly clear images flash through his mind.
Unable to remember enough to satisfy his curiosity, he pulled the door wide open and left the apartment building which was his home, if it could be classified as one, due to the fact that he didn't even live with anyone, and no longer had a biological family to look after him.
Closing it softly, so it wouldn't disturb the residents on the same floor, he started to make his way out, but froze at the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, echoing all the way down the hallway.
Something didn't feel right to him and it seemed oddly familiar – the same feeling of uneasiness.
He scanned the area around him warily, only relaxing when the footsteps finally stopped a fair distance away, which was accompanied by the sound of a door creaking open, and then slamming shut, leaving a ringing silence in its wake.
Satoshi muttered under his breath before striding out towards the streets, which were always deserted in the late hours.
The cool night air whipped across his face, softly tugging at his hair, but he ignored it all. He passed the dim, empty streets, caught in the very depths of his mind. Uncomfortable images began to flash in his mind again, as the dark night seemed to jerk them out of the depths, and it left him in dread and wariness:
A physical barrier, made completely out of dark energy.
A city completely blanketed in the darkness, and...
... a lone figure, standing in the heart of the city, as if waiting for someone, or something.
There was something oddly familiar about the figure, but Satoshi couldn't put his finger on it. Something about the spiky hair...
Everything after that scene blared out at him so quickly that the blue-haired boy was no longer sure whether it had truly happened or not:
White, snake-like mist...
Two figures running together, as if trying to escape the mist.
Pure red energy, emitting dark energy, full of malice.
A scream which seemed to cut through glass, accompanied by more mist, and then...
A cold, toneless voice, which surpassed Krad's own voice by a mile, leaving Satoshi feeling slightly off colour, and the blood red eyes... holding no emotion, as if there was only one purpose in life:
To kill.
He frowned, directing his attention to the sky to distract himself from the visions, which were starting to get to him in a way he didn't think possible.
It was a cloudless night, and he could see the half-moon and the dim scattering of lights that were the stars. The light reflected off his azure eyes as he continued to frown for no apparent reason, trying to understand what the strange scenes had really meant. There was something not right about the whole picture, and it annoyed him due to the fact that he couldn't get a direct or logical answer.
Pushing it all out of his mind, he started back towards the apartment, assuring himself that the lack of sleep was probably the reason to him having absurd dreams and that was why it was affecting his mind so much.
But the thing that had actually woken Satoshi up that night had been screaming.
Daisuke's screaming.
===
"It's okay, it's okay," cooed Emiko in a motherly manner as she cradled Daisuke in her arms, continuing to cuddle him as if he was still a baby, "Mother's here now, so you don't have to worry about any scary dreams, okay?"
He could only shake his head, too scared to actually tell her off for treating him like a two-year-old child. The dream he'd just had had been too scary, too painful, too... real, for the boy's liking and any comfort was good comfort.
Unless, of course, it came from-
((What, did the bogeyman chase you in your sleep?)) asked the mocking voice that belonged to his other half.
(Dark...) Daisuke shivered unconsciously, (that isn't funny...)
((Well, you're the one who actually woke me up,)) replied Dark loftily, as if nothing was wrong, ((With your incoherent screaming and such, how did you expect me to react, exactly?))
(But...)
"There, there, Dai-chan," continued Emiko in a sappy voice, oblivious to the fact that Daisuke was having an argument with his alternate personality, and petted his head, "everything will be alright, see? Nothing's going to jump out of the shadows at you, so don't cry anymore."
"Mum! I'm not crying!" recovering sufficiently, Daisuke managed to struggle out of her grasp, "I'm fine now! Really..." his voice faded off weakly, as he knew that wasn't the truth.
At this, she frowned, concern stamped on her usually cheerful features, "But, you were screaming so loudly, Daisuke. I was so worried about you..." she took one of his hands, squeezing it slightly. "What was the dream about? Maybe it will make you feel better if you tell someone..."
"I..." the redhead swallowed nervously, avoiding her gaze, "I can't remember, mum. But... I'm okay now."
Turning his head slightly, he managed a weak smile at her.
Emiko still didn't look convinced with his answer, but she nodded all the same, patting his head again, "Then go back to sleep, okay? Don't be afraid to call if something happens."
"Okay..."
Daisuke rolled over in his bed, and nearly fell out of it when he found himself face-to-face with his pet, With. The rabbit-like creature 'kyu'-ed softly in concern, before curling up into him which was the common sign of wanting to comfort the boy.
Closing his eyes and trying to calm his nerves, the redhead waited until he heard his mother leave the room and closing the door behind her softly. Once he was certain that she was out of hearing range, he sat up, clutching With gently as he stared into a mirror propped up at the end of his bed. In it, he could see not just his own reflection but that of his other half – Dark.
The mysterious Phantom Thief was frowning slightly. When he spoke it became obvious he was currently more concerned with Daisuke's sanity than anything else.
((Are you really feeling okay?)) the mocking tone had vanished as well, moving to a slightly more normal tone that the redhead was used to. It was also tinged with a mixture of wariness and concern, he noticed.
Daisuke stroked With for a few minutes, as if wondering how to answer such a simple question, but Dark remained patient, waiting for the answer, although he already had suspicions.
In the end, the redhead sighed, shaking his head slowly, "No, I'm not alright... that dream I just had. It was..." he swallowed again, "it seemed so real, and..."
((And what dream was that?)) queried the Thief, but he got no answer, so he pouted in annoyance, ((does this mean I have to go through your head to get the answers now?))
Again, Daisuke remained silent, head bowed, but Dark could feel uncontrollable fear welling up in the smaller boy. Trying hard not to snort at his host's sudden fear of dreams, the Thief went back to see what the boy had actually been dreaming - at what had left Daisuke so unhinged and extremely paranoid. He could see this by the fact that the redhead kept on jumping whenever he heard the floorboards giving the tiniest creak in the silence.
((Yeesh, what is the reason for this, this time?)) he muttered to himself, ((even when you first met Krad, you weren't freaking out--))
He fell silent as Daisuke's dream flashed out to him like a movie. It only took a minute to leave shivers down Dark's spine. He watched in silence, while the redhead clutched onto With, still shaking slightly at the mere memory of it.
Once it had finished, Dark snorted slightly before speaking.
((... I see...)) mentally, the Thief told himself the keep an eye out for suspicious activity for the next few days, ((it was a dream, Daisuke. Don't let something like that bother you so much, okay?))
"But..." the smaller boy whispered, not convinced, "it felt so real... like I was there. The power was so strong... it was crushing me... and the red energy itself, it was... terrible..."
((Don't say that,)) Dark cut in sharply, shaking at how much the boy had actually suffered from the whole ideal, ((it's not gonna happen, and besides, I'm still here, right? Don't think stupid dreams are gonna come real just it feels that way.))
"... okay," Daisuke lay back, staring at the ceiling as he continued to talk, "you're always going to be here, aren't you?"
((Well, duh, where do you expect me to be?)) he replied, relaxing as he saw his host returning to his usual level of uneasiness, which was just... like Daisuke – which usually meant he didn't worry about anything besides being pinned by Satoshi, when Dark was being pinned by Satoshi during their 'jobs', or, when it happened, Krad's appearance and how it would affect the rest of them.
((Now, just go to sleep already.))
The redhead yawned and nodded, "Mmm... thanks, Dark..." he half-mumbled before sleep took over him.
Silence fell in the room again, leaving Dark to contemplate at what had just happened. He allowed himself the chance to stand next to his sleeping host, brushing a hand lightly over the smaller boy's forehead, "Does this mean... it's happening all over again?"
Something about the dream had been oddly familiar to him. Something...
The Phantom Thief couldn't put his finger on it. But as he watched the boy sleeping peacefully, he worried about the dream and what the future had in store for both of them.
"It seems..." he muttered, to no one in particular, "... the past may be repeating itself all over again. Just my luck..."
Giving Daisuke a sad look, Dark shook his head.
"But this time... I'll be there."
---- To Be Continued ----
You know what? I could call this chapter "Everyone's getting a bit too angsty, and they think too much, and at some point we're all gonna di---" never mind. Not like I'd really call it that anyway.
Really, I wasn't that angsty-like for this chapter - which really cramps my style for this fic [I was REALLY angry-like for the first chap, and since whenever I'm angry, I start a new story {unless it's just out of boredom...}. I've got too many to finish, guh... the pain...], but I guess it can't be dark-like all the time... hmmm... but this story is so hard to write and make sure it keeps the suspension and all that. I dunno, and I really don't want to be in that 'mood' to make sure it's kept in the evil mode, or something, or whatever. Yeesh...
This chapter wasn't scary, was it? Although it is a bit... mind catching/confusing? Something where you wanna know more? I dunno, is it?
Anyway... now I have to write out my third chapter... won't take too long though! Heh... so much time on my hands... [reality bites. I think I have story block. Not writer's block, mind you. I've got too many stories for writer's block to form...]
Oh yeah, if you wanna beta read for this story, or any other story that's up (I dunno, do you read them?) then just send a review or email telling me. All comments are good comments, since they help me get to know my readers! Also, if you want me to beta read for you, then don't hesitate to ask, because I like going through stories, and trying to help people as much as I can. Although... when it's spelling and grammar, argh, they're so annoying, especially since we type, and sometimes we spell the wrong thing and the computer doesn't pick it up! What kind of technology is this?! Oh well... if you do want me to beta read, I'm open (well, not really, since I beta reading someone else's already, but I like to help as many people as I can! And I have LOADS of free time, or, at least, it feels that way. Yeesh {I use that word too much. Would Dark even say 'yeesh'?! I think not}, school...)
-- Thanking Reviewers Segment! [Since other people do it, I gonna do it too, cause you were so nice to read it and review it for me! And that's why I continued it! And you people are special!]
- Redrose Moon: Heh... rocking. I like it. And thanks for the nice review and comment and whatever!
- Clarence Hikari: Yeah, I'm beta reading for you, but besides that... I'm glad you enjoyed it too. Hopefully this will be up as soon as it can be... and, hmm... do your best on The Ice Rose! Can't wait for the chapter 4!
- neko-nya: You're my inspiration for this fic, from 'Haunted', ne? I love that story, as well as every other story you've done that's DNAngel related (I'm just really into that now), and I can't wait 'till you update them! You'll do it soon, no? (Actually, you update regularly, so I guess I shouldn't be so worried... yeah! Let's party with those really evil shadows!)
- Starday: Heh... this is so embarrassing, I can't believe it... yeah, thanks for the comment, and, about beta reading, you're on my list, except... I couldn't get your email address. ... Hopefully you're reading this, no? If you are, please just send me an email and I will assure you that the next chapter will be coming your way! (as well as my other beta reader, of course. More opinions from different people are a good thing, since I've only ever used my own opinion...)
- Rekkaboziegirl: Yep, I'm gonna try and update it more regularly now, no? Thanks for that extreme enthusiasm (if only the school computers didn't block ...).
- SachiAmi: Thanks for the tip, I'll try to keep that in mind. And for beta reading as well, since all comments and helpful hints will really improve my writing big time! I've been, what, writing for, lessee... for about five years now, and only now am I really starting to improve on greater levels. And now, with people actually reading it and giving me their opinions, I can get even better! Thanks! [And thanks for the tips! No, really, it hurt, but it helps. Anyway... hope this chapter is too your liking!]
[And more 'thank you's to come! Hee! Hope you'll hang around soon! Actually... I have no idea how long it'll take for chap 3 to come up... so if you don't mind checking once after every Friday... yeah, updates are then.]
Thanks, everyone! All your positive comments really help me to keep going forwards (I'm always forwards, never backwards anyway) and I will try my best to do a really good fic, that isn't long, and boring, and doesn't get anywhere... gotta finish Flames of Time. Yeesh, I think it'll be a while before THAT'S finished. And, no, you don't have to read it if you don't wanna: Your eyes might pop out.
Anyway... until next time! – Seena58