Wow, it took me WAY too long to get this updated. I am so sorry for all you people out there that actually read this thing! (bows) You see... uh... my mind has been really REALLY whacked out and it won't go back in full gear. (hits head with large hammer) I think I have to ask for a new one for Christmas... Either way, this chapter is pretty long and all, with some rather strange references, so I hope you enjoy it.
Oh, and... I really stink at descriptions...
--- Thanking Beta Readers Section: Once more a big thank you to all those who helped me with this chapter! Sachi Ami and Rekkaboziegirl! You don't know how much this helps make me a better writer! Hm... did I give Staryday this chap? I can't even remember anymore... what a mind blank... anyway, all help is good help!
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... I think I've run into a mental mind block. Scary...
Summary for Chap IV: It was supposed to be a job to steal one single item. But... just as things begin to look brighter, darkness closes in on Daisuke and Dark. It seems that the misted figure knows them and Thief doesn't look too happy with the situation.
As the redhead's suspicions rise at the Thief's knowledge, more than one person seems to agree that something doesn't feel right...
Other:
() Daisuke
(()) Dark
:: Satoshi
:::: Krad
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Chapter IV: In the Dark of Night
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"Oh! How about this one, Dai-chan?!" squealed Emiko in excitement, as she held up a leather shirt that had a silver lining at the bottom half of the seam. It shimmered in the light, but Daisuke could only roll his eyes.
"Mum! I said the last one was fine!" he replied in exasperation, "Why did you leave the costume to the last minute this time...?"
"We got caught up with the shopping!" she said, forcing him to take the offered shirt, "And I'm sure Dark would love to wear this! It's so elegant!"
"Who's really gonna see him anyway..." muttered Daisuke, as Emiko pushed him forcefully up the stairs so he could change.
He opened the door to his bedroom and closed it again while muttering, "And she always insists on clothes that... ugh... why today..."
((Hey, I'm the one actually doing all the work,)) snorted Dark in the back of his mind, as the redhead closed the door to his bedroom, ((you just sit back and relax, Daisuke. What's our target this time?))
"Uh... it was the Angel's Wing," he mumbled as he pulled off his shirt and changed into the leather one, "Wasn't it... really small?"
((Angel's Wing...)) repeated the Thief slowly, while he recalled where the name had come from, ((Oh yeah... that one. It'd probably fit in the palm of your hand, Dai-chan.))
(Really? Is it pretty?) asked the redhead, as he prepared himself for the transformation.
((You'll soon find out,)) Dark chuckled slightly as he found himself taking over his host's body, ((how about we talk to Risa after we're done? I'm sure she'd love to see me again.))
(Not today...) groaned the redhead, while the Thief stretched luxuriously, (too much has happened already...)
"So you say, Dai-chan, so you say," he replied, as he sauntered towards the bedroom door, "if you don't like what I do, then just go to sleep. Simple."
(I can't trust you when you do that, though!) Daisuke retorted as the door swung open, (I never know what you're gonna do next!)
Dark ignored the comment, as his eyes locked themselves on the card that the smaller boy had picked up from the fortuneteller that day, which was currently sitting on the table, ((... Why are you keeping that card with you? Why didn't you just throw it away?))
(Eh?) at this, confusion replaced the worry that the redhead usually had before the beginning of a job, (Why? Is something wrong with that card?)
Silence greeted him.
(...Dark? Dark? Mum's calling...)
"Huh? Wha? Oh, yeah..." Dark shook his head, in an attempt to collect himself as he strode out. As Emiko gave him the last few details about the item and what he had to do, Daisuke couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with the Phantom Thief of late.
(What's up with you, lately, Dark? Are you...) he shook his head, (No way.)
"—and don't let anything happen to Dai-chan, remember that," Emiko finished, as With hopped up onto his shoulders and prepared to transform, "and be wary of any sort of danger. Take care, Dark!"
"Yeah, yeah," he replied, "What do you expect me to do, anyway?"
Without waiting for a reply from her, he flew out into the darkness, leaving behind him a scattering of black feathers.
The air whipped sharply against his face, like someone was forcefully slapping him awake, but Dark continued towards the museum that they had been assigned to for the night. Not to his surprise, both the inside and outside of the large building was crawling with a number of police officers, all intent on catching him once and for all. Despite his uncertainty, which was buried deep inside, Dark couldn't help but smirk at their attempts.
"They just don't know what they're doing," he said as he slipped past them without stirring a single hair on their heads while they stood on guard, "Why do they even try to try?"
(...) Daisuke, who was watching at the back of Dark's mind, bit his lip, (I don't think you should be so confident, Dark... it might end up being your downfall...)
"... And what makes you say that, Dai-chan?" he replied, frowning at the seriousness of Daisuke's simple statement, "When was the last time someone told me something like that? 'Being overconfident will be your downfall'? Yeah, sure."
In the silence that followed, a cold hissing filled the room and hallways. It bounced around recklessly as it reached their ears and Dark took a step back. Daisuke, noticing the odd apparition before them, called out to him.
(Dark? What's going on? What...)
He stopped in horror as he noticed the appearance thin strands of semi-transparent mist that seemed to slither across the marble tiles of the room as it advanced towards them. A cold presence seemed to descend upon the room and he shivered, though he was still within the confines of Dark's mind. Unconsciously, the redhead did all he could to see what was happening.
Dark, on the other hand, shook his head violently, his violet hair flying wildly as he strode quickly through the room. His footsteps echoed through the room's interior and the tendrils of mist seemed to shrink back at his presence.
((It was nothing, Daisuke,)) he replied, once he had left the room, ((it was probably your imagination playing with your head or something. Now, back to what I was supposed to do...))
As Dark moved through the various rooms in search for the object, Daisuke couldn't help but contemplate on what had just happened.
(Dark... you know something about all this... don't you?)
"Here we go!" Dark smirked triumphantly, obviously shying away from the subject as he moved the object close enough for the other boy to see, "Didn't I tell you? A rather interesting piece of artwork, if you know what I mean."
(Wow...)
As Dark took it, the small item glimmered majestically in the moonlight, which speared through the glass panes behind them. It was abruptly named, being the shape of a single feather that curved gracefully near the tip and seemed to be made of transparent glass with a light golden tinge deep within its core. Before Dark or Daisuke could react, however, the glass of the case and the windows surrounded them shattered viciously without warning.
Dark jumped out of the way, shoving the item deep within his pocket while avoiding the glass with ease. As the shards hit the floor, the redhead couldn't help but call worriedly to his other half.
(Dark! What's going on?!)
((I don't know...)) was the only reply he got before a blast of cold air hit him. Dark was sent flying until he hit the opposite wall of the room with a sickening thud. The Thief winced slightly and gritted his teeth against the pain as he slowly pulled himself up from the floor, using the wall beside him as a support as he scanned the area around him.
The radiance of the moonlight shimmered against the marble floor, splashing it with weak patches of light. As the Thief watched, tendrils of white mist began to fill the entire room once more, slowly slithering across the floor before wrapping itself around the pillars and walls of the museum.
"I am watching your every step... why do you refuse to give in?"
(That voice again...) breathed Daisuke, and he bit his lip as an unnerving sense of foreboding began to run through his mind, (We have to get out of here, Dark! I have a bad feeling about this!)
When he didn't get a reply, he shivered and his eyes widened in terror as a large mist-like formation seemed to stretch out over them, breaking away from the group and seemed to stretch over them while it took on a more specific shape. A tall figure stood before them, and Dark took a step back in apprehension. The mist itself seemed to cover it entirely, only allowing the pair to see the eyes. The very image made Daisuke's blood ran cold.
Blood red eyes: blank, merciless, full of hate.
"So... do you know me?" hissed the cold voice, and a blast of air swept Dark off his feet for the second time, "Do you remember me? I would be surprised if you didn't... it would be a pity as well..."
"What do you want?" snarled Dark as he mentally turned to his partner, ((Daisuke, we're getting out of here.))
(Dark? What? Who... do you know who this is?!) called the redhead, (Something about it... what's going--)
His sentence was suddenly cut off, and silence fell between the two.
((Daisuke?)) the Thief froze, ((Daisuke! Oi, reply dammit!))
Panic soon began to fill Dark's body when all he was greeted with silence and he instantly turned to face the white figure, "... You. What are you doing here? What di you do?"
"So you do remember me," the voice began to take on a mocking tone, "I guessed that once your little host was out, you might have wanted to face me once and for all. Don't think that I've forgotten about the past, Dark. We will meet again. You can't protect him all the time, and you know it..."
The voice trailed off and Dark's eyes narrowed dangerously as he forced himself to remain calm as he tried to call to Daisuke. ((Daisuke?! Come on already! Wake up!)) A dead quiet was all the Thief received for his efforts, so he turned to the figure in an attempt to buy himself more time to contact his partner.
"And why the hell should I listen to you?" he shot back with as much force as he could manage.
"Because your fate has already been decided," it insisted coolly, as the mist continued to get thicker and closed in on them, "But... you don't have to be around when it happens, you know. Remember the last time I did it? If you had listened to me, Dark Mousy, then maybe I might not have done that to her..."
"Shut up!" he cut in sharply as his hands balled into fists and he fought to remain calm, "That's not gonna happen this time, so I don't have to do anything for you!"
"Just remember the last time, Dark Mousy... if you don't want him to face the same fate..." the voice trailed off once again, allowing an unnerving silence to blanket around them. As he watched the mist fade slowly begin to fade away, leaving the Phantom Thief on his own once more, Dark shook his head.
((Daisuke? Come on, answer already!)) he called again. There was no reply and he bit his lip in annoyance and concern, ((Where the hell are you?!))
"Dark?!"
"Shit!" the Thief spun around in time to see a half-surprised Satoshi appear, taking in the scene before him, "What the hell do you want?!"
"My, what a mess you made," the boy said neutrally, his eyes focused on the shattered glass on the floor, "... It seems you have another enemy here, Dark. Would you care to explain?"
"That's none of your business," Dark snapped, as he continued to throw mental calls to Daisuke when he could, "I think I'll be going now."
Not waiting for an answer, the Thief made his move: he charged for the closest exit - the broken window - Satoshi right behind them. As his feet skidded against the smooth floor, Dark barely managed to keep his balance while avoiding the sharp shards of glass, as he tried to call to Daisuke at the same time.
((Yo, Dai-chan, if you can hear me, the Creepy Bastard's after us,)) he said in a matter-of-fact tone, ((And it ain't any fun if you ain't 'round yelling at me for wasting my time here.))
He dodged swiftly as Satoshi lunged in an attempt to get him, and jumped onto the balcony, avoiding the sharp edges of the glass that were still intact. Without another glance, he leapt. The air whipped his face as a greeting while he fell and it wasn't long before With came in his transformed state, and flew off gracefully, a scattering of dark feathers left behind as his mark.
Satoshi remained motionless as he watched the Thief slip out of his grasp once more, the black feathers and shattered glass scattered around him. As the shadowed figure vanished from his sight, he could feel the demon within him stir.
::You let him escape again.::
::You should have left it to me, Satoshi-sama.::
The blue-haired boy chose to ignore Krad's comments and stepped back for a better look at the chaos before him.
"..." he frowned.
---
The cool night air whipped the Thief's face while he made the journey back to the Niwa house, concentrating on what had happened only moments ago.
(... Mmmnn...?)
((Bloody hell! Daisuke?!)) Dark jerked back to attention, relief welling up inside of him at finally hearing a reply from his partner and other half, ((What happened to you?))
(Dark?) silence fell for a few seconds as the redhead tried to recall what had transpired, (What happened? The last thing I remember was the mist... and that really scary-looking shape appear before us, and... it was talking to you, wasn't it? How... how does it know you, Dark?)
((Well, when you went out like a light, that... thing said a bunch of crazy things the you don't need to know, and then left. The mist vanished and then Creepy Bastard came.))
Daisuke flinched slightly at the bitter tone Dark had used when he had spoken about the mist-like figure, but regained his composure quickly.
(Hiwatari-kun was there?)
((Well duh, who do you think?))
(Did he... see what happened? With the mist and the creature?)
((No, he appeared after all that was done.))
At the abrupt reply, the redhead inclined his head, but decided against pursuing the matter, since Dark made it clear that he wouldn't speak of it in detail. Finally, he spoke up again.
(Was Krad there?)
((If he wasn't there, then where would he be? You know that he can't leave Hiwatari anyway.))
(... That's not what I meant.)
((Sure sounded like it to me,)) unable to control himself, Dark sniggered at the redhead's tone, ((At least you're not hurt... are you?))
(Huh?) Daisuke seemed surprised at the sudden seriousness that could be heard in his other half's voice, (Well... I feel fine, actually... like someone just shut me off into another room where I couldn't hear anything... but it was really horrible in there... like someone was after me...)
((Dammit...))
(What? What's wrong?)
((Nothing,)) came the sullen reply, and Dark continued to make his way gracefully back the Niwa house, refusing to say another word.
(Dark...)
---
When Daisuke finally crawled into the warmth of his bed for the night, he couldn't help but think about what had happened. Emiko had been joyful that they succeeded on their job, and nearly choked Daisuke in the process of hugging him until Kosuke had suggested that she stop.
Moonlight fell from the sky and created a gentle glow in the room, as the redhead continued to stare blankly at the ceiling. With was curled up snugly next to him, breathing gently. Daisuke blinked sleepily as he tried to sum up what had actually happened.
(Dark knows something... he's trying to cover it up, but... I can tell...) he told himself, knowing that his other half would be asleep, (But... what does he know? And why isn't he telling me?)
Daisuke sighed and groggily wrapped himself in the blankets, "Why... who's doing this anyway? What do they want from us...? From Dark?"
His eyes closed on their own accord and it wasn't long before he was asleep.
---
The light that was spilled into the room the next day went unnoticed by Daisuke, who was so far gone in the realm of sleep that nothing seemed to be able to wake him. When his alarm started to ring, he unconsciously switched it off and abruptly went back to sleep. It was only when his mother called him that his brain finally began to work, though at an incredibly slow pace.
"Dai-chaaaaaaaaaan!" rang Emiko's voice cheerfully from another room, "It's time for you to go to school now! You don't want to be late on your first day now, do you?"
"Ugh..." Daisuke attempted to sit up as he rubbed his eyes, "What time is it ...?"
((It's eight already, Daisuke! Hurry up, you're late!)) bellowed Dark in the back of his mind.
"Wha-- aaah! I'm going to be late now!" surprised and worried, the redhead fell out of his bed.
Dark cackled madly at his host's reaction.
((Ah... you have GOT to see yourself in a mirror one day when you do that again, Dai-chan,)) he said, while he attempted to keep his laughing in check, ((I'm just kidding!))
(DARK!)
"Dai-chan!" repeated Emiko.
"Coming!" kicking the tangled sheets away from him, Daisuke scrambled up and got changed. Within seconds, he was down the stairs, where his mother greeted him the usual way.
"Um... Emiko-san, you might want to let go of him now," Kosuke said calmly while the redhead was trapped in her embrace. She let go and he sat down, prodding at his breakfast.
(Dark... about last night...) he started.
((Look, we'll talk 'bout it later,)) came the instant response, and this made his host sigh.
(Okay...)
Despite the suspicions that he was facing, Daisuke decided to drop the questions for the time being and ate breakfast before standing up. He took the lunch that Emiko offered him and then went down the hallway to the front door.
"I'm going now," he called.
"Alright! Take care and have a fun day at school!" Emiko called back as he opened the door and exited.
As he made his way to school, he couldn't help but notice that the sky seemed to be scattered with a few dark clouds that looked slightly forbidding. He shuddered unconsciously and pushed the uneasy thoughts away and concentrated on his journey to school.
"Yo! Daisuke!"
Just as the redhead had reached the front gate of Azumano Junior High, he found himself falling to the ground as Takeshi hit him. Irritated, he got up.
"Saehara!" he yelled.
"Well, ya know that I was really hurt when you ran out on me," the raven-haired boy grinned at the outraged redhead, "So, what was yer reason behind all that, huh? C'mon, you can tell me!"
"Uh," taken by surprised, Daisuke wracked his mind to come up with an answer, "I had to go home then! I promised my mother that I'd be home after having a really brief walk outside."
"Huh?" Takeshi raised an eyebrow, "A brief walk? And it was still daylight then. Or what, the soccer ball scared you too much?"
((You do know that you're horrible at lying, right?)) asked Dark, who had kept quiet during the journey to school, ((Couldn't you think of something that was more decent? How about a date with Riku?))
(Dark, not now!) as he did his best to keep his mind under control, Daisuke failed to notice that Takeshi had run off to meet some other friends. When he did work it out, he couldn't help but frown slightly.
(Well, at least he didn't try to pursue the subject.)
((For a reporter, he's pretty shallow,)) Dark yawned, ((Well, I'm off to bed again. Don't wake me up if you get scared. Night.)
Instantly, Daisuke's mind was filled with his other half's snores, and he shook his head before he entered the school grounds. It wasn't long before another voice – a female's – called out to him.
"Niwa-kun!"
"Takada-san?" the redhead turned to face the speaker. It didn't take long for her to catch up to him.
Takada Akane smiled calmly as she brushed her bangs out of her eyes, her eyes sparkling with the familiar glow he had seen many times before. She had transferred to Azumano Junior High only half a year ago, and both she and the redhead had become good friends over the short time period. Because of this, rumors had begun, but the two had managed to squash them before anything serious had happened and Akane had managed to fit into the school easily.
"So, had a nice holiday?" she asked, still smiling and he shrugged before replying.
"Ah... I guess..."
At this, she frowned.
"Niwa-kun," started Akane, her tone falling to slight worry, "You know... um..."
After a moment of silence, she shook her head decisively.
"It's nothing," she smiled again, "Well, we better get to class. I'm sure Riku-chan and Risa-chan are already there."
Daisuke nodded in acknowledgement and the two went to their new homeroom and entered. Instantly, Akane was flocked by some of her friends and the redhead edged away so that he wouldn't be crushed. At the call of his name by another familiar female's voice, he couldn't help but smile.
"Riku-san, Harada-san, hi," he said, as he went over to the twins.
The two girls returned the greeting and Riku, the older of the twins, spoke up, "How were your holidays, Niwa-kun? Did you do anything interesting?"
"Not really," he answered, "How about you? Didn't you go to America sometime to visit some relatives?"
"Yeah, and I missed all of Dark-san's appearances!" cut in Risa woefully, while Riku rolled her eyes in annoyance before returning to the redhead, who seemed to be trying hard not to laugh at the younger twin's display.
"She managed to get Ritsuko-chan to record ALL of Dark's appearances while we were gone," she explained simply, "But I still don't see why she cares about that pervert thief anyway."
She shook her head, her short, dark brown hair moving with each turn, "Why can't she just find herself a normal boyfriend?"
"Ah..." speechless, Daisuke blushed slightly as he watched her, but managed to shake himself out of it before she noticed.
The classroom was buzzing with noise and activity as friends talked among themselves. As he took his seat, the redhead was well aware that Satoshi was watching him, but his attention was suddenly focused on the door as it slid sharply open. The class fell deathly silent.
(What...?) his spine tingled unpleasantly, (This feeling...)
A boy that no one recognized entered the classroom. His hair was a silvery-white shade and he seemed fairly tall for his age. His eyes also seemed fairly glazed over as he took a displeasing look around the classroom.
As it settled in on the students that the newcomer wasn't a teacher, the talking began once more. Some people raised eyebrows when one of the girls suddenly muffled a surprised shriek and ran over the new boy. Confused, Daisuke turned away.
(Just then... when the door opened... I was sure, for a moment...)
"Niwa-kun."
"Huh?" as he lost his train of thought, the redhead saw Akane standing next to his desk. She was frowning, one hand placed over her uniform. At once he noticed what it meant, since the pendant that she usually wore rarely reacted in any serious way.
The pendant that she wore contained the power of the Thirteen Elements, which had been revived some time ago when Akane had first appeared, and its abilities and properties seemed to thrive within her. Both Daisuke and Satoshi – as well as Dark and Krad – had been involved with the revival of the elements and, although Daisuke wasn't too sure of the power it actually contained, but he knew the symptoms when trouble was around.
She nodded briefly at Daisuke's reaction and gave a pointed look at the boy. When he turned in the direction, he noticed that a large group of girls, about the same number of girls who chased Satoshi most of the time, were gathered around him.
"Him?"
"I think Mina-chan talked about him once on the phone," she said softly, her eyes never leaving him, "A new student in the school. It seems that he came from a private school in... France, I think, although why he moved to this school I don't know. He's supposed to be really smart and mature for his age, if you know what I mean."
She gave a small smirk at the resemblance between the two people she was thinking of, before continuing in a more serious note, "Something about him seems odd, don't you think?"
Daisuke bit his lip, as Akane turned away, "Takada-san..."
"I don't know what to say just yet..." she said briefly, "but something is going on..."
As he watched her go, he couldn't help but feel the cold feeling of uneasiness seep into him again and shuddered. At the back of his mind, he felt Dark stir again.
(Dark?)
((Something doesn't feel right, Daisuke.))
(I know.)
((I'd be careful if I were you.))
(What?)
Silence was the only reply he got from his partner and he frowned slightly in annoyance before taking another look at the boy. His amber eyes met with silver-blue ones, and he swallowed nervously as he quickly averted his gaze elsewhere.
Before anymore could be said, the school bell rang.
---- To Be Continued ----Well... it could be worse... okay, this chapter went pretty well, but it took me a trip to hell and back to get this written down. Oh wait, I had this done ages ago, but with scattered beta readers and the fact that I can't access my own account that much, at least this can finally get there...
Hope this chapter satisfies all you readers out there that have been waiting for this, and I'll TRY to get chapter 5 done ASAP. Somehow I doubt that, but I can only hope for the best. Not to mention I've started another DNAngel fic...
It's called When Four Winds Blow (stupid name, I know, but I can't think of anything else at the moment) and it's a sequel to the Flames of Time, which is complete (yay!) so... read it? Not that it matters (although you get a complete analysis on Akane), but everything I'm doing at the moment is really scattered. Not to mention I've been banging my head on the wall and table for a very long time now... ouch.
Oh, about Akane Takada, for those who haven't read FoT, since she's a character in that: she's basically known as a Time Keeper (argh, I can't think of anything creative) and possesses all these weird magic powers. Okay, not all these powers, but she knows about Dark and Krad and has this weird kinda sensing device, and that's why she's like all strange and mysterious in so many ways. And, yes, I know this explanation about her stinks and you're probably more confused, especially about how Daisuke and Satoshi are involved, but the only answer I can give you on that could go on forever. So, if you really want that explanation, read the Flames of Time, cause that covers everything. Hm... her character is really off in the first few chapters, though, best watch out for that, right?
-- Thanking Reviewers Segment! Other people do it, so why shouldn't I??? Uhm... I hope you aren't too mad at me for not updating this until so late...
-neko-nya: Wah! I'm so sorry for not updating it earlier, but even with holidays (it's finished now. Pity) I've been up and around and in a lot of pain to get this done! Where's my brain these days?! Well, hope you like it and I'm glad you liked the tarot cards. I like em too.
-Kakarots-Frying-Pan: Thank you! My writer's block is no better, but I'm ploughing through it. Slowly but steadily. Chapter 5 is somewhere there, so hopefully I can get it done sooner, but I guess I can't make any promises with that. Glad you liked it that much! Back to the drawing board I guess!
-Rinkufan: I'm glad you liked it! And about One Too Many Crossovers, uh... that is a bit odd, isn't it? Well, glad you liked it!
-Staryday: Glad you liked it! Haha... Well, that's one more chapter down... this is fun! Kinda. Well, 'till next time, I guess! Thanks for reviewing for FoT! Love ya for that!
8/10/04: It's my birthday! Surprise surprise! Yeah, I'm a bit high about this info, so... well, I hope you liked this chapter well enough! It took me forever, didn't it?