Disclaimers: No, I don't own this. Only my characters and the entire strange, eerie concept.
Warnings: Nothing short but slight coarse language, and if you really want Dark and Krad, as well as Daisuke and Satoshi to be pairings, fine, whatever. Not like I'll actually mention it. They're just good friends, really. AU.
Well, here's chapter 2. Glad you enjoyed the first chap.
---
"If you were scared of what you possessed. If you were afraid of what the result might be…
Don't run away. Don't try to hide. There will always be someone there to help you." -- Akane Takada, classmate at school.
"To hate those who are not like you, to seek those who are just like you… only fools think of such things, but what can they do about it?
Why is it that you don't trust them? It is not like they are an alien species…
Dark, you know what you're doing."
-- Aeka, second oldest of the family.
--- Two: Monsters on the Loose ---
The rain wasn't letting off anytime soon, and Krad was still glaring at Dark while the other two moved about the room, preparing for the worse. Weapons had been piled into the room, while the blonde's parents were also glaring daggers at the dark-haired teen.
"They're going to kill you if I get hurt," Krad muttered.
"Are you saying that I wouldn't protect you?" grinned Dark, "Come on, we all know how violent you can be."
"And I'll be more violent if you pull me into this again," was the hissed reply.
"Don't be so cold."
The mother pulled away from her glaring-at-Dark vigil and went over to the foursome, face completely serious. Her hair was pulled back as always and her eyes had narrowed to slits, but her voice was that of deadly forced calm.
"Dark, I know this involves you, but if anyone gets hurt because of this…"
"Don't worry, Mrs. Hikari," Daisuke said from his side of the room, "From the sounds of it, the monsters aren't that strong, so I'm sure we can handle it well enough without too much trouble." He then pulled out a sword with weird carvings at the hilt, light flickering off the steel blade, "Satoshi-kun, do you think this can help? It looks sharp enough…"
Satoshi looked up from the bow and arrows he'd been occupying himself with, "Hm… I'd say Krad could use it, is he was in the mood."
"What was that?" asked the blonde softly.
"You heard me."
"…"
"Okay, Dark-kun, do you think you could use this?" the redhead tugged at something at the bottom of the pile, that mainly consisted of rusted chains and daggers. A large hilt was at the bottom, and Dark went over to help Daisuke. Once they had finally pulled it free from the mess, it turned out to be a long blade that was about the same height at Daisuke. The dark-haired teen whistled in awe, holding it up with both hands.
"Hey, this is pretty cool."
"I'm suspecting that Daisuke's taking back row-magic potential again?" Krad stated calmly as he held up his sword, looking down the keen blade. "Satoshi's back row-attack and Dark and I are front row-risk-our-asses?"
"Correct," Satoshi said calmly, strapping a quiver of arrows to his back as he tucked the bow under his arm. Daisuke was equipped with a rod with loads of runes embedded in them while Dark had the large heavy-blade. Krad, of course, had the sword and they exchanged looks before nodding and making their way out of the house.
"Onii-san!" Christina called as she stumbled over in their direction. "Is this… is this because of us?!"
"Don't worry," Dark smirked as he continued, "Nothing's gonna happen. Trust me on this one and don't even think about going outside. I don't want to risk my ass on more people than I can handle."
"Hmph, when do you watch out for other people," snorted Satoshi right behind him. "Can't even see you doing that. It's always about your own safety first, as I recall…"
"Hey! Don't say things that aren't true, you creepy bastard!"
"Dark-kun! Satoshi-kun!" Daisuke reprimanded them.
"Both of you, stop arguing," Krad muttered as well, "We have larger things to deal with at the moment, so you two argue later."
Christina watched in silent horror as the four boys left the safety of the house and into the raging storm outside. She sniffed and clasped her hands together in a form of silent prayer. Pray that no one would get hurt and that Dark wouldn't do something stupid like the last time he'd decided that fighting monsters was a good idea.
Then all she could do was wait… and hope.
---
"Dammit!" yelled Dark as soon as the door slammed shut behind them. "If it wasn't raining so damn hard than it would be easier to know who the hell we're supposed to attack in the first place! Hey, Creep, let's see if your powers are any use here, eh?" He turned around hopefully and grinned.
"Shut up."
"… Dark has a point though," Krad agreed, as he shielded his eyes from the rain, his hair already plastered to his clothes, which were also already drenched as soon as they had stepped off the porch and the safety of the roof. "You probably hate manipulating nature like this, but the reason is pretty obvious, unless you want to be attacked from behind, when you can't even see what's in front of you."
"…" Satoshi snorted, "Fine. But this is the last time I'm doing this."
"Hey, it's your ONLY time as well!"
"Dark-kun!" Daisuke frowned, but knew that it couldn't be seen anyway, "Even if it is manipulating, at least you know that it isn't used for power alone. If the spell's temporary, then it should be fine, right Satoshi-kun?"
"Right…"
"Just hurry up the process already!" snapped Dark, "No mushy-headed talk back there or the enemy'll get us before we know where the hell's the front door again!"
"Can't you just shut up?" asked Krad, while the blue-haired boy began to work on a spell, which involved a lot of muttering and hand-waving, which was funny to watch, but since the situation was a bit too serious for it… Dark decided to laugh at him later.
It wasn't long before the rain began to clear up and they were able to identify the lamps that glowed a really dim orange colour. It also involved three to five lumbering shadows coming towards them, and Daisuke inclined his head for a moment, rod pointing at the figures.
"They're really slow…" he muttered.
"Well, then, take the initiative!" replied Dark cheerfully, about to run over to start the fight. He was, of course, jerked back forcefully by someone/someones pulling at his hair and shirt from behind. He whined at the pain in his hair and turned to glare at whoever was causing the pain in the first place. "What was that for?!"
Krad didn't bother to let of his friend's hair. "You're going to die if you keep rushing into battle like that."
Satoshi nodded in agreement, being the one tugging at the shirt. "Daisuke needs to do a complete analysis first, otherwise we don't know what to do to stop these… things."
"I told you I already know them!" protested Dark, yanking both hair and shirt free from the tight grips and wincing, "The damn monsters attacked me before, ya know!"
All three stopped and stared at him in disbelief before asking in unison, "What?"
The dark-haired teen shrugged, "Tell ya later, but these things have strong defense and offense, so we can't take any chances…"
"Shouldn't you be telling that to yourself?" muttered Satoshi in the background, notching a shaft to the bow.
"ANYWAY, magic-wise, I don't think they absorb anything, so Dai-chan, you can cast whatever you want at it."
"Right," the redhead nodded, "Although I'm more of a defense magic person… Satoshi-kun, do you have your phone by any chance?"
The blue-haired boy nodded and handed the required object, which Daisuke began to punch a number into. While he was doing that, the other three turned to face the monsters, whatever they were.
"Ready?" asked Dark, smirking.
"If anything bad happens, I'm going to kill you," Krad replied.
"Aww… don't you trust me to protect you?"
"Just shut up and get the battle started, otherwise they'll get here," Satoshi cut in before the argument could continue. Krad and Dark ran ahead with Satoshi following close behind while Daisuke was left with the phone, which was currently ringing in his ear.
"C'mon, pick up, pick up, pick up…" he muttered under his breath, like a mantra, "Where are you now?"
---
The phone was ringing insistently, she noticed, as she pulled her hair up with a wet towel, having just finished having her shower. Since no one else lived in the house over half the time, there was no point hoping that someone else would pick it up in the end. Fire-orange eyes gleamed as she blinked at the ringing object before picking it up, confused with who would call her at that time of the day.
"Hello, Takada residence. Akane speaking…" she began calmly, pushing back wet strands of hair out of the way. There was a moment of static within the phone before a voice picked up from the other end.
"Takada-san, it's Niwa…"
"Eh?" she blinked and inclined her head, the phone now resting on her shoulder, "Is something wrong?"
"Attack. Hikari residence."
Akane understood instantly. Whipping off the wet towel, she replied quickly before replacing the phone. "I'll be right there."
---
As the mobile clicked off from the broken connection, Daisuke stuck it in his pocket before running over to join the battle.
… If it could be called one, anyway.
As far as the redhead could see, Dark and Krad were pretty much jumping around and slashing at the bulky objects whenever they had the chance to. And then there was the odd arrow shaft being embedded in the monster, which grumbled in a low-key tone. And… well, there was blood everywhere, it would seem, splattering across the concrete streets.
Daisuke gave a nervous look at the big bulky monster things, that couldn't be properly seen because of the horrible lighting, and then shrugged it off quickly, getting ready to cast a spell. Defense first, basic offense later; that was his role in the fighting ordeal.
He has never been good at attacking with magic anyway, that was left to his cousin, whenever there was a serious monster attack, which there was rarely there. Healing was the key to keeping alive and he swept the rod up crossways, a shimmering of magical aura following after it in wisps. The monsters didn't seem that strong, but they were still outnumbered…
With a sigh and ignoring the bloody scene before him, Daisuke readied himself for a most likely long battle.
---
Dark jumped out of the way as a large claw swept by him and sent his blade into a downward slash, which created a shallow cut in the flesh. He cursed slightly before leaping forwards, stabbing down as hard as he could.
Krad seemed to be in the same predicament, his sword slashing so quickly that it really couldn't be seen except by the light reflecting off the keen blade. Speed had always been the blonde's forte, and it was obvious that he wouldn't be tiring out anytime soon. But because the monster's – whatever they really were – strong defense, it was beginning to get on his nerves, due to the fact that it was taking too long to actually hurt it.
There was a flash of dark blue light and the two dodged the magical spell that Daisuke had just cast, which, upon coming contact with the monsters, gave off the effect of a small explosion. Pulling back and pushing back his hair, Dark turned to check on Krad.
"Oi, you okay?"
"Could have been worse," replied the blonde grimly, holding the sword's hilt with his free hand, wiping rainwater off his face. Or was it sweat? Pulling his hand back, he noticed blood. "Shit."
"What?! You got hurt?!"
"Nah…" Krad gave Dark a sarcastic look, "You just noticed it now? Besides, it's not that bad."
"You're parents are gonna kill me!"
"…"
Daisuke shook his head and waved a hand desperately at the monsters. "They're coming your way! Dark-kun! Krad-kun!"
The two turned and on instinct jumped back as the monsters attacked in sync, creating more than enough craters in the concrete. Satoshi cursed under his breath as he saw the results of their attack.
"They might not be that strong on their own, but as a group…" he muttered. "We haven't even defeated one of them yet."
"Leave it to me!" yelled Dark, now serious, as he jumped into the fray of the monsters little groupie-like hustle. Krad shook his head and muttered something about Dark being an absolute moron before rejoining the battle, ignoring the blood that trickled down his face. At least it wasn't getting into his eyes, Daisuke had noted, conjuring up a healing spell to help.
There was more blood, cursing, and sword slashing until one of the many monsters had finally fallen to the concrete and had gone limp. By that time, of course, Dark and Krad were suffering more than minor injuries while Daisuke and Satoshi seemed to be suffering more out of fatigue and loss of energy than anything else.
The blonde gave Dark a glare and muttered under his breath, "Are you sure that the last time you fought these you didn't run away?" he hissed.
"They're… stronger… and more…" came the reply. "But how…"
"There're too many though," Daisuke called, "I don't think we'll be able to deal with it…"
Chunks of concrete was spilled everywhere and the street was a chaotic mess. A light sprinkle of rain had already begun and the monsters were slowly approaching the small group. Krad struggled to stand up, eyes glinting off a hatred that very few had seen, and the reasons were clearly unknown. Nevertheless, his sword began to shimmer with dark golden energy and he leapt at the monsters yet again.
"Oi, Krad!" yelled Dark, getting up as well and wincing as pain shot through his leg, "Wait up!"
Of course, Krad was too fast to keep up and the other three couldn't do anything besides watch as the sword glistened with the unearthly power and unleashed a wrath within the blonde that no one knew of.
This, of course, made Satoshi think a bit. 'Why would it be now that something like this would happen…'
The attack continued until Krad practically collapsed, his breathing coming out like ragged gasps as Dark shook his slightly by the shoulders, yelling at him somewhat. "Dammit, Krad, what the hell were you thinking?! Your mind is way screwed up and were you trying to kill yourself out there?!"
"… Shut up, Dark."
"WHAT?! And I'm not supposed to worry?!"
"He has a strange way of worrying," Daisuke observed.
"… They're still here," Satoshi shook his head, "We can't defeat them like this."
The monsters were nearly upon them until a large beam of dark energy shot down on them out of nowhere and stopped them in their tracks. The redhead smiled in relief as someone came running up to them.
A girl their age was panting as her plait flapped out behind her. Her hair was a mix of dark brown with a tinge of red and her eyes were a deep colour of fire-orange, it would seem. Gasping and clutching a stitch in her side, she looked at the monsters and smiled grimly.
"Sorry I'm late, Niwa-kun," she said in between gasps, "Had a little problem with the people below… and monsters are streaming everywhere. Had a hard time getting here without confrontations.
… What are they?"
"We don't know," he replied quickly to his classmate, "but they're really strong."
"Great."
The monsters had limbs half torn off by now and blood was spilling everywhere; the sight was beyond gruesome and Daisuke was feeling slightly sick now, as was practically everyone else. They had stopped now, though, and were only a few feet away from Dark and the half-conscious Krad.
A still silence rang through the sky, as Akane prepared another spell while Daisuke got ready for more healing, but before they could actually move or do anything, there was a large tidal wave of energy that knocked everyone back forcefully.
Dark turned upwards slightly, watching as the monsters disintegrated into the night sky, dark purple clouds swirling above them, almost like a warning. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard a cold voice and shivered, pulling Krad unconsciously closer to himself.
"We will meet again, little ones, we will meet again."
Akane looked up, confused, "What… just… happened?"
"I don't know," replied Satoshi, "but I think we should go back inside before anything else happens."
"I agree," nodded Daisuke as he pulled himself up. He then stopped as he noticed that Dark looked pretty unhinged, "Dark-kun? Is something the matter? You look really bad…"
"Didn't you hear it?" replied the teen in a low voice, shaking somewhat. The redhead blinked and looked over his shoulder.
"Heard what?"
"That voice!"
"Voice?"
"Wait… didn't any of you hear it?" Dark demanded, and everyone else shook their heads. He slumped in disbelief, "No way…"
"Get inside," muttered Satoshi as he and Daisuke helped him get up and half-dragged him into the Hikari house. Akane waved to them, still looking grim, as she made her way home through the incoming shower.
Unknown to any of them, blood red eyes from the clouds watched them before fading off.
They had been able to destroy one of the strongest monster creations ever known, and they had only been hurt a little.
They were not to be taken lightly.
---
Krad's mother was being held back by the father as she tried to get to Dark, most likely planning ways to kill him while they watched over the unconscious blonde. She was also hurling insults and curses – which was very uncharacteristic for the lady of the Hikari house – forgetting the fact that she was in the presence of guests as well as he own children.
Satoshi thought it best to try to calm her down as well and they dragged her off into another room, leaving Dark and Daisuke with Krad. Conjuring up a simple healing spell would have been easier, the redhead observed, if he hadn't been so tired out by the battle.
"That was some battle, huh?" Dark chuckled half-heartedly, his injuries already bandaged up by Daisuke. "Been a while since we had such a good fight with monsters."
"Dark-kun!" reprimanded Daisuke. "How can you say that when you about to get killed by those things! ... What were they anyway?"
"Like hell I'd know," came back the low reply. "But they seem to be after the really religious freaks, or those with the blood and family traits. Those are the really scary strong ones. But I don't know why they're after us…"
"Dark-kun…" Daisuke jerked around as he heard Krad groan in pain, but was pushed away by Dark.
"Krad, you okay now?!" he almost-yelled. The blonde winced slightly before pushing a strand of hair out of his face. His reply was too calm for his own good, was the first thing Dark noticed.
"You're too loud for your own good. Go home."
"… That's all the thanks I get?!"
"Thanks for what? I did most of the work."
"Wha--?!"
"Oh yeah, Krad-kun," Daisuke looked over Dark's shoulder, "What was that power that you unleashed? It was really strong…"
The blonde tried to sit up but failed miserably. He flopped back and covered his face with a pale hand, thinking it over for a while before finally replying. "I actually don't know…"
"Hm…"
"Dark-kun, I think we should let him rest now," the redhead tugged at his friend's arm; "He won't heal any faster with you around, you know. And Mrs. Hikari isn't very happy with you either."
"…" Dark gave Krad one last look before leaving the room. They met up with Satoshi, Christina and Kaz at the hallway. The rain had finally decreased to more of a drizzle and they all left the Hikari residence together.
It wasn't long before Dark and Christina had to take a different road and that left Daisuke, Satoshi and Kaz. The blue-haired boy merely frowned for a moment before speaking up.
"How's Krad then?"
"Hm? Well, he'll live, but I won't be doing much for the next few days," replied the redhead, "Not to mention we didn't do our project."
"I think we can handle that at school anyway," Satoshi shrugged before looking over at his younger brother, "And don't tell them about what happened, got it Kaz?"
"Of course," came the lofty reply, "If I told mum and dad about the terrible monsters and how you got involved with them you would get into so much trouble it wouldn't be funny. Not to mention they would blame me for not clinging onto you and begging not to do that."
"Correct."
"Satoshi-kun, are you going to find out about these monster things?" asked Daisuke, as they turned a corner. "They were really powerful this time. And what was that about a voice?"
"I have no idea," Satoshi said, "But it may be an important part to whatever's going on."
"Hm…"
---
"Onii-san?"
"Hm?" grunted Dark, not looking at Christina as they trudged home in the gloom that surrounded them. "What's wrong now?"
"Um… about before… when we left… aren't they going to be mad at us?" the young girl fidgeted as she stared at the concrete below her. "I mean… what are they going to do to us?"
"I really couldn't care less," came the reply, "But if they do anything to you… I have to say, at least some of us are still a bit sane, so to speak. Not that Aeka and Nina are that bad, but they're not ones to stand up for themselves."
"But what about Karal and Raine Onee-san?" this of course worried Christina more than anything else.
"Well, whatever it is, I'll deal with it," Dark stopped as they reached the front door of the forbidding house. Gloom seemed to stretch out by such a structure and he sometimes had to wonder why the hell they were living there.
Shaking the thoughts away, Dark entered the house as they prepared for the worst.
---
And there you have it. Once I work out how many siblings the others have, I'll let you know. Not too sure myself. Guess you can call this a cliffhanger, so… until next week!
Oh yeah, one thing I want to ask. Dark and his family have no surname as of yet. Why? Well, Mousy is kinda… not really a surname. If you can think of another surname I can use, then that's great. But if you think Mousy is a good enough surname, I'll just use that. Thank you.
Neko-nya: thank you! And, well, yeah, the next chap. I'm so lazy and evil… I like to drag things out as much as I can.
Soralovesriku: well, this is chapter two. You'll have to wait for chapter 3 now… and then chapter 4… yeah.
Mujyakina-Hitokoroshiya: uh… I have absolutely no idea. They're probably at an even level, since they're fighting abilities are close to the same… not really sure… -scratches head-
Hakudoshi-chan: thanks for the review! Glad you like it!
SpinningAvia:I seem to have a thing with cliffhangers, huh? Oh well, if you can survive another week…
Keeper of Light: I don't know about great… but thank you for the review. And here is the next chapter. Hope you like it!