Chapter Eight: Tohru's Rescue

Daisuke's phone rang, and he answered it.
"Hello?"

"Aww hello Daisuke. I was just wondering if you knew as another winged person? besides Krad. Well you see Tohru kinda got kidnapped by someone and we don't know who it is."

Akito entered the room. "Tohru you know what you have done is wrong. Your mom wanted to leave you. It is your fault that she died. You're a monster. Look at your poor Grandfather, look at the trouble you have caused him.." he said, holding her head and whispering in her ear.

"Stop..." she said.

"No matter what you do you always fail. That's who you are. A monster. Why do you smile so much when you are so sad inside? Let it out. Let it take over you. Tohru, if you stay here, you don't have to pretend any more. I'll protect you from the world that has locked you in. You'll be safe from heartache, sadness."

"I'll be safe...Yes..."she muttered, pulling her knees to her chest.

"I don't think so...but Tohru was kidnapped? I'm sure that Dark and Krad will be both willing and able to help you find her." Daisuke replied.
Dark? Can you help them? He asked silently.

Hell yeah, I'll help. Dark said. Krad, hello darling, can you hear me? I know you can. Let's not fight anymore darling. Dark said talking with Krad through telepathy.

You've got to be kidding me. Will you cut it out with the 'darling's? Krad retorted. What the hell do you want?

My darling, Tohru has been kidnapped, Dark said. We have to help her.

...what? What! Krad said, taken aback. He wasn't much caring about the 'darling' issue anymore now that Tohru had been brought into the picture. What happened! Where is she?

See another winged figure popped up and just took her while Yuki, Kyo, and the writer were just sitting around. Dark said.

Akito said to Tohru, "You know I'm right. i can save you from all the pain that everyone has caused you. Kyo-san, Yuki-san. Shigure-san…All they did was expect you to be happy all the time. Not caring if you where sad or not or whether you didn't like to do anything like that." Akito whispered in her ear.

"They didn't care...?"she aske as question.

"no. They didn't... They didn't care for you..."he said smiling s his world filled her head.

Tohru sat there in the corner of ehr dark room, clutching her knees to her chest, "I..I don't know what to believe..."she said softly as she clenched her pants.

WHAT! Krad yelled, getting really angry. He transformed without either he or Satoshi really thinking about it (luckily he wasn't out in the open) and immediately flew into the sky.
Where are they? he growled, ready for a fight.

Krad, calm down. We have to focus on finding Tohru first and deal with the others later. Dark said.

Tohru was still in the corner as Akito stood next to her and said, "You shouldn't be confused. I know you're human and you have sadness too. I'll help you deal with it. You'll never have to go back to that house again. Stay here and you'll never have to feel that sadness, that feeling of being alone..." Akito said.

Fine, fine, but we'd still have to start from their house... Krad said, a growl still in his voice since he hadn't calmed down yet.

I know you would see it my way, Dark said.

Shut up and just fly over to their house. Krad said in a dangerous voice.

Dark laughed as he transformed as he flew over to the house.

Krad arrived over at the house and saw Dark hovering. He suppressed the urge to fire a blast of light at the house and merely nodded at Dark sharply.
"Shall we begin the 'hunt'?" he said.

"Oh yeah," Dark as he took off into the air and flew away.

It was Krad who first saw the aura trail the vampire (although they didn't know that was what it had been) had left behind. His eyes began to glow as he realized what he'd found and he flew quickly along its path, ignoring Dark.

Dark saw as well as he said,
"I think that is what we are looking for."

Krad continued to ignore him and flew on until he reached the Sohma Estate, where her trail ended.
"This place is familiar..." he said to Dark.

"It's the Sohma Estate. Where we had a little run in Akito..."he let is voice trial off, "Oh boy..."

Krad narrowed his eyes and his overall glow got even brighter. Without a single word to Dark he flew down to the balcony the vampire's trail ended at and started inside.

Dark did the same but kept quiet.

Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside, he spotted the form of a woman sleeping in a large chair. At the sound of his step she awoke and her violet eyes flashed in the gloom. She jumped to her feet and drew her swords, as well as making her wings appear.
"Who are you...?" she hissed, looking between Dark and Krad and back again.

"Well I am the legendary Phantom Thief Dark and him...nahhh he's not important, "Dark said and laughed a bit, "We followed your aura here. Where is Tohru?"

Krad growled as Dark mentioned his supposed unimportance before returning his gaze to the strange girl.
Rogueblade stood her ground. "I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.
If my lord Akito discovers I've led these two here, I will surely pay. she thought to herself.

"Come now. We know she here and we would like to have her back, "he said as he brought his voice to a whisper to her, "He is kinda ya know over Tohru," he said laughing a bit.

Akito knew people were here but did not bother to leave Tohru. He said, "Tohru, people have come to take you away. To take you away from this place. The place where you are safe at.." Akito whispered to her.

"No..." She said softly as her hair draped over her face.

Krad glared at Dark. "That is not important right now," he said angrily.
Rogueblade's swords began to glow as well as her eyes. "I suggest that you both leave before I have to make you." she said.

"Oh, please, make me leave," he laughed a bit as he heard whispers. Krad listen, Do you hear that...

Oh, great, a pervert... she thought to herself, annoyed.
Yeah...I think so. Distract the girl for a while, I'll go and check it out. Krad suggested.

All right Dark smiled.

"Hey girly," Dark said as he laughed and stuck his tongue out, "Loser, loser," he chanted over and over again.

What did he just call me!
Her eyes glowed again and she used her mind to make him rise into the air. She made a fist and the air around him contracted, squeezing him rather uncomfortably.
"What did you say, again?" she said sweetly.

Taking advantage of the distraction and rather enjoying Dark's discomfort, he slipped past the vampire and into the hallway. There he found Akito.

"Girly," he said as he stuck out his tongue and laughed more and more.

"Tohru they have come to take you away Tohru. You will have to live with that sadness once again. Do you want to live with the grief of being alone?" Akito whispered in her ear.

"No..." she said softly.

Rogueblade's face grew even angrier. She tightened her fist and heard a few of Dark's ribs crack. "Let's see how long you laugh with a punctured lung."

"Tohru!" Krad said, and he rushed over, pushing Akito out of the way.

"Oww, baby, love hurts," he said laughing as he felt it. I can't keep this up much longer Dark said as he laughed a bit.

Akito stumble up as Tohru just sat there, knee to her chest and her hair draped over her face, "See Tohru. they came to take you away...They don't care that you have never been truly happy..."Akito said.

"Yes..." she said softly.

For whatever reason, a slight pang of sympathy hit her as she watched a red flower of blood blossom through his shirt as a rib punctured his skin. Her grip loosened slightly.

"Don't listen to him, Tohru!" Krad said angrily. He took her arm gently. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Dark yelped a bit as he felt his pierce his skin, "Wow I feel to loved," he said as he smiled a bit.

Tohru pulled away, "No...I'm safe here..."she said softly as he looked at him. "No one tried to help me.. No one let me be sad…I can be sad here and Akito will be with me," She said.

"Let you be sad!" Krad said. "Tohru, he's twisted your mind! What about all the people who love you?"

Rogueblade decided to be nice today and let Dark fall to the ground. "You'd better heal yourself," she said, her rage fading away.

Dark dropped down to the ground. wincing a bit as blood welled out of his side. "Thanks..." he said softy as he started to heal himself.

Tohru didn't say anything, "Didn't love me for me...All people saw was smiling Tohru…no one even tried..." she said softly as a surprising dark aura took over her body while Akito stood behind her.

Krad's own light aura battled with Akito's dark one and he decided to take more active action. He pushed his aura into Tohru and began to burn out all of the traces of darkness that Akito had managed to get into her.

Rogueblade stood there silently as Dark healed himself.

Dark looked at her a bit, "W-why did you let me go?" he said as he finished and was breathing hard.

Akito laughed a bit as he took Tohru's hand and the darkness became stronger. "Remember Tohru...how alone you where when you mother died...how sad you were..." he smiled.

"I won't let you take her again...!" Krad growled. He intensified his efforts and began attacking Akito's own darkness as well.

Rogueblade took a step back as he looked at her. "I-I...I just..." she started to panic and blurted out the first thing that came to mind."Because I didn't really want to hurt you! Not that bad!"

Dark looked at her. "You have a kind heart. What kind of hold does Akito have on you?" he asked.

Tohru said nothing as her eyes where cast down, looking at the darkness.

Finally Krad managed to eradicate every trace of darkness from Tohru's mind and focused completely on Akito.

She looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
"Akito holds my soul...he somehow trapped it, and the only way for me to get it back as far as I know is to serve him..."

Dark looked at her and smiled, "I'll get it back for you. No problem," he smiled and nodded, "Oh yeah."

Tohru didn't say anything but Akito was a whole other story, "Tohru...Tohru..." he kept whispering in her ear, "See what he is doing to me? See what he is doing to the person that saved you form falling into the darkness..."Akito chatted smiling. Tohru looked up at Krad with pure hate in her eyes, "Don't…" she said as felt her arm being pulled. Somehow Akito was controlling her. He made her go over and get a sword that was on the wall and her whish it, cutting off some of Krad's hair.

(WAAAAAAAAH NOT THE HAIR!)
Krad jerked back and immobilized Akito with his mind.
"No, Tohru!" he cried, and he stopped her from swinging a second time. (Well, HE doesn't care about his hair, for whatever reason. sob)

Rogueblade's eyes got wide and they began to glow, only with happiness this time, not anger.
"Really!" she said, overjoyed. She ran over and practically tackled him with a hug.
"Thank you Thank you Thank you!"

"OWWWWWWWWW!" Dark yelled as he grabbed his bad spot. "Let me go..." he whispered.

Akito smiled and brought Tohru's foot up and kicked Krad in his stomach, "Let me go," Tohru said but Akito was saying the same thing also.

"No..." Krad growled. (he growls a lot, doesn't he?) He resumed his attack on Akito's mind, this time rendering him unconscious. That should free Tohru's mind from his grip. Krad thought.

Rogueblade stepped back quickly. "I'm so sorry! I thought you were completely healed!" She looked at him suspiciously. Was he just playing around?

Dark clenched his side as more blood poured out, "Its just ketchup," he said as he coughed up a bit of blood.

Tohru dropped the sword, "K-Krad-san..." she said softly but she still didn't look like her self.

Krad searched her mind and felt a link attaching her to Akito. He quickly severed it.

"Are you being serious or are you actually hurt...?" Rogueblade said. "I can heal you if you're still hurt, you know."

"I-I'm fine..."Dark said as he wiped his mouth, "And I'm serious," he said as he pulled himself up against the wall.

Tohru blinked a few times, "W-What happened?" she said. "Krad-san what's going on." she said.

"Don't make me break your ribs again," Rogueblade warned, but her heart wasn't really in it. How could she be angry at someone who said they would save her soul?

"Akito took control of your mind, that's all...we should head home, Tohru. I'm sure Kyo and the others are worried about you." Krad said.

"What about Akito-san is he going to be..."she said s her voice trailed of and she pulled away from Krad, "No...I don't want to go..."she said as she walked backward to Akito, "I'm alone there...I'm not alone here..."she said as Akito lips where moving.

Dark looked at her, "Okay," he said as he started to heal himself once again.

"You are one tenacious son of a bleep, you know that?" Krad said before he knocked Akito out again.

Rogueblade watched with concern, making sure that he got completely healed this time.

Dark finished, "All better now," he smiled.

Tohru felt dizzy as she also passes out. She wasn't tired but from all the stress that Akito had put on her mind.

Of course, Krad was there to catch Tohru as she fell over. He picked her up, leaving Akito on the ground, and walked back into the main room where Rogueblade was helping Dark stand up.
He froze. "Wasn't she going to kill you or something?" he asked.

Dark laughed, "Yes, but she has fallen for my charm," he said raising an eyebrow. "I have to do something." Dark said as he stood up and walked into the room with Akito, found the link from him to Rogueblade and snapped it, causing Akito to jump a bit, "okay, you're free," Dark said.

Rogueblade felt her soul return to her body and was so happy that she decided not to punish Dark for saying he'd "charmed" her.
But there was one problem...now that her soul was returned, she was suddenly overcome with hunger.
"Aw, crap!" she said, doubling over as pains racked her body. "I'm starving!" She tried not to look at the blood that had spilled onto the floor when she'd wounded Dark, as it would only make her hungrier.
(remember, she's a vampire, plus nobody else except Akito knows this.)

Dark looked at her, "Krad, we should go. Tohru either has to go home," he said as he looked at Rogueblade. "Goodbye," he said and he bowed a bit as he flew off, waiting for Krad.

Rogueblade took one look at the blood and her wings came out again spontaneously.
"No...bad, don't even think about it..." she muttered, talking to herself.
Krad carried Tohru over and looked at her curiously.
"It's a shame that you didn't finish him off, you know...but I think he may have a little crush on you. Hey--are you okay?"
"Go...away...I'm a vampire!" she cried. She quickly darted to the window and flew off in any direction that would take her away from both Krad and Dark. Unfortunately, she didn't get far.
"What do you mean, you're a vampire?" Krad said as he hovered in the air before her, practically laughing. "Vampires aren't real!"
She bared her fangs and snarled. "If you don't get out of my way you'll soon find out for yourself just how real I am!"

"Krad, you idiot! Move away from her! You have Tohru in your arms!" Dark yelled at him.

Krad dodged as she flew by with a slight backward glance in Dark's direction.
"I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of her," Krad said thoughtfully. He looked down at Tohru. "I'd better take her home. Want to come with me and beat up the idiots who let her get kidnapped?" he offered to Dark.

"Do you think she would really want to go there? I mean even though you took away the darkness in her mind, those words still fill her head." he said softly, "but I think she does need to go home. AND I would love to beat them up," he said.

"All right then, let's get going." he said. Krad took off flying and was at Shigure's house within moments. He landed at the front door.
"After you?" he said to Dark.