Jade: Well, let us see…this chapter is pathetic and giving me hell. Seriously. And I seem to be on the way to having more chapters than I originally predicted. I am trying to keep my chapters at a uniform length because not many seem to like it when I make them much of any bit longer. Come on! Several people wandered away last time I did that!

Jin: Twas not fair! –cries-

Jade: yeah, really not fair. Anyways, tell me if I am rushing this a but much and feel free to give me any comments and/or constructive criticism.

Disclaimer: Me no own. Did you ever really see Daisuke flirting back? He most assuredly would have been had I written it! SO NO SUING!

Chapter 10: Into the Fortress

The night was cold but his breath was making no clouds in the lazily blowing wind. It was almost too cold for anyone to even make the slightest guess that it was still summer. Curse unpredictable weather patterns. He darted forward, his feet lightly bending the grass underfoot and causing nary a sound though it should have. "Krad-san? Dark-san?" He turned his cobalt blue eyes back to watch for their black garbed forms. He knew that they had to be back there some where.

Not a second later two figures dodged up, stopping just a slight ways away from the Vampire, one with dark violet hair aiding with his well practiced impression of non existence and the other with bright blond hair hidden mostly under a hat. It was an amazing surprise that he could even get as much of his mop up and hidden as well as he had. It was times like this that he wished he would just cave in and cut it. Demo… He just liked it a little too much for his own good.

Quickly they exchanged a flurry of hand motions, the ones for "I'm here", "come here", "why?", "Just do it", and a very fluttery and over dramatic, "fine" accompanied by the rolling of two violet eyes and an exasperated look from the amber-gold.

Looking away from the two Satoshi studied the gate. It wasn't much of something to look at, nothing fancy at all. It was solid cold grey steel set up to keep things from slipping through. And just to keep things out. The close thick bars had the sharp barbed wire coiled around, especially in the upper bars. Sadly, it seemed it was locked and, by the sound of a very faint humming, most likely set up to electrocute anybody unlucky enough or stupid enough to touch it.

He seriously doubted that this would be an easy job with out Daisuke's help. Not easy at all. He rubbed his eyes with a sigh that made little more than a zephyr.

The Fortress sprawled out beyond the gates like a ruined ruin, stretching far and wide. Just to think. The Key was hidden out there somewhere.

But not everything was as it seemed, Satoshi could literally feel the illusions around the Fortress. All that was really visible to the naked eye were the ruins; most anyone would think that this gate that he was standing in front of was to protect this place. A country sponsored historical preserve maybe. Not really, it wasn't what couldn't be seen were the tall towers, the battlements, the walls, nothing, not even the flags could be seen, a blood red sword crossed with an ice blue sword and ice on one side and fire on the other.

"What do you need?" Dark quietly came up behind our favorite Vampire and whispered in his ear, thus shifting the focus of the blue-eyed boy's attention.

The answer to Dark's question was the simple pointing of a finger.

"Wha…? Oh," Dark started before quickly realizing what Satoshi was not talking about.

The humming gate, the big stupid humming gate.

His eyes deadly serious, Dark quickly assessed the situation, this was no time for games, nor would it be through the entirety of this whole mission. Really, old men were entitled to their little eccentrics weren't they? Being somewhere around twelve hundred years old counted as old wouldn't it?

With a smirk Dark slipped his little leather satchel off his shoulder and fluidly rooted out a pair of black electricity proof gloves and an odd assortment of aids. Within a matter of minutes the security system was disabled and the locks were undone. Nobody could say that the Kaito in question wasn't good at his job and his skills had surely not declined over the years.

Krad poked a pile of weapons that Dark and deposited at his foot with an amused look. He wondered who the unlucky souls were that he had seen (for surely they hadn't seen him) while dismantling.

On the other side of the wall the people that he had sent to slumber-land were hidden in shadows, a lump on the back of each respective head.

With a regal nod in their direction the bluenette walked away, silently fading into the form of a bat as he went. The plans were to split up as soon as they got in the grounds and keep in contact via the antique palm sized mirrors that Dark had stolen at one point in time. As it was, splitting up here seemed as good as anywhere else.

Seconds after Satoshi was out of seeing distance a mischievous look settled in Krad's eyes and his eyes in turn settled on the weapons once more before sliding to a well that just happened to be nearby.

Ooh, yeah. That was as good as a hiding place as there ever was! Good thing no-one but Dark would notice what he was planning to do. The Kaito had been getting used to his little odd streaks in personas and wouldn't say a word. Wouldn't want this ruining his all powerful reputation of being the evil-serious-one going down the drain, now would we?

Xooo.oooX

Daisuke sighed in the dark gloomy kitchen, listening to the clicking of the clock and idly playing with a green pen while sipping some tea out of a tea cup. The room really suited his mood and at the moment he didn't feel like getting up and turning on the light. He had excellent night vision after all… His hands tightened on the cups handle. Man he wished he could have gone with them! Or at least have had someway he could have helped! Pouting he set the cup down with a click. He was out there without him! Man he sometimes hated his job.

In actuality, the whole reason he had become a Hunter Angel was because he had had a premonition. A premonition that gave him the feeling that he would need the knowledge and experience that came with being one. When he started he would have never guessed that he would be the one sent to the middle plane to open the Gates, much less knowing that the Gates would be sealed in the first place!

Satoshi-san… Daisuke's attention started to wander into thoughts of the unusual Vampire. Satoshi-san with his soft blue hair and his beautiful cobalt eyes and that s—Daisuke's eyes widened and he couldn't repress an embarrassed giggle. A sudden thought hit him with the force of a Semi-Truck going ninety-five to zero miles per hour in point zero-one seconds. No wonder he could never find someone in Heaven! His person had always been down here!

Grinning ruefully at this thought the Fiery Angel set his little green pen down with a click and wandered around the kitchens black and grey counter top to the stainless steel sink where he set the tea cup. Looking at the semi gothic clock, it had sharp black wings for hands and it was all around an intimidating piece, he noted the time. Eleven fifty-six p.m.

They wouldn't be home soon. He paused in his movement of washing the cup out as what he just thought rolled over him, yeah, this place was like home.

Deciding that staying up to wait like a fretting wife wasn't something terribly smart of him to do Daisuke stripped off his shirt and walked down the hallway to the room that he had been sharing with Satoshi, idly wondering if, seeing as the two said that they had known each other in their previous lives, if… If maybe they could have been something more than just friends or maybe they had had the potential to be more than friends but other things had gotten in the way…

He had learned up above, in "The Mates of Souls" by Shan'a Zech, a book he was required to read, that it was quite hard to keep two halves of a soul pair from at least meeting once in life, and it was rarely that they would not fall in love and get together.

Flopping down on the bed Daisuke started to think back over Dark and Krad's reactions to the knowledge of Satoshi being a Demon. From the impression he had received, they had been pretty much shell shocked at what he was and they seemed to have been sure that Satoshi would have been an Angel like himself.

So… why was he a Demon then? How did it happen? What happened to Satoshi-chan?

…

Dear Lord! His eyes popped open. Had he just called Satoshi-san, Satoshi-chan?

Xooo.oooX

Satoshi's eyes darted around as he hid in the alcove. The multitude of Demons had not yet been alerted to the trio's presence and hopefully it would continue like this for quite a while. He could stand it if they knew he was there after he got the Key but not before. The wall he was pressed flat up against an old cracked stone wall blending into the surrounding shadows but the piece of hair in his eyes was really starting to bug him. Taking a moment to tuck it behind his ear he listened for any threatening sounds, like the sound of a Demons voice for instance.

Hearing nothing he continued on for several minutes his path almost unbelievably blank and unobstructed.

A bad feeling was starting to creep up his spine; it had been too good to last. Once again pausing he some how caught the faint sound of multiple footsteps and some lightly carrying voices. They were talking about some pop star or something of the sort. Really, a pathetic train of conversation for a group of Demons that were possibly in their late hundreds of years in age, then again boredom was often constant for largely un-used soldiers here.

It only took a few moments for Satoshi to seemingly sink into the wall at his back side, the shadows seemed to wrap around his cloaked form and any observers' eyes would just seem to slide away from his wispy form. Unfortunately the had to keep his eyes closed as they passed seeing as they wouldn't fade away, being so bright they would surely attract attention.

Frowning Satoshi continued on only to come to a dead stop at a blank wall. There had been no secondary hallways from this way so there should be a door here. Staring at it he suddenly felt the urge to grin as wide as he could, fangs and all. It was a hidden door! He hadn't gotten to break through one of these in several decades! He hoped he wouldn't be too rusty at breaking the code!

Studying the old cracked stone wall and the floor nearby intently Satoshi critically searched for some type of button or unusual crack. There had to be some somewhere! A small smile was on his face as he ran his slender but strong pale hands over the stones.

Here was one… And another… And another. A look of concentration settled on his face, leaving a small crease between his brows. Oh bother. He had to do a pattern!

Taking another step forward he almost missed the ominous click of his foot pressing down a switch he hadn't noticed beforehand. Tensing suddenly he waited with bated breath for something to happen.

…Nothing did.

Xooo.oooX

"There is no way in seven hells that you are getting me to go through that room!" Krad Hikari whispered fiercely to his koi. He knew that it would be doubtful that they would be able to find the key on their own even with Dark's seemingly natural unnatural ability that gave him a map-like sixth sense to guide him through the safest places to where ever his goal was. But really! This was outrageous! How could a route going through a room filled to the brim with Demons that seemed to be having a meeting be the safest route they could take! Surely there could be another way they could go!

Dark just answered with a level stare and a low tone. "If this is the safest way to go, do you really want me to test our luck to find someway else?" he hissed back, "I am sure it could and would be worse than this."

A sharp voice cut through the loud chatter of the Demons within diverting the two's attentions.

"How could our Satoshi-sama be a ranshinzokushi1!" it cried outraged, catching the majority of all of the Demons' attentions onto its self. Much to the gratitude of the two faux seraphs, even if the person had no idea that it was assisting the two.

"Coming, koibito?" Dark grinned and waved over his shoulder, creeping into the room and keeping to the old cracked walls. Man it was a dark room, no light anywhere!

1 - One who rebels against one's lord and one's parents; rebellious (treacherous) subject; traitor

(There are several ways traitor could be said, I chose this one)

Jade: See? Very little added Japanese for you all to learn here. I've just been learning things like how to say good bye when you are leaving YOUR house (Ittekimasu) and when someone is saying good bye BACK (Itterasshai) and other things like how to ask addresses, birthdays and phone numbers. –shrugs-

Anonymous and signed reviews are always highly encouraged, even if it is just a simple hi. It's nice to know people are at least partially happy with this and reading it. Lets all give Black-Rose01 a round of applause for sending in a review! You know, that question got me thinking which got me working more on this again so doomo arigatoo gozaimasu!

Please drop off a review.

…

Hmmm… -Starts pondering- When I finish this story I think I'll rework it, you know, more detail and stuff… Would that be good?