I couldn't leave it any longer, I had to update...

Chapter 17

For Daisuke, the next minute was a blur. All he knew was that when he came to his senses, Krad was gone, nothing left of him but a blackened imprint against the cliff face that had been behind him.

Daisuke could feel warm tears cascading down his cheeks as he gathered Dark close to him, watching as the thief struggled to breathe. The redhead could feel the sticky blood coating his arms as it poured from the gunshot wound in Dark's back, and he knew that Dark's lung was slowly filling with blood.

Dark had been shot in the right side of his back, but the bullet hadn't gone all the way through him, it had been lodged inside him. Dark was currently struggling to breathe as an unbearable warmth filled his insides, his hand clenching around Daisuke's.

Daisuke choked slightly on the lump in his throat, and then pressed a hand to Dark's chest. "Can you retract your wings?"

Dark groaned in pain, and then shook his head. Daisuke could see that his teeth were stained red, and the boy knew that he was running out of time. "I'll do it for you… Just hold on Dark, hold on!"

Dark screamed, body arching as Daisuke focused his magic, pulling Dark's wings into his body. As soon as the feathered appendages were gone, Dark coughed, blood trickling down his chin as he tried to suck in heavy breaths that he didn't have the capacity for anymore.

Daisuke made his own wings vanish, and then he lifted Dark into his arms, trying to ignore the moan of pain that echoed from his lover's lips. The redhead ran towards the town, screaming for help. A jogger was running past, and as soon as he saw Daisuke, Dark bleeding in his arms, the man pulled out a cell phone and dialed 911.

Daisuke, knowing that the ambulance was on it's way, settled Dark down onto the ground, pulling off his shirt and rolling it up, putting Dark's head on it. The thief moaned again, choking slightly as the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

Daisuke held Dark's hand tightly, his face pale as tears flowed down his cheeks. "Hold on Dark, please, help is on the way…"

Dark choked again, and tears started to flow down his own face. "Dai-suke… I-I don't want to die…" Dark coughed again, blood leaking from the corners of his lips. "I don't want to die…"

Daisuke squeezed Dark's hand tighter, shaking his head. "You won't! You won't, I promise! They're going to help you, and everything will be fine, I promise!"

The rain continued to pour down, as though the sky was crying along with the two lovers. Daisuke could sense the presence of the man behind him, but he didn't acknowledge him. His world had shrunk to himself and Dark, and he listened as Dark pulled in another gurgling breath.

Dark could see blackness creeping into his vision, and his body was starting to feel numb and heavy. "D-Dai-suke…"

Daisuke pressed his lips against Dark's hand. "I'm here… I'm here…"

Dark smiled slightly. The pain wasn't quite so bad anymore. He could hardly feel any part of his body, and he wasn't choking anymore. Dark smiled again. "I… I love you… Don't forget me…"

"Don't say that!" Daisuke cried, shaking his head. "You're going to be fine!"

Dark smiled again, and then everything went black.

Daisuke felt Dark's grip on his hand loosen and then go slack, the thief's limp hand falling to hit the ground beside his head. Daisuke shook Dark's shoulders gently. "Dark?"

There was no response.

"Dark!" Daisuke shook the thief harder. "DARK!"

Sierens were blaring, and Daisuke looked up to see a paramedic standing over him, shock written all over his face. "That's… that's Dark, the Phantom Thief!"

Daisuke let out a roar of rage, lifting Dark's limp body into his arms. "Are you going to help him or not?.! He's dying, god dammit!"

The paramedic paused, and then gestured for Daisuke to come into the ambulance. "Hurry, we don't have much time."

Daisuke practically threw himself into the back of the vehicle, and an instant later it was speeding through the streets, carrying them towards the hospital. Daisuke was instructed to lay Dark on the gurney, and the paramedics started to examine him.

"He was shot." Daisuke said quickly. "On the right side, on his back." The boy watched as the medics carefully rolled Dark over onto his side. "It didn't come out, so it's still stuck in him. He's coughing up blood and everything."

As if on cue, Dark coughed heavily, and blood poured from his mouth, soaking the pillow. Daisuke was shoved out of the way as the medics rushed to help the struggling thief, and the redhead could do no more than watch as they rushed to save Dark's life.

Daisuke sighed, running a hand through his hair. Ten days it had been, ten days of pacing and worrying, of stress and little to no sleep. Ten days that Dark had been in a coma, and ten days that Daisuke had spent at his side as the chances of his thief ever waking grew less and less.

Daisuke reached down again, laying his hand over top of Dark's limp one. The thief was hooked up to a life-support system, as well as another machine that did the breathing for him. A heart monitor broke the silence, the slow steady pace of it indicating Dark's heartbeat.

After the ambulance had reached the hospital, Daisuke had been separated from Dark for nearly 14 hours. Four of those hours Dark had been in surgery, the doctors struggling to remove the bullet and keep Dark alive. The rest of that time had been spent making sure that he would be able to survive.

Daisuke had been terrified on that night. They had nearly lost Dark about four times, and his lung had collapsed as soon as they had removed the bullet, forcing them to keep operating. The bullet had also broken two of Dark's ribs when it had entered, as well as fractured another.

Another thing was the press. They wouldn't leave them alone! Daisuke had gotten to the point where he had forced the reporters from the room with bodily force, and then refused to let them back in. Dark was already having enough trouble, he didn't need any more.

Daisuke was afraid. Afraid of losing Dark, afraid of what was going to happen when he did heal. He didn't know what they were going to do. Now that the whole town knew that Dark was back, they had to do something, or the police would keep trying to arrest the thief.

'Maybe we could leave… just the two of us…' Daisuke thought, stroking his thumb over the back of Dark's pale hand. 'Just live together out in a place where no one would even know we were there…'

Daisuke looked up to Dark's face. The thief was as white as the sheets he was lying on, a breathing mask covering his nose and mouth. The heavy white bandaging around his chest was easily visible through the opening of the hospital gown, and Daisuke felt his fist clench in anger.

He really wasn't sure what happened to Krad, but he had a guess. The white-winged being was totally gone, and only the imprint even proved he had been there. Daisuke knew only one thing; his magic had been totally drained for about 3 days. Daisuke assumed that he had lost control, and Krad had felt the power of his rage.

Daisuke was jolted out of his thinking by the sound of a long alarm. The redhead's eyes widened, and he was then roughly shoved out of the way as doctors struggled to get to Dark. "We've got a flatline!"

"Code blue, code blue, let's get the cart in here!"

"Charging!"

"Hurry up!"

"CLEAR!"

Dark's body surged upwards on the bed as the electricity roared through his system, and then fell back to the bed, still.

"Again! Charge to 300!"

"CLEAR!"

Daisuke could faintly feel tears flowing down his cheeks, his hands over his mouth. 'Oh gods no, please, don't take him from me… I love him, please don't take him away!'

"Nothing."

"Shit! Hit him with 500!"

The doctor holding the paddles looked up in shock. "You'll fry his heart with that much!"

The other cursed again. "What have we got to lose?.! Just do it!"

"Charging…"

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! –coughs loudly- I mean, uh, sorry! –dodges sharp objects hurled at her- Kill me and I won't be able to update, just remember that! Please review!