Shattering The Night Chapter 2: Melancholy Blue

"DAIKI! WAKE UUUUUUUUUUP!"

With a jolt his body sat upright, his mind preparing for the worst. There could be many things that could have caused this strange wake up call. First on the list was that somehow (no matter how highly unlikely) Dark had botched the job and he, Daiki, was receiving the bunt of the blame. In reality, Dark's most recent job had only been last night, and even though Dark did need his help from time to time, most times he was just shrugged off as "annoying". So in that case he found himself paying less and less attention to whatever Dark was doing, after all, he hadn't failed once, so why worry? Last night however had been a little different. Satsuki was there, and that alone was strange. Maybe that was what was wrong, he was seen on a job, but then again that was Dark's fault, not his. It wasn't like he had control of the body anyway. Somehow he felt it didn't really matter since Dark wasn't here to get yelled at by his mother.

"Look, Mom…"

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS?"

Daiki paused for a second. Time? What did that matter? Her ranting sessions usually didn't start off like this. He had the strangest feeling he was missing something. His mother sighed a heavy sigh and shook her head of thick graying blonde hair.

"Daiki, today is a Monday, to be precise 7:30 AM on Monday. Do you know where you have to be in less than half an hour?"

A look of shocked realization hit his sleepy face. School. Crap.

"Oh no, not again."

Going into overdrive mode, he hopped out of bed knocking a peacefully slumbering With off of his comfortable perch. He quickly grabbed his uniform and raced to get dressed. All the while his mother stood shaking her head at this common yet pathetic chain of events. It really did happen every time, so much so that poor Daiki even received letters home from school detailing his high Tardy rate. And like clockwork, not four and a half minutes after his rude awakening, Daiki scrambled out of the house with a piece of toast crammed into a mouth that was uttering the familiar "Bye Mom, see you later!" as he sped out of the front door and down the quiet suburban street.

Late again. There didn't seem to be any way to avoid it. No matter what he did, he was always late for school. He had the power to turn into one of the most infamous and powerful thieves in history, but he couldn't even make an 8 o'clock bell. That is pathetic in the extreme.

"Next time you are out so late, you can fly me to school Dark."

"I don't think that would matter, Daiki, you would still be late."

"Would not."

"Would too."

"Would not."

"Would too."

"Daiki?"

A soft voice startled him out of his pithy banter. He turned to face the warm smile of a slim blue haired boy with sparkling ocean blue eyes.

"I see you are late again," he said with a soft chuckle and a wry grin. "I wonder why? Do you lead a secret double life?"

"No," he lied, his face turning beat red. "I just wake up late, that's all."

"Ha, that's the truth, but why is the real question."

"Quiet Dark."

"It must be exciting to run all the way to school everyday. I am always driven by our chauffeur, my sister insists."

"C'mon Shaji," Daiki chided. "How horrible can it be to be driven to school?"

It was Shaji's turn to feel embarrassed.

"Oh no no no," he quickly replied. "I don't mean it like that, I am very grateful for what my sister does for me. I couldn't possibly complain or ask for something else. After all, you have to be happy with what you have right?"

"And this is coming from a rich kid? Oh yeah it makes my heart split in two."

"From his point of view less is more so hush up Dark."

"Right," Daiki said aloud. "I mean after all, it would hurt your sister's feelings, right?"

Shaji gave a quick nod and a cheerful smile. It was impossible, however, not to notice the great sadness that was hidden in deep blue eyes. Though most would be fooled by the warming smile, he wasn't. He saw the depression slowly build in Shaji over the long months of the school year, as though a weight were slowly being dropped on his thin shoulders. More and more, Shaji seemed tired, worn out, or exhausted, like his body was painfully ripping itself in two. He could empathize with him, bearing Dark was no walk in the park, but it was nothing like Shaji's pain. Atlas himself could not have borne a heavier load.

Shaji walked quickly toward his waiting limousine, a casual smile pasted on his face. He felt as if he almost died in school today. He probably would have, had Daiki not been there. Daiki always seemed to have the answers, and he always gave them in his usual cerebral fashion. It was relieving to be around someone so calm.

As he neared the car, he saw a slim figure sitting inside. Her head was lowered and her legs were delicately crossed. She seemed engrossed in a stack of papers held in her hands. As he opened the door, her head raised up in recognition of his entrance, then lowered back down to her paperwork.

"Hello sister," Shaji greeted her in his usual pleasant tone. The glare of the sun glinted off of her blue rimmed glasses as her head nodded a silent 'hello'. "You seem like you have more work than usual." He glanced briefly at the headings of the papers. "Isn't this father's paperwork?"

"Yes it is," she replied in a matter of fact tone. "He isn't feeling well, worse than usual."

"Oh," he lowered his head. "Is father that ill?"

"I'm afraid so," Satsuki said her eyes rising to meet her brother's. "It's best that I take over his work now, so that there won't be so much confusion later."

"Is there anything that I can do?" His large eyes filled with a river of tears. "I'll do anything, anything if it will help."

"As a matter of fact," she said as a malicious grin formed on her glossed lips. "there just might be something."

Destiny's Quill- So this is the second chapter. I wrote this in only about 45 minutes if that. I really hope the next chapter will be up faster. Please R&R, no flames please.

Disclaimer- I do not own D.N.Angel, and if I did, I would have extended the series long ago.