Time is such an unfaithful mistress...
As if a ghost of shadows or more fittingly a ghost of memories, Dark Mousy sat perched upon the roof of Azumano Middle School. His legs folded in a loose fashion, he grabbed his ankles and leaned back slightly. He felt uncomfortable in such small clothes, however it was not as if he had a choice in the matter. He'd promised Daisuke not too long ago that he wouldn't take control of his body while he was at school, but it wasn't his fault the idiot walked in on Risa changing. He should learn to read signs more carefully.
A cool breeze brought him wanted comfort as the bell chimed that signaled the school day's end. His narrow eyes scanned the crowd below as children filed out of stone building. A free hand absentmindedly caressed his furry companion. His amethyst eyes caught glimpse of a familiar face and with a half-hearted sigh he turned to Wiz. He couldn't deny that he'd been waiting for her here all along.
"I can't belief she doesn't remember," the words felt more as if he was speaking of a dream.
"Kyuu?" the small creature peered up at him with soft red eyes.
"I guess that was to be expected, but I can't believe she hates me now. After generations of searching I finally found her, though I was beginning to get discouraged,"he chuckled lightly to himself. It was an idle attempt to lift his spirits.
"Kyuu..." Wiz rubbed his head against his master's palm.
Below them Dark's object of affection, Riku, was trailing after her younger sister. Risa paid no mind to her sister's calls. She was far too absorbed in gossip with the group of girls surrounding her.
"Risa wait!"
The feminine girl hesitated before turning sharply on her heel to face her sister. Her hair whipped behind her before falling perfectly back into place. "What is it?"
Riku rolled her eyes expecting cherry blossom petals to go blowing by Risa at any moment. "Have you seen Niwa?"
A finger raised to Risa's bottom lips as her gaze shifted upward to nothing in particular. The cute but quizzical look Riku knew so well.
"Daisuke? No I haven't seen him. Why?"
"I wanted to see if he would walk home with me. Since you're obviously too busy," Riku disguised a pout.
"I have no idea why you waste your time with that boy," Risa spat rather cynically. "Couldn't you have chosen a more suitable boyfriend?"
"And I suppose you mean someone more like that thieving pervert?" Riku retorted.
Remembering how useless it was to try and win an argument with her stubborn sister, Risa returned her attention to her friends.
"That's your que lover boy," Dark whispered sadly allowing Daisuke ownership of the body.
Daisuke ran quickly to his impatient girlfriend.
The pair walked home together in peace and Daisuke as surprised that he didn't hear a word from Dark. The phantom thief didn't say a word the rest of the night and Daisuke could feel that his friend was depressed. He knew that Dark liked Riku a lot more than the other girls that he played games with, but he didn't understand why. Riku was a great girl and that formed a wedge between Daisuke and his counterpart.
The red-headed boy let his muscles relax and his thoughts quell as he laid down on his bed. After undoing the top three buttons under the collar of his over-sized white shirt, he positioned his arms so that they were crossed behind his head. Dark took this opportunity to speak.
To anyone outside the family it would appear as if Daisuke was having a lively conversation with himself. The truth, however, was even weirder. Daisuke was communicating with the soul of the legendary Phantom Thief Dark which resided with in him.
"I'm surprised you let me go home with Riku today," the boy said in a thankful tone.
"Not like I had choice; my DNA was reacting," Dark replied sourly. "Besides, she is your girlfriend."
"What makes you love her so much anyway Dark? It was like you fell in love with her the instant you saw her."
Daisuke half expected depraved answer-- something about creamy thighs or luscious curve. He reminded himself that Dark wasn't often playful when it came to Riku.
"You can't really love someone that easily can you? I suppose I never really loved Risa at all," he ventured further.
"Maybe with the illusion of her loving me clouding over you couldn't. It must have been painful to see her chasing after me; I'm sorry Daisuke."
"I guess we're even now." Daisuke was in no way happy about this.
"Seems that way," Dark grinned weakly. "Don't worry; Risa doesn't really love me."
"Love is fickle, huh Dark?"
"You have no idea," the thief closed his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
Dark peeked open an eye and displayed an elvish smirk, "So you want to know about my past?"
"Yea," Daisuke said propping up on his elbows.
Flames grew from every angle as the sound of another explosion left Dark's ear drums ringing. The force of the eruption sent the dark angel flying backwards only to make a rough impact with the ground before rolling limply onto his stomach.
His limbs felt unusually heavy as he found it impossible to lift himself. His tattered wings folded in ward as ebony feathers flew and danced about in the distance.
Dark felt his fingers grow sticky as he rubbed them together in efforts to move. The thick substance pooling around his hands increased and he soon realized that he was lying in his own blood.
"Don't tell me I'm going to die like this," he chuckled to himself before coughing up an alarming amount of blood.
Peering hazedly across the wall of flames before him, he spotted the sprawled figure of his enemy, Krad. He appeared to be in no better condition. White feathers drifted towards the flames only to be singed into ash.
The tall, orange flames that danced toward the sky only reminded him of the bonfires the village use share. The laughing faces he would never see again, the people he use to protect, the girl he would always love. Would he ever see her again?
"I made a promise... A promise that I would return."
"You'll never see her again," Krad's cracked, yet equally heartless voice carried over the inferno.
"I PROMISED!" Dark's tear filled voice boomed through the charred village.
Blinking rapidly, he fought against the stream of blood threatening to enter his eyes. During this action he still managed to see a frightened yound man hovering behind a bush just feet from him.
"Get out of here before all the exits are a flame," Dark commanded sternly.
" I-I want to help Legendary Phantom Thief Dark," the red headed boy clammered as he advanced toward the fallen angel, "like you have helped us so many times before."
"Don't," Dark whispered, blood seeping from the corners of his thin lips.
"Please," the boy pleaded, a gentle hand caressing Dark's blood matted hair. "Isn't there a way?"
"There is one," a wry smile lit his face.
"How can I help?"
"Merge with me..." Dark's words were not easy passing.
"Of course," the boy bowed his head accepting his burden.
"How old are you?" Dark's words were with haste. There was no time to get to know eachother now.
"Fourteen."
"Well from this day forward your bloodline and mine shall be one, sharing DNA. When a male member of your ancestry reaches fourteen I will awaken. Two minds sharing one body. Because this curse if forged on love it can only be broken by love. When my host's love is returned I will sleep until the next member is born to carry the burden. When Riku and I are reunited the curse will be broken. Understand?"
"I can't begin to imagine the mysteries of your magic, but I am willing to make this sacrifice. That I understand, yes."
"Then take a feather from my wing and repeath this chant," Dark's eyes fell kindly on the boy.
The boy abliged by slowly plucking a feather from underside of Dark's large wing. He winched briefly in reply.
"Wait.. what is your name, boy?"
"Niwa."
"From now one Niwa, you and I are one."
"So that's how it happend?" Daisuke's round eyes grew even rounder in awe.
"Yep," Dark replied simply.
"So you and Riku were in love a bazillion years ago?" Daisuke's expression took a skeptical turn.
"Hey, I'm not that old. But for the most part yeah."
"And she doesn't remember a thing now, huh. I'm so sad Dark."
"Tell me about it," the thief groaned.
"I suppose I'm no help to the situation at all," Daisuke peered down in slight remorse.
"You can't help you fall in love with anyone," Dark sighed taking more heart to his own words than his counterpart. "Riku's a great girl."
"And what about Krad?" Daisuke had almost forgotten about the flaxen haired villian.
"Well Krad made more of a deal with the devil when he joined the Hikari line. But he was bound to them long before our battle that night. Krad's chains won't be broken until I am dead."
"Poor Hiwatari," Daisuke mused. The bespeckled boy had been gone for quite some time. "He didn't choose to live like this. He got sucked into it by genetics just like I did."
"Don't make me sound like a parasite. You would completely lost with out me," Dark reminded his clumsy friend.
As Dark continued to ramble on about how great he was and how lucky Daisuke was to be 'cursed', the boy only laughed at the notion. He really did hope that Dark could be happy someday. He didn't want Dark to leave, but that didn't mean that he wanted him to have Riku either.