Shadowed Memories
Annnnnnnnd the second chapter is up! Mind you, this story's going to be pretty short, seeing as it's only a remake of the original. But please (picks up loudspeaker set on max) READ AND REVIEW! Better yet, give me some constructive criticism, good or bad. And maybe I'll do other stories based on this one. Its only a thought now though. And now, the chapter 2 of this story!
Chapter Two: Which Dark is Which?
(About the chapter title, seriously, I'm really confused. Explained more at bottom.)
(This is when mirror Dark (who will be called Daisuke as long as the real one is not around) goes home after his little 'meeting'. The Dark-who-does-the-stealing-in-this-mirror-world's POV)
"Hey what's up Dai?" Dark asked, noticing the obviously irritated boy slam the front door. Of course, in this world, he wasn't actually a part of any of the Niwa's, but he and the said clan had a contract of a sort. In return for eternally protecting their magical family, they would secretly house Dark and his artefacts.
Daisuke was the Niwa's son. In face, he looked uncannily liked Dark. As Emiko cheerfully put it: "Dark being part of the family for so long must have influenced our DNA! After all, he has been with us for 300 years."
"Lousy kid…oh hi Dark." Muttered the boy, noticing his family's sworn protector lounging lazily on the couch.
"Did m-"
Dark cut him off before he could continue.
"Like I care about being discovered. No one can tell me what to do. Sure, I protect your family, but I don't have to listen to your family all the time."
Daisuke sighed. The Thief never considered what could happen if he brought a friend home with him and was spotted.
"What's wrong?" Dark asked again. Sure, the boy had like, a permanent 'Leave me alone' look on his head, but he mostly didn't have an irritated one as well.
"Well…" Daisuke started, flopping onto the couch near Dark's one. "Today, just after school, when I had met up with Riku, that little redhead from earlier appeared. You know, the one I told you about before school."
"Yeah yeah." Dark replied lazily. "Just keep going."
"And like, I noticed him and told him to just leave me alone. But then he goes on all about this stuff about me being you and he being me. When I pushed him off, he did the same thing at the exact same time, and he, I don't know how, but he knew about my training from mom and grandpa. He said, 'See? You are Dark? If you hadn't been trained from birth, we wouldn't be so evenly matched.'"
Dark furrowed his brow in confusion. An impostor?
"I grabbed him, and told him to bug off again. And I even threatened to call the police! And does he go? Noooooo. He just smirked and asked me why Kaitou Dark would want to hand himself to the police. Cause they're 'just guards to dodge and laugh at for you.'"
Dark smirked. That kid must have known him well.
"That jerk! He's almost like Satoshi!" Daisuke grumbled, slamming the poor couch pillow on the ground.
"Well, then he went on about having a name, and I get sarcastic. I ask him, 'What's that? Daisuke Niwa? Or Phantom Thief Dark?' And you know what he says?"
Dark was really interested now. "What?"
"He says his both. Can you believe that? I pushed him off so that he would fall on his back, but he twisted around, and just landed on his feet, just like a cat!"
"Or…" Dark pointed out. "Like someone whose had training since birth and is used to these situations. In fact, he sounds like a thief-in-training."
"…" Daisuke was slightly stunned by his reply. Was Dark actually serious for once?
"Anyway, I'm really annoyed by this point, and I go and give him a punch."
Dark flinched. Ouch. He felt kinda sorry for the boy. When Daisuke punched, you get punched. Hard. And it wasn't easy to dodge his punches either. He knew. More than once he had been the infuriation of Daisuke.
"But he dodged it! Just like that, he moved out of the way!" Daisuke emphasized by snapping his fingers. Dark whistled. This kid was goooood.
"When I tell him to tell me his real name, that smart-alec jerk says, 'I told you. My name is Daisuke Niwa and I'm your other half. Alter-ego. Tamer. Host. Whatever you want to call it.'"
Dark was suddenly lost in his mind. A feeling…a strange feeling that he knew the redhead. He hadn't seen him before but it seemed that he knew exactly who he was. But how could that be?
Of course you would know your other half. It's a part of the Niwa bloodline.
Dark blinked. Other half? But that little voice said no more.
"…and I tell him to leave, that little weirdo, and I can tell he's about to fight back again. But then, another person joined in. It was a woman, pretty young looking. She had short silver hair and a strange type of dress. She said to the kid, 'Stop Daisuke! It's no use! He won't remember until you get all the feathers!' Remember what, I'll like to know. And she called him Daisuke too!" He snorted.
Dark felt curious. Remember what indeed? Hmmmm, feathers…he had a feeling he knew that kid.
"Then she does, I dunno, magic or something."
Dark's eyes widened in surprise. Magic?
"There was this sort of black feather storm in between us, and she told that kid to 'get the feather and hurry up.' Because they apparently didn't have much time left."
Daisuke grew quiet, and Dark could tell there was something tugging at him, something he couldn't understand.
"What happened next?" Dark asked quietly, curious to know.
"I…I saw an image." Daisuke started softly. "It was of…you, trapped by your wings. And you looked…lonely. Sad. And there was…something different. About you I mean. Cause for a moment there, when you looked up in the image, the redhead was in your place or something, except he looked…more cheerful. More…complete. And I had a feeling that the kid had seen it too."
Dark felt strange. Who was this kid exactly? And what connection did he have to him?
"Then, the kid goes over to Riku, and takes her black feather. Then he just left."
Dark felt like he could see the scene in his mind. The redhead and Daisuke quarrelling, fighting, and To-to and her magic…wait, where did the name To-to come from?
"Daisuke, describe that woman again."
"Huh?" Daisuke blinked. Something was up with Dark…but he obliged.
Dark listened carefully to Daisuke's description of the magic woman. When he finished, a name left his lips.
"The Towa no Shirube."
"What?"
"An art piece." Dark explained. "Its name means the Eternal Guide and its specialty is finding things. A Hikari art piece." He finished as if that explained it all.
"But…then why was it a woman?" asked Daisuke, genuinely confused.
"It takes the form of a young woman at times. But when weakened, it turns into a small pink bird." He grinned. "It's actually 98 years old. From what I have heard, it preferred to be called To-to instead of Towa, because Towa, meaning 'eternal', sounds 'so' old."
"Oh…"
Dark sighed and looked out the window. He was sure that the Towa no Shirube was destroyed long ago…so what was it doing with that redhead?
Suddenly, a movement outside caught his eye. What the…?
Leaving a surprised Daisuke, he dashed upstairs onto the open balcony. Sure enough, when he leaned over, he could see two people outside. A young silver haired woman -'The Towa no Shirube' he thought. - And a redhead.
'That must be the one Dai was talking about.' Dark thought. Funny, he looked exactly the way Dark had imagined him to be. Clumsy, awkward, but all the same kind and generous. Dark smirked. He couldn't even begin to imagine how someone like him could avoid the Daisuke punch he himself had experienced many times.
As he watched, the two paused as they ran past the house. The redhead slowed down until he was directly lined with the front path. He stared at the house with what appeared to be forlorn eyes and slumped down on the concrete, still staring. Towa poked him but he didn't seem to notice. Finally he sighed, and said something to his companion.
"I wish we could hurry up and find the last feather so that Dark would come back. My head seems so quiet without his voice, annoying as it is."
Amethyst eyes widened. What did his head have anything to do with anything?
Towa knelt down beside him and whispered to him (Dark has very good hearing, remember?).
"Don't worry Daisuke. We'll find it. And remember, I HATE seeing you so serious." She admonished, suddenly looking freakily scary.
"All right To-to," he muttered. "But…" he looked up at the house again, and Dark quickly hid from view. "Hey, I thought I just saw Dark." He could hear him quickly scramble to his feet, then the sound of a human hand grabbing flesh.
"Stop Daisuke! Remember, in this mirror world of the Sage of Sleep, the real Dark does not exist in this way! Remember what I said to you about staying focused on the one true Dark? Now come on! We don't have all day!"
Dark could hear a sigh of resignation, but he didn't hear footsteps. Instead, to his surprise when he peered over, he saw the girl pick Daisuke up and sprout a pair of small wings, and they flew off, the redhead looking back at the house sadly. For an instant, their eyes locked, and ruby orbs widened, but reluctantly looked away, determined to stay focused.
As they left, Dark slumped down and tried to make sense of all that had happened. But try as he might, he didn't know what to make of the whole situation. So, before he gave himself a headache, he headed inside to prepare for the night's thieving.
Present Time
"Another easy steal for me!" hummed Dark, who was flying towards the Niwa's house.
"Nearly there…what the!" the Phantom Thief nearly fell out of the air in his shock. For on the balcony of the Niwa boy was…him. And sitting on his head was a familiar white bunny. Dark hovered over the surrounding trees for a minute, attempting to register this new bit of unwanted information.
"Wiz…you're still there aren't you?" he asked, somewhat confusedly.
"Kyuuuu!" was the happy reply he received.
"Then…who is that?" Dark muttered, staring at the dark figure on the balcony.
"Hey Wiz! We're there! Land on that balcony!" called Daisuke as he and his wings swooped lower down.
"Kyuuuu!"
They landed gently, and Daisuke, careful not to disturb the house's residents, although they were his family, leaned against the rail, Wiz sitting on his now purple head.
"Ahhhh…" he groaned, stretching his arms above his head. "I'm not used being in control and flying." He muttered, alert for any sign of Dark.
"Do you think I can change back yet Wiz?" Daisuke asked hopefully. He really wasn't comfortable with being in Dark's form and being in control.
Before the white bunny could answer, he (Wiz) noticed a slight shadow out of the corner of his eyes. He hopped towards the shadow, eyes widening and tiny heart beating hard. Could it be? Could it really be?…Yes! It was, it was!
"Kyuuuuuu!"
For some reason, Wiz sounded happier than usual. Daisuke noticed him bounding off and he followed him to the window-door that led inside. Had he seen Dark?
Wiz pressed his furry face against the glass, whimpering sadly. Why couldn't he ever get strawberries when he really wanted to? And such nice ripe ones too, growing in a little pot…
Daisuke sighed. No, the bunny had just let his stomach overtake him. Why he loved strawberries that much, he didn't know. And here Daisuke was, hoping that Wiz had spotted Dark. He headed back to the rail, taking To-to out of his pocket while he was at it. He felt her head; it was barely warm anymore. He wished Dark would hurry up and give him the feather so that they could go back.
Reluctantly, Wiz followed him back and once again jumped on his head, snuggling down. He enjoyed sitting on his owner's head. So comfortable…but he liked it more when it was red; reminded him of strawberries. Speaking of which…
"Kyuuuuuu!"
"What Wiz?" Daisuke asked, feeling Wiz shake his head. Then it hit him. Forgetting all regard for his mirror family, Daisuke pulled Wiz down and held him in front of him, eyes wide in disbelief.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T CHANGE BACK YET!"
Dark blinked. Right…that version of him was strange. Change back into what? And why was Wiz down there when he was up here with him, which wasn't possible because someone can't be in two places at once, unless they were Wiz and could change into him, Dark, and make it seem like they were in two places at once which they really weren't and…all in all he was confusing himself.
He smirked, watching himself pull a stress attack. If that was him, he would definitely not act as unsophisticated as that. What a weirdo.
He listened carefully to his 'uncool' self as he talked to his bunny.
"But surely you can do it Wiz!"
"Kyuuuu!"
The boy's eyes were downcast. "But…To-to isn't awake and how else am I supposed to convince Dark when I look exactly like him?"
Hmmmmm…interesting. Another person who knew the Towa no Shirube? Or…maybe the same one as before but with a different appearance?
As Dark watched quietly, he pulled out 9 black feathers. 'Hey!' he thought indignantly. 'Aren't those mine?' He sighed, looking through them, occasionally twirling one around. "Just one more…" Dark heard him mumble.
"Dark! Are you back already?"
Both of them froze. 'Hmmm, this could be funny,' thought Dark as he remained in his position and watching the other him's reaction to Daisuke's voice.
"Hey Dark!"
'Oh no!' thought Daisuke frantically. He turned in time to see Mirror Dark appear and greet him.
"Where's the painting Dark?"
'Wait a minute…wasn't he and Phantom Thief Dark one and the same?' thought Daisuke, eyeing Mirror Dark suspiciously. 'Well, seeing as he thinks I'm the Dark of this world, obviously not.
"Hey…weren't you wearing something different when you went out?" asked Mirror Dark confusedly.
"Kyuuuu!"
"Huh? Wiz what is it?" asked Daisuke, looking at the bunny.
"Wait a minute…you're not Dark!" Mirror Dark lunged at him, but Daisuke easily dodged. He had forgotten that the one thing that didn't change in the transformation was his voice.
"Who are you and what have you done to Dark?" snarled Mirror Dark, bearing down on him.
"Whatever it is you're going to do, Wiz, hurry up and do it!' Daisuke muttered out of the corner of his mouth.
Wiz transformed into yet another version of Dark (you knew he could do that didn't you?) and held a black feather over Daisuke's head. He muttered an incantation (yay for magic Wiz!) with a cute 'kyuuu' at the end for good measure.
Dark's eyes widened in surprise as a blue light surrounded the 'other' him (not Wiz) and his hair grew shorter, and redder, and he grew a tad bit shorter too. His clothes changed into what appeared to be a school uniform. With a loud 'kyuuu', Wiz changed back into his cute little self immediately afterwards.
"What the…" mumbled Mirror Dark, confused by everything. "Hey! You're that redhead again!"
Daisuke was too relieved to notice him at first. But with the help of a few urging tugs from Wiz, he noticed the teen angrily glaring at him.
"My name is Daisuke!" snapped Daisuke (duh!). He was starting to get real annoyed by this whole thing. And he only had 11 minutes left… (Yes, all the things that included Daisuke that have happened since the last chapter only took 4 minutes. Sadly I put myself in the trap of not enough time for the story so I'm desperately giving a lame excuse for it.)
Mirror Dark opened his mouth to retaliate again, but before he could, Daisuke cut him off.
"Now where's Dark! I need to talk to him quickly!"
'How the hell am I supposed to know where he is?" he shot back. "First, you impersonate me and now you try to take on the look of Dark? Like I'm going to help you!"
With that, he pulled his arm back and once again attempted to punch him. As Dark watched, interested, Daisuke, who could somehow avoid things with ease once he had experienced it before, jumped away easily onto the roof. (Like how Satoshi can recreate any painting he has seen before.)
A light switched on in the room below them.
"Daisuke, honey. What's happening? Is Dark back yet?"
"Mom!" both boys cried out at the same time, then instantly glaring at each other.
The door slid open, and Emiko appeared on the balcony, looking up at them, a confused expression on her face. Her eyes widened as she noticed the redhead on the roof.
"Daisuke…what's going on? And…omigod! You're actually here!" (That last part was to Daisuke.)
"You know him mom?" asked Mirror Dark incredously.
(This next part is a bit like the anime version)
"Daisuke, just let him go. He has a reason to be here." She ordered. (Wow! Amazing Emiko!)
"But mom! Who is he?" Mirror Dark protested loudly.
"He's…he's…" Emiko trailed off, shaking her head firmly. "Just let him do his job here Daisuke!"
Before anyone could say anything anymore, she headed back inside. Just before she closed the door again, she looked back at Daisuke, a knowing glimmer in her eye, and she winked, ever so quickly. Then the door slid shut and she was gone, muttering 3 last words quietly. "He's…my son."
Daisuke smiled to himself, grateful his mom still somehow knew. She was always a wise, if not overly cheerful, one. "Thank you mom."
Wow, that took a while…I'm really dragging this story on. Sorry if I confuse you with who the real Dark is in the Sage of Sleep, and if my references to people (such as Mirror Dark, Dark and Daisuke) are unreliable, but truth is, I'm confused myself. You see, in the manga, Dark is Daisuke in the Sage of Sleep, but here, he's…well he's just himself in that prison place mentioned in previous chapter. And Mirror Dark is supposed to be representing the real Dark here too, kind of, but all in all this is very mixed up. Any questions, review this story and I'll answer them best I can. So please R&R!
