Heya! Scarlet here! (Well, who else could it be, anyways...?)
Chapter one of Twilight! Yeah, it didn't take me long to write this, but it's sad so say that I'm already losing ideas. That's what I get when I was Naruto while attempting to write a story. D:
Summary: The greatest thief, The Phantom Thief, Dark, has been captured at long last. His way out of jail? Comfort a mental, derranged freak who's been neglected for years. Tough times and romance twirled with the longing of his little brother - Dark's in for a long three weeks.
P.S. This chapter is very long and boring, as I need a filler. Gomensai!
File 1 . when sun and moon meet
Dark growled at the random passerby that he met in the hallway. They all attempted to ignore him or stray away from him (well, he was a feared thief, after all) and no one tried to make eye contact. At all. Well, except for the annoying girl who was leading her, but she was the one who was going to let him be a free man in three weeks, no?
But between that freedom is three weeks of company with an insane, violent maniac. Mental note to self: next time, stay in jail. Dark thought, sighing mentally. But then an image of his little brother floated into his consciousness, and he blinked.
His little brother... Unlike typical brothers, they had always shared a special bond. Sure, Dark teased him from time to time, but they truly cared about each other. He was sure his little bro didn't want him to rot away in a craphole of a dungeon.
He glanced at the teen leading him. She was very familiar in a sense, but he couldn't quite place her finger on it. The way she walked, leading him down the white halls of the mental asylum, her confident, boyish stride, her cut-short auburn hair that framed her pretty face...
"Hey... What's your name?" Dark asked, suddenly curious. The girl glanced back at him, incredulity shining in her eyes.
"Harada Riku? Your little bro's friend? Duh?" she said, sounding rather deflated.
And then it clicked. Yes! It was Riku, his bro's annoying friend…only not as cheerful as he remembered her to be. Her façade was almost like a mask now, tinged with only the slightest bit of regret.
"So, here we are," Riku said flatly, showing him to a solid steel door. The number "3065" was on a white card, which hung on the door from a hook. "Go in and introduce yourself to Krad. But be wary - he likes to bite." And with that nice afterthought, she left him to his fate.
Dark gulped, feeling like he was condemning himself to death, and knocked. There was no reply. He typed in a code into the digital lock, and then, sighing, he swung open the unlocked door and stepped in.
I'm doing this for you, Daisuke. Dark thought grimly. You better like it when I'm free, little bro.
Blinding light! But...it was obscured by a figure in the doorway. Krad squawked, shielding his eyes.
Cursed sane girl! he thought, gnashing his teeth together. I'm going to crush her little spi -
His thought was cut short when his eyes met dark amethysts.
"You're... you're not that sane girl," he said softly, looking up at his new caretaker. He was lean and tall, and had long, rippling violet bangs with matching eyes. He was most definitely in his early twenties, possibly even late teens - much like Krad. He was... different from his visitors from before. Not completely like a sane person, yet nothing like he had been insane.
"That sane girl? Riku? Nah, I'm not, and I'm not at all like her either," the man grumbled. He inched forward, as though hesitant to even breathe the same air Krad did. Krad smirked and decided to freak him out a little with his 'insaneness.'
"Well, well, well, another sane," Krad slurred, erecting to his feet. He felt the man visibly tense. "So many sanes coming to visit me - oh, what shall I do? Should I snap this sane's spine, or should I merely stab him in the heart...? Oh, so many possibilities..." He sauntered in very close to the man, who looked sick.
"What the hell are you cackling about?" he growled, his feet slowly sliding toward the entrance.
It was working! Krad tried not to grin. Previously, when a sane man cloaked in a white jacket had tried to do odd sorts of tests on him in his room, he had done such a same act and had scared the life out of the poor fool. Now he heard rumors from the other sanes who came to visit him that the man had been scared into becoming an insane.
Krad smirked as he visualized seeing this intruder get the same results.
Holy hell, holy hell, holy heeellll I'm gonna die, Dark thought feverishly as the seemingly drunken insane person edged closer and closer to him, all the while muttering ideas on how to brutally murder Dark.
"S-stop," Dark said forcefully, though he could not keep the stutter out of his voice.
"But why must I? Your blood will make a nice wine for me to drink later this evening, don't you agree?" the insane man said softly and seductively, wetting his lips with a little bit of saliva at the thought.
"AAAAHHH! RIKU!" Dark screeched as the insane man clamped on his arm, cradling it almost lovingly as his teeth was about to sink into the flesh.
"Hm?" Riku's head emerged from the doorway. Then, she giggled, shaking it. "Why, Dark, I thought you were the greatest of all thieves," she sighed, and then erupted in giggles again. "Don't tell me one of Krad's acts is getting to you."
Hmmm… His name is Krad. He's insane, and is trying to eat me, but Riku is implying that he is a harmless, adorable little precocious twenty-year-old who will snuggle in my lap and purr when I pet him. How… nice, Dark thought crudely as the thought to wish for Riku's death arrived.
However, a snarl from Krad shook Dark from his thoughts. But the snarl was intended for Riku, and not him. He noticed that there was almost an angry feline quality to Krad's growl. Rather than admiring his impressive threat, however, Dark took the distraction in the form of Riku to throw the insane man off of him.
Krad lay on the floor, shocked. It looked as though no one had ever thrown him to the floor like that, so carelessly, so forcefully that he looked momentarily shocked. But it was for only a moment, as in the next three seconds, Krad was back on his feet, lifting Dark up by the neck even they were approximately the same height, his lips drawn into a snarl.
"No one, and I say no one, throws me around like that," he hissed, his grip on Dark's shirt tightening. Dark felt a little insecure in spite of himself, but felt no fear smear his thoughts.
"No one ever threatened to ferment my blood like it was wine and then drink it over a feast," Dark pointed out calmly. He didn't feel angry at all, which was strange. Maybe it was the fact that now this Krad had only been acting before, and he wasn't so insane after all…
"Yes, well, that's because you sane intruded upon my domain without any reason, aye?" Krad sneered, pushing Dark into the wall. "Otherwise, I'd still be in the joyful company of the Slit and Flap, yes? But you killed the Slit, oh yes, you murdered him so horribly…"
Okay, he was insane.
"The Slit? The Flap?" Dark asked, puzzled. Riku sighed and slapped her forehead.
"Allow me to show you," Riku said, flicking on the switch to the lights in the room and closing the door behind her. Dark lost control and let out a strangled yell, forcing the angered Krad away from him.
"I know what you're thinking, but no, I can let us out with this card," Riku said calmly, showing him a brief glimpse of the card key. Dark visibly settled down, but looked a little at unease at being trapped in a room with the insane creep just within a few inches' radius.
"So, anyways," Riku continued, as though nothing had happened, "this is the Slit," she indicated the gash of light at the bottom of the door, "and this is the Flap." She showed him the thin flap of metal that had a hinge to supposedly let food and medical supplies in. "They're his…er…companions," she finished with a flourish.
"They're more than companions!" Krad gasped, pressing himself against the door, protecting his two…um…friends.
Dark glanced at Riku with his eyebrows raised. She merely shrugged, attempting – and failing – to keep a straight face on. Then he looked back at the pitiful form of what used to be a sane human being, and felt a distinct feeling of displeasure at the thought of taking care of him. Krad stared back defiantly, his piercing golden eyes unsuited to his handsome, high-boned face.
"So…er…I'll be back soon?" Dark said awkwardly, wanting to desperately leave. But that was Riku's decision of whether or not he had taken the time of 'introduce' himself properly.
"…Did you even ask his name?" Riku said, but not to Dark, but to Krad. Krad merely glared at her, then growled a very distinct, harsh no. "Well, whatever," Riku said, shrugging, "but he's called Dark Niwa, though apparently he's the Phantom Thief, Dark Mousy…"
Dark looked away from Krad, who now stared at him with what appeared to be curiosity.
"Can we leave now?" Dark bursted out, ignoring Krad's steady gaze. Riku looked disapproving, but took out the card key, slid it through the slot, and then they were on their way out again. Krad was still staring after Dark, even when the door shut.
"So, how did you find him?" Riku asked conversationally. Dark merely grunted in response, still rather discontented at what he saw. "Yeah, he's weird – psychotically insane, actually – but you'll grow used to it in time," she added enthusiastically.
Dark spun to glare at her, pushing her into the wall, and said in a very menacing voice, "Look, girlie, I'm only doing this to get out of jail. By the time the three weeks is done, I'll be out, done, kaput. Understand?"
Riku looked unfazed. "Did I mention you have to make him sane?" she asked, sounding bored. "Yeah. You're not free until he stops believing his only friends are 'the Slit' and 'the Flap.'"
Dark paused. Yes, he had heard her say that in the deal, but it had never really registered… until now. He took a step back from her, trying to process the information in his brain. Even if he did survive the three weeks separating him from freedom, he had to also manage to draw Krad out into a person who believed the crack between the floor and door were best friends…
"Hey, did I also mention he's in love with the Flap?" Riku said brightly. "And that he's jealous of the Slit because he thinks they're having a secret relationship without his knowing?"
So now he doesn't believe the Slit is his friend, but in fact his love rival, and he's trying to win the 'heart' of the Flap. Huh. Dark thought, wincing. How the hell was he supposed to convince him to stop loving a piece of hinged metal?
"Yep, he's certainly a piece of work, that Krad," Riku droned on. "Did I also –"
"That's enough," Dark sighed. "I understand. I have to make him stop being jealous of the space between his door and the floor, and to stop loving a piece of metal. If there's anything more, I doubt I'll be able to manage. Hell, how am I even supposed to manage this?"
Riku merely shrugged in response. Dark cursed and continued walking down the hall, leaving Riku to hurry up and catch up.
"But look on the bright side," she said, grinning. "If you manage to make him a normal person again, then you'll be a free man!"
"Hey, wait, I just realized something," Dark said, his brain finally kicking into gear. "Wear am I gonna live while I try and convince Krad to stop being a freak?"
"You're home, obviously," Riku said, losing her grin and sounding rather amazed at his lack of thought.
Oh, shit.
"Honestly, Dark! Didn't I tell you something like this would happen? Didn't I?" his mother pressed, sounding harassed. Dark replied naught to his mother's ranting.
He was being driven home, but rather recklessly. His mother seemed to be more concerned of letting him know how foolish he was to keep on stealing things than worry for his – and her own – current safety.
"Mom, you're going to crash into that truck," Dark said glumly. Then he nearly lost his guts as their car swerved dangerously to the side to avoid the incoming truck.
"But really, didn't I tell you?" she continued. "See? Now you're working for a mental asylum for the next three weeks. Three weeks! You be doing something useful for those twenty-one days!"
"If I wasn't working at this asylum, I'd still be in jail, smelling decaying roommates and eating thin gruel," Dark muttered.
"And it's all because you decided to steal!" she snapped, swerving viciously to the left to avoid a school bus. Dark leaned forward, willing himself not to vomit. He never really did like roller coasters. She seemed not to notice, going on and on about how he would've had a great life if he didn't drop out and decide to go stealing things for money.
"All right, Mom, I've heard enough!" Dark snarled, and his mother blinked, apparently unused to his outburst. "Will you just drive like a sane person, as I already have to deal with a mental one? If you go chaotic on me as well, I might as well just go ahead and commit suicide."
His mother was silent for a minute, but then she said softly, "Look, Dark, I'm just worried about you is all. You have to stop stealing. Really. That's no way to live, don't you think? Taking another person's possession and using it as you see fit? That's not what I taught you, when you were five years old. Not to steal your little brother's rattle, or to steal any other item." Dark quieted, looking down at the car mats. He felt a feeling in his heart, but he was too stubborn to admit that it was guilt.
"But, anyways, when you get out, I'm signing you up for this school which is what dropouts take. I want you to live a happy life with children and flourish, and a thief wasn't exactly what I had in mind," Emiko said, looking at him with a sad smile. Dark felt his stubbornness slowly melt away. "However, on a more cheerful note, Daisuke's waiting impatiently for you at home! He was so sick when he heard you were in jail, and I had to literally drug him asleep when he tried to go out and save you… It was so cute!" She giggled at the memory.
Dark smiled to himself as they pulled into the driveway.
"Daaaarrrk!" Daisuke cried as Dark stepped into the doorway. The spiky redhead leaped into his older brother's arms, leaving no mercy out of his glomp.
"Ooomph!" Dark gasped as he felt the mild pain of being tackled, but then it was followed by: "Hey, Dai-chan."
"I was so worried about you!" Daisuke said, sounding only slightly accusingly. "I thought you said you were the best thief ever, but then you had to go ahead and land yourself in jail… But at least you'll be free soon," he added hopefully.
"As naïve as ever, I see," Dark chuckled. He held his little brother in a tight embrace for a few seconds, then released the teen.
"…Who is there?" came a soft voice from behind Daisuke. Dark looked over the head of his little brother, and met eyes with a bluenette who looked rather wary of the new arrival. He had narrowed, power-blue eyes with matching hair, and he was distinctly reminded of Krad, though he could not figure out why.
"Oh, Hiwatari-kun, meet my older brother, Dark," Daisuke said eagerly, moving aside so Hiwatari could take a good, full look at Dark. "And Dark, this is my friend, Satoshi Hiwatari." Satoshi twitched at the word 'friend,' but otherwise remained motionless.
The two exchanged glances, then Dark said, "Did you just move here?"
"The day before yesterday," Satoshi said, nodding. He looked at Dark with no hint of emotion at all, which Dark found appealing. "And I do seem to remember…your brother telling me you must work in that nearby mental institution. By any chance…" But his voice dwindled off. A short silence followed, where Dark waited for Satoshi to finish his sentence, but he seemed to be struggling to word his question correctly.
"Ummm… So… Uh, Hiwatari-kun's over because I need tutoring on algebra," Daisuke said, obviously uncomfortable in the silence. Dark nodded in response, but still couldn't take his eyes off this new friend of Daisuke's, who seemed so passive that he could've passed for a statue.
"Take care of my brother," Dark said, and then mentally added, Or else.
Satoshi nodded, getting the mental warning before the two youths returned to Daisuke and Dark's shared room.
Dark shook his head, smiling, as he saw his little brother reach for Satoshi's arm.
She watched their house in the distance, the lights of the windows shielded very slightly by two silhouettes, and one dark figure standing outside, alone in the nightly autumn cold.
"The story…has only just begun," she said quietly, and closed the curtains.
Soooo... er... yeah. I'm so sorry if it was boring to you, but I needed to, okay? P:
If you've read or favorited, please review. (: