Secrets Held Within

--

Chapter 4

--

Dark rolled over in his bed, strands of violet hair obscuring his face and tickling his tanned skin. He grumbled something and brushed them , boredly staring at the ceiling.

Isn't fair…" He growled as he sat up, and looked out the window. "What's taking so long for the damn sun to rise?"

He stood up and leaned against the cold window, frozen from the ice that was gathering around the whole town. Winter would be here soon, Dark realized as he tried to take his mind off of this 'Krad' fellow, and the questions that had accumulated overnight.

Lifting his head from the window, Dark almost immediately thumped it back against it, repeatedly hitting his head against the thick glass. He stopped only when he heard a light tapping on his door and turned around to see a small, red haired figure dimly approach him.

"Dark?" Daisuke asked hesitantly. "Are you alright?"

"Daisuke? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be asleep right now?" Dark hissed in a sharp whisper.

Even in the darkness, Dark could tell that Daisuke was scratching the back of his neck. "Well…you see," he began. "I was asleep, but I heard this noise coming from your room. I wanted to see if you were alright."

Dark regarded the boy for a moment, a small smile creeping onto his face. "I'm fine, Daisuke." He walked over to the boy and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Thanks. I'll stop now, so go back to bed."

Daisuke nodded and fought off a yawn. He looked up at Dark curiously. "You seem familiar," he said after a long pause.

"What?"

Daisuke shrugged. "I feel like I've met you before. Have we met before?"

"I think I'd remember hair as bright as yours…I don't know. Maybe?"

"Oh." Daisuke nodded and drew away. "Okay, then. G'night, Dark,"

The small boy left the room, closing the door quietly behind him and Dark sighed heavily before throwing himself down on the bed. Only several moments had passed before he was up again and changing into clean clothes, mumbling something about having laundry.

The sun was still slumbering, not having released even the faintest of glows along the horizon by the time Dark got to the mansion. The air was brisk and chill, But Dark continued on as if he didn't notice.

Something kept drawing him here and he couldn't help it—it wasn't his fault he kept coming back here…was it? Yesterday he had every opportunity to tell Krad that he wasn't coming back. So why didn't he?

Dark grumbled, dispelling his thoughts. He knocked on the old wooden door and waited for an answer. He wasn't disappointed when no one answered, only a little perturbed.

Reaching out for the handle, now, Dark took it in hold with a strong grip and gently pulled it open. He blinked to adjust his eyes when he was assaulted by the dim glow emitted from a multitude of candles. He hadn't seen them outside, but then again, he hadn't really been paying attention either.

"Hey…Krad?" Dark called, lightly at first as he stepped into the threshold and gently pushed the door closed behind him as he looked up at the ceiling of the house, his fingers subconsciously running against the wall as he made his way deeper into the house.

A figure stepped out of a nearby room, a few yards in front of the thief. "Dark…? What are you doing here so early?"

Dark drew his attention towards the blonde. The candles warmly illuminated his pale face, and he seemed to be thoughtfully regarding something as Dark looked him over. The only thing that had changed from the last time Dark had been here was that it appeared that Krad had shed his black cloak.

"I couldn't sleep is all. What are you doing up so early?" The purple haired man said as he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't sleep well. Not more then three or four hours a night at most."

Dark frowned. "No wonder you're so pale. Do you ever get outside? I haven't seen you around town."

Krad's eyes lowered and he looked away for a moment, as if considering something. He turned on his heels and gestured for Dark to follow. Hearing footsteps behind him, Krad said simply, "I don't have much of a reason to go outside anymore."

Dark bit his tongue lightly, as if to stop it from flapping. He didn't want to pry, but that didn't change that he wanted to know. "What do you mean by that?"

Krad walked into a room Dark hadn't recalled entering on his previous visit and his eyes widened in surprise. The room was lavishly decorated with elegant furniture and paintings that looked at least a century old as were the rooms upstairs. This one was more different, though Dark was unable to immediately tell why.

The blonde turned, his face devoid of emotions, and he watched Dark for a moment, noticing how his guest's eyes lingered on each portrait adorning the wall. "Do you like them?" he asked, watching the other turn his head abruptly to face him.

"Uh…yeah. They're really…old?" Dark said, scratching the back of his head.

A smile gently dawned on Krad's features, and he nodded slightly. "They are. They date back to the days when…" He shook his head and ran a set of pale fingers through his golden hair. "They are very old," he concluded.

Dark regarded the blonde for a long moment before returning his gaze to the images dotting the room. "Who painted them?"

"Members of my family. Although, several of these were gifts from friends or…others."

Dark nodded, and almost didn't realize that Krad had stepped into another room until he heard the blond call something out to him.

Cocking his head to the side, he called, "Krad! What did you need?"

Watching the man step back into the room, Dark turned towards him.

"I said," Krad said as he made no effort to keep his calm, "Why exactly did you come back here?"

"Well…because you asked me if I would…that's why."

"Yes…but what ultimately brought you to say that you would come back…what made you say 'yes' when I asked?"

Dark's brows narrowed, and he frowned slightly, golden eyes trapping him in their depths. Shaking his head and looking away from the alluring orbs, Dark cleared his throat. "Honestly…I don't know."

Golden eyes drifted off, and Krad looked into a large, ornately carved mantelpiece that was currently housing a small fire. "I see."

"Is…something wrong?" Dark asked as he noticed a familiar trace of lost emotions creep onto the other's face.

A long moment of silence passed before Krad's light voice drifted through the air. "No. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

Krad paused. He didn't have an answer Dark would want to hear, so why even bother? What was the point of trying to explain something that he couldn't even understand himself? He said the first thing that came to mind.

"Death."

--

Well, that's this chapter—hope you enjoyed what little there was—I'm going to get started on the next chapter right now, so it should be done and updated by the twenty-first, if not later this evening. Ah, well, just expect it up soon. Anyway, thanks for reading this and I would like to thank again all those who have spent their time reading and reviewing to this.