Chapter 6 - Black Arrival

A deep inky black, as far as the eye could see. A gnawing pain creeping up his arms. Like an army of fire ants crawling along his skin, stinging… stinging… Poisoning.

- - - - -

Ding-dong.

"Cooooming!" Emiko sang.

She pranced down the hallway, humming a cheerful tune. Emiko was in a chipper mood. She had just read the most romantic myth, and it made her steps even more lighter than usual.

As she glided through the front hall, she patted her hair down, making sure she looked presentable. There was a shine on a wall nearby, and the mother caught sight of herself in the antique mirror. Ahh. Lovely, as usual!

Emiko reached the door and glanced down at her watch. 2:45. Oh, it must be Dai-chan, back from school! she thought to herself.

The said red-head's mother stopped for a moment, wondering whether she should flip the switch and activate the traps that she had been setting up all morning.

Diiiiiiiiiiiiiing-doooooooooooong.

"Okay, alright. There's no need to rush me!" she huffed, unlocking the door and turning the knob.

Mrs. Niwa was not happy with what she came face to face with.

Or rather, who.

- - - - -

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Kosuke nearly fell over as he came down the stairs. What on earth..?

The house was practically shaking on its foundations from the tension, and Kosuke wondered if he should be fearing for his life.

"WH-WH- HE! . . . !!!!!!!"

Mr. Niwa, having made it down the stairway in one piece, cleared his throat. "Honey…?" He placed a calming hand on his wife's shoulder.

Emiko was hyperventilating. She was clearly, as most teenagers would put it, "freaking out."

Kosuke patted her shoulder. "Honey?" he repeated.

The female finally snapped out of it. She took a deep gulp of air and let it out slowly. Her cheery smile was forcibly placed back on her face.

"Do please come in, Satoshi," she said pleasantly enough. Her right left eye was twitching, and her grin was freakishly lopsided. (Kosuke wondered how this demented-looking creature could be his wife.)

The fourteen-year-old nodded to the mother politely in greeting, not at all fazed in the least. He passed through the doorway and asked for the bathroom. Kosuke gave him directions and the Niwas were left by themselves.

Emiko turned to the small, lone, red-headed figure that had been cowering in the shadows by the door, fearing the wrath of his mother.

"Daisuuuuuuuuke, dear. Why is Satoshi at our house?" Her sickeningly sweet smile widened. And disappeared abruptly. "Didn't I tell you not to hang around him? He's dangerous! Our two clans, the Niwas and the Hikaris, do not mix! We cannot get along with each other!"

Daisuke rubbed the back of his neck. "But Satoshi and I are friends, Mom."

Emiko stomped her feet and shook her fists, much like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

"No, Daisuke!" she practically whined. "You don't understand!" There was a pause, and it was as though a different personality had suddenly taken over. She was suddenly very serious now, all traces of childishness gone. "Daisuke, even if we can somehow 'befriend' Satoshi - With him being the last remaining Hikari, and with Niwa blood running through our veins. . . the two clans will never truly be at peace."

Daisuke frowned. "Why?"

She shot him an almost pitying look.

"That's just the way it is."

And they left it at that.

- - - - -

Hiwatari rubbed his tired temples. He knew he wasn't exactly welcome here. Sure, Daisuke didn't mind. He supposed his father didn't mind either. But his mother on the other hand, her aura was giving off waves of irritability. Even so, Satoshi needed to get to business. He hadn't come over for a little chat over tea and cookies. Never mind that that was what Mrs. Niwa was serving them at the moment.

Satoshi cleared his throat. He looked around the circumference of the oak table into each of the Niwa's eyes in turn before beginning.

"Before Dark's last heist, it came to my attention that the 'artwork' he announced that he was going to steal wasn't like his other targets. It was beautiful, yes. And it was, in a sense, magical, too. So I would understand why the Niwas would want it. But what I couldn't understand was how it would catch your attention in the first place when it had just been shipped in, and when it wasn't even of the Hikari." He eyed the Niwa female. "Why did you choose the Feather Token?"

Emiko blinked and cocked her head to the side. She seemed puzzled. Her reaction to his question reminded Satoshi of an ignorant child who had just been told that marbles were, in fact, not actually candy.

Mrs. Niwa 'hmm'ed. She blinked again. "I got a tip."

Now it was her husband's turn to blink. "Huh? I thought you found out about it while you were researching about Hikari artifacts and artworks."

"I did! I got a letter and read it while I was researching." She beamed, seemingly have forgotten that a Hikari was sitting just across from her.

Kosuke could've done an anime fall.

On the opposite side of the table, Satoshi appeared to be deep in thought.

Daisuke turned to gaze at him. "Satoshi?"

"Mrs. Niwa, do you happen to still have that letter?"

The red-haired woman stood up. "Yes, yes, I do! I remember filing it away. I'll be just a second!"

Emiko made her way down the hallway that led out of the living room. It was definitely quiet, which was unusual in the Niwa house. It was normally bustling with activity and shouts and/or whining could usually be heard, too.

She stopped as she reached a window. A dreary, pale light shone from outside. Looking out the rectangular window, Emiko noticed that it was starting to get dark outside. Everything was turning a shade of gloomy grey.

Clouds. The clouds were making the once cheery afternoon seem dark. But the forecast had said there wouldn't be any rain today…

Emiko suddenly felt cold. It was that instinct again. That nagging intuition… What was going to happen, now?

- - - - -

He screamed.

It hurt. Like invisible flames were licking at his skin.

Please, make it stop.

Flames and ice at war. Both elements tearing at him, and the wish for death forever on his mind. This feeling. . . Painful and taunting.

Yet, what a. . . a tantalizing feeling. Painful, but pleasurable.

He screamed again.

Crackling shivers crawled down his spine.

In his conscious mind, he begged for the torture to end.

But, deep inside . . . he wasn't sure if he really wanted this feeling to leave him.

- - - - -

The young girl sighed. And sighed again. This action happened again several times at different intervals. Sigh.

Yup, she was definitely lovesick.

Standing in the doorway, her sister almost couldn't stand it. Wait, what was she thinking? She really, couldn't stand it!

"Risa, when are you going to stop looking at that Feather and go do something active?"

Her young sibling barely spared her a glance. "Riku, look! Isn't it beautiful?" she spoke of the Feather.

"Yes, yes, yes. It's very nice. But you've been looking at it ever since you came home - which was about an hour ago! Don't you at least want a snack or something?"

"No, Riku, look." Risa held it even closer to the light hanging above her head. "When I turn it this way, it's a deep midnight black." She turned it ever so slightly. "But when I do this - see! It looks like it's a silver color!"

Riku only shook her head.

What was Risa talking about? She hadn't seen anything.

She looked around the room. It was a total mess. Clothes were strewn everywhere, and a wind was coming through the open balcony doors. Papers fluttered to the floor.

What in the world had Risa been doing in here? Hunting for the Feather? Knowing her, she had probably hidden it somewhere and forgotten where she put it, setting her off into a frantic treasure hunt.

The elder Harada set about to clean up the cluttered room.

My goodness, is she nuts??

After a few moments, Riku promptly gave up and walked to the white balcony doors. Another gust of wind hit her in the face. Her chestnut-colored hair flew about her, and she could barely manage to force the doors shut.

Looking around at the room again, she let out a loud groan. What little she had cleaned up was now in a bigger mess than before. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a saying she had heard came into her mind.

It's like a garbage jungle. . .

Riku closed her eyes and rested her head against the glass doors. It felt cool against her forehead.

Wait.

A cool window? . . . .

She slowly lifted her head, staring out the glass.

Huh? Clouds? Clouds… But it had been sunny when she had gotten home. . . ?

- - - - -

"AH! I can't find it! I can't find it anywhere!" Papers were tossed about, folders flew into the air, drawers slammed as Emiko continued her search.

"Where is it? I could've sworn I had it sitting in this drawer!"

Oh no. First the Feather, and now this! How many things could we lose???

Needless to say, they were to later discover there were many things. . . Yes, many things they could lose.

- - - - -

They waited in silence for the female Niwa to return. Half an hour had already passed, and there was still no sign of her.

Daisuke wondered if he should check up on his mother. What was taking her so long?

He continued along this train of thought for a long while. Then, out of the blue, the young commander spoke up again.

"Daisuke, when have you last spoken to Dark?"

The redhead thought for a moment.

"On the night of the heist," he replied. He tilted his head cutely to the side. "Why?"

Satoshi 'hmm'ed. "Just wondering."

"Okay..."

Satoshi's piercing gaze abruptly met his.

Daisuke wasn't sure he understood the swirling emotions in the older teenager's eyes.

The Hikari's eyes narrowed.

"Talk to him."

A/N: Yes, I do realize that it took me a long time to write this chapter. Sorry. It was sitting in my hard drive unfinished for a month or so... Quite frankly, I feel like my writing is becoming emotionless. (Or was it already emotionless? o.O) It's really weird... Anyway, I might write up a Christmas special. Ah, and I've gotten interested in Naruto, so I might end up starting a fanfic for that. We'll just have to see. Please review and give me some feedback, constructive criticism, and your opinions. They help inspire me to do better and continue the series.

Anyway, I gotta go now. Bye peeps! Until next time.

Oh, and just so you know, I didn't proofread as much since I know I've already taken too long doing the actual writing of this chapter. Hopefully there weren't too many mistakes.