Last chapter::cries:: I reread it and thought it was adorable, really. But that's just me. And it's my own work. ...Yeah I havent read it over in a while, so sue me. (Actually no don't do that!) I'm so happy right now. Fpor numerous reasons. The icing on the cake being that I can go to Epic this month!! For the better part of the event anyway. Huzzah, role playing and running around a campground with a pvc piping and couch cushion foam sword killing NPC monsters! Gotta love it, for one whole weekend a month.

I even drew out my costume plans for my character, Raewyn (I just call her Rae.) I love them so much, and one of my fellow role players (and awesome friends) is going to help me make the costume. Danke, Baylee! (Whoo, German!)

Disclaimer: Not mine::chases after the lawyers with a medieval flail::

Chapter Six: Awakening

Where ... where am I?

He heard voices... so many of them... and an even beeping... from behind his eyelids a bright light shone... had he died?

My head hurts... He mentally groaned in pain, or so he thought. He actually did that out loud. Someplace he couldn't name hurt too... like a portion of his heart... or soul... or being... he couldn't place the feeling... but he still felt the pain and tightly shut his eyes and clenched his fists in a feeble attempt to make the pain go away.

"Are you sure he's going to be okay? I've seen far too many incidents where..."

"Please don't worry ma'am, he's only in a light comatose state. His brain waves are getting more and more active and his heartbeat and breathing are stabilized. He will pull through please believe me."

The woman sobbed out loud. Where had he heard that voice before? It was so familiar... it had been there his whole life... Mom...?

Maybe he thought too hard, for at that moment a searing pain surged through his entire body, making him tense up considerably and cry out. The doctor and his mother both whirled around. "Daisuke!?" His mother said hoarsely, she had obviously been crying for a while now. "Daisuke oh my gosh are you okay!? Honey say something!" She insisted, running over to his bedside with the doctor and a newly arrived nurse. Another form moved beside him, also surprised to see Daisuke awake but not speaking. Everything was so blurry... he was only telling people apart by the sound of their voices...

"M..Mom..?" He said feebly, it still hurt, so much. He tried to open his eyes a little more but the light above his head was far too bright for that. He tried to move his hand over his eyes only to find that there was an I.V in each arm. He tightly shut his eyes again, there were small tears forming and he didn't want those to show in the least.

The nurse began scribbling on her clipboard while the doctor examined the fluids going into him through the I.V and placed the back of his hand on Daisuke's forehead. "Well, it looks like the fever's gone down considerably, I think we might need a pain killer or two though.

You think?!

Who... Dark? Dark was there too? Of course... slowly but surely his right mind was returning to him. Dark... Dark I feel horrible...Daisuke complained to the thief, who wasn't as effected by all of this as Daisuke was.

Dark sighed, I know, I felt what you felt and it wasn't pretty... He said solemnly, scratching the back of his purple head.

Dark ... what happened? How long have we been in the hospital...? Daisuke asked, it was a bit easier to speak mentally than it was to speak physically to those around him right now.

Dark yawned, I woke up when you did, Dai. I don't really remember anything much yet you'll have to ask someone else...

Daisuke felt something cold shoot though his arm through the I.V and flinched at the new sensation, which was met by his mothers comforting words. "Dai sweetie it's okay, it's medicine to help whatever it is that's hurting you so much right now..." She tried to explain, stroking his red hair comfortingly. He felt her weight sitting on his left side, and another weight lifted from his left. He didn't recognize the voice that spoke to his mother and it spoke so softly that he couldn't even make out a single word. His mother however was loud and clear, "Oh, I'll do that don't worry. Will you stay here with him until I get back?" She had obviously gotten some kind of silent answer, because he felt her weight leave too. He no longer heard the voices of the doctor and nurse either, so it was just him, dark, and whoever was on his right in the room.

He tried to call out to his mother, "Mom..." A hand gripped his shoulder comfortingly.

"It's all right, Daisuke, she just went to tell everyone in the waiting room that you're okay. She'll be back soon." He reassured the red-head, who was now shivering uncontrollably from the liquids entering his bloodstream through the I.Vs.

He recognized that voice now, and he was more glad to hear that than his own mothers all-too-familiar cooing. "Sa.. Satoshi?" He tried to open his eyes again, to see the Hikari's face. His vision was still distorted and blurry, but he could managed to make out the other boys glasses and blue hair. He saw Satoshi nod. "What happened..." He managed to ask, as Dark sorted through over 300 years worth of memories in an attempt to help.

Satoshi smiled solemnly, sympathetically, "It's a long story... you'll forget it all if I tell you while you're still in this state, Daisuke." He took his hand off of Daisuke's shoulder, to which the Niwa mentally protested, when footsteps could easily be heard outside the door. it only sounded like two... perhaps three people.

"Daisuke!" Another familiar yet not yet nameable voice. He felt someone sit on his left again while the other person stood.

"Daisuke it's your father." His mother said, as if reading his questioning thoughts. Dark said something about not having amnesia under his breath. At least he was in better shape than Daisuke was.

Satoshi spoke next, "I can only wonder what he went through... but for it to be like this is must have been pretty bad..." He and Krad had devised this flat out lie a long time ago for the police and whatnot. Their idea was that Daisuke got kidnapped one night and held hostage for god knows how long it had been. Nobody had really been counting. Hakuo just happened to be there causing trouble and got the kidnappers pissed off by accident which is how he got the cut on his cheek. It didn't really take long to figure all of that out at all.

"Maybe when he fully recovers he'll be able to remember something..." Kosuke suggested, leaning against the wall of the (very small) room.

Emiko nodded, "We shouldn't talk about this now though... lets just be happy that he's going to be okay..." For a brief few minutes Satoshi wondered if he should tell Emiko what had really happened to her son and Dark. It involved Hikari artwork after all. Krad actually thought it wouldn't be a bad idea so Satoshi settled on telling Emiko sometime later.

Daisuke's mother smiled kindly down at ehr son, "There are a lot of people waiting to see you, to know that you're okay. If I were to name everyone we'd be here for quiet a while." She said cheerily, stroking his red hair again. "But they won't be in to see you until you can talk, blink, and sit up." She went on explaining, hugging Daisuke around the shoulders and making him flinch at the sudden gesture.

He didn't know how to reply. Actually, he wanted to sleep. Emiko took another look at his face and saw drowsiness written all over it. "Your father and I will be in the waiting room with the others but Hiwatari-kun will stay. All right honey?"

Daisuke nodded slowly and weakly, allowing his eyes to close after the strain of keeping them open. Satoshi. That thought was more comforting to him than any before it right now. Like a pain reliever in and of itself. Once his parents left he felt a slight weight on his right again and turned to look at Satoshi, who had his head in his arms on the edge of the bed looking solemn. He had heard Daisuke move and glanced up to smile at him, "I'll be right here don't worry." He said, placing a reassuring hand over Daisuke's, careful to avoid the I.V.

Daisuke tried to smiled back, and it worked, He kept his head facing the right (half because he was too lazy to turn it back again) and allowed his eyes to close once more. Before he knew it he was lost the darkness that was sleep.

xXx

The next few days were much better than the first. On day two he could open his eyes fully and he remembered people places and things better. The pain was less and less and Satoshi and his mother were always there. Satoshi had been skipping school for Daisuke and for that he felt a little guilty.

It was now six days since he first woke up in the hospital. He had been informed by Satoshi on day two that he had been comatose for a week before waking up. So it was almost two weeks that he had spent in a hospital bed.

He could easily sit up on his own now, without help from the back of the bed and/or Satoshi. His speech was perfect and his eyes had that sparkle back in them. He had seen many visitors among whom were the Harada twins, Takeshi, Wiz (someone always managed to sneak him in), and his teacher from school. He and Satoshi had grown considerably closer as well, in more ways than one. Even their alter egos seemed to think a bit better of one another.

Riku had just left after giving Daisuke and Satoshi their missed class work and once again it was just him and Satoshi. Daisuke leafed through the papers, sighing when he saw the Algebra. Why did it have to be algebra anyway? Why not a subject he was actually good at? He sighed and sat the small stack of papers on the table beside his bed, "Well, I'll have plenty to do to keep myself busy at the least." He said boredly.

Satoshi smiled and placed his own papers in his bag, "Yes you will, tic tac toe and I Spy get too easy after being played a hundred times in the same room." He hadn't once left Daisuke alone since he woke up, except of course to go home to get showers and more clothing and the like.

Daisuke laughed and smiled at Satoshi happily, "Yeah, at least homework is different every night right?" Satoshi didn't reply. He was still harboring a kind face and his hand, not for the first time, reached over to touch Daisuke's. By now all fear had melted away from both boys, and they were aware that they both had feelings for each other.

Since the hand that Satoshi now held wasn't stuck with an I.V anymore, Daisuke turned his hand over so that their palms touched and yawned. This was a normal thing between the two of them by now. Hold hands and just go on talking or whatever it was they were doing. But they had always (somewhat reluctantly) let go of each other before anyone but the security cameras saw.

"Daisuke, how's Dark? Is he better off than you are or...?" Satoshi figured that Daisuke knew he was asking this on Krad's behalf, since he refused to let the Angel come out in the middle of the hospital.

Daisuke smiled a bit differently now, "He's better off than I am or ever really was. So he's fully healed and everything by now. " His gaze drifted to his free hand in his lap. "Hey... Satoshi?" He asked, a bit unsurely.

Satoshi gave him an odd look, "Hm?" He questioned, fighting off Krad for the umpteenth time. Ever since they had figured out that Daisuke and Dark would pull through Krad immediately went back to wanting to murder the boy himself. But for reasons that one wouldn't generally think of...

Daisuke tried his best not to trip over his voice, "I remember now... but there's still a big gap in my memories... I guess that's the time me and Dark were possessed... could you tell me what happened now?"

Satoshi nodded, "Sure." As Satoshi began the story from his point of view Daisuke was racking through his brain, trying so desperately to remember something, anything.

Dark!

I know! I can't move on my own, Daisuke! ARGH!

"Hiwa...tari-kun!"

"...I...won't..."

As Satoshi neared the end of his story Daisuke suddenly found himself close to tears. His hands clenched into fists as he tried to hold everything back. Satoshi looked up at him when he felt Daisuke's hand squeeze his own, "Daisuke? What's wrong?" He asked. Had he just reopened the wound by accident?

Daisuke couldn't hold them back any more, tears began to fall down his cheeks and he instinctively flung his arms around Satoshi. He sobbed into the other boys shoulder, how could he have been so stupid? "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for it to happen Satoshi I'm so sorry!" He repeatedly apologized, shivering a bit from the built up emotions.

Satoshi blinked in confusion a few times, he didn't expect this to happen. "Daisuke... it's okay, you were under a curse it's not your fault." He tried to comfort his friend, wrapping is arms around the boy comfortingly. "If anything blame Dark for doing as that note said." Satoshi had been there, quietly watching from the shadows. He saw Dark read the note and fly off. "I have a question though... how did Hakuo find out that you were Dark...?" He kept his eyes on Daisuke, who was still sobbing with renewed vigor.

Daisuke stopped abruptly. He remembered that all too clearly...

"Welcome, Phantom Thief." Hakuo had seemingly innocently greeted.


Dark gave him a mixture of surprise and skepticism, "Hakuo?"

That caught the boy off guard, but he quickly became even smugger than before. "Oh? You know me, thief? May I ask how?" He was holding something in his fist, Dark could see the gold chain dangling in between his fingers.

Dark, ask him what he's doing here! Daisuke suggested, just as surprised as Dark was at the sight of Hakuo. Was he just a fan wanting to meet Dark in person like Risa? Daisuke put the thought aside.

Dark answered Hakuo's question first though, "I've heard the commander complaining about you, it wasn't hard to know who you were. But now I have a question for you, What do you want I don't have time to be entertaining fans all night."

Hakuo didn't take that into offense as Daisuke thought he would. "I don't want much. Just a weapon to use against my dear cousin." To once and for all prove that he was superior to Satoshi. He held up what he was holding in his hand triumphantly by the chain. it was a necklace, and Dark identified it as a Hikari artwork.

"What are you doing with that, it could be dangerous, kid!" Dark advised, holding the painting under one arm and pointing with the other.

Hakuo merely laughed, "I know how to use this necklace, the Broken Soul, thank you very much, Dark." The necklace began to glow an eerie color and Dark stood, frozen. "You're mine!"

And those were the last words that either of them, tamer and thief, heard.

"Satoshi... he did it all just to spite you..." Daisuke said quietly, pulling away a little bit. His head hurt. "He called me an added bonus one time... I guess he didn't know that I was Dark until..." He winced as a fresh wave of small pains eared through his pounding head. More tears began to slide silently down his cheeks.

Satoshi reached over to wipe one away with his finger, "It's all right Daisuke, don't cry. It's not your fault at all, I'm not blaming you for anything. I saw you rebel, Dark too." He hugged Daisuke again and said quietly, "I love you Daisuke..." Daisuke's eyes widened in shock. Before either of them could help it they changed into Dark and Krad.

But the two angels didn't break the embrace, "...Dark." Krad concluded, using what Satoshi had already said but replacing Daisuke with the thief in his arms.

When they heard footsteps outside the room the both quickly pulled apart and prepared to hide behind the curtain, in case it was a doctor, but it was Emiko Niwa. Both angels flushed furiously seeing as she knew how both of the angels could be dragged out. Dark especially.

The thief swallowed nervously, "Um... well I think I should explain but I'll choose not to and--" he swung his legs over the side of Daisuke's hospital bed and prepared to leave through the window. But Emiko stopped him.

"Oh no you don't, Daisuke's not ready to go home yet, Dark!" She scolded, making him sit back in the bed. "You still have the I.V in your arm and everything too by the way." It was at that time that Dark thanked the gods that Daisuke had been wearing his pajamas rather than a hospital gown...

Krad, glad that he seemed to be forgotten, tried to hide a small laugh behind his hand, earning him a glare from Dark.

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"Satoshi! Wait up!" Daisuke ran after the blunette, nearly tripping over a chunk of the sidewalk that had been sticking up. He laughed at himself when Sastohi caught his arm to stop him from hitting the concrete, "Thanks." Daisuke felt a bit of blood rush to his cheeks, tinting them red with embarrassment.

Satoshi smiled, "Don't mention it, Daisuke. Be careful please" He advised, letting go of Daisuke's arm. They had the day off from school today so the two had decided to spend it together. Satoshi began walking again, trusting that Daisuke would catch up.

And he did. The red-head caught Satoshi by surprise by running up behind him and tackling him. Satoshi staggered a bit before regaining his balance. If he had fallen they both would have gone down. Satoshi laughed at Daisuke's antics and messed up his spiky hair playfully, "If I fell you would have fallen too, you know." He said, still smiling and putting an arm around Daisuke.

Daisuke smiled back, "I love you too."

Whoo, this one was longer than I remembered. ...Yeah my creativity vault just ran out so, I'm just going to leave the story at it's end. Thank you all for reading. If I find that you all like it enough, me and Kai have been discussing the possibilities of a sequel, if not just for our own enjoyment. Ze necklace returns! But, in the hands if whom? Hakuo might come back as well, not sure yet.

Yes, the necklace was shattered to pieces... but, it's a Hiakri artifact after all. Reparing itself a bit wouldn't be anything too odd, ne? Yeah, I'm done revealing our ideas.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Beware the Broken Soul as much as me and Kai enjoyed writing it. At 2:00 in the morning.

Until next time!
-Arina and Kai