A Change of Sorts
Thanks for reviewing everyone, your opinions are much appreciated and welcomed! So uh, now's the awkward bit where the explanations are done…-shivers- (Yay, lucky 13!) And as to why the chapter title is almost revelations, well, that's cause there's still a lot about their secrets that aren't known yet.
Chapter 13: Revelations (well, almost)
Tohru was worried. Not just worried, but extremely confused too, what with the events of the previous night and all. Daisuke was at school, of course, looking slightly battered again, but nevertheless, he was at school.
She cast a worried look over to the redhead, but he was looking determinedly ahead. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who was searching for answers, as Kyo and Yuki were both somewhat glaring at him too.
Daisuke sighed, resting his head on his arms while half listening to the teacher; what was he going to say when the others started asking questions? He couldn't tell them, but he couldn't really not tell them either when they had seen the whole thing. It seemed the only answer was to avoid.
He sighed again; life was so hard…
------------------
"Niwa-kun!" Daisuke looked over his shoulder, looking away quickly when he noticed who it was. He shook his head and tore off, running away. It was all he could do really, run away…
Tohru dropped her hand which was waving to Daisuke, frowning distractedly. He had seemed so disturbed when she called out to him.
"Honda-san, have you seen Daisuke?" Yuki appeared beside her, and she shook her head.
"He was here before, but I don't know where he's gone. Niwa-kun…" she trailed off, but then shook her head again. "Ano, where's Kyo-kun?" she asked, changing the subject.
Yuki shrugged; he couldn't really care less where that stupid cat went but it wasn't up to him to say that; not to Tohru anyway. "I haven't seen him, but I'm going to look for Daisuke now, ok?"
Tohru nodded, and he left. She thought hard; now where would Kyo-kun be if he suddenly disappeared at lunch?
The answer clicked; smiling to herself, Tohru headed inside.
------------------
Daisuke dragged his feet along as he walked down the corridor past the hordes of chittering girls who were yapping excitedly about Dark.
"Oh my god he was so handsome last night!"
"I know, he was so cool!"
"Yeah, but did you see that white angel too?"
"Him? Oh yeah, I remember seeing him too!"
"They were battling! But then they disappeared…"
"I wonder what happened…"
Daisuke sighed and hurried along. Wasn't there a single place in this whole school that he could get some quiet? Back in Azumano, if he wanted to ever escape the chatter, he could just go up to the roof, but then again, Satoshi was always up there…
That's it! He would go up to the roof! It was bound to be empty, as he doubted anyone would actually go up there.
Slowly, he tried the door. Drat, it was locked from the outside. Daisuke frowned; he didn't really want to…but oh well.
He fiddled with it for a minute before it gave a satisfying click. He smiled and turned the knob. Wait a minute…if it was locked from the outside, wouldn't that mean someone was out there…?
Kyo started when he heard the door open. Didn't he lock it? Plus, who would come up here? Only Tohru did, when she came to look for him but how did she open the door…?
A blob of red hair popped out and looked around, ruby orbs meeting his own. They widened considerably as they noticed who it was.
"How the hell did you get up here?" he asked, looking at the door. He was sure that he had locked it for some privacy.
"Um…the lock wasn't very strong…" he mumbled, looking at his feet and already shuffling back out the door.
"Hey, get back here you!" he yelled, which just startled the redhead even more. Daisuke turned to run, but was stopped when he ran into Tohru who was just climbing up.
"Oh, Niwa-kun, I'm sorry!" she apologized, bowing. Daisuke bit his lip; he couldn't get out, not with the extremely narrow corridor that Tohru blocked and Kyo being outside. Finally, he sighed in resignation and stepped out of the way.
--------------------
"Well?" It was only one word, but it was enough to make Daisuke jump and fidget nervously.
"W-w-well what?"
Kyo glared at him, causing him to squirm around even more. "You know what I'm talking about so don't try act like you don't know!"
Daisuke sighed, looking out at the sky rather miserably. He didn't reply for a minute as he contemplated his answer.
-Dark…what should I do?-
--Tell them later. At your house.--
-Ok.-
Daisuke finally looked back at the others, Kyo still glaring at him fiercely. "Come to my house after school, and I'll explain, ok?" he told them quietly, and when Kyo looked ready to kill, he made his way out the door. He looked back at the two once more before hurrying out quickly.
He was beginning to wish that his okaa-san had never found out about those artefacts.
-------------------------------
"Huh…Hiwatari-kun?.!" Daisuke started as he noticed the blue-haired boy outside his house, seemingly waiting for him. Satoshi nodded at him and Yinju as they approached.
"What are you doing here?" Satoshi didn't answer but inclined his head in the direction of the house next door. Daisuke understood and smiled gratefully. "Thanks Hiwatari-kun. It would have been hard to try explaining all this on my own."
Satoshi nodded and they headed inside. Daisuke knew they would be coming over soon with Shigure, so he had to try think of the easiest way to explain it. Dark, on the other hand, didn't seem so worried.
--Hey, don't sweat it Dai-chan. Worse comes worse, we'll have to employ the use of some magic, that's all.--
-I'm not sure that I like the sound of that…-
--Well, Risa found out didn't she? And that wasn't too much of a biggie anyway.--
Daisuke bit his lip. -It's just different. I mean, Harada-san was one thing, but the Sohma's…-
--Sure, sure.-- Dark drawled sarcastically. --It's very different isn't it? Oh, and I'll just wonder why you didn't call Hiwatari over too when Risa found out! It must be purely coincidence that he needs to be here when you're explaining it to the Sohma's.--
Daisuke groaned to himself. Dark was really, really not helping.
Their conversation was interrupted as the door was practically torn off its hinges/thingies that sliding doors have when it was thrust open forcefully. Kyo stormed in, followed more slowly by the others.
"Kyo-kun, did you really have to do that…?" Shigure asked, looking at the battered door that was feeling sorry for itself.
"Shut up you stupid dog!" Kyo growled, plonking himself on to the floor. He glared at Satoshi, more out of irritation than actual loathing.
"What's he doing here?.!" Kyo glowered, twitching slightly in annoyance. Not that Satoshi had actually done anything to annoy him, but he certainly didn't like the way he had been dismissed the last night.
"Um, Hiwatari-kun is, um…"
"Because I'm involved with this too." Satoshi replied for him as the redhead clearly could not find a way to explain without making sense.
"Oh really now?"
"Yes."
"And how are you involved?"
"You'll see."
"Why do I have to wait?.! Why can't you just say it now?"
"Because you won't understand without hearing about it first."
"And how do you know that?"
--This could take a while…--
"Would the two of you just shut up and let Daisuke-san explain?" Yinju glared at Kyo, who glared back.
"Um, uh…" Daisuke stuttered; how would he start? "Um, Hiwatari-kun…could you start?"
Satoshi nodded, and began. "There is a particular gene in our DNA…"
After explaining
"So you're saying, that Dark is a curse in your family, passed down through the generations, and that Krad is the same in yours?" Shigure asked incredulously. The two boys nodded and the dog scratched his head, thinking it over.
'Wow,' he mused to himself. 'There really is another family that's cursed as well. It's pretty much what Momiji-kun had said.'
"And it's triggered by feelings of…love?" Tohru asked looking wide eyed from the redhead to the blue haired boy. Satoshi corrected her.
"It's love for the Niwa's, but any strong emotions for us."
"Wait a minute…" Yuki frowned. "I thought you said the Hikari family was the one with that bloodline. Why are you involved with it then?"
"My adopted father changed my name to Hiwatari, but I'm still a full fledged Hikari." He replied coolly, smirking slightly. As if changing him name would protect him from the Hikari curse. They seemed a little puzzled by this, but didn't ask any more questions about that.
"This is very confusing…" Tohru said, trying to sort out the mumble jumble inside her head. "So Niwa-kun is Krad-san--no wait, he's Dark-san, and Hiwatari-kun is, um, Krad-san, and they um…"
Daisuke exchanged looks with Satoshi who nodded. The blue haired boy got up and went outside while Daisuke explained. "It might be easier if Dark explained it, but Krad might try to get out because Dark's out, so we have to be careful."
They nodded, and Daisuke willed himself to change into Dark. Nothing flashy, just simply…changing. Too bad Dark was still taller than Daisuke; therefore his clothes were rather tight.
"Ah well, what'dya wanna know?" he asked, leaning back against the wall. Just his luck that he got some bit of stretching time, but Krad was right outside this house.
"First of all, why and how did you become mixed up with the Niwa's DNA?" Shigure asked curiously. Who would have really thought that the Niwa's were involved with Dark…?
"Look, even I'm not sure how that happened, all I know is that those Hikari's made an artwork -The Black Wings- and Krad and I are the two halves. How we mixed in the bloodline is a mystery to me."
"Y'mean an artwork is stealing other artworks while being hunted down by another artwork?" Kyo snorted. "That's just crazy."
"Correction; one artwork. The Black Wings is one artwork. We are just split into half." Dark said seriously, holding up one finger to emphasize his point. Kyo rolled his eyes.
"Whatever…"
"What about With-san?" Tohru asked, petting the little white bunny. He gave a small 'kyuu' in recognition, jumping over to Dark's shoulder. He smirked and reached over to pat him.
"With? He's like a shape shifter demon in disguise; my wings." He smirked again and With transformed, peering at them in his now feathery form.
"And…he's a useful decoy for the cops too." Dark motioned to With, who leapt forward, turning himself into another Dark. With/Dark smirked, and the two looked uncannily (not to mention freakily) alike.
"Ee…to…" They sweatdropped as With stopped acting Darkish and more like himself. It was rather freaky, seeing a Dark look-a-like acting so…un-Darkish…
"With!" Dark commanded sharply, and his familiar immediately transformed back into his cute form. He shook his head, as if ashamed of With for ruining his reputation.
"Um…may I use your bathroom?" Tohru asked timidly, as she suddenly stood up. Dark nodded, and she ran off down the hallway.
She stood by the basin, splashing water over her face.
'I can't believe it! Niwa-kun is actually Dark-san! This is really hard to believe…and they're cursed, just like the Sohma's…'
She paused for a minute, thinking. "I wonder…" she mused out aloud. "I hope they haven't got anyone like Akito-san commanding them. I just hope their curse isn't like the Sohma's where they have to erase other people's memories…"
Finally, she stopped and dried her face on her sleeves. 'Well, I better get back now. How long have I been in here?'
She reappeared back in the room, plastering her cheery smile on her face. "Sorry for taking so long!"
"Sheesh, you apologize for everything…"Kyo muttered, leaning on his elbow. Shigure laughed.
"Of course Tohru-kun does! She's our little flower after all!"
Tohru blushed at this compliment, and accidentally tripped over her own shoes. "Oh, sorry!"
Kyo's eyes widened as Tohru landed on him. He felt that familiar sensation, that little urge that he couldn't do anything about…
'OH NO!'
The Sohma's gasped as a large puff of smoke erupted where Kyo was sitting. Tohru got up, and bowed repeatedly. "I'm sorry Kyo-kun, really, really sorry! I didn't mean to do that again!"
Dark raised an eyebrow in amusement, smirking. "Ah…I knew it…"
-Dark? What do you mean? What happened? Where did Kyo go?-
"Take a closer look Dai-chan." He replied, looking straight at Kyo. "Actually, y'know, you can do what I did last night and come out."
Daisuke hesitated. -I'm not sure. I don't know how to do it and plus, you said it drains energy.-
Dark rolled his eyes, "Do I look like I'm doing anything in particular?" Daisuke hesitated again, and then gave it a go. A minute later…
"Whoa!" Daisuke nearly fell to the ground as he popped out, only the small furiously flapping red wings keeping him up. Dark looked over to him amusedly.
"Looks like you need some flying lessons there Dai-chan."
Daisuke glared at him, and then fluttered down lower where an orange cat was standing. "Ne, where did Kyo go?" He asked, shielding his eyes from the smoke and looking around. The cat looked at him with wide eyes, snarling.
"What the hell?.!" It growled in Kyo's voice. Daisuke looked surprised, and fluttered back a bit.
"…"
Dark's smirk grew wider. "Looks like we're not the only ones doing some explaining here."
Daisuke looked from the cat, to the Sohma's, to Dark, and back to the cat. His first reaction was much like one that we knew.
"Oh my god, he's been turned in to a cat!"
---------------------------------
During all this, Satoshi was wandering outside, wondering when Dark was going to be finished. It wasn't fun hanging around out here with Krad hissing threats at Daisuke and Dark every 5 seconds or so.
It wasn't fun to be the one who had to listen to all this either.
.: Don't think that I don't know Dark is in control, Satoshi-sama:. Krad suddenly said, sulking in a corner of Satoshi's mind very un-Krad like.
"Your point being?"
Krad growled. .:That stupid idiot better be glad that sealing card took all my energy:. Satoshi was quite glad of that too.
They were silent for a minute, in which a loud 'poof' was heard. Satoshi turned and raised an eyebrow, while Krad began to get irritated.
.:That's it:. he grumbled, and before Satoshi knew it, Krad was next to him, hovering on tiny wings. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"What the hell?"
Krad smirked and zoomed into the house, much like a fly on steroids. Satoshi stared after him, shocked, before he came back to his senses and ran after him. There, he was met with a strange sight.
A little fluttering Daisuke. A smirking Dark (that wasn't so strange though). An orange cat. And one very indignant looking Krad.
Daisuke turned his head to him as he appeared and smiled. "Oh hello Hiwatari-kun!" Satoshi nodded, then turned his attention to Krad, who seemed to be making threats at Dark who was simply smirking in reply.
"Just you wait, Dark. Next time I'll definitely kill--whoa!" he was cut off as a hand abruptly grabbed him by his hair and held him up, like a mouse that was being held by the tail.
Krad turned to Satoshi indignantly, flapping his wings furiously. "Satoshi-sama! Did you have to interrupt me?"
Satoshi didn't reply but looked at the cat. "What…happened?" He asked, looking back towards Dark and Daisuke.
Dark smirked. "Well, why don't we let them explain to us?"
Shigure, Yuki, Tohru and the orange cat exchanged glances; Tohru's lips were quivering and Yuki was looking bewildered. Before they made any move though…
POOF!
"Eeek! Kyo-kun!"
-------------------------
Shigure sighed, seeing that he didn't have a choice. Dark raised an eyebrow inquiringly.
"Well? We're waiting here."
Daisuke frowned up at Dark before looking back at the Sohma's. "Um, so what just happened there…?" Daisuke asked, sitting on the table with With and a mini Krad glaring at him from across the table.
"Well…you can say there is a curse in our blood too." Shigure started, scratching his head. "When ever we're hugged by a person of the opposite gender, we turn into animals. I'm the dog, Yuki-kun's the rat and Kyo-kun's the cat."
"Typical that it's the zodiac animals…" Dark muttered to himself, but he was heard anyway.
"But, if it's the zodiac, then why did Kyo turn into a cat…?"
Dark smirked, answering for Shigure. "Because the cat was excluded from the zodiac. Remember that story, about the animals being invited to the feast? And the cat missed it because he was tricked by the rat." Here he gave a sidelong glance towards Yuki.
"How do you know that Dark?" Satoshi asked, keeping a firm hold on the end of Krad's ponytail. "Have you met them before?"
Dark shrugged. "I don't know. I might have, but I'm not really sure." Everyone gave him disbelieving looks and he protested. "Hey! You try to remember something after 300 years or so!"
Krad rolled his eyes. "Knowing him, he wouldn't remember something from 40 years ago."
"I do so!"
"Prove it."
"Well, I was with Daiki, and we uh, met, um, what was her name…?
"Menou-san?" Daisuke suggested.
"Yeah, that's her!"
"See what I mean?"
"Hey, I'm better than you Krad!"
"Really, now?"
"Would you two just shut up?" The two stopped abruptly as Yinju glared at them, seething furiously. "You're not helping my headache any more!"
"You've got a headache Yinju-san?" Daisuke asked concernedly. She nodded, still scowling.
"Hm…when could you have possibly met our family?" Shigure mused amid all this arguing.
Tohru looked up at Shigure worriedly. "Do you think that Hatori-san or someone could have…?" He shrugged, thinking.
"I don't know. It's a possibility." He murmured, and then perked up cheerfully. "I know! I'll call Haa-san right now!" He sailed over to the phone and picked it up, dialling rapidly. "I do hope you'll excuse me for using the phone…"
Daisuke shook his head quickly. "It's no problem."
"Just don't call him." Yuki growled, making Shigure momentarily freeze. He turned around, laughing nervously.
"Ahahahaha…"
"…"
"Oh hello Haa-san! Its Shigure here--wait, don't hang up! I'm being serious here!" he pleaded, clutching the phone with both hands.
"Are you busy right now? 'Cause if you aren't, do you mind coming over to Daisuke-kun's house?" Pause. "No, it's not about that. Just…come over ok? And…" Shigure looked at Yuki and Kyo out of the corner of his eyes. He whispered the last bit. "Can you bring…"
"Shigure…"
"You. Are. Going. To. Die." Kyo growled, raising a fist.
"…?"
"Ok, bye!" Shigure hung up and sat back down, laughing slightly. "They'll be right over!" he announced cheerily.
"They…?"
The dog immediately panicked. "Um, did I say they? I meant, um, he." He chuckled nervously.
"…"
A few minutes later, the sound of a car pulling up was heard and was followed by a knock at the door. Tohru got up to answer it, greeting the guests cheerfully.
"Hi Hatori-san, Ayame-san!"
An unfamiliar voice wafted in. "Why hello, Tohru-kun! So nice to see you again!" A white head peeked in the room, eyes focusing on poor, poor Yuki.
"Yuki! Oh, I bet you are absolutely speechless with delight that your dear brother has taken the time off from his busy schedule to visit you!" He cried, and would have continued if it wasn't for a hand stopping him.
(Simultaneously) "Who's he…?"
"Ayame, calm down." A calm voice ordered, and he immediately stopped and plonked himself down on a seat.
"'Gure-san, wonderful to see you again!"
"Aya, it has been so long…"
"YES!" The two appeared to start in their games again, laughing childishly.
"Uh…"
"…"
"…and I thought Dark was bad…"
"Hey!"
Hatori turned his attention to the strange gathering in the room. Let's go through his train of thought, shall we?
'What is going on?'
Ok, that was simple…
"Isn't that the Phantom Thief Dark…? And why is Niwa…so tiny?"
Dark groaned. "Do I really have to explain this all over again?"
"I thought the famous Kaitou Dark was supposed to be smooth, not some whiny idiot. Figures, really."
"Oh shut up Krad."
"Make me."
"Why you little--!"
"Dark! Stop it!"
"But Dai-chan!"
"Satoshi-sama, let go of me this instant!"
"No."
Krad glared at Dark and Dark glared back, oblivious to the 'company' they had. Dark smirked.
"Ha. I'm bigger than you."
"…fat ass."
"HEY!"
--------------------------
"I…see…" Hatori frowned after he listened to Satoshi's explanation. "And do they…?" he looked at Shigure, who nodded, and then he looked back at the others.
"Are you sure that was a good idea Shigure?" Yuki muttered, thinking about what Akito might get Hatori to do. "Telling them about the curse…"
"Don't worry Yuki-kun! Que sera sera!" He waved his finger around. "Anyway, I don't think Akito can do anything about it anyway. It would be slightly hard to erase the memories of those with magic in their blood."
"What did you call me here for anyway Shigure?"
"Oh, just wanted to know…" he stated casually. Hatori raised an eyebrow. "Oh, we haven't properly introduced them yet have we? This is Hatori Sohma, the dragon. And this is Ayame Sohma. He's the snake."
"Wonderful to meet my dear brother Yuki's friends. Perhaps you could stop by my shop one day…I design clothes for nurses and such, you see…" Ayame said flourishingly, ignoring the fact that his company weren't exactly 'normal'.
Hatori nodded at his name, yet his gaze was still fixed on Shigure. "What did you call me here for?"
Dark suddenly blurted out. "Hey, I remember you!" Everyone looked at Dark. "What?"
"We met him that time I stayed home from school, remember?" Daisuke told him, but Dark shook his head.
"No, not from that time. I mean I've met him before." Daisuke frowned.
"Well, you couldn't have met Hatori-san with ji-chan, because that was over forty years ago, and I'm sure we haven't been anywhere here before."
Dark shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe it was one of the times I sneaked out without you knowing."
"You--what?.!"
"Uh, I didn't say anything!"
"Dark!"
"It's possible you met one of our ancestors who look like Haa-san." Shigure suggested. Dark shook his head.
"Wait, maybe it wasn't him…but I remember meeting someone with a strong magical presence. I swear, though, he was creepy. Even worse than creepy boy over here."
Dark ignored Satoshi's glare, instead appearing deep in thought. Hatori and Shigure exchanged glances.
"Are…you talking about…Akito-san?"
He perked up. "Oh yes, I think that's it. Yeah, it must have been him."
Daisuke looked at him disbelievingly. "Dark…we met him just yesterday. How could you have already forgotten?"
"Um…I was asleep?"
"No you weren't, you were awake and talking."
"…"
"What did I tell you about his memory?"
"Quiet, blondie."
"At least my hair is normal, unlike yours."
"Normal? You call that normal? What kind of self-respecting guy walks around with a friggin' cross hanging off his hair anyway? Not to mention it's insanely long."
"Like purple hair is normal either."
"Oh yeah? Look at rat boy over there."
Krad snorted. "And what were you saying last night about not dragging any humans into this?"
"That was a physical fight, this is verbal fight. I can drag anyone in that I want to. Speaking of which, blue hair isn't common either."
"It's more normal than purple hair."
"No one asked you creepy boy. Stay outta this."
"You just contradicted yourself you idiot of a thief."
"I am NOT an idiot! Krad's just a jerk!"
"At least I'm not a pervert like you are."
"I'm not a pervert! Is it my fault that every girl falls head over heels for me?"
"There they go again…"
"Maybe I should get Dark to change back…"
"No, let him stay. It's quite funny really…"
"…"
"SO, Ha'ri, do you think you've met Dark before?" Shigure asked, ignoring the arguing in the background. Hatori looked at Dark, and then thought for a minute.
"…Are you implying that I may have erased his memory once?"
All the arguing stopped abruptly as they looked at him. "You did WHAT?"
"I think I may have once, but if I did, he shouldn't be able to remember anything...I remember doing it, but I didn't know the reason why. As usual, Akito just called me to do that."
"Maybe you just suppressed his memories instead of fully erasing it…" Shigure suggested.
"Or I did something wrong."
"HELL YEAH YOU DID. I WOULD NEVER LET ANYONE ERASE MY MEMORY! SPEAKING OF WHICH, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT ANYWAY? WHAT GIVES YOU RIGHT TO DO THAT?.! THAT'S IT, JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON THAT CREEP, AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU CREEPY BOY, I'M TAKING 'BOUT THAT AKITO DUDE!"
Daisuke covered his ears and winced. "Dark…that was too loud…"
Hatori raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I definitely did. No one else could rave on for that long in protest. It took me a long time to get him to stop too."
"WHAT?.! ARE YOU CALLING ME BOISTEROUS NOW?.!"
Krad applauded sarcastically. "Congratulations Dark. Your intelligence has moved up from that of an amoeba to a brick wall (1). You've managed to use a long word."
"…creepy boy, I'll make a deal with you. You go for Krad's head and I go for the throat."
"Oh, you asking for backup now?"
"Am I finished here yet?"
------------------------------
Notes:
(1): I had wanted to use that phrase for so long!Actually, I used it on my friends...but that doesn't count!
Oh…joy…a chapter done…sorry,this chapterisn't very good if you ask me.Not in the best of moods, and this chapter isn't my best either. A lot of dialogue and everyone seems OOC. And their reactions when they discover each other's secrets aren't very convincing either…
I hope you forgive me for this…jibby chapter. But please R&R anyway!