~ Raven Moon~

By: Aerys Krystie.

~ * ~

Amethyst eyes opened slowly. His head was killing him. He wasn't sure if it was the feeling of his brain being too big for his skull or if it was the beatnik in there playing the bongos. Either way, he had to do something about it.

He tried to sit up and realized he was practically paralyzed. He raised his head and looked over his body. There were…big pins or needles of some description placed on his legs and arms. He figured it must have something to do with acupuncture. Not that it mattered. They wouldn't be in his body much longer.

Get out of my body! Not knowing what he was doing, he continued to try and force them out of his limbs with his mind. When the last one fell to the floor, he stood from the gurney he had been laying on and looked around the room.

It wasn't that big but maybe the darkness made it look smaller. He could hear at least three people in the room with him. He hoped one of them was the owner of those pins or whatever. He wanted to kick someone's ass for that. He may not know who he is, but he was damn sure he didn't like foreign objects in his body.

"Wow, you really are something."

He closed his eyes as a series of lights turned on, blinding him for a few moments. When he opened them, he saw someone that could be classed as a young adult. Maybe a teenager? He didn't care. He just wanted to know where he was, who he was and how he could get back to his normal life. He wasn't sure about that last one.

"Where am I?"

"You're in the Limitless Fortress. You really are new to this area, aren't you?"

"Who are you?"

"I think the better question would be: who are you?"

He opened his mouth to answer but closed it. "I don't know."

The teenager smiled. "Well, I think I can give you a name. Do you mind if I call you 'Angel'?"

"With every bone in my body! What kind of a name is that?!" He glared at the teenager.

The teenager shrugged. "When you came crashing in, you defended yourself against Juubei's needles with your wings. You were like a dark angel. How about 'Dark' then? It can be short for Dark Angel."

He curled his lip back in distaste. "Drop the 'angel' part and you have a deal."

"Good, good. I'm MakubeX. The man in the corner is Juubei and the girl is Sakura." MakubeX stepped closer to Dark. "I'm guessing that seeing as you don't know who you are, you don't know what your purpose is either, right?"

Dark frowned. He had a vague idea that was at the back of his mind, hidden by a haze. So, no, he didn't know. Not knowing anything about himself was beginning to annoy the hell out of him and if he didn't get some answers soon, he was certain he would kill someone.

Dark didn't even remember "crashing" into this joint, much less having wings and defending himself. His memories begin from the moment he opened his eyes. Maybe he hit his head somewhere that caused amnesia. Hopefully it's only temporary.

Dark glanced at MakubeX and realized he was still waiting for an answer. "I'm looking for something."

MakubeX tilted his head to the side. "Something" was definitely better than nothing. In the meantime, maybe with Dark joining his force, he might be able to do what he's been planning for a while. He nodded and turned to the side, showing Dark a door he had hidden.

"In that case, might I suggest you have a look around the Limitless Fortress?"

Dark cocked an eyebrow. Well, that was unexpected but at the same time, his curiosity was boiling over the edges. Dark inclined his head and left the room.

Juubei stepped out of the shadows with Sakura. "Are you certain about him?"

MakubeX smiled. "Of course. I have plans for him."

* * *

"I'm sorry. What do you mean he's gone?" Kazuki asked calmly.

The doctor shrugged in defeat. "The morning nurse was doing a routine check up on him when he scared her. That's all we know as she's in shock."

Ban scratched his unruly hair. "In your professional opinion, does it seem possible for him to be able to move?"

The doctor flipped through a chart in his hand. "Not for at least four months. The majority of his bones were broken. He had a punctured lung, a ruptured spleen and a discolored liver. He would have been in too much pain to even think of moving."

"Doctor!" a nurse called.

"Excuse me." The doctor left the six people at the front desk.

Clayman sighed. "And 'Raven Moon' was stolen last night, as well."

Ban groaned. "What else could go wrong?"

Shido looked around. "It's not as bad you think it is, snake-for-brains."

Ban's anger rose a few notches. "What does that mean, monkey man?"

Shido frowned slightly. He had a pretty good idea where the stranger was heading but the information seemed like half. Like it was only half a story. Something was missing. Something important and possibly referring to the painting.

Unfortunately, even when calling on his animals, Shido couldn't pin-point the stranger's location. The last he heard, the stranger was heading towards the Honky Tonk. That was at least half an hour ago. It was like the other had gone invisible.

"What are you thinking about, Mr. Ginji?" Kazuki inquired, staring at the silent firecracker.

"There's something going on inside the Limitless Fortress. Miss Clayman, why would someone want to steal that painting? I mean, I'm sure it's worth a lot of money. But, I don't think that's the only reason for wanting it."

"Um, excuse me? The doctor told me to tell you about this." A nurse looked at the group and helped up a white feather with a violet sheen to it.

Ginji took the feather from the nurse and studied it. He frowned as he noticed something. It was the same feathers Ban was covered in last night when they got out of the river. It wasn't hard to mistake it for any other kind of feather.

Ginji had noticed it with the black ones on him. They shined with the colors of the rainbow. And they weren't flimsy like normal feathers, they almost looked like metal. Even though they felt like a normal feather and had the same weight as one.

"What did the doctor want you to tell us about the feather?" Ginji asked.

"It was pulled out of your friend's back," the nurse replied. "The doctor was stitching up the wounds on his back when he saw something move inside. He pulled that out."

Ginji blinked. Angels? They were dealing with angels? He ran his thumb along the edge of the feather and sighed. They were as sharp as Akabane's scalpels. Ginji looked at the neat cut on his thumb. He hadn't even felt it.

"Ginji!" Ban called out as his best friend collapsed.

* * *

He wandered the streets, still in the hospital robe. He didn't care about the strange looks he got from the other pedestrians. He knew he wasn't in Tokyo or Kyoto. Or maybe he was and he just didn't remember what they were like. No, he was fairly certain he was in Japan, but he just didn't know what area.

Not knowing where he was scared him. Especially considering he almost knew where he was going. He didn't know exactly where he was going. He was just going in the direction he was being pulled in. Unfortunately, it created a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

He looked up at the dark sky when thunder sounded. That was just what he needed. To wander the streets of some unknown city in a paper dress from the hospital that he escaped from. He couldn't even remember getting to the hospital.

All he remembered was waking up in the bed and knowing he had to get out there. It wasn't about getting out the hospital itself; it was more about finding whatever he was looking for. He had a feeling that if he didn't find what was lost, it could cause some serious consequences.

He hissed in pain as he walked into someone. It felt as though his forearm had just been stabbed with something. He looked down at it and saw he was right. He didn't remember walking into anyone that had armbands on. And he knows he didn't walk into anyone just then, because they didn't bump shoulders.

He sighed as he watched the blood make a thin circle around his arm to gather underneath and drip onto the street. He just wanted to know how he had done it. He was certain he wasn't holding anything sharp. To be on the safe side, he checked both hands and saw he was correct.

His eyes widened as he realized what the feeling of dread was. It wasn't about the place he was going to, it was about where he was coming from. He was being followed and it wasn't by something nice. No, whatever was following him was dangerous to a fault.

He ripped off a bit from the bottom of his robe and cleaned up his arm. The bleeding had stopped fairly quickly, something he was grateful about. He cocked his head to the side as the small incision closed up. Well, that wasn't something he was expecting. But it was helpful.

He put the bloodied paper in one of the bins along the street and continued on his way. He didn't want to confront whoever was following him. Especially not when he didn't even know who he was or just how dangerous he was. Whoever it was could be a demon for all he knew.

A demon? Where did that come from? It was a funny thought. Thinking that demons existed. He might not know anything but he was certain enough to know that demons weren't following him. But it was something just as evil.

He turned up an alley, kind of hoping that whoever was following him would stop their pursuit. Thankfully, he figured himself to not be that lucky. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. There was no-one behind him.

He glanced at the wall to his left and frowned. Written on it was the words 'Raven Moon'. It was random and looked kind of out of place. Even if it did ignite a spark of reconciliation in him. He continued to stare at it, even when he felt that presence again.

It disappeared when he heard the words, "There you are."

He looked over his shoulder again and saw someone approaching him. It wasn't the person who had been following him. This person's presence was serene and friendly. It matched his face, especially his soft brown eyes.

He turned around and stared at the man. "Do I know you?"

The man shook his head. "No. You gave us all a fright though when we went to check up on you at the hospital and you were missing. I'm Kazuki."

"Kazuki…" he repeated slowly. It was a gentle name. "I'm – Well, I don't know who I am."

Kazuki smiled kindly and stopped walking, standing a foot away from the stranger. "We figured as much when you asked if this was Kyoto last night."

He frowned slightly, trying to remember. "Last night?"

Kazuki chewed the inside of his bottom lip. He had to get the stranger out of the streets in case he wandered into the Limitless Fortress and god knows what could happen to him there. At the same time, Kazuki wasn't sure if he would follow him.

"Are you hungry?" Kazuki asked.

He stared at Kazuki but smiled and nodded. He felt like he hadn't eaten in a month. Though with the way his memory was, that could very well be true.

"I know a little café. It's not far from here."

He stepped closer to Kazuki, letting the other know he would follow him. They left the alley and entered the busy street again. They walked along in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable. But he felt it was impossible to be uncomfortable in the company of Kazuki.

They came to a stop outside of a door and he looked down at the sign. Honky Tonk. He found that to be an amusing name for a café. It seemed very humble, though when they entered he wondered what could have happened to make the hole in the ceiling.

"Welcome to the Honky Tonk!"

He stared with wide eyes at the girl that had just greeted them. She was sweet and caring. It was in her eyes and he wasn't sure exactly how he was able to read someone. Much less feel a presence. Maybe there was more to him that he originally thought.

He glanced at the man that was behind the counter, reading a newspaper. He was a man of more questions than answers. Anyone could have picked that up. There was just an air of mystery surrounding him, but he was also a fair man.

He jolted slightly as someone touched his shoulder. He looked up at Kazuki, who looked a little worried about touching him.

"Please, have a seat."

"Mr. Kazuki, is that the same person we saw last night?" the girl asked.

He frowned. Everyone seemed to mention last night a lot and he wondered why. What could have possibly happened? Somehow, he felt like he was cause for concern but he couldn't apologize if he couldn't remember what he had done. It didn't seem like anyone was angry at him.

He sat down in a booth at the back of the little shop while Kazuki put in an order. He stared out the window then looked up at the hole in the ceiling. It would stop the rain as there was like tarp or something over the top of it. If that happened last night, it didn't take them long to clean up all the dust and debris.

Kazuki sat across the booth and studied him. "You really have no memory of last night?"

He shook his head. "Should I have? I only remember waking up in the bed."

"And you don't know your name or where you're from?"

He shook his head again and shifted uncomfortably. His back was beginning to hurt and he didn't know why. There was a burning sensation. It started on his shoulder-blades and was slowly starting to spread out.

Kazuki took the shifting as a response to his questions. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

The door opened again and the stranger looked at the people that entered. It was only four other people but there was something about them. He figured they were friends of Kazuki's as they had the same kind of aura, just not as friendly.

"You found him, huh, thread spinner?"

"Of course. How is Mr. Ginji?"

"I'm good, Kazu! I guess I really needed that nap, otherwise I wouldn't have I just passed out like that." Ginji grinned

The woman that entered with the three other men stepped forward. "Ban, Ginji, I have a mission for you. According to my sources, the painting is in the Limitless Fortress."

The stranger's eyes widened and he stared at her. The burning sensation was intensifying and he had a bad feeling about what she was going to say next.

"I think it's something you might be familiar with. Do you remember who you are?"

He shook his head. For some reason, he was getting a little annoyed at that question. Possibly because he was tired of being asked it. If they didn't know who he was and if he ran away from a hospital, obviously he wanted to run away from something or he didn't know who he was. He knew they were just trying to be nice and he would have been more co-operative if it wasn't for the pain.

She looked over her shoulder at Ginji and the brunet with the messy hair. Both nodded and she turned her attention back to the stranger. She wasn't sure if he was ready to hear a crazy explanation. But right now, she knew he had to know at least his own name.

"Krad Hikari." She instantly regretted it as he screamed out in pain.

~ * ~

End Chapter II.

I'm really sorry about the really late update but I kinda forgot I had this story. But that doesn't matter anymore as it's nearly complete. As a sorry, I'm uploading two chapters. I hope they keep you interested. Yes, this story is rushed and I apologize for that.

Please review!