A note to the authorities: no, there are no gang-related incidents ensuing all over the web. It's just the kick ass-ness of all my reviewers. Carry on with your car-pulling-over, high-speed-chasing, gun-cocking business.

Chapter: 3/12
Characters: Dark, Daisuke
Pairing: Dark+Daisuke; implied Dark/Satoshi

Complete One-X Playlist: youtube(dot)com/view(underscore)play(underscore)list?p(equal sign)55DF31E4069401F1

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I can't escape myself
So many times I've lied
But there's still rage inside
Somebody get me through this nightmare
I can't control myself

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A.N.I.M.A.L.I.have.become

Dark awoke, not to the sound of his clock radio, but to the faint shuffling of sheets. As his bleary eyes reluctantly fluttered open at the noise, he knew it wasn't him. He was lying on his side with his legs curled up to his chest, conscious to the fact that he was completely still and in the same position he had fallen asleep in. It couldn't be him.

The sound of sheets shifting and turning about bled through the nearly paper-thin walls, accompanied now by kittenish moans and the squeaking of a mattress. As a light sleeper, Dark knew he would never be able to fall back asleep with such noises relentlessly resounding in his head.

His now alert eyes narrowed slightly and he strained his ears to pinpoint the location of the quiet sounds that rung out like loud bells in his head. With confusion heavily clouding his mind, he concluded that the hushed ruckus was coming from his left.

Daisuke's room.

Curious to why the usually heavy sleeper was tossing and turning in his slumber, Dark silently swung his feet out of bed, slowly letting them drop to the floor with an inaudible thump. With the stealth possessed only by the great Phantom Thief Dark, the wine-eyed angel toed his way over to his ex-tamer's room.

The door creaked as Dark's tanned hand pushed on its surface, slowly swinging open to reveal the shadowy insides of Daisuke's room. With effortless silence, Dark stepped up to the sleeping redhead's bed, which had been taken down a few months ago and replaced by one with legs that actually touched the floor.

Daisuke's unconscious form stilled, as though he sensed Dark there, but a second later, he turned onto his side and curled up into a ball. The next second, he let out a "humph" sort of noise and unrolled himself, grimacing as he did so.

Confused, Dark continued to watch his ex-tamer. Usually, once Daisuke was out, he was out. There was no moving, no twitching, and no noises in his sleep. Why…all of a sudden…?

Out of nowhere, Daisuke gave a strangled gasp. His scarlet brows knitted together and his upper lip quirked up, revealing a peek of his clenched teeth. "K…"

Dark strained to hear the redhead's unconscious mumble.

"Kr…"

That's when the thief's attention was directed toward something very odd. A strange blemish peeked out from the wide neckline of Daisuke's overlarge nightshirt in the shape of a line. Intrigued, Dark leaned forward. His still hand reached forward, gently tugging the neck of the old shirt down to reveal the rest of the mark.

As a centuries-old magical manifestation, Dark thought that nothing would ever take him by surprise. However, this was not the case.

Krad.

Carved into the pale skin of his ex-tamer's torso, in the fleshy area right under his collarbone, was that four-lettered name.

Krad.

The name, its existence, and the fact that it was branded onto his tamer – note the lack of the prefix ex – made Dark sick.

"…Krad…" Daisuke groaned lowly, having finally completed the word his subconscious had been trying to expel. "D…no. …S-stop."

Dark reeled back. Daisuke was dreaming of Krad?

What had Krad done to him?

Dark swelled up in anger, his hands clenched in fists of rage. Had Krad dared to touch Daisuke? To carve his stupid, ugly, meaningless name into Daisuke's flesh? Had he? Because if he had, Dark was ready to rip the powerless angel to shreds.

The empathetic Dark ran a gentle finger over the name etched with scabs, causing Daisuke to yelp. As though burnt, Dark jumped and pulled his hand away.

"Krad…you bastard." What have you done to Daisuke?

"Not there…" Daisuke mumbled. There was pain in his voice, a breathless pain that broke Dark's heart.

How long had Krad been terrorizing the little redhead?

The dark angel's hand drifted back to Daisuke's marred flesh, gently patting and caressing the spot in what he hoped was a delicate, soothing manner. His hand was steady and resolute, unwavering in its task to bring comfort to the redhead.

However, inside, he was fuming. The anger ran through Dark's veins, pumping his bloodstream with rage. But Dark knew. It wasn't truly Krad Dark was furious with. In reality, the thief was furious with himself.

Why had he not noticed it?

Daisuke used to be his tamer, the one he shared a body with. Why had Dark never noticed it? Why had he never noticed that a grudge-holding psychopath had been abusing his other half? Why had he never taken the time to try and notice?

Dark had an answer for the questions that ran through his head, and this answer applied to each one. Frankly, Dark was a bastard.

Dark had never noticed what had been going on around him because he was wrapped up in his own life, his own adventures. There was the thrill of him getting his own body, the joy of finally seeing to Krad's downfall, and the pleasure of his new relationship with Satoshi.

Since when had he become so two-faced? He had told Krad that the Niwas were his family, yet he had abandoned Daisuke and cared little for the other's well being. He had promised Daisuke his unending protection, and there he was, doing everything but keeping that promise.

"Daisuke, I'm sorry," Dark breathed hoarsely. The black angel pulled up a chair at the head of Daisuke's bed, his deep lavender eyes firmly locked onto his shifting form. "I'm sorry you became Krad's next target. I'm sorry I never paid attention. I'm sorry I couldn't help you. Will you forgive me, Dai-chan? Please." Very slowly, his hand crept up Daisuke's neck, past his cheek, and became entwined within the silky tresses of the redhead's hair. "I'll make it all better," he promised. "And I mean it this time."

Daisuke moaned and stilled, as though Dark's touch calmed him. He rolled over so that he faced the wall, but pushed his head back a bit, leaning into the comforting hand in his hair.

Dark watched the redhead fondly, a smile creeping into his lips. He had forgotten how cute Daisuke was.

The thief chuckled dryly under his breath as soon as that thought crossed his mind. It was then that the new state of peace the room had been enshrouded in was ripped in two. A shadow fell over Dark's eyes, and whatever hope he had just gained to make himself feel like less of a bad guy darkened.

No. He hadn't forgotten at all. No matter how hard he tried, he could never forget.

"Dai-chan…" he breathed out lowly, using the name he had always used for Daisuke back when they had been sharing the same body. "Where…" His eyes glazed over in memory, a dejected air surrounding him. "Where did we go wrong?"

Dark fell silent at that, content to just watch the redhead's restless slumber. It wasn't until Daisuke rolled over to face him, revealing to him his utterly serene face captured by innocent sleep, did Dark fall into thought again.

Where did they go wrong?

Dark and Daisuke had shared a body, for Kami's sake. How much easier could it get? Dark was there, Daisuke was there – how could they not just fall in love?

Or more specifically, how could Daisuke not?

Dark had. Why hadn't Daisuke?

Stifling a sigh, Dark ran a hand through his violet hair. There was no use in dwelling on the past. He had Satoshi now – what more could he ask for?

What more could he ask for…aside from Daisuke's optimism, cheer, wonder, care, and innocence? …Satoshi was great, yes, but he could never be as special to Dark as Daisuke was.

Dark wondered why he ever decided to kiss Satoshi that fateful night in which Krad met his demise. Maybe it was physical attraction. Perhaps he felt in debt to the Hikari for healing him. Or maybe the bitter tone the blunette's voice that made Dark want to sympathize with him.

So what did that mean? Was their relationship created on a foundation cemented with pity?

Dark shook his head. That couldn't be it. He wasn't so cold as to lead Satoshi on like that.

But that too was a statement to be questioned.

He was the Phantom Thief Dark, known for his masterful thieving skills, his rugged good looks, and his playboy reputation. But he and the Niwas knew. It was no simple 'reputation,' no façade. It was reality, a sinful truth that had stayed with him since his creation. It was a curse of his, a curse of petty desires and attractions. It haunted him for many a century, and yet, he fell prey to it each time; each time, taking up a date for a day or two, a lover for a night or two, and then abandoning them along the way, tossing them aside like a rag doll.

Maybe that was it. Maybe he was playing with Satoshi's heart, stringing him along for his own enjoyment.

But this would be the first time that no enjoyment flooded his veins. There was only stone-cold resentment.

This is why I can't have him, Dark realized, his head dropping onto his chest in shame. When I fell in love with Dai, I promised myself that I would change. But I can't. And somehow…he knew that. He's a smart boy. He smiled ruefully. He was smart enough to stay away from me.

Dark stood, as silent as night itself and ready to leave the room when Daisuke groaned again, his head tossing to the side restively.

"D…don't leave," the redhead called weakly, his voice a mere whisper. "Please."

Dark froze, those words stopping him in his tracks. Never mind that Daisuke was in the deepest of sleeps, the deepest of dreams and memories. Never mind that Daisuke was dreaming of Krad and for some reason, calling out to him of all people. Never mind that Dark had his own person to love and obey.

Dark heard that one request, the request to stay, and he chose to comply.

However, instead of dropping back into his seat, he quietly pulled himself up onto the mattress of Daisuke's bed. Crawling into a comfortable position beside the sleeping redhead, he readjusted the sheets and pulled them over the both of them. Hesitantly, he placed an awkward arm around Daisuke's chest. When the other didn't stiffen or protest, he pulled himself closer to his tamer's warm body, wrapping his arm more lovingly around the redhead.

"Good-night, Daisuke…" he mumbled softly.

No dreams or guilt trips plagued him the entire night. The usually light sleeper slept rather deeply that night, tightly clutching his slumbering tamer.

In the darkness of his mind, he had no thoughts of the animal he had become, the one that neglected his beloved redhead and focused only on himself.

He had no thoughts of the animal he had always been, the one that played with hearts and bodies and was cursed to be loveless forever.

There was only blissful sleep – a beautiful sleep curled up beside the boy he truly loved.

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Help me believe
It's not the real me
Somebody help me tame
This animal I have become

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Killah: Bet'cha didn't see my view on Dark's connection to Animal I Have Become coming. As soon as you hear the song, you'd probably think of Krad trying to repent or something… But not me! Heheh… I was planning to make it about Krad in the beginning…but this just popped into my head. n.n

Please remember that Daisuke was asleep during all of this and that Dark doesn't know that Daisuke agreed to engage in these 'activities' with Krad.