A/N: If you are reading this then thank you very much in advance. I can't thank you enough for not giving up on this story. I left without a word and I really want to apologize for it.

Oh, and thank you to my reviewers! You mean so much to me.

~Start~

Krad traipsed around the palace, bored. What to do? No peasants to entertain – Sakura insisted that pregnant women relax. And so she was bored out of her wits. What was Dark doing anyway?

She glimpsed the captain of her guard following her around. What was he doing? Guarding her, of course. She smacked herself in the head mentally for being so paranoid. She should get over it now. Ryuu was here. Ryuu-sama would never let anyone hurt her.

Besides, they were all scared of Dark, weren't they?

Krad quickened her pace, knowing something wasn't right. He seemed to be acting according to protocol but a nagging feeling… She threw the feather at him. It exploded and she waited with bated breath.

And after the smoke left he remained standing with a smirk on his face. And memories she tried so hard to forget came rushing back.

Because her magic can never hurt the Hikari.

"No…"

He approached her, his brown hair curly and his green eyes bright with insanity. She wanted to run but felt frozen in place.

And he touched her face, and she felt disgusted with herself.

Everything came back.

--

"Kraaaaaaad?" Dark strolled around the palace, wondering where she wandered off to. He paused and stiffened. Could she be with Ryuu? Damn he was going to kill that guy. Furious he stomped to the throne room.

Bursting in, he found no one. Well, of course she wouldn't be there. Dark could never imagine Krad as the public display of affection type. She seemed more discreet to him.

Okay, maybe not there. He walked along the hall and headed to Krad's room. Ryuu met him along the way.

"Have you seen Krad?" They both asked at the same time.

"I thought she was with you." They both answered.

Dark's eyes narrowed. Never. He would never let Ryuu find her first. She was his. And because he was infinitely better than Ryuu, he would find her first. He burst out laughing like a maniac and ran away.

"NEVEEEEER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Ryuu blinked as Dark ran away while screaming never. What was wrong with that guy? Niwas. Tsk tsk.

Dark kicked the door of Krad's room, sure she was inside.

"AHA!"

Silence greeted him. Okay, so she's not there either. Think, moron, think. He saw the light on in the bathroom and a mischievous thought popped into his head.

If he walked in…it would be an accident, wouldn't it?

And he could ALWAYS run away from Krad even when she was steaming mad.

Slowly he crept up to the door and opened it.

"Hey, Krad…"

Nope, nobody in there either. Where in the world was she? Frowning he stalked off to another room to look for her.

He found the captain of her guard…but no Krad.

"Have you seen Krad?"

"No, not today, sir. It's my day off."

"Oh, all right."

Dark continued roaming the grounds until he had exhausted every hiding place, probable and improbable alike. Tired, he sat down on a bench in the library.

Where would she be? Could she be playing hide and seek with him, but forgot to tell him he was it? He sighed.

Then something glinted on the ground. Something shiny and silver by the door. He walked over and picked it up.

Krad's cross.

Her favorite clip. Why would she leave it lying around? He clutched it hard. Could something have happened to her? He investigated the library, every inch of it. Finally he found a table, and on the table's corner was a sticky red liquid. Sticky. Red. He sniffed it. Coppery. Blood.

Frightened, he ran to the throne room in search for whoever did this to her. Sakura was the first person he saw. He grabbed her by the collar, making her yelp.

"Sakura, tell the guards I want a lockdown! NOBODY enters or leaves the palace, go! Not even the guards, or the guests. NOBODY. And if Krad tries to leave, keep her in and bring her to me."

Sakura nodded, trembling. "Y-yes." She scrambled away as soon as he let go.

He ran to the throne room and burst into it. The guards looked at him lazily. Ryuu burst in from the front door, waving a note. He seemed flushed and stomped around, roaring mad.

"WHAT IS THIS?" Ryuu demanded. "What did you do to her? She claims she hates this place and she's leaving!"

Dark punched Ryuu in the face, angry. "YOU! You're the one who took her away, weren't you?"

Ryuu staggered backwards, his nose bleeding. "What the hell are you talking about? I'M THE ONE WHO FOUND THIS NOTE!"

"And I'm the one who found her cross lying on the floor in the library with her blood splattered all over a desk!" Dark grabbed Ryuu's collar and pulled him close. "Krad's magic may not work on you but mine certainly does. So if you don't tell me where she is right now I'm going to rip you apart limb by limb."

Dark had never looked so menacing. Ryuu shrugged Dark off. "I did not take her. Even if you slice me into bits you won't know a thing."

Dark glared at everyone in the room. They all cowered. Dark thought hard. Who would have motive to take away his Krad?

Krad. Only Sakura, Ryuu and he knows Krad's real name. Everyone else called her Rin-sama.

He turned around and saw the captain of the guard, huffing. "Kira-sama, I came here as soon as I heard. What has happened to Rin-heika?"

Dark lunged at the captain of the guard, enraged. Because he understood when Dark had asked where Krad was.

He flung the guard to the wall, holding him by his throat.

"If you don't tell me where you took Krad, I swear I'll show you just how similar I can get to a furious Krad." Dark snarled.

The man, gasping his breath, had the guts to laugh.

"Why? Is she yours? I was under the impression I created her. And it doesn't matter. By the time you get to her, I'll have broken her all over again."

With that, Hikari disappeared. Ryuu stood still, stunned.

Dark let out a final scream of frustration.

"FIND HIM, AND ANYONE WHO DOESN'T MOVE IN FIVE SECONDS WILL HAVE TO FACE ME!"