Paige here. My computer is seriously, like, giving up hope on me XD I like to make amv's and the movie maker will work fine but then it will freeze after a bit. I think God is just trying to tell me, "Paige, you're in high school now...start saving more often, you idiot." XD
Lyric of the moment: "It's so deceiving how people perceive me but I'm in the search for the perfect one." ...it's late and I don't feel like putting who it's by to piss you guys off XD If you wanna know, just bug me about it.
Disclaimer: If I was Yukiru Sugisaki, I'd be pissed at myself right now for putting DNAngel on hiatus! But of course...I'm not XD
News Update: I have found out from Yami o Sakasu (a dnangel site) that DNAngel is on Hiatus because Yukiru is working on another project called EDEN. It sounds interesting but I want her to work on DNAngel! ...go to the site for more info...if you don't know the site, bug me...I'm lonely XD
Chapter 15
Men must not cry
No matter how distressed
They must surmount their troubles with a smile.
"What did you say, Risa?" Riku's soft voice came from the side of Risa. She groaned, turning toward her older sister.
"What did I say?" she asked, trying not to fall back asleep. For some reason, Risa was feeling really exhausted.
"You said something about men not crying and smiling or something." Riku smirked as she helped her sister stand up.
Risa thought for a minute but then decided to push it aside for now. "What's with the goofy blanket?"
"You're wearing one too." Riku crossed her arms.
"Why?" Already a bit frustrated, Risa began to wonder where they were and why they were wearing robes. Her eyes wandered around. Everything around was dark. It was like standing in the middle of a field at night. She looked up but there was no moon, only a few stars. "Do you have any idea where we are, Riku?"
"Not one."
"Figured that." Risa sighed, hanging her head.
"Well, why don't we go try to find someone? They may be able to help us." suggested Riku.
"Sounds like a plan." Nodding, Risa smiled at her twin. "Do we have to wear these?" She began to take off her robe to see that everything she was wearing earlier was gone.
"That's a no." Riku grinned, walking ahead.
As they walked around, it seemed like a normal world, with small towns, plants and fields. The only things that confused Risa was that there were no lights yet they could see everything just fine. Also, she was feeling tired even though she had just woken up from sleeping. The sounds of their footsteps were so clear. It was like walking through an empty museum.
"Who's that?" Riku questioned, snapping Risa out of her daydream. She looked up to see two figures.
"They...don't look familiar." stated her sister. She saw that they were two boys, one had decently long, gray hair and they other had brown. They looked only a few years older than them. It had been the only other living beings they had seen the whole time so Risa wanted to ask them for help but as they closed in, Risa began to get nervous.
Time slowed down as they passed by them, not even caring to glance at the girls. Risa's eyes widened as a thought came to her mind. "Satoshi? Daisuke?" Both the boys stopped and looked back at her.
"Risa, are you insane?" Shaking Risa by her shoulders, Riku chuckled softly to the boys. "How could that possibly Daisuke and Satoshi? It doesn't look like them at all."
"How do you know our names?" The brunette, Daisuke, said.
"What?" Riku was shocked. Risa was too but for a different reason.
"Well, duh, because it's me." She took steps to Satoshi leaned on his shoulder. "I thought I'd never find you guys." Risa chuckled.
"It's not that I'm trying to be rude and all but..." Satoshi paused, stepping away from Risa. "Who are you?"
The phrase echoed in Risa's head. She couldn't think of anything but that. "Risa, are you sure this is them?" Riku whispered in her ear.
With a jolt of anger, she pushed her twin away. "What is wrong with you all? Riku, how could you not know it's them? Stop relying on your eyes and start relying on your heart." She then turned to the boys. They took a step back as if she was going to attack them. "And you!" There was a long pause. Suddenly, streams of tears fell from her eyes. "How could you guys forget about us?"
Soft footsteps walked toward Risa and she felt an arm wrap around her. Looking up, she saw the different Satoshi kindly smiling at her.
"Risa, right?" She nodded, wiping her tears. "How long have you been looking around?"
"Um, for almost an hour now." She whispered, looking at Riku for answers.
"I think I understand now." Satoshi looked over at Daisuke. Riku and Daisuke seemed a little nervous to go near each other. "We've been searching for almost three hours now."
"Three hours?" Riku shouted, finally giving in and hugging Daisuke. "Why so long?"
"Because," Daisuke stated, gasping. "We were looking for you. I remember now. We were beginning to forget why we were walking but now I remember!"
Satoshi nodded. "I guess in the purifying process, our memories are getting messed up."
"Purifying process?" Risa asked. Satoshi explained everything as the rest of them listened, of course, leaving out the Krad and Dark facts. "So...that's why you don't look like yourself?" Nodding, Risa didn't know what to feel at the moment. The look would take some getting used to but Risa thought he looked like a god or a bishie you would see in a video game or manga.
"Why don't we get going?" Daisuke said.
They all exchanged looks from Daisuke to Satoshi. "Nah. Why don't we just relax?"
"We'll die by then, Satoshi!" Daisuke shouted. Risa could notice Daisuke's hand was shaking and looked up at his eyes. There were small signs of pain. She glanced at Satoshi for a reply but noticed that he had a strained look in his eyes too.
That explains why he's been so calm. It's just a cover up. Risa tugged at Satoshi's arm. "Come on, we don't want anyone dying." She winked.
Satoshi's eyes grew wide. He seemed surprised that she disagreed with him. As Satoshi stood straight, Risa felt her feet stepping away from her. There was a small fear rising in her chest. Could he be so calm he's angry? She hoped not. "Alright, let's look for an exit." He stated, taking Risa's hand.
While they walked, Risa watched him closely. "It's too quiet." she thought for a minute. Risa was trying to think of happy songs to get them in the mood.
"When our time is up," a soft voice sang. "When our lives are done, will we say we've had our fun?" Gazing up, Satoshi continued singing.
OH MY GOSH, HE CAN SING! Risa happily thought. She felt jumping up and down like one of his fan girls but held in her composure.
"Will we make our mark this time?" Daisuke joined. "We will we always say tried?" Risa giggled softly, leaning on Satoshi side. The two seemed so different but in reality, they were so much alike.
"Hey, what's that?" Riku interrupted. They all looked up and noticed a large town was in front of them.
Risa's jaw dropped in amazement. "Should we go see if there is anyone who can help us?" Her brown eyes shined hopefully in the empty darkness.
"Sounds like a plan to me." said Daisuke. They all agreed with each other.
After they talked about searching for people, Daisuke, Satoshi, Risa and Riku all began to walk toward the town. After twenty minutes, the group finally arrived at the town. As expected, the place was empty by the looks of it. "Alright, Riku and I will go this way and Satoshi and Risa will go the opposite way." Daisuke directed.
Satoshi softly held Risa's hand as they walked. Looking up at him, Risa wondered why he was being so close now. "Hey, Satoshi."
"Yes?"
"I was wondering, why are you being so close to me?" She asked, trying not to stutter.
"I'm not sure." He told himself. Risa almost fell over. That wasn't what he's supposed to say. He's supposed to be more romantic! She told herself. "I think when I was beginning to forget you, I felt like a chunk of my heart was missing. And now, I'm trying to repair that space."
"Oh," Staring at her feet, Risa wasn't exactly sure what to think. Suddenly, from behind them, there was a rustling sound. They both turned on their heels to see what it was. "Who could that be?"
"I'm not sure." Satoshi followed where he heard the sound. He pushed aside the garbage can but there was nothing there. He turned, shaking his head and they continued to look around.
"Hey Satoshi, I was-" Risa started to talk but something jumped in front of them from above.
"SATOSHI!" A high woman's voice said. Glancing at Satoshi, she waited for his reaction. So far, he had a face of complete shock.
"Ms. Fujisaki?" Satoshi whispered.
"Honey, I told you to call me Haruhi." she hugged him tightly. "Oh my, you are so handsome like this. And just when I thought your hair couldn't get anymore less natural." Haruhi chuckled loudly.
"Excuse me, doctor, but..." Risa paused. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh my. And I thought you would have told her. You love her right?"
"But I do lo-" Satoshi tried to talk but Haruhi grabbed his arm and dragged him. Risa followed but Haruhi put up her hand.
"I need to speak to him in private." Dr. Fujisaki dragged Satoshi behind a building. Risa stood still for a minute. Once she heard talking, she quietly snuck by them, hiding behind the corner.
"I-I'm sorry." Haruhi's voice suddenly became very sad. It didn't seem like the normal Haruhi.
"For what?"
"I'm not supposed to be here." she told him. "If your father catches me, I'm sure there will be horrible conciseness but...why would you trust me?" Haruhi asked him.
"I don't know...I can't remember." he chuckled softly. "What happened again?"
Haruhi looked very depressed. "What do you remember?"
"Um...you, my father, and our principal. You were all-"
"No, I mean from before. Tell me about yourself."
"Alright." Satoshi thought for a minute. "Well, my name's Satoshi Hiwatari. I am fifteen, I live alone."
"Anything else?" Haruhi questioned.
Satoshi instantly looked up. He seemed surprised. "I, um, can only remember you, my father, and the principal, Daisuke, Riku and Risa. Who else is there in the world?" Satoshi asked himself.
"Shit, the effects are working better than your father thought." Haruhi couldn't look Satoshi in the eyes.
"What? My father? What is he trying to do?"
"He was hoping that by sending you here, everything would be washed away except Krad and he could use him. That's all. The incident including everyone else was an accident but he thought it wouldn't hurt to let the boy and twins die alone with you." She explained fully. Risa looked away, at the point of tears.
Who was Krad? Why were they going to die and how? Risa heard Haruhi say, "I'm sorry." again and she looked back at the two. Slowly, Dr. Fujisaki closed in on Satoshi and kissed him. Time stopped as their lips touched. Trying to hold in her gasp, Risa wondered why Satoshi just stood there with his arms hanging by his side.
"Sato-" Risa tried to speak but all that came out was a whisper. She kept moving her lips desperately, trying to say something. Finally, as Haruhi moved away from him, she screamed, "SATOSHI!"
Both their heads turned to Risa as she stood in place. She was debating in her mind whether to run away or run to Satoshi. Dr. Fujisaki looked up at Satoshi, then suddenly disappears from sight. Risa turned away and ran the other direction. "Wait!"
Satoshi chased after her. "Leave me alone!" She cried out. But by then, Satoshi had already gotten a hold of her arm.
"I don't know why she just did that." said Satoshi. "But it's nothing to be serious about. She's just a weirdo. Now we got to get out of here before we start fading away like how Haruhi described."
"Fine, but first, who is Krad?" Risa felt Satoshi's grip loosen on her arm.
"You really want to know?" Satoshi eyes met Risa's and she felt a little taken back. Maybe it was better she didn't know if it was that bad.
"Yes, well, only if you want to tell."
Looking away from her, Satoshi said, "It's about time I told you. We are a couple, right?" Risa gave him a nod. For some reason she didn't know, Risa was growing nervous. She felt her palms grow sweaty and wondered if the same was happening to Satoshi. Was he nervous at all? She wiped her hands on her robe she was wearing and waited for Satoshi to continue.
It was a few more minutes until he actually started. Maybe he was thinking it over, she thought. "To start off, my family has a curse. We have another being living in us, in our heart, our soul. He has his own soul too and his own body. We can switch places but it's a bit painful, we don't look the same and I cannot control him." Satoshi stopped to take a deep breath. " You have, um, already met him. A few times actually but when they were actually him, it was for only seconds."
I have? Risa wasn't sure if she was supposed to be scared or not that she had met this Krad guy. "Wait a minute." A thought popped in Risa's head. "A few times? Seconds? A while ago, I met a guy with blonde hair but all those times were more than seconds." When Risa went to stare are Satoshi, he wouldn't look at her. "You mean you lied to me? I asked him if he was you and he said no."
"I couldn't let you know. It was too early." He reached for her hand but she backed away.
"I understand but we're supposed to trust each other." cried Risa. She threw herself at Satoshi and let her tears fall on Satoshi's chest. "But maybe I had to earn it first."
Freezing, Satoshi didn't know what to do. He didn't really think that was the reason was why he never told her. It was slowly slipping from his mind. "My apologies." he softly patted her back.
"It's fine." giggling, she looked up at Satoshi. Suddenly a dizzy spell fell over her. Risa felt the ground come closer to her but inches before she hit it, a cold hand wrapped around her waist and picked her up. "I'm not sure you're ok." Satoshi tried to explain only to be interrupted by Risa.
"Don't worry, let's try to go find Daisuke and Riku." Satoshi nodded and followed her.
While they walked, the two would mess with each other. Risa would trip Satoshi or try to kick him but he always dodged her and put his leg in front of her leg. Then he would save her from falling.
Then, there was a thought of something Satoshi said earlier but never got to finish. "Hey," she tried to think of how to put it the right way. "What were you going to say when Dr. Fujisaki was talking about me."
Looking away, Satoshi began to blush. Risa couldn't help but to blush too. Could he really be saying-
"You know, I'm not sure. I forget." Satoshi snickered at himself. "Sorry." His arm wrapped around Risa, pulling her closer to him. She giggled softly, letting her tired head lean on his side.
They went for minutes not saying anything but it felt like hours. "Hey Satoshi..." Risa pulled away, glancing up at him.
His eyelids were drooping down and his eyes glazed over. With his arms hanging lazily and his shoulders slacking, Risa knew that was not like the normal Satoshi and began to get worried. She rubbed his shoulder, trying to get his attention. But he only groaned, falling forward.
Risa couldn't catch him as gracefully as Satoshi could catch her but she did it successfully. She laid him on the ground. "What's wrong?" whispered Risa. Satoshi still didn't do anything. He can't be...NO HE CAN'T BE! Risa began to panic. He's not dead, he's not dead. She paced back and forth. But Haruhi did say something about trying to kill us.
Suddenly, surprising Risa, Satoshi grabbed the collar of her robe and pulled himself up. "Quit it." he growled. The fact that Satoshi sounded like he was as angry as a person could be when they get out of a fight. With a hard push, Risa fell to the ground and Satoshi began to walk away.
"Satoshi, is there something you need to talk about?" Pulling herself up, Risa watched Satoshi.
A small chuckled came from his mouth. "Oh my, I forgot." He bowed, one arm crossed his chest and the other hung in the air. "My name is Krad." Looking up, he looked through the white hair that covered up his face. Risa could see a malistic look in his eyes. "But you won't need to remember my name. You won't need to remember Satoshi's either."
"Why wouldn't I need to remember Satoshi's? I love him, I have to." Risa sweetly replied.
Krad cringed at the word, "Love". His laugh came out more like a scowl. "Sure you do, child." He got up and began to walk away, keeping his arms on his waist.
"Sat- I mean, Krad." Risa ran in front of him and stared up at him. His eyes were different than Satoshi. His were slimmer and had less color in them. A small giggle escaped her lips. "You know Satoshi made you seem like such a bad man but you've never seemed bad to me."
"That's because I had to make Satoshi trust me." Chuckling, Krad moved in and kiss her. Risa didn't know what she was supposed to do. Then, she felt a sharp pain on her lips and backed away. She wiped them to see blood covering her hand. Her eyes traveled to Krad who was standing there with a smirk, licking the blood off his lips. "You are so innocent. It makes everything for me so interesting. Maybe it will be more enjoyable than something more stubborn."
Risa took steps backwards, avoiding him but he kept up with her. "What do you mean by that?" While her guard was down, Krad grabbed her by the shoulders and placed their lips together again. She felt his tongue wiping all the blood off her lip. Risa groaned softly, trying to get the older man off her but he was too strong. The powerful arms grabbed her neck as they separated. "Please, stop it." Tears rolled down Risa's face.
He shook his head, throwing her feet away. Risa now lay on the ground, coughing and gasping for breath. "What do you need to do for me to stop? Is that what you are wondering, madam?" Krad bent down and lifted her head. She would not answer him. "Now now, if you never find out the answer, you might end up worse than you thought."
"Yes, I do." She sobbed.
"Are you sure?" Risa couldn't take this. He was enjoying this and she could tell.
"I'm sure, Krad!" She cried out, letting her head rest on his leg. His eyes widened a bit. Risa's face lifted to look at him and she looked like a mess. There was a bruise on her left cheek, her eyes were red and her hair was sticking to her face where she cried. "I don't know what I did but I'm sorry." Risa's brown eyes shined sadly. This was her way of begging for him to stop this.
"...Wow...a loss of heart, I guess." He laughed to himself, standing up and dragging his feet as he walked away from Risa. She sniffed loudly while she stood up and wiped away her tears. Krad's head turned to her and she winced, afraid he was going to hurt her again. "Don't do that." He sneered. "Come on. We are going to go look for a way out of here."
Krad took her and hand brought her with him. The whole walk was complete silence. Risa was afraid that if she said anything wrong, he would try to strangle her again. At last, Krad stared at her and said, "Stop staring at your feet and look straight."
Her head lifted and she couldn't help but gasp. In front of them was a giant lake. The darkness around them made it seem like the water was black. "Do we have to swim across?" squeaked Risa.
"Why don't we find out?" He smiled kindly. This was defiantly something different. Why the change of mood? She gripped his hand harder like a child and their father. Together, they stepped on the water and discovered that they could walk on top of it. To their side, there were footsteps in the water. "Seems your friend and sister have been through here."
"Let's go catch up to them." Risa tried to hide her excitment in. They were going to be out of here soon and she was walking on water!
The two walked on the lake. Everything seemed so relaxing. She could even see large koi swimming underneath her feet. Risa was amazed by the the lake and giggled every time she saw something she liked. Soon they got to the middle of the lake and she could feel herself sink a little, like her shoes were filling up with water or something but there was no extreme difference.
"Hey Krad, we're almost there." She turned around but Krad wasn't walking with her. "Krad?" Risa could feel her heard jump in her chest. Where could he have gone? Risa ran around, trying to find him but everything was too dark. Then, she heard a few splashes and followed the sound.
Feet away, Krad was slowly sinking into the water. So far, everything from his chest down was submerged. "Risa?" He gasped. It looked like he couldn't move though.
"Don't panic. I'll help you!" She grabbed her arm and pulled him up but he only started sinking again. Tears were building at the corners of her eyes. She didn't want him to drown. "But how can I?" Risa looked around desperately. From under her feet, she saw a few bubbles rise to the top and stepped to the side. Krad was still being still, since he had no choice, but his eyes were pleading for someone to save him.
In a minute's time, an old wooden boat had floated to the top. The surprise Risa eyed it, thinking it was completely imposable but maybe her only hope. She switched back to Krad and went to help him but froze. On the corner of his lip, there was dry blood. Her dry blood. All the things that he had done to her returned back to her mind. Risa began to debate if she should save him of let him drown.
"R-Ris-sa?" Krad stuttered, seeing her face the other way. He snickered to himself. "I-I knew i-it. May-b-be it wa-was a stupid id-idea to mes-ss with yo-you like that." Krad tried to say as he lowered deeper into the water.
Suddenly, Risa grabbed his arm and hoisted him up. Boy, was he heavy. But Risa somehow got his feet out and carried him to the boat. She dropped him in. Risa chuckled softly. "Oops, I think I dropped him in too roughly." Krad lay limp in the boat.
Pushing as hard as she could, Risa wanted to get the boat as far as she could. She wanted to prove to Satoshi and Krad that she was useful.
It was so quiet. Hearing the water sway from the boat and the soft splashing from her feet could have almost made Risa fall asleep on the spot but she continued to go.
"Why?" A moan came from the boat twenty minutes later. Risa peeked over her shoulder.
"Why not?" She giggled girlishly.
"I saw that look in your eyes. You wanted me to die. Do not deny it." Krad tried to get up but his body still hurt. "This lake will only let you through if you have light in your heart. The only reason I made it so far was because of Satoshi."
"It wasn't completely Satoshi's light. It was yours too."
"Don't be an idiot." Krad stated.
"I saved you for two reasons. I didn't want to lose Satoshi. Also, I know you regretted hurting me. I could tell. Some of that light was from you, for letting yourself be human." Explained Risa. "But denying the fact that you didn't regret it let the darkness return."
"But I'm not human..." Krad murmured, waiting for Risa to reply but she didn't.
The quiet returned. It was almost unbearable so Risa did what Satoshi did.
"In the arms of an Angel, far away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie
In the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here"
Krad chuckled. "It couldn't be anymore true." He said as his sight gave away and he fell asleep.
After a while, Risa could finally see the shore. She pushed as hard as she could to get the boat out of the water but it was still in when she pushed it on the ground. "He'll just have to survive." Laughing to herself, she walked over by Krad. "Wake up!" She shook his shoulders.
"What?" he snarled. Krad scratched the back of his head, growling. Risa watched him stand up and walk on the shore. "What do you know. We made it. I thought we'd both die by then." Another pessimistic comment.
"It's good to see you are back your normal self." Smiled Risa.
Krad grunted, staring at the girl before him. They sure were close for some reason...
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...I made this one shorter, I know XD I did it on purpose...Kinda like giving you guys a break...unless you don't want them to be...
The official countdown: 3 chapters left.
...lol, just wanted to put that there...but it's true. Three chapters then, poof, I'm done. I was thinking about writing a sequel but I've got a whole bunch of other stories planned...sigh, I'll decide somehow XD
...yes, I know I listen to too much music. That's why I put all those lyrics in there...I was in the mood.
Until later
-Paige