Took a bit longer than I expected but here it is, the final part to my 'Danger Comes From Within' story. This chapter will wrap up the whole Dai arc that took place and set up for what's to come later on. Now, that is enough of me blahing, go read the chapter and like usual, I don't own digimon.

It's all right letting yourself go as long as you can let yourself back.
Mick Jagger (1943 - )

Chapter 6:
Facing Thy Self

"Has there been any progress made so far?" Getting only shake of the head from everybody was all that James needed for an answer. "Damn, that wasn't the answer that I wanted to hear."

"Then why don't you do something about it?" exclaimed an irritated Miyako. "You're the one who told us about this whole thing. I thought you said that you already read about it. So why don't you just tell us how to do the ritual?"

"Don't you think I would've told you if I knew?" James replied with a trace of irritation in his voice. "I've already told you that I only read bits and pieces about it so I know nothing more than the cliff notes. If we were to do the ritual with just what I know at the moment it could result in even more problems for us." James' anger was growing by the minute and it may have boiled over if it wasn't for Mimi giving him a comforting embrace. "Let's just keep searching and hope we find what we need."

Continuing with the research none of them found anything for a while until Ken spoke up. "I believe I've found what we were looking for." Passing the book that he was looking through around he started explaining what he read. "What's in that book is a spell that can summon the Yin-Yang demons here. It sounds like a simply thing to perform but there was some other things that I read that are not good."

Currently having the book in her possession, Mimi glanced through it and when she found the part that Ken was referring to a look of dread came across her face. "It states that after a human is split if one of the halves is killed then both halves will die." Not wanting to read anymore she tossed the book across the table. "What it means is that if Daisuke kills Dai or vice versa then they'll both die."

"Simply put, yes." answered James. "Let's just hope that Daisuke doesn't run into his other half before we can tell him about our latest discovery."

Right after those words were spoke the front door opened and Hikari came bursting in. "Daisuke went after Dai. He told me to come here to tell you and to help get the ritual ready."

Everyone simply looked at one another with unpleasant expressions on their faces. "You had to jinx it didn't you?" muttered Miyako.

-/-/-/-/-

"Why are you doing this?" asked Anzu Motomiya for the unknown time. Both her and husband, Hiroto were tied to chairs and the one responsible behind it was what appeared to be their son. "What is the meaning of this Daisuke?"

Instead of answering 'Daisuke' began to laugh but in a maniacal way. "Now, when did I ever say that I was ever your son?" To elaborate he changed his face into its vampire form. The wide eyed expressions on the Motomiya parents faces was all that Dai needed to know.

"That's right; I'm the thing that was inside your then undead son. I go by the name Dai. Remember it as you'll be sent to the afterlife when I'm done having my fun with the both of you." Coming closer, Dai was on the verge of sinking his fangs into Mrs. Motomiya's neck when someone came bursting through the door. That person was none other than the actual Daisuke.

"Get the hell away from them!" Without caring about his own safety he charged and putting as much force behind it as possible Daisuke drove his shoulder into Dai that sent him crashing through a window and to the ground below. Daisuke quickly went to his parents and helped to free them from their restraints. "Are you two okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine." answered Mr. Motomiya. "Mind telling us what in the world is going on?"

"I'll explain everything later. For now stay here until its safe." Without even waiting for their response Daisuke ran out of the apartment and went to where Dai had fallen. The place was a small parking garage that had a few cars inside. Being very cautious Daisuke went in but wasn't able to find anything. That would change when he heard the familiar sound of someone laughing.

"I must say that I was caught off guard by your sudden appearance." The voice obviously belonged to Dai but it was impossible to find where he was as the echo of the parking garage made it seem as though it was coming from every direction.

Becoming even more concern Daisuke reached into his jacket and pulled out a wooden stake. "Well, I couldn't help but show up. After all, you did leave a calling card of sorts." He was of course was referring to the message that was written on the side of the destroyed van.

"Ah, that was a good time. Even though they were the ones who freed me from your grasp I couldn't help but sink my teeth into their necks." The sound of hurried footsteps was heard but couldn't be identified on where they were going. "I was planning on doing something more spectacular for your dear parents before I was rudely interrupted."

"I could say that I was sorry but I would be lying." Daisuke tried to use his training to locate Dai and it was working as he was getting closer to finding where his former demonic half was hiding. When he finally was able to locate him it couldn't happen at a better time as he barely avoided the on coming attack by Dai from behind.

"Impressive. Apparently becoming human hasn't lessoned your fighting ability." Again Dai tried to attack Daisuke but once again it was to no avail as Daisuke got out of harm's way.

"You should know. You were after all was a part of me when I was being trained by Katara." exclaimed Daisuke all the while being prepared to use the stake in his hand if necessary.

"Let's talk about Katara. She was someone that I would love to sink my teeth into, in more ways than one." Dai's snide remark caused Daisuke to become angered about how his former teacher was being talked about. "If only he knew the truth. But his reaction has given me an idea." "Speaking of women, let's talk about the ones that are in your group." Dai let out a sly whistle. "Those three are a feast for the eyes."

The words that Dai was saying were getting to Daisuke but he was managing to keep his anger in check. "That they are. They'd probably be even more pleasing if they were kicking your ass."

"That would be an interesting sight indeed. To have the opportunity to have those three lovely ladies hands all over me would be something." By the sound of Dai's voice it sounded like he actually shuddered. "The mere thought of it makes me all warm on the inside. I bet that Hikari is a real wild one." That got an irritated twinge from Daisuke. "But you would probably already know that. From personal experience I do believe." Seeing the change in his former human half's demeanor, Dai realize that he found the subject that he could use to his advantage. "I bet she's smooth going down. In more ways that one."

That would be the thing to set Daisuke off as he went after Dai. He tried to make quick work but like with him earlier Dai was managing to avoid the on coming attacks. "This is pointless. We know how the other fights." Almost as if to prove his train of thought he tried to drive the stake into Dai's heart but before it could happened his adversary moved out of harm's way.

With that maneuver being useless the roles were reverse as it was Daisuke who had to avoid an oncoming strike. "The one who'll gain an advantage is the one who can come up with something that the other wouldn't be expecting."

The one who would follow that thought would be Daisuke as he pulled out another stake from his jacket and flung it straight at Dai's heart. Despite the incredible speed that was behind the flying projectile it failed to hit its target as Dai caught the piece of wood.

"You must be becoming desperate." inquired the hero's former vampire half as he held the thrown stake in his hand. "Did you actually think you could get me by throwing a stake at my heart?"

"To be honest..." Looking right at him, Daisuke smiled at his darker half. "..No, I didn't."

Confused b the answer the vampire didn't know what to make of it until Dai felt a searing pain in his hand. The source of the pain came form the stake that was thrown at him. Unable to tolerate it any longer he tossed it away but even then there was still a pain going through his hand. "What the hell? Why did you do with that stake?"

"Dai got his answer when Daisuke pulled out a familiar bottle that contained a clear liquid from his jacket. "Ah, the wonders that is holy water. You don't have to use it directly for it to be affective."

"Quite a clever move." admitted Dai who apparently had recovered from the unexpected move. "Unfortunately for you it won't keep you from getting your throat ripped out. With the use of his vampire speed that he had yet to exhibited, Dai covered the distance that was between them and lifted Daisuke off the ground by grabbing the top of his jacket. "But before that happens I plan to have some fun."

With a simple gesture Daisuke was tossed against one of the walls. To make matter worse the place that he hit was the fuse box. As Daisuke crashed into the fuse box it resulted in electrical sparks to go everywhere before he collapsed completely to the ground. Struggling to get back to his hands and knees Daisuke stuck his right arm so that his collapsible sword could come out.

Soon after it was out the sword was quickly dealt with as Dai stomped on it, resulting in it breaking. "Uh, uh, there isn't any need for you to use that little sword of yours." Picking Daisuke up, Dai slammed him against the wall before grabbing the broken piece of the collapsible sword. "Besides, it'll be more useful if it was in my hands."

Instead of struggling Daisuke actually chuckled. "For once we can agree on the same thing." Taking Dai's momentary pause as an opening Daisuke delivered a knee to the gut. He followed it up by grabbing a hold of the hand that Dai was using to hold his broken sword and in one swift move jammed it into the fuse box.

With the broken sword acting like a conductor, the electricity from the fuse box went straight into the body of the vampire. The voltage that went through his body was too much for Dai to handle as the fuse box overloaded and sent him sailing across the room. For what felt like eternity the fallen body of Dai didn't move in the slightest. "That must've been a shocking experience for him." It wasn't until after he said that did Daisuke realize how bad that joke was. "I must be out of it if I actually said such a bad joke."

Focusing back on the matter at hand Daisuke went over to the still motionless body of Dai. Along the way he picked up the broken sword piece that fortunately didn't have any electrical current going through it. When Daisuke reached his defenseless enemy he kneeled over and positioned the sword piece over the vampire's heart. "At last, this can be all over."

With only the slightest bit of hesitation Daisuke brought the sword piece down only for someone grabbing his arm before he could drive the weapon through the unbeaten heart of Dai's. Turning to the owner of the hand that stopped him he was about to attack whoever it was but stopped himself when he saw that the person was Hikari. "Why did you stop me?" Yanking his hand from his girlfriend's grasp Daisuke once again readied himself to stake his former other half. "Let me finish what I set out to do."

Not allowing anything to stop him this time Daisuke was going to finish it when he suddenly felt something pierce the side of his neck. Pulling out whatever it was that hit him he saw that it was a small tranquilizer dart. Looking over to where the dart had came from he saw that the one responsible for hitting him was Ken who had the same dart gun that Daisuke was accustomed in using in his hands. "W-What the-" Daisuke wouldn't finish his question as he finally gave in to the tranquilizer and passed out.

"Do you think that was necessary?" asked Ken as he walked into the scene with Mimi and Miyako not that far behind.

"There really wasn't much of a choice." stated Miyako. "Daisuke was too dead set in killing Dai that it would be impossible to convince him otherwise." Going over to the aforementioned vampire she gave him a more than a light hearted kick to the ribs. When she got nothing more than a slight groan as a response she believed that he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, she pulled out a miniature dart gun and fired two darts to the chest. "Not that it would be that bad of a thing if the circumstances were different."

"But those circumstances can't be changed." informed Mimi. After her cousin had made sure that Dai wouldn't be waking up anytime soon she came over and with Miyako's assistance began to wrap a thick chain around most of his body. "Remember, if one of them were killed the other would die as well." In no time the chain was securely wrapped around the unconscious vampire he was being moved by Miyako and Ken. "Let's just hope that by the time that we get back with James he'll have everything ready to solve our problem."

Allowing the two to take their bound culprit away, Mimi went over to the other unconscious person who at the moment had his head laying on top of Hikari's lap and having her lightly stroking her hand over her right cheek. "Don't worry; he'll wake up in a few hours. He'll have a major headache but nothing to worry about."

"I know but I can't help but worry." With Mimi's assistance they managed to get him up and started to drag him to the car. "Hopefully he'll understand why we had to do what we had to do." It was apparent that Hikari was concern about the reaction that they would get from Daisuke. "Please don't be upset with us Daisuke."

-/-/-/-/-

"Don't worry; I'm not mad at you guys." To the relief of everyone, Daisuke wasn't angry when he regained consciousness. "I'll admit that I let my emotions cloud my thinking at the time but I'm better now. Of course there are a few exceptions." Daisuke was obviously referring to some of the minor injuries that he sustained in his fight with Dai. "Thankfully you guys stopped me when you did or I wouldn't be here now."

"Now wouldn't that be a shame if that were to happen." exclaimed someone who wasn't so glad to be there. The person was the chained up Dai. "Being honest, if I have know that by me dieing would result in your death I probably would've allowed you to stake me."

"Trust me; the suggestion is still tempting." retorted Daisuke in complete honest. "However, I believe that for the time being it's preferable that you stay out of this." Reaching over to the desk, Daisuke picked up the same miniature dart gun that was used earlier. Aiming it he fired a dart into Dai's chest. Soon the all familiar feeling of the drugs took affect on the vampire.

"Why you son of a bitch." That would be all that Dai would say as he once again passed out.

"With that current nuisance out of the way, let's get back to the matter at hand." Going to the other room they saw that everything was getting prepared for what they needed to do. "How is everything going here?"

"Things are moving smoothly." informed James who was the one in charge of getting the whole thing set up. "In fact, we're putting the final touches to it. We'll have it all done in no time. All we need is the other component."

Understanding what James was talking about, Daisuke went back to the room that he was previously was in. When he came back he was dragging the passed out body of Dai. "Do you think that this'll actually work?" Daisuke was referring to the symbols that were drawn on the floor. "Maybe I should call Serenity and have her come over in case things become physical."

"That shouldn't be necessary. Yin-Yang demons are usually nonviolent beings. As for the summoning spell, it should work. Every step was done to the letter." By James' tone he was confident of what he was saying. "If all goes according to plan this should summon the Yin-Yang demons to this very spot."

"It should?? What could happen if it doesn't do what it's supposed to do?"

"Nothing will happen." That instantly relieved Daisuke. "With the exception of a dimensional rift being created that could consume everything with the area."

The expression that was on Daisuke's face would be a comical one under different circumstances. "Oh, is that all? That's good to hear." With everyone seemingly ready it was time to start the summoning. "Let's get this thing started."

Being the one who knew the most about what they needed to do, James took the lead. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a piece of paper that had some writing on it. "We call upon those who dwell on the border of where opposing sides meet. We seek your service at this time." Motioning over to Mimi and Miyako they did their part and lit the candles that were stationed around the symbols. "Hear our call and come forth."

Right when those words were spoke the flames on the candles exploded to humungous flames. Next a big swirl of smoke came from the ground and in the middle of the smoke there were two figures. When the smoke finally disappeared the figures became clearly visible.

The first one was male who physically was about their age. Had an average figure with spikey hair that had an unnatural white color to it with one long strand going across his left eye. What he was wearing was a black t-shirt, white pants and black shoes. As for the other person, it was a woman who had a shapely figure and long black hair that went to the middle of her back. The outfit she had on was a sleeveless shirt that was short enough that it exposed her stomach, tight black pants, white shoes that had slightly elevated heels and on each of her arms were black fingerless gloves that went all the way up to her elbows.

"Who dares summon us?" questioned the male figure. Looking around he seemingly was evaluating everyone almost as if to see if they were even worth bothering with.

"Even with the tough guy act Yin." muttered the woman who had accompanied the man now identified as Yin. "Sorry about that. My brother likes to pretend to be tougher than he really is."

"Don't start Yang. I'm not up for that off handed remarks of yours." Not continuing with the small spat that he had going with his sister, Yin turned his attention back to Daisuke and his group. "I ask again, why have you summoned me and my sister?"

"We summoned you in the hopes that you could reverse the spell that you've done." answered James. He pointed over to the unconscious form of Dai the demon siblings understood what the situation was about.

"Ah, apparently this is about that thing that we did for that vampire, Shishio." informed the woman who went under the name of Yang. "What a pain he was to deal with. Even by vampire standards. My brother and I could hardly tolerate him."

"Be as it be, he summoned us to do our specialty and that's what we did." added Yin as if it was a simple thing.

"And we have done it so you could reverse what you did." spoke Daisuke while stepping up to the two demons. "Now are you going to do what we ask or are we going to have a problem?"

A slight tension came over the situation as they all waited to see who would back down first. Somewhat of a surprise it was the demon Yin who would back down. "Fine then, we'll do as you ask." Everyone in the room became at ease when that was said. "However, there are some requirements that must be met before it can be done."

"What requirements are we talking about here?" Miyako asked which it was a legitimate question. "Does it involve some sort of incantation, ritual or something along that line?"

"More like a sacrifice." Yang's statement instantly changed the atmosphere of the situation. Out of all the things that they could've heard that was the least expected. "You see, for someone to have our abilities at their service they must first sacrifice something of value as an exchange."

"Then what the hell did Shishio sacrifice to get you to help him?" Once again a valid question was asked only this time it came from Ken.

"He sacrificed life." That simple answer that Yin gave Daisuke and the others even more to consider about what they were getting themselves into. "For our services he gave up the lives of five of his own people."

"Are you saying that for you to help us we have to give up the lives of people? If so I rather deal with our current problem as is." That revelation from Daisuke came to a surprise to his friends but understanding the reason behind it they had to agree.

"No, death isn't a requirement." responded Yang to the relief of everyone. "It's true that sacrificing life does cover the required guidelines, there are other ways." By the looks of that she was getting the female demon continued. "As long as the sacrifice is of great value then it would be sufficient. So you need to decide what you are willing to give up."

Now what could happen was in the hands of Daisuke and his assembled family. It was up to them to decide what they were willing to give up so that the Yin-Yang demons would help them. "Well, I would be willing to give up being a vampire but that would make this situation pointless."

For the next few minutes they traded suggestions but they would be either dropped or denied by the demon siblings. They were quickly running out of ideas until Mimi came up with a suggestion. When the others heard what it was they immediately opposed to it.

"No. Absolutely not." exclaimed Miyako who wasn't even hiding her dislike to her cousin's idea. "I can't even tell you how many ways your suggestion is."

"Why would you say that?" replied Mimi as if it wasn't that big of a deal. " It sounds like a good idea to me."

"You may think that Mimi." spoke a calming James. "But have you really thought about what you're willing to give up?"

Before she answered, Mimi met the eyes of each of her friends with a determined stare. "Believe me, I have and I'm still willing to do it."

But are you actually willing to surrender your premonition power?" Just saying it caused the thought of it to become even more real than it already was. "That gift of yours has helped us plenty of times. Don't forget it was a premonition from you that alerted us when Dai took over my body. Remember, that power of yours is a gift not a curse."

"Don't worry Daisuke, I haven't forgotten. I've come to terms with those issues a long time ago. I had help in that area." Mimi sent quick but tender look towards James which he returned. "My power is indeed a gift and I wish to use it by giving it up to help you Daisuke." Focusing on no one else but the person that she wanted to do the whole thing for, Mimi stared at him with an unwavering determination. "Please Daisuke, let me do this. It's something I wish to do."

In the end it all came down to what Daisuke's final decision would be. "All right, well do it." The dislike of the whole situation that Daisuke was feeling was clear by the tone that was in his voice. "I may not be completely behind it but it's something that you're dead set on doing and for which I'll be forever thankful for." With a few calming breaths, Daisuke put himself in front of the others. "Let's get his over with before I change my mind."

Going over to where the Yin-Yang demons had been waiting patiently they informed them about what was to be sacrificed and to their somewhat relief and displeasure they deemed it worthy. "Remember, for this to be successful you just do what we say without hesitation. Are we clear?" When Yin got no argument he continued with the instructions. Telling where Daisuke and Mimi to stand the demon siblings were about to start.

"Will this hurt?" questioned a slightly nervous Mimi. She was standing over the unconscious body of Dai with Daisuke on the other side of the vampire. The three of them were in the center of the symbols that were used to summon the Yin-Yang demons in the first place.

"Not really." answered Yang in a confident voice. "There might be some mile discomfort but nothing really serious." By the way that the female half of the demonic duo was explaining it you could trust her. "Now, you just relax and don't worry, you'll be the same person as before this whole thing started."

Making sure that Hikari and the others were a safe distance away the two demons were ready to begin the ritual. "We, the ones who dwell in where opposites meet call upon your power." chanted Yin in an unnatural voice.

Following her brother's example, Yang continued the incantation in the same type of voice. "We seek to make this person who is not two to become one again."

When things seemingly couldn't get any stranger, the eyes of the demons glazed over until they were completely white. To add to the situation, an unusual wind came across the room. The Yin-Yang would continue their chanting only it would be speaking the exact same time. "For exchange we give up this girl's sacrifice. Please grant our plea."

As if responding, the markings on the ground started to glow. Along with the markings a glowing sphere that Daisuke was familiar with started to surround him and Dai. The chanting would soon change into an unknown language and as they continued to chant the sphere continued to glow brighter until it was blinding.

When it appeared that the sphere couldn't get any brighter the sphere burst and when it did only one person emerge as they collapsed to the ground. That person wouldn't be the only one as Mimi started to wobble a bit and would've fell if it wasn't for James rushing over and held her up.

"It is done." informed the Yin-Yang demons at the same time as the clouded look in their eyes vanished. "What you asked for has been done. We now take our leave." Right before the eyes of everyone the two demons shimmered away.

Putting that out of their minds for the moment, the group turned their attention to their own. "How are they?" asked Miyako who asked the question that all of them wanted to answered.

"Well, from what I can figure out I have determined that Mimi is okay." reported James who took it upon himself to check on the health of his girlfriend. "She seemed to have passed out. Not surprising seeing what she had to do." It was apparent to Miyako that James was just as concern about her cousin's well being as she was.

"That's good to hear." With the condition of Mimi being resolved Miyako looked over to the other half of the group. "Let's just hope that we can say the same for our other friend."

The friend that they were referring to was of course the unconscious Daisuke who was being looked over by both Hikari and Ken. While the two of them may have been concern for their friend's well being at the same time they were worried about what could happen next. "You know what to do right?" questioned Hikari who was beside their possible friend.

Ken nodded his head in confirmation. "If he wakes up and it looks as though Dai is in control I take him out with this." He lifted the tranquilizer gun to state his claim. It was then that Ken notice that Hikari was kneeling dangerously close to the prone body that he hoped that his friend Daisuke was in control of. "Do you think that it's wise for you to be that close to him? We don't know yet which person is in the driver's seat."

Believe me, I know the danger." Hikari's voice was calm while at the same time contained an unyielding conviction. "But I want to see with my own eyes if the Daisuke that I care deeply for is still there." She wouldn't have to wait long as the person in question was beginning to come to.

Slowly opening his eyes he stared up towards Hikari. "Hey there good looking. You're such a great sight for these eyes to see."

In her heart Hikari knew who it was but she had to be certain and she kenw how to do that. Leaning over she cautiously pressed her lips against his. The two of them stayed like that until she pulled away. "It's good to see you too…Daisuke."

"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine. That kiss was a good enough reason to come around." His remark got its desired affect as a light blush came across Hikari's face. "Even after being together for so long I can still cause her to become all flustered. It's kind of flattering in a way."

Before Daisuke's train of thought could go any further he took notice that Ken still had the tranquilizer gun aimed at him. Relax Ken, it's me." Thankfully that was good enough as Ken lowered the weapon. Getting to his feet Daisuke collected himself as everyone gathered together. "Hopefully they're prepared to deal with everything that I'm about to tell them."

-/-/-/-/-

Hours Later…

While it should've been a moment of celebration for putting the literal demon back into its cage, that wouldn't be the case. Sitting all about were Daisuke and his friends with solemn expressions on their faces.

"Are you sure about this?" Ken asked who broke the silence that had come over all of them.

"Trust me, I'm sure." Daisuke responded in a quiet voice. "I may not have actually been there but ever since rejoining with my unwanted other half I've been recalling the things he did while we were apart." By the feelings that were behind his words none of Dai's memories were pleasant ones. "However, something beneficial did come from it. We were able to find one that he wasn't lying before."

"I still can't believe it." spoke Hikari. "Out of all the times that I thought about it not once did I ever think of this as an actually possibility."

"Not only is it a possibility, its realty." stated Miyako. "There's nothing we can do to change it and we have to deal with it."

"Miyako's right." Daisuke informed with absolute seriousness in his voice. "We have to face facts that we now know who the higher ups are."

-/-/-/-/-

"Do you mind explaining what you were doing?" In a secluded room within the Takenaka Corporation building a private meeting was taking place with only the higher ups and a familiar vampire being present.

"There's really nothing to explain." informed the vampire who was none other than Shishio. "I was simply doing what you paid me to do. You told me to create a distraction for Motomiya and his group while you did whatever it is that you were doing. Not once during our conversations did you tell me what kind of distraction that I had to use."

It wasn't hard for Shishio to tell that the higher ups were not pleased by their parent's laid back attitude. "Look on the bright side, everything turned out all right. The distraction did what it was supposed to do and they have no idea what you're planning on doing."

There wasn't a single thing said in that room and the silence remained until the one female higher up spoke. "Be grateful that we still in need of your services or you'd be a pile of dust at this moment." If that was supposed to frighten Shishio it didn't work as he maintained the same standoffish attitude. "Just do what you were brought to do and as promise you'll receive more wealth and power than you could ever imagine."

With an understanding nod of the head Shishio turned around to take his leave. "Don't worry, I'll do my part." The vampire was about to leave but looked back at his partners. "Remember this though. Don't try to screw me over or you'll regret it." That said he left the higher ups to themselves.

"Arrogant little blood sucker." spat the female higher up. "Reminds of a similar person I knew years ago." Slowly some of the other lights turned on. When that happened you could see that the woman was an attractive female with long blonde hair that was tired in a low ponytail and beautiful grayish eyes.

"Calm yourself Katara. Once Shishio has served his purpose he'll be taken cared of like the rest of our other annoyances." said one of the male higher ups, who looked like an old man who was around his mid forties.

Indeed, the female was in fact Katara, the person who trained Daisuke after he became a vampire. "That may be the case Samuel but even you got to admit that you wanted to stake that damn vampire in his dried out heart."

Samuel Bentson, the same person that Daisuke became friends with over two years ago. Even though he tried to hide it, a faint trace of a grin could be seen. "Be that as it may now isn't the time to do such a thing. Isn't that right Byron Satori?"

In a chair that was stationed behind the two others was a man that appeared to be in his mid thirties. He had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. "That's correct Samuel." answered Byron in a voice that lacked any form of emotion. "Soon all of our preparations will become reality and all those who stand against us will be dealt with in due time."

-/-/-/-/-

"So, this is what you've been doing all this time." Sitting in his living room with all the lights off was Daisuke. What he was doing was watching a video recording of when he and Hikari went on a group date with the others to the beach. Walking over to him, Hikari sat down beside Daisuke. "Do you regret doing what you did?"

Already knowing what his girlfriend was talking about Daisuke shrugged his shoulder. "In a way I do. To be able to go out in the sun and not because I was wearing some necklace but because I was an actual living, breathing human being was something that I greatly appreciated." Peering back to the TV he smiled as it was currently showing of him sharing a laugh with Hikari as she lend against his back.

"I'll always treasure the second chance that I was given. Having the opportunity to go through life as every other person, to go on dates with my girlfriend during the day and that includes going to the beach, which I enjoyed since it allowed me the chance to see you in a bathing suit."

For that remark Daisuke received a light smack to the back of the head by Hikari. "Keep talking like that and you'll never have another chance to see me in something like that again, if you catch my drift." Even though she was trying to be serious with her warning, Hikari couldn't hide the fact that she was amused by the situation.

The couple shared a hearty laugh for a while until they calmed down. "It's still hard for me to believe." spoke Daisuke who no longer had the happy go lucky look on his face. "Two of the people that I trusted completely are two of the three people who have made our lives hell all this time."

Much like her boyfriend, Hikari became serious. "I know what you mean. I may not known Katara but I knew Samuel and it still blows my mind that he is one of the masterminds that has been going against us for so long. Have you told Serenity about any of this?"

"No I haven't. I'll tell her everything tomorrow." Letting out a haggard breath, Daisuke continued. "There's no telling how she'll react when she finds out about this. Even if she doesn't consider it, Katara is technically her other. What she does with this discovery is anyone's guess."

"And what does that say about us? What do we do with the knowledge that we've acquired?"

"Continue with our lives like we always have." answered Daisuke calmly. "We'll have to deal with them in the not so distant future. For now though we got other things to worry about. One of them is dealing with that bastard, Shishio. With his apparent association with the Takenaka Corporation he's an even greater threat then by himself."

In a surprising move, Hikari draped her arms around Daiuske and laid her head on his shoulder. "We'll deal with him and everyone else that comes against us. The reason isn't because we're the good guys and they're the bad buys. It's because unlike them we fight for more than just for ourselves. We fight for all those who wish to live peacefully and so that they don't have to bare the pain and hardships that could befall them."

Wanting to respond to Hikari's strong words Daisuke placed a hand tenderly on top of hers. "Thank you Hikari. What you said is true. We fight on for those who are unable to fight and that perhaps someday battles such as these won't be necessary."

"That's the best that we can do." With some reluctance, Hikari removed her arms from him and started for the door. She was about to leave but stopped to say one last thing. "We can only hope for a better and brighter future for all those who wish for it."

With that she left, leaving Daisuke with his thoughts. Getting to his feet he headed for his room. When he got there he opened the top dresser and pulled something out. In Daisuke's palm was a small black box. Opening the box it was revealed that inside was a ring with a diamond on it. "We can only look towards a better and brighter future." With that thought, Daisuke closed the lid to the box.

That was a shocker wasn't it? Dai has been taken cared of and things are seemingly return to 'normal' for the heroes. Also, the identity of the higher ups have finally been revealed and I bet that some of you were surprise by who they were. As for that the little part at the end of the chapter, I'll keep that information to myself until later on.

Well, with this story to my series the next one will soon follow it. The name of it will be 'Battles Before The War'. Why that story has a title like that will be explain when the first chapter is put on which will be sometime this week. Until then, see ya and don't forget to leave a review if you don't mind.