We are SUFFERING! Sorry about the lack of updates, and we know that this is a short chapter, but this is the best that we can do for now.

On with the show!

Eyes opened blurrily, an unidentifiable mass of green, brown, blue, white and red were there to greet Riku as she slowly came back to the waking world. She feebly tried to lift her self up, which resulted in a pretty pathetic failure, flopping back on the ground despite her efforts.

"Dai-Daisuke…?"

She broke into a fit of frenzied coughs mid-sentence, coughing up a bit of blood in the process and letting herself calm down as she lay on her side.

"I must have broken a rib." She thought, groaning then rolling onto her back, staring into the sky.

The beautiful, cloudy blue sky.

Cursing under her breath, Riku temporarily forgot her pain and made her way to a more sheltered area, which just so happened to be the enormous fallen trunk behind her. Wiz who had been forgotten until now loped along behind her with a slight limp himself.

"… I can't stay out much longer…" Riku could already feel to start of a headache approaching, and that was only the beginning of a bad situation that could turn for the worse at any given moment.

Riku sighed, letting herself lean against the rough bark, Wiz coming to sit in her lap. The rabbit imposter was in no shape to take her back, so that meant she would have to make it back under her own strength. She sighed again, looking lethargically out to the tree line, her attention coming back full force when she saw a flash of brown hair.

"…Risa?"

-X-

Krad mumbled to himself often, Satoshi was well versed in the art of interpreting his petty complaints at this point in time, seeing as they have been hunting together for a long time.

Krad was also adept at the art of grumbling, which was louder and more coherent, while maintaining its trivial context and its pointless endeavor to annoy the hunter further. However, Satoshi was accustomed to such behavior in this form as well.

Krad had both mumbled and grumbled for the entirety of the process of bringing Dark to a bedroom. A random bedroom, for their guess was as good as any as to whom it belong to.

The room was ornate, well decorated, tasteful, and everything else he wouldn't expect – Satoshi was immediately able to eliminate the unconscious lord as main occupants of the room.

Krad dumped the body unceremoniously onto the well-made bed before dramatically sighing and ungracefully plopping onto a nearby piece of furniture, which was by no means a chair of any sort.

Instead of his usual condescending reprimands, Satoshi decided that he too desired to sit, and did just that on an actual chair adjacent to his partner.

"So…?"

Krad looked down, a small mischievous smirk placed on his deceivingly delicate features.

"It looks as if things are about to get interesting…"

Satoshi nodded in agreement, saying nothing more.

-X-

"I suppose I can see why you would be an interest to Dark…" said a enigmatic figure, his dark robes swishing as he circled the read-head.

Daisuke didn't reply, only stared lifelessly ahead at a far off stone wall that made up part of the dark, cold, fortress.

"I suppose that it is of no consequence, in the end KokuYoku will be mine." Stated Argentine, his fingertips brushing against Daisuke's cheek as he contemplated on things unknown.

"M'lord?"

"Yes? Is the ritual prepared?" the sorcerer inquired, not looking away from his examination of the red head.

"Yes M'lord, everything has been done as you have requested."

"Good." said Argentine, his long hair swaying as he started to walk back to his throne. "Take him to the dungeon, simply lock him up, and NO sort of rough treatment. He must be unblemished for the ritual at all costs."

"Yes, M'lord." stated the nameless servant, beginning to gently pull Daisuke along to his place of stay for the night.

"Oh," Argentine started, "and bring me a pretty thing for dinner. A young maiden perhaps. I feel the desire to indulge a bit tonight." The sorcerer finished this with a wave of his hand.

"Of course, M'lord."

Argentine smirked as he saw his servant lead Daisuke away.

"Soon, my arcane angel, soon." he murmured softy, thumbing the chain of his necklace, a craved amethyst wing hanging from its silver noose.

DMK: Wow, school sucks so much right now. I know it has been a long time, but hoprefully this won't be too bad for you to deal with. Just don't have a whole lot of time anymore, and when there is time I'm just too tired to think let alone write. Anyhow, I hope you like! R&R!

BV: I concur. DMM is the only one driving this now –thank her tremendously. She gives us PLOT. I am so useless ahaha. My writer's creativity has been KILLED thanks to my NONCREATIVE CLASSES. We apologize, but I'm not promising the updates to get any better until… well, summer. Which starts at the end of April for me.