Despite his doubts, Daisuke was not ready to give up on Dark yet. His memories of the thief were so clear, it felt impossible that he imagined it all. Still, his mind was foggy. The more he tried to convince himself that Dark was indeed real, the more he felt his conviction slip. He tried not to think too much on the subject.

Daisuke looked at the clock and realized he was late for school. He gasped and grabbed his bag as he dashed out the door.

"Bye, mom," he shouted, leaping down the steps and out the door. He decided he'd put Dark out of his mind for now and continue to pursue the subject after school.

________________________________________________________________

Dark took off from the roof of the Niwa house with Towa (in her bird form) on his shoulder. She guided him as he flew high, trying to avoid getting within sight of anyone below. The sun was beginning to rise and he knew the streets would soon be busy. He hoped they would reach their destination before then.

"Down there," To-To peeped, pointing a small wing downward. Dark looked.

"But that's--he can't still be there, To-To, you must have made a mistake".

She scoffed indignantly, "I don't make mistakes!"

Dark groaned and dived. Towa shrieked as she nearly blew off his shoulder. He probably wouldn't admit it if asked later, but he meant to do that.
He landed at a run on the roof of a large building. The thief tried to ignore the uneasy feeling in his chest. After all, this building happened to be the very warehouse he escaped from just an hour ago. Dark still wasn't convinced Daisuke was inside. He would have felt something...he knew he would have felt something.

A line of footprints came from the shattered skylight and stopped near the edge of the roof. The footprints weren't Dark's. Luckily, there were no prints going back. If Dark's assessment was right, neither Krad nor Satoshi were still inside.

Nonetheless, Dark didn't want to risk another encounter. He hovered low and flapped his wings repeatedly to cover his tracks with gravel, then glided silently through the opening. As soon as he landed, Towa fluttered ahead to the door.

"Through here," she squeaked. Dark tested the lock. It was open.

The two proceeded down the dark stairway that came after the door. Daisuke must have been in the warehouse basement the whole time. Dark hesitated to open the next door.

"What's wrong, Dark?"

"Nothing," he lied. In truth, he was worried about what they might see on the other side. He grabbed the doorknob with deliberate emphasis and yanked it open.

Both were surprised to see Daisuke sleeping peacefully on the ground. He was wrapped in a blanket and his head rested on a sack of flour.

"What the hell?"

Towa looked up at Dark expectantly. He pretended not to notice and knelt down next to the boy.

He put his hand on his shoulder and shook him gently, "Daisuke?" There was no reaction whatsoever. Dark shook him harder and called again. Still no answer.

He was beginning to get frustrated, "Towa!"

The bird jumped in surprise and hopped to his side, "Dark?"

"You said something about him was wierd, right? While you were searching for him. Is there something wrong with him?"

She stared at Daisuke's motionless body for a few seconds then replied, "maybe".

Dark grabbed her, "what do you mean 'maybe'!?"

She answered quickly, "well I don't think his body's hurt, but I don't think he's all there either!"

Dark looked at Daisuke again, then dropped Towa. She used her wings to catch her fall and muttered something quietly. Dark lifted Daisuke off the ground and turned back to the door. "Let's go home, To-To. The Niwas have research to do".