Daisuke was too distracted to pay attention to the lesson. Thinking of all the possible reasons everything had changed only made him upset. Luckily, school seemed to go by quickly that day and he was able to avoid Satoshi when he got up to leave. He did not feel like talking to him at the time…he was too different.
When he was finally out in the open, he did not want to go home right away. Outside, everything looked normal and everyone was simply going about their daily routines. The only difference was that nobody was talking about the mysterious phantom thief Dark. He never thought he would miss hearing Dark's name everyday.
He wandered about a particularly busy part of the city. A giant tree would occupy this plaza during the Christmas season and many people came there just to hang out. After watching the crowd for a few minutes, he saw someone familiar.
'Krad!?' he exclaimed to himself. The man he saw had shorter hair and was dressed in casual clothing, but Daisuke would never forget those beautiful, terrifying eyes. He knew the chances he would be recognized were slim, but he began plotting an escape route anyway. Before he could turn to run, he realized he had been spotted. "Krad" was walking toward him. Daisuke decided not to flee because he knew Krad would not be stupid enough to attack him in such a populated area. He stayed where he was and tried not to look at him, glancing at him only to check if he was still coming. The young man stopped in front of him.
"Hello, little Niwa," he said quietly. His voice had a slight German accent.
Daisuke honestly could not decide if he was surprised he knew him or not. Perhaps it was a coincidence. "You…you know me?" he asked a little timidly.
"Of course I know you. I brought you here," Krad replied as if it were obvious.
Daisuke finally felt like he was getting somewhere, "you brought me…where?"
"Somewhere you can be happy," he stated with a smile, then added with a grave expression, "and out of the way."
There was no mistaking it now; this was the Krad he knew. "What did you do with Dark?" he demanded, trying to sound braver than he really was.
"I did nothing with him."
"Take me back!"
"No," Krad's frown changed to a strange grin, "you will learn to like it here. I know you aren't the kind of boy who wishes for a life of constant danger. You want a normal life." Daisuke found it hard to disagree with him. "Look around you, I've given you what you want. Dark and Krad do not exist here. You can talk with whomever you please. You never have to worry about hiding anything from your friends. Not only that…you are no longer hindering Dark. You both can live your own lives now."
Daisuke knew better than to think Krad did this for him…it was also too good to be true. "Why would you do that? You don't even like me."
"Precisely. Now I can be rid of you as well. Go and live your life." Krad began to leave.
"No! I can't stay here!"
Krad ignored him and continued walking.
"I don't belong here," Daisuke shouted after him. The people around him began to stare. He knew nothing he could say or do would convince Krad, so he decided to act normally. He just hoped Dark would not decide to leave him in this unfamiliar world.