Satoshi opened his eyes to see a room crammed with numerous treasures. He recognized them…they were Dark's targets from the past. 'How ironic,' he thought. The boy felt something metal behind him…and around his wrists. He fingered it to find they were a pair of handcuffs. A dent in the metal told him they were, in fact, his own handcuffs. The double-dose of irony was painfully annoying. Dark knew how to get on people's nerves. He rolled his head, trying to take his attention off what would undoubtedly become a bruise.
He heard the door knob turn and looked up to greet his visitor. "This is a new low for you, Dark," he stated, showing no emotion, "I don't qualify as art".
"I'm not so sure about that, Hiwatari, you're a real piece of work," Dark retorted smugly. Satoshi ignored the thief's snide remark.
"Are you going to tell me why you kidnapped me?"
Dark pretended to think. "Well…listen, Hiwatari, we…I took you because we need Krad," Dark answered. Satoshi's face went grim.
"Dark—"
"Shut it, Hiwatari," Dark interrupted, "we know you don't like it, but it's all we've got right now."
Satoshi closed his eyes and sighed patiently, keeping his temper in check, "listen, Dark. Krad won't tell you anything. Our ignorance only brings him delight."
Dark gave the boy an expression that said 'no, duh'. "I thought about what you said…he wanted me to find Daisuke. Well, I found him. What do you think he would want next?"
"To seek him out. So, you're going to do what he wants? That doesn't sound like a plan to me."
"We know next to nothing about what Krad has planned. As I see it, the only way to get more info is to play his little game…for now." Dark added a little smirk to his explanation, "still, I don't think Krad planned on being captured."
Satoshi allowed a little frustration to seep into his features. "The handcuffs won't hold him anymore than they hold you, Dark. He may not be kaitou, but he doesn't need to slip out of things when he can destroy them."
"I know," Dark looked amused, "I just couldn't help myself."
Satoshi gave the thief a blank stare to tell him he was neither amused nor bothered by his immature sense of humor.
Dark set himself back in business mode. "I have a few…extra measures in place. Krad won't be a problem." Dark hesitated before he continued, "I don't suppose you can force him out."
Satoshi opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the stabbing pain he had become so acquainted with. This time, he offered no resistance to the angel's control.
____________________________________________________________________
"There you are, Daisuke," Emiko greeted her son as he entered. She was smiling, but her displeasure was apparent in her voice. She turned to address Engel and Hideyoshi. "Thanks for going to find him, boys." Daisuke's 'brother' nodded to their mother and gave him a sly 'you're in trouble' look before leaving the room.
Emiko waited until the other two were gone before scolding Daisuke. "I've told you over and over to tell me if you're not going to come straight home from school. You had me worried sick, Daisuke."
"I'm sorry, mom, I've been confused lately," Daisuke explained, knowing she wouldn't understand.
Emiko seemed to calm down a bit, "is it because," she lowered her voice as if she was afraid someone was listening, "because of Dark?"
Daisuke remembered what his brother said when he found him. He knew he was saying it to mock him in front of his friend, but he felt there was some truth in it. "No, mom. I know Dark isn't real. I just had a realistic dream, that's all." Daisuke was only saying it to please her, but his words seemed to take bits of Dark's reality with them when they left his mouth. He was beginning to fall for his own lie. He caught himself and pinched his leg as punishment. 'You can't believe this world,' he told himself, 'you know what's real.' He decided to avoid talking about Dark aloud for fear of losing a piece of his real life with each word. "I won't do it again, I'm sorry," he said, apologizing to his mother as well as himself.
Emiko smiled at him, "I suppose I can let it go this once."
Daisuke smiled back and she hugged him. The boy decided to change the subject, "what's for dinner?"