Engel's arm went back as he prepared to throw his weight at the intruder, but it stopped when he recognized the guy blocking his door.

"H-Hideyoshi? What are you doing here?"

Not the reaction either Dark or Daisuke expected, especially after their last encounter. Dark cocked an eyebrow, "You remember me?"

"Of course I remember you," Engel stated, placing the paper weight back on the end table, "how long have we been friends?"

This didn't make sense. Did Krad change the rules again? "But last time I saw you…"

Yeah, sorry about that," Engel mumbled. He moved away from the wall and took a more casual stance, "but I had to get you to run without people thinking I was helping you. I noticed some had their phones out already…if they were calling the police, I had to warn you…get it?"

"So, you freaked out like a five-year-old girl just to get me to run away?"

"Well, obviously if you say it that way, it sounds stupid." Engel sighed and shrugged Dark's insult off. "So," he began, "why are the police after you? They say it's murder. You might get in trouble every five seconds, but you're no murderer."

Dark forced himself to smile despite the irony, "is there somewhere we can talk? Somewhere more private?"

Daisuke squirmed a little behind the sofa, 'somewhere to talk? Yeah right.' He found himself wishing Engel had no place to suggest.

Engel paused to think before nodding, "the roof…no one goes up there this late…not even the custodians."

"Perfect," Dark replied with another friendly smile. "I hope you don't mind," he continued, "but I had to bring my brother with me."

"Daisuke? Is he in trouble too?"

"Yeah, he kinda got pulled into this mess."

"There's plenty of room on the roof…as long as he talks quietly," Engel laughed a little, "no freaking out."

Daisuke frowned to himself, 'even at times like this…they have to make fun of me.'

"Come on out, Daisuke," Dark called in a low voice to make sure he would not wake the woman who lived with Engel.

Daisuke stowed his knife before coming out in the open. "I don't always freak out," he stated. The older boys ignored him.

"Lead the way," Dark murmured. Engel went to the door and peered outside before stepping into the hall. Dark lingered momentarily to whisper to Daisuke, "when I grab him, you need to jump right in…if you wait too long, he'll be able to fight back." Daisuke nodded solemnly and followed Dark into the hall. Engel led them to a door on the far side.

"We'll have to take the stairs…that way, you two have time to hide if anyone comes our way…in an elevator, you're done for once the door opens."

"We won't be done for…but…" Daisuke whispered nervously, mostly to himself. Dark shushed him.

"Something wrong?" Engel inquired obliviously, "you two are acting odd."

"Daisuke's just being a wimp. He's the worst accomplice in the history of accomplices." Daisuke elbowed Dark in the side and shot him a glare. Dark only smirked in response.

They continued up three floors without incident. The last flight of stairs led straight up to a single door. Engel led them through this door and out into the night air. He signaled them to keep following and knelt to pick up a dark lamp. He ignited it and it produced a dim glow.

"Not a very bright lamp," Dark observed aloud.

"I dimmed it," Engel explained, "I come up here sometimes…it's supposedly off limits. Besides, we don't want bright lights…it would give us away."

"Of course."

Dark and Daisuke were silent as Engel set his lamp on a box about knee height. He sat with his back to the box. "So, what exactly did you do?"

Dark tried to come up with a story, but stopped when he recognized the opportunity. "Well, I was fighting with some guy..."

"That's just like you, Hideyoshi," Engel stated, chuckling a little.

Dark allowed himself to laugh a little before continuing, "well, some other guy came along right when things were getting crazy. The guy I was fighting tripped and fell off the roof, but…I guess the way we were positioned made him think I pushed him."

"The way you were positioned? How was that?"

Dark smiled, "come over here so I can show you."

"Show me?"

"Yeah, it's not easy to explain." Engel complied and Dark moved him between himself and a large crate with Daisuke to their left. "What I did…was something like this." His smile faded as he grabbed Engel's neck with both hands and pinned him against the crate. "Daisuke," he called.