I don't own DN Angel, the story is mine though. :) Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it! Sorry for the long wait!

Chapter 13- A Walk in the Park

"Daisuke?"

The boy stirred from his slumber, "Hhnnn?"

Emiko shook the boy a little. "Come on Dai, wake up. You've almost slept through the entire morning."

The boys eyes fluttered open, letting out a soft yawn. "M-Momma?" He rolled over, looking up at her.

"It's alright. You didn't come down for breakfast so I came up and found you still in bed." she said, rubbing his cheek. "Did you sleep alright?"

He shook his head, "No, I was up most of the night." he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Is there still time for cereal?"

His mother chuckled, "It's almost time for lunch at this point my dear." She stood up, ruffling his hair. "Get up and get dressed. I will make something for you. How does grilled cheese sound?"

He nodded, giving her a grin. "Yes please!"

"Then get up and brush your teeth." she said, pulling away the bedsheets. "I already found something for you to wear."

Daisuke scrambled for the blankets, whining softly. "Mmmm...but the bed feels so warm..."

Emiko pounced and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him out of bed. "Come on you little rascal." she let out a short grunt and pulled, staggering as she had him in his arms.

The redhead looked up concerned, noticing that his mother was off balanced for a moment before standing up with him trapped. "Mom? Are you alright?"

She looked down and laughed. "You're getting too big for me to carry you, I don't think I can call you 'little' anymore." She held him close, tickling his sides, "I might have to start calling you my 'chubby' Daisuke."

He squirmed, a faint blush of embarrassment glowing on his cheeks. "Iie! Don't say that Momma!" he whined trying to push away her arms to get free.

His mother nuzzled his hair, "Don't worry Dai, you will always be my little angel." she kissed his head and set him down. "Hmm...I might have to measure how tall you've gotten."

Daisuke blinked. "What? Why?" he looked down confused.

"Come to the door frame and I will show you. May I borrow a pencil?"

Daisuke nodded, walking over to his book bag and dug inside of it for a small pencil case and pulled out a pencil, jogging over to his mother and stood with his back to the door frame where all the marks of previous ages were labelled. He always felt disheartened when his height was measured. While other kids his age were going through the same grades as he was, the majority of them were significantly taller than he was. He had his eyes closed as he felt Emiko press down on his spiky dishevelled bedhead, the sound of the graphite scraping against the wood while his mother quietly worked.

He opened an eye, looking up at her. "Momma?"

She stared at the frame, a look of surprise upon her face. "W-Well..." she said, a smile creeping up on her face. "Take a look Dai."

He turned, looking at the mark and went wide-eyed. A large gap between now and a half a year ago and now was a significant growth spurt. It must have happened very recently; his doctors would've mentioned it earlier if it were the case. He didn't notice it before that he was taller, and it came to a big surprise when he could see it plain as day. His mother ruffled his hair, letting a small giggle.

"I'm bigger now!" he said, laughing as he danced around his mother happily. "I will be able to take care of Momma now!"

"You still have a long way to go before you become the big man of the house while Papa is away." she said calmly while she lightly poked his nose. "Hurry up now! We don't want to keep the grilled cheese waiting."

"Yay! Grilled cheese! Grilled cheese!" he chanted, bounding towards the bathroom.

Emiko crossed her arms, a hand cradling her cheek as she smiled a little. 'Kouske, I wish you were home. You're missing your little boy grow up so fast.'

Moments later Daisuke came out of the bathroom with a toothbrush shoved into his mouth. His speech was muffled with the frothing toothpaste that was now trailing down his chin, "Momma...can you brush my hair? It's all tangly."

His mother chuckled, shooing him back towards the sink. 'Okay, maybe not too fast.'

Daisuke bit into the cheesy goodness that was his sandwich while he sat at the kitchen table. He chewed happily as he dipped the grilled cheese into the ketchup, getting it ready for another round. Emiko was working by the stove, pulling a glass out from the cupboard and filled it up with milk, setting it next to his plate.

"So I got a call from the doctors office this morning. Dr. Musashi has reassured me that we don't have to visit as often now that the tests have come back in the clear." his mother commented.

Daisuke perked up mid-bite, looking at her. "Does this mean that we won't have to visit today?"

She smiled. "Nope, today is all for you. So, is there anything that you want to do? We can stay inside and watch cartoons? We could go to the mall and get some new clothes since you've grown so much...?"

Daisuke paused, giving it some thought. After what happened last night he was interested in practising some more with his new found abilities. But having to wait until nightfall would start to be a problem. He wanted to find some place secluded but not far to make his mother worry. He bit his lip, unsure of what to do.

~Daisuke?~ Dark finally piped up.

'I don't want to get caught, but-'

"Dai? Are you okay?" she asked, turning away from her cooking. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to. I was only suggesting..."

"No Momma, I want to do something." he said quickly. He watched some of the ketchup drip back onto the plate, trying to think of an idea. "Can I...go to the playground?"

Emiko frowned a little. "I don't know Daisuke. I will come with you-"

"I will be okay." he cut in, doing his best not to sound desperate. "It's not far from our house; you can see it from the back door, right?"

"Well, yes. But-"

"And I won't be alone. If it's later now other kids will be there too. If something happens, I will make sure to run home or to Mr. Tomori's."

"But I shouldn't let you go off on your own. I'm afraid something may go wrong."

"I won't take long, I promise." He wiped his mouth with his hand, the crumbs sticking to his cheeks. "Pretty please? Just for a couple of minutes? I will go straight there and back." He raised his crumb filled fist, his pinky sticking out and smiled. "Pinky swear."

His mother felt a pang of guilt while he looked at her. She fretted over her son, even more so that there was a chance now after such a long time he was more lively and healthy. She was afraid to let him go out on his own, but she didn't want to get rid of that grin that plastered his face. Emiko let out a long sigh, walking over to his seat and blew some of the crumbs off his finger, taking his pinky with her own.

"You leave through the back gate and take the dirt path straight there. No running off in any other direction that I can't see. You have one hour, and I will be checking from time to time. You keep an eye on the clock when you get there and come right back when the hour is done. Understood?"

Daisuke nodded, finishing his sandwich quickly. "I will Momma."

She wiped his dirtied hand with a towel. "Go wash up before you head outside. Make sure you still have your mittens and a scarf. It's not quite spring yet, I don't want you catching a chill."

"I will Momma" he said happily. He took the glass and drank quickly, slipping out of his chair and scurried to the kitchen sink, washing his hands.

A few minutes later, Daisuke was pulling on his shoes and zipped up his jacket. He nearly skipped towards the back door with his mother in tow. She put on slip-ons and led him out the door to the back fence gate. She unlatched it, Daisuke looking at the path his mother was talking about. A well walked trail from neighbours behind the houses led straight up through a patch of trees towards the park. Even though they were on the corner of the street, people would take this path through behind their house instead of the main gate to the playground.

"Go on," his mother stated. "Your time starts now."

"See you in a bit Momma!" he said, nearly running down the path like she just released a small beast.

Daisuke heard of the squish of the muddy ground, slowing his pace. He followed near the trail on the grass where he wasn't quickly getting dirty. He had spent some time when he was younger playing at the playground with his mother, but the environment felt different somehow. He felt like he was linked to the environment around him, the ground, the trees, even the air. It was something he had never experienced before until now. Even in the cold of the breeze tickling his face he could feel warmth inside of him.

He made it to the play area, a small clearing surrounded by trees. The sun shone overhead illuminating the park. There were a few swing sets, a jungle gym, benches and a couple of sandboxes still damp from slush and snow. He could see on the other side of the playground there were a few kids kicking a ball around, not paying him any mind. He looked back down the path and saw that his mother was still standing by the gate. He couldn't see if she was happy to see him out and about or worried that he was going to hurt himself.

~Is she just going to stand there the whole hour?~ Dark asked, almost sarcastic.

'I'm not sure at this point,' Daisuke thought. 'I hope she doesn't. I'll start worrying about her catching a cold instead.' He looked at the washroom area, seeing a large digital clock that showed the time. 'What should we do?'

~Act normal. Make sure your mother gets the hint that you're safe.~

Daisuke found a swing set that was in view of the trail, hopping into one of the seats. He was still short enough that he had to pull himself into the apparatus, his feet dangling high above the sand. The boy leaned back and kicked forward to get some momentum to move the swing on his own. He didn't want to go too high, just enough to show his mother that he was playing. He looked towards the path again to see that his mother had disappeared back inside. He let out a sigh of relief, letting the swing move on its own while he gripped the chains.

'You're really quiet today,'

~I felt that it was impolite.~ Dark muttered quietly, ~I try and do my best not to interfere with your time with your family.~

The redhead thought about it. Dark considered his Clan as his family. Could it be that he was getting homesick? Not being able to return because of the immediate situation left Daisuke rather disheartened of that fact. He stared at the sand while the swing swayed lazily. He was the only thing in Dark's life currently, and he was confused as to what to do.

~If you're concerned about me, don't be.~

'I-I...huh?'

~You forget that I can sense what you're thinking. I got myself in this remember.~

'R-Right...wait! I mean-'

~It's okay. I know that I am not alone.~ Dark chuckled, ~I have you.~

Daisuke's cheeks flushed, unsure of what to say after that. He let the swing stop, looking up at the clouds, breathing in softly as he let his mind wander. It could have been his improved health, the Fallen's power, or something else; but for once he felt free, almost like he could run around with no consequence, no worries, just the feeling of the cool breeze, the laughter of the other children nearby, and the faint smell of spring in the air. He closed his eyes, taking in the simple serenity of it all.

Dark was working on his own thoughts for the moment, letting his vessel feel the freedom of the outdoors fill his senses. He too wanted to feel that bliss, but it was impossible for that to happen. He had to be on alert, keeping an eye out for others that might sense Daisuke's growing abilities. He did his best to protect the boy yesterday without the kid knowing. But he knew that having the both of them in one spot was going to lead to possible danger. It left him conflicted. He would need the train the child as well as try and prevent possible interference of his enemies looking for a new Fallen that has popped in on Earth from nowhere. Eventually his freedom would be compromised; but he prayed that he was wrong in thinking of that idea.

And then his thoughts began to slowly linger to himself. 'I have you'. He meant those words, wholeheartedly. But he didn't know in what way did he mean them. It could mean many different things, but he didn't know which one was the correct one. He liked the child, cared for him, wanted to be near him; but he didn't know if it was just to protect him or was it...more? It left him several nights in the dark, literally and figuratively. A Fallen like him couldn't attach feelings to others unlike him, and even then it was just as a brother, a partner, a teammate. But this, this was new. Could it be that having the boy as a human connection was making him feel such things? And why?

But even so, when all of this was over, Daisuke was still a human kid. He would live like regular humans do, and then pass on. Dark on the other hand would live on; and he accepted that. But the thought of that eventuality left him empty. For the moment those thoughts filled his mind, and for a moment, he was afraid to let the redhead go.

The boy slowly opened his eyes, blinking as he let out a short gasp. 'D-Dark...I-I see them!'

~What do you see?~

The redhead slipped off the swing, looking around him. 'The energy...'

Daisuke looked around in astonishment at the scene unfolding around him. Glowing threads of energy seemed to fade into view below his feet like blanket of golden light. He could see energy twirling and spiralling leisurely in the air around him, moving with the wind. He smiled, feeling the energy emanating around him. He looked over to one of the nearby trees, seeing energy moving like veins up and down the branches and the trunk. It was a breathtaking sight.

~What do you think, Daisuke?~

'You were right, it's really pretty. But I didn't call them. Did you?'

~I didn't.~

The redhead took a small step, his shoe passing through the layer of energy onto the sand. He watched as his action caused the energy to ripple like waves, expanding and disappearing after awhile. It was amazing being able to see another view of the world around him. He looked up towards his house, and then to the city, only seeing a faint aura around the tall buildings in the distance.

'So...the energy that I called last night, some of this was from the park?'

~I would assume so.~

Daisuke smiled, 'It's probably really weird to say, but I guess I should say thanks?'

~If you want to. I don't think that the energy would mind, really. It's not like it's sentient.~

'Sentient?'

~I don't think it would be aware of your thanks. But I guess it wouldn't hurt.~

Daisuke smiled, looking back at the sky, "Thank you..."

"For what, Niwa?" came a new voice from behind him. Daisuke jumped in surprise and whirled around and looked up. His blood turned to ice as he stared wide eyed at the person towering over him.

"F-Fukomachi..."

.o~End of Chapter 13~o.

Sorry for the long wait guys! I've been mulling this over for awhile as to how this story is going to go.

I would liked to ask my readers a moment of your time. I would like to get your input on something. I have introduced Hiwatari as a character in this story and kind of left him on a cliffhanger note. I have an idea of where I would like to take him, but I would liked to ask all of you to see what's your opinion of how his character should be. Possible friend? Antagonist? Or a completely neutral character. He's kind of a wild card character to me. So please PM me of your thoughts, I would love to hear what you guys think.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! I love hearing from you guys. :)