Whew! Sorry for the long delay everyone! With the personals and holidays that I had to go through there wasn't much time to do much of my writing. But it's finally here! Hopefully you all will like it. Be warned, I was up pretty late working on this so there might be some editing in the next few days, but nothing major! Promise!

Chapter 16 – Set in Motion

Daisuke couldn't believe it. There, open wide behind him were a pair of feathered wings. The sensation was strange, his brain quickly registering that they were a part of his body. Paying attention to them made them move behind them, as if they were hiding from view. He edged himself off of Dark, the tint of his blush burning his cheeks. He felt awkward trying not to bump his new appendages into anything. He crossed his arms in front of him, hiding his naked chest from his other. He felt vulnerable and shy, even after all that he had just gone through.

Dark noticed his actions, pulling one of the thin bedsheets that had been thrown to the side and handed it to Daisuke, who took it willingly to cover his front. The redhead didn't know what he could do otherwise, unsure of what to do now that he had wings. He looked around the bed, threads of golden energy lingering around the room.

"How are you feeling?" Dark asked, sitting up. The bed squeaked with his movements, but he still kept his distance from the child, keeping himself in check.

"I-I feel..." Daisuke stuttered, looking behind him and swallowed hard. The wings remained poised and open, now not moving an inch. "I d-don't know what to f-feel. T-This is something completely new. H-Humans aren't supposed to have w-wings."

"Well," Dark sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You aren't a normal human with me around."

"C-Clearly..."

Daisuke moved himself to the side of the bed, some of the feathers brushing against the mattress, causing him to shudder. Dark watched as the redhead attempted to get to his feet. Still holding the sheet in front of him, Daisuke slowly stood on shaky footing, trying to gauge the new weight of his wings to his body. He staggered, almost falling forward before Dark swiftly grabbed the boys other wrist, pulling him back and making him sit down before he crashed to the floor, the bed squeaking loudly.

"Relax. You shouldn't be getting up after all you've gone through. Your body is still weak."

The redhead took a shallow breath, his entire body shaking. "I-I'm sorry."

"Silly kid," Dark shook his head. "Let me disappear for awhile. Me being here probably isn't helping."

"N-No, please stay." Daisuke muttered timidly. "Don't be leaving me alone like this."

"You realize..." Dark said, shifting so he was closer to the child. "...I'll just return to your body. I wouldn't be going anywhere."

"I know. But it's nice to have you out and here with me. Even if you're just a physical projection. Please, don't go."

Dark smiled. "I won't. But I don't want you to collapse on me either."

"I don't care. Please."

"Fine. Fine. You're the boss."

The shoulders relaxed, his wings drooping slightly, which caused the boy to jump. He concentrated, one of the wings folding in, pressing against his back. The soft touch against his skin made him shiver, but to control it felt like it was now almost second nature. Daisuke closed his eyes, reaching an uneasy hand behind him and gave one of his new feathers a small tug, feeling the pull up into his shoulder blade, letting out a soft whimper.

Dark continued to move in closer, sitting next to the child. He gave Daisuke a once over, again feeling something stir with him, something strong. The noises the redhead was making wasn't helping either. He did his best to control himself and wrapped some of the bed sheet around the child, doing his best not to spook his vessel. The boy was too cute to watch, but he was still mentally and emotionally fragile. It was like he was dealing with a small animal. One wrong move and he felt like Daisuke would try and run away from him scared out of his wits.

Daisuke held the sheet close to him while Dark busied himself, but his backside felt cold. His wings moved and pressed in close, trying to warm him up. Despite it being strange and at first uncomfortable, the wings weren't causing him any pain or discomfort. Having them seemed to feel so...right.

"Hey," Dark said low, "This makes you my guardian angel now, right?"

Daisuke blinked, glancing at Dark who had a small smile playing on his lips. "W-What?"

"Well, you're the one with the wings now." The Fallen commented, resisting the urge to touch them. "You really do look like a cute little angel."

"N-No I don't," the redhead spoke softly, some of the sheet now covering up his face. If he blushed any more it would've been darker than the color of his wings. 'Why does he have to say things like that?'

"Because I can," Dark chuckled.

This caused the boy to jump again, staring at his other. "Y-You heard that?"

"Of course I can. I always have. I'm bound to you."

'Then, other times when I...' Daisuke thought, now covering his entire head with the sheet. 'Oh god...'

"Hey, don't hide. The sheet isn't going to protect you." He reached for the blanket, beginning to pull it away.

Daisuke resisted, holding onto the bedding as tight as he could. "N-No, I don't want to come out. I'm so embarrassed."

Dark took the chance to slide his arms around Daisuke's waist, pulling him back into his lap. This made the redhead elicit a squeak at the sudden movements, but still kept his face hidden while his wings spread out behind him. He felt like he was resting on something, his others hand petting his head. His body relaxed in the attention, melting slightly at the embrace. The wings wavered behind him, looking that they were confused on where they should be positioned.

The Fallen had him in his arms, which meant that he couldn't escape for now. He hoped that soothing his form would help him from freaking out as much as possible. Dark himself felt something was different. It didn't feel wrong or uncomfortable, but he wasn't able to put his finger on it. He was becoming more at ease around the redhead. He had a duty to make sure his vessel was okay, despite his own musings.

'Wait...I can't be...' Dark thought, his mind reeling for an answer. 'Maybe I'm having more than just 'feelings' for this kid...'

The gears in Daisuke's mind also were beginning to turn, finally realizing the new problem. He pulled the sheet off of his head, his mess of spiky locks pointing in all directions. He looked at Dark with a fearful gaze.

"Dark?"

'I mean, for one I'm technically a soul, I don't have a real body, he's only like this because of me being here which means he's not a Fallen himself-at least that's what I'm seriously hoping in a way...'

"Dark...?"

'...and that the fact that I would be robbing the cradle with him being only ten-years-old and I'm-'

"Dark!" Daisuke said urgently, pulling at Dark's clothes.

The Fallen snapped out of his thoughts, looking down at the redhead in surprise,"Daisuke? What is it?"

"How? How am I supposed to hide these?" Daisuke asked timidly. "I can't go anywhere looking like this. What if Momma finds out? Or school? I don't want to scare anyone, or be seen as a freak."

"Shhhh. Calm down. There is a way."

Daisuke looked at him with a glimmer of hope in his gaze, "There is?"

Dark gave him a nod, "Yes, but you have to learn to control the change. And no, you can't keep them hidden away forever, it would be difficult to keep them at bay."

After what he just went through, he was going to make sure that he would go to great lengths to make sure no one sees his new appendages. He was going to continue along those thoughts until Daisuke felt Dark's touch move from his head to the back of the redhead's neck, massaging the muscles unconsciously. The boy sighed quietly, his negative feelings ebbing away. Even his wings lowered, looking like a blanket of soft, red feathers layering his backside.

"Dark?"

"Yes Daisuke?"

"Does this mean, that I could fly?" he looked up curiously.

Dark knew that this question was going to pop up really soon. But the dangers of being out in the open were clear. But he didn't want to completely extinguish the flame of curiosity in the boys eyes. "Maybe. I don't know how we're to practice to find out. But it's possible. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

A few ideas began to spark in Daisuke's thoughts, a smile showing a little across his lips. "O-Okay...to start, how do I make them go away for now...?"

Everything was quiet. Dark had finally got Daisuke to fall asleep after he explained in detail to the boy how to retract his wings. It was quite a process to get him to concentrate with everything running in his mind now that he had them, but the redhead finally got settled and they disappeared flawlessly. There was a thin line on Daisuke's shoulder blades now, but they didn't show up clearly unless you were intentionally looking close for them.

'Fortunately, with all the ruckus and excitement this all had become, Emiko didn't return to check on her son. I am really thankful for that.' Dark thought to himself.

The Fallen remained as a projection until Daisuke fell asleep, disappearing within the confines of his vessels mind. He went over what had happened in his own thoughts. As much as he was happy that Daisuke was so accepting of the transformation and his abilities, he was beginning to fear what might happen in the near future. He repeated the last few months again and again, a sense of foreboding welling up inside of him.

~I pray that no one has spotted Daisuke yet. I did my best to suppress any indication of all of this happening, but it's becoming more and more harder to hide his growing powers.~ Dark thought to himself, ~It's a good sign that I will be able to separate from him. That's what the texts had written.~

He mulled it over, thinking of the boy he was protecting. ~The problem is...do I really want to go?~ He paused, realizing what he was thinking, ~Wait. What -am- I thinking? I have a mission to the Clan. I need to eventually return and find the pieces that 'they' were looking for. Especially the one that I located. Why do they need them, what purpose do they serve? And him...

~...I wouldn't want -him- to find Daisuke. I made it look like I died, but now...~ Dark sighed. ~With Daisuke using my powers as his own, it could be that signs could be tracked back here, to his home. What do I do now?~

Daisuke stirred, rolling over in his bed and curled up underneath the sheets. A few cars rolled by, the sound of their faint engines echoing in the redheads thoughts. It made Dark paranoid in the late hours of the night. He held the kid in the highest regard. Daisuke was protecting him, and he to his vessel. His vessel...

~What is he really to me?~ Dark wondered, ~He can't be something...more.~ He felt something stir inside of him again, unsure of what it meant. ~Is it just the bond that I had made with him, or is it more than that? Am I really...

...feeling something for him?~

"Kouske...you've got to stop calling me. It's late and you need to get some sleep."

Saehara was slightly irritated. He leaned on a street lamp looking towards the various rows of houses. He scanned the area, looking for a hint of any potential Fallen activity. However, with the distraction of Kouske continuously making him report in, he was unable to clearly pinpoint anything that might give him some leads. Luck wasn't on his side for the most part. Everything was quiet besides the faint hum of electricity running through the incandescent bulb above him.

"Have you been able to find anything since you left, Takeshi?" Kouske asked through a yawn.

Saehara grunted in frustration, "No. It seems that any indication of what I felt went cold. Now will you please let me do my job and go to bed?"

"I will. Just know that you need to let me know the second you find anything. You have the keys to the safe house with your identification cards."

"Yes, I even have clothes if I need to be out in the open. I've heard this all before with you. Now please. It's late and you need to get to bed old man. You're starting to sound like you're my father."

There was a pause, Saehara letting out a sigh and shook his head. "Niwa-san, I'm sor-"

"Just do what you need to do. Report back to me if anything happens."

Takeshi was about to respond before the line went silent. He let out another annoyed grunt, closing his cell phone and placed it in his coat pocket. He grabbed the small bag he brought and looked around again, picking a direction. His eyes began to glow faintly with a golden hue, lowering his abilities significantly to avoid detection.

"Humans are so easily hurt." he muttered to himself, stepping into a shallow puddle on his way. "...sorry Kouske."

Daisuke stirred as the sun was peering into his room. He was curled up in his bed, more relaxed than he had felt in a long time. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room, sitting up in his bed. The springs groaned slightly as he moved, the blankets falling around to his sides. He smiled, but slightly shivered, realizing that he was still only wearing his pants from the night before. He pulled one of the sheets around his shoulders, looking behind him while the memories of last night replayed in his thoughts.

"They're still hidden. A good sign." he said to himself. "Dark, you were right." He waited for a response, but he didn't get one in return. He was surprised, looking around the room of any indication of his other. But Dark was no where in the room. He started to feel a wave of anxiety, 'Dark? Where are you? Dark?!'

The room began to grow dark, the sunlight from his window quickly diminishing. Daisuke was about to get up out of his bed when his body felt heavy. He fell back on the bed, almost like a force was pinning him there, keeping him still.

"What's going on?! Mom? Dark! Where are you?!"

A strange noise began to echo in the dark corners of the room, getting louder and seemed to be getting closer to the child. Daisuke began to panic, struggling against his invisible bonds. The noise began to sound like someone was laughing; deep, malicious laughter. It made a chill surge through the child's frame, his heart pounding against his ribcage.

The redhead grunted, "Come on. Energy?! Whatever you are! Please help! Something? Anything?!"

Something began to emerge from the darkness, the sound of heavy footfalls landing on the worn floorboards. Daisuke could see something forming from within the shadows, a pair of glowing eyes piercing into the child's own scared pupils.

"I have finally found you, Mousy."

A hand seemed to appear from the black curtain of darkness. It was covered in an ivory glove and it was slowly making its way towards Daisuke. The redhead continued to helplessly attempt to escape but to no avail. He shut his eyes tight, tears beginning to stream on his face, screaming out for help.

.o~End of Chapter 16~o.

There! It's as much as I can do for now. Hopefully I won't take so long to write another chapter. Peace for now! 3