Chapter 4

All I could feel during the connections from world to world, was myself getting tired... I had to rest, I had to sleep... I needed something to walk with. I drew my staff, and used it to help me. Sadly, soon after, I felt myself black out.

I woke up to two different voices, and I soon realized I was somewhere else. "Dark... if she finds out…!"

"Calm down Daisuke. We just need to tell her. It'll be over before you know it..."I imagined Daisuke pouting, not amused what so ever by my father's plan. I opened my eyes and sat up.

"Tell me what..?" I asked warily.

"Oh, Monica you're up..." Dark said. I nodded. A fox came out from next to Dark, making me jolt. "Monica, this is yours. Her name is... Well, whatever you want to name her I guess!" I looked at the fox as it came to me... I stroked its ears, receiving a purr from it. It might not have been a fox, but it had its qualities...

"Oh umm..." I really didn't know a name of the top of my head! "Ummm..." Daisuke smiled as he watched me. The fox whined when I stopped scratching her ear. "How about... Peace..?"

"Sounds good," Dark said. He couldn't really be Dark from DN Angel. But Daisuke now had me convinced. This was a dream. A DREAM!

"This is... Just a dream... Right..?" He looked at his hands, avoiding my gaze. I shot a dagger from nowhere, nicking him in the shoulder. "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!"

"You really do have your uncle's temper..." I glared at him. He pulled the dagger out.

"Wait... Uncle?"

"Krad."My eyes went wide slowly. This... Was REALLY a dream... "Now: There are rules to follow. No hurting me, Or Daisuke. Or the Hikari's. AND DEFENITLY NOT YOUR COUSIN!"

"My what?" I growled.

"Krad's daughter. How about we head over there?"

"Satoshi!" Daisuke smiled at the name.

"No... NO! I'M NOT GOING!"

"I'll help you, Miss Monica." Daisuke offered, holding out his hand. It took me a few seconds to take his hand. Dark smiled.

"Come on." This time, he opened a portal. I instantly clung to Daisuke, who fell over. We stood back up, (since he had pulled me down) and stepped through after Dark.

…

I looked at the girl... And at Krad... And Satoshi...? Taking some steps back, I crashed into Dark. "Monica, don't be shy-OOF!" I stuck my face in his chest, blushing.

"Looks like you're daughter's shy, Mousy." Krad's chilling voice made me jolt.

"So what if she is!" Dark spat back. I clung to his shirt. "Right right... It's okay..."

I looked back at the girl. She looked back at me, then at Dark, then back at Krad. "There's no way that's my uncle."

"Sadly, it's true," Krad said.

"That's right!" Dark stretched. "And this is your cousin, Monica!" He said pushing me forward lightly.

"Um... Hi. I'm Monica... What's your name..?"

"Nevaeh," she said calmly. The dog at her feet growled slightly. "And this is Goth."

"Whoa, whoa whoa... Did you say Nevaeh? I have a friend named Nevaeh!" Peace sat next to me. "This is Peace, by the way." I let the dog sniff my hand.

"Uhhh... Monica...?" Dark sounded nervous.

"Shh. Trying to see if the dog trusts me." I told Dark. Peace growled at Goth. "Peace! Bad girl!" She lay down, and bared her teeth instead.

"Really?" Nevaeh said without interest, "I was unaware there were others with my name. But... Monica sounds familiar too." Goth, meanwhile, was snarling at Peace. Nevaeh smacked him gently with the long shaft of her scythe.

I smiled. "Think your dog likes me?" I asked. Peace sniffed Nevaeh's hand quickly before licking it. "AW! She likes you!" Dark glanced at Krad, before they both went somewhere to talk. I sat down, making myself comfortable on the floor. Peace wagged her tail, as she lay next to me, not at all pleased with Goth what so ever. "Peace, you be nice! So... We're cousins?"

Nevaeh shrugged. "Apparently. Look, it's not that I'm exactly unhappy to see you... but..." she stopped; then tried again. "Isn't this a little odd?"

"If you mean... Being here and such." I replied, "Yeah."

"No," Nevaeh said softly, "That's not it, though it is strange. What I'm wondering is how we got here? Why do I have these wings? And why can't I go back?"

"That is strange... I have a staff... And a Barrier Jacket. I want to go home..." I said, feeling like I was going to cry. "Like I said... I'm Monica. Monica Cregg."
"Nevaeh Kastelic," Nevaeh said coolly. "Pleasure to finally meet you... I suppose." Goth snarled at Peace again, and Nevaeh hit him with her scythe. "Goth, quit it," she snapped absentmindedly.
Peace got up and tried to attack Goth just as I was about to say something.

I growled slightly. "PEACE, HERE! NOW!" She looked at me, her tail went between her legs and she walked to me. "I'm SO sorry!" I gripped Peace's collar. "You have the exact same name as my friend from the U.S..."

Nevaeh sighed. "That's probably because I am your friend from the U.S., you dolt." But the grin on her face told me she didn't mean the insult. "Like I said, pleased to meet you."

I blinked. Then blinked again... "N...N... NEVAEH!" I hugged her tightly, making Goth snap at me. Peace instantly bit Goth, but backed off when I hit her with my staff. Nevaeh looked down at Goth, and then touched the spot where Peace had bitten him. Her fingers were instantly coated in a blood red light, and when they came away, there wasn't so much as a hair out of place on his coat. She said nothing.

I pulled away from her. I looked at Peace, who trotted off to find Dark. "Peace!" She huffed and left. I sighed. "I'm NOT used to this..." I looked at Goth. "Nice puppy..." I said as I scratched his ears. "She didn't mean it. She's just a bad girl today."

Nevaeh started slightly. "What? Sorry... I was listening to something."

"No... I'm not used to it." I said sadly. "Not used to having Dark as my dad... Not used to my new body.. Not used to anything. Where are Dark and... Uncle Krad...?" I stumbled over the title.

"So you don't refer to him as a father either," Nevaeh said gently. "Well." Then she looked at Goth. "What happened to me?" Goth growled lightly. Nevaeh uttered a soft 'oh'.

"No. I don't. It's Dark!" I sighed. "FROM DN ANGEL! IT'S WIERD!" Just as I finished that, he walked in with Krad again. "Dark..." He sighed and Peace came out from behind him.

"We're leaving. Let's go."

"W-What!"

"Krad," Nevaeh said quietly, "I need to talk to you." Krad nodded and she followed him away, leaving me alone with Dark.

"Let's go." He grabbed my arm. I jerked it away. "MONICA!"

"I will NEVER take you as my father!" I yelled, running away.

"MONICA!" He didn't chase me though.

I hid in a room at Satoshi's place. Dark was long gone now, and he'd probably told Krad I was hiding somewhere... I hugged my knees and cried some more. Peace was with me, and rested her head at her paws, staying by my side. After a while, I heard Nevaeh knocking at the door.

"Open the door," Nevaeh said, "I've got news, and it's not exactly of the good variety."

I opened the door, let her in, and closed it right after. "What's wrong..?" I asked, my voice rusty.

Nevaeh sighed. "The good news first, because it's about you. You and Peace are like Dark and Wiz. You're on the right side of the blue line." She paused, and her scythe appeared in her hand. She leaned on it heavily. "Goth and I... We aren't. Goth's a hellhound. I'm a... a…" she stopped again, and couldn't say anything else.

"I thought... Since Krad was an angel... We'd be..." Peace's words cut me off.

"Mistress, it isn't like that. As you can see, Krad's got the heavy demonic side to him, where as Dark doesn't." I nodded.

"Nevaeh..." I started. "I... I don't want to leave you guys... Why can't we stay together?" I felt like crying again.

Nevaeh looked at me, and there was pain in her black eyes. "I'll kill you," she said simply. Then she shrugged. "I've already tried to kill Satoshi today, I can see through walls and my own eyelids, and..." she trailed off and put on hand against the wall nearest to her. A small, blood-red portal swirled around her hand. "I can do that. I will kill you Monica. I'm a Reaper, apparently." She sighed, leaned on her scythe, and laughed. "What a fan-fucking-tastic friendship, huh?"

"N-Nevaeh..." I said. Okay... Now I was scared. "I'll... Go... then..." I stood up, but stopped dead as I was pinned to the wall, Nevaeh's long and deathly sharp scythe at my neck. "N-Nevaeh..?" I asked, feeling some blood drip from my neck. Peace growled uncontrollably next to me, bearing her teeth. "Peace, I'm fine!"

Nevaeh's eyes flickered unsteadily from psychotic hate to absolute fear. "I - I don't... Can't... dammit..." She shuddered violently. Suddenly, Peace leapt at her. Nevaeh lurched backwards, then stared at the scythe, then back at me. She took two steps back, then turned and ran. Goth followed her.
I fell to my knees. After a few minutes, I got up and ran out the doors, teleporting to where Dark was.

Once there, he healed me. "You should have followed me. I would've told you." He said. I glared at him. "Honey, I haven't seen you in forever-"

"DON'T EVEN CALL ME HONEY! YOU'RE NOT MY DAD! I WON'T BELIVE IT!" He sighed.

"You're such a suck up."

"What..?" I glared.

"Nothing." He said. I sighed and rested on my staff.