Part 28: Bonds

"Don't. Move."

Wary gold eyes locked onto stern brown as the angel froze mid-stride in Satoshi's doorway. Krad shifted focus from Riku's glare to the cold weapon her hands held trained on his chest. Adrenaline. He straightened tensely.

"Go ahead and try something, Krad. Believe me, I'm in the mood to pull the trigger," Riku warned. Her voice didn't execute the words coldly enough to give them impact, but she didn't lower the gun, either. Her hair and clothes looked well worn, like she'd been sitting watch there all night. Her leg stretched out before her, the ankle wrapped in a cast. Something about that red hair…

"I know you," Krad observed, finding it hard to organize his thoughts as he stared with full attention at the girl and the gun.

"Riku Harada. You tried to kill me, once."

His eyes narrowed on her. "Right," he reminisced darkly. "That was fun."

"Where's Satoshi? I swear, Krad, if you've hurt him-"

"He's awake?" came a new voice from the angel's left. Krad shifted his gaze tensely from Riku's gun to take in a face he hadn't expected to see again. The boy was climbing up from the couch a few feet away, shaking off sleep and holding onto a crutch for support. He stared at Krad like one blink might leave him alone forever. The blonde had never seen anyone look at him like that before, so he just stared back.

"Jirou, stay where you are. Jirou!" Riku shouted as the boy burst into a stunted rush for the angel's side. He slipped on his crutch a few feet from Krad and staggered across the final distance between them, latching onto the angel's leg for balance.

Krad spread his arms away from the unexpected contact and took a half-step back.

"Jirou! Get away from him!" Riku pleaded, aiming leftward to be sure the boy wouldn't interfere with her shot if she took it.

The child just held onto Krad's pant leg firmly and pressed his forehead to the angel's hip. "I thought I'd never find you again…Krad," he spoke the name uncertainly into the fabric.

"Jirou, I'm not sure what you think you know about this guy, but he's tricking you," Riku warned, tightening her finger on the trigger.

"Don't shoot him!" the boy shouted, spinning to face her and stretching his arms wide to shield as much of the angel as he could. The position made him lean back against Krad for balance.

Krad's expression was a deadly warning as his eyes returned to the girl. "You had best hope you are an excellent shot." His body was reminding him that he wasn't much steadier on his feet than the boy was at the moment. Was that why he was thinking about Satoshi's furious words a minute ago instead of the barrel trained on his shoulder? Was his throbbing head keeping him from thinking right?

The gun trembled in Riku's grip as she realized she was losing control of this situation. The boy looked terrified, not of the winged monster he was shielding, but of her. "Jirou, I don't know what you think you know about him, but he's the bad guy, not me," she said. "What happened to Satoshi?" she demanded of Krad.

"He is alive," Krad said coldly. His jaw tensed. "He…requires a doctor."

Riku's eyes widened and her aim dipped slightly as she took in the sudden quietness of Krad's words. She stared at him, but the angel wasn't quite meeting her eyes. Then the anger began soaking back in. "What did you do to him?"

"It would be a great deal of work to describe it. Perhaps you would settle for a demonstration?" Krad said half-heartedly. His wings arched upward in a warning.

"Jirou, get away from him!" Riku almost screamed, her aim wavering furiously.

The angel cursed to himself. The girl would almost certainly miss if she fired. She would probably hit something non-vital….or hit the boy. He stood a decent chance of ripping her apart before she could get off a second shot. And then what? He was beginning to hate that question.

"Krad…what's happening?" Satoshi's strained voice came from the room behind him.

The blonde looked over his shoulder. Satoshi was still sitting on the floor against the wall to his right, leaning forward over his knees for support. His crystal blue eyes were looking up at Krad from a pale face. There were questions in the boy's expression that he seemed too physically hurt to ask. With a deep breath, Krad turned and walked back toward Satoshi without regard for the girl or the gun. Jiro let go of his clothes as the angel stepped away.

Riku stared in disbelief, still holding the trigger over a perfectly clear shot, but she couldn't make herself fire.

Jirou looked at Riku for a second, assessing the risk, then turned and hopped after Krad.

"I'm holding a gun, for god's sake!" Riku wailed to an empty room. She set the weapon down in exasperation, needing two hands to collect her crutches and follow after them.

As Krad approached, Satoshi was struggling back to his feet, one arm wrapped tensely around his ribcage.

"Your hitman does not have much nerve for the kill," the angel pointed out to his former wing host.

Emotions flashed in sapphire eyes. "Krad, I gave her the gun for her own protection. I was supposed to be the first one to walk into that room." The eyes lost focus as he began walking toward the door. "Just get out. No one's trapping you. I'll check.. on…"

The Hikari tottered off balance and fell forward. Krad's eyes shot wide.

The angel dodged in front of the younger man and caught him under the shoulders, drawing him back upright. Satoshi glanced up at his winged counterpart wearily. Neither man said a word. The two stood chest to chest and breathed into the same space in tense silence.

Meanwhile, Riku finally made her way into the room on her crutches to a thin flurry of feathers. She came up behind Jirou and stared. "What are you doing?" she murmured, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Call a doctor," Krad ordered, standing very still. He'd expected Satoshi to push back once he regained his balance, but instead, he actually felt some tension leave the boy's shoulders.

"I'm fine," Satoshi breathed.

Riku stared at them, unable to make heads or tails of the situation. For Satoshi to be standing there peacefully in Krad's arms…clearly something was going on beyond her understanding. And though she didn't want to agree with the angel, Satoshi didn't look good. He'd said little about his injuries the night before. Had they just gotten worse overnight, or had Krad done this to him? "I could call Risa and Dr. Hattori in the van…"

"He's not coming near me," Satoshi said quickly.

"Call," Krad said with quiet authority.

Riku studied Krad's expression, completely baffled as to whether she should trust him alone with her friend. She finally reached down into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Satoshi didn't argue further as she crutched her way out of the room to somehow explain this situation to her sister and the vet.

"Jirou," Krad addressed the boy standing protectively nearby him. The child stared at him blankly, amazed he'd been called by name. Krad looked him over, scanning the bandages on his leg where he'd been injured at the school. Images from that fight flooded his head. He took a deep breath. "Sit down," he directed with a sigh.

Jirou dropped to the floor in stunned obedience and watched as the angel knelt slowly with Satoshi. He moved gracefully, as if he were handling a glass statue. Krad spread his wings for balance as he eased the wing host down onto the carpet.

Satoshi cooperated with the movement, really not feeling well enough to do otherwise. When he was lying fully on his back, Krad withdrew his hands and moved a few steps away to sit down on Satoshi's bed.

His former wing host's eyes followed him. Exhausted. Anxious. "Krad, I-"

"Shut up. Lie still." The angel kneaded his forehead between his thumb and forefinger in tense frustration. When he lowered his hand a few moments later, the boy's eyes were mercifully closed.

"Krad…are you okay?" Jirou asked him shyly from his place on the floor.

"Who gave you permission to call me by name?" Ice in that voice.

Jirou cringed. "Satoshi calls you Krad."

"What do you know about Satoshi?"

"Nothing…I just met him."

"Then don't compare yourself with him."

Jirou gave a small nod, accepting the snub. On some level, he could tell there was something important between the angel and Satoshi, though he couldn't imagine exactly what it was. One minute they spoke of one other as enemies or monsters, the next they were in each other's arms. He looked at the still, blue-haired form Krad had laid so carefully on the floor. "…Do you think he'll be okay?"

Depends on one's definition of okay. Satoshi's angry, panicked words from earlier played back in the angel's memory. "No talking," Krad dismissed him.

Jirou thought about arguing, but something in Krad's distant amber eyes stopped him. He hadn't seen the angel like this before. Was he upset? Whatever was going on with the strange being, this didn't seem like a good time to ask questions. He flopped back on the carpet and relaxed his hurt leg.

Krad observed the finally-quiet room and leaned forward on his knees. He wove his fingers together across the back of his neck and stared down at the carpet. How in the world had he ended end up watching over a room full of injured humans? The only thing taming back his chaotic thoughts was his persistent dizziness. His body felt like garbage, and thinking about his fight with Satoshi earlier made him so lost that passing out again was almost tempting. He pressed his eyes shut and folded his wings close to his bare back.

It was about five blissfully quiet minutes later when Riku made her way back into the room. She looked around at the three silent males. Satoshi looked unconscious, Jirou looked resigned, and Krad looked….

"Our…doctor friend is coming," she said cautiously to the inattentive angel. Krad nodded without looking up at her. It was hard to make out his expression through the silk curtain of golden hair. "Is Satoshi..?"

"Asleep," Krad's low voice was smooth as polished stone.

Riku watched him, weighing whether or not to move any closer to him. What was she supposed to make of this monster sitting peacefully in her friend's bedroom?

"Satoshi said that you saved his life. I don't really believe him," she said.

"You should not. Why would I do such a thing?" Krad scoffed half-heartedly, his fingers tightening around the back of his neck. He wanted them all to go away. So why didn't he just leave this place? Why was he too tired to fight with them?

Riku narrowed her eyes. Something wasn't right about him. Just as Dark had been missing that spark of energy in his movements when he was injured, Krad's usual cold elegance seemed dulled. She wasn't about to grow concerned about the angel, but if he was going to stay here, she didn't see much point in letting him ignore his body, either. Men were so stubborn, supernatural or not.

She took a few slow, wary steps toward him, just close enough to reach him with her arm fully extended. She noticed gold eyes flicker up to study her movements critically. She frowned and gave him a warning look as she lifted her hand out to him. As if reaching out to pet a crocodile, her palm navigated past his long stray bangs and touched very lightly against his forehead.

Krad jerked back a few inches at the contact. Riku paused for a second, letting him pull away, then held her breath and touched him again, laying her fingers across his skin. She could feel a cool static radiate from his body, defending against the intrusion. The power raised the hairs on her arms, stretching across her skin, but it didn't grow to more than that. She felt it test her and then pass her over, sparing her the bite that lay behind it. Maybe the angel just didn't have the energy to attack her. He'd been unconscious when Satoshi brought him in, after all. Other than that, his skin felt cold, a startling contrast with the warmth of her nervous hand.

She pulled her arm back as quickly as she could without seeming scared. Krad raised his head enough to study her reaction.

"What do you need from me for…this?" she asked him quietly, brushing the hairs back down on her arms.

Krad straightened up tensely, wanting badly for his exhaustion to not be noticed, but it was too late.

When he couldn't bring himself to answer her, Riku sighed and left the room. She reappeared a few moments later with a large bottle of Gatorade. "You're ice cold…It's an energy drain, right? The same as Satoshi used to have, after…?" After you.

Riku saw surprise in the angel's eyes. "Satoshi told Daisuke about them, and Daisuke told me. I hear they're pretty agonizing." There was more accusation than sympathy in her voice. "We have a lot of this lying around lately. I suppose we could use some of it for this," she muttered, handing the bottle to him.

Krad looked down at the beverage and then back at her blankly. His hunger had long since evolved into a nauseating ache, but seeing the drink in front of him now brought back the awareness of how desperate his body was for strength. He unscrewed the Gatorade, glanced back at Riku, and then downed most of the bottle in unrestrained swallows. When he finally stopped to breathe, his throat ached with cold.

"Good?" Riku asked him in astonishment. She hadn't expected him to accept the drink. Maybe she'd underestimated how weak he was? Maybe feeding him was a deadly mistake.

Krad looked back at her, unable to mask his relief. "Yes," he admitted, raising the bottle back to his lips to finish it off.

"That works out well. It was taking up the fridge," Riku remarked with a suspicious grin. "Dark doesn't like that flavor."

The angel abruptly choked on the drink and yanked the bottle away from his mouth at the reminder of his counterpart. He glared at the smirking girl, coughing too hard to throttle her, which only made her smile wider.

Even Jirou began cautiously giggling at his reaction. Krad rolled his eyes. These same people had taken care of Dark. Satoshi had protected their sworn enemy in this exact room. If he looked hard enough, would he find black feathers behind the furniture? His stomach wanted to reject what he'd swallowed, but his brain ordered it to hold it down.

Riku pulled aside the chair Satoshi had been sitting in earlier, moved it a safe distance from Krad, and sat down in it, resting her legs. The silence in the room was monumentally awkward. "Why exactly do you hate Dark so much, anyway? Aren't you two parts of a whole? Doesn't that kind of make you brothers?" she asked him.

Krad grimaced, but didn't respond.

The faintest stir of empathy shifted in her chest. As cruel and thoughtless as he was, something seemed off about the angel. She'd never interacted with Krad in close quarters this way before, and all she could put her finger on was that something about him was different from her expectations. Why was he here? Did he care about Satoshi? Or was anger the only kind of relationship he understood? Did Satoshi see something in the angel that she didn't? Was that why he protected Krad when he brought him here? She couldn't think of anything Krad could possibly say that would justify all the horrible things he'd done.

"What would have become of the Black Wings, if the Niwas hadn't interfered by stealing it?" she asked him quietly. For the first time, she genuinely wanted to know what was driving this strange being. Were his actions were guided by some kind of logic or just motiveless cruelty?

"It would have been animated successfully," Krad surprised her by answering. "A single, immortal, perfect being with a complete soul and an independent form."

Riku blinked. Something about his words tightened her stomach. "And that being…would it have been you? Or Dark?"

"What do you think?" Krad smirked ominously.

"You're the Hikari, so probably…you," she said. Her eyes went back to the blonde's. Krad seemed to approve of her answer. "Oh…" She felt suddenly cold in the warm room. The logic clicked. Something important seemed missing from the argument, but it occurred to her she might be able to understand Krad's viewpoint about Dark, just a little. Maybe to Krad, Dark had stolen a whole lot more than just some artwork. A chance to be alive. Whole. Free. Powerful. Instead, the Niwas had redirected half of that power. "So he's kind of a moocher, then," she pondered, trying to follow what Krad might be thinking.

The angel threw his head back and laughed – a deep, cool bronze sound with a silhouette of silver. It was a surprisingly pleasant laugh, even if it sounded a bit out of practice. It left both Jirou and Riku staring at him in perplexed amazement.

"Does he usually do that with you?" Riku asked Jirou blankly.

"No! With you?" the boy grinned.

Krad's expression reverted to an indignant glare at the humans' teasing. He gestured to the door to the sitting room. "Who is in there?"

"No one. We're all in here," Riku chuckled.

"Good," the angel said, standing up and walking past her into the living room. His eyes scanned the room and found one chair that he recognized from the boy's old living quarters. He was about to sit down in it when the doorbell rang.

The angel glowered at the door, having had about all the human interaction he could tolerate for one day.

"I'll get it!" Jirou exclaimed from the other room.

"Sit still!" Krad snapped at the same time that Riku warned, "Don't move your leg, honey." The girl came out of the bedroom on her crutches. She and the angel glanced at each other oddly.

"Just…stay over there," she murmured to him as she moved to get the door.

The moment she pulled the door open, a man wearing a long white coat and flattened oval glasses strolled in around her.

"So, where is he?" Hattori asked enthusiastically. His green eyes scanned the room and latched onto the blonde angel glowering at him from next to Satoshi's armchair. "Ooh, shiny," the vet smirked, making a B-line for Krad.

"Whoah!" Riku gasped, grabbing onto the vet's sleeve and hauling him toward Satoshi's room. "Satoshi's in here," she insisted against the mad-scientist glint in Hattori's eyes.

"Now now, I think I deserve at least a good look at the guy. After all, this one's intact," Hattori argued, planting his feet. With her crutches, Riku had no leverage to resist as the vet redirected back toward the angel. She looked across the room, and one glance at the angel's expression made her want to shove the vet back out the door. "Dr. Hattori!" she grabbed his sleeve like it was the last thing on earth.

Hattori brushed past her. Oblivious to the deadly glow in the angel's eyes, he leaned around the blonde to study the long, flawless wings extending from his bare back. "Impressive." He looked like he might want to stare at them for a few more hours, ideally with a dissection knife.

Krad folded his wings taut against his back, drawing a disappointed stare from the vet. His eyes glowed with power that most certainly would not be restrained any more if this strange human touched him.

"Hattori, you're not here for that. There's nothing wrong with him." Riku pleaded. She didn't know why Krad was being so reserved. Still, despite appearances, if Hattori pushed the white angel to the edge of that temper of his, none of them would be safe. That she knew absolutely.

The vet leaned back and sized up the angel. "Sweating. Dilated eyes. Bad mood. I'd be willing to guess dehydration, malnourishment." He glanced to the bandage covering Krad's shredded hand and added, "Anemia."

Krad didn't seem amused by the diagnosis. "You're the doctor?" Riku could have sworn the room grew a few degrees colder with his voice.

"Oh, I'm no doctor." Hattori ignored the desperate gesticulations of Riku's arms making the age-old signal for 'Shut up!' as he proceeded, "I'm a vet."

Cold bronze eyes returned those words with a slow stare. "What?"

The question was one part confusion, but it also held a caress of something darker, a promise of the capacity for indiscriminate evil. Hattori took in the angel's tone and paused, for once, to choose his words. Riku gripped her crutches until her knuckles went white.

"Kind of a crazy sonuvagun, aren't you?" the vet observed. "But at least you're pretty." So much for tact.

The angel's glare darkened. Fine frost formed in the corners of the windows behind them.

Hattori's expression was speculative as he watched the ice crystals web across the glass. "He'll be useful in the summer," he observed scientifically.

Riku strongly considered passing out. "Krad, he knows what he's doing," she coaxed the Hikari, having no idea if he'd listen to her. "He was able to help Dark."

The reminder of his rival was poor medicine for Krad's mood at the moment, but it did take some of his focus off the vet.

Hattori glanced innocently from the angel's unforgiving glare to the girl. She jerked her head strictly in the direction of Satoshi's room.

The vet rolled his eyes and turned toward the bedroom. "I close my practice for eight damn days, and now that you finally have one that can fly properly, you won't let me play with him," he accused as he made his way into the other room.

Riku took a deep breath as she realized she was alone with Krad. The room still felt like a fridge, but the murderous glint had faded from Krad's expression, for now.

That didn't make her any less terrified of being near him at the moment, but someone had to do it, and there weren't any other volunteers.

"Krad, Dr. Hattori is-"

"An imbecile," Krad remarked.

"Despite his attitude, he knows what he's doing. He'll do a good job."

Krad bristled. "It is none of my concern."

She knew better than to argue that point, but it was hard not to ask why he was still here, if not to ensure Satoshi's safety. Maybe there was something he needed that only Satoshi would be able to get for him. Had they struck some kind of a bargain before arriving in such terrible condition last night?

The room grew quiet enough for her to hear her stomach knotting while the vet addressed Satoshi in flippant tones next door.

Riku glanced at Krad, who was standing still, as if waiting for a cue to release the frozen rage that was chilling the room. She shivered and longed for a way to defuse the bomb ticking there next to her.

Satoshi and Hattori's voices muffled in through the wall, and Krad's temper slowly eased off until the air felt nearly normal.

A sharp groan came from the next room. Satoshi's voice. Krad's posture stiffened.

"Lightly!" the boy growled loud enough for them both to hear.

"I can't tell if they're broken without touching them," Hattori challenged.

Riku tried to tell by Krad's expression what was going on inside his head. No dice, but she gave herself an A for effort and bonus points for not running out of the apartment screaming.

A soft grunt from next door. A sharp catch of breath.

"This one's broken too, and as for these,—"

A choked-off cry, sick with pain, jerked through the wall.

She didn't even see him move, but she felt the soft cold of feathers brushing her arm. By the time she realized he was no longer where he'd been, the door to the bedroom was already crashing open.

Satoshi had managed to maneuver out of the sweatshirt and was sitting up against the side of his bed. Hattori was kneeling, his hands cupped around his patient's left side when the angel burst in. He and Jirou both shuddered as cold anger swept the room like a winter wind.

"Krad," Satoshi started hoarsely, but it was too late.

The vet didn't even know what hit him as magic blew him off his feet and sent him flying across the room. He came to an indelicate stop against the bookshelf, bringing an unloaded picture frame down on his head.

"The hell was that for!" Hattori snapped at the angel as the room finally settled back into place.

Krad just raised his hand and gathered a bulb of scalding-white energy.

"Krad! Don't kill him," Satoshi ordered as the angel prepared to release the blow.

"Kill me?" The vet raised his eyebrows at Satoshi. "I don't like these new friends you're hanging out with, Satoshi. There are so many nice boys your own age at school, have you tried talking to any of them?"

Satoshi looked exasperated. "Shut up. And Krad, put that thing out, now. I can kill him myself."

Only because that sounded like an earnest promise, Krad lowered his hand.

"I'm feeling a little underappreciated here," Hattori noted as he righted himself and made his way back to Satoshi.

"Just finish what you were doing. Everyone else, don't move." The blue-haired boy took a slow breath and gathered his nerve for Hattori's touch.

Krad stood very still in the doorway as the vet resumed his exam. Hattori peered back at him suspiciously. His fingers touched lightly against the younger man's ribs.

Satoshi looked over at his former angel and held Krad's gaze. He didn't understand what he was seeing in his counterpart's face. Every time Hattori's fingers found a new fracture, something would flash in those amber eyes, but Krad didn't move. It was hard to tell if he was angry, worried, or amused by the situation.

"Only two broken. The rest are just bruised." Hattori dug into his travel bag and pulled out a plastic bottle of pills. "Normally for dogs, but it'll do the trick." He popped a capsule out on his hand and handed it to Satoshi. The boy just grimaced and swallowed it dry.

"That'll take down the swelling so you can breathe and knock off some of the pain. Beyond that, there's not much to do for ribs except wait to them to heal. What the heck did you do to yourself? Get shot?" he scoffed.

"Yeah." He did his best to ignore the skeptical stare Hattori was giving him.

He should have known the nutcase wouldn't leave it alone. "How exactly did you manage to get yourself shot?"

"Just lucky, I suppose," Satoshi's expression flattened. He really didn't want them to know the details.

"Jokes aside, kid, who shot you?" Hattori pressed. His eyes took on a cooler, harder look than Satoshi was used to from the man.

"A goon working for a woman named Midnight."

"Midnight? Why would she be interested in you? No offense, but from what I've heard, you're not her type. If anything, this guy over here…" He froze as his eyes crossed to Krad and found something deeply unsettling about the angel's expression.

"No way," he murmured.

"What are you talking about?" Riku demanded. "Who's Midnight?"

"We're done talking about it," Satoshi said. "The situation has been handled."

"Oh, I think we should talk about it some more," Hattori smirked teasingly.

Satoshi glared at him. "Why do you even know about her, Hattori? She keeps a very low profile. Or are there some hobbies you'd like to tell us about? I didn't think vets got paid that much, but one never knows," Satoshi's teasing voice was also low with warning.

"Were you in some kind of trouble…Master?" Jirou carefully poked into the conversation he barely understood.

"Nothing beyond my capacity to handle." Krad looked unusually uncomfortable, and not in a humorous way.

"So getting Satoshi wounded was just a fun side trip, then?" Riku was many things when she was mad, but cautious wasn't one of them.

Satoshi braced himself in case he needed to protect Riku from his other half.

Krad didn't move. He didn't even look angry. "Of course," he forced himself to sound pleased. The words seemed to dry his whole mouth and suck the air from his lungs, leaving him unable to speak any further, but he didn't need to.

The air hung in silence as hostility mounted, this time directed at Krad.

"You might want to go in the other room for a bit, pal," Hattori said, all humor gone from his voice.

Krad scanned the angry faces in the room for a moment. Satoshi didn't look at him. He turned away from them indifferently and left the room.

A soft creak behind him and the tap of crutches on the hardwood let him know he'd been followed. The door shut quietly.

"Why did you lie?"

Krad took a deep breath through his nose. "Go back in with them."

"Tell me first."

The kid was getting a little too confident in himself. "I spoke the truth."

"You didn't hurt him for fun. He's important to you. I can tell."

Krad snarled. "He is my enemy."

"If you keep saying things like that to him, he'll believe you."

"I know," the angel whispered as he walked away from the door.

"I don't understand!" the boy's forehead knitted in confusion. "I know you're not like us, and maybe these things work different for your kind, but… Aren't you hurting yourself?

Krad glanced back at the boy. Jirou looked worried, not about Satoshi or about his own needs. Explicitly for him. How did one react to such a thing? If there had been even a shred of need or pity in those young eyes, Krad would certainly have lashed out at him. But Jirou was looking at him as only a child could. Unjudging. Concerned.

The angel turned his attention across the room, away from that look. "I am not ready."

His cautious voice held a warning that if these words were ever shared, such a confidence would never be offered again.

The words only brought on more questions, but even Jirou could tell there was a kind of sacrifice in Krad's confession. Of what, he could barely begin to guess, but it was important.

And, probably, in some way he couldn't comprehend, it was progress.

~o0o0~OOO~0o0o~

To be continued!

Sorry I didn't get to Dark again, I swear he's next! I already started writing it! Really! At least Krad got to meet his wonderful vet. I always seem to need more room to write each part than I think I will. Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think : )

Shout outs!

First off, you guys are totally awesome.

Raven Black – Thank you for your review! I try to keep things twisty!

Kathy Ann – I'm so happy you liked the art! Scenery is tricky. I wonder how often what a reader pictures is actually what the author saw when writing? Imagination is fascinating that way. As long as the mood is the same! Thank you for reading!

Intelligenceisstupid – Oh my god! One sitting! I am flattered and impressed!

RosalieCullenHale1 – Don't die! Who will leave me awesome reviews as pep talks?

D. Fan – Thank you for reviewing! I'll get into the action again next chapter : )

Fireflower19 – I love your reviews! They're so detailed! I'll explain Daisuke very soon! So far no R-rated violence between Krad and the vet…I wonder how long that will hold? And I love the way you write emotions! You just tend to gravitate more toward humor, because you're awesome at it, but every now and then the emotions come out in a huge sneak attack and WHAM. My style is just the reverse! Humor doesn't come to me when I try it. If it comes out, it's when I least expect it!

Natsuki376 – Thank you so much for reading at 3 in the morning! There is plenty of Satoshi/Krad in store ; ) I really appreciate your review!

Sapphiet – Yup, Riku plus guns equals craziness. Crisis averted for now! Thank you very much for reading and commenting!

Stormshadow13 – Your observations really help me know I'm on the right track with the mood I'm trying to build! They are extremely useful. *withholds spoilers* Thanks so much for sharing them, and as always for taking the time to read!

Bansheegrrl – Thanks for reviewing! Whoops, I kinda took a long time to update again. D'oh! I have a head start on the next chapter though!

Until next time!