Dark repressed a shiver, convincing himself that it was just the cold. Of course, he knew he was lying to himself. He had already discovered quite quickly that in his current state, he could not feel much. But, inside… It was always winter there. After Daisuke had passed on, leaving no heir to the Niwa family, considering the circumstances, the phantom thief has expected a one way trip to the Pearly Gates. Instead, he had, quite frankly, been kicked out of the ruby-eyed boy's body and sent to wander about with no explanation. He did have his theories; his being dead and wandering with no true purpose gave him plenty of time to theorize. Unfinished business was usually the case with "wandering ghosts", wasn't it?

            But, everyone had died.

            Who could he finish business with?

            A small bell tinkled over head as a female customer and her young child left a cheery looking store, disturbing the merry-sounding miniature instrument that hung over the door. Dark absently turned his gaze to the bell, seeing a vaguely recognizable, distorted reflection of the still beautiful, but weary looking thief. The shiny golden surface reminded Dark of who he had once been, how things had been, and what else had once been…

            Amethyst eyes widened suddenly as realization dawned upon Dark.

It reminded him of a certain pair of golden eyes, too.

'I am still beautiful…'

The flaxen-haired demon reminded himself, the hard stone of a grave in an old church yard pressing up against his back. About him, Krad's eyes gazed forward, but they did not see the white snow or the lights of the city below. They saw nothing. Krad saw nothing; he just felt… empty. If he had been so beautiful, why had Satoshi-sama loved the accursed Wing Master and not him? Why not him? If Satoshi had loved him, would the two lovers had died the way they had? 

Death. Krad allowed a false smile to touch his perfect features. He still remembered the day that both had passed on. Satoshi had suffered from illness for quite some time; Krad remembered their body growing weaker and weaker, and Daisuke growing more worried as the days passed on. Oh yes, the Wing Master had been so afraid… So afraid. But, in the end, Fate was the victor, and Death pulled Satoshi away in his slumber… Daisuke followed soon after. Heartbroken and grieved, everyone said.

Krad was tempted to laugh at the mere thought. But, these days, who laughed anymore? The living. But, such days had long passed him, and without knowing why, the golden-eyed spirit being found himself traveling aimlessly, each nigh coming back to rest at the grave of his beloved Satoshi-sama. A painful reminder, but it was the only earthly thing Krad had left to cling to.

What was holding him back? He wondered briefly, as he often did, why he was still here. Why he had not joined the rest of the dead. There were no more in the Hikari family since Satoshi had chosen the Wing Master over a girl, and that left Krad with… Nothing. So why stay on earth? Why had the clouds of heaven not opened nor the pits of hell appeared?

Running slender fingers through silky golden hair, Krad closed his eyes for a moment, just trying, for the millionth time… To forget what the past would not let him forget.

But, he just wanted…

Just to forget.

It seemed that Fate had her own ideas, however, and as the night drew closer, Krad encountered something that one, he did not exactly desire to encounter, and two, that did not help him in any manner to forget.

This disturbing thing came in the form of the one, the only…

Dark Mousy.

It had been awkward. Abrupt. Too sudden. Perhaps for either of them. But, that did not the change the facts. His hated rival, the one whose throat he'd like to wrap his fingers around more than anyone else's… Dark Mousy, as the moon shone her pale, soft light down upon the church on the hill, had appeared in the door of the abandoned chapel as Krad sat silently watching a motionless statue of the Saint Mary. Immediately, the demon had sensed the kaitou's presence, naturally. His golden-eyes narrowed dangerously as the all too familiar presence was felt.

Krad had to privately admit that he was somewhat surprised at first. Of all the people he expected to see after the dual deaths of both hosts, Dark was ironically one of the least. They had not even seen each other the day that it had happened. And now, the thief was cautiously making his way towards the spirit being he knew only he could see.

The sound of footsteps audible only to himself and Krad echoed strangely in the otherwise empty chapel, and Dark could almost see Krad stiffen at his approach, but it was not this that made him come to a sudden stop. A range of questions sprang up in both minds. But, Krad quickly picked two.

"… How did you find me?" A quiet voice demanded, its tone dark and poisonous, "Why are you here?"

Dark had no reply at first, deciding that this was as far as he should approach his former, or perhaps still, enemy. He casually slid into a dusty chapel bench farther back, his eyes distant and tired as he looked up into the broken stain glass windows depicting time-dulled saints and angels.

"Ohisashiburi desu. It's been a while…" Dark commented by way of casual greeting, pausing before continuing slowly, "… I don't know. I felt your loneliness and pain. I searched. I have things I want to know." His voice quiet as well, but not so much menacing as just… weary, despite the fact that the person he spoke to was not exactly his most favorite individual.

There was a brief silence as Krad folded his arms, pristine clothing undamaged by the passage of time rustling quietly. Part of him wanted to leap at the kaitou and attack him. Hurt him, destroy him, maim him… Do anything to him to make him feel the pain he claimed to feel, but Krad knew he could not. The pain of loss… Another part of his mind retaliated chidingly. Of course Dark could understand. Was it possible that they were both in the same predicament? So many questions. As he thought, a dark expression on his face, an awkward silence hung in the air.

"You're stuck too, aren't you?" Dark asked at length, a tone of what almost sounded like smugness in his voice, a bit of the old kaitou returning through the ages.

This remark earned him a cold glare, then after a moment, an all too wicked smirk alighted Krad's face as he answered maliciously, "I should kill you now, thief…"

"Too late." Sighed the kaitou, "I'm already dead. So are you. No hosts, no killing, eh?"

Krad couldn't quite tell if the wistful touch to Dark's comment was taunting or legitimate. But, he continued to glare anyways. The old hate was rising in his blood, and it began increasingly hard to resist the urge to add an unsightly purple bruise to the thief's facial complexion. Had the two of them not been in the situation they were in, Krad knew he would not have hesitated to attempt to rip Dark Mousy's heart from his chest. But, he did.

"… What do you want?" Krad settled for asking after a moment's pause, the scenario making him unsure, a rare occasion indeed, though it did not drain the venom from his voice.

"A lot of things." Dark chose yet another annoying answer, sounding bitter now, "But from you? I'm not sure. Want should I want from you? Daisuke back? Can you do that Krad?"

This unexpected question made the close-to-civil conversation even more uncomfortable, bring back more memories than either of them wanted to remember. After a moment, Krad looked away, an icy look on his pale, perfect face. He recalled the first night without Satoshi. Feelings he had been unused to - confusion, distress – fogged his mind like bad wine. He had been unsure of what was happening, to everything, to him. He had been lost.

One brief glance at the weary kaitou told Krad one of several things: Dark was still lost.

"Mou iya da. I'm sick and tired of it." Dark continued at length, closing his eyes briefly, a strange thing to do, considering who he was currently sharing space with.

"Shikata ga nai. It can't be helped." Krad responded in a flat tone, his eyes meeting the gray, stone eyes of the Saint Mary. "I cannot help you."

"Who said I wanted your help? Let me make one thing clear, Krad, I do not want your help!" A defensive snap from Dark, who immediately opened his eyes to glare angrily at Krad, infuriated, for a reason unknown to himself, that the blonde would even dare to think that he needed his help.

"Aa so desu ka? Is that so?  Then, why don't you leave, Dark, and pretend we never saw each other?" Another poison-tinted remark, a cruel smirk pulling at the corner of Krad's lips.