Story preview:

This story is set post-anime:

It has been two years since Dark sealed himself with Krad inside the Black Wings. The weight of eternal solitude weighs on both angels hard. But when an obsessive billionaire determined to revive the Black Wings' power sets his sights on Daisuke, Dark is faced with a choice: Endure his captivity forever to protect the world from Krad's vengefulness, or return them both to an Earth that no longer wants them back to save his former wing host.

I don't want to give away the pairings, but there is definitely some romance in store here. If you would prefer to know the pairings in advance, just review or drop me a message and I'll tell you privately. Also, be aware that later on there will be some violent sexuality involved in the plotline. I will warn you when these things are coming up.

Chapter 1: Grey Universe

"Don't forget, Dark."

"Hm?"

"I'm inside you."

"Daisuke…"

"I won't forget about you. I never will!"

The words pressed into the phantom thief's heart, hard enough to squeeze tears into his eyes. There was no more time. The seal was ready; all that remained was to fly through it. Without looking back at his wing host, he dove through the spell, knowing full well he would never see Daisuke again. He would never see any of them again.

- o0o0 O 0o0o -

Mystic violet eyes slowly opened to a world that was dull and gray. Dark sat up and looked around him, displeased but unsurprised. Infinite grayness defined the stagnant landscape for as far as the eye could see in every direction. There was no sky here, no life, and no wind. Barren soil that bore no taste or smell marked which way was down. That was as far as the place went.

The angel idly raked his fingers through the sandy earth. The small trenches filled back into place on their own, correcting the disturbance. This plane was utterly intolerant of change. Nothing grew and nothing moved. A perfect eternal prison. It had been two years since the phantom thief had sealed himself away here in order to protect the world from his counterpart, Krad. Dark tracked the days almost religiously, for the heck of it, though even time was an abstract and blurry concept here.

As if preferring blackness, Dark pressed his eyes shut again and dug tense fingers back through his purple hair. Not a sound, not a pebble moved around him. He could sit there for weeks; the empty world would wait patiently, days or decades, as long as he wanted. He would open his eyes to the same scene. The thief's fiery personality had somehow kept him sane here, but slowly and subtly, the monotony was taking its toll on him. Dark opened his eyes and faced reality, stretching casually and greeting the grey sky with a challenging grin. Bring it on, eternity. Remembering to have attitude was his best hope. He'd need it to keep the solitude from gradually etching away at his sanity. Then again, he wasn't exactly the only one there.

"Enjoy your catnap?" came a dry voice. Krad materialized a few feet in front of the black angel. His gold eyes burned down at Dark, dripping with hatred.

"As a matter of fact, I did, until you showed up. Get lost, you're blocking my light," the thief smirked, stretching back on the sand luxuriously with his arms crossed under his head.

"There's no sun here, you fool!" Krad growled.

Dark twitched. "You don't say. Then how do you suppose I got this killer tan? You're looking a little pasty, there."

Krad glowered in response. Even after all this time, that deadbeat had absolutely no sense of humor. "When I escape this place, the first thing I intend to do is put that detestable attitude out of its misery, permanently," the blonde snarled. There was something incomplete to his tone, as though his full resolve wasn't in it.

"Hmph, you let me know when you do."

"Don't play stupid with me! I know you're capable of removing our seal. Your magic put us here, and you know how to get us out."

Dark studied Krad grimly. 'This again,' he thought. "We're not going anywhere; a clever guy like you should be able to figure that out," he said sharply, closing his eyes. Any other soul would have been a comfort to him in this barren world, but Krad only added to the thief's private loneliness.

"Don't you dare mock me!" Krad snarled, a glowing white feather appearing between his fingers.

Dark's skin tingled in response to Krad's building magic. His muscles jumped to life, and he threw himself to the side to dodge the blinding explosion. The marred earth spread quickly back into place, level and dull as ever. Dark sprung to his feet and put some space between himself and the blonde. "Krad! Cut it out already!"

"Silence!" he snarled, "I have no intention of remaining in this shitty place forever! Look around you! There's nothing! Rather than sit idly and wait for a miracle, I'd rather dedicate my energy to killing you!" Krad fumed. The white angel's tone was angry, but Dark was very aware of the misery and desperation shining in his eyes. The time they'd spent here had taken a much greater toll on the blonde.

"How many times have we been through this? Do you really think my power is so weak that something like killing me could undo our seal?" Dark returned. "We're here for the long haul, so if you want scenery so bad, you create it. You're the Hikari here."

"What point would there be in that, when I would know it wasn't real, you idiot thief!"

"As you wish," Dark said sternly, indicating that the conversation was over.

Krad cast the phantom thief a livid glare and disappeared in a wisp of white energy.

Dark looked at the empty space where his counterpart had been, neither relieved nor concerned that he was gone. He leaned back again and closed his eyes to the gray universe around him.

- o0o0 O 0o0o -

Niwa Daisuke sat pensively at his desk, not sure what to do to pass the time. He was too excited to study, too nervous to sleep… The suit and tie he'd picked for tonight made him look young but debonair, and he wondered for the hundredth time whether it was really alright to leave his hair as it was, sticking wildly up in every direction. Well, she always said she liked it that way.

He found himself idly scanning the titles of every book or folder that was arranged on the shelf atop his desk. His high school texts, art books, a case full of paint, a novel Towa had given her for Christmas and never found time to read, folders of research articles for his upcoming final paper, a photo of himself with Riku… He leaned forward and examined the photo fondly. As he did so, a slightly yellowed envelope, one corner of which was sticking out from the row of books, caught his attention. Not remembering what it was, he pulled it out and looked at it. The front of the envelope was blank, so he opened it and pulled out its contents: a long black feather and a small handwritten note – his own handwriting, two years ago – "don't forget". Daisuke frowned and put the feather and note back inside their envelope, irritated by the slight pang of guilt he felt. He was sixteen, in the middle of the best years of his life. He had a girlfriend and a wonderful family, good friends. Of course, he wouldn't say so out loud, but part of him hardly wanted to remember that time of his life two years past.

Ding-dong

Daisuke bolted out of his chair, accidentally knocking the envelope and a stack of magazines off the desk. They scattered on the floor as he rushed to the door and opened it. He looked at the girl on the other side and felt his breath stop for a moment. Riku stood on his doorstep in a long, elegant blue dress. The slight embarrassment on her cheeks at wearing such an outfit only added to her beauty. Daisuke gave her a loving stare and moved forward to kiss her. She closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace happily.

"Happy two-year anniversary," he said as their lips parted, leading her inside.

"Sooo? What's for dinner?" Riku asked playfully as Daisuke led her to the couch and gestured for her to sit down. She knew perfectly well that he couldn't cook for his life, yet he had insisted on making everything for tonight himself. Towa had given him some recipes. He'd probably spent all day preparing them.

"Chicken pamjon and rice," Daisuke said proudly.

Riku giggled. "It's parmesan, Niwa-kun."

Daisuke blushed slightly. "Oh, right!"

Riku smiled and hugged him. It was such a simple meal, but he was clearly proud of it, and so she was also. "Shouldn't you go check on it?"

"It won't come out of the oven for another fifteen minutes," he said, hormones creeping into his voice.

"I guess we'll find some way to pass the time," Riku grinned, leaning into him and lifting her face toward his.

Daisuke smiled gently. "I love you," he said, meeting her lips. She sighed softly and leaned back into the soft cushions of the sofa as he kissed her. Daisuke felt a rush of sensation through his body as her soft lips pressed against his, but as usual, he was too nervous to try pushing her any further. He'd meant to wait until after dinner for this kind of thing, but she was wearing that dress... Their breath came faster as they kissed deeply, oblivious to the world around them even after the oven timer began beeping loudly.

- o0o0 O 0o0o -

Dark awoke and sat up, unable to sleep while the intense nervousness that didn't belong to him was nagging in the back of his mind. He rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath, which had no impact on the foreign tension.

Daisuke had done something to him when they had separated. Dark thought back to his wing host's words, as he did every day here on this plane. "I won't forget about you! I never will!"

Was that it? Was that why, despite the seal, the thief was still sharing in Daisuke's sensations whenever the boy's feelings became intense? It was somewhat relieving to know he was still connected to reality in some way, but the blessing was certainly mixed.

The thief swallowed as a wave of sexual excitement replaced the tension. It pulsed through his body, heating up his blood. The angel took a halting breath and tried to block it out, but as usual, nothing he did would prevent Daisuke's experience from flowing into his mind. His heart beat faster. As usual, he wondered for just a moment which woman Daisuke was with right now. Was he still seeing Riku, or had he maybe gone back to Risa? The thought of the latter raised a slight pang of jealousy in his chest, which he knew perfectly well was inappropriate. He narrowed his eyes in disapproval and got to his feet, walking to take his mind off Daisuke's thoughts. Man, that brat was really enjoying himself. To Dark, though, it was closer to torture.

The thief pulled an agitated hand through his long hair and looked down at his muscular arm. His body existed without food or exercise, yet his muscles remained powerful. His hair never grew, his body never changed – he was exactly the same. Born from a work of art and sealed back inside of it, walking through an infinite gray universe with someone else's thoughts prickling at the back of his consciousness, the thief privately questioned whether he was even really alive.

'Man, I've got a bad attitude today. Eternity will feel a lot longer if I think pathetic stuff like this,' he told himself, hooking his thumbs casually into his pockets and forcing the loneliness out of his mind.

- o0o0 O 0o0o -

"Yes?" a twenty-five year old man in an expensive black and gold suit said as he picked up the telephone on his large hardwood desk.

"Sir, this is Mr. Amano Suzuki, from your Tokyo branch, speaking. I trust all is well in Paris."

"Why yes. And have you any news to convey from Tokyo, Mr. Suzuki?" the man said in a voice that was reminiscent of a hawk's descending on its prey. For a man in his forties, he was quite handsome, though something fearsome in his falcon eyes kept even the most imprudent of women from seeking his affections. His dark brown hair was pulled tightly back into a thin ponytail and hung down just past his shoulders.

"I do. One of our informants has brought us word – he has finally been located."

"Good work. I was surprised, though, that it took so long."

Suzuki's voice lost confidence. "I assure you we would have located him much sooner, had not the phantom thief ceased his operations so suddenly. It is possible our presence was somehow discovered and he went into hiding. But now that-"

"Spare me your long-winded explanations. I want the wing-host. I'll be flying into Japan tomorrow. In the meantime, do whatever is necessary to acquire him. My connections will cover your tracks."

"Yes, sir. Than-" the man stammered, but his superior had already hung up.

- o0o0 O 0o0o -

Chapter 1: End

Your reviews could affect how the story proceeds, so please let me know you're out there and what you think!