AUTHOR: Macx and Lara Bee
DISCLAIMER: not ours. Definitely not! We just play with them and hope we tread on no one's toes.
Author's Voice of Warning (aka Author's Note):
English is not our first language; it's German. This is the best we can do. Any mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize g> The spell-checker said everything's okay, but you know how trustworthy those thingies are...
ARCHIVE: yes
WARNINGS:
TYPE: yaoi
RATING: M
PAIRING: Daisuke/Satoshi, Dark/Krad
FEEDBACK: empty inbox seeks emails g>
It had been two months now since the destruction of Hel, since Dark had almost been killed at her hands, and since Krad had taken a life. Life had continued. It always did.
But in a way, it hadn't. Not in some areas. In small, hidden recesses of Krad's mind the time wasn't going forward, it also wasn't standing still. He was flashing back through three centuries of a torturous existence.
And he was doing it alone.
Satoshi had thrown himself into work. He was designing electronic security for special purposes, be it a single piece of valuable work or a whole building, and it was taking up all his time and thinking to keep himself in a business that didn't suffer failure well. Satoshi usually only tested existing security for weaknesses and leaks, but Dark had told him he could make a dime or two revamping those crappy systems, too. With Dark's help he had redesigned old blueprints and he had convinced a major company to give him a chance on a small scale. If this worked out, he'd get one whopper of a contract.
Daisuke had healed and his ribs were back to normal. He had thrown himself into his studies, spending days in the library, research facilities, and visiting museums with art work he needed for his doctoral thesis. Dark was always with him, happy within the ancient halls and looking at art that wasn't Hikari. Like his host he liked the intricate works, the love and devotion put into a piece that was now centuries or decades old, and sometimes, while Daisuke was pouring over books in the dead of night, the kaitou just wandered around the dark halls, gazing at the museum pieces.
He never touched anything, nor stole it.
Krad had kept himself occupied with something else, but it had proven to be more of a nightmare than even Hel, if that was at all possible.
Hiwatari Kei's laptop.
The man who had married Hikari Riu.
She had been so much older than him, alone with a child of only four. He had been enthralled by her beauty and he had fallen in love. The marriage had happened not much later and Satoshi had quickly taken to his step-father -- until the Hikari art had started to influence the new addition to the family. Until he had discovered the power, had been lured into its grasp, had found the family secret. From there on, things went down hill fast.
And with every little discovery made on the old computer, Krad's mind screamed in denial. The secret file he had read, the one about Project Black Wings, had turned his stomach.
It still did.
And it fuelled his nightmares.
'You're my everything.'
'You belong to me.'
'Satoshi...' Honey-glazed and sweet, seductive and alluring.
He dreamed of the day he had first surfaced inside the young Hikari's mind. Krad still remembered the flash of brief fear inside the child he would soon get to know more intimately than anyone else could ever do. He remembered touching the bright young mind, feeling the energy, the power, the genius. It had been like a last triumph and he had known that he had to possess this soul, that it had to be his. He would never let go.
'Mine.'
'My everything.'
He dreamed of the deal he had made with Kei about the child's body to be his. Back then Krad had given the words of the man little thought. He would have a body, his freedom, a bright young man as his host. It had been a dream come true.
That dream had later turned into a nightmare.
He dreamed of the terror he had spread, the whispered words of jaded love, his icy touch on a child's mind. He remembered so much in his dreams, and each time he woke terrified, violently sick, and hoping to push away the past.
But he couldn't. This was their past, their history, and he would forever remember it.
And Dark wasn't there to help. He was with his host.
His anger at Kei rose, his hatred of himself, at every Hikari ever born, and at the Black Wings itself.
He had hurt so many, had nearly destroyed Satoshi in the process, but for what? For a body?
Krad felt the coldness settle again.
Yes, a body. A child's body who would grow into a young man. Krad would have eradicated a mind that was so bright and so in need of help, warmth and love. He had ignored all of Satoshi, wanting only what Kei had promised him.
He had never seen the lie within the offer.
'Project Black Wings' as the man had called it. And he had seen his step-son as a subject. Not a person -- a subject.
Hiwatari Kei had never wanted either Satoshi or Krad to survive the final stages of the plan. He had wanted the power of the Black Wings, the incredible energy and magic inside the ancient work of art. He had wanted to reunite the two souls, not caring who won. He had told Krad that the demon could easily defeat Dark, and Krad had believed him. He had been too far gone in his own pain to realize that he and the kaitou would be evenly matched inside their home realm.
Krad had believed in his superiority over Satoshi, had thought the Niwa boy to be weak.
He had been proven so wrong.
Satoshi had been incredibly strong, able to push him away even while still just a young child. He had battled against an old enemy who he could only hit on the mind realm, and he had won often enough. His will had been incredible.
Today Krad knew why.
Kei had thoroughly researched his step-son, had documented everything, and he had matched Krad to the boy. Born for each other, made for each other, and they would have died with each other.
Now Krad knew that.
Now he understood that he would never have been able to take the body and destroy the mind. Kei had known, too. He had counted on it. He had wanted it all, for himself only, and he would have gotten rid of everything.
Even Krad.
The white-winged being felt his rage bubble up again and he hissed in frustration.
Kei had planned on letting him die.
Because Krad couldn't exist without a Hikari host. He couldn't exist without a soul linked to his own. He couldn't live without Satoshi.
An Kei had known.
The bastard had known!
A howl of rage escaped him and his wings spread. Something shattered, shards spread over the floor.
Bastard!
Fucking bastard!
He wanted me to die! Krad screamed in his mind. He wanted me to destroy Satoshi!
Mine!'
Even today, thinking of the atrocities, Krad was drawn between possessive need of his host and complete disgust at himself for hurting what he needed. Today, with the emotions he held for his host, with the love he felt for the young man, he could only hate himself even more for what his former self had nearly done.
And what he had done...
How he had tortured the child; psychological torture. Of the worst kind. Not to mention the tearing pain of each transformation, of the wings breaking out of Satoshi's back, the pain overwhelming him enough for Krad to push forward and take over.
He was just as much a bastard as Kei.
Krad whirled around, more things breaking in his wake. The wings sliced through the kitchen, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake. Magic sizzled at the edge of his senses.
And he let it lose.
° ° °
Satoshi woke with a start, feeling a little disoriented for a second, trying to figure out what had woken him. He had been deeply asleep after a long night of work, which had been preceded by a very long day, which again had been the end of an even longer week.
A loud crash from the kitchen made him jump. That, and the unexpected unguarded rush of emotions that weren't his own. It was followed by the distinct feel of magic being released.
Oh my god... Krad...!
Jumping out of bed Hikari almost ran into the kitchen -- only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight that greeted him. From what he could make out in the semi-darkness of the room, the kitchen was a mess, looking very much as if a tornado had run through it. Shattered china, glass shards and broken furniture as well as spilled liquid on the floor, which could be everything from cocoa to...
He pushed that thought aside.
The walls were riddled with holes and burn marks, the plaster shaved or burned off. The ceiling had once been white. Now it looked more like a gray scratching pad.
"Krad?" he breathed.
The dark figure standing in the middle of the chaos whirled around -- and Satoshi staggered back in shock. He tripped over his own feet and landed unceremoniously on his back. Large white wings snapped open, the feathers glinting. Inhuman feline eyes, glowing in the half light, glared at him, glittering with something that made Satoshi's heart miss a beat and he scrambled back involuntarily, especially when the creature made a step into his direction.
His heart hammered in his throat and his blood ran cold, his stomach cramping, and his head started to ache just from the teasing memories of a nightmare he had thought he had left behind. Satoshi hadn't been afraid of Krad for ages, but this look, this expression made his blood run cold with fear. The way Krad looked at him as if not really seeing him, recognizing him, and then there was the sensation of an icy hand clutching at his heart with panic, the coldness he had been accustomed to years ago -- it was something far more frightening.
Something came across their bond, a connection that worked even when the demon was outside his host, though non-verbal communication was impossible. Now Satoshi felt emotions, and none of them were positive.
Hate.
Fury.
And -- despair?
The demon took another step into his direction and Satoshi felt himself draw back again, an old and almost forgotten fear making him whimper in terror.
Krad stopped, blinking once, twice... and slowly the unholy light died in his eyes, replaced by confusion and worry as something crunched under his feet. He looked around, clearly bewildered with what he saw.
"Satoshi?" he asked, voice rough.
Another step -- and Satoshi swallowed hard, losing against the urge to recoil again. "No," he stammered, hands rising automatically as if to ward off an attack.
"Satoshi...?"
The voice sounded small, confused.
"Krad..." he managed shakily. "What... what are you doing...?"
Golden eyes stared at him in confusion. "What... you're afraid of me? Why?"
Satoshi pointed silently at what was left of his kitchen furniture.
Golden eyes widened in shock and the slender frame trembled. The wings rustled, unnaturally loud in the silent house. Satoshi felt his breathing revert to a normal pattern, but the fear was still there, and he was still huddled against the wall.
"I did this...?" Krad lifted his hands, staring at the cuts that were oozing blood, nodding slowly. "Yes, I did this."
Before Satoshi had a chance to say something Krad had whirled around again, pushing open the glass doors that led onto the terrace, and stormed outside. All Satoshi was able to make out were the pair of large white wings disappearing in the nightly sky.
Taking in a shuddering breath Satoshi tried to regain his composure, scrambling to his feet. Looking around the war zone that had formerly been their kitchen he felt the shock slowly subside, making room for worry. Krad had never lost it that completely that he hadn't known friend from foe, let alone not recognized his host.
He staggered around the ruined room and finally made it to the fridge, which was relatively unharmed, and pulled out a cool soda. He gulped it down.
"What happened?" he whispered. "Damnit, what happened?"
He could still feel Krad's emotions like an echo. Sure, he couldn't read his symbiote unless they were merged, but this had been bad enough to radiate quite strongly.
Leaning against the kitchen counter, Satoshi fought the tremors that raced through him. Delayed reaction, he knew. Adrenaline was still coursing through his body, making him want to run.
"Hel," he murmured, barely loud enough to be a word.
It had to be Hel. What she had done had left deep scars with everyone, especially Dark and Krad. Dark was back to his old self on the outside, but Satoshi knew from the talks he had had with Daisuke that the kaitou was also still suffering from her torture. Krad was no better. He had been forced to kill her, take a life instead of sealing it, and his past had broken open again.
Walking back into the bedroom, the tremors still there, Satoshi curled up on the bed, wishing Daisuke was there. Right now, the need to be held was overpowering everything else.
tbc...