When Will You? Chapter 1

I saw an angel, with wings as black as onyx. The rest of the charm was a mixture of purples, blacks, and grays, all swirled around to make up the colors of the charm. "It looks like…me," I whispered, completely confused.

"That's because it is you, Dark," replied Hiwatari. "This necklace was part of the Black Wings, part of the living, breathing artwork that you and Krad were originally meant to be. Since there was only supposed to be one of you, surely you must have realized that either Krad or yourself was the original, and that the other was a fake? Well, you are the original."

I hung my head again, relief and regret washing over me. I had always suspected that Krad was no more than a replica, but there had still been a shadow of doubt that had hung over me. I was sad, however, because I knew how much that truth must have hurt Krad. Despite everything, and despite what he thought, I really did care about him. He was a part of me, after all.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hiwatari move to slip the charm around my neck. I didn't resist as he grabbed underneath of my chin, tilting it up to look in my amethyst eyes once again.

"Good night, Dark."

His eyes held no remorse as he slipped the necklace around my neck. Instantly, I felt the strength leave me. Fatigue fell over my body as my eyes slowly closed.

Chapter One: Unraveling
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Dark

"It's great that you're letting me come out so often, right Daisuke?" My amethyst eyes filled with mischievous anticipation, the wind blowing through my perfectly matched, deep purple hair.

"Sure, Dark, just stay away from Miss Riku, okay?"

Wiz, my white pet rabbit and very old comrade, automatically climbed up onto my shoulders and transformed into my beautiful black wings. My pitch black clothes matched them well, my coat hanging loose around me. Chuckling and spreading my wings wide, I leaped off of the balcony and flew towards my next target, the Ring of Darkness. The screaming sirens reached my ears, and I looked down on the street. A large group of people had gathered to watch me, the Great Phantom Thief, make off with yet another piece of artwork.

"There he is! That's Dark!"

I could hear them all cheering for me as if I was a hero, when I was really no more than a thief to most of them. I saw the police force standing there, pointing towards me. Chief Commander Satoshi Hiwatari was there as well, his crystal blue eyes following me. His only aim in life is to stop me, to catch me, and to seal me away forever, because he was the only one down there that truly understood the situation. But of course, I slipped into the mansion with no troubles, just like any other night. After searching the mansion for anyone from the police force who might have been waiting to try to ambush me, I found it, the ring I was looking for.

"Is that it, Dark?"

"Yeah, the Ring of Darkness."

"It's really pretty, isn't it? But it kind of makes me feel sad, looking at it..."

The gem made the entire ring glow bright, but with a black hue. It kind of reminded me of myself as I gazed on the black stone. I felt a sudden chill, as if the temperature in the room had just dropped a few degrees. I stepped towards the ring, hoping to get out of here, the quicker the better. I saw myself reflected in the ring. The great Phantom Thief Dark looked back at me, a person with no redemption. The ring seemed to call out to me, and I picked it up and slipped it onto my finger. It started to glow a purple color, and filled me up with a wonderful, but lonely, feeling. Usually, I wouldn't trust anything made by the Hikari family, but tonight I guess I just wasn't thinking straight. Or perhaps I was just in a reckless mood. Oh well. It fit perfectly, and my feeling of emptiness grew stronger as I admired it, my reflection looking back at me. It suited me well.

The police entered the room and I hurried towards the window. I flew off into the night, hearing the policemen yell as I vanished. I started to feel drowsy as I flew above the city, and eventually I felt so bad that I fell out of the sky, flapping my wings futilely.

"Dark? Dark, what's happening?!" I landed hard next to a rushing river, hardly able to move. The ring had shrunk, and I couldn't get it off. That must have been what was making me so weak, the magic sealed within the ring.

"Dai...suke." My vision grew cloudy, and I got too tired to think clearly. "Just let me sleep..."

"Dark! Dark, get that ring off!..."</i> Daisuke's voice was already fading, and so was my consciousness. Maybe this was all a part of Hiwatari's plan after all. With my last bit of strength, I pulled out a photo of my beloved Rika Harada. My heartbeat slowed, and I could feel my body shrinking. I surrendered to the darkness, retreating deep inside myself to let Daisuke take control again.
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Daisuke

I could feel all of the aches and pains. My head quickly cleared, and I was able to pull the ring off of my fingers, which were slightly smaller than Dark's. I slowly stood as I slipped the ring into my pocket, noticing Wiz was nowhere to be seen. Oh well, he would find his way home eventually. As I started the walk home, my head started to pound. I thought of how close we had come to being caught for good this time. Hiwatari's tricks were getting harder and harder to foresee.

"Dark, why'd you have to go and put the ring on?"

"Oh, give me a break, Daisuke. It's not like you've never done anything stupid before..."

But as the house came into view, I noticed something strange.

"Hey, that's weird. Grandpa, Mom, and Dad are all gone. I don't remember them saying anything about it..."

"Yeah, they said they'd be back really late. They were going to go out after watching us getaway."</i>

I walked over to the fridge and pulled out the water pitcher, pouring some water into a glass.

"Man, what a tough day. At least my parents are out..." I thought as I sat down at the table sullenly.

"Well, it's your own fault for being such a numbskull, Daisuke. We barely got out of that one alive!"</i>

"Oh, leave me alone, Dark. And in case you forgot, you were the one who had to put the stupid ring on," I replied, taking a sip of the cool, refreshing water.

"Yeah, whatever Daisuke. Where's the fun if I just steal it that easily?"

"That's funny, this water has a weird taste to it..." I interrupted. The glass slipped from my grasp and I quickly stood, tipping over my chair. I hardly heard the glass shatter on the floor over my own ragged breathing.

"It's poisoned? Daisuke!!"</i> An antagonizing pain started in my stomach, and I fell to my knees. I cried out as I clutched at my stomach, the poison working quickly.

"Daisuke, don't fall asleep!"</i>

I couldn't concentrate, and barely noticed Dark's frantic voice. I couldn't support my own weight any longer as the poison zapped my strength and I fell the rest of the way to the floor. I barely heard the footsteps as someone walked up behind me.

"So, I finally have the infamous Dark Mousy, right where I want him."

I knew that voice. Breathing heavily, I opened my eyes slowly. I was able to turn my head enough to see someone slip out of the shadows, his light blue hair a near-perfect match with his shimmering blue eyes.

"Hi-Hiwatari?! He must have followed me home after I got past all the traps the police set up."

"Damn, it was all just a trick to distract us, Daisuke."</i>

My vision flickered feebly as I fought to stay awake. I saw Hiwatari kneel beside me. He had a sad look in his eyes, and when I grimaced in pain he turned and looked away, as if unable to watch. He walked over to the broken glass.

"You're parents and grandfather might get mad if you leave broken glass on the floor," he stated calmly while picking up the glass.

"You...you won't hurt them...will you?" Try as I might, I couldn't keep the pain out of my voice. By now I was in so much pain that I probably couldn't make my arms or legs move even if I had to.

Hiwatari glanced over at me and tried to smile. "Don't worry, I won't. My only concern right now is Dark."

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see him look so confident against me face-to-face, with no tricks and no cheating!"</i>

Dark's voice barely reached me, and I grimaced as another wave of pain flowed through me. I couldn't keep from crying out. I heard a sharp intake of breath from Hiwatari, then he stood up and put the glass in the trash can.

"...I'm really sorry, Niwa. I didn't..."

"Ah! Hiwatari, you're bleeding..." "Hiwatari must have cut himself pretty bad on the broken glass...That's a lot of blood..."

"Yo, Daisuke! We're in a bit of trouble ourselves here!"

I chose to ignore Dark. "Hiwatari, there should be some paper towels right there...on the counter."

"Daisuke...how can you worry about me, at a time like this?" I had no good answer, so I just watched as Hiwatari grabbed the paper towels. "Thank you for worrying for me, Niwa." I lifted my head feebly when he cried out. "Hiwatari?..." I asked tentatively. He looked like he was in a lot of pain.

"Not now Krad! I can do this!" thought Hiwatari weakly, supporting himself with the counter. He heard Krad reluctantly sigh.

"Then hurry, Master Satoshi, or I will force my way out."

I saw Hiwatari stand up straight again. He looked like he was still shaking a little, but it looked like the pain was gone for the most part, at least. I could only guess what had just happened, that Krad had tried taking over.

"...What are you going to do with me…Hiwatari?"

"Hm?" he murmured as he tossed the bloodied paper towel in the garbage and mopped up the rest of the glass fragments with a wet paper towel. "Oh, don't worry yourself over that, Niwa. As I said before, my only concern is Dark."

I could faintly hear Dark's challenging voice in the back of my mind, but I couldn't make out the words.

"My whole existence is about capturing him. You play no part in it, except that you are Dark's host body. Once I get rid of him, you can return to your normal life, no strings attached."

"No!" I thought as I fought against the poison, my nerve system finally failing completely with a last rush of pain. I could clearly hear Dark's protesting, worried voice, and tears formed in my eyes when I realized that this may very well be the last time I heard it.

"I don't want to lose you, Dark! I don't mind being a Phantom Thief anymore! DARK!!"

"...Oh Daisuke..."</i>

The last thing I heard was Dark's faint, reassuring voice calling my name, filled with the sorrow of my suffering for his sake.

Unconscious and unaware of everything around me, I couldn't know exactly what happened next. I would never know that Hiwatari had cleaned the room so that my parents wouldn't be worried. Or how he had walked over to me and kneeled beside me, picking me up carefully. And I would never know that he had been crying and constantly repeating how sorry he was as he carried me all the way to his house, where his father waited to seal Dark.

Once and for all.
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Daisuke

"Ugh...my head...What...happened?"

I could faintly hear the sound of someone arguing. I slowly opened my eyes and found that I was lying on the floor, in the front room of a house. Looking around, I could see Hiwatari arguing with someone, and could just make out the words.

"Father, you said he didn't need to be involved, that you would just seal Dark and let Niwa go!"

"Wait...Dark? No, I can't hear him! Where are you, Dark?" I didn't hear him answer me, and I started to panic. "Where is he? Maybe the effects of the poison haven't worn off quite yet...That would explain why it's so hard to move."

"Satoshi, you know this is what has to be done."

I saw someone walking closer. Hiwatari stood still for a moment, then grabbed his father's arm, pulling him away from me.

"No! We can seal him with magic, you don't have to kill Niwa!" he yelled, looking very small next to his father.

"What?" his father asked, his voice laced with venom. "If I kill the Niwa boy, Dark will never have a chance to be reborn! We could be rid of him for good!"

Hiwatari glared up at his father. "You won't kill Daisuke! I won't let you!!"

I closed my eyes and looked away as I heard Hiwatari slam into the wall. His sharp cry pierced my hearing, and I couldn't help but look. Hiwatari lay on the ground, coughing and gasping, the air completely knocked out of him.

Smirking, Kei Hiwatari turned towards me again. I couldn't help but cringe when he pulled out a pistol and pointed it at me. It was the first time I had seen a gun. The Japanese weren't allowed to carry firearms, not even the police. Mr. Hiwatari wasn't playing by the rules at all, but I suppose that when you were someone that important and you had that much money, you could pull a few strings if you ever were caught.

"Now, starting with this, I can put an end to Dark for good," he said to his motionless son. He turned back towards me, and realized that I was awake.

"Ah, so you're awake after all. So much the better, I guess you're much tougher than I gave you credit for. Tell me, Daisuke Niwa, can you hear the voice of Dark yet?"

Try as I might, I could hear nothing. I glared up at him, so shocked that I wasn't able to move. I would not give him the pleasure of hearing my worried answer, so I remained silent.

"Well? Are you frightened yet, Daisuke Niwa?" he asked, beginning to circle around me, to get a clearer shot. The gun was still in his hand. "You know, that was really quite noble, the way Satoshi was trying to defend you. But I'll just have to deal with him later..."

He was completely unaware of the fact that Hiwatari was slowly getting to his feet, breathing heavily, but unhurt for the most part. His glasses lay shattered at his feet, his deep blue eyes shimmering with furious hate for his father. It was almost scary, the way he was glaring at him.

"Goodbye, Dark Mousy!" screamed his father. I'm already tensed against the gunshot that I knew was coming.

I heard Hiwatari yell, sprinting forward as quickly as his battered body would allow. The gun fired, and time seemed to slow as Hiwatari jumped in front of me, his arms spread wide. The bullet hit him in his right chest, and his pained cry was barely audible over the sound of my heart pounding in my ears.

"Hiwatari!!"

He crumpled to the ground not five feet from me, his short, choked gasps filling the room and his shaking hands pressing against the wound, trying to stop the steady flow of blood. He coughed up some of the blood, but it didn't do much good, it was still stuck in his lungs. He couldn't move, and the pool that was steadily filling his lungs was drowning him, I could tell. And there was nothing I could do about it...

"Damn it all, Satoshi. If you would've just stayed quiet, I might have left you alone. But I've been getting sick and tired of your constant interfering."

"Hiwatari, no!!" But it was too late; he was unable to defend himself as his father walked up to him, lifting him up by the collar of his shirt and pinning him to the wall. He struggled as well as he could in his condition, pulling futilely against his father's forearm, which was becoming drenched in his blood. His short, shallow breaths scared me, and I really started to panic when he stopped struggling.

"This can't be happening...Dark, where are you?! Can't you hear me? COME OUT, DARK!!"

"...Why the hell...do you always wait till the last minute...Daisuke?"</i>

"Dark?"

His voice was fainter than it usually was, but I could feel his presence growing stronger in me all the time.

"Honestly Daisuke...you didn't think you could get rid of me...that easily, did you?"</i>

I stared at the brutal scene across the room as I felt my body changing, unable to feel the pain as Dark quickly and forcibly took control.
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Dark

Police Chief Hiwatari had his back to me, but Satoshi's pained grimace spurred me into action. Struggling to my feet, I still felt a little woozy from the effects of the poison. But at least I could stand.

"Stop him, Dark! Hiwatari was clearly trying to save me, at least!"

I hesitated for a moment, then sprinted over towards the pair just as Satoshi fell unconscious from the lack of air and loss of blood. Police Chief Hiwatari pulled his arm back, letting Satoshi crumple to the ground at his feet.

"Hiwa-Hiwatari!"

"Easy, Daisuke. As long as I can help him within a few minutes, he should be fine. And that's more than enough time to take care of this bastard." When he saw me coming, Kei Hiwatari scoffed and took off down the hall.

"Hey! You're so scared that you're not even going to fight? Are you really that much of a coward?!" I shouted, starting to run after him.

"Dark! Think about it, there's sure to be a trap down there, a "Plan B". Please take care of Hiwatari first..."

I looked after Police Chief Hiwatari's retreating form, then sighed as a small smile crept onto my face. "All right Daisuke...I'll help him. I suppose Police Chief Hiwatari can wait for another day. And besides," I reason as I knelt at Satoshi's side, "where would the fun be if I caught him that easily?"

I muttered a spell, using my magic to heal most of Satoshi's wounds and remove the bullet.

"Hey, I thought that when you used magic, it was supposed to hurt. That only hurts a little."

That was right. Ever since he had made his father stop using the Rutile, Daisuke had wanted to learn as much as he could about magic. "That's because this is really weak magic, Daisuke. I would never use powerful magic unless it was absolutely necessary."

With that I stood, sighing heavily and mentally calling out to Wiz. Hopefully he would hear me and come so that we could get home already.

"...We should take him home, Dark."</i>

"Uh, Daisuke, this is his house."

"Dark! We can't leave him here! What if his dad comes back? And he can't possibly be healed all the way."

"Settle down, Daisuke. I was only kidding." I picked up the Commander carefully, trying not to aggravate his wounds too much more. "Man, I really wish I could have healed him all the way."

I heard Daisuke sigh contentedly. "Thanks, Dark. It means a lot to me that you care that much for him."</i>

I smiled mischievously. "You think I care?" I asked jokingly. "I mean, he is ruining my shirt, isn't he?"

"Dark! I can't believe you!"</i>

I chuckled softly. "Kidding, Daisuke. Kidding." I looked down at Satoshi, hoping that he could at least have some peace of mind through all of this, if only in his dreams.
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Satoshi

I saw Dark standing to my right, his black wings shimmering with a certain grace. And on my left, I saw the white-winged angel, Krad, my inner demon and darkest secret. His golden-yellow eyes matched his blonde hair, the perfect opposite of Dark. The contrast really could not have been plainer. Both of them looked fierce and determined, but Dark's deep, purple eyes held a hope that Krad's did not.

"Master Satoshi," I heard Krad say. I looked over at him obediently. "Come here."

Krad's eyes held a commanding force over me, and I started walking towards him.

"Satoshi! Come here!" Dark called to me.

I stopped to turn to look at him and as I did, Krad walked up behind me and enveloped me in his white wings. I froze in my tracks, unable to move another step.

"You can't save him," Krad said to Dark, his white wings circling around me, closing tighter and tighter. "He is cursed, as is Daisuke Niwa, and there is no way around that. You know this, don't you?" For some reason, his skin was incredibly hot, burning hot, but his wings were as cold as ice. He tightened his hold, and a freezing pain spread all over me, blotting out everything, dulling all my senses. His wings were sharp and they dug into me, making criss-crossed cuts from shoulder to waist on my chest. My vision went black as a bone-chilling laugh filled my ears.
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Dark

"Dark, are you sure he'll be alright?"

I looked down at the young commander, his bruised and bloodied body looking so small in my arms. "I'm…not sure. He got pretty roughed up back there."

Daisuke didn't answer me, so I flew towards the house in silence for a while.

"Dark?"</i> his voice interrupted once more.

"Yeah, Daisuke?"

"You're alright with this?"</i>

"What?" I ask softly.

"I mean, you're alright with Hiwatari staying at our house for a while, right? At least until we find his dad, anyway?"

"Yes, Daisuke. I'm fine with it. Otherwise I wouldn't have brought him." I didn't have to ask what Daisuke meant by finding Satoshi's dad. I was filled with the same hate and want for revenge that he was, both for what he had done to Satoshi, and for what he had done to Daisuke and me. I spotted the house and landed on the balcony outside of Daisuke's room.

"Thank goodness my parents are still gone."</i>

"Yeah, no kidding. We'll still have a kinda hard time explaining this to them, won't we?"

Luckily, we had left the door unlocked, but I suppose I could have gotten in anyway. That would have meant putting Satoshi down, however, and…

"Uh, Dark?"</i> Daisuke interrupted.

I snapped out of it, and carefully laid Satoshi on the couch. "Yeah Daisuke?" I asked, walking over to the door and locking it, just in case Daisuke's parents came home and decided to check on us. I wanted the chance to explain everything to them before they saw Satoshi.

"…Are you tired?" asked Daisuke.

I sighed. I had been expecting a question with a little more depth to it. "I am, a little."

"Then get some rest. I want to watch over Hiwatari a little longer."

I was so exhausted that all I had to do was think of my beloved Harada and I could feel myself slipping away. "...Thank you, Daisuke."
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Daisuke

I walked over to my dresser and grabbed a clean shirt. Hopefully it would fit Hiwatari. Being very careful not to aggravate his wound anymore, I took what was left of Hiwatari's shredded, bloodied shirt off and set it on the floor.

"Dark?" I thought quietly, wondering if he was resting yet.

"Mm?"</i> he mumbled, just ready to fall asleep.

"I should bandage him, right? I mean, it won't mess up your healing spell, will it?"

"No...go ahead if you want...it doesn't matter...just let me sleep now..."

I quickly scurried across the hall and grabbed the first aid kit from the bathroom, locking the door once I got back to my room. My parents would surely be home any minute now.

"This is going to be so hard to explain." I started talking myself, like I sometimes do when I find myself in a messed up situation. "By the way mom," I said sarcastically, "Satoshi just happens to be unconscious and on the brink of death, so I'm hiding him in my room while his own father is hunting him down." I sighed and dropped the sarcasm act. "As if she'd ever believe it. She hates him. Maybe it's best if I just hope she doesn't find a reason to come in my room? Aww, I don't know what to do."

I kneeled down next to the couch and took out a wet washcloth. Making sure to be very careful, I cleaned the area around Hiwatari's wound as well as I could, trying to ignore how muscled he was, more muscled than I was. "His skin's awfully hot. I think it might be getting infected."

I placed my hand on his chest and felt his heart beat faintly underneath of my palm.

"His pulse is stronger than before, and his skin doesn't feel as hot as I thought at first. I guess he really will be alright." I smiled contentedly and slowly pulled my hand away, watching his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm.

Sighing, I picked up the roll of bandages and wrapped them around Hiwatari's chest. It was kind of hard work doing it alone, but at least he would be protected from infection. I rinsed out the washcloth and used it to wipe the sweat off of his forehead, hoping that he would be alright. Taking the quilt from my bed, I pulled it over Hiwatari, making sure to cover him all the way up to the chin. I felt my eyes start to close and I almost fell asleep right there on the floor, but I had enough energy left to climb up into bed. Forgetting to unlock the door, forgetting to explain anything to my parents, forgetting to clean up the mess in my room, I laid down, completely exhausted. Within seconds, I was asleep.

Unknown to me, the threads of fate had started to unravel, all because of that one kind gesture Dark had shown Hiwatari.