When Will You? Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Awakening
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Satoshi

"What's happening?" I wondered, trapped inside my nightmares again. A scene flashed before me, and I saw Dark flying through the night sky, Krad in pursuit.

I tossed and turned in my sleep, unable to stop the nightmare from replaying in my head.

After a few moments of fighting, Krad finally caught up with Dark, surrounding him in feathers. This was the point in my nightmare where I would always wake up. But now that I was unable to wake up, I watched in horror as Krad crushed Dark and Niwa.

"Stop it Krad!" I yelled through his mind. All he did was laugh.

"I don't think so, Master Satoshi. I don't take orders from you anymore."

I screamed in pain as Krad took full control, pushing me aside and ignoring my pleas. I felt my world collapse around me, and I fell into a fitful sleep, wishing my nightmares would just stop already.
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Daisuke

"It's been three days already. When is he going to wake up, Dark?"

I stood at the top of the ladder that led to my bed, watching over Hiwatari's still sleeping form. I had moved him up there last night and slept on the couch myself, thinking that he would be more comfortable up there. I was actually really worried, because he had almost rolled off the bed last night from tossing around so much.

"I'm not sure, Daisuke."

"He must be in a lot of pain, but his pulse is still normal, so he should be all right. At least mom didn't ask too many questions..."

Mom had found Hiwatari early the first morning, when she came to wake me up. It had been hard explaining why he was so beat up and why he was there in the first place, but fortunately she let him stay without asking for too many details about what had happened, and she helped me take care of him. It made her feel just a little bit better when we assured her that we had wiped down the entire Hiwatari household before we left. Later that night, Dark and I had found Hiwatari's father, and made sure that he knew we would come after him if we saw him again. Dark and I had made a lot of threats and a lot of promises. If we did ever see him again, there would definitely be hell to pay.

I sighed and grabbed all of my school books that I would need. I made it to the trolley just in time, and dashed into school without a second to spare. It was the first day of school since the incident, and I was hoping that no one would ask any questions about Hiwatari. Regrettably, it seemed like everyone seemed to notice that he was missing. And since everyone at school believed I had such a close relationship with him, they decided to bombard me with questions all day.

All day long, I had to reassure everyone that I did not know where he was, I did not hear what had happened to his dad, and I definitely did not know what he had been doing the last few nights. Granted, he really hadn't done anything but sleep the entire time, but if I said anything, I knew that they would take it all the wrong way.

Of course, Miss Riku Harada cornered me right away, wanting to talk with me after the weekend and wanting to know what had happened to Hiwatari. She and her twin, Miss Risa Harada, were the only other ones at school who knew what Hiwatari was; the deep secrets that he hid. I assured her that there was nothing to worry about.

"Um, Niwa?" I heard someone ask. Turning around, I found myself face to face with Miss Risa Harada.

"What is it, Miss Harada?" I asked. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Could you...meet me at the park fountain after school?"

I gave her a little smile. "Sure. I'll be there."

"Thanks so much, Niwa." She turned and walked away, sitting down in her desk.

It's kinda hard to believe that I used to like her so much that my heart would've been absolutely pounding at the thought of meeting her alone somewhere. Now I didn't react at all. Sighing, I walked over to my own desk and sat down. All throughout the day, Miss Harada sat and looked out the window. A few times when I would look over at her, I would see a faraway look in her eyes, as if she wasn't really here.

"I wonder...what it is that's bothering her? Is it because she hasn't seen you in so long, Dark?"

"...Daisuke, you're so thick-headed sometimes..."

"What do you mean Dark?"

"...Nothing. It's just that…it's not because she misses me."

I took my time walking to the park after school, thinking that Miss Harada probably would take her time as well. But when I got to the fountain, I saw her standing beside it, trailing her fingers over the water.

"Um, Miss Harada?" She didn't seem to hear me, so I walked up behind her. "Miss Harada?" A clap of thunder rolled through the air, the dark clouds threatening to pour out their rain. As I got closer, I noticed that she was sobbing silently. "What's wrong, Miss Harada?" I grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and streaming with tears.

"Oh Niwa!" She threw her arms around me, crying into my shoulder.

"Miss Harada..." I wrapped my arms around her, comforting her as well as I could.

"Niwa...please tell me that Hiwatari will be alright! He's been through so much, if something happened to him..."

I gently pushed her away, so I could look her in the eyes. "Don't worry, Miss Harada. Hiwatari will be alright, I promise."

"...You're sure?"

I lifted up a hand to wipe a tear away from her eye. "I'm sure."

She wrapped her arms around my neck, slowly this time, bringing her face closer to mine. "Okay..."

The thunder sounded again, the dark clouds finally opening up and dropping their rain towards the earth.

She stopped halfway, her eyes closed and her lips slightly parted.

I leaned forward and brushed my lips against her forehead, wrapping her in a warm hug. "Don't worry, Miss Harada. I'll make sure Hiwatari knows that you're worried about him."

Five days later, I was beginning to worry again. It had now been eight whole days since the incident, and Hiwatari still hadn't shown any signs of fully regaining consciousness. He would mumble all day and night, but other than that his condition hadn't changed much. It made me sympathize with him even more, hearing the things that he said.

Miss Harada had stopped coming to school, supposedly because she was very sick. I think she just didn't have the motivation to come to school anymore. Miss Riku had made me promise to call as soon as I heard any news about Hiwatari, and of course I promised that I would.

That night, after I changed Hiwatari's bandages again, I sat on the couch, talking with Dark late into the night.
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Satoshi

I woke up in a cold sweat, my heart racing. "Was that...all a bad dream?" The first thing I became aware of was the sharp pain I felt all over, particularly in my chest. "Well, I guess it wasn't all a dream..." The second thing I was aware of was the soft, comfy blanket all around me.

I opened my eyes and saw that I was in a big room, lying in bed. I tried lifting my arms slowly and felt cloth wrapped fairly tight around my chest. "Someone...bandaged me?"

Turning my head to the right, I noticed that the moon was already out. I saw someone sitting on a couch and looking at the moon, his knees pulled up under his chin.

"Ni...wa?" I asked, trying to sit up.

Daisuke looked at me and I saw his face light up. "Hiwatari, I'm so glad that you're awake! Hey, don't try to sit up just yet though," he said, jumping up and pushing me back down softly. "You lost a lot of blood, but I think you'll be alright. At least, that's what Dark says."

"How can he smile at me after what I did?"

I lay down as I feel my world spinning; just trying to sit up made me dizzy. "Niwa, I...I don't know what to say..."

The smile slid off Niwa's face, and he looked down at the ground. "It's okay, Hiwatari. You don't need to say anything..."

"No, I do need to apologize," I interrupted. "How...how can you forgive me so easily? You almost died because of me."

Daisuke smiled and shook his head. "No, it was because of your father. You wouldn't even be after Dark if it wasn't for him, am I right?"

I chose not to answer, because I truthfully didn't know what I would do. Sure, I wouldn't kill Daisuke just to get rid of Dark, but after that, what? Oppose my fate? Oppose my inner demon? I'm not sure anymore...

"Now here, let me help you down. I'm sure I can at least make you something to eat..."

I let Daisuke help me out of the bed, but I was so dizzy that I had to lean on his shoulder for support.

"...Niwa...How long was I asleep?"

Daisuke looked down at the floor. "...Almost eight days."

"Eight days, huh?" I sighed as he walked me down the stairs. I tried to ignore my raging fever and sharp headache while he helped me into the kitchen. Even with his help, walking around was way too much work, and as soon as I sat at the table I was ready to sleep some more.

"Despite how you feel, you need to eat something, Hiwatari. So what would you like?"

I groaned, not wanting to eat anything, but knowing that he was right. "I don't care," I muttered, leaning back in the chair and breathing deeply.

Daisuke thought for a minute, then started getting out some pots and pans. "Well, how about just rice and some fried meat then? That's quick and easy to make, and it's better to start with something small after not eating for so long..."

I murmured a response, but I'm not sure if Daisuke heard me. He might've been too busy cooking. The whole house was silent except for the hissing of the cooking rice and meat for several minutes.

"Niwa?" I asked tentatively.

He looked over at me, still stirring the meat. "What is it, Hiwatari?"

I gestured weakly around the room. "Obviously, we're in your house. So where are your parents?"

Daisuke smiled brightly back at me. "It wasn't easy, but I managed to convince them to let you stay. They're out right now, shopping. Oh, and Miss Harada was worried about you too," said Daisuke, placing a plate of food in front of me. "Actually, I promised I would call and let her know that you were okay. Miss Risa Harada, I mean. She was worried when she saw that you were gone from school."

My heart skipped a beat. "She was?" I asked, hardly daring to believe anyone had even noticed that I had been gone.

"Yeah, she hasn't even shown up in school for the last three days. Miss Riku said that she was sick, but I kinda think that she just couldn't come to school and look at your empty chair every day. I hardly could, knowing that you were-"

"And my father?" I interrupted, trying to change the subject, fighting against the growing pain in my chest.

"...Dark and I already took care of him. He had better not bother any of us ever again, right?" he said, a small, sad smile on his face.

I let myself smile a little, for his sake, through the pain of my splitting headache. All strength left me, and I toppled out of my chair, falling straight to the floor.

"Hiwatari!" cried Daisuke, abandoning his own lunch and running to kneel next to me. It was hard to breathe, and my heart felt like it was being ripped in two.

"...No, Krad! Don't come out...I can't take it right now!"

"Oh, but Master Satoshi, don't you see? It's the perfect opportunity." Krad had been trying to force his way out this entire time. I was just glad I had held him off until now. The sounds of splitting thread filled the room, along with my choked screams, and I saw Daisuke's eyes widen as he watched my pure-white wings growing.

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on Miss Harada, Daisuke allowed Dark to force his way out; it was just quicker that way.

I squinted through the pain, breathing heavily, and watched as Daisuke's face also contorted in pain, even though he was willingly letting Dark take over by force. He grew a few inches and his hair started to change to a deep purple color.

Unable to bear the pain, I closed my eyes tightly before I felt Krad take full control, forcing his way out of me despite my best efforts to keep him in. I felt myself fading, being submerged in Krad's overwhelming consciousness, but not before I saw the infamous Phantom Dark for a brief second.

"...Dark..." I thought through the pain. "...Thank you...Dark..."
-------
Dark

"That's just like you, Krad. Forcibly taking over his body when the Commander is in such poor condition. You'll be lucky if he doesn't die from it this time."

Krad smirked and stretched his wings, which were wide enough to touch both the east and west walls of the kitchen. "But I simply couldn't ignore this opportunity to catch you, Dark."

The only thing separating us was the table, a mere five feet. Come to think of it, the last time I had been this close to Krad without immediately trying to rip his heart right out of his chest was a really long time ago, probably close to four or five generations.

"So, you think you can catch me, huh Krad?" I taunted, entering a fighting stance.

Krad's smile left his face. "No, I don't think I can. I know I can." And with that, he threw a burst of magic at me with such ferocious speed that I couldn't get out of the way.

I hit the wall with so much force that cracks actually formed around me, chunks of sheetrock falling along with pictures that had been hanging. I heard something snap sickeningly, a sound immediately followed by sharp pain as I realized my right leg had gotten caught beneath me, twisting too far the wrong way.

"Dark!"</i>

I knew right away that it was broken. "...Really...Krad?" I struggled to speak through the pain. "Do we have to destroy the house too?"

I pulled myself away from the wall and stood shakily, my leg immediately flaring up in pain, blood already beginning to soak through the cloth of my jeans.

"Dark, you're hurt!"</i>

"I'm fine, Daisuke...it's just...a scratch, really..."

I looked over at Krad, who nonchalantly watched me struggle to stand, enjoying it as much as I hated it. "I'll wipe that goddamn smirk off your face, Krad!" I rushed forward as fast as I could, but lost my chance because I was being careful with my leg. I'd either have to step up my reflexes or try to ignore the fact that my leg was broken in at least one spot.

Krad pulled out a pure-white feather with a faint glow surrounding it. Before I could react, it was flying at me with incredible speed and velocity. I was unable to move fast enough as the feather buried itself deep in my left forearm, only a few inches of it left showing. Crushing pain instantly reached me, and I pulled out the now blood-red feather with some difficulty. Placing my right hand on the wound, I looked up just in time to evade more of Krad's attacks as I came up with a plan. It was time to get on the offensive. I had been beaten back for far too long, and enough was enough.

"...Hold on for a moment, Daisuke...This might hurt a little." I pulled out an ebony feather and prayed silently as I flung it towards Krad. Daisuke gasped sharply as I added magic to the feather, just before it reached Krad. He swatted it away, but the instant he did a great explosion erupted, pelting him and the remainder of the kitchen walls. I took this chance to fly outside, hoping to lure Krad away from the house. I have to admit, my leg felt a whole lot better without any weight on it.

"Aww, man! Mom's gonna kill me when she sees that mess!"</b>

"Well, the police will most likely reimburse her for the damages, as long as they get a glimpse of Krad or me before we leave." Sure enough, just as Krad flew out of the rubble that used to be the south wall of the house, police cruisers came rolling up the drive, along with reporters from all the television stations around. "And that's our cue."

I flew to the west, smirking a little when Krad followed me. I managed to draw him away from most of the crowd, anyway, before they followed us to the beach. I dodged the blasts of magic that Krad threw towards me, firing my own blasts towards him as well. I heard Daisuke gasp in pain a few times, but he seemed to be getting stronger now that he refused to let his father use the Rutile to protect him. I caught Krad off guard, hitting him with a particularly strong blast of magic. He gasped and fell into the ocean, changing back into Satoshi just before he hit the water.

"That's not good; he isn't healed yet, surely he can't swim!" I dashed towards the surface of the water as quickly as I could.

"Satoshi!" Pulling back just in time, I just barely skimmed the surface of the water. It was the cold season, and the ocean spray felt like ice when it flew up and stung my face. "Satoshi, where are you?" I saw Satoshi sinking and quickly grabbed his outstretched left arm. I pulled him out of the water and into my arms, clutching his icy body close to me as I quickly flew over the ocean and back towards the shore. He spluttered and gasped, trying to clear the water out of his lungs without success. Without thinking, I pressed my lips against his and filled his lungs with air.

"What on earth, Dark?!" Daisuke sounded like he was about to throw up. I guess he must have heard what I was thinking.

Busted.

Satoshi pulled away, coughing out most of the water that was still in his lungs. "W-wh-what the hell...w-was that...D-D-Dark?!"

I looked down at the commander, who was shivering uncontrollably, positively shaking in my arms. "I was just saving your life. Nothing more. You did give Daisuke CPR once, am I right?"

Satoshi looked at the ground when we reached the shore, gingerly putting his feet down. I landed slowly, still favoring my right leg, refusing to let go of Hiwatari's still shivering form. If he wasn't careful, he'd die of hypothermia alone.

"So w-wh-what n-now?" he asked, turning away from me and sitting on the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest to conserve as much heat as he could.

I sighed, taking off my coat. He was so damn stubborn, all the time, even when his life was on the line. "We should head back soon," I said, draping my coat over his shoulders. He reluctantly pulled it tighter around him, his body finally realizing it needed to warm up. "I'm sure Daisuke's parents are back by now, and Daisuke and I should be there to apologize for all this.

"...What about me?" he asked, looking up at me.

I was caught off-guard. "What about you? You're coming home with us, of course!"

Scoffing, he stood and threw my coat back at me. "Look, Dark. I appreciate all that you and Niwa have done for me, but I'm able to take care of myself. And I especially don't feel comfortable with you pushing yourself on me."

"Look, I was only saving your life!" He ignored me and took a few steps toward his own house, but fell to his knees a few seconds later, clutching at the wound on his chest and breathing deeply. The bandages had apparently been ripped off when Krad had taken over, and I could also see that the wound had reopened again.

"Satoshi, are you sure you don't want some help?" I asked softly, walking up to him slowly. I draped his arm around my shoulder and picked him up into my arms again, very carefully. "Come on, we should get home." I looked down at him and was surprised to find that his eyes were almost shut already.

"Poor Hiwatari...he's completely exhausted..."

"Yeah...he's been through so much lately, I'm surprised that he's as strong as he is, even now." I spread out my wings and flew off towards the Niwa house, or what was left of it anyway. Flying above the house, I could clearly see that the both the south and east walls had been taken out.

Daisuke's parents were talking to a police officer outside, most likely discussing whether they would be reimbursed for the damage. Luckily, the only one that seemed to notice me was Kosuke, Daisuke's dad. He took one look at us and knew that there had been real trouble. The leg of my jeans was soaked through with blood, along with my shirt sleeve. Satoshi was unconscious again and completely drenched in ice-cold ocean water, the wound on his chest bleeding again, though not nearly as severely as it had been before.

Kosuke gave us an exasperated look, but smiled reassuringly. I figured that meant he was pretty ticked at Daisuke and me, but that he would forgive us, given the circumstances. However, there was no telling whether Daisuke's mom, Emiko, would ever forgive us. She was always extremely preoccupied with keeping the house spick and span, even after Towa joined the family as a maid.

"So, Daisuke," I said, landing on the balcony outside of his room, which had miraculously escaped damage. "Do you mind if I just let you handle the parents?" I laid Satoshi down on the sofa, covering him with a quilt to keep him warm.

"But Dark! That's totally unfair!"</i>

"Thanks Daisuke!"

"Dark, you put that picture away right now! Why do I have to be the one to talk with them when it was your fault in the first place?!"</i>

"Hey, smart one, it was Krad's fault, remember?"

"Well he's your other half, not mine." I felt my body start to change.

"Oops, too late, Daisuke. Have fun explaining everything!"

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

"...Daisuke?" Daisuke's mood changed abruptly when he heard the sudden seriousness of my voice.

"Yeah Dark?"

"...I'm sorry, Daisuke..."

"...Dark..."</i>
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Daisuke

"Mom, for the last time. It wasn't anyone's fault. It was just an accident."

She was sitting on the sofa in front of me. The doctor had just left, right after casting my leg. My arm had also been wrapped, and the doctor had prescribed medication for me, in case of infection. Of course, we didn't tell him how I had really gotten the injury; supposedly some rubble fell on top of me when Krad and Dark had destroyed the house. My dad was downstairs, picking up and sorting through the rubble with the help of some neighbors.

"I don't care if it was an accident, Dai. I'm just worrying about your safety." Mom looked over at my bed, where Hiwatari was laying on his back, his eyes closed and his wound also bandaged again. Of course, the story was that he had also got caught in the wreckage, and the doctor had prescribed him medication and a painkiller. Fortunately, Dark's magic had been just enough that the wound looked like nothing more than a deep cut, as if something with a sharp corner had fallen on him. The doctor didn't ask too many questions, thankfully.

"I just knew that it was a bad idea to let him stay here…"

"Mom, don't you dare blame Hiwatari! Do you think he likes having Krad come out all the time?"

Mom stood up and went to the door. "Regardless, as soon as he's healed enough, I want him out of my house." I couldn't believe it; she was really serious this time. She held up a hand before I could protest. "No buts. And I don't want you going near him, understand?" She closed the door behind her when she left.

The night was quiet now, the silence almost unbearable after all the fighting. I stood with the help of my new crutches and looked over at my bed.

"So, how often is Krad going to force his way out?" Hiwatari didn't say anything. "I know you're awake...Hiwatari..." He sighed, opening his eyes slowly. "It must be...really painful...having him come out all the time."

"You don't know anything about my pain," he said, rolling over to face the wall.

"No, I think I do. It's not just the physical pain; it's the emotional pain too. You've always kept yourself so distant from everyone, because you're afraid that Krad will come out unexpectedly. I know that has left a huge hole in your life." He remained silent.

"Hiwatari..." I stopped at the bottom of the ladder, reluctant to climb it with only one good leg, even after all my training. Hiwatari turned over to face me, his crystal blue eyes finding my ruby red ones. "You can't distance yourself all the time, alright? Promise me that you'll talk to Miss Harada tomorrow, at least."

He looked back up at the ceiling. "I don't kn-"

"I wasn't going to say it, but she was crying."

He looked back towards me in surprise. "She what?"

"The very first day that you missed school, she was worried about you...and she started crying. She was really depressed."

He sighed, sitting up in bed slowly and carefully. "She knows my secret, and she still cares for me?"

I nodded. "Yes, because she truly does care for you. If it had just been an act, she would avoid you as much as she could, staying away and probably finding some reason to leave the room whenever you came in. But since she still does care about you, you have to talk with her when you go back, okay?" Hiwatari closed his eyes, seeming to think it over.

"Alright. I promise I'll talk with her."

I smiled, walking back over to the couch. "...Do you want your bed back?"

"Huh?"

Hiwatari was leaning over the side of my bed, looking down at me. "I was just asking whether you wanted your bed back or not. I could sleep on the sofa instead..."

"No, Hiwatari, you sleep on the bed. It's easier for me to get around without having to go up and down that ladder all the time anyway."

"Thank you, Niwa. But as soon as I'm better, I'm leaving."

"Right. Whatever you say, Hiwatari."

It was hard for me to sleep that night. When I looked at my clock, it said that it was already past one in the morning, and I could tell that Hiwatari was still awake as well. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stop my mind from turning; I couldn't stop the issues I'd discussed with my parents from replaying again and again. Because my parents had found a way to help control beings like Krad and Dark, but it could cost Hiwatari a great deal. If anything were to go wrong, even the slightest mistake, it could surely cost him his life. But I knew that any chance that Hiwatari got at suppressing Krad's power, or at least distancing himself from it somehow, then he would take that chance. No matter what.