When Will You? Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Calamity
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Dark

"What do you think could have happened to him?" asked Satoshi.

I shook my head, trying to come up with an answer. "Kosuke did say that Daisuke and I might get separated, but if that had happened then he would have been in the yard after the ritual. As far as I know, he wasn't there." I stood up, out of possibilities. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn't make sense of where Daisuke might be now. The best thing to do would be to search the last place I had spoken to him.

"We've wasted enough time. I'm going back, at least to take a look around. For all we know he could have been there, and we could have just overlooked him. Of course, if that happened, then the police would have taken him, along with Kosuke and the others. You just stay here for now; you're in no condition to travel."

Satoshi grimaced and stood. "I'm fine, Dark. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you're the only one who cares about what happens to Daisuke."

I didn't miss how he referred to Daisuke using his first name. I scowled at Satoshi, deciding to let the matter slide for now. "Fine, but if you slow me down, I'll leave you behind without a second thought." I turned and started walking away; Wiz had disappeared, so it was my only option. The atmosphere became noticeably colder as Satoshi started to follow me. As I had thought it would earlier, the wind started picking up and the first drops of rain began to fall. I didn't stop, even when the rain became a cold, steady drizzle that soaked through my black clothes. I heard Satoshi stumble, and stopped, turning to look out of the corner of my eye.

Satoshi had collapsed on the ground; he had passed out. I scoffed and turned, heading towards the house again.

"It's his own damn fault." I swerved to avoid a puddle of mud.

"He knew that he had lost way too much blood to be moving around that much." I ducked to avoid a hanging branch.

"Why does he have to act so rash all the time?" My luck ran out as my foot caught on a root, and I instinctively put out my hands to catch myself. I landed hard, the wound on my right hand throbbing with pain. I lay there in the mud, trying to convince myself that I was right in leaving Satoshi behind. There was no denying it; as much as I wished I could leave Satoshi behind, I knew I had to go back. Standing wearily, drenched in muddy water, I made my way back slowly.
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Krad

As I flew away from the Niwa house, after a minute or two, I felt my heart skip a beat and start to burn. I was filled with an immense, free feeling at first. Now I was completely separated from Master Satoshi. But…after another few seconds of flying, my wings folded in on themselves. I felt the ground rush up to greet me. I landed hard.

Lying there, I felt something stir weakly within me, lurking just beneath the surface. With a start, I recognized the presence. Though I had only seen him a few times, and had rarely spoken directly to him, there was no mistaking it. Dark's brat, Daisuke Niwa, had somehow gotten separated from him, and by pure happenstance had become my new tamer. He was far too worn out to do anything now, and likely couldn't even hear me. I stood up again and came to a decision quickly, spreading my wings once more and making for the Hiwatari residence. The Police Chief would want to hear this.

Kei Hiwatari seemed to think it over thoroughly, before coming to a decision. "I suppose it all worked out rather well, in the long run. Better than it could have, anyway."

I quietly agreed. I was distracted, to say the least, enthralled by this new, foreign presence in my mind.

"Very well," said Hiwatari suddenly. "Let me see the truth of it with my own eyes."

I bowed deeply, focused only on forcing my new other self out.

"Come now, don't be bashful…Master Daisuke," I thought, finally succeeding in forcing the youth out. Long blonde hair shortened and turned red, and clothes became baggy around my ever shrinking frame. My mature amber eyes became boyish and crimson, portraying the innocence of the youth that now slept within me.

Daisuke Niwa reluctantly took over and fell to his hands and knees on the ground, still shaking but awake and otherwise unhurt. The Police Chief picked up the phone and called the Niwa house. It was time to leave Dark a little message.
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Dark

I cursed quietly to myself while looking down at the unmoving boy in my arms. "Satoshi!" I called, the wind carrying my words away. "Damn it all, Satoshi, wake up! We need to get moving!" No matter how loud I cried, there was no answer. Satoshi lay still in my arms, both of us soaked in rainwater and mud.

Scoffing, I picked him up and started heading back to the Niwa house. Satoshi would live, that much I was certain of. But I couldn't say the same for Daisuke. Even if we were separated, surely we would still be able to detect each other, even if just a little bit. But I felt nothing, and perhaps that unnerved me most of all. I didn't know if that meant he was under some form of magical protection at the moment, or if it signaled something much worse.

When we were within sight of the Niwa house, Satoshi finally started to stir. He burrowed into my chest, holding me tight. "Mom," he sighed, still half-asleep.

"Apparently, he must be dreaming about his mother. I wonder how much he could even remember of her…" I thought, trying to set him down. He only clung to me even tighter. I started to chuckle, then doubled over laughing, dropping Satoshi to the ground.

He woke with a start, looking up at me with a funny expression on his face. "What?" When I just kept laughing, he blushed and stood heatedly, walking towards the Niwa house with a complicated expression on his face. I followed him, still laughing, finding it hard not to trip on my own two feet.

But by the time we made it to the backyard, I was more than serious. Satoshi stepped out into the backyard first, walking up to the circles. I held back and scanned the backyard, my gaze resting on three spots of blood. "Three? There's one for me, and one for Satoshi…But then, who was the third?" I wondered, noting that it was near the door, right where Kosuke had been when he had passed out.

"Look here, Dark."

I knelt down next to him, closely examining the grass in and around the second circle, the one I had been standing in. That's when I noticed something off about it; something that completely blew my first theory out the window. "The grass…" I whispered. "It's not lying flat."

Satoshi nodded. "If we had simply overlooked Niwa, then he should have been left behind right here. But it doesn't look like that's the case."

I solemnly nodded. Sure, we knew Daisuke hadn't been there, so he hopefully wasn't in police custody. That left us no closer to finding him, however.

"You don't think Niwa…died, do you? Like, maybe somehow his soul got lost during the ritual and for some reason just…vanished?"

Satoshi's words caught me off guard, and I fell on my hands and knees, shoulders starting to shake with suppressed sobs. "He couldn't have…" I said, my voice wavering. I felt tears flow warm and sudden down my cheeks. Surprised, I brought my hand up to my face, wiping the tears away. I had seen Daisuke cry before, even felt his sorrow through the bond we shared. But I myself had never cried. Not even when I left my darling Rika. I looked at Satoshi, knowing despair and defeat were written all over my face. His face held a deep, complex emotion; a common look for him. I couldn't read him, what he was thinking at that moment.

"We should go, Dark," he replied tersely while getting up. "We should search the house for anyone and anything, but it's likely that the police ransacked the place while looking for you. And we both need a change of clothes; I do, anyway."

I nodded, wiping more fresh tears from my face. "Just give me a minute," I choked, the shock still too fresh to ignore. If Daisuke really was dead, then there was no way I could forgive myself. But surely he wasn't, surely we would be able to find him.

Satoshi nodded at me with understanding and went into the house, closing the door softly behind him. I stayed outside for a few minutes longer, and went inside only when I knew I could control myself.

As soon as I went inside, I knew we wouldn't find anyone here. The police had torn through everything. Tables lay upended in the eating room. Chairs had been flipped over and onto their sides. Papers were strewn everywhere. Family photos had been covered with a fine layer of what looked like blood. The sight of that unnerved me in the dark, and I tried the lights. Even our power lines had been cut, rendering the house useless. Upstairs, Satoshi was running a bath, so at least the water line hadn't been broken. I knew he would have searched the house for bugs and the like first, and I couldn't blame him for wanting to clean up; I was in desperate need of a shower as well. I looked around, more carefully this time.

Now there was something odd. The phone, which was lying on its side under the counter, was still working. I could tell because the new message light was blinking. "Of course," I thought. "That's an old phone, so it's power still comes directly from the phone line."

I walked over to it and read the display. One new message.

I pressed the play button.
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Satoshi

When I first came into the house, I was stunned. That the police could get away with this…it was unthinkable. Absolutely everything was trashed; chairs, tables, books, everything. There was blood smeared up and down the halls and in the stairway, the stench becoming increasingly familiar to me. Looking at that, it worried me. To lose that much blood…I wondered which Niwa it was. They had all been so nice to me, ever since I had started staying here. And now this was entirely my fault…

I felt nauseous, and had to take a few deep breaths to calm down. My stomach still felt like it was churning, even though I hadn't eaten in two days, in preparation for the sealing. I made my way to the bathroom, which was untouched for the most part. I turned the faucet on high and stripped down, tossing Dark's jacket and my jeans into a corner. The recent rain had washed away a lot of the blood from before, but I was still in desperate need of a shower.

The scalding hot water warmed and relaxed me, and Daisuke's strong, cinnamon-scented shampoo helped me think straight. "Since Daisuke's not here, then the only option we're left with is to confront the police," I remarked, running my hands through my dripping hair. "When that fails to work, Dark will be captured, and I will likely be locked up…or at least made to keep quiet about this incident." No matter how I looked at it, we were running out of options.

I rinsed off and turned off the faucet, grabbing a towel from off the rack and wrapping it around my waist. When I stepped out of the shower, I was surprised at what I saw in the mirror. I hadn't managed to get a good look at myself before, what with all the blood, but now that I had cleaned off I could see how livid the scar really was. It wasn't too thick after all, just a little thicker than if it had been drawn by a sharpie marker, but it was almost pure white. I ran my hand across it and found it was even with the skin, not indented but not bulged out either. I stretched, expecting pain, but it seemed like a flexible scar.

Satisfied, though not at all pleased about my new scar, I walked across the hall to Daisuke's room and found some clothes that would fit me. Black really didn't suit me, but it was the first thing I saw, so I just started slipping it on. Just as I was pulling on the shirt, I heard Dark yell downstairs, and heard something crash into the wall. I took the steps two at a time, narrowly avoiding landing on the shattered remains of a phone. Dark was sitting at the table, his shaking hands clasped together in front of him. He glanced up at me as I approached, a furious but defeated look in his eyes. I stopped and stood across from him, on the other side of the table, crossing my arms in front of me. I waited for Dark to tell me what happened, and it took him a while to phrase it right.

"They got him after all," he whispered.

I remained silent.

"Satoshi, Daisuke was…I don't know what to do; Police Chief Hiwatari said that he had him. He must have found Daisuke and took him. He wants me to come and turn myself in, offer up my life for Daisuke's. I just don't see a way out of this…"

I scoffed, looking down on Dark for perhaps the first time in my life. I hesitated for a moment before losing my temper. This was as far down as I would allow him to sink. Before I knew it, before I could even realize what I was doing, I slapped him. He looked at me in surprise, bringing a hand to his stinging face.

"Stop skulking Dark. Is there another phone that would have recorded the message?"

"…Yeah, by the front door," Dark replied, "but you shouldn't listen."

I ignored him, already halfway to the phone before he had finished his sentence.

Dark stood, climbing the stairs slowly. "Don't say I didn't warn you. And don't bother me either. I need time to think," he commented.

I waited until I heard him turn on the shower, then pressed the new messages button. A chillingly cold, electronic voice answered me.

"You have one unheard message."

A slight pause…

"First unheard message:"

"Dark. I'm sure that by now you've seen the state of the house and know that none of the Niwas are there any longer. And when I say none, then that includes a certain little red head as well. He's a little shook up right now, but would you like to speak with him anyway?"

A moment of silence.

"Go on, Daisuke, tell Dark to come save you…"

I waited with bated breath as I heard Daisuke, it must have been him, mutter no. Suddenly, a harsh cry split the air. On instinct I held the phone away from my ear, but brought it closer again so I wouldn't miss what my father said next.

"…not good enough," I heard my father say. "Say something so that he knows it's you."

I immediately heard a thud, and Daisuke's sharp gasp for breath.

"Don't come, Dark! He wouldn't let me go anyway, I-"

Daisuke's voice became muffled, and I realized he would have been gagged so he couldn't talk anymore. "Well Dark, now that you know it's him maybe we could come to some sort of arrangement. You come to my manor by Tuesday night; that gives you nearly two days. If you don't show up, you don't have to worry; I'll take wonderful care of Daisuke, whatever your decision. Oh well, cheers to you for landing him in danger in the first place. Oh, and if you happen to see my son, tell him that we still have unfinished business as well. Take care, Dark.

Right before the message cut off, I heard Daisuke's muffled screaming through the gag. And maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought that I heard the sound of ripping cloth. But it couldn't have been…that wasn't possible…
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Daisuke

Pain. I hurt all over.

Ever since Krad had started to come out, I was starting to feel weaker. For a brief instant, right as I was drifting in between Dark and Krad's consciousnesses during the ritual, a huge weight had lifted off of my chest. Now, it felt like an even heavier weight than before was settling down on me.

I sat with my back to the door, my hands cuffed behind the chair I was sitting in. Mr. Hiwatari had offered to let me just sit, but that was before I had taken a swing at him and made a break for it. I had managed to make it down the stairs and into the front hallway before Krad had stopped me. A few more seconds and I would have been out the front door.

I stretched my aching shoulders, leaning back in the chair and stretching my legs out as far as they would go. The sun was just getting ready to set, the orange hues filling up the entire sky. It was remotely funny, very remotely funny, to think that just one day ago, none of this had happened yet. Dark and I were still together, and Krad and Hiwatari were still together. My home, my family…everything was still alright. I felt a warm tear slide down my cheek, the gravity of the situation weighing on my heart, almost as much as my new companion did.

Mr. Hiwatari, the Police Chief, had left about five minutes ago, remarking that he would find some food for me. I hadn't been offered any lunch, and by now I was starving. Since he had left, I had been trying to get out of the handcuffs, or at least loosen them. So far I had only managed to hurt my wrists and scratch the wood on the chair.

Thankfully, Krad didn't pester me much; on the contrary, he was rather quiet. I felt like he was judging me, seeing how I would hold up in a situation like this. He sat patiently, never once trying to come out. And whenever he did talk to me, he called me "Master Daisuke". It was actually starting to get on my nerves.

"You know I can help you out of this, Master Daisuke."</b>

I sighed, sitting still to rest for a while. "Do you treat Hiwatari like this too?"

Krad seemed taken aback at first. "Like what?"</b> he asked patiently.

"Like mocking him when he gets in a crap situation like this."

"I'm simply asking whether you want my help getting out of here or not. I could do it, you know. But I haven't even tried coming out yet, have I?"</b>

I tensed up, ready for anything, but Krad didn't attack. Instead, he sat there passively, a sad smile in his expression.

"So. You honestly thought that I would try to come out, didn't you?"</b>

I sighed in relief, realizing that I was in no condition to challenge Krad. If he wanted to come out then he would. It was as simple as that.

"Try standing, Master Daisuke. Maybe you could slip your arms up over the top of the chair."</b>

I shifted my weight, slowly working my way up the chair. I got to where I had my feet on the chair and my knees pulled up to my chest, but after that my arms wouldn't go any farther up, no matter how hard I tried. The chair just got too wide. I sighed dejectedly and slid back down the chair, a truly desperate feeling in my heart.

"You really don't want help?"</b> asked Krad.

I didn't say anything. Honestly, maybe it would be best if I let Krad take over. Then I might find out why he was even asking me in the first place. If he wanted out so bad, then all he had to do was try to come out.

I heard the Police Chief at the door and turned to look over my shoulder. He had two platefuls of food, one for me and one for him, obviously. He kicked the door shut behind him, and I heard it lock automatically. You needed a coded key card to open it, but I was pretty sure I could hack it. It could take a while, though. Nonetheless, if I got the chance, that looked like my best way out.

I was interrupted as Mr. Hiwatari placed the two plates on a small table in the center of the room. It was more of a desk, really, meant for playing cards or dealing business transactions. He pulled a key out of his pocket, waving it in front of me.

I scowled, refusing to beg.

"Well, you are hungry, aren't you? Tell you what, if you promise to behave obediently, then I'll take off the handcuffs and let you eat. I might even leave the cuffs off for the rest of the night."

I realized that if I didn't answer, I probably wouldn't get another chance like this again. Slowly, I nodded, and mumbled yes. I didn't like admitting it, but I was completely exhausted. If Mr. Hiwatari would give me a chance to eat and stretch my legs, I'd take it, even if it meant I had to beg for it. But I didn't, because Hiwatari knelt behind me and unlocked both sides of the handcuffs. They clattered to the ground as I sighed in relief.

I slowly brought my arms around in front of me, my shoulders aching in protest. After getting some feeling back in them, I stood up and felt myself sway, the whole room spinning around me. I made my way to the table and sat down across from Mr. Hiwatari. He bowed slightly and observed me quietly, picking up his chopsticks and eating in silence. I ate slowly, and although the food was superb, I couldn't get the bitter taste out of my mouth. I just couldn't believe that I was all alone here. I didn't want Dark to endanger himself for my sake. I didn't want him to come. But he would, wouldn't he? It was already dark out; it had almost been a whole day since this nightmare had begun. Surely Dark would be here by now if he was coming…

"You know, I'll always be here, Master Daisuke."</b>

I took a sip of water, the ice cold feeling calming me. "That's right. I had almost forgotten that you were here." I set my glass down slowly, crossing my arms in front of my chest in annoyance.

Mr. Hiwatari must have taken that to mean that I was done. "Finished?" he asked, setting his glass of sake down.

I swallowed and nodded, a pain starting to grow in my chest. Krad was stirring, and I could tell that he was really anxious this time. "He's on his way here, now…"</b>

Krad didn't come out; not right away, at least. He lurked on the surface, waiting intently for Dark to show up. I waited too, sitting still in my chair at the table. No wonder Mr. Hiwatari had offered to let me sit there without the handcuffs. Although Krad could surely get out of them, it might slow him down a little. And when Dark came in here, he would surely come in with fists flying.

Mr. Hiwatari sipped some more of his sake, acting very much at ease. It was clear how much he had been hoping for this day to come. The day that he would finally catch the infamous Phantom Dark, the prize of a lifetime.

I had to do something; it was antagonizing to just sit here. But as soon as I decided what to do, Krad was there, very near the point where he would force himself out.

"You know, I thought that you might want to see Dark one last time through your own eyes. Master Daisuke, I was the one who convinced Kei Hiwatari that you should be allowed to see Dark again, instead of just having me be in control the entire time. But perhaps I was wrong."</b>

I scoffed, pressing a hand against my aching chest and slumping forward, resting my forehead against the table. I lay there, completely drained of all energy, hoping against hope that Krad would change his mind and let me stay in control, if only for a little longer. Krad backed off after a few seconds, almost completely vanishing from my thoughts. I gasped as I felt the heavy weight lift off of my chest, and I felt lighter than I had felt since I had been joined with Krad. He was still there, however, and I could tell that he wasn't comfortable with how something was playing out. He scoffed, coming up close to the surface again, slowly.

"Krad?"

"Something's not right,"</b> he commented, a truly questioning tone in his voice. "I can sense that Dark is here, and I can sense that Satoshi Hiwatari is here as well. But they are in different sections of the house. And that means… "</b>

Krad smirked, and forced his way to the surface. It didn't take long for him to gain control; I was so tired right now that I couldn't resist him if I tried. Once again I found myself surrounded by a golden hue. It seemed so different from the violet one that I was used to…

"We have to get Master Daisuke somewhere else in the house," said Krad, speaking to Mr. Hiwatari. "Dark and Satoshi have split up, and if Dark finds Master Daisuke and us when Satoshi is not here…"

Mr. Hiwatari chuckled and waved a hand dismissively, still sipping his sake.

Krad scoffed, obviously angry that Mr. Hiwatari hadn't answered him directly. But he let it slide and took off down the hall, heading for the basement of the house. He knew the perfect spot to wait for Dark.
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Satoshi

I walked down the hall, the sound of my footsteps the only thing I could hear. The cold black Grach, a gift from Dark, was in my hands. It was loaded and on fire. Even though guns were illegal in Japan, even for police officers, we both thought that it was best to have one handy. Dark had agreed to search the lower level of the house alone, since that was where Daisuke most likely was. Meanwhile, I had decided to do a clean sweep of the entire upper level of the house. I had started with the second floor, and hadn't found anything suspicious. And I was halfway through the ground floor now, when I saw a light on in my father's study. The door was slightly open.

I held on to the gun tight, sliding up next to the door and looking through the crack. It was the cold season, and the fireplace was going. I couldn't see much besides that; there was the desk and two chairs, but everything else was out of view. I gritted my teeth, bringing my gun up in front of me. After taking a few steadying breaths, I slammed the door open, sweeping the gun around every inch of the room. There was no one there. Not noticing anything unusual, I stepped into the center of the room and up to the table. There was dinner for two here, but only one glass, filled with water.

I heard a small click and felt something sharp suddenly hit me in the back of the neck. My vision flickered briefly as I brought a hand to my neck and spun around, my legs giving out underneath of me. I felt the feathered tufts of a dart embedded in my neck, the tip too far in for me to dig out alone.

I heard my father chuckle dryly, and saw him walk into the room and set the dart gun on the desk. He looked down on me with scorn, then tipped the rest of his drink on me.

I spluttered and gasped, cold sake running in rivulets down my face. How anyone could stand to drink something like that was beyond me; I had only tried it a few times, but it was far too strong for my tastes. I lazily brought a hand up and managed to wipe most of the wine away, but it wouldn't all come off so easily. "What do you need me for?" I asked, bringing up the gun, my finger already on the trigger.

My father kicked the gun out of my grip, and it landed on the other side of the room, out of my reach.

I looked after it in despair, knowing full well that my last chance of getting out of here had just been taken from me. "What do you want with me?!" I asked again, struggling to get up; the drugs were starting to go into effect.

The Police Chief knelt down and cupped my chin in his right hand, bringing my face closer to his. "You do know about what happened regarding Krad and Daisuke, don't you?"

I grimaced, repulsed by the strong scent of sake. "Yes, but Dark wanted to confirm it."

My father let go of my chin and stood, making my head fall back a bit roughly. "Well, then you know that he won't want to be anywhere near Daisuke at this moment. On the other hand, I've heard that you are someone he has grown quite fond of, Satoshi."

I scoffed. "He doesn't give a damn about me." I felt guilty when I said that, because I knew it wasn't true. Dark had told me himself not to worry, and that he would protect me, no matter what. And I believed him.

"Let's find out. We'll see if he comes for you or not," said my father, grabbing me by the collar and dragging me up to the second floor.

I must have blacked out for some time, because the next thing I knew I was in the upper study of the house, my hands cuffed behind my back. The first thing I noticed was that something smelled funny. The next thing that I noticed was that I was lying in a puddle of gasoline. I pushed against the floor with my sneakers, getting myself out of the fuel as much as I could. I managed to back into a corner of the room, but the drugs were still in my system. Just getting out of the fuel was exhausting enough, and there was no way I was going to be able to stand yet. I lay still for a few moments, focusing on keeping my breathing even and not panicking.

After a few minutes, a new smell filled the air. Smoke poured into the room from the hallway, the orange glow of flames not far behind. I hadn't quite expected something this large scale. The Police Chief intended to end it all tonight. But, surely Dark would find me in time. That is, unless Krad held him up. For all I knew, he might be…

It wasn't long before I passed out from smoke inhalation. The entire house was creaking, the foundation itself weakening by the second. The fire had started on the first floor, and had since made its way up the stairwell and into the second floor hallway. I didn't even feel the heat as the raging fire entered the room, fueled by the gasoline that was still in a pool on the floor. The angry orange flames continued undeterred, licking higher and higher up towards the ceiling. Within seconds, the room was engulfed, just as the entire house shook. The first floor suddenly fell out from under me, caving in on itself. I didn't feel anything as I dropped that one story, landing among the remains of the first floor, the ceiling of the second floor forming a cocoon around my battered, still unmoving body.