Author's Note
Everyone thank Ami endlessly for me! She is my new beta reader, and she's done a wonderful job! The chapter is much longer, and a lot better than the last two. I have two questions for you, though, since these will effect the story.
1. Do you enjoy the length of the chapter now, and have a longer length between updates? Or would you rather have shorter chapters and shorter update times?
2. Ami wanted me to use some Japanese in this chapter, but I didn't because this is written in English. If you guys want me to use some phrases from the Japanese language, I will try. (I myself don't want to, really.)
Please let me know how you feel about these questions if you have any spare time. Thank you! (By the way, I hate the QuickEdit!)
Disclaimer
I don't own DNAngel. There, are you happy now? XD
Chapter Three
Daisuke froze when he heard Satoshi's footsteps coming nearer. His brain kicked him, however, and the redhead dove for the only cover he could find. As they rounded the corner, he crouched behind a drinking fountain, waiting to be caught. Daisuke was relieved when they passed without incident.
Daisuke watched Satoshi pass by, wondering vaguely if the boy was blind. He hadn't realized that he had held his breath until the other teen had passed by, and he suddenly found he couldn't breathe. He let out a quiet whoosh of air, relieved that Satoshi hadn't noticed him.
He stood quietly, and darted quickly down the hallway towards the cell that held the thief. He hoped that his counterpart had enough sense to be quiet. Daisuke stared in at Dark with the tiniest bit of disbelief. It was an odd feeling to realize that they really had been separated. Dark stared back expectantly, drumming his fingers against the arm of his prison chair.
'This is awkward…' Daisuke thought, and half expected a teasing remark from Dark. It was strange not being connected, to be two different people.
When he felt he couldn't take staring at the teen any longer, Daisuke occupied himself with inspecting the lock. He smirked slightly with the realization that the police station's locks were out of date. Maybe he'd tell Satoshi sometime…
"Daisuke!" Dark called out suddenly, his form suddenly tense as he saw something Daisuke obviously didn't. Someone shoved the boy into the cell the rest of the way, and slammed the door behind him. He stumbled, managed to catch himself, and spun to see who had locked him in.
"Satoshi!"
Two people sat hunched around the table, looking tense and exhausted. Emiko glanced back at the doorway expectantly, but nobody came rushing in. She let out a sigh, hoping to relieve some of her nerves. Something had happened to her baby, she just knew it. Dark and Daisuke were one, not two, and she was afraid for them.
"How did this happen?" She finally asked, looking over at Daiki.
He didn't look much better than his daughter, and he jumped somewhat at her question. He had obviously been lost in his thoughts, mulling over the events. However, he knew something she didn't, and she wanted him to spit it out.
"Why is this happening? This has never happened before!"
Daiki hesitated to answer, before letting out a brief sigh. "Emiko, do you know anything about the Looking Glass?"
The woman shook her head silently.
"The Looking Glass was actually one of the newest pieces of art made before the cultural reform. I sometimes wonder what they were think when the necklace was made…" He trailed off for a moment, before jumping back to his lecture, "Anyway, the Looking Glass shows a person's true self. For us, it'd just show us. However, if either Dark or Daisuke looked into the mirror, they would see their other half."
"But why were they separated?"
"The mirror broke."
"What will happen to them now?" Emiko continued to question.
"Well… This has never happened before, so I'm not sure… However, I do think there are going to be some definite consequences to this separation. We should try to return the two to one body soon."
"Soon?"
"Yes… We don't know what will happen to them if they don't return to one body."
Emiko and Daiki grew quiet again.
"Where's Daisuke and Dark? I know Daisuke couldn't have been caught…"
Daisuke sat in the chair once occupied by Dark, frowning deeply as he stared at the door of their cell. He had tried multiple times to get past the lock, but it was a little difficult when he couldn't see what he was doing. The boy let out a sigh, and glanced at Dark who was pacing.
He couldn't help but marvel at the fact that they were separate. It was odd, seeing his alter ego pace around and around, with him across the room. Nobody had been back since Satoshi locked him in, and it felt like hours. Eventually someone would have to come back and check on them… They had to escape before that happened.
Satoshi wasn't stupid enough to allow them to stay in the same cell for long. Dark stopped pacing to look at the younger boy, and noticed him staring. He wandered to the cell door, where he peered down at the lock unhappily. Finally giving up on figuring out how to get the door open through the lock, he leaned against the door, and looked over at Dai.
It wasn't much fun being separate from Daisuke… He felt empty without his other half.
"What are we going to do?" Daisuke asked faintly, and shifted in the uncomfortable chair.
"Wait for a convenient time to escape," Dark replied, "We can't stay here forever."
"Satoshi won't keep us in the same place, you know."
"So, when he comes to move us, we'll escape then."
"That's not much of a plan…"
"Do you have any better ideas?" Dark was obviously not in the mood for an argument. He'd dropped all pretenses of being arrogant, and that left a very ornery alter ego.
The pair heaved a great sigh simultaneously, and glanced towards the doorway leading into the room surrounding their prison.
"What?" Riku and Risa exclaimed at once, their heads swiveling to look at Takeshi.
"That's right! Dark was captured, and SOMEBODY tried to help him escape!"
"Who?" Risa asked worriedly.
Takeshi seemed to deflate slightly, "I don't know. The police won't let even the tiniest hint out. Not even my own father will tell me."
"Well, I hope both of them are put in prison for a LONG time," Riku huffed.
"Riku! Why would you say such a thing?"
Riku glanced across at her sister, and sighed. Of course Risa wouldn't want her saying anything bad about Dark. The girl made a small face, and rolled her eyes.
"I don't understand you, Risa."
"You know what's weird though?" Takeshi butted into the conversation once more.
"What?" Riku gave Takeshi a suspicious look.
"Daisuke isn't at school today."
"So? He could be sick," Riku said casually.
"You're probably right… But how often does Daisuke get sick?"
Riku counted the times in her head, finally coming to the nervous conclusion he'd only been sick twice in two years.
"I'll check on him after school, just to make sure," Takeshi decided out loud.
From the outside, the house looked deserted. None of the usual strange sounds came from the house, nor any normal sounds. In fact, the house looked deserted. The morning newspaper was still resting on the steps, and none of the windows had been opened.
Takeshi knocked on the door a few times, listening intently for any sounds that he usually heard when someone ran to answer the door. He didn't hear clanking, or whir of chains he usually heard. The boy frowned, and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. What was going on?
The woman that answered the door looked nothing like the Emiko he knew. She seemed overly nervous, even though she smiled widely at the boy. He noticed dark circles under her eyes, and it looked as if she was wearing the same clothes as the day before. They were wrinkly, something he never saw when it came to this woman.
"Hello. Is Daisuke sick? I brought home his work, just in case."
"Oh, thank you! I'd invite you in to see him, but he's asleep right now," Emiko replied brightly, and her smile widened falsely.
He only had time for a farewell before the door was closed in his face, and he heard hurried footsteps down the hallway.
"That was weird…" Takeshi said suspiciously, and raised an eyebrow, "I'll have to investigate further!"
The television in the Niwa home droned on and on. Emiko and Daiki (!) were sitting on the couch, listening intently as the reporter re-told the capture of Dark. What they really wanted to hear, however, came in the sort of news they didn't want to hear.
"An Azumano middle school student, Daisuke Niwa, was captured while attempting to free Phantom Thief Dark early this morning. He will be held at the same police station, and tried as an accomplice."
The reporter continued on, even though Emiko had a hard time following what was said further. She felt numb, as if it didn't truly matter Daisuke and Dark were both in jail. She didn't know until later that she had cried then. Daiki held her tightly, a frown making his wrinkles seem even deeper than they were.
'What has Daisuke done to deserve so much pain?' Daiki pondered.
Neither person saw the white demon hopping into view. He looked as if he wanted to do something.
"Kyuu!"
"Won't they ever leave us alone?" Daisuke whined slightly, and pressed his face against the cool bars of the chamber.
The day had dragged on and on; police had come in to gawk at them all day. Of course, they were teased when nobody was paying attention. Daisuke had taken up Dark's task of pacing after the last bout of staring, but had stopped finally when it was apparent pacing wouldn't do any good. Instead, he decided he'd bug Dark.
"Of course they won't. I've never been caught before, so everyone wants to get a glimpse of me," Dark responded arrogantly as he tilted the chair Dai had occupied earlier.
'He's always so arrogant!' Daisuke thought furiously, and glared bitterly at his counterpart. The bed caught his eye, and he realized there was only one. 'Well, I'm getting it first!'
With that, he leaped for it. It definitely wasn't his bed at home. Broken springs popped up to skewer him, and he groaned. For just a moment he wished he hadn't just did what he had. Then he realized he had the bed. It had to be better than the cold cement floor!
Dark glanced over at him, and raised an eyebrow somewhat. 'What's he thinking just jumping onto the bed like that?'
Avoiding the broken springs gingerly, Daisuke finally found a less painful spot to spread out across. The sheets smelled of sweaty, dirty people, and the boy crinkled his nose. Maybe the floor would be better… A small, scratching sound made him glance towards the windowsill.
Resting behind the bars was none other than Wiz!
"Wiz!" Daisuke pushed himself up, despite the springs, and pulled his friend off the sill. "What are you doing here, Wiz?"
"Kyuu!" Wiz responded, and Dai sighed. Of course the little white monster couldn't respond without changing. And that couldn't really happen when someone could walk in at any second.
The reunion was short-lived, however, as a certain periwinkle haired boy waltzed in. Wiz scurried beneath the bed to hide. Daisuke gave Satoshi a look, telling the boy that he felt betrayed by what he'd done. Of course, he couldn't be truly mad at the other boy.
Dark sat a little straighter when Satoshi came in, and glared at him frostily, "What now?"
"I'm not stupid enough to keep you two together," he stated matter-of-factly, and gave Dark the coldest look Daisuke had ever seen… Other than when he saw Krad.
A pair of policemen marched in moments later, as Satoshi opened the lock. Daisuke glanced towards Dark, wondering what the boy was planning. He wasn't prepared when Dark grabbed his wrist and dragged him through the open door of their chamber.
"Wiz, hurry it up!"
The little white ball of fur chased after the fleeing pair. Dark let go of Daisuke long enough to shove the overly buff police out of the way of their escape. Satoshi simply stared, as if he had known they were going to try and escape.
Leaving the room, Dark felt his spirits rise. There was no way they could capture him again! Even if he had to tote around Daisuke, the boy knew how to take care of himself most of the time. What they were met with left both boys silent, and a lot less arrogant than moments before.
The entire police force seemed to be piled into the small station, and every single one of them had their gun pointed at the pair. Daisuke gulped, and felt a bit of panic at the thought of trying to escape the guns. Dark easily fell back into his old habits, and smirked at the crowded room.
'As long as Daisuke stays behind me, nothing will go wrong!' Dark thought confidently. And then he charged. Everybody was too shocked to realize what was happening. Dark shoved a few men and women out of the way, leaving a miniscule path through the mobs of people.
Daisuke could only stand and stare as Dark did some of the stupidest stunts ever. One of the smarter canon fodder pulled out his nightstick and swung at Dark. The boy refused to try and dodge, but rather ended up pulling it from the man's hand.
For the average person, Dark Mousy looked like a purple streak as he charged through the entrance. The police had forgotten about Daisuke already, and chased after Dark wildly. Billowing smoke filled the entrance, and panicked shouts assailed Daisuke's ears.
Daisuke saw a window, and realized that was how he should escape. Dark was waiting for him, no doubt. He leapt to open the window, Wiz following close behind. The pair made it as far as climbing onto the sill before a hand grabbed Daisuke's arm and yanked him back in.
'Krad? In the middle of a police station?' Daisuke thought, panic rising again. He obviously didn't care where he was before changing.
The taller man stared down, coldly at Daisuke, and left the boy feeling chilled. Wiz, unnoticed by Krad, hopped from the window. It was obvious that Daisuke needed Dark's help. As for Krad, he seemed to be looking straight through Daisuke's and inspecting his innermost thoughts. He finally seemed to reach a conclusion to whatever he was thinking about.
It was then Dark made his appearance, and in his rush to get Dark away from Krad, swung a fist in the other's direction. Krad was forced to dodge, and gave the thief enough time to drag a shocked Daisuke out of harm's way.
That was when he remembered his magic, and smirked arrogantly. 'Daisuke and I are separate now… I can use my magic without hurting him!' Dark thought triumphantly.
Krad, in a calm sort of way, shot a bolt of white magic at the pair. Daisuke ducked, and Dark dodged. The redhead reached up to feel the top of his head, hoping his hair hadn't been singed. He didn't have much time to worry, though, since Dark and Krad continued slinging magic at one another.
"Kyuu!"
Daisuke glanced over at the demon, glad he had gone to get Dark, before charging through the window. He fell roughly on the ground, though, when he realized Krad was looking right at him. Flashes of purple and yellow light shot through the police station, and he realized he wasn't the only one watching the 'show'. The police hadn't worked up enough courage to charge in because they didn't know what was going on.
'Great!' Daisuke thought with a small grin.
Dark hopped through the window moments later, but rather than wait for Daisuke's brain to catch up, he continued running. Daisuke took only a moment before his brain kicked him, and the redhead chased after the thief. The police station was streets away before Dark finally stopped. Daisuke was panting slightly, and leaned against a building.
Wasn't it Dark's job to do all the running? He watched as Wiz changed into Dark's wings, shocked at Dark's actions.
"Wait? Why did we run all the way here, if all you wanted to do was fly?"
"The police don't know about Wiz," Dark replied lazily, and glanced over at his counterpart. He contemplated how much Wiz could carry, before deciding the demon could probably carry both of them.
The thief grabbed Daisuke, and grinned mischievously as an 'eep' escaped his friend. Daisuke wasn't prepared when he was lifted up, bridal style, and felt his stomach drop when Dark's feet left the ground. This was a different experience than when he was sitting in the back of their mind.
"What happened to Krad? Is Satoshi okay?" Daisuke asked finally.
"Krad changed back to your creepy friend," Dark replied.
"That smoke I saw earlier… How'd you do that?"
"Magic."
Daisuke would have called his friend a liar, except that he had seen his magic before. Exhaustion caught up with the boy suddenly; he hadn't slept in nearly two days. The teen forced down a yawn, hoping not to fall asleep. That would be awkward explaining to his mother later on.
"What are you doing?" Dark questioned incredulously.
"I don't want you to drop me," Daisuke explained as he wrapped his arm's around Dark's neck.
"Why would I? You're lighter than Wiz!" Dark exaggerated, but his statement fell on deaf ears. Daisuke had already fallen asleep.
Dark sighed, and said a little wistfully, "If only youwere Riku, Daisuke."