Mother\'s Embrace

AN: It’s been a rather long time – at least for my usual timing – since I’ve updated anything. The thing is that someone broke into my apartment a few weeks ago and attacked me… Anyway, I haven’t been able to sit at my computer, which is where I was at the time, long enough to get any writing done. I’m still jumping at certain sounds, but I can actually write, now, so I’ll start updating again. I hope those of you who are reading one or more of my fics aren’t put off by the somewhat prolonged absence and will continue to read. I generally answer reviews, but I have too many fics to update, so until next time, I really appreciate all the positive feedback I’ve received for this so far.

Warnings: Slight Language

Disclaimer: I don’t own DNAngel. Also, the school project Daisuke and Satoshi are working on together is a plot point that I did not come up with; it’s from splitpersona.


Internal Dialogue
Daisuke to Dark [Dark to Daisuke]
Satoshi to Krad [Krad to Satoshi]

Chapter 1

“It’s over,” was the quiet statement from one Hiwatari Satoshi as he looked towards the ruins that had once housed the artwork created by his ancestor. A low hum of agreement was the only reply from the unusually silent redhead standing next to him on the cliff’s edge. The bluenette knew better, though; Daisuke was obviously conversing with Dark, much in the same way he had been talking to Krad only minutes before. Both teens had been beyond shocked to learn that the two beings spawned from the Black Wings had managed to escape its destruction, having thought they were trapped inside at the time. Daisuke had been devastated, whereas Satoshi had only felt infinite relief, at the death of the last remaining, active Hikari artwork. It was only after the Harada twins departed did they realize that they still felt the presence of their ‘other halves’ lingering in the back of their minds. They had nearly simultaneously collapsed to their knees, though for very different reasons. The crimson eyed youth was overjoyed at the realization that Dark was still with him while Satoshi could only feel the last of his strength drain at the mere thought of having to continue the painfully relentless mental battles he was sure to face so long as the blonde angel continued to dwell within him. Imagine the surprise he felt when he realized that all the previous malice that Krad constantly projected was completely gone.

The two sat on the cliff side for an indeterminate amount of time as they listened to the final piece of the puzzle surrounding the Black Wings being placed. There had been some details that absolutely no one other than Dark or Krad knew, and only after they had been freed from its curse could they even remember. Their ancestors, Hikari and Niwa alike, had made sure that future generations would never find the truth behind the creation of the sinister artwork. The story’s beginning was anything but that which either Satoshi or Daisuke had been told. Krad and Dark had not been born from the sculpture as was presently believed by the rivaling families. Rather, they had been the joint creation of the children of the Niwa and Hikari. As the long forgotten tale unfolded, they learned of the relationship between Niwa Kaihei and Hikari Yamato, the children of the rival families. The irony of the whole situation was made clear when Dark and Krad recounted what had occurred once said families discovered the forbidden romance between the two young men. Against all odds, Niwa and Hikari united to spurn the young lovers by creating the infamous Black Wings, intending to end what they considered to be an outrage, not only in a social sense, but for what was considered betrayal to their respective families. The Black Wings had been created for the sole purpose of destroying any affection between the two young men. Something had gone wrong during the ceremony to activate its power, though, and they had lost their lives to the spell being cast.

What neither side had known was that while the two young adults had died in body, their souls remained, pulled from their forms by the spell and trapped within the Black Wings. In the next generation of Hikari and Niwa, something happened that triggered the release of their souls into their fourteen year old descendents, however, they had been corrupted by the time spent in the cursed artwork. Neither Krad nor Dark had yet to tell their most recent counterparts the strangest twist, though. The identical look of shock on the two teens’ faces when they found out was almost simultaneous; Dark was the soul of Hikari Yamato while Krad was that of Niwa Kaihei. Whatever force that had caused the two ‘angels’ to merge with the DNA of the two families had also driven them to the opposite family line. After that, nothing more was said between the teens and their counterparts until Satoshi had stated that it was over with an air of finality.

“Dark wants to talk to Krad,” Daisuke eventually spoke after coming out the internal conversation. The bluenette nodded.

“Krad wants the same thing,” he stated. “I told him it would have to wait until we were somewhere where no one would see us transform.”

“You’re okay with that?” the crimson eyed teen questioned. He understood that the curse of the Black Wings had been lifted, but he wasn’t so certain that his friend could really get over the past few months of forced transformations so quickly.

“Yeah,” Satoshi responded truthfully. “I know it seems strange,” he continued, “but it’s different, now. I can actually feel his intentions, and he seems more the way you’ve described your bond with Dark. It’s… comfortable.” The redhead smiled at the words; he could feel a difference as well, though it probably wasn’t nearly as profound as the other’s. For him, it was more like he could tell that Dark was really at peace now that he didn’t have to hate Krad so much. [That’s exactly what it is, Dai.] The young man smiled once again before throwing a look to the blue eyed teen, and the two left to find some place where they could let the two lovers reunite.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The pendant was small and obviously had been made with the skill only found in an experienced artist. Emiko could practically feel the emotion radiating from it, which is what had spurred her to purchase it in the first place. She had every intention to seal it so that whatever powers it held would never cause problems for anyone, but something kept her from doing so. As she looked over the intricate design, she realized that it had to be a part of some larger piece of work. It looked as if it would fit into something, but she had never heard of any artwork that was missing a piece like this, and she was one of the foremost authorities on art in the world whether anyone knew it or not. The more she studied the beautiful, silver pendant with its elaborate carvings on the front, the less she remembered her original intentions. By the time she was home, it was hanging from her neck, hidden from the world beneath her shirt.

“Mom,” Daisuke’s soft voice greeted her in the hallway. “I’m working on a school project with Satoshi tonight.” Despite the fact that the Hikari heir had graduated high school at an uncommonly young age, he had wanted a chance at a relatively normal life. Hence, he was attending classes regularly and socializing with the other students, Daisuke in particular. “I’ll call if we ended up working late.” The redhead didn’t see it, but for a split second, Emiko’s eyes flashed with a sudden, irrational anger. What was that? She asked herself. I never get angry for no reason…

“Be careful,” she replied. “I don’t like the fact that you’re spending so much time with him. Krad may be gone, but he’s still not someone you should trust.” That’s not what I was going to say. Emiko was completely confused; never once had she considered Satoshi to be any kind of threat to her son. It had always been Krad. And that blonde demon has been gone for over two weeks, now. She walked off to the bedroom she shared with her husband without waiting for Daisuke’s reply.

Dark? Did you hear what she said? [Yeah. I’ve never heard anything like that from her before, and she hasn’t had any problems with you spending time with Satoshi before.] I know; I wonder why she has a problem with it now. Not even when she knew Krad was around did she discourage me from being his friend. The dark haired thief gave a mental shrug, signaling that he didn’t know either. Shaking his head once and determining that his mother was just having an off day, Daisuke left his house and made his way to the penthouse Satoshi lived in.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

After we’re finished working, Dai and I will let you and Dark physically spend some time together. It is nice to know that you can communicate with one another when you’re not talking to us, though… Especially since the same holds true for us. [This is very true. It is incredibly dull to sit in the back of someone’s mind all day with nothing to do but think. And I know you’re still trying to win him over, so it works all the better for you that you’re the only one he can talk to while Dark and I are out]. Don’t start with that again, Krad. Daisuke is my friend above all else, and he’s dating the elder Harada, anyway. Satoshi could just ‘see’ Krad rolling his cat-like eyes at the age-old argument. They both knew the bluenette was fooling himself and that he was just waiting for the day that Daisuke would realize what Dark had already confirmed. The redhead just hadn’t looked deep into himself enough to know that he wasn’t really happy dating ‘Miss Harada’, as he called her. In fact, the only time he was truly content, according to the thief, was when he spent time with Satoshi. The blue-eyed teen was patient, though, so he would wait for Daisuke to determine his feelings in his own time. A knock sounding from the door interrupted his musings. As expected, the redhead was on the other side of the door, smiling brightly at his best friend.

“Are you ready to start on the art project, Daisuke?” Satoshi asked. “Or do you want to have something to eat first?” The crimson-eyed youth stepped through the open door and removed his shoes before responding.

“Actually,” he started. “I’m anxious to work on the project. Something to drink would be nice, though.” The bluenette nodded and the two made their way down the long hallway, through the living room and into the kitchen.

“Water, juice, tea, soda,” Satoshi ticked off the choices as he looked in the refrigerator.

“Water’s fine,” was the distracted answer as Daisuke was already deep in thought, brainstorming for their newly assigned project. A glass full of the requested beverage was placed in front of him, causing him to look up, offering a smile in thanks.

“So,” the bluenette began. “I was thinking we could do one of two things.” He paused making sure he had his friend’s full attention. “One, we could each do something separately using the same theme. Two, we could work together on a larger scale, creating something that would combine our unique talents.” He was pleased to see that Daisuke was giving both ideas serious thought and not answering immediately. It had taken him a great deal of thought to come to the conclusion that combining their skills for one, impressive work of art would be the best. Now, the redhead just needed to come to the same conclusion.

“I think,” the crimson eyed teen spoke after several minutes. “I think it would be better if we put our talents together. I’d already given the possibility some thought, and I believe that while it will be more difficult, it will definitely be better quality than trying to merge two separate works into one.” Blue hair moved slightly as Satoshi nodded in agreement, a whisper of a smile forming on his lips.

“That’s exactly what I thought,” he replied with no little excitement. “Do you have any ideas for the subject matter or the medium?”

“I have a few half-formed thoughts as to what we could do, but I definitely think we should paint.” Daisuke replied without pause. With the blending of Satoshi’s sharp, perfectionist painting style with his softer, freestyle, the painting would easily show all the contrasts of the two artists while at the same time display how well they complimented each other. The redhead said as much, and the blue-eyed boy agreed wholeheartedly.

“I think oil paints, specifically, would be the best choice as they’re so versatile,” the bluenette stated, to which Daisuke nodded. Not much else was said for the next couple of hours as they sketched out ideas at the kitchen table, only occasionally throwing out half-formed thoughts to one another until they finally settled on the perfect subject to paint.

“And I think I know what we should call it,” the redhead stated causing Satoshi to raise a curious eyebrow.

“We haven’t even painted it yet, and you already have a title?” The excited grin on Daisuke’s face more than answered the question, but he nodded anyway.

“We’ll call it ‘Light’s Darkness’,” he replied, shy pride written all over his face. Blue eyes widened in surprise; it really was the only title that would suit the as of yet to be created artwork.

“You’re absolutely correct;” Satoshi complimented his friend. “That title will be perfect for the painting no matter how it turns out.” He paused for a few moments, standing and stretching before speaking again. “So we can start working on the preliminary sketches tomorrow night. Now, though, I think we should let Krad and Dark out. It’s been several days since they’ve had a chance to actually see each other.”

“Right,” the redhead agreed. Without any further prompting, the two teens pictured the ones in their minds who would trigger the change. Satoshi didn’t even need to close his eyes as he was standing right in front of him. Unknown to the bluenette, and unrealized by Daisuke, the redhead only looked to his friend, as well. Seconds later, the taller forms of Dark and Krad stood in their places. Wasting no time, the blonde found himself with an armful of the dark thief.

“I missed you, too,” Krad teased lightly. The only reply Dark could have made was swallowed when their lips met and completely molded together as they had so many generations ago.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I can’t believe we finally finished it,” Daisuke commented with more than enough enthusiasm for the four of them. [It’s perfect, Dai. You can hardly tell it was done by two people, the styles blend together so well.] Thanks, Dark.

“Two months well spent,” Satoshi admired the painting where it leaned against the wall in his studio; they had spent every free moment working on it since the project had begun. “And just in time as we have to hand it in next week.” [This work of art is a great honor to both Dark and myself. Thank you and Daisuke both.] The cerulean eyed teen smiled at the words from Krad before turning his attention outwards. “Daisuke,” he got the other boy’s attention, drawing him out of his conversation with Dark.

“Yeah?” the redhead looked away from the painting over to his friend.

“We’re going to have to seal it,” he reminded his best friend. “Given the fact that I’m a Hikari by blood and that you’ve demonstrated the ability to bring artwork to life, it would be reckless not to do so.”

“I know,” Daisuke sighed. “It’s just sad that we have to do this before it even has a chance to really live.” Sympathetic blue eyes lined with gold looked to the redhead. He’s so compassionate, especially when it comes to something like this. His memory was replaying what he knew of Daisuke’s experience with the ‘Second Hand of Time’. His friend had told him of what had happened, how the artwork had acted so selflessly, if not foolishly, to help the two youths who had requested its aid. It seemed as though Krad was thinking along the same lines as he made a suggestion to the bluenette.

“Why don’t we wait until after the exhibition at school,” Satoshi voiced the blonde’s idea. Grateful crimson orbs met blue as a smile formed on Daisuke’s face. That look alone is worth the risk. The bluenette noted to his other half.

“Really?” the redhead asked hopefully. At the affirmative nod, Daisuke turned to fully face the taller teen and wrapped his arms around him, hugging him in the spur of the moment. “Thank you, Sato!” Despite his initial shock to the somewhat intimate gesture, Satoshi couldn’t help but return the embrace. Definitely worth the risk. He repeated to which Krad smiled from the area he occupied in Satoshi’s mind. It had actually been Dark’s suggestion; he had simply relayed it to the blue eyed teen in hopes that something like this would happen. They weren’t exactly playing matchmaker, but a little pushing here and there couldn’t hurt.

“That does remind me of something I wanted to talk to you about,” Daisuke’s tone was serious moments after they had released one another. At the inquisitive look from the bluenette, he continued. “There’s still a lot of art that will be dangerous unless it’s sealed. I’ve talked to Dark about it, and he agrees that we should start taking care of it.”

“Everyone thinks Dark is gone, though,” Satoshi reasoned though he agreed with the concept. “You wouldn’t be able to use the same methods as you did before.” The redhead nodded his agreement.

“We were thinking more along the lines of simple ‘breaking-and-entering’,” he proposed. “There wouldn’t be any stealing involved, nor would there be any announcements. We just go in, seal the work and leave.” Satoshi rolled the idea around in his head, getting Krad’s opinion on it, before answering.

“I think,” he started. “That, that would work. This way, Krad and I could help, as well.”

“That’s what we were thinking,” the redhead informed him. “I’m glad you two will help us. Not only will it be more fun,” somehow, that sounded more like Dark than Daisuke to Satoshi. “But we won’t have to sneak around my mother since we can just work from here.” The bluenette nodded his agreement to that assessment, which brought his thoughts to something that had been worrying him lately.

“Speaking of your mother,” he began. “Are things getting any better?” At the question, wine-colored eyes took on a sad, distant look.

“No,” was the quiet reply. “If anything, it’s gotten worse.” Satoshi could tell the redhead was starting to retreat into himself, something he’d been doing a great deal of over the last couple of weeks. Seconds later, Dark stood in front of him in place of his friend.

“He’s taking it really hard,” the indigo haired angel informed him. “For as long as he can remember, Emiko has never spoken to him with eve a hint of malice. He doesn’t understand what he’s done to make her so angry with him. What really has him upset is that she’s continually giving him shit you. That’s why whenever you ask him about it, he hides.”

“I don’t understand,” the blue eyed teen was confused. “Is he upset with me because of the things his mother says?” Dark shook his head.

“No,” he replied. “He feels guilty, like it’s somehow his fault. He doesn’t want you o hate him for it.” The words were spoken softly with immense concern for the redhead.

“I could never…” Satoshi nearly shouted his disbelief. Lowering his voice, he tried again. “It’s not his fault. Can you ask him if he’ll talk to me about it?” The ex-thief nodded and closed his eyes. Re-opening the purple orbs, he sighed.

“I can’t reach him,” he explained. “I think he’s gone to the place where Krad and I meet when we’re not out.”

“Okay,” the bluenette thought for a moment. “I’ll see if Krad can find him.” Krad? [I heard. I’ll see if I can talk to him.] Thanks. “Krad’s going to see if he can talk to Dai.” Having nothing left to do but wait, the two walked across the room to the table holding numerous preliminary sketches and sat down.

“Do you have any idea why she hates me so much?” Satoshi questioned softly as he leaned his face into his hand.

“No,” Dark’s voice was subdued. “The only thing I can tell you is that it started the day you two began this project. There was no indication that it would happen. Since then, she’s gone from subtly trying to push him away from you to outright badmouthing you.” The blue eyed teen sighed in frustration; he had definitely become a more emotional youth since the war between Dark and Krad had ended, and it had never been more apparent than at this moment. He was extremely worried about how Emiko was acting and not for his own sake; her behavior was definitely taking its toll on his best friend, the one he cared for more than life itself.

“I hope Krad can get through to him since he’s shutting the two of us out,” was the only thing Satoshi could say. The rest of the afternoon was filled with a silence thick with worry as they waited for Daisuke to come out of hiding.

TBC
End of Chapter Notes: I’m saving the description of the painting for a little later, just so everyone knows. Next chapter will pick up right where this left off with Krad and Daisuke talking. Next chapter will also pick up the pace with some action and a nice DarkxKrad Lemon. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews are always welcomed.