Live Through

A/N: Based off of the show, not the manga. This is of course AU, since it changes things at the end.

Live Through by Amity Bell

Daisuke stared forlornly out the window next to his desk, thoughts straying to the last time he'd seen Hiwatari. It was before the Second Hand of Time brought him into Freedert's world. A pang went through his chest at the thought of Freedert, and his hand in her end.

'It wasn't your fault, Daisuke, you saved them,' Dark's whisper rang through his mind.

'Mm, I know,' Daisuke thought to himself, not cheered by the thought. He paused for a minute.

'Ne, Dark, do you think we'll see Hiwatari again?' he thought at Dark this time.

'Of course. He's the proverbial thorn in the lion's paw,' the thief snorted.

Daisuke cracked a tiny smile and went back to staring out the window, until Riku came and stood next to his desk.

"Are you feeling better, Niwa?" she asked, eyes flooded with concern. The image of the redhead's tear-stained face hadn't left her, and Daisuke hadn't told her what had caused him to be so hurt.

"Yes, Riku!" he said, turning to her with a brilliant smile. "That was beautiful snow, wasn't it?"

Riku smiled back, reassured. "I'm sure it had something to do with Freedert," she said softly. The bell rang, forcing her to go back to her seat after one last searching look at Daisuke.

He spent most of his day staring out the window or distracting himself with the daily routine. It wasn't until he was walking back home that he had a chance to really reflect again. Dark quickly pulled him out of his gloom.

'Daisuke, isn't that Hiwatari running up ahead?' Dark gave him a mental nudge. He looked up to see that it really was Satoshi, and quickly broke into a run after him.

'I wonder what's going on?'

'Feh, probably another plot to catch me. It can't be the greatest idea to follow him. Remember what Krad did the last ti--'

'I know, but I just want to make sure nothing's wrong! He won't see me,' Daisuke thought back, running a little faster. As they kept going, the route became familiar to Dark until finally it was apparent where they were going.

'Daisuke! Stop! We have to go back...We're going to the Hikari's tower, where Krad tried to kill us. You have to listen to me!' Dark scolded his other half.

"Ok! Ok! I'll stop," Daisuke yelled out, then froze as he realized he'd yelled out loud. Satoshi had stopped just as suddenly as he had, and was gazing back at him with those cold blue eyes. The other boy started walking towards him, and Daisuke backed up a few steps, unsure of whether Satoshi was really himself at that moment.

"Hi...Hiwatari-kun?" Daisuke managed nervously as Satoshi stopped a few feet away from him.

"What are you doing, Niwa-kun?"

"I...I saw you running, and I wondered if maybe something was wrong. I haven't seen you lately, not since during the class put on Ice and Snow." Daisuke had glanced away, but now looked straight at Satoshi. "Is everything ok?" Satoshi smiled gently, fears about Dark telling Daisuke to chase him down gone now.

"You're always so innocent, Niwa-kun." His expression turned serious. "You have to be careful. Krad..." His eyes seemed full of pain to Daisuke. Satoshi turned his back on the other's concerned expression. "Just get out of here and stop following me. I'll be fine." Daisuke reached a hand toward Satoshi, but thought better of it and dropped it, nodding and turning to walk away. Thinking of one last thing to say, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder.

"If there's anything you need, let me know please, Hiwatari-kun. I'll be glad to help." Satoshi choked in pain and Daisuke turned around to go towards him. "Hiwatari-kun!"

'No!' Dark yelled sharply in Daisuke's mind. 'Daisuke, it's Krad! We have to go!'

'But Hiwatari-kun--'

'Will be fine, now run!' Dark yelled as Satoshi collapsed to his knees and screamed. 'He doesn't have any control over Krad, remember?!' Daisuke finally turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. 'Please be okay, Hiwatari-kun!' he prayed in his mind. The redhead kept running until he reached Freedert's fountain; he stopped to catch his breath, leaning forward and clutching his knees to keep his balance. He didn't have time to react as Dark screamed out in his mind, 'Krad's here!!' A pair of painfully strong hands gripped him by his arm and slung him into the fountain.

He caught the lip of the stone holding the water in place with his temple and splashed into the water, pain exploding in his head so strongly that he couldn't see for a moment. The hands grabbed him again just as his vision cleared to see the blue water laced with red, but this time they had him by the neck and effortlessly lifted him out of the water. Krad's eyes glared from above his cruel smile, boring straight into Daisuke's own red eyes.

'Daisuke, swap with me now! You can't handle him,' Dark pleaded. Daisuke tried to focus, his mind swimming from the pain and lungs screaming for air, but it was too much. Krad laughed and dumped him back into the fountain, holding him under while he struggled, fingers scraping at the angel's wrists. No visions of Riku would come to him, his whole being focused on simply surviving. Just as he could feel his limbs finally giving out, no longer able to follow his commands, Dark pushed himself to the fore the same way Krad had to Satoshi. Daisuke's mind reeled from the new pain, and he struggled against Dark thoughtlessly, only aware that he wasn't in control of himself anymore.

Dark used his magic to blow Krad off of him and leaped out of the fountain.

"With!" he screamed out, body weak from Daisuke's injuries. The wings sprouted on his back and he took to the air, soaring over the beach towards the Niwa home, heart beating as he felt for Krad's presence with his mind. Daisuke was still screaming in his mind and trying to push him back out of his body. Just as Dark felt Krad coming up behind him, Daisuke gave an exceptionally strong push. 'Daisuke, don't!' Dark was paralyzed as he receded back into Daisuke's mind and the boy's body once again became his own. Krad's attack hit him fullbore in the back, sending both the redhead and With plummeting to the water below.

The ice-cold water snapped Daisuke out of his pain and he gasped, only to get a lungful of sea water. He struggled against the pain as he saw Krad splash into the water above him. The white-winged man dove toward him and pulled him back to the surface.

"Did you think I would let you die so easily, Daisuke? Oh no...You deserve much worse," he ranted at the boy who was slipping in and out of consciousness. "I will make you scream, will make you beg for death!" he laughed.

'Please, Daisuke, focus!' Dark yelled in the redhead's mind, forcing him to stay conscious. 'We still have a chance to get out of this...' Daisuke could barely hear him, mind overwhelmed with the assault on his senses.

Krad dragged him out onto the shore and did the CPR he'd seen Satoshi perform on the boy before, until Daisuke finally coughed out the water in his lungs. His victim's panicked gaze flickered around until landing on him and freezing. Weak or not, Daisuke tried to struggle free of his grip on his shoulders, even going so far as to bite at his wrist as Krad laughed. When he landed a hard blow to Krad's cheek with his knee, the blonde stopped laughing and snarled at him, lifting him up and slamming him back into the ground so hard the wind was knocked out of him. Krad straddled his waist, pinning Daisuke's arms to his sides and ignoring the legs kicking at his back.

Krad cupped Daisuke's fearful face in his hands and leaned forward until his mouth was right next to the boy's ear. "I will break you," he murmured, then bit down sharply on Daisuke's ear. Daisuke had frozen when Krad gripped his face, but now he screamed and redoubled his efforts to get away.

"Dark! Help me, please!" Daisuke cried out, but Krad only laughed. Dark struggled to take Daisuke's body, but the boy had weakened so much that he couldn't. 'I'm sorry, Daisuke...It's too late, your body's too weak,' Dark whispered to him. Krad bit Daisuke's neck, then ripped open the boy's shirt. The blonde took a white feather and used his magic to make it sharp as a blade. Daisuke screamed as Krad cut at his chest, thrashing about. The blonde sat back to admire his work, shifting his weight back on Daisuke's hips. Taking his chance, Daisuke ripped a hand free and scratched at Krad's eye.

He yelled out and clutched his face; Daisuke quickly pulled himself from under Krad and ran further down the beach. 'Please Dark, do it now!' the boy cried out in his mind, panicked and knowing there was nothing he could do to stop Krad if he got his hands on him again. He heard the man scream with fury behind him and urged his legs to run faster, crying from the fear now. Dark gave it his all and pushed his mind to the forefront, taking control and forcing the wings to sprout from his back. Once again he took to the air, but Krad was faster. The angel slammed into his back and they fell from the sky into the sand. Krad slammed his fist into Dark's face as hard as he could and the body once again took Daisuke's form. He wrapped his hand around Daisuke's neck, this time really trying to squeeze the life out of him. Daisuke gripped weakly at the man's hand.

"Hiwa...tari-kun," the redhead gasped out.

"He's not here! Why won't you understand that?!" Krad yelled at him. "You will pay for this wound you've dealt me." Krad used his free hand to undo the button and zipper on Daisuke's pants, nearly blind with rage. The boy made a feeble attempt to fight him off, exhausted already, his whole body throbbing with pain from Dark's magic and Krad's assault. The man grinned and let loose his hold on the boy's neck and punched him once in the gut to be sure of his control, then stood to finish stripping the boy. Daisuke curled around the pain in his gut and stared in confusion at the blonde as he undid his own pants.

Seeing this Krad laughed and exclaimed, "Satoshi was right! You really are..." He knelt back down and forced Daisuke onto his back again. "...too innocent." Daisuke kicked as Krad tried to spread his legs and get between them. Annoyed, the blonde brought his elbow down hard on the boy's stomach and forced his way forward. In a moment he had himself poised at the boy's entrance and shoved his way forward.

Daisuke choked on his own scream, back arching with the pain and eyes wide. He writhed, bringing his fists up and slamming them on any part of Krad that he could, but the man ignored him and kept pounding into him. 'Dark! Help me, Dark!' Daisuke cried in his mind, trying to focus on Riku once again, unable to ignore the pain and humiliation of his suffering. Only silence greeted his cries; Dark was gone, unable to keep himself there with Daisuke after expending so much of his energy trying to get the boy away.

"Hiwatari-kun...please...stop..." Daisuke sobbed, praying that the boy would gain control and stop this. Krad only gripped his legs and pounded into him more fiercely at the plea, too strong for Satoshi to take his body back yet. The boy kept beating his fists weakly on Krad, crying and begging Dark and Satoshi to help him and knowing that neither could. He could feel the bile rising in his throat, sickened by what was happening to him and still in so much pain. Krad kept on long past the point he thought he couldn't handle it anymore and that his mind would break. Finally he stopped struggling and just covered his face with his hands, muttering Dark and Satoshi's names.

Krad slowed his pace and reached his hand forward to grip one of Daisuke's wrists. He brought it to his lips and bit down as hard as he could, but Daisuke couldn't scream anymore, his voice gone already. He just curled up towards Krad, weakly pushing on his forehead. This movement was too much for Krad and he climaxed, biting even further into the soft flesh of Daisuke's wrist. Between one thrust and the next, it was Satoshi in Krad's place, eyes heartbroken. He quickly pulled himself out and away from Daisuke's broken form, letting the arm fall from his mouth.

"Daisuke..." Satoshi started, then stopped as the boy didn't move to acknowledge him. Tears were still leaking from the corners of the red eyes, eyes that looked empty.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He could still feel Krad there in his mind, so he took one last long look at Daisuke and turned to leave. He spotted With on the shore a few feet away and rushed to the tiny rabbit. He cradled him in his hands and lifted him near his face.

"With! Are you okay?" Satoshi whispered when the creature didn't protest.

"Kyuuu..." With finally opened his eyes. When he saw it was Satoshi holding him he jumped up in alarm and leaped away. He quickly looked around for Daisuke and rushed to him when he saw him lying there, unmoving.

"Kyu, Kyuuu," With cried, nudging Daisuke's cheek with his nose. When he didn't get any response he turned into Dark's wings and flew to get help, forgetting about Satoshi. The blue-eyed boy silently thanked the sprite and ran off to his own home. Never would he forget what Krad had done, and never would he be able to forgive himself. Staying would only hurt Daisuke, especially if his other self decided to come out again.

Daisuke's eyes slowly faded from red to purple, and then fell closed. He lay there in the landscape of Dark's mind, refusing to remember anything in case he had to face reality again. 'The light is peaceful here...' He drifted for a while, mindlessly watching the light, until he heard footsteps. A shiver ran down his back and he tried harder to concentrate on not thinking. The footsteps came to a stop behind him.

"Daisuke."

Daisuke clapped his hands over his ears and crouched down.

"Daisuke, what happened?"

"How can you not know?!" Daisuke yelled back, crying now as Dark refused to let him forget. Dark looked shocked, but then knelt behind his other half and rested a hand on his shoulder. The thief went stiff as Daisuke opened his memories to him, and then seized the redhead in a fierce hug.

"Daisuke...I..." he started brokenly. Daisuke just clutched at Dark's shirt and cried, shaking his head. Dark renewed the strength of his hug, ignoring the tug he felt as someone tried waking him up in the world outside this place. He wouldn't let them see Daisuke, not like this, not when they could still hurt him and not even know it. He knew that when they finally yanked one of them out of this dream that it would be him who'd answer the call.

"Daisuke, I wish it had been me instead. There was nothing you could have done," Dark said, pulling back, ready to answer the redhead's family. "I'll be back," he whispered, and shimmered out of sight. Daisuke put a hand to his face, then lay back down. This time he resolved he would think.

It was hours before Dark returned to him. Daisuke had spent that time trying to see a way past what had happened to him, a way to explain to his family and...to Riku. It was in this state that Dark came upon him with the answer. The thief settled in next to his inmate in this mind, sitting with his arms wrapped loosely around his knees.

"Daisuke...Do you remember Freedert?" He shook his head and restarted. "I mean, do you remember what she said to you? I remember hearing it, just before I pulled you away from her." Daisuke closed his eyes, hearing her voice ring clearly through the place so that Dark could hear it as well.

'No matter what happens, you must live to protect her.'

"Don't you think this falls under no matter what? You're not alive to dwell on what's happened to hurt you. Riku needs you, and you'll have to face her, and even Satoshi again. Living is the only way to go." Dark sighed. "I guess, just don't give up. You'll get through this to see your little Daii-chan."

Daisuke mulled over the other's words for a minute. "Alive...What exactly does it mean, to live? What do you mean, Dark?" Red eyes glanced at where Dark had been, only to find him suddenly gone. Daisuke sighed and closed his eyes. He'd worn himself to exhaustion simply by thinking. Finally giving in, he let his eyes slip closed on his paradise, and when next he woke, he was in his own room.