It was cold...so very cold that day. There wasn't any snow...or even rain. Their nano-wings fluttered as they flew to the mirror. HE was waiting. The only one left after the evacuation. They couldn't escape...if they did the barrier would break and THAT would escape to kill once more. How did it come to this? Their deaths would forever bind him to that damn mirror, as well as sink the country.
"Are you two ready?"
"As ready as we'll ever be, Uncle."
HE came...the one who killed everyone they knew. His amethyst eyes glinted cruelly in the candle light. He advanced, only to feel the spell begin. A howl of rage could be heard throughout the land. But something was wrong; a wind blew violently around the boys as the spell continued it's work. They felt something grab them as they fell downwards.
"Ow...what the bloody hell happened, Dai?"
"Like I would know, Gabriel! I should have known something stupid would happen when Uncle Krad got too close to that murdering bastard! I bet he's around here somewhere. If he's unconscious, I don't want any of your honor crap to stop me!" growled Dai.
"Fine...but I wonder where we are? This isn't the chamber to the mirror. In fact...it almost looks like home before that earthquake..."
"Huh? What the...I thought the earthquake destroyed it..."
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU TWO BRATS DOING UP THERE ON THAT WINDMILL?!" yelled a man from below.
"He's kidding right? Since when is a five foot eleven boy with gold hair a brat?! Come on, we're seventeen for crying out loud!" grumbled Gabriel.
They climbed down, only to have the man berate them for being reckless. Finally Dai couldn't stand it.
"ENOUGH. Where do you get off treating us like children?! WE'RE SEVENTEEN!"
"Yeah right. There aren't any seventeen year-old boys with bodies that short! What are you two doing out of school at this hour anyway?!"
"What?" said Dai in confusion. Then he looked at his brother properly. His jaw dropped as Gabriel did the same.
"What the *bleep*?! How did this happen?!" they said in unison. Before the man could start his tirade once more, or even berate their language, they bolted.
"How? Why are we thirteen again?"
"You ask as if I knew. Maybe we should head to the Second Hand of Time. She might be able to tell us what happened."
"Good point Gabriel."
They ran to the windmill on the fountain. When they reached there, they met a red-haired boy with red eyes. He had a sketchpad on his lap and he was drawing the windmills in the distance. Dai looked in shock...he knew the boy.
"Oh shit. I think we're in Amazuno back when HE was still sane!"
"Are you sure?"
"Dad quit using that sketchpad when I was born. Of course I'm sure! And besides, it looks like he and mom haven't started dating yet!"
"Daichi, what are we going to do? If he sees you, he might..."
"Calm down Gabriel. It looks like your dad is coming this way."
"What the hell...I thought he was kidding when he said he used to stalk him..."
"They're gone. What do we do now? Even if we ask Freedert, I don't think she knows how to send us back."
"Do you think the Moon and Sun still work?"
"Let's check...Mine is still online and operational. And judging by the look on your face, yours is working as well. Let's wait until Sunset to test them out though."
"FINE. I can't wait to fly around in the clouds again..."
"It has been a long time since we were allowed to fly free, hasn't it brother."
"Yeah...ever since that bloody curfew...and the barrier...we haven't flown in a real cloud in years."
Daichi and Gabriel stared at the sunset, which had hues they hadn't seen in years. It was beautiful, and all too fleeting...like their peace of mind.
Once again the bothersome man came, only this time he brought someone with him. Daichi took one look at the other man's clothes and whispered, "Bloody cops."
"Better than those lawyers who wanted us to stay in that stupid orphanage. As if Dad couldn't handle taking care of us."
"All right you two. Why were climbing on that windmill earlier?"
"Hey Gabriel...Now's a good time, don't you think?"
"Yeah..."
"Activate Moon Wings."
"Activate Sun Wings."
As they spoke, a soft light began to spread at their feet. When it reached their backs, it turned into a violent blue. Suddenly a pair of gossamer wings, one pair silver, one pair gold, appeared on their backs. Daichi smiled as he shot off into the night, his wings humming a soft lullaby. Gabriel shot off next to him, his wings vibrating at a pace similair to a hummingbirds.
"What are...?!"
"We...are the Angel Corp. We lead the fight against the one who would destroy this world in an attempt to regain his mind."
"Don't worry if you don't understand. We don't expect you to. Just know if you interfere it will cost you your life."
They flew off, and left the men standing there, stunned.
"That was so much fun. Can you believe they didn't know what our wings meant?" laughed Gabriel.
"Yes. This is the past. They didn't discover the nanites that could create actual wings until after the earthquake, remember?"
"Oh yeah. Watch out!" yelped Gabriel as he narrowly avoided a blast.
"What the hell."
Daichi looked down and saw a flash of blue. He cursed a bit as he nodded towards the spot. Gabriel looked and laughed outright as he spotted Satoshi.
He went into silent mode as he vanished and reappeared behind the boy, his eyes amused.
"Mind explaining why you shot as us, Satoshi-sama?" Gabriel said...he really couldn't resist adding the sama.
He knew from experience that Satoshi always viewed him as a human Krad. Which naturally cracked him up. Not surprisingly, the boy turned, shocked. Gabriel chuckled, and grinned outright as Daichi landed beside him. Satoshi looked completely surprised.
"Who...what are you?!"
"Name's Gabriel. This is my brother Daichi."
"Technically we're cousins...but neither of us ever remembers THAT particular detail."
"What are you?"
"Trapped...A spell that should have killed us ended up sending us here. We have no idea why."
"Where are you from?" asked Satoshi.
"The future. Roughly twenty years if you must know. If we're lucky, HE won't show up," answered Daichi, looking at the moon.
"The...future?"
"You don't want to know what it's like, trust me. It's not pleasant."
"What happened."
"Ask us another time. We're not leaving the city anytime soon. Do you know a place we can crash later?" asked Gabriel.
"If you are who you claim to be, then you can crash on the couch. If not, well..."
"I know...Krad will get us," laughed Gabriel.
"How do you know about Krad?"
"We call him Uncle Krad, to tell you the truth," said Daichi. He jumped off the ledge as his wings began to hum again. He flew in an arc, then twirled. His eyes were alight with joy.
"I haven't seen him like that in a long time," sighed Gabriel.
"Why not?"
"Ever since the earthquake, he hasn't been the same."
"..."
The next morning, they were greeted by a half-awake Satoshi.
"And here I was hoping you were a figment of my imagination..."
"No such luck. If you're hungry, Dai made eggs and toast."
"How can he cook?"
"About that...He cooks, I clean. It's weird but it works...mostly."
"Mostly?"
"We both despise doing laundry."
"You do realize that since you both look thirteen you'll have to enroll in a school, right?"
"We'll deal with that tomorrow. First we need to find a place to stay."
"So in other words, expect you soon?"
"Exactly."
OoOoOo
"Everyone we have transfers from Tokyo!"
"I don't remember hearing about transfer students..." said Saehara.
"It was supposed to be a surprise."
"Anyway, here they are... Introduce yourselves please."
"Gabriel Hikari."
"Daichi Niwa."
"We're brothers."
"Technically cousins," corrected Daichi.
"What's Tokyo like?" asked Risa.
"Dark...cold..." stated Daichi simply.
"Very funny, aniki. Actually it's full of lights and the clubs there rock!"
"Really?"
"Yup. We've been to practically all of them that allow minors, haven't we Dai?" said Gabriel as he gave Dai the 'look'. *Basically he was telling his brother to play along or else.*
"So have you guys heard of Phantom Dark?" asked Takeshi.
Daichi stiffened visibly. He held back a feral grow as he gave Gabriel a look of his own.
"Um, yeah, we've heard of him. Though I'd prefer you not mention that name aloud in front of him again. Dai has a bit of a longstanding grudge against Dark."
"Why? What did he do?"
"Killed my family."
The others were silent at this, and left him to his brooding. Gabriel happily answered questions. Daichi was irritable...until he noticed something odd. He stared at it until he realized it was heading directly towards him. Daichi tried not to jump. He relaxed when he realized it was just a rabbit.
'Wait...a rabbit? This is the second floor. What the hell is a rabbit doing here?!'
"Kyun..."
'That's not Wiz... He only says Kyu. So who is...'
"Kyun!"
"Eh? What's that Daichi?"
"Don't know."
During art class, something peculiar happened. Daichi went stiff, then started painting at a rapid pace. Gabriel looked concerned, then his eyes widened at the painting. It was the museum! Only the lights were all out and the police were frantic.
"What the...Daichi! Daichi wake up!"
"Huh? What the...How did this happen?"
"You lost consciousness and painted that. I have no idea why."
"I kept my eyes open when we fell. That's probably why."
"Ah."
"So Daichi, when's your birthday?" asked Riku.
"It's been so long since I actually celebrated it, I've forgotten."
"It's 2-13," said Gabriel, "Mine's actually the same day. And our Moms were twins, so it was kind of ironic."
"You were both born on the same day?!" said Takeshi, surprised.
"Yup. To twin sisters. And no, I am not telling you their names. Though Daichi did have a little sister named Ritsuko."
"What's she like?"
"She was...adorable and always getting into my room. She's gone though...as is the rest of my family except for Gabriel."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know..." said Riku.
"It's okay..."
After school ended, Daichi headed to the art supply store to start working. His deal with the manager was a discount on the supplies he bought in exchange for a slightly lower-than-normal pay. Gabriel became the new golden boy at the police station, serving drinks and fetching papers.
"So Dai, how was work?" asked Gabriel.
"Fun...actually. All this time we've spent fighting HIM, just being normal is a novelty. Hell, seeing them again is a treasure in itself. Even if they don't know who I am."
"I know. Takashi actually gave me a Dark pic. It's on the dartboard if you want a try."
"You're kidding. I take it he has no idea we share an apartment together then?"
"None. AND IT STAYS THAT WAY."
"I know. Last thing we need are fan girls attacking us and getting hurt."
OoOoOo
Days flew by as if in a dream. But it didn't last. When Daichi and Gabriel awoke to the news that Dark had sent a new warning letter out, it was all Gabriel could do to restrain his brother.
"Chill Dai! How about we ask Satoshi if he'll let us behind the lines? We could certainly help him out with capturing Dork."
"Dork?"
"I'm tired of calling that thing HIM. So let's call him Dork instead."
"Dork...I suppose that's acceptable. But if he tries anything I swear I'll kill him!"
"Fine."
OoOoOo
"So you want to see what it's like, Daichi?"
"Not really. It's Gabriel's idea. If Dork tries anything that annoys me, I'll beat the shit out of him."
"Dork?"
"If I have to refer to the jerk who killed our parents as HIM one more time I'll go nuts."
"Sounds reasonable."
OoOoOo
"Why did Satoshi let you behind the lines?!" whined Saehara.
"Because we asked politely. And because Dai really needs to get over some things."
The lights went out, and the two simply walked into the museum and waited. Sure enough, Dark appeared, though he was very surprised to see two boys standing guard. His surprise grew as one drew a sword that was taller than him by at least a foot.
"Well, well. Who are you two?"
"I'm Gabriel. Commander of the Sun Wings."
"I am Daichi Niwa. I am your death."
Gabriel gave him a look and nudged him.
"I am the Grand Commander of the Angel Corp. I lead all ANGELs to battle."
"Never heard of ya."
"That's because it hasn't been created yet. Nor will it, if we have anything to say about it. So either get lost or die."
"Not happening. Stay out of my way boys."
As Dark took the piece, he felt a sharp burning sensation across his back. He yelped, then turned; the red-haired boy's sword shone red with blood.
"You'd best take us seriously. We've been fighting so long it's impossible to quell some instincts," said Daichi, calmly.
"Why'd you do that?!"
"Because I despise you, Dark. I will never forgive you!"
"What I do to you?!"
"Maybe I'll tell you another time. For now, I'll enjoy tormenting you."
OoOoOo
"Daichi, where did that sword come from?!" demanded Satoshi.
"Dai, show him or he'll never let us be."
Daichi concentrated on something in the cup of his hands, then said "HikariTsuki appear!"
"Same principle as the wings. Simply will them and it will appear. We've become experts at magic use."
"Who taught you?"
"You did."
"What?"
"I'll explain later. Right now I seriously need to crash."
"Me too, bro."
OoOoOo
"Hey did you hear? Dark was injured last night! He had this huge cut on his back when he flew away!" exclaimed Takashi.
"Really? I wonder if he was dumb enough to run afoul of the security systems."
"I don't think so. Dad says none of them were tripped, and besides, none of the museum's security systems had anything that could cause the cut."
"You sure?"
"Positive. Dad said they wouldn't install something that would, since it would be way too dangerous."
"How do you know all this stuff?"
"My dad is one of the Detectives in charge of Phantom Dark."
"Cool. Wait, is your dad's name Saehara? I'm pretty sure he was the one who got on my nerves early in the evening."
"Oh that one. I remember him too. Man he was irritating."
"So how come you two went behind the lines?"
"We asked Satoshi. And we said we wouldn't be in the way."
"That's not fair!" whined Risa.
"It also helped that we weren't Dork Fangirls who just wanted to date him," snickered Gabriel.
"Yeah. Besides, Dork's better half looks a lot better than him," said Daichi.
"His better half?"
"Yeah. Krad is his other side. And personally, I think he's a better thief."
Satoshi started giving them the glare of DOOM, so they dropped the subject. Though Gabriel looked like he was trying not to laugh. As the day went by, Daichi grew more agitated. Finally during art class, he snapped. His painting was dark, his eyes glazed. When the teacher saw what he had painted, he immediately sent him to the school psychiatrist. Daichi made a doppelganger and went to the roof instead.
Daisuke found him there, and debated on whether to confront him.
"I know you're there Dark. Show yourself. Unless you want another taste of my blade."
"Eh?!"
"I knew it was you Daisuke Niwa. Or should I say Dark?"
"EH?!"
"I know who you are. I even know what activates him. But if he turns again, I will kill him."
"What are you talking about, Dai-san?"
"You still haven't figured it out yet? Even Satoshi is starting to realize exactly who we are."
"Why did you attack Dark?" Daisuke said finally.
"Because he killed my family."
"What?"
"It was my 14th birthday. Mom and Dad were preparing a surprise, while Ritsuko played in the living room. Grandma was there watching her and helping by baking the cake. By the time I officially hit fourteen, the earthquake hit. Gabriel had to hold me back to prevent me from going to them. They were all crushed by the house..."
"I'm sorry...but what does Dark have to do with the earthquake?"
"He broke the seal on the mirror. By the time me and Gabriel had reached the house, he was there. But there was something wrong with him. His eyes were red, and even I could see he was insane."
"He broke a seal...?"
"He was sealed before I was born. Apparently, from what we gathered from Uncle Krad, he gave up all of his magic to Krad in order to escape. Then, exactly one minute later, the earthquake struck. By leaving the mirror and breaking the seal, he caused an imbalance which nearly destroyed the world."
"He also started an ongoing war with us, after we sealed off Japan to all those with magical abilities. He couldn't escape, and neither could we. We finally evacuated every last human alive, but it took us almost four years," said Gabriel.
"Why did you evacuate the country?"
"Because the only way to seal Dark forever was to sink it. So we alerted everyone we could, and made sure they left. But he wouldn't let them leave without a fight, so the ANGEL corp was created."
"Gabriel and I are the only ones who can successfully manipulate the Nano-Wings properly, so we were made the leaders. Dark started the war, so we intended to finish it."
"Something went wrong during the spell. A wind blew us all the way through time to here. I only hope he wasn't blown away as well."
"Is that why you attacked Dark?"
"Yes. If he starts to lose control, like he did then, I plan to kill him before he restarts a war we finally left behind."
"Daichi...who are you two really?"
"Remember how we introduced ourselves before?"
"You said your name was Daichi Niwa."
"Well I wasn't lying. We've been telling the truth since we've been here. Except from where we transfered. Me and Gabriel were born here in Amazuno."
"Eh?
"Oh well. We can't tell you everything about us right now. Though we did give you a very good hint as to whom you will end up marrying," joked Gabriel.