D. N. Angel Fan Fiction ❯ Sacred Maiden ❯ Stage II ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Sacred Maiden

By Kaitou Riku

Chapter II

A/N: Let me just express my gratitude to all who reviewed and praised my story so far. Those kind reviews warmed my heart and fingers to write the next chapter. Arigatou!

Okay read and review, please! Much love!

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The fading afternoon sunlight reflected into the greatly furnished room where a girl lounged around upon a large red love seat, glancing worriedly at the grandfather clock. The buzzing of the TV seemed to be nonexistent to her, as she fidgeted with her red skirt, which was her least favorite color, but her no fashion sense school uniform designers had made it in the wrong pallet… Why not pink? It was so much cute and brighter! Pulling a strand of her lush brown hair, she anxiously put it in her mouth and began to suck on it, forgetting that it was a forbidden habit for upcoming young ladies!

Flipping open her cell phone for the twentieth time within the last five minutes, the girl's eyes became overcast as the inbox read “No New Messages” as did her miss call list, her voicemail, and almost everything that contained messaging or chatting on her phone.

Grabbing the remote, she pressed a red button and turned off her favorite pastime, watching TV. Trying her best, the teenager attempted to sit in silence, but gave up after ten seconds and yelled out loudly a name, letting her voice echo through the enormous and empty mansion. Footsteps slowly grew closer, thumping down the hallway and the door opened revealing an elderly but polished man.

“Risa-sama,” he croaked in a gentle tone with a small bow of respect. “There is no need to scream as I've told you before. Please just come and find me. Scream is very un-ladylike and is only used for emergences such as death, murder, fire, intruders, thievery, or the end of the world.”

“What about earthquakes?” “Yes, I suppose they count…” “And ninjas?” “Well… that too…” “Demons?” “I'm not sure they-“ “Aliens? Snakes? Fairies? Dragons?” “Risa-sama…” “A flying purple people eater-“ “Risa-sama!”

Risa Harada blinked her big hazel eyes in a dense, but still adorable ways as she answered in a clueless tone, “Yes?”

The butler sighed, as much as her loved Risa and her twin Riku as her own daughters, the two could be so difficult! Risa being so dense and clueless despite her mature and beautiful appearance, acted like a child at times while Riku was headstrong and stubborn, but still gentle and sweet although she would try to hide it, in fear that it appeared as a weakness.

“Risa-sama, what it that thou requires?” he asked kindly in a mild tone. Risa's brows knitted together. Why did he have to be so proper 24/7? Maybe it was his age… Sometimes she felt that he was talking in a different dialect with his old fashion manners.

Opening her mouth to answer, Risa felt her mind become blank. Now, why did she call for him? Closing her mouth, Risa transferred her attention to the wall in the vast hall, hoping it might have the answer she was looking for.

The butler sighed with a tired smile, knowing Risa had forgotten her question once more. Walking out of the room he reminded her, “If you remember you question, please come and find me.” As the door closed, Risa found herself alone once more, searching… for answers…

Sighing loudly to bring forth a dramatic air, Risa could feel the same loneliness she had felt that night on the school field trip, the feeling of an unanswerable desire… the desire to see Dark-sama again… A hallow feeling in her stomach made Risa's mind flash to the memory of Riku's horrified expression when she had found her with Daisuke. Casting her eyes down to the ground, she slowly shuffled over to the couch and fell upon it. Closing her eyes, she allowed the memories to replay in her brain; Daisuke entering the room with medicine, then Riku coming in to check on her while she and Daisuke hid in the closet afraid of a teacher catching Daisuke breaking a rule, then Riku exiting and quickly re-entering only to find them together.

Hot tears formed in Risa's eyes as she sat up and sobbed. Stupid Daisuke! Why did he have to be the one to come to her room? Why didn't he chase after Riku? It was all Daisuke's fault, Risa thought, blinded by her one-dimensional perspective.

Risa stood and walked slowly out of the room and toward her bedroom where she could dramatize all she liked and enter her magical land of Dark fantasies. But the main thing she wanted was for Riku to talk to her again. Riku had been giving her the silent treatment for so long… Why did she have to hold grudges so long? It was so embarrassing when her friends would ask what was the problem with Riku not talking to her and it was she, Risa who had to come up with the lame excuses like, “It's a dare” or “In our religion we must undergo a period in time when she cannot speak to me…”

Rubbing the tears from her eyes, Risa opened her door slowly and felt the air suck out of her lungs. In the shadows, a figure stood holding a book in its hands, its back facing Risa. Risa could feel a scream growing inside of her voice box as she flattened herself against the wall connect to the door and cover her mouth with her hands.

Who was in her room? Risa's heart thumped loudly as the possibilities speed through her mind. A robber? A pervert? A serial killer? A ghost? Dark-sama? The last idea calmed her down. That had to be it! Dark-sama was visiting her again. A flush of happiness and pleasure heated up her face as Risa detached herself from the wall.

Taking a deep breath of air, Risa's confidence returned as she swung the door open in hopes of seeing the devilishly handsome face of Dark, but instead a open window and a empty room was her surprise. Risa felt her spirits drop instantly like a roller coaster reaching the top of a hill and then plunging down a track. “Dark-sama wasn't here…” she concluded in a forlorn voice.

The creaking and click of her door followed by a proper and elegant toned voice made Risa remember that there was more than one angel on earth. “Mademoiselle, I apologize for not being Dark.” Risa spun around to see the blonde haired twin of Dark dressed in his rich, milky, pure white and trimmed with gold attire and in the guise of God's angels. The pair of golden eyes stared at Risa, making her body start to shake.

“The white Dark-sama!” Risa gasped in horror backing away from him in fear. He smiled slyly and advanced forward to Risa.

“Rika-san, it has been long,” he greeted in a pleasant voice as he held out his hand toward Risa.

Rika? The name echoed endless in Risa's head as she thought of her grandmother. Dark had told her once… no, many times that she was the exact image of her grandmother…

She hated being told that. “Sometimes I feel that I must be like her exactly because I look like her and everyone expects me to be her… No one treats me like they should… only as her, “ thought Risa dismayed. “That's why I envy Riku… She looks different and is her own person… She has everything…” A tear glistened in her eye. The approaching footsteps of Krad stopped at the sight of Risa's tear.

“You are not Rika, only her look-alike. Rika would never show her tears,” Krad pronounced. Risa's eyes darted up towards his angelic craved face. So he thought of her as Rika too?

“Now girl, tell me where it is!” demanded Krad his voice becoming tense with the time he had wasted.

“What are you talking about?” Risa said fearfully, not understanding the bipolar blonde's demands. Krad's eyes sharpened and Risa knew that was not the right answer. In a blink of an eye, Risa found herself pinned against a wall, Krad's hand pressed against her thin neck strongly. Risa could feel her airways pressing dangerously close to one another, as her feet slowly left the ground.

Immediately her petite hands clawed the large white-gloved hand that was balancing her life. “Give it to me!” Krad yelled in fury, squeezing his grip tighter, “You are only a tool, so hand it over!” Risa struggled to keep her eyes open and fight.

“Someone… anyone…” She thought as her vision grew blurry, “Save me… please…”

- - - - -

A steady beat of water droplets hitting the surface of the clear water repeated over and over. Coins glittered beneath the sparkling surface as the sun's rays caught the shimmer and reflected it. The air was peaceful and calm, as Riku bent over the knee height ledge of the fountain. A fake smile plastered across false happiness upon the face stared back at her. “I was never good at pretending that I hadn't cried,” muttered Riku, wiping any moisture that her tears had left, “Darn my fair complexion. Sun burns and red eyes is all I get!” Trying to laugh about her situation, Riku only felt herself regaining the state of despondent.

“Why can't I get over him?” Riku sobbed trying not to cry, but her attempts were useless. Soon she found the water gates had burst open and the floods of tears had arisen on more. The tears dripped into the fountain's pools creating small ripples which grew larger as they spread out.

“Optimum est pati quod emendare non passis.” A gentle, timid voice made Riku look up to find a tissue dangling in front of her face. Taking it Riku nodded thanks to the owner as she blew her nose. The owner stood as if waiting for the right moment to speak. After a minute of awkward silence, the melodious voice began to speak once more, “'It is best to endure what you cannot change' from Seneca,” recited the figure sitting down beside Riku and handing her another tissue. Riku muttered thanks as she took the next tissue, Her acquaintance was very pretty although her outfit was… well, unusual. A maroon ribbon tied long honey shaded blonde hair, only allowing several strands of hair to fall onto the side of her face. The misty blue eyes glistened pensively, filled with wisdom and an unknown sadness. Her dress was layered, stiffly covered in white lace and shaded in the matching maroon of her ribbon. She looked as if she had stepped out of the late 1900s by her wear.

“I don't know what happened, but sometimes enduring the pain will then relieve it,” the girl said in a gentle tone.

“Arigatou.” Riku heard her normally confident voice whisper the Japanese word for “thank you”. The girl turned to face her and revealed the brightness and most gentle smile Riku had ever received. “My name is Harada Riku,” introduced Riku quickly as the girl stood abruptly to leave, “And you are?”

“Menou. My name is Menou.” Her voice sounded distant and dreamy. “It was nice to meet you, Harada-san.” Her voice whispery voice lingered as she walked away, seeming to fade into the setting. Riku gazed after her even though she was gone. Finally she shifted her gaze and caught the silver gleam of a shiny object. Picking it up to study it more closely, Riku's eyes widened. Her thumb rubbed against the smooth silver surface, enjoying the clear feel it gave her. The shiny object was more than a pendent in shape of two wings with three tiny moonstones in the center.

“Menou-san must have dropped it,” thought Riku standing up and peering around her for sight of the Latin-quoting blonde. But all she could see was the water below the cliff, the fountain, the stone pathway, trees and a lone squirrel falling off a branch of a tree.

“She's gone,” muttered Riku closing her hand and putting the pendent into her skirt pocket, “I have to give this back to her… somehow.”

“Why should she get it back? Why not keep it?” A childish, dark voice whispered slyly into Riku's ear. Turning around, Riku found herself facing a small girl clutching a stuffed animal. The little girl wore two piggy tails and a pink dress. She looked oddly familiar to Riku, but she just couldn't place where.

“You desire to hang on to something that you cannot lose, do you not?”

“I… I…” Riku could feel a strange power growing from the child. That rabbit, thought Riku, It can't be…. Risa?

The child smirked at Riku and took a step closer to the redhead. “I can see your desires and pain,” the little girl's voice captivated Riku's attention. “You want a way to get rid of the pain inside of yourself, the hurt that young Daisuke Niwa caused.” She stopped walking and looked up at Riku. “You are sad and hurt. Why not release that feeling on others?” Her suggestion echoed as Riku looked down in horror at the child.

“I don't-“ Riku began, taken back by the child's speech, only to have her sentence interrupted by a cruel snicker. A faint reddish glow outlined the child's body. Riku blinked, squinting to make sure she wasn't seeing random streaks of color. Why is that girl being outline in red? As if reading Riku's thoughts the child closed her eyes as Riku asked the question.

“What are you?” The closed eyes slowly opened and revealed a pair of demotic ruby eyes.

“Hm, it seems you can sense that I am not human,” a sinister, but very cute voice answered. “But that's what I should expect. I am the `Agate Links'.”

Riku blinked, confused by the announcement. Wasn't the “Agate Links” a piece of jewelry… Didn't Dark steal it…? Reaching into her pocket, Riku realized the truth. A cruel smile flickered across the Agate Link's face. “You figured it out,” her voice congratulated Riku sarcastically.

“How are you-“

“I am the spirit that lives within this pendent. I once was human but because of the threat I posed to mankind, I was sealed within this artwork like many of my brothers and sisters, until I came into the possession of the soul of a deceased girl.”

“Menou.” Riku's body experienced that sick and chilly feeling you get when you are ill with the flu. The child smirked fiendishly and continued her story. “Menou died, wanting to thank the boy she had fallen in love with, the one who gave her this pendent. She soon became consumed with loneliness and I was able to take control of her soul. But now I have found a stronger source and body - yours.” The Agate Link's words left Riku speechless.

“M-me?” she stammered, slowly backing away.

“Yes, your loneliness and pain is what I feed off, but…” She paused, letting the cliff hanger in the sentence dramatize before continuing, “You have an unique gift, an ability that I want, don't you?” Riku's blood turned cold. Her eyes enlarge in fear as she pulled the Agate Links pendent slowly out of her pocket. She had to destroy it before…

A metallic material shot unexpectedly from the pendent and encircled Riku, tying her up. She struggled even though she had the helpless feeling that it was useless.

“The `Agate Links' is a powerful Hikari artwork,” sneered Agate, as she hugged the teddy bear closer. “It gives my powers a strong hold on the haunting memories and emotions in a victim's heart. That is why I can change into those who are the closest-“ The figure of little Risa changed into Riku's mother, “- the most special-“ Riku's mother soon became her father, “the ones who have hurt you” Daisuke's cheerful image took the place of her father. Riku stared in fear that this creature who was tormenting her with the past. Daisuke became Ritsuko, a friend of hers, then her grandmother, Rika, followed by Menou, and finally to Risa, the older one. Agate took several slow steps toward Riku until her face was inches away from Riku's. Reaching out her arm, she slowly moved her hand toward Riku's face.

“No…” Riku whispered unable to break free as a fingertip touched the center of her forehead and soon darkness filled her sight.

- - - - -

“Okay, where is it?” thought Dark in annoyance while he ran out of the dense park's trees and down the paved stone street. “Why can I not sense it?! Arg!” The last word, “arg” made Dark feel like Johnny Dept due to the fact that Dark watched “Pirates of the Caribbean” way too much and had grown accustom to saying pirate phases, just to bug Daisuke and it worked.

“I can't believe I lost it, I can't believe-“ Dark stopped short as he barreled into another body. A small squeal and the sound of a body hitting the ground, Dark opened his eyes to see someone he would have least expected, laying on top of him, eyes closed.

“Menou?” His husky voice that made the big blue eyes open and stare at him in a dazed way. “Dark-san,” the small voice said, then will a rush of embarrassment, the girl leap up off of Dark.

“Gomen,” she apologized hurriedly as Dark got himself off the ground and dusted off his outfit.

“Menou, what are you doing?” Menou blinked and replied to Dark's question. “I was walking and-“

“I can see that,” cut off Dark, “I meant how are you here. Your soul was freed from the Agate Links when it broke…”

“Yes, it was,” agreed Menou, “But…”

“But what?” Dark questioned impatiently as Menou fidgeted with her hair.

“I was sent to Earth to prevent the Hikari artwork from reappearing and releasing those who were sealed inside.” Her answered chilled Dark. Her sad eyes gazed at Dark, “I know that we are not suppose to be allies, but I fear the Agate Links may have found a new victim…”

“Riku…” Menou stared at him curiously. “Yes, I think so too, but how did you know…?” Dark brushed away the question and grabbed Menou's hand and began dragging her toward the large fountain.

“I have connection with her and if I'm correction about her, then some great power is about to be released,” Dark said shortly as his pace quickened.

“She is the…?” “Yes, I believe…” Silence hung between the two as they began to run, starting to feel a darkness growing from a spot near the fountain.

- - - - -

“It has begun…” the distant voice of Towa drifted in the basement of the Niwa household as she gazed at the glass case of the white and black feathers. “The battle will begin once more and the Sacred Maiden will reappear… again…”

The silver haired girl stared blankly, muttered words of prophecy aloud without noticing what she had predicted.

- - - - -

A/N: Okay, another cliff hanger… Hope the appearance of Risa, Krad, Menou, and Towa filled the appetite of those DN Angel lovers… I was really happy with the great and not-so-great critique I received. I would appreciate it, if I would receive some again. Hopefully I will start updating every other week, but that is a big “if”….