"I hate you, Satoshi! You big, selfish jerk!"

Risa downed the rest of her beer then slammed the can in full force of a woman scorned.

She used to hate beer. She didn't like how it tasted, she didn't like the foam, and she certainly didn't like the calories. However, during times like these, she found that it is the only beverage that could provide her heart with comfort. It's like the bitter taste of beer complemented the bitterness she felt deep inside her soul.

"It's really unfair, Daisuke! You two work together but you're here. You're also busy with work but you always find the time to be with Riku! You even find the time to be with me. Why can't he?"

The red-haired young man in front of her stuttered nervously, "Ah...Well..."

He didn't know how to answer her. He wasn't sure if he even can.

Risa turned her head towards the floor. Her hair covered her face but he noticed how her shoulders started to tremble lightly. Panic instantly flooded his chest. In an act of complete and utter desperation, he quickly turned around and looked pleadingly at his girlfriend.

With a defeated sigh, Riku stood up from the sofa to tag him out. Daisuke was never good at handling her sister in one of her moods, but he always tries. You could say that it's his own way of showing his concern for Risa. He smiled apologetically, as if saying: As I thought, I really can't do it. Sorry but I'll leave it up to you now. She honestly can't win against this guy.

Crouching beside her sister, Riku gently stroked Risa's hair. Their grandmother used to do this to lull the both of them to sleep. Growing up, Riku had unconsciously picked up the habit to calm her sister down whenever she was throwing a tantrum, which was a frequent event in the Harada household.

"Risa, I'm sure you understand. Satoshi…well, he is the chief inspector," She began to explain as softly as she would to a child. "It's just that he has a lot on his plate right now, with the whole Phantom Thief stealing precious works of art. Working around the clock is very tedious too. I'm sure, that given the choice, he would rather be with you."

"I know thaaaaaat!" Risa wailed as her whole body shook, "I know that he's always working hard! That's my problem! He's always working! Always, always, working! I barely see him at all!"

She balled her fists, the volume of her voice started to rise.

"Did you know? Today is his birthday! All I wanted was to celebrate it with him. I planned everything in advance. I asked him to clear his schedule for tonight…last week!"

She wasn't sure if it's because of all the alcohol that she drank but her resentments poured as freely as the large drops of tears that flowed from her eyes.

"I left work early today to prepare. I bought cake! I prepared a decent meal! I did not know how to cook…I studied and practiced all week! I burnt and cut my fingers countless of times. I bought him a gift! He never really liked getting presents so I looked and looked all over town to find him the perfect gift…something he would appreciate…"

Riku looked at her sister with a complicated expression. Slowly, she reached out and hugged her gently, as if the slightest pressure would cause her to break. She buried her face on Riku's shoulders. Desperate sobs echoed through the apartment.

"I did everything. Everything…All he had to do was show up…"

Risa felt her strength leaving her. She could no longer hear or understand anything else. With a final sob, she closed her eyes and let herself be taken by the deep and heavy darkness.

"If being together is like this…then wouldn't it be better to not be together at all?"

Daisuke brought a blanket and handed it over to Riku. After Risa finally fell asleep, they laid her down to her bed to rest. With a pained look in her eyes, Riku changed her sister's clothes and wiped the tears that stained her pale face.

They quietly left the bedroom and settled themselves in the sofa. The grave expression never left Riku's face. He knew she was seething inside.

He sighed inaudibly and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, breathing in the scent of her hair. Being the older of the twins, Riku was always the responsible one for both Risa and herself. She was always right beside her sister, protecting her, scolding her, giving her support, raising her in place of their absent parents.

Daisuke loves this woman very much. From even back when they were children, he had fallen in love with the strength and beauty of her.

Even without words, he knew that this whole affair was not only hurting Risa, it was hurting her as well, probably even more so.

"I'm sorry, Riku. I'm sorry that the two of you have to go through all of this."

"Why are you apologizing? You're not the one who's in the wrong," She replies with a sharp edge on her tone.

"Satoshi is trying his best too – "

"Well, he's not trying enough!" She broke away from his embrace and turned her back towards him. She was lashing out. She knew it was unfair but she could no longer keep all of her emotions in check.

"She's miserable here, Daisuke. I know that Satoshi needs her but…but how about my sister? Doesn't she deserve more than this?"

Heavy silence hung in the air as he could not bring himself to do anything but stare at her back with a sad look in his face. As her boyfriend, as a man, Daisuke was prepared to take the brunt of Riku's anger. However, there was more anger reflected in her voice. There was pain as well. Not wanting her to suffer through this misery alone, he took Riku back in his arms.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered.

tbc/

Author's Notes:

(!) Okay, standard disclaimers apply. Like "The author, Pirate Queen of Justice, does not (in any way outside of her fangirl heart) own or is associated with the production of D. ".

( ) So why is Daisuke apologizing? I don't know if this is true for everyone but I have this habit of apologizing on behalf of my friends, especially when they're not around to do it themselves. It's kind of like he's torn between his friendship between Satoshi and, well, the Harada sisters. Y'know?

(#) I am never good at long distance relationships. Wait, scratch that. I'm never good at any kind of romantic relationships. That being said...I don't even know why I wanted to say that. (-_-;;;)

($) Despite the glaring lack of Risa x Satoshi (and no Satoshi at all), I assure everyone that this is a Risa x Satoshi fic.

(%) What's up with the title? I don't know either. I'm not sure if it's even related to the story. At all.

(^) I can't wait for the next chapter! Honestly, I felt sad writing this chapter. Everyone was just so sad. I think the next chapters would be...happier?