Winner of the 8/17/2005 weekly drabble challenge (theme: Compare and Contrast) over at the DNAngel drabble community on livejournal.
Author at Work
Satoshi felt, with no small amount of confidence, that if he had to—or wanted to—he could pen a book's worth detailing the differences between himself and Niwa Daisuke, least among them being their respective family lines.
As a Hikari, as their precious Tamer, he'd been schooled to be cold, cool and aloof, lock down those emotions and, above all, control yourself. No running in the halls, and if you please, fifty lines tomorrow on, "I will not raise my voice against others."
He didn't presume to envision Niwa's childhood, but if he closed his eyes—if Krad allowed him to do so—then he might entertain a fleeting theory involving Sunday shopping, laden with his mother's bags, seaside summer vacations in Okinawa, and a sharp voice admonishing, "Two seconds off your record, Dai-chan! No dessert until that's improved!"
So different, they'd entertained such different lives, been prepared for the same duty in such different manners. These differences stretched out, cleaving a gulf between them that neither might hope to cross alone.
But Satoshi knew, you see. He was a smart boy, hardly easily deceived. He was a Hikari, ever shrewd and calculating and most certainly not naïve.
It was not their differences that dictated they might never be friends. Might never be more than friends. It was their single similarity.
He would title the book, he decided, The Curse of My Boyhood, and knew it would have nothing to do with Krad.
Miscellania: So yes, it has a Sato/Dai-ish overtone to it, and I don't believe I've ever technically written that couple. If you've read this because I'm on your author alert for Galatea, might I suggest taking a quick look-through of my userinfo here and joining the remix community that's linked there (if you haven't already)? Snippets and spoilers are posted every now and then, and what can I say, it's too much fun to tease!