Musical: Sweeney Todd
Song: Not While I'm Around

Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around
Nothing's gonna harm you, no sir, not while I'm around

Daisuke wandered down the slightly familiar road, glancing at the street signs around him tiredly. It was a lot harder finding Satoshi's house without Takeshi there to lead the way, that was for sure.

Finally, the redhead spotted Satoshi's apartment complex, looming forbiddingly up above several other smaller buildings and looking somewhat out of place on the cheery street. He nearly skipped into the structure, overjoyed at the fact that he had finally found the place he had been searching for all morning.

Daisuke took the lift up to Satoshi's floor, tapping his foot almost impatiently. His insides curled uncomfortably and he had to let out a gasp of ragged breath. He couldn't help himself; there was just something weird brewing, and the suspense was killing him.

'Why am I here again?'

The strange sensation in his stomach answered his question immediately.

Daisuke knew he had a strange sort of relationship with the Hikari boy, his enemy. So when his brain started to send him vague implications that his friend was in trouble, he knew he couldn't just ignore them.

Demons are prowling everywhere, nowadays
I'll send 'em howling
I don't care, I got ways

Once the lift's doors slid open, Daisuke strode quickly down the hallway to Satoshi's apartment. He quickly entered – in his haste, he failed to notice that the door had been unlocked – and found himself standing in Satoshi's living room.

He treaded silently past the living room, feeling somewhat foolish for entering Satoshi's house for no apparent reason other than a weird feeling in his gut. The apartment itself seemed normal enough, but Daisuke's knotted stomach told him otherwise.

'Maybe I should have called ahead…'

However, a muffled groan caught his attention, banishing all thoughts from his head except for the instinct to find and help Satoshi. Daisuke walked over to the door of what he knew was the bathroom and turned the handle slowly, not bothering to knock.

"H…Hiwatari-kun?"

No one's gonna hurt you
No one's gonna dare
Others can desert you
Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there

A cough and a strange sort of gurgle urged Daisuke on. He swung the door completely open and gasped. "Hiwatari-kun!"

Satoshi sat on the tiled floor slumped against the bath tub, his pale arms hanging limply over the rim of the tub and his face pressed against its cool porcelain. He was shirtless, revealing more of his milky white skin, and Daisuke could very well see why. "Niwa…kun."

"You're bleeding," Daisuke accused, immediately dropping to his knees beside Satoshi. He pulled the blunette away from the tub and turned him around with surprising ease.

"You always were a sharp one," Satoshi murmured to himself, his tone vaguely sardonic. He crossed his legs Indian-style and placed his hands into his lap as Daisuke perched himself on the bath tub's edge and studied his back. "…Why are you here?" He cringed when Daisuke ran a hand down his spine, and although the redhead couldn't see his face, he seemed to sense his discomfort.

"I'm sorry, did that hurt?"

Satoshi shook his head negatively. "No… It's just that he does that sometimes…"

Demons'll charm you with a smile, for a while
But in time
Nothing can harm you
Not while I'm around

Daisuke's eyes softened sympathetically. "Ah…" He glanced inside the tub and was surprised to see a first aid kit already there, just waiting to be utilized. 'He's used to this happening,' he thought sadly, reaching a hand down to pull the kit into his lap.

"You didn't answer my question, Niwa-kun," Satoshi reminded him, wincing as Daisuke applied a wet cloth to the open wounds on his shoulder blades, where Krad's wings had protruded out from only several painful hours ago. "Why are you here?"

Daisuke shrugged, but then realized Satoshi couldn't see his movement. "I…I felt that something happened to you," he admitted shyly. Then, with more conviction, he added, "And I was right! Hiwatari-kun, why do you let him to this to you?" He continued to dab at the drying blood that had trickled down Satoshi's back.

"I can't stop him."

Satoshi's words were so quiet that Daisuke had to ask him to repeat them.

"I can't stop him, when he gets really insistent. He's too powerful. He pushes and he breaks my walls. I can't stop him from taking over my body sometimes. It's starting to wear me out more than it used to before…"

Not to worry, not to worry
I may not be smart but I ain't dumb
I can do it, put me to it
Show me something I can overcome
Not to worry, Mum

Daisuke stared at the nauseating abrasions silently, unnerved not by their bloody repulsiveness, but by the fact that Satoshi's other half would do something like this to him. "You don't have to do it alone," he found himself saying. "I'm always here for you." Then he snapped his mouth shut, knowing that the commander would immediately veto his suggestion.

I can't risk your safety. Krad could come out at any time.

Hikaris are supposed to carry this burden alone.

You and I are enemies; I can't accept your help. It's not right.

Being close and being clever
Ain't like being true
I don't need to
I would never hide a thing from you
Like some

However, Satoshi was uncharacteristically silent. Daisuke thought he even saw the blunette nod slightly to himself.

Daisuke finished cleaning up the ripped areas of tissue and placed gauze and tape over the gashes. Out of nowhere, an idea came to mind, and he blushingly slid off the tub's frame and onto the ground behind Satoshi.

"Niwa-kun, what are you…?" Satoshi was cut off from continuing his question when Daisuke's soft lips pressed themselves against his back, on the area of skin in between his shoulder blades. "Ohm…"

Daisuke flushed bright red, sitting up on his knees and helping Satoshi turn his stiff body around to face him.

"Er… Thank you."

Satoshi stared at Daisuke's blushing face, arching an elegant brow. "Why are you the one thanking me? I should be the one thanking you. You cleaned my wounds…"

No one's gonna hurt you, no one's gonna dare
Others can desert you
Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there

Daisuke shook his head and smiled, the tint on his cheeks receding and leaving his face its naturally fair color. "No, Hiwatari-kun. Think absolutely nothing of it. You shouldn't need to thank a friend for doing the natural thing and helping you when you're at your worst. I…I just wanted to thank you for…not pushing me away."

Satoshi stared at Daisuke with wonder visible on his usually emotionless face.

"When I told you that I would always be here for you…" Daisuke looked down, but his face was devoid of his usual blush. "I meant it. And I'm so glad that you've decided not to brush me off."

Satoshi wiped his face clean of all emotion and nodded solemnly. "…Sometimes it gets hard for me to do it alone…" he whispered.

"You won't have to now." Daisuke's smile grew brighter as he looked up to stare Satoshi in the eye. "Just trust me, Satoshi-san."

Satoshi's eyes widened a little at the sudden closeness, but Daisuke's smile placated him.

Demons'll charm you with a smile, for a while
But in time
Nothing can harm you
Not while I'm around

"No matter what Krad does, or how much Dark dislikes you, I won't let anything happen to you."

Killah: Oh dear… Yes, another story… /cough/ Er – well not to worry! This will only be updated whenever I'm listening to my iPod on shuffle and hear a song from one of my many downloaded soundtracks that suddenly inspires me to write a somewhat short Satoshi/Daisuke oneshot. Uh…well okay – I'm always listening to my iPod…and I'm always inspired to write some SatoxDai-goodness…but still! xD I'll try not to make this story a priority over Why The Caged Bird Sings, but I'm still gonna have fun with it! ;)