+plenty of good in that bad+

Willow trees lined the river, birch lined the path, and the oak forest in-between was sprinkled with flowering trees in bloom. White dogwood, austere magnolia, and the ever-favored cherry tree, each according to its nature. Although the dogwood trees were still barely budding, the soft petals from the cherry were falling softly on the path in the park. Daisuke had chosen this route to get to school, because it was longer and he needed some time to steel his nerves.

Looking over at his companion, he noticed that Ken was smiling very slightly, briefly, as he kicked through a pile of fallen pink. He wondered what was brewing in Ken's refined mind. Naturally, he didn't allow himself to wonder for long.

"What are you thinking about?"

Ken looked up at the sky, squinting at some star in the western horizon as if he intended to summon it. "Let's see. Walls, Veils. Things that separate." Rather abruptly, he turned to Daisuke and stopped walking, giving him a disapproving look. "That's not nice."

Daisuke stuck out his tongue at him. Long ago he had figured out that Ken tended to wax melancholic if left brooding for too long. And so, if the silence between them had stretched just a little too far, he liked to break it with that question. What are you thinking about? Half the time, the answer was philosophical babble that Daisuke never understood. The other half of the time, when he did understand it, it always seemed a little sad. So he knew he was right to call Ken on it.

Besides, it was funny! Ken Ichijuoji, wonderfully scary, formidable to a fault, never failed to be floored by it. It was the one trick that always worked. Seeing Ken standing there, arms crossed, ablaze with righteous ire, it was as if the Kaiser had been reborn.

Although, this was a nice Kaiser who would help him out with his homework and buy him snacks if the occasion required it.

So Daisuke did the only appropriate thing. He walked over to where Ken was fuming, slung his arm around his shoulder casually, and said, "Hey I think about things too, you know. Manchester United, why United States soccer teams suck." Ken gave him a suspicious look, and then had the grace to look a little embarrassed. Daisuke continued, "It's okay of you're a geek. I'll be cool enough for the both of us. Thank goodness it's so easy for me."

Ken looked at the young boy clumsily trying to appease him, and moved so that his face was inches from Daisuke. "Is that so?" he challenged. "You, think? Is that what you said?"

Daisuke lifted his chin, and from deep in his throat came a small note of displeasure. "Damn straight!" He disengaged his arm from Ken's shoulder, and proceeded to walk along haughtily. What was Ken so het up about? Ken paused, and then quickened his pace to stride even with Daisuke. They walked silently like this for a few minutes. When they were just about ready to emerge from the park, 300 yards from the school grounds, Ken grabbed Daisuke by the shoulder, not roughly but forcefully.

"Look at me." Ken's expression was grim. "I think you are planning on trying to win Hikari back tonight. In fact, I know it." Daisuke recoiled, but only a little. Ken was his friend, and no Kaizer. Not any more. "You should have told me. Why didn't you tell me?" Where was all this intensity coming from, all of the sudden? "Walls." Ken sounded disgusted. "I hate them."

Daisuke was taken aback. What was all this? Daisuke could never hide anything from Ken if he tried. He thought that Ken knew all this, knew it without him having to say anything. Knew him, the way that only Ken was ever able to know him. Suddenly he felt wretched. He'd accidentally stirred something deep in the violet-eyed boy, and whatever it was, he wished he could take it back. Daisuke felt a queasy stabbing in his stomach. Why did he feel so guilty, so exposed?

"I...I don't know."

Ken simply stared. His gaze was somehow both dead, and alight with fury.

This was bad.

Why hadn't he said anything about this new plan of his, anyway? He used to be very forthcoming to Ken when it came to every single miniscule detail of his feeling for the girl. And even after he had found out that she really didn't return his feelings, he had poured out every woe to Ken. But lately, in the past few weeks, he had started to feel ashamed of his feelings for Hikari. It seemed…dirty. Like he was betraying something by even having them.

Daisuke started to splutter, it was his turn to babble nonsense. But oddly, even as he became more incoherent, Ken seemed to cool down. The grip of his shoulders, downright painful at first, loosened slowly as Daisuke muttered apologies and broken explanations.

As Daisuke wound down, Ken's unreadable expression altered; no longer dead, it appeared somewhat resigned. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. It was ridiculous of me to expect you to tell me that."

Ridiculous? If Ken felt that it was ridiculous, it meant that he believed that Daisuke was not as close to him as he'd believed.

"Ken! No! I-- "

"It's just, I noticed it, and was surprised. That is all."

Why did Daisuke feel so horrible? He felt like he should say something. Of course, you have the right to know! You're mine...my friend. His heart sputtered.

"I'm sorry, Ken, I didn't--"

Ken turned towards the school resolutely. "Well then." It was almost cruel, how expertly he cut Daisuke off. "Let's win you your dream, why don't we?"

That remark should have made Daisuke dizzy with triumph. If Ken declared that something was to be done, it usually happened.

Not this time. Daisuke felt miserable.

"Sure. That's...something. Great. Yeah."

In this spirit of 'comradeship,' the two boys set forth.