AN: Has anyone noticed that when Daisuke transforms, Dark's clothes don't change, but Satoshi's does when he turns into Krad? And it's always that same ugly white outfit too. hehe, sorry Krad fans, I didn't mean to bash him. Anyway, I like this chapter! Have a good read, everyone.

To Not Fall in Love 8: A New Beginning

Carelessly, Risa threw her keys onto the table beside the phone. She nearly missed seeing the unmistakable flashing green light of her phone. Did somebody call her last night?

She hopped over and stared at the number that was displayed. For a full second, her mind blanked out and she was unable to recognize the number. Then a shiver ran down her spine as it finally dawned on her; Hiwatari-kun had called.

She didn't know what to feel. More importantly, what should she do? Call back? Wait for another call? But what if it never comes? Feeling strangely hopeful, but down at the same time, she decided to do some homework to get her mind off these things.

Her socked feet touched the cold white floor of the bathroom. Since when did it get so cold? She turned on the tap and splashed some water on her face to clear her mind. After staring at herself for a bit in the mirror, she stepped out and dragged her bag across the room to her messy work desk.

Just then, the phone rang again. She gave a little yelp and grabbed it off the hook on the second ring.

"Hello?" she said a little shakily.

"Harada san?" Satoshi said on the other end.

A startled gasp slashed through the air. "Yes! That's me." she answered. His voice…so familiar, and Risa suddenly realized that there was something solemn and lonely in it. A strange desire and feeling enveloped her all of sudden but she wasn't sure what it was.

"What did you call me for?" Risa asked.

"It's been so long since I last saw you. Can I…talk to you?"

"That'll…be great…you wanna go out for a coffee or something?" Risa said.

"Starbucks, Teolia Avenue?"

"I'll see you there in twenty minutes."

Her heart pounded in her chest as she replaced the receiver. She had no idea why she was so excited about this. Wasn't Hiwatari-kun the big jerk who used her for whatever snobbish purpose he had in mind?

For some reason, Risa chose not to redo her make up or put on a new outfit. Instead, she gave herself a cursory glance in the mirror, grabbed her bag and left. And for some strange reason, she chose to speed walk there instead of taking the bike.

When she arrived exactly twenty minutes later, she could already make out Satoshi's form at one of the tables.

"Hi." she decided to say. Satoshi had already bought himself a drink, so Risa dumped her bag in the seat and went to the counter to get hers.

Narrowing his eyes, Satoshi scrutinized the slender back of the young woman. She was really quite something, he decided.

Risa returned with a vanilla latte in hand. She sat down, and looked at Satoshi for the first time in days. Then, she felt her face grow hot. Being near him made her nervous all of a sudden. Satoshi did nothing to make her feel more comfortable; instead he stared at her until she grew even more self-conscious.

"Um…" she finally said to break the silence, "what have you been doing lately?"

"Remember about that social event thing I told you about?"

"Yeah."

"My father hooked me up with Okami's niece."

Risa's head shot up. "What's she like?"

"Okami times three." Satoshi said, his eyes serious and his mouth, a thin line.

Risa looked at him for three seconds then started giggling. She tried to repress her laughter, but it was too much. Oh the hilarity of it all! Satoshi was hooked up with someone like Okami! Finally, she burst out laughing.

After she had nearly finished, she was suddenly afraid. She didn't hear him say anything! Was he mad at her? She looked up, and was relieved when he was smiling.

"Thanks. Somehow, that made me feel better." he said.

So that meant he didn't want to go with her! When Risa heard that, she felt like she had won a competition.

"So what else happened?" she asked, truly curious.

"I went out to a restaurant with my father, Okami and her niece." Hm, why was he telling her everything?

"Oh, what's her name?" Risa interrupted.

"Kyoko." he said without skipping a beat, "Guess what she said to me when I first saw her."

"Is it something normal?" Risa asked.

Satoshi chuckled. "Far from it."

"Then I have no idea."

Satoshi smiled faintly, "She told me to stop checking out her ass."

"What!" Risa laughed. "Who says stuff like that?"

"Kyoko does."

"Aw, I feel sorry for you then. Have fun at your little social gathering with her."

"I'll try." Satoshi meant for his comment to be sarcastic, but it turned out wistful instead.

For a moment, the two turned to look outside through the glass windows, but not really seeing anything.

Risa swallowed. She wanted to tell him what she really felt, that she missed him all this time. But was it safe to do so? Did she have the nerve?

"Hey, I was wondering. What kind of job do you have on top of school? I never asked you before."

Satoshi thought for a bit. It wouldn't hurt if he told her, he guessed. "I'm chief commander of a police squad." he said, omitting Dark, and the curse.

"Like, a real commander of a police squad? Oh my gosh! I never even knew!" Risa couldn't help but gush.

"It's not that great as it sounds. Most of the time, it's boring."

"No, I think it's an awesome job. Most people can't make it up to a position like that in their lifetime! I can't believe you never told me this before." Risa said, truly amazed. "So what does your father do, and why does he have to go to all these events?"

Why was she so interested in him all of a sudden? "My father is part of a council. He's an ambassador of some sort for our police squad."

"What about your moth--?" Risa quickly shut her mouth, "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

Satoshi looked at his watch. Time flew by so quickly, he didn't even notice that it was time to catch Dark.

"Risa…" he said, "I have to go now." He hesitated a little before asking, "Can I see you again sometime?"

"Certainly." Risa got up and picked up her bag. "I'll walk with you to the door."

The two walked out the door, and into the light breeze. He looked at her and saw that she was blushing a little. Just then, a gust of wind blew her brown hair away from her face. Unconsciously, he reached out to touch a little strand. Risa blinked when she felt somebody tugging at her hair. She looked at him.

"Sorry."

"This is where I go now." Risa stopped. She wasn't sure what to do now. She looked down at her feet, and made up her mind. Standing on her toes, she closed her eyes, reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek.

There. That was a friendly kiss. "Goodbye." and she fled, leaving a disorientated Satoshi on the sidewalk.

(divider)

After staring at the retreating back of the young woman, Satoshi realized that he was going to be late if he didn't hurry. But tonight, he was sure that he would succeed. Fueled by a new source of energy, Satoshi was determined to catch Dark.

As he turned around, he felt a sickening familiar feeling within him. It was like a tug of war for control. He shut his eyes tightly and willed it to go away. Trying not to think about it too much, he stood up a minute later and ran all the way to the place where he knew Dark would show up.

(divider)

Niwa-kun just called her and asked her out. Niwa-kun just called her and asked her out! Riku slapped her face with both hands. Could it be…she was starting to have feelings for her friend? If not, then why on earth was she excited over Daisuke asking her out to see a movie with him? She was lying to herself, of course. She's had feelings for him all along, and she knew it. But Riku was never the type who'd admit this kind of stuff even to herself.

Riku smiled. Life was great. Niwa-kun just asked her out, her exams were over and her psychotic stalker wasn't contacting her anymore. She went over the closet and pulled out a stripped tank and a pair of casual jeans. In a minute, she was skipping out the door happily.

When she arrived outside, there was a large crowd, lights and helicopters around the local art store. Wondering what that was all about, but not caring enough to go check it out, Riku unlocked her bike and sped off.

(divider)

Behind the art building, Satoshi lifted a device from his pocket, and a small silver fragment that looked like it came from a broken mirror. In one of his reads through the book, he had discovered another method of sealing Dark. The Shard of Perpetuity, another artwork, was capable of sealing any sort of alternate being such as Dark.

Minutes later, a dark shadow appeared in the sky. It made a sudden dive and disappeared.

"Dark's here! Dark's here!" random people shouted.

Satoshi lifted himself up to a ledge using a rope. He pressed a button on his device, and a wall exploded near him.

"Dark." Satoshi stated.

"Well well, it's the commander again." Dark smirked, "Think you can catch me this time?"

Satoshi didn't answer. He pulled out the fragment, and pulled a lever on his device.

"Hey commander, there's something you should know." Dark continued, "If you're looking for the stolen art, Harada residence is the key word."

Satoshi stopped in his tracks, and suddenly, an image of Cat's Cradle propped up against the wall beside Risa's bed swam into his mind. Come to think of it, why didn't he try to take it back when he saw it?

Suddenly, Dark threw a feather above Satoshi. Satoshi leapt out of the way as a chandelier came crashing down, narrowly missing his leg. The fragment he was holding cut into his wrist, but he barely noticed it. Because Dark was already out the window.

He stared into the night sky. Someday, Dark will be sealed away. He was sure of it. And Krad…he'll have to make sure that the menace will never come out. That meant keeping his emotions in check. Specifically, it meant never getting himself attached to anyone. It sounded so simple at first, but now, he wasn't so sure.

(divider)

Satoshi arrived home and checked his email. Two in total. One from father, and one from Daisuke.

Hi Hiwatari-kun!

I was doing some research, and I found another method of sealing Dark. I'm not quite sure how it works, but it has to do with a 'sacred maiden' of some sort. If you find any other information about this, let me know.

Daisuke was smarter than he thought. Even he didn't know much about the sacred maiden. He clicked next.

Dear son,

We're meeting Kyoko and Okami at 5:00 pm sharp at my office tomorrow. Dress for the event.

(end chapter)

AN: Look forward to a major showdown between Risa and Kyoko soon. Need I say who's going to win?

chiharu-tanaka: Aw… poor Satoshi. I do agree he's a little scared. But don't worry, he'll get her back. Risa doesn't seem to like Dark too much in my fic for some reason. (Well duh, she's got Satoshi. Why does she need Dark?)

soo-wonss: Thank you, thank you and thank you!

Black Mistress: Of course, Satoshi will be there for Risa. Hopefully there won't be anymore Risa x Dark developments later on. Let's think of the date as a friendly one night thing for now!

M36NU7: Thanks! I'm sure they'll think about each other even more as the chapters drag on.

Cleopatra2: Oh very clever, you caught the irony! I'm happy you liked the caller ID thing! And in fact, Risa does have caller ID! woot!

SweetazKande: That's one of the best comment I've heard this week! I was so worried about flow and unity, so thanks for the encouragement.

Les Scribbles: mwuahaha, you're quite right. Dark and Krad will come into play later on. (hopefully, if I don't get lost in my knots of problems) Thanks for the encouragement!

Lemy: Aw, I'm sorry for not updating earlier! I think you'll like the Risa vs Kyoko showdown later on. Risa shall kick their ass, because she is so cool!

Jazz7: Actually, I was wondering what sort of personality I should give to Kyoko. I think it's more fun to make her drippy like Okami. And I'm so honored that you would take the time to review!