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Disclaimer: Still taint mine.
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The Challenge :: Part 6

I can not help but think back to what I told Daisuke all those years ago and hate myself
for it. It was a threat made in the heat of the moment. I was mad. Mad at Daisuke for
feeling as worthless as he did, mad at everyone else for pushing him to it, for not showing
him just how great he was, and mad at myself for being unable to convince him otherwise.
When I told him that the decision would always be up to him, that I would not fight it, I
was just being boastful. In reality, I was just saying I know you'll never actually do it. *In reality*, I was offering up the challenge to him, not the other way around. I wanted to know just how far he would go to punish himself.

But one look at his face down below and I knew that I had made the biggest mistake of my
life. And for me, that's really saying something.

I slammed the door shut. I do not even know if I remembered to lock it, but I doubt I
did. I had to talk to Daisuke right now and there was no way he was coming back to talk to
me. That much had been obvious. When he had looked up at me I could see the good bye in
his eyes. I made it down the stairs in record time and started down the street after him
thanking anyone I had ever heard of that I was faster.

However, it soon became very readily apparent that this was not going to end so easily.
After a few blocks I was in the busy business district, a fact I had loved before, but now
openly cursed. Normally, it might not have been so hard to find Daisuke's burgundy hair in
the sea of black, but then he was not normally avoiding me. That, and the hundreds of
people moving about made my pace decidedly slower.

Daisuke watched as Ken pushed his way through the crowds. He kept his eyes pinned on the
older boy the entire time, half-hoping and half-afraid that his stare would draw Ken's
attention. Ken's glance did flicker in Daisuke's direction for a moment, but missed the
boy in the shadows of alleyway. Daisuke let out a pent up breath. 'Coward' his mind
laughed, 'The least you could do is admit she was telling the truth. But no, just continue
to hide, that is so much more like you.' Daisuke sighed again. This was getting bad. Ken
used to make the taunting stop but now was the cause. And, damn it! He was not a coward.

"Ken!"

*****
tbc

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