Notes: Yatta! Yatta! I really managed to finish chapter 3!!!! Can't believe it!!! Hope that anyone will read it, because I let wait you guys such a long time. I'm so sorry for updating my story so late!!!! I had a big and baaaaaaaad "conflict" with my new computer, if you know what I mean. ^^;;; Nothing worked right an I was starting to loose my mind because of that. So I hope you'll forgive me.

You don't believe it, but I was inspired by the Soundtrack of the X TV serial to describe and associate Sato-chans sadness and fragility, and of course the starting of a gentle relationship between Sato-chan and Dai-chan. ^^ So if someone, who proudly owns that damned good soundtrack, wanna know which song inspired me... Nyahahaha *nervous laughter* I don't speak or could read any word Japanese. So I'm not able to read the back of the cover. But I try to describe: It was the first song on soundtrack CD 2. This song is so great and full of sadness and clearness, ya know? So I don't want to torture any longer with my silly notes. So ... READ IT! READ IT!!! =^-^=

Please review this chappy and, of course, enjoy reading! Hope you'll like it!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Special thanks to Fumi Ayakoganei (Yeah!!! Really you!!! ^-^) for her mental support when I was nearly down with my nerves (Because I didn't knew how to futher go on with this chappy when I stuck in the middle of it). She really managed to cheer me up every time!!! So SANKYUUUUUUUUUU!!!!! =^-^=

Chapter 3

For a short moment Satoshis gloom disappeared and he felt a little bit nervous. When Daisuke managed to look up to him, he hid again behind his mask of neutrality and coolness so that the other boy was't able to see his true feelings. It was like a reflex. He wasn't able to do anything against it. This action was rooted into him for such a long time that he couldn't give it up so easiely. Fear caused this reaction. He was afraid... afraid of pain and betrayal if he trust again somebody.

He banned this thoughts out of his mind and spent his attantion to the redhead. He wondered how he should act now because this was such an unfamiliar situation for him. The most time he avoided contact to other people He didn't like company very much. But somehow he felt that it was different with Daisuke. He was the only one who spent some attention to him. So it wasn't right to act rude. And a voice in his mind whispered that he should learn to trust again, even if it won't be easy. But it would be allright if he do so. Maybe this was his chance now, maybe his only one.

The blue haired boy took a deep breath and eyed Daisuke who fumbled clumsy on the buttons of his coat. Till then he hadn't noticed that the red haired boy trembled. It seemed that the cold still worked on him. When he watched the boy how he fought against the cold in his body and the embarassement, there grew a feeling inside him which he had never known before. Now, it was on time to say something; he couldnt be silent any longer.

"Are you cold?"

"My god!" he thought. "What a silly question! He seemed to be concerned about you and struggled through the storm and all you ask is if he's cold?!" Satoshi sighed inwardly. He wasn't good in conversation at all.

Daisuke tried to smile. "O-Only a l-little b-bit. It's not so bad." But his answer was the opposite of his actions. Now he trembled more than before. As if this underlined his lie.

"Don't lie to me, okay?" Satoshi responded a little bit softer and a smile flit over his face. "I think you could get along well with some hot tea, isn't it?"

"H-Hai..." While Daisuke answered a little bit more embarassed and looked after Satoshi a bit suprised, the blue haired boy went to the kitchen. He had never seen him smiling before. Somehow he felt that this was something special. So he was't so distanced and cold as everyone thought. While he was walking over the room and sat down near the heating he wondered how he should start a conversation to this calm boy. The redhead didn't knew him very well, though Satoshi was allready for one year in his class. He coulnd't finish his thoughts because Daisukes attention was directed to reality again as he heard steps coming along the room. He looked up to Satoshi and noticed that his features were softer than before. Then Satoshi hold out a cup to him.

"Here... your tea..." he said.

"Oh... thank you." Daisuke smiled to the other boy and his cheeks blushed a little bit.

Satoshi placed his cup and the cake from Daisukes mother on the floor and sat down next to the crimson haired boy. He looked towards him and answered some unexpected words.

"No... I have to thank you..."

"Eh? For what?" Daisuke didn't know what the taller boy was talking about.

"For visiting me..." Satoshi replied calm and avoided the gaze of Daisuke.

"O-Oh... thats allright." Now a cofused smile was placed on the redheads lips. A little bit later he got serious again. "Ehrm... Hiwatari kun? Could...Could I ask you something?"

"Of course." He nodded and looked down to the smaller boy.

"Uhm... Is.. is everything okay with you? I-I mean... You looked so sad today. I'm really concerned."

"Oh... I'm allright. Don't worry." Satoshi smiled sadly.

"So.... If everything is allright, why are your eyes so sad? They can't lie." For a few moments he was silent. Then, more serious than before: "I only could talk about myself, Hiwatari-kun. But if I were alone on my birthday, I wouldn't be allright. So... where is your family?"

His dicet and honest reaction overwhelmed Satoshi. He had never thought that somebody would care so much about him. Could it really be that somebody was concerned about him? Or was it all a dream? But no, it couldn't be a dream. The memories he had tortured him too much. Sorrow flood back in his mind like icy water as he remembered what happend in the past. But now it was on time... on time to finish it.

Daisuke was afraid of the reaction of the azour-eyed teen. It was so unpleasant that he was so direct. But his words came out so quickly that he hadn't any time to think about it. He looked unsure towards Satoshi and a slight blush placed on his cheeks. But when his eyes met Satoshis deep blue ones, he only saw sorrow, pain and sadness.

What caused so much sadness to you, Hiwatari Satoshi-kun?, he wondered. He wanted to apologize for his outburst but Satoshi answered him first.

"I don't have a family... not any more..." Satoshis voice was nearly soundless. He turned his head away from Daisuke to hide upcoming tears in his eyes.

The redhead saw how this words from his own mouth hurt the other teen. He never thought that Satoshi was so sensitive.Was he mistaken or saw he tears in the eyes of his older classmate as he turned his head away?

"S-Sorry... I-I didn't knew...I-I mean... I didn't want to get so personal... I didn't want to hurt you...gomen..." the aber eyed teen stuttered. He felt so lousy because he couldn't say any word that would work in this situation.

"Don't worry... It's allright... You couldn't knew that..." This words Satoshi said with a choked voice and he struggled against loosing his self control. He tuned arround to Daisuke and the crimson haired teen saw tears gleaming in his melancolic eyes. In this moment Daisuke had the impression that Satoshi seemed to be fragile like glass. And he knew that he had to do something to help the other boy.

"Could I help you... I mean... Do you want to talk about it?"

He knew that he mustn't leave Satoshi alone with his thoughts and painful memories.

Not today.

Never again.

Daisuke put down his cup and dedicated his whole attention to Satoshi.

The boy with the azour blue eyes thought that it seemed to be odd that somebody cared for him so much. But for another odd reason he accepted the offered help of Daisuke. He looked at the honest and soft ruby eyes of the boy next to him. He was there when he needed someone... When he didn't wanted to be alone any longer. It seemed that the crimson haired teen knew his deepest wishes. He felt that this was right. And so he started to open his heart a little bit to Daisuke. It was only like a streamlet of water which trickled through a gab in a thick wall. But maybe this streamlet would cause the collapse of the wall.

"I don't talk about it very much. I never talk too much about everything. But I think... somehow... I should trust again somebody." He hesitated a little bit and looked down in the warmest eyes he had ever seen. And a little bit calmer he said: "And I think this one are you, Niwa Daisuke-kun. Nobody was so sincere to me and cared about what I feel like you. Even that I don't really know what I feel." A gentle and hesitating smile was placed on his lips now, but his eyes stayed as sad as before.

"O-Oh... arrigato... I couldn't bear it to see somebody suffering like you do"

Especially you.

"I really want to help you." Daisuke answered a little bit emarassed. He smiled gentle to the other boy and was glad, no, relieved that Satoshi trust him so much. He knew, it wasn't easy for the other boy to talk about it and to support him in his further actions he took Satoshis hand and pressed it softly.

The blue haired boy jerked because of this unexpected contact. It had been a very long time since somebody touched him. And with this he didn't associate something good. Memories stabbed through his mind like glaring flashes while his glance mared.

Screams....

Punches...

Pain...

So much pain....

A sudden nausea overwhelmed him and he began to tremble. The he lost himself in a deep black hole... And it seemed that it had no end. Darkness surrounded him and took his breath. Darkness and pain... the painful feelings of the past... He felt so helpless... He was unable to struggle against this icy darkness.

Ruby eyes noticed that Satoshis eyes where widened in horror – that they saw something terrible that only he could see. The redhead still held the other boy's hand. He felt the trebling of the blue haired teens body and that Satoshis hand pressed firm his own one. It was if he searched desperate for a support; that he didn't loose reality completely. Daisuke felt so helpless in this situation which seemed to be caused by himself. He wanted to help but he didn't know how he should do that. He got on his knees in front of Satoshi, grabbed his shoulders and shook him. Hoping that this was a chance to bring the other teen back. He was only able to cry despaired a few words.

"Satoshi- kun! Can you hear me?! Come back! Please... Come back!" Daisuke yelled out this words in horror and his words got down in heavy sobs as he realized that they didn't seem to work.

The teen with the deep blue eyes was pulled into complete darkness of his memorries now. Nothing came up to him. Not even Daisukes screams. "No... I don't want it..don't want to remember..." he thought weak. "Not again." But he knew that he had to fight. Images flashed through his mind. Blood red strands of hair... innocent but also strong amber eyes... an adorable shy smile...

Then a feeling... Someone pressed his hand... He held it. A despaired try to get out of this hell. Then a feeling that somebody grabbed his shoulders and shook him. A voice broke this terrible and painful emptieness inside him... Niwa Daisuke...

A strong and warm feeling that grewing inside him like a fragile plant made him to startle and his glance cleared up. The first he saw where Niwas warm ruby eyes very close to him...Concerned... Horriefied... Then suddenly relieved as he saw Satoshi come back to reality.

"Thank god! You are back! You are back..."

The smaller teen couldn't say more than that few words. The feelings he had in this moment overwhelmed him completely. Tears of relief streamed over his face. And before he realized what he did he embraced Satoshi.

The blue haired boy felt arms surrounding his neck, a warm body pressed against his own one. But this time he dind't fell back in icy darkness. Now he was overwhelmed by this strong and warm feeling more than before. The first time he felt how pleasant it was that somebody cared about him so much... that somebody said that he was concerned about him.

He felt nearness... safety...

Love?

The fact that the other boy was so close to him and that he was the one who really cared about him made his heart beat faster. Soft strands of ruby red hair tickled his cheeks and he had to smile a little bit. Slowly his arms surrounded Niwas slim hips and answered the sudden embrace of the smaller boy.

"Sorry that I scared you so much..." he whispered. Satoshis breath tickled in Daisukes ear and this caused an amazig feeling inside him. Like if there was a huge swarm of butterflies inside him.

"I have never talked about it..." continued Satoshi. "It had never confrontated me so much for a very long time. It hurts. But I want to stop it... to let it never happen again. I want to tell you the whole story... So would you listen to me? Would you help me?" It seemed for him that he haven't said so much significant words to another person for a very long time.

"Yes, of course... I really want to help you. You know that." One of his soft and adorable smiles placed on Daisukes lips and a light crimson crept on his cheeks, He smiled because Satoshi trust him so much. "But I don't want to pester you to tell it to me. So if it hurts too much, tell it to me, okay?"

"You don't pester me... So don't worry about it." The other boy answered relieved.

They left their close embrace and Satoshi started to tell Daisuke slowly and painful about his childhood and his previous youth.

The snowstorm which raged outside in full force they both had forgotten.

~ End of Chapter 3 ~