The ground crunched under his long strides. The dead leaves under his feet curled up as if caught in a searing pain when he lifted his foot once again. It was a little cold, and Daisuke was glad for the hoodie encasing his body, for he was wearing a thin, short-sleeved shirt underneath. The crisp air of autumn seemed to taunt him as it pushed him forward while he walked. He was feeling decidedly better out in the open air. The house could get stuffy at times, particularly when night drew near, signaling the coming of brief episodes of insanity for his boyfriend. He didn't like to be around when that was happening, and he knew Ken wouldn't cause serious bodily harm to himself in Daisuke's absence. Ken was more sensible than that. He was slightly insane, but he had great common sense. He might prick himself with needles every so often, but he knew how to wrap his wounds and use disinfectant.

Daisuke drew nearer to his destination, hearing the small whine of music drifting through the air in the distance. He smiled to himself as he drew closer and was able to recognize the song playing. He opened the door to the restaurant and slipped inside, drawing his hood over his head to shield the side of his face as he moved to sit in a dark corner in the back of the restaurant.

Once seated comfortably, he drew his hood back and fixed his stare on the blonde at the microphone. A vague smile arched his lips. He let his eyes pass over the blonde's smooth, immaculate hair, pale, picturesque face, deep, impenetrable eyes, full, rosy lips, the elegant curve of his neck, the silken black shirt, the slender, pale hands holding the microphone...

He let his eyes slide shut, now focusing all of his attention on the voice washing over him. The deep, sensual, seductive voice reached out to caress his skin like a lover's fingertips. Every pitch, every note was perfectly in tune. It made him crave more, made him wish that he could call upon that voice to speak to him whenever he wished. He could make the voice say whatever he wanted it to say. He could capture it in a seashell, the way Ursula captured Ariel's voice in that movie, The Little Mermaid. Oh, if only he could.

His eyes opened again and he watched as the blonde lost himself in the singing. That look of passion on his face, highlighting it into something incredible, made him wonder what ran though the boy's mind while he was singing.

He must be seeing heaven. Heaven behind pale eyelids, hidden behind the clouded vision...

The other band members faded into darkness as the singer became the only thing visible in Daisuke's eyes and mind. He was singing only for him, using that sexy voice to conjure sweet images only visible to Daisuke. He was showing him his heaven.

Daisuke found himself becoming just as lost in the music as the singer was. He closed his eyes again, breathing unsteadily, raising a hand to touch his own face as the voice embraced him again. This was why he loved this band above all of the others he went to see. This was why he found Yamato to be so interesting, so intriguing, and so exotic. Yamato's was the only voice that could make him feel this way.

Not even...no, not even Ken's voice could stir him so passionately.

Daisuke opened his eyes and dropped his hand when he realized the singing was over. The band members were thanking people and moving out to the audience, going to talk to friends and family that were watching. Daisuke remained seated, his eyes following the blonde moving through the crowd and occasionally leaning down to hug people. People began to stand and walk to the door, chattering to each other, pulling on jackets and coats to protect themselves against the autumn weather.

Eventually, he stood, pulling his hood up over his head once again and shoving his hands into his pockets. He made his way along the wall, shoulder brushing against it with every step he took, trying not to be seen or recognized. He kept his eyes down. If he made eye contact with anyone that knew him, he'd be forced to talk to them. He didn't want to talk to anyone.

Right before he got to the door to exit the restaurant, a hand descended onto his shoulder. He turned around slowly, taking a deep breath. His dark amber eyes met with sapphire blue.

"Daisuke?" the blonde asked hesitantly.

He nodded. "Yamato."

Yamato removed his hand, his eyes uncertain, as if he didn't know why he'd stopped Daisuke in the first place. Daisuke stared hard at him as Yamato lifted an arm to scratch his neck.

"Do you want to, uh, go out to eat with me, before you go home?"

"Sure."

Yamato smiled, his face brightening. "Great! Did you come in your car?"

"No. I walked."

"Okay, we can go out to eat, and then I'll drop you off at your house."

"Okay."

Yamato clapped his hands once, grinning. "Well, I'll lead you to my car, then."

Daisuke followed Yamato out of the restaurant. He didn't see the triumphant look on Yamato's face as they walked towards the car.

~ ~ ~ ~

"So, what made you come to the gig in the first place?" Yamato asked, mouth full of hamburger.

Daisuke looked up at him from the table. He'd been staring at it since they'd gotten there, not even lifting his eyes when he ate his food.

"I've been to every single one of your gigs for the past three months."

Yamato's eyebrows shot up. "What? Really? Why?"

"Your voice entrances me."

Yamato carefully swallowed the food in his mouth. "My voice what?"

Daisuke brought his elbows up onto the table and laid one hand over the other in the air. He peered over them at Yamato, his eyes dead serious. "I first went to one of your gigs because I'd developed a weird sort of habit of going to watch local bands perform at restaurants, but after I heard your voice for the first time, I couldn't forget it. It never left my mind. You sing with so much passion, it's like you're making love to the music, or the audience, or something. It left an incredible impression, and I haven't missed a gig since then."

Yamato's cheeks colored slightly at both the comparison to making love and the shower of compliments.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Daisuke lowered his eyes again and resumed eating. Yamato felt slightly put out that the red-haired boy had let it drop that easily, but he tried to ignore it and continued eating his own food. Yamato was silent until he thought of something.

"Daisuke, where do you live?" It had just occurred to him that he didn't know where he was going to give Daisuke a ride to when they were done.

Daisuke mumbled out an address that Yamato was just able to catch. Yamato lifted his burger to start eating again, but Daisuke went on.

"I live with my boyfriend."

Yamato nearly dropped his hamburger onto his lap.

"Your...boyfriend?"

"Yes." He lifted his eyes and narrowed them slightly. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

"No," Yamato said quickly. He scratched his neck nervously. "I just didn't know you were...gay."

"Bisexual," Daisuke corrected, shoving a fry into his mouth like he was totally unfazed by telling someone he hardly knew his sexual preference.

Yamato waited a few moments to ask another question. "Why do you live with him?"

"My parents kicked me out when they found out I had a boyfriend. Ken's rich aunt offered to lend us one of her houses to live in, and she'd pay the bills for us and everything. She loves Ken, and she'd do anything to help him out. His parents don't care what his preference is, but he moved out anyways, because he can't stand them. I don't know why, though. They've never done anything but love and support him."

Yamato nodded slowly, taking in all of this new information. He couldn't believe Daisuke was actually bisexual. It gave him a small rush of hope, even if the boy did have a boyfriend.

"I'm gay," Yamato blurted out. His eyes widened slightly and he glanced around to make sure no one else had heard him.

Daisuke lifted his eyes to stare into Yamato's. "Okay..."

"I don't know why I just told you that," Yamato said, smiling timidly.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No, I just haven't found anyone yet." A lie, but Daisuke didn't know that. In truth, Yamato hadn't been able to stop thinking about Daisuke since he'd first seen him in the band hall. He'd had a strange air about him, like he was a puzzle just begging to be solved. Yamato had instantly felt determined to solve it. Now, he wasn't so sure he'd even get the chance to try.

So sad, too bad. Yamato smiled grimly to himself.

"Are you done eating?" He lifted his eyes to look at Daisuke. Daisuke was looking at him expectantly, and then his eyes flicked down to eye Yamato's food, which he hadn't touched in a few minutes.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I kind of spaced out. I do that a lot."

Daisuke laughed shortly. "Figures."

Yamato threw their trash and followed Daisuke out to the car. He noticed that Daisuke walked with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and his head tilted down. The red-haired boy always walked with his eyes cast towards the ground, as if nothing above that level interested him enough to look at.

The drive to Daisuke's home was mostly silent, but then Yamato broke it, wanting to know more about this boy.

"So, what's your boyfriend like? Would I know him?"

Daisuke shook his head. "He goes to a different school. It's a private school or something. You know, one of those special schools for smart kids. He's very smart, but he's crazy."

"Crazy?" Yamato raised an eyebrow and glanced towards Daisuke. "What do you mean 'crazy'?"

"I mean he's insane, off his rocker, not quite right in his head."

"Give me an example."

"If you went to my house and opened up the fridge, you would find the frozen remains of what used to be a Scottish terrier."

Yamato's eyebrows shot up. He looked at Daisuke again, and then glanced back at the road. "What?"

Daisuke sighed. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"Well, that's kind of hard to believe."

Daisuke grinned and lowered his head even further. "Would you like for me to show you when we get there?"

"No thank you," Yamato replied, scrunching his nose up a bit at the thought. He sighed and shook his hair back from his face. "Okay, so there's a dead, frozen dog in your fridge. What's it doing there, and what relation does it have to your boyfriend being crazy?"

"He put it there, probably while it was still alive, but nearing death. I don't know what he did to it first, but it was hardly recognizable when I first saw it."

"That's just unbelievable. Sorry, but you're right, I don't believe you."

Daisuke crossed his arms tighter over his chest, staring hard out the window. "Well, then don't."

Yamato glanced at him yet again and sighed. He resisted the urge to reach out and touch Daisuke.

"Can you blame me for not believing you?"

Daisuke didn't reply, only shaking his head slightly. He suddenly lifted his arm to point out the window.

"Turn right here."

Yamato followed his directions until he pulled up in front of Daisuke's current house. He left the car running as he shifted gears into Park and turned to face Daisuke. He reached out to stop Daisuke from exiting the car. The other boy halted in his actions as soon as the blonde's fingers brushed his skin. He turned to stare at him, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I'm sorry if I upset you," Yamato said softly.

Daisuke smiled at him, though it looked fake. "Don't worry about it. You didn't."

He was about to turn to the car door again when Yamato's hand grabbed him again, this time more urgently. Daisuke sighed and shifted his body to turn completely towards Yamato. He bit back any comment he had been about to make when he saw concern etched into the blue eyes.

"This crazy boyfriend of yours...he doesn't hurt you, does he? He sounds dangerous."

Daisuke looked surprised for a second before he laughed faintly. "He's only dangerous if you're an animal."

Yamato frowned to himself. "You didn't answer my question."

Daisuke stopped laughing and his smile grew weak and forced. "I know."

Yamato's mouth opened to respond to that, but before he knew it, with lightning-fast reflexes, Daisuke threw open the car door and slammed it shut behind him, walking quickly towards the dark house.