It was a balmy late afternoon, a perfect time to sit outside in one of the many street cafes and enjoy the autumn warmth and the orange rays of the sun playing over the houses. Sun-dappled sidewalks were the playground of teenagers, young lovers and little kids with their toys. Colorful umbrellas guarded the bistro tables and people laughed and talked in the cafes and restaurants.
Satoshi looked at the multiple offered flavors, trying to decide which one to take home for desert.
/Satoshi? What are you doing/
Hikari didn't start at the soft voice in his mind. He had made his peace with Krad, not only getting used to having the demon in his mind but sometimes even finding himself in lively discussions with his former nemesis.
/I'm trying to decide which one to take. I like vanilla, especially Bourbon vanilla. It's such a warm flavor. But Dai prefers chocolate. What do you think'/
Silence.
/Krad/
/I wouldn't know, Satoshi/ the demon said softly.
/Why wouldn't you... oh./
Satoshi's eyes widened slowly as he understood. Sure, he knew about his demon's past, but knowing and knowing were different things-- and the most innocent incidents brought back that knowledge.
/You've never eaten ice cream before?'/
/No/
Of course not. Stupid question. Whenever Krad had pushed out, he had done so to fight, to take over the host body and try to kill Dark. He didn't need to really eat like humans did because the host did that.
Satoshi contemplated the ice cream for a second before he made his choice.
Looking at his finished work Satoshi grinned with satisfaction. He felt Krad move closer curiously. While Dark had started to take a liking to his corporeal existence outside Daisuke, even if it had a time limit, Krad had yet to really leave Satoshi. There had a moment or two when he had spent an hour, maybe a bit more, outside his host, but those were rare incidents. And when he was inside Satoshi, he usually kept his quiet and retreated to a far region of the shared mind.
Satoshi had tried to draw him out of that self-inflicted loneliness, but Krad was still rather skittish at times, afraid to end up hurting the one person he needed the most, and with it destroying everything they had slowly started to build.
/Ah, you're here, good. Could you take over for a minute?'/ Satoshi now asked.
Krad hesitated.
/Please/
/Why...?'/
/Krad, trust me. I just want you to see something. With your own eyes/
More hesitation, then Krad mumbled an 'Okay', sounding far from happy.
The change went smoothly and painlessly, even the materialization of the huge wings.
"Now what?" Krad asked, puzzled.
/Take the spoon and dig in/
"Spoon?" Krad looked down on the table, confused.
/Yeah, spoon. You know, the little metallic semi-round thing, part of common cutlery? Tools some people use to eat food with/ Satoshi explained, radiating his amusement to take the possible sting out of the words.
/I know what a spoon is, Hikari! What I don't know is what I should use it for?'/
/Eat/ Satoshi suggested.
/Eat ... oh/
Krad took the spoon as advised and hesitantly slid it into the slick looking white stuff. Then golden eyes widened in surprise and wonder when the first mouthful of vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips melted in his mouth.
"Sato... this is... wow..."
Another spoonful was devoured, this time with much more enthusiasm.
In the back of the shared mind, Satoshi shook his head, somewhat pleased but at the same time a bit sad about the way such simple pleasures as eating ice cream could make Krad happy. The demon had been held prisoner for almost three hundred years, used and abused, and he had been refused even the tiniest bit of free will. The ongoing torture had almost turned the innocent childlike creature into a complete psycho.
Satoshi had hated the demon with a vengeance, loathed his very existence and stated that a creature like him should have been terminated at birth.
He had been so wrong.
Like his ancestors.
He'd never be able to make it up to Krad, but maybe he could give the blond some of the freedom he deserved. He hadn't been asked to be drawn into this world, and he hadn't deserved that kind of treatment.
And if something like this could bring a little of the innocent being Krad had never been allowed to be back, all the better.
"Satoshi?" Krad suddenly said.
/Hm?'/
He had let his spoon sink, ignoring the half-eaten ice cream. Golden eyes looked at the slowly melting vanilla ice cream and Satoshi felt a wave of emotions pass through him, all coming from Krad.
/Krad?'/ he asked, concerned. /Krad, is everything okay?'/
"Yes," was the soft answer, the gaze still fixed on the food.
/Then what...?'/
There was the tingle of a separation and for a moment Satoshi was completely disoriented, blinking a few times. He finally looked up and right into the emotionally wide open eyes of his former nightmare. Krad swallowed a little, visible fighting against all he was feeling.
"Krad?" the young host asked, real concern chasing away his former happiness at Krad's positive experience with the ice cream.
"Why did you do this... for me?"
Satoshi was slightly confused. "Do this? You mean the ice cream? You said you never had it before. I actually doubt you know food, and I thought... well, in my body you can eat... you could have a taste..."
Wings trembled and feathers rustled slightly. "No one ever cared," came the rough whisper, barely loud enough for Satoshi to really hear.
"Krad..." Satoshi stepped forward, pushing away a wing that had automatically slid forward like a protective shield. "Krad, I wanted to do this for you. I know how bad it was for you in the past, and I wanted you to feel something... positive. There's a whole world out there that you have never experienced and I think it's time you do. Little by little... starting with ice cream." The blue eyes twinkled a little.
Krad stared at him, looking so shocked and lost, Satoshi touched him with a reassuring hand. He rubbed the arm closest to him, smiling.
"Maybe it was a bit overwhelming," he conceded. "I'm sorry."
"No!" Krad protested. "No... I just never... never expected to... after all that happened..."
Satoshi stopped him, cupping the handsome face with a strong hand. "Our past has nothing to do with our future. I know that now, and I want you with me, Krad. I'm not your master, neither are you a servant. You're your own man, you live and breathe and exist. You're free to come and go as you like. You don't have to ask for permission. What my family has done to you... I can never make it up to you. You suffered at their hands and you nearly destroyed yourself."
"Satoshi..."
He shook his head, indicating for Krad to keep silent. "Krad, I'm the last of my blood line and we were both victims of an ancient sealing gone wrong. Just like and Daisuke and Dark. You just got the worse end of the deal. I want you to be happy. I want you to understand that the past won't repeat itself. I'm not like my ancestors."
Krad's hands framed his face, his fingers ran through the dark blond hair. "You're not, Hikari Satoshi. You never were," he said softly. "I trust you. I love you like I loved my first host. I protect you with my life and I will never hurt you again."
It was like a vow and Satoshi felt a whirl of emotions. He wondered how something as innocent as eating ice cream had come to this. But the words made him warm and dizzy nevertheless.
So much time wasted, he thought desperately. Had he known all this as a child... had he understood Krad's true reasons, the pain, the desperation, the fear and anger...
Water under the bridge.
He pulled the demon into a hug, felt wings close around them, and whispered, "Thank you."
When they stepped apart, Krad looked ruefully at the molten ice cream. Satoshi chuckled. "I still have a container in the freezer. You want to stay outside and eat some more?"
There was a brief flicker in the golden eyes, seeking automatic reassurance that it was okay to do so, and Satoshi just nodded encouragingly. When the wings dissolved, he was smiling widely.
With new bowls in their hands, they settled down and Satoshi quietly watched the demon eat the sweet treat.
end of this ficlet
to be continued