Author's ramblings: Well, this is the third chapter. A lot of stuff happens. Important stuff.

Daisuke dipped his head into the pool water furiously. If his head was completely wet, nobody would notice the tears, right? He knew it wouldn't have ended well. He knew he should've just told Takeshi that he couldn't make it to his birthday party.

Yeah, right.

Somewhere deep down in Daisuke's conscience, he knew that he had been oh so eager for this day to come. The day he could swim alongside Risa Harada in the shimmering sun. Oh, how he had looked forward to this, but why? Why did this gathering of friends have to be such a disappointment for our red haired, teenaged protagonist?

It all started with Daisuke at the door of his good friend, Takeshi's house.

"Oh, am I the first to arrive?" Daisuke asked, obviously trying to make his voice deeper.

"No…uh…um…what I mean is…" Takeshi sounded as if he wanted to say something but couldn't get it out. This was because he was completely speechless. Why? Well, you wouldn't be asking if you saw Daisuke's outfit.

"Are…are you…wearing a leather…jacket? And…shades! And your hair...did you…dip your hair in a tub of hair gel and slicked it all down?"

Dark had advised Daisuke to take his hair and some gel and sculpt his hair downward, the way it looked like when it was wet. This was just one of the numerous pieces of advice that the wise Phantom Thief Dark had given Daisuke. The night before was a difficult night for Daisuke. He felt like he was in one of those many makeover TV shows, but he was one of the ones who didn't improve in an episode that just happens not to make it on air.

Daisuke removed his leather jacket that had the fourteen-year-old sweating like a porky dog.

"Do you have a place where I can hang this?" Daisuke asks Takeshi with that same forced deep voice.

"Oh, here, lemme take that for ya." Takeshi takes his jacket and hangs it in a closet that was by the entrance of the warm home.

"You brought trunks, right?" Takeshi was already in a pair of brightly colored swimming trunks. "Everybody's already outside swimming."

"Yeah, I'm wearing them under these pants. Do you have a bathroom that I can change my…" Daisuke was cut off when a girl in a white and pink polka-dotted bikini walked into the room where Dai and Takeshi had been loitering. The girl long brown hair and the cutest smile. That girl was Risa Harada. The girl Daisuke had dreams about.

"Oh, this is why you've been out for so long Takeshi! Hey, Daisuke, get changed so we can head back into the pool, 'kay?" Risa said with a tone of innocence. The beauty of the girl kept Daisuke from moving for a second.

"…uh, yeah… I was just showing Dai the bathroom he had not realized this, but Daisuke's cheeks were now a vibrant shade of red. Risa giggled at how the boy's blushing exposed that he really was innocent no matter what he was wearing. These quirks of Daisuke's personality made Risa think of him as being so cute, but not in the way Daisuke wanted to be viewed. Cute as in the little puppy at the adoption center, not how Daisuke wanted.

Daisuke followed his good friend into the bathroom. Takeshi flipped a light switch on.

"You can just leave your clothes in the closet where I put your jacket and come out to the pool when you're done, OK?"

"OK, thanks."

"No problem."

Daisuke, now completely alone in the small room, shed himself of the white button-up shirt he had been wearing under the ridiculous leather monstrosity of a jacket. He looked at his topless self in the mirror.

"Why can't I have one of those chiseled, buff bods? Like Dark's!" Daisuke said with a sigh.

'Eh? What?' Dark had suddenly become interested, just by the sound of his name.

"Oh, nothing, just, go to sleep or something, lemme handle this party by myself. You've taught me a lot."

'OK, if ya think you can handle it…'

Daisuke then took his trousers off as well, leaving him standing in a pair of maroon swimming trunks. Dark said that the hue would bring out the color in his eyes. He then exited the small bathroom and neatly stored his clothing into the closet where his jacket was at rest and made his way to Takeshi's backyard.

For this party, Takeshi decided to invite all of their class. Of course there were some people who wouldn't make it, because of previous arrangements or studies, but all the people you would expect were there. In addition, when Daisuke stepped out into Takeshi's lavish, spacious backyard, he saw Satoshi, whom you normally would not expect to show up at such a socially centered gathering. Daisuke was one of the only people to be aware that Takeshi was actually quite wealthy and lived in such grand conditions. The pool was beautiful, with a Jacuzzi that's warm waters flowed over the edges into the pools main area, and a large waterfall and two slides.

Daisuke slipped into the pool joining quite a few people.

"Hey pass the ball to Daisuke!" Somebody in the crowd shouted out and the inflatable beach ball that had been thrown around the from end to end of the pool was tossed to Daisuke.

"Nice catch!" Risa called out, putting Daisuke's face into another state of vibrant crimson.

"Awww, shucks, it was not – "

"HEY! THROW IT BACK IN NOW!" Someone of a certain degree of impatience yelled out from the pool.

"Oh….sorry 'bout that." Daisuke muttered as he threw the inflatable tow back into the crowded pool.

Daisuke slipped into the warm water and joined in with all the games. When things started to simmer down a bit, most gathered around the concrete bench-like seating around the edges of the pool to soak in the warm water.

"Having fun, Daisuke?" Takeshi asks as any good host would.

"Yeah, this has been great!" Daisuke was as happy and pleases as ever. He had been given an opportunity to impress Risa Harada, the apple of his shimmering eyes.

At that moment, something popped into Daisuke's mind. Where did Risa go? His eyes darted from end to end of the pool much like the inflatable beach ball had been earlier.

Then his eyes took in something he couldn't believe. Something unbearable.

Satoshi had been quiet for the majority of Takeshi's party. But now, he was with Risa. 'No…' Daisuke thought to himself. 'With Risa aren't the proper terms. It's like he's more ON Risa than anything else.'

Satoshi and Risa were in a passionate kiss. Their lips were locked within each others. When this had started, Daisuke hadn't a clue, or a care. He just felt stupid. His feelings sank in, and like a horrible car crash, every possible emotion hit Daisuke, right on target. Bull's-eye. Tears had begun to seep from deep within Daisuke. So this was the party, eh?

Daisuke dipped his head into the pool water furiously. If his head was completely wet, nobody would notice the tears, right?

More Ramblings: I thought that it would be nice to state that this chapter was based on some true events. Not the dressing up part, but the core. Of a party and the chain of events.