Ahaha! I woke up at about three in the morning on the Fourth of July and wrote this. It's now 6:37 pm and my back hurts. ^^
Anyway – I already wrote the summary in the first chapter.
Thanks to the reviewers. I'm glad you like this. I like writing it.
Be ready for the last chapter – I'm thinking of updating on my birthday, July 13. O.o hmm....
This Chapter Contains: Sarcasm, a chase scene, random words, cross-dressing, and Alien Abductions. (not implied this time!)
Timeline: La la la la la... I can't heeaaaar yoooouuu....
Pairings: Takeshi is hitting on Daisuke... and he doesn't like it. And there's some very... weird SatoshixDaisuke thing going on. (in the end)
Getting Depressed, Getting Desperate, and Getting Drunk
Desperation
When Daisuke woke up, he felt like.... nothing. He lacked the will to move or breathe or anything else. He lacked the will to become alien abducted, for cripes sake!
Dark...? He threw a probe into the darkness of his mind, a little apprehensive about what he would find. There was no answer, and he called again, with the same response. Then a black wave of despair washed over him and he lay on his bed, sprawled out, staring unseeingly up at the ceiling. His mind was blank for a few precious seconds. He realized, slowly, what was happening, and tried to fight of the desperate depression that was clinging to him like shrunken leather. And he should know. Dark had gotten himself in enough messes to know what shrunken leather felt like.
He managed to wiggle his body, head first, towards the edge of the bed, not quite sure what he was doing, but glad that he able to move, even if it was to only wiggle. After most of his body had been removed from the bed, the rest followed, and he landed in a heap on the floor, blinking, and still unable to move. He whimpered.
Satoshi, of course, was in the room, and, of course, he'd been watching Daisuke the entire time, because, of course, Daisuke was acting really freaky, and, of course, he'd notice it because, duh, he was a detective, and damn perceptive, too! So he watched Daisuke as he started to wiggle, watched him as he slowly slid off the bed, and even watched as he landed on the floor, then whimpered a little, doing nothing in true blue Satoshi-style. He didn't move an inch. Not a centimeter.
He watched for a little longer.
And a little more.
Some more time passed by, with only his watching.
Finally, though, he spoke. "Daisuke, you're on the floor."
"No shit." Daisuke managed out like it was painful.
"You should get off the floor."
"Hmm... You think so?" Daisuke was finding it much easier to talk if he was being sarcastic. Maybe the power of sarcasm was depression's weakness. Exploit the weakness!
"Yes, I do." Satoshi was well aware of Daisuke's sarcasm, but ignored it; anyway, he was being a little obtuse as well.
"Too bad. I like the floor."
"You really should get up."
"No. The floor is my friend."
At that moment, the door opened and Takeshi Saehara stood on the threshold. Since Daisuke had fallen on the other side of the bed, not visible at the door, Takeshi couldn't see him.
"Where's Daisuke?" He asked, blinking as he looked around.
Satoshi still didn't move. "He's on the other side of the bed. I keep telling him to get off the floor, but he won't listen. Something about being friendly with the floor."
Takeshi grinned scampered to see Daisuke on the floor, unable to get up, laying face down.
"Going for the floor, now Daisuke?" Takeshi crowed, but he, too, did not offer to help Daisuke up, who was seriously contemplating, whenever he could fit it through the waves of depression, of killing on and using his intestines to strangle the other.
Of course, Dark still hadn't surfaced, so had no view on this rather homicidal view on life Daisuke had adopted.
"I hate you. Die." Was all the red head could get out before another bought of depression rolled over him. Takeshi frowned, finally realizing that something was wrong. He reached down and heaved Daisuke back onto the bed, sitting next to him.
"Daisuke... is everything alright with you...? You can talk to me, you know, I'm always there for you." Takeshi said, being very un-Takeshi-like, which disturbed Daisuke.
"Uh... No... Just die.... That's enough for me..." He answered, unable to sit up as he lay on the bed with his legs dangling off the edge.
"Daisuke, I'm your friend, and it scares me if you won't open up to me..."
Suddenly, Daisuke's paranoia outweighed his depression, and for a good cause, because the crazed journalist (whom a few classmates are convinced is on some kind of illegal drug) was leaning a bit closer than was comfortable. With a yelp, he jumped off the bed and dashed out the door.
"I have nothing to talk about!" He yelled as he exited the room. Takeshi was hot on his heels as they ran down the hallway.
"Come back here! We need to talk!"
"No! I don't want to talk!" Daisuke yelled over his shoulder as he bypassed the elevator in favor of the staircase, looking desperately for escape.
As for Satoshi...
He didn't move one inch, centimeter, or millimeter.
*
Riku was wandering aimlessly around the building, looking at pictures on walls; decorations; people; whatever she walked by. She was on the first floor, in a rather dark hallway, when she heard the screaming. At first, she thought someone was being murdered. The screaming became louder, and she could make out snatches of what was being said, along with the pounding of feet as they moved down the corridor.
"TALKING... FISH BALLS... HARMONICAS... SERENGETI... ACOLYTE... DRUNKEN REPORTERS... LIVE KITTY ACTION SHOWS... HYPED UP DRUG ADDICTED CORNSTARCH..."
As the voice grew louder, she could hear even more of what was being said.
"OUR FRIENDSHIP DEPENDS ON OPENING UP TO EACH OTHER!!!"
"FIEND FROM HELL!!"
Riku blinked. It sounded like Daisuke and Takeshi, actually... At that moment, the red head dashed into view, spotting Riku, and ran behind her, trembling.
"Hide me..." He whispered fervently, eyes glued to where he'd just come from. She could hear Takeshi's footsteps getting louder by the moment, and knew it was only a matter of seconds before he came up hem. "Please, help me hide, Riku!" He rasped desperately, face ashen. She nodded and they ran down the hallway, a plan already forming in her mind. She didn't know why Daisuke was running from the demented journalist, but she would help him, anyway.
They raced down the hallway, turning a few corners until they burst through a door. Closing it hurriedly behind them, Riku panted for a moment. "What was that about."
Across from her, on the floor and near dead, Daisuke struggled for breath, feeling as if his heart was doing the river dance. He sat up, regarding his savior in a holy light. "He was trying to... er... manhandle me." Yeah. That's right. Manhandle. He said to himself, convincing himself, but not the girl.
"Well, whatever. Do you think he'll be on you for the rest of the day?"
He nodded. "If not the rest of the trip. Maybe it's something in the water."
Or maybe his drug stash dried up and he's going through withdrawal. Riku thought to herself as she grabbed some of her sisters 'feminine' products – a straightener, some curlers, gel, barrettes and bobby pins, then hauled out her own wardrobe, though it contained nothing too fancy, frilly, or lacey. It's Riku we're talking about, here, not her twity sister.
"This would be a lot easier if Risa were here..." Riku muttered to herself, much to the incredulity of the red haired boy.
"What do you mean 'if Risa were here'?" Daisuke echoed, wondering what the hell she was doing with all of the clothing, make up, and hair... things...
As if on cue, Risa came through the door, closing it behind her and blinking as she spotted Daisuke.
"Huh? Oh, hi, Daisuke." She said, walking farther into the room. "Riku! You'll never believe what I saw! Takeshi was running up and down the hallways, screaming for his lobster... I didn't know he had a pet lobster...." She blinked thoughtfully, pursing her lips. She realized that her twin was currently busy. "Uh... Riku... What are you doing?"
Riku glanced up and her eyes brightened as they lit upon her younger sister. "Risa! Daisuke is having a... Um... Shall we say 'personal space' problem with Takeshi and he needs a disguise. So I wanna dress him up as a girl."
"YOU WHAT!??" Both Daisuke and Risa yelled at the same time, staring at Riku like she'd grown another head.
Hmmm... A girl, eh? Dark murmured.
Wah! Dark! You're actually alive! Daisuke yelped, surprised that the thief had popped up finally. Dark gave him a Look.
Of course I'm alive. I was just depressed... But this girl thing... it's not such a bad idea.... Daisuke, for some reason yet unknown, caught on to Dark's line of thought automatically. (Great – er, perverted.... minds thinks alike, eh?)
NO. WAY. Daisuke hissed at him. You are NOT using the guise of a girl to get into the girl's hot spring!
Yes I am! Dark yelled back, voice tinged with desperation.
"That is, if you're okay with it, Daisuke..." Riku amended, looking at the red head.
Before he could stop him, Dark answered for him. Convincingly, as well.
"If I have to..." He seemed a bit reluctant, which was not how the real Daisuke felt. The real Daisuke just plain didn't want to do it.
They all jumped as a fist came into contact with the door, and they realized that someone was knocking, rather loudly.
"RIKU! RISA!" Takeshi yelled from the other side of the door. "HAVE YOU SEEN DAISUKE!?"
As one, the two twins answered, "No!"
"THANKS!"
They could hear Takeshi walking to the next room, asking the same question. As he faded into the distance, Daisuke turned back to the twins.
"I'll do it." He hissed.
*
The red head surveyed himself in the full length mirror in the bathroom. Damn. He was cute as a girl. His hair had been straightened so that it hung, a little fluffy and disheveled, around his face, feathering his features to make him look a bit impish, in his opinion. Only a small amount of make-up had been applied to that face – lip-gloss and foundation, to his horror. He wore a long sleeved, filmy shirt, to show his midriff, shoulders and his bra straps, for hell and ducks! The shirt was black, which made his hair stand out even more, and he wore a pair of baggy pants, which contrasted with the girlish top enough so that he still felt enough of a guy, even though the bra was padded. More hell and ducks!
He wore boots and gloves, and all in all, he looked good. Never mind that, for some reason, everything he wore was black. He could deal with black a little better then he could with pastels, which was Risa's first choice, though Riku and Daisuke, in a panic, had persuaded her into a different direction. Leaning closer to the mirror, he noticed that on the bra strap, there were little bright red flames dancing along the fabric, which was a little surprising, though interesting... He wondered which of the twins' bra this was, then realized that this was Dark's thought.
The pervert.
Someone pounded on the bathroom door. Started, he turned and regarded it, panicking for a brief instant if it was Takeshi. Riku's voice drifted through the door and soothed his nerves.
"Come out! We wanna see what you look like!" Daisuke, apart from panicking again, could almost swear that he heard 'and Risa had to go to the bathroom' as well.
Nervously, he pushed open the door and peeked his head out. He blinked at the twins, who watched him expectantly.
"Well, come on out. We wanna see the fruit of our labors." Riku admonished, rolling her eyes. Fighting a blush, Daisuke stepped quickly into the room, eyes glued to the floor. For a moment, there was silence.
Then Riku gave a low wolf whistle, even though it was uncharacteristic of her, and Daisuke's eyes darted up to meet her gaze, startled.
"It looks good. Tomboy-ish yet feminine and sexy." She commented, walking around him to study the whole effect. "I don't think Takeshi will recognize you – hell, I wouldn't. Although you'll probably have to deal with guys hitting on you."
Daisuke slumped his shoulders. In the back of his mind, he could feel Dark mulling about something, his interest obviously pricked... about something, and the red head sure didn't want to find out what that something exactly was.
"I was afraid of that." He said under his breath. Riku brightened as Risa rushed into the bathroom, looking a bit pale as she locked the door behind her.
"Well, might as well try out the disguise." Grabbing his arm, she dragged him out the door, although he'd begun to panic again...
*
They'd been wandering around for a while, with no sign of Takeshi the entire time. But that didn't mean they had been without their share of trouble.
First, they had to ward off guys who took an interest in Daisuke's new 'look', not realizing who exactly the sexy red head was. The experience taught the boy a lesson.
I don't ever want to be a girl for real. Daisuke said mentally to Dark, who refrained from commenting, although the boy had a distinct impression that Dark didn't quite agree. Daisuke was definitely starting to wonder if Dark hadn't eaten something that made him permanently brain damaged.
After a particularly frustrating encounter, in which the guy had trailed them endlessly, trying to grope Daisuke, they decided to stay off the first floor, where most of the perverts seemed to hang out.
As they were walking upstairs, talking about god knows what, Takeshi stumbled past them, tears staining his face. Daisuke felt bad for him for an instant, until Takeshi opened his mouth.
"My.... lobster..." He sobbed, anguish covering his voice at every turn.
Then Daisuke wanted to walk a little faster. After the demon reporter was out of earshot, Riku leaned into Daisuke, whispering, "Looks like he didn't recognize you. I bet no one will."
However, her optimism was dashed as the red head ran straight into Satoshi, who had finally left the room, probably looking for something to drink. (Everyone – when the summer is upon us, drink lots of fluids so that you don't die! I have a friend who almost died of heatstroke and dehydration!)
Satoshi stared at Daisuke for a moment, who became understandably nervous.
"Daisuke?" The blue haired boy asked incredulously. Flushing, Daisuke backed down a step, ready to flee. However, Riku leapt upon Hiwatari like a lioness on her prey, and she clutched the boy's collar tightly.
"Don't tell anyone." She hissed, eyes narrowing. "It's a disguise."
He looked back coolly at her, saying nothing until Daisuke managed to calm her down, getting her to let go of his friend.
He turned his attention back to Daisuke, who lowered his own gaze to his feet. After a moment of silence, Satoshi spoke.
"Interesting."
What the hell does demon boy mean by that? Dark asked, incredulously. Then he smirked evilly. Betcha he wishes he could dress up as a girl.
Instead of becoming indignant, Daisuke speculated on this, which showed that, yes, the weirdness that was going on was contagious! Do you really think so, Dark? He asked as he met Satoshi's eyes. All of a sudden, it was like Riku wasn't there, as cheap violin music began playing in the background (to which Riku whirled around, trying to pinpoint its origin) and a flowery, pastel-ish, bubbly scene imposed itself on Satoshi and Daisuke, smothering the older Harada.
For a while, it seemed like they were sharing a deep, profound, meaningful moment. Daisuke felt a tug he'd never felt before. He felt drawn to the blue haired boy.
Then Satoshi smirked, his response to Daisuke's get-up, and continued callously on his way downstairs. The violin music screeched to a halt and the romance scene rolled over and died, trying to bury itself in some nearby dirt. Riku gasped for breath, looking around for the scene, looking for vengeance.
Startled, Daisuke stared after the receding back of the other boy, a little hurt by his action.
Disappointed he interrupted your little fantasy? Dark jeered from his mind, sniggering.
Daisuke blinked, and wondered what the hell had come over him.
Probably the feminine products. Dark offered sagely as Daisuke and Riku went the rest of the way up the stairs.
*
Was that just me or was that a moment? Krad said, not sure whether to be wrecking vengeance, exuding confusing, or making some cruel joke.
*
Riku lent some female things to Daisuke – female things including some make up, after Risa had taught him how to apply it without it looking garish, some hair pins, shirts, bras (they had also taught him how to pad it convincingly – not too much chest, but enough to make sure everyone knew he was a girl... even if he wasn't) and, much to his chagrin, skirts and one dress.
Dark was horrifyingly cheerful about the entire thing.
So he was lying on his bed, able to move, but too desperate to do so. He swore to himself he would never drink the water in some strange hotel again.
Then Dark... decided to go to the hot springs.
The girl side.
No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!!! Daisuke chanted over and over again as he walked haltingly down the hall and towards the elevator, towel in hand. Somehow, Dark was making him walk against his will, and he was starting to panic. Dark! Stop it! He hissed in his mind, but Dark was busy humming cheerfully to himself and ignored the red head. Once in the elevator, Daisuke sagged against the wall, realizing it was no good. Dark was going to make him go into the hot springs no matter what. What a freaking pervert! He said to himself, disgusted.
The elevator door opened and a few girls giggled as they entered, towels also in hand. Daisuke fought the violent urge to blush as they included him into their conversation happily. They commented on his outlandish style, admiring his bravery, and realized that they'd never seen him before.
"I ah... I'm on vacation with my... ah... father." He answered timidly, trying to shrink into the corner. They giggled and jostled him a little, asking what he thought about the resort. "Erm... It's... Nice...."
That was lame. Dark commented wryly, then the elevator made it to the first floor, and everyone exited, walking towards the hallway that connected the building with the actual hot springs. The girl's side.
Daisuke couldn't resist Dark's manipulations without raising anyone's suspicions about him, so instead listed everything he wanted to do to Dark, and then some.
Dark yawned. That's it?
He added a few more venomous curses, then lapsed into silence.
He managed to lose the girls somewhere along the way, and the air was getting humid and moist, making his hair stick to his face as he walked silently along. The floor suddenly became soft moss beneath his feet, and not tile, and he brushed against some ferns.
Talk about weird. He commented to Dark, who agreed.
They heard splashing and Dark grinned, perking up again, and, using his thieving grace, stole quietly towards the sound, peeking around a few bushes. There were six girls in the warm pool, a few with their hair gathered onto their heads, others with towels around theirs, and some left their hair as is. And. All. Of. Them. Were. Naked.
Dark almost squealed so happy was he. Daisuke wanted to get away as fast as possible.
The only thing that nagged at the dark haired thieves mind was... He just wished Riku were among the girls.
Daisuke suddenly felt a weird sensation in the pit of his stomach, then blacked out.
Be careful what you wish for.
*
Riku sighed as Risa dragged her down the hall, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Some of the other girls have already been down here, and they say it's really, really cool. Ooh, I can't wait to see it! Is it just me, or is the air getting damp...?" Risa chattered on brainlessly. Riku rolled her eyes, but realized that, indeed, the air was getting damp.
Their feet stopped clicking on tile and sank into a plush carpet of moss, plants on either side of them. It was almost too dark to even realize that these were plants, but Riku could barely see their outline.
"Oh, wow, this is awesome." Risa gushed, looking around her with wide eyes, even though she couldn't see a thing. "I think the spring's over here." She said and tugged her sister towards the sound of splashing and giggling. Riku began to follow, but the bushes to her left shuddered suspiciously and she told her twin to go on without her as she narrowed her eyes, stalking towards the underbrush. Her eyes had gotten used to the darkness, and her surroundings were much clearer now...
"Daisuke!?" She whispered vehemently. Daisuke, still in girl form, whirled to face her, his red eyes wide and surprised. He smiled weakly at her, a little pale from the force of her glare.
"Eh... Hi... Riku..."
Counting to ten so as to not blow up and kill the boy right then and there, she breathed deeply, asking Daisuke, "What. The hell. Are you doing here."
He looked up at her, sitting cross-legged on the moss.
"Er.. well, remember when the teacher was talking about Alien abductions...?"
"Yes." Of course. When did their teacher not warn them against alien invaders? Riku had a sneaking suspicion that if she ever snuck a peak at the teacher's secret wardrobe, she'd find "I lived through an alien abduction" T-shirts, and maybe even a "LIVE LONG AND PROSPER" sign laying around somewhere.
But had any of this to do with the fact that Daisuke, despite being dressed up as a girl, by her own hand, was definitely not a girl, and was here, in the girl side of the hot springs.
"Well, a little while ago I blanked out... and I woke up here... And I'm not sure... but I have this strange stamp on my hand, but I can't make out what it says... Although I think it may have to do with aliens."
Riku grabbed his hands, and, indeed, found something in block letters on the back of his left hand. The lighting wasn't very good, though, so she couldn't see what it said – quietly, she dragged him out of the hot springs, down the dark hallway and into the lighted area near the front desk.
On his hand, in medium sized, friendly letters, it said "You've been alien abducted. Have a nice day."
The two girls – well, Daisuke looked like a girl – blinked.
" I wonder... what... they did...?" Riku said out loud. Daisuke's shoulder's slumped.
He turned, and without another word, walked towards the stairs, suddenly taking up Dark's suggestion in the beginning about getting shit-faced drunk.
After all...
It couldn't get much worse.