The boy raised an eyebrow. "Well, yes, me. Were you expecting Santa Claus, maybe?" He laughed quietly and shifted the bag on his back.
Daisuke flushed and looked away. Damn! Why Satoshi? Since when has he been in my class, anyway? And why does he always make me feel like a foolish child? He sighed and walked over to his desk to scoop up his bag. "Guess we'd best get on the bus."
Satoshi was suddenly there, seizing the redhead's bag before Daisuke's hand curled around the top handle. "Let me get that for you. There's hardly anything in it. Besides, that means you can open the door for me, if you'd be so kind."
Grumbling to himself, Daisuke obediently went over to the door and held it open for Satoshi. He bowed mockingly and sneered, "Here you are, your highness. Your carriage awaits."
A laughing gleam in his blue eyes, Satoshi managed to keep a straight face as he swept regally by Daisuke. "Thank you, peon. Oh, and…" He boxed Daisuke's ears gently. "That's for being insolent."
Daisuke could only stare after him as the detective walked away. Once Satoshi was well out of earshot, a slow chuckle escaped Daisuke's throat. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad day after all…
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"Do you want the window or aisle?"
Daisuke looked up from where he'd been staring at the filthy charter bus floor. Who knew chewed gum could come in so many colors? For a moment he considered, then shrugged. "It isn't important. It's not going to be a long bus ride, right? So what's it matter?"
Satoshi stared at him over the rim of his glasses. "Not going to be a long bus ride? Daisuke, how far away do you think the amusement park is?"
The redhead shrugged. "I don't know, a few miles?"
"A few miles? A few miles? Daisuke, Shanikusai is three and a half hours away. Is that your opinion of a short trip?"
"Um…" He bit his lip and sighed. "Which do you prefer?"
"It doesn't matter to me."
"Fine, I'll take the window." Daisuke slid into the double seats of the charter and pulled his bag into his lap. The boy managed to extract his CD player and CD case before the detective appropriated his bookbag and shoved it in the overhead rack. Making a face, Daisuke placed inside his Discman a CD of Finch and pushed the fast-forward button until the familiar chords of "What It Is To Burn" floated through his ears. He slumped in his seat until his knees came up against the back of the chair in front of him and rested his forehead against the cool glass of the window. Three and a half hours sitting beside the prig, he thought. Great. Exactly what I wanted.
Satoshi stood in the aisle for a moment, watching Daisuke closely, and then shrugged. He easily put his duffel bag in the compartment and pulled a book—a mystery novel, what else?—out of the side zipper pocket. He slid into his seat beside the redhead and opened the book to a middle page. Professor stood on his tiptoes to take a headcount and soon the bus was underway.
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It was an hour before they stopped to allow the cheerleaders a bathroom break to fix their makeup and to let the others cruise the rest stop for food and drinks. Satoshi purchased a bar of chocolate and a bottle of water. He glanced over and saw Daisuke staring rather longingly at a pack of beef jerky. He walked over to the younger boy.
"Hey, Daisuke, are you going to get anything?"
Daisuke pulled his black leather wallet from his pocket and opened the billfold. There wasn't much money there. He glanced up at Satoshi. "Nah. I'm saving my money for the amusement park—I guess we'll have to buy tickets or something." With a slight tsk and a gentle shake of his head, Satoshi watched the other boy wander away, and then went to grab a few last-minute items.
Riku was sitting up on the checkout counter, flirting openly with the cashier, who looked rather flustered. He was trying to ring up Risa's M&Ms and was becoming rather flustered, as Riku's skirt kept getting higher…and higher…and higher…. Finally, flushing herself, Risa yanked Riku off the countertop and shoved her into Takeshi, who had been leaning against the chip aisle, enjoying the view of the show. Riku stuck her tongue out at her twin and smiled winningly at Satoshi. "Well hi there, Satoshi! Didn't you already buy some snacks?"
The blue-eyed detective held up his bag, a grin on his face. "Well, I didn't know they had these when I bought the chocolate. Now I'm all set."
"I see." She left Takeshi's side and sidled up beside Satoshi. Her voice a low, seductive purr, and said, "Wouldn't you rather sit with me for the rest of the trip? I have a nice little single-person seat in the very back…." Her hand brushed up his hip lightly.
Satoshi's eyes shot open and he squeaked, "Well, if it's a single seat, we couldn't both very well sit in it, now could we?"
Her eyes gleamed an obvious invitation. "I could sit in your lap…."
"I'll keep that in mind." He pushed his pulled his glasses off and put them in his bag. "I'll see you around, Riku." And with the wind of the front door, he was gone.
"Well damn it," Riku pouted, snapping her fingers. "He was so close…He can't want to sit with Daisuke?! That kid is just weird."
"Riku! That's not nice!" Risa squealed. "And don't you say that!"
"What, dammit? Hey, Risa, reality check." Riku rolled her eyes. "We're sixteen now, like anybody's going to care. Dammit, dammit, dammit!"
"No!" Risa covered her ears and ran out of the store, tears glimmering in her chocolate eyes. "I'm calling Mommy!" Yusuke looked panicked and watched after her, then chased her down, calling her name.
"What a baby." Riku shrugged and walked back to Takeshi. "The both of them. Anyway, shall we?"
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The bus was on its way again and Daisuke had his earphones blaring Good Charlotte's "Emotionless" and mouthing the words to it. His head was bobbing along with the music. He and Satoshi hadn't said a word since the store, the latter of the twain being buried in his book once more. Daisuke's stomach growled, reminding him once more that he hadn't eaten since lunch the prior day, being that he'd walked out of his house without eating dinner the night before and had slept in the park.
His seatmate tapped him on the shoulder. Daisuke looked over at him, not even bothering to take off his headphones. "What?" "Emotionless" ended but began again as he pressed the rewind button. The programming system on this Discman didn't work anymore, so he had to do it the hard way.
Satoshi picked up the second bag from the rest stop and dropped it into Daisuke's lap, then went back to his book. The redhead sat up straight and pulled the headphones off. The bag contained cereal bars, jerky, candy, water, and a soda. Daisuke looked up at the older boy, but the detective seemed engrossed in his novel once more.
"Satoshi, I can't accept this. I don't want your charity." But it was like talking to a brick wall for all the notice he was afforded. Daisuke's stomach rumbled again, but he pointedly ignored it. "Fine," he told the detective. "I'll put it in the floor, but I won't eat it. Got that?" He dropped the bag into the floor at his feet and slumped in his seat, headphones going securely over his ears.
The blue-haired boy glanced up from where he'd been reading the same sentence over and over, his mind not really on the literature. He'd heard Daisuke but ignored him. In truth he didn't know why he'd bought that stuff for the boy, but he had and those were the facts. No big deal. And if Daisuke wanted to starve, that was his business.
But a small smile curved his gentle lips upward as he watched the boy who was staring out the window bite into the cereal bar with obvious relish when he thought the detective wasn't looking.
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Halfway there they stopped for lunch, but hardly anybody wanted off the bus, since they'd gotten their snacks. Satoshi and Daisuke ordered milkshakes from the McDonalds (Daisuke's treat—his way of paying the older boy back for the snacks) and reclaimed their seats, staving off the couple that'd appropriated them for making out during the break. Professor was currently snoozing in his seat up front. The twin had exchanged seats, so now Satoshi stared blankly out the window while Daisuke was bashed with every bookbag that came down the alleyway.
Ten minutes further down the road Daisuke fell asleep. He was curled up on his side, his head resting on the armrest. Satoshi glanced down at him and smiled gently, lightly stroked his hair. The redhead flinched, yawned, and stretched, then sat up. His eyes were still closed, a testament to his unconscious state. He moved closer to Satoshi and laid his head on the detective's shoulder. Satoshi stared at him, china-blue eyes wide, then slowly relaxed, rested his cheek on the crown of the redhead's head, and went back to his book.
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Z/N
Please Note That I Have Changed My Pen Name To Zan Artemis. Thank you. . Anyway, this next week I'm gonna be home all by my lonesome (bro's goin off to ROTC camp, whoo hoo) and so I'm going to be writing a LOT more. . If you want to check out the stories I'll be updating first (maybe) check out the pen name HeraldSkif on fanfiction, and on fictionpress, ShadowofAngels. Thankies. .
Disclaimer: I do not own Good Charlotte, Finch, "What It Is To Burn," or "Emotionless." I don't own D.N.Angel or anything affiliated with that, either, except this plot line and my character's personalities. . I changed 'em, ya know. .