—ZN—

In case you're wondering where I heard that Satoshi has low blood pressure, it says so in the back of DNAngel volume three.

Hai is Japanese for yes. Gomen means "sorry," and gomen nasai means "I'm very sorry." Daisuki, as I'm sure you know, means "I like you very much" or "I like it very much," depending on how it's used. Arigato is "thank you."

Um… that's pretty much all for now, except… Does ANYBODY know why my dog likes to sleep under my computer desk?!

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A muffled moan escaped the blankets as they parted. Satoshi's gaze shifted to the mess of bedding before slowly sliding back into space blankly. He sat with his back against the cool stone walls and his arms resting on his knees, staring at the dust-motes dancing in the candlelight. The coldness of the air of the cave didn't touch him; nor did the fact that a very-tousled red head poked out of the folds of the quilting.

"Hiwatari-kun?" Daisuke asked softly and sat up, very careful not to jar his ankle too much. "Hiwatari-kun, are you okay?"

The blunette's eyes slowly spanned the cave to lock onto the redhead's. Daisuke was startled to see the cloudy blankness in his friend's eyes. Is he stoned? Daisuke wondered as he stared into the detective's absent eyes. Do we have anything to get stoned on?

Satoshi's head tilted to the side and his eyes slid closed. He yawned, stretched, and sat back up again, eyes opening once more to stare into Daisuke's. The younger boy suppressed a shiver.

For almost ten minutes they sat like that, staring at one another, before Satoshi's eyes began to clear to their usual bright selves. During the time, Daisuke had slowly become sleepy again and laid back down. He was in the process of trying to roll onto his side without hurting his ankle when the detective's voice stopped him.

"Niwa-kun? Are you awake still?"

"Hai. Are you okay?"

"Hai," he answered softly.

"Why were you staring like that?" Daisuke asked just as quietly.

Satoshi explained, "I have very low blood pressure, Niwa-kun, and when I wake up in the mornings, it's generally very hard for me to focus on anything for a while before my blood pressure wakes itself up. Usually I sit in a hazy daze for a half-hour or so."

"Oh."

"Did I scare you?"

After a moment, the redhead answered quietly, "A little."

The older boy shifted onto his hands and knees and crawled over to his friend. "Gomen," he whispered. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"I know." Daisuke gave up trying to sleep on his side and flopped onto his back. "It's all right."

"Are you hungry?" Satoshi shifted uncomfortably and changed the subject. The way Daisuke was looking at him made his stomach do anxious little flips, and he didn't know why. "We have some cereal bars and water for breakfast."

Daisuke nodded. "I am, a bit. I'll have a cereal bar, if that's all right."

Satoshi nodded and pulled his bag over to them. After a moment of rummaging, he pulled out one of the water bottles and handed it to Daisuke, and then produced a couple of the desired food products. He moved so he was sitting directly behind Daisuke, and then carefully hoisted the redhead up until he was sitting in Satoshi's lap, scooting forward all the while so Daisuke's ankle didn't get moved too much. Daisuke's face flushed almost as red as his hair, but he said nothing when Satoshi handed him his breakfast.

"What about you?" Daisuke asked around a mouthful of the crunchy cereal. "Aren't you hungry?"

"No, not really." Satoshi silently ordered his stomach not to complain at the lack of food. Daisuke needs it more than I do right now. I'll get a little something later. He took a stolen sip of the redhead's water and absently rested his cheek against his soft ruby locks. "You go ahead."

"All right…"

The food was gone in moments and Daisuke sagged against Satoshi. He yawned again and closed his eyes. Satoshi's arms snaked their way around his waist as the younger boy snuggled closer to him. "Rest, Daisuke. I've got you, don't worry."

"Mmkay," Daisuke mumbled and relaxed. Satoshi shuffled back until the other boy's head rested in his lap, and pulled the blanket up over Daisuke's sleepy form. Crimson eyes opened fuzzily and he smiled his thanks.

Satoshi smiled tenderly down at his friend and stroked his forehead lightly. "Sleep."

Within seconds, Daisuke was unconscious again. Satoshi examined his face quietly, watching how his expression smoothed from one of a goofy, somewhat pained child's to that of a mature young adult.

He looks so different when he's relaxed so completely, the detective reflected absently. He's actually kind of cute.

Humming a few bars to an old folk song, Satoshi fetched his novel from his bag and flipped it open to his place. While he read, he stroked Daisuke's forehead and hair lightly, keeping the younger boy soothed in sleep.

—v—v—v—v—v—v—v—v—v—v—v—v—v

"Come on, Daisuke—"

"Absolutely not!"

"Why not?"

"That hurts!"

Satoshi glared at Daisuke, who glowered right back. The detective stood with his fisted hands on his hips, staring down at his friend and tapping his foot on the stone floor. "You're just being a big baby."

Daisuke stared defiantly right back. "Goo, goo." He stuck his thumb in his mouth.

At any other time, Satoshi would've smiled. But right now he was a bit preoccupied. He sighed. "Daisuke, it's for your own good."

"That's what you think. I'll be just fine without it, thank you very much."

"You didn't have any objections to it last time!"

"Last time you did it I was unconscious! Or have you forgotten?"

Satoshi sighed heavily again. "Daisuke, I don't want it getting infected—"

"That's what the damn bandage is for!" Daisuke pointed at the band-aid stuck to his forehead and glared daggers at his caretaker. "I'll be fine."

"Just let me clean the cut out again."

"No!"

The blunette's thoughts raced as he figured the odds. An injured sixteen-year-old who is, otherwise, in excellent physical condition against an uninjured sixteen-year-old in better than average physical condition. I think I can take him…

As if reading his thoughts, the younger boy's eyes widened. Startled claret clashed with determined sapphire. "No. Hiwatari-kun—Satoshi—no!"

The tube of antiseptic gel in one hand and a couple of q-tips in the other, Satoshi pounced on Daisuke, careful of his leg. He pinned Daisuke's legs down with his own while his hands went to the redhead's shoulders. Still, Daisuke gave a good fight before Satoshi wrestled his wrists to either side of his head and held them there. The gel and q-tips had skittered to the other side of the cave during the short struggle.

Daisuke lay there, panting and staring up at Satoshi. Of their own accord, his fingers intertwined with the older boy's. The blunette glanced from their joined hands to Daisuke's eyes and back, shocked. Daisuke blushed a bit. "Gomen… Gomen nasai…"

Satoshi said nothing, just got off him and retrieved the antiseptic and q-tips. "Will you let me help you?" he asked quietly.

The younger boy pushed himself up on his hands and nodded somewhat miserably. He carefully avoided meeting his friend's eyes as Satoshi sat down behind him and gently rested his head in his lap. As the detective took off the band-aid and began cleaning the cut out, Daisuke closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Hiwatari-kun?"

"Nani?" Satoshi didn't look him from his task.

"Dai…dai…daisuki."

Satoshi's hands stilled in the process of re-bandaging his friend's forehead. He stared down at Daisuke's closed eyes. "Na…ni?" he whispered.

The redhead was inwardly crushed, but shrugged it off. "I mean…" He sighed. "It doesn't hurt. Arigato."

A quiet moment passed between them after Satoshi had finished his task. Daisuke sat there in silence, embarrassed and upset. When Satoshi noticed something was wrong, he asked, "Niwa-kun? Are you okay?"

"M…my ankle hurts," Daisuke said lamely. How could I have just blurted it out like that? he thought, angry with himself. That was so stupid. How can he like me back? I only now realized I like him. He sighed.

The older boy stared down at him before going to his bag obediently and sifting though the chaos of the rapidly emptying bag. He gave Daisuke some medication to keep the pain and swelling in his ankle down, a side-effect of which was drowsiness. When the redhead was asleep once more, the detective ran wondering fingers down his friend's cheek very gently. His own eyes widened for a moment, then softened. Tears threatened to trickle out, but he staunchly kept them back. His voice was naught but an unsteady whisper of sound.

"…Daisuki, Niwa-kun."

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—ZN—

I'll have you know… it took me forever just to get this chapter to fifteen hundred words… bout drove me crazy…

(Duo) Drove you crazy?! I had to listen to "Duo, I need nine more words!" "Duo, how'd it get to twenty one?" "Duo, help me!" "Duo!"

(Nozomu) At least she picked on you and not me. ::nodnod::

(Duo) Rub it in, pretty boy, your day will come… ::plotplot::

(Nozomu and Zan) ::rolls eyes::

Currently I'm fending off an attack of the ebil writers' block (isn't that why I have muses, so I can be immune to it?! Apparently not…) and so I prolly won't be updating NEAR as much… I'm really sowwie!! ::snifflesniffle::

EBIL FANFICTION, TAKING AWAY OUR STARS AND OUR SWIRLY MARKY THINGS AND OUR POINTY THINGS AND MAKING US REVERT TO USING COLONS!! ::looks around:: ::hides from twin's flying shoes:: yeah... WHAT HAPPENED TO THE INDENTS?!