Disclaimer: See first.

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Satoshi hid a yawn as he headed back to the coatroom to retrieve his jacket. The day had been almost unbearably long, first with teachers all collectively annoyed with the classes, lost homework (not HIS of course), a bomb threat, and finally the disappearance of Risa Harada.

--Not that he cared that she was missing of course, but the teachers apparently thought he had some idea of where she'd gone. The fools. He wasn't her keeper, had hardly even talked to--

He stopped dead as he entered the coat room, a smirking Takeshi brushing by him.

"Isn't that YOUR jacket? Looks like our little Risa-chan is harboring a crus--"

The sound of the reporter's head whacking into a locker caused Risa to stir, blinking up at the two of them with puffy eyes. Satoshi couldn't help his immediate awareness that she'd been crying before she drifted off. Crying hard for that matter.

Crying...

She gripped Satoshi's jacket as a psuedo-blanket tightly, rip holes from the wings and all. Looking over at her, the thought danced through Satoshi's mind that she probably still thought it was Dark's jacket, from when the thief had saved her. Which he hadn't. Dark was too absorbed in Riku. But it would be kind to let her persist with this delusion.

Then he remembered he was mad at her.

Reaching down, he distangled his coat from her grasp effectively and started towards the door holding it, the girl's eyes following him in shock.

"Hey! Hiwatari-kun, that's mine!"

"No, it's not."

She huffed. "Fine then, it's Dark-sama's, but give it back!"

"Wrong again." He was almost ten feet away by now, nearing the doorway to freedom so he wouldn't have to answer the awkward question that would soon come, out of Risa's confusion and frustration.

Any second now...

"Then whose jacket is it!" She yelled in exasperation over the noise of the jostling students who were heading home. Satoshi glanced back at her from the doorway, trying to appear as though this mattered nothing to him.

"It's mine. Goodbye Harada-san."

And he was gone. Risa stared after him in shock. Satoshi's . . . ?

No.

No, no, no.

He can't have saved her. That was Dark's jacket, she'd recognize it anywhere. It can't have been Satoshi's!

Or wait . . . Dark had . . . he'd borrowed it from Satoshi! Yes, that was it. Dark never wore jackets, so he stole one from Satoshi on that cold night when they fought; then after Dark had saved Risa from falling, he laid the jacket over her tenderly because it was all he had to give her to keep her warm.

It all made sense. And it was so beautifully romantic!

And the best thing was, she owed nothing to Hiwatari this way. He'd just been someone for Dark to steal from, as always, someone who might have even deserved such treatment... who could tell with him anyway? Behind his blue eyes, she imagined there was a frigid, blue heart as well.

Risa huffed, tugging on her backpack and tromping out of the coat room, her umbrella swinging in one hand. She really should apologize, she supposed. It had all been a big misunderstanding and things would be made right...

But she'd do that later. Right now, that new TruLight game Riku had brought home yesterday was calling her name.

Satoshi would be fine without an apology. He probably wouldn't even expect one.

But still...

She looked in the direction of home and hesitated, looking down at the umbrella. It really had been cruel, what she said... playing on the fact that Satoshi didn't have many real friends.

"Maybe I'll just go, for a second." She mused and headed off towards the Hiwatari's apartment. Maybe she could even ask Satoshi some things about Dark. Like if he'd actually seen the Park Scene, as she was calling it in her head. Maybe he could tell her about Dark...

How the thief had carried her so tenderly, whispered sweet nothings into her ears, smiled at her sweetly... okay, so maybe not all that, this was SATOSHI after all, but he might know something.

She walked a little faster after the teen, with just a bit more bounce in her step.

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