Disclaimer: No comment.
I'M RUNNING OUT OF IDEAS ALREADY!
...guess I'll just have to get more romantic-y.
Suggestions welome, as long as they stay within the SatoRisa pairing and don't delve into anything too... err... "involved".
But then again, if you have an idea, why don't you write it and receive your own appreciation for your ingenuity?
...I've rendered my own suggestion to make suggestions pointless. Sigh. Moving on now!
(divider)
"Hiwatari-kun?"
Gentle shaking.
"Hiwatari-kun?"
Harder shaking.
"Satoshi!"
Out-right vicious shaking. Satoshi blinked, hearing the sounds of Daisuke lamenting over Satoshi's death, Riku telling him that Satoshi was definitely not dead and who ever heard of dying for no reason while driving to a sleepover anyway? Daisuke perked up as he spotted the conscious Hiwatari.
"You're undead!"
"I was never dead to start with."
Admitting that this was probably true, the group bolted inside the house from the safety of the car, wrapping their blankets tightly around themselves. Satoshi gallantly let Risa dart off with her blanket, following at a more sedate pace, which matched Kosuke's. Daisuke's father looked over at him, and smiled amiably.
"Guess you're here on quite different terms now..." He said semi-cheerfully, remembering the Hikari's prior, unplanned visit. Satoshi shrugged lightly.
"I will endanger no one, as I did not previously."
"I wasn't saying you would." Kosuke said disarmingly. "I was just commenting on how much has changed."
Satoshi for a silent for a moment, then a roll of loud thunder startled him into speaking.
"Yes... so it has..."
(divider)
When Satoshi entered the house, Risa was mesmerized by a bulletin board on the wall. Yet this was no ordinary board for notes and little scribblings.
This was a Wall of Dark.
Pictures of the phantom thief were, to Daisuke's shame, plastered all over the board, adorning every possible space a memory could fit. Newspaper clippings, internet articles, magazines, photos... it was all there. Risa was almost drooling. Satoshi watched, carefully neutral.
"So many..." Risa whispered. She looked over at Satoshi and beamed. "Did you see? Isn't he great?"
"...obviously the collection of someone who is an avid follower." Satoshi replied, glancing over at Daisuke. The Niwa shook his head frantically and mouthed 'my mom'. Risa was still staring at the pictures.
"I still wish I could have gotten to know him... there was so much I wanted to know..."
"Like what?" Satoshi felt sarcasm sink slowly into his tone. Why did she have to like him so much, when he didn't even exist anymore?
Evidently Risa picked up on the sarcasm, turning on him with anger and determination in her eyes.
"Things you couldn't understand, like maybe there's a reason he's the way he is, not just a mindless thief who happens to escape the police every single time. Like maybe there's a method to what he steals, what makes the art he steals so special, what it makes him feel, how people make him feel..." Her voice trailed off. Satoshi said nothing and she continued, almost to herself.
"I want to see what makes him the Dark I love..."
Satoshi turned, intentionally appearing as though he'd had enough of this nonsense, and stalked off towards the room where they were sleeping.
Why did she have to adore Dark so much? What about him made her into such a compassionate, obsessive soul every time she was near him?
The Hikari curled up farther away from the huddled forms of Daisuke (who had just come in) and Riku, trying to stay warm. The power flickered and Riku yelped, an echo coming from her sister in the hallway. Satoshi flinched, but didn't move. It was just a stupid storm.
The door flew open with a resounding BANG! --and a blanketed shape hurtled itself towards Riku, their shrieks mingling. It was at that moment that the power flickered-flickered-and went out completely.
The shrieks of the Harada sisters turned into frightened whimpers, with Daisuke trying to reassure them.
"It's just dark... nothing can hurt you here..."
"I wish Dark was here..."
No doubt as to the identity of that particular whisper.
The lightning flashed again. There was no help for it. Satoshi crawled over, not wanting to bother to stand and possibly walk into something in the darkness. He reached out and lifted the side of the blanket they were huddled under. Daisuke beamed at him from beneath that same duck-covered blanket he'd had earlier.
"Hey Satoshi! Are you scared too?"
"I'm not scared, it's merely dark."
Risa didn't look at him he noticed, off in Dark-lala-land. Riku was huddled under another, turtle-covered blanket beneath the first, shivering. Satoshi nudged himself into a position beneath the blanket and it couldn't have been five minutes before both the Harada girls were down for the count. Daisuke blinked in surprise, commenting,
"I guess they were tired..."
"Aren't you?" Satoshi said, yawning slightly. His 'illness' that Risa had lamented that morning hadn't been all that serious, and he felt somewhat all right, though tired of the day.
"No. But I've... got something to ask you. If you're awake enough." The Niwa added the last sentence hurriedly. Satoshi shrugged, figuring he could answer the question and go to sleep.
"What is it?"
"How do you feel about Risa?"
There was a long, quiet pause, which Daisuke hastened to fill. "My mom wants to know, I'd leave you alone, I'm sorry, I know it's really rude--"
"I like her." Satoshi interrupted quietly. Daisuke halted in mid-panic.
"How?"
"As more than what she thinks. I have no idea why, she's not normal, she's a raving fangirl... she's basely frightening... and yet..." Satoshi hated letting sentences trail off. But what could he say to possibly sum up this odd feeling he harbored?
"But she loves Dark." Satoshi said softly. He looked over at Daisuke, who lowered his head. "It's not your fault. Consider it a simple triad of emotion."
"They're called love triangles." Daisuke helpfully supplied. Satoshi sighed mentally.
"I don't wish to use that word. Love is a tricky word and I don't want to use it with Harada-san yet. Maybe it will never be used. At the moment, she is still a fool for her Dark-sama. Goodnight Daisuke."
Satoshi curled up with a blanket around himself. He heard Daisuke's quiet sigh and the sound of the Niwa settling down to sleep.
But Satoshi himself did not sleep. Not until the storm had quieted and a soft patter of rain whispered against the window.
Then Risa muttered his name in her sleep around four in the morning, with a voice that had no tone in it but wistful.
Satoshi slept after that...
(dream)
He arrived at the gates to the villain's lair, slightly out of breath. His armor scratched and a trickle of blood marring on his cheek from a cut, a light scar across the bridge of his nose. He glared up at the gatekeeper on the walltop.
"Open the gates!" He demanded and the gatekeeper did so, looking down in terror at the knight. The silver-clad figure bolted inside the moment the gates were opened and a nicely-attired man came out to meet him.
"Do you desire to meet someone Sir Knight?"
He stared at him incredulously, his light blue hair heightening the iciness of his gaze.
"The princess Risa. I know she's here, with that villain Dark!"
The man's eyebrows raised.
"Ohh. You're the knight the king sent."
"I wish to see the princess. You would be wise to accomodate me with her whereabouts." The knight's eyes were a dark, dangerous blue. "If you've harmed her--"
A light, girlish laugh floated over the courtyard. The man sweatdropped, backing away.
"That'd be her now, so sorry, must go, no harm done!"
--And fled like a timid rabbit. Satoshi stared back at the princess in shock. She was cloaked in creamy white, as normal, but she walked next to a man of considerable confidence, his hair a dark magenta, black wings trailing out behind him. His eyes narrowed.
"Dark..."
The princess' eyes darted up to meet his own.
"Sa-Satoshi?"
He nodded silently, eyeing the villain Dark, who hovered behind Risa in a manner that would be protective, were he anyone else. With Dark, it was merely possessive.
"What are you doing here?" Risa asked, glancing up at the hovering Dark and blushing. Satoshi stared at her. Had everyone in this place gone mad?
"To rescue you! To return you to your kingdom! To take you away from..." He gestured at Dark. "Him."
Risa looked back at Dark and smiled, then looked back to Satoshi pityingly.
"Satoshi... you don't understand. I'm in love with him."
He blinked.
"You... what?"
"I'm in love with Dark!" She proclaimed, and laughed lightly, beaming. "I'd declare it to the world if I could!" Dark smiled with her and Satoshi was forced to realize, the thief was not play-acting. That villain, the fool, the coward, that stupid stupid thief... loved her.
"So, if you're thinking of my father, you can tell him I'm going to get engaged!" Risa said cheerfully. Satoshi could feel a knife pushing into his heart, dropping from his ears as he heard her words. Engaged... engaged to DARK. Was there any worse thing Risa could have thought up to do?
"It's definite then?" He heard himself ask detachedly. His tone implied that he didn't care, this was nothing new, and people got engaged to thieving winged people every day. Risa nodded vigously in answer.
"Yes, we're quite sure." She hesitated, and he felt her eyes bore into him.
"...are you all right? You look a little worn out... have you been looking a long time?" Her last question came faster, worried that she'd een an inconveinence to him. Satoshi shook his head.
"I'm fine. I'll leave you two alone then."
I fought so hard... to free you...
"Are you sur--"
"I'm sure. You may need a new dragon Dark. The one out front won't be moving again."
"Satoshi, you-you killed it?" Risa said, her tone rising with panicky excitement and worry. Maybe it would seep into her mind, eventually, the extent of the battles he'd fought for her.
I shouldn't have trusted you to wait for me Risa. I should've known you loved him . . .
"Satoshi!"
Sometimes the princess falls in love with the villain. And then, where does her knight go?
Where?
WHERE?
(end dream)
"Don't you want pancakes Riku? Come ooonnnnn!"
"Wagh, Daiukelafugga, mmnot awake yet Dashuki go... do someshin else..."
There was the sound of someone flopping back down. Satoshi remained perfectly still beneath his blanket, not wanting to be the next one on the wake-up list. This hiding time gave him a period to think about his dream. How odd... two dreams about Harada-san in a row. That certainly didn't bode well.
Despite what he had told Daisuke, he didn't exactly want to dream about her every night, especially since she was always paired with Dark. That could get more than a little irritating.
"Hiwatari-kuuun..."
"No. I'm asleep. Go awake." Satoshi blinked tiredly and tried again.
"Away."
But Daisuke wasn't letting up. "No! My mom says you've all slept long enough!" So saying, the Niwa threw off the 'roof' of their hideaway, grabbed Satoshi's foot, and proceeded to drag the semi-conscious Hiwatari out from under his blanket. Satoshi blinked up at him.
"Niwa, I truly dislike you.."
"You're just saying that because I can blackmail you now." Satoshi's eyes widened, and it took all his self-control for his eyes not to dart to the sleeping Risa automatically. Daisuke beamed cheerfully.
"Just kidding!"
--And bounced off to the kitchen. Leaving Hiwatari with a now-curious, half-awake Riku and a sleeping Risa, who had miraculously slept through the whole waking-up process. Riku grinned at Hiwatari.
"What's Daisuke got on you?"
"Nothing, and I don't see why I would tell you what it was if he did."
"Oh c'mon. Can't I guess?"
"As you wish." Satoshi was in the process of folding up the blanket he'd slept in, trying to wake his mind up.
"Is it... the fact that you're not gay?"
He glared at her. "I would HOPE that's common knowledge."
"Point taken. Hmm... is it something to do with your secret life?"
Satoshi thought about Krad for a few moments. Then about Dark. And then about Daisuke going to the newspapers to tell about all of the above as his "blackmail". He almost chuckled.
"No."
"Then it's my sister!"
Satoshi fumbled the blanket and Riku pointed at it accusingly. "I got it! You're in love with Risa!"
The other Harada sister blinked, staring through half-open eyes.
"Saywha...?" She blinked again, trying to comprehend the scene. Satoshi was staring at Riku with a deliberately cool gaze, that somehow summed up that he was going to take her head off if she said another word. Riku smiled disarmingly.
"Nothing."
"Oh... okay..." Risa stretched. "Man, I had the weirdest dream. It was all in mediveal times, and Dark was the villain, and I was the princess and Hiwatari-kun was the knight... and Dark and I were engaged!" She looked happy for a moment, then her gaze turned to Satoshi, as if pondering something.
"And... you went back to tell the king, but you'd killed a dragon trying to find me... and you looked so sad as you walked away..."
She stared at him, trying to comprehend something, and Satoshi finally looked away, putting on the glasses he'd had in his shirt pocket.
"It was just a dream Harada-san."
Just a dream...
(divider)
whee... beware the crappy ending. This chapter just got ENTIRELY too long and I need to end this plotline of slumberpartydom. I want to get to some confessions of love already!
Darn it, Satoshi and Risa are too freaking dense... or maybe that's just my writing.
What the hey.