Here you go my readers, chapter three!
Disclaimer: I don't sniff own sniff DN Angel, or any of the sniff things associated with it. sniff Just the stuff sniff that I bought sniff and this story line sniff Waaaaaahhhhh! starts to cry in corner Stop making me do this!
The phone rang. Its shrill tone pierced the deathly quiet of the house. Niwa Daisuke sat still,
oblivious to the call of the phone. He blinked slowly, slumped on to the couch of his pristine living
room, staring in to nothing. The phone rang a second time. The incessant noise slowly brought the red
head out of his stupor. He turned his dazed gaze to the phone. It rang again. With the speed of a
running turtle, Daisuke moved from his spot, reached for the phone and managed to answer it before
the answering machine picked up the phone.
"Moshi moshi?" Daisuke managed to force an awkward note of cheerfulness in to his voice.
"Konnichiwa Daisuke-kun!" A cheerful voice sounded from the other end of the line. Daisuke felt a
sudden insane urge to swear at the owner of the voice and hang up on them. "She is the LAST
person I need to talk to right now." Somewhere from the back of Daisuke's mind, Dark snorted.
"Aa, Konnichiwa…Risa-chan."
"Ogenki desu ka?" Her cheerful tone was biting in to the red heads bleak mood.
"Hai…genki desu." He blinked slowly, deciding to let the twin of his wife speak first.
"Ano, is Riku-chan there?"
"Iie," Daisuke replied tiredly. "She's not here right now." Daisuke scrubbed at his eyes, rubbing the
slight itch out of them. He glanced at the living room clock, noting that it was four in the afternoon.
"And todays' date is…" Daisuke glanced quickly about the room, searching for the animal themed
calendar that Riku usually hung up by the phone so that appointments and dates could be scheduled
more easily. He couldn't find it.
"Daisuke-kun?" Risa's high pitched voice brought him back to the conversation. "Daisuke- kun,
daijobou ka?" The red head blinked, releasing that his sister- in- law had been speaking to him the
entire time.
"Hai, hai hai, daijobou." He quickly amended. "I was just trying to find out today's date." He glanced
around the room. Apparently Riku had confiscated the calendar from the living room.
"Ano, today's date is…" Risa's voice trailed off. "April the fourteenth!" Daisuke could almost hear
the huge grin she probably had plastered on to her face at that moment. He rolled his eyes. She was
way too cheerful for her own good sometimes.
"Ah, arigatou." He replied shortly.
"Etto, Daisuke- kun. Where is Riku-chan?" Daisuke blinked again.
"She went out to meet Tori and Miyu for coffee." He decided the truth was better as opposed to
fibbing about Riku's where abouts. There was a pause. The red head fiddled with the phone cord,
staring blankly out the window. He looked anything but a sixty-five year old talking on the phone with
his sister- in- law. More like a teenager receiving a lecture over the phone from his mother about
staying out of trouble. He blinked again.
"Shouldn't you be with them also?" It was Daisuke's turn to pause. He swallowed uncomfortably,
shifting in to a sitting position from where he had sprawled himself untidily on to the couch.
"Heh, I know." Daisuke replied, faking the light tone. "But I had some stuff that I had to do and the
kids haven't talked to Riku on their own for some time now. I except they're ranting about how
weird I am and the odd habits that I have right now that they hate about me. Oh and probably about
Dark too." Daisuke forced a short laugh and then went silent.
"…alright, if you say so." He glared at the phone in his hand, then stuck his tongue out in the general
direction of where he thought Risa might be.
"Anyways, tell Riku-chan that I called, I want to talk to her about that dinner that we were planning
on having together. You know we haven't had a chance to talk to each other in such a long time, and
I just want to catch up with Riku on things." Daisuke nodded absently, then realized that Risa
couldn't see him.
"Hai. Sure, I'll do that." He twiddled the phone cord in his fingers some more, again deciding to let
Risa break the silence on her own.
"Anyways, ja matte ne. And tell Tori and Miyu I love them when you get to see them. Ja!"
"Ja. I will." With that, Daisuke hung up the phone quickly, deciding he didn't want to hear anything
else that she had to say. Boy. When had he become so cynical? And what was so special about
April the fourteenth? There was something about today that was special some how, but Daisuke was
forgetting what it was. The red head blinked again. Sighing, he pushed himself off of the couch and
paced a couple of agitated circles around the living room before deciding to search the house for the
calendar. He was sure that the calendar would give him all the answers that he needed. With a
'humph' at the bird staring at him curiously through the Niwa's living room window, Daisuke started
off with his search. It took him about fifteen minutes to find the calendar stashed away under the bed
in his and Riku's bedroom. "Why would she hide it under the bed?" Daisuke mused, dusting
himself off as he got up from the floor. He began flipping through the months of the calendar, looking
for April. When he found April, he also found the reason why Riku had probably hidden the
calendar. Written in Riku's precise print was, "Coffee with Tori and Miyu- 1:00." With a slight
pang in his heart, Daisuke looked for anything else that was written in the small box. Nothing. Glaring
slightly, Daisuke returned the calendar back to its hiding spot musing whether or not it was just his
imagination and whether April the fourteenth really had any special significance to it. The red head
frowned, making his way from his and Riku's bedroom to his office.
"Baka." Dark's voice sounded from the back of his head. Daisuke sighed.
"You're awake. And why am I a baka?" Dark smirked.
"How could you forget the 45th anniversary of your lover boy's death?" Daisuke froze.
"Na- na- nani?" He stuttered, blushing slightly. Darks smirk grew wider until it was the size of the
Cheshire cats grin.
"Tsk tsk tsk Daisuke. And you were supposed to be his "very" good friend." Dark burst out
laughing. Daisuke was blushing full force now. The red head swallowed, glaring furiously at Dark.
"Shut up!" Daisuke was both embarrassed that he had forgotten the anniversary of his best friend's
death, Hiwatari Satoshi and also about what Dark was implying to him.
"I'll go to the cemetery right away." Daisuke hurried down the stairs. Dark smirked in his mind.
"About time you did. You haven't been there since last year. And to think," Dark sniffed
delicately. "You used to visit his grave nearly every week." The thief sniffed again dramatically.
"He must be soooo disappointed." Daisuke bit his lip, more then a little annoyed.
"Be quiet! That was the mourning period you know. He was my best friend! How could I not
be sad? I wanted to stay near him, at least until I was able to move on." Daisuke grabbed his
coat off its hook, shoving his arms in to it. He paused at the front door, before moving back to the
living room.
"I should probably leave a note for Riku. She might wonder where I am." Dark smirked again.
"Of course he was your VERY good friend!" The thief's smirk widened yet again.
"Stop making fun of me!" Daisuke pouted like a child, while scribbling out a quick note for Riku.
"I am visiting Satoshi's grave. Risa called, she said she wants to talk about the dinner you
guys might be having. I'll be back at—" Daisuke paused, considering his last sentence. When
would he be back? He bit his lip again, frowning. Then he scribbled out the last portion so that it
wasn't readable. He moved to put the note where Riku could see it, but paused yet again. Daisuke
turned, snatching another scrap piece of paper off of the phone table and rewrote his note with out
the last sentence. He scrunched the original in to a ball and threw it bodily in to the trash. He then
moved back to the front door, locking the door as he walked out. A light spring wind played with
Daisuke's hair as he stood on his front door step, considering whether to drive or take the sub way.
After a seconds worth of thinking, Daisuke moved off in the direction of the nearest bus stop,
deciding he wanted to take the sub way. He stood quietly at the bus stop, the late afternoon sunshine
chasing shadows on the ground before him. He had never really liked cars all that much. The trees
swayed pleasantly in the warm sunshine as the wind danced around the tree branches, the leaves still
in tight buds on the tree branches. Daisuke took a calming breath, basking in the peace and quiet of
the Sunday afternoon. The bus to the downtown sector pulled up and Daisuke hopped on, throwing
his fair in to the coin slots. The bus driver flashed him a warm smile before pulling away from the bus
stop. When Dark spoke again, it was with a subdued tone.
"Are you trying to hide stuff from Riku now? I mean, last time you would have left at least
some kind of approximate time or something at least." Daisuke sighed, running a hand through
his flaming red hair. He watched as the streets of Azumano flashed past him. "I should get flowers
for Satoshi-kun's grave…" Daisuke mused.
"Daaiiisssuuukkkeee!" The red head sighed again, closing his tired eyes. He rested his forehead
against the window of the bus, staring at the scenes that passed him by, putting off answering Dark
for a while. Families were out for walks on the streets of Azumano, but the sight that pained him the
most were the happy couples that threaded their way through the street markets, chatting together
happily.
"It's just what she said to me." Daisuke said, answering Dark finally. Dark smiled a sad little smile.
"What she said to you huh? But you have to understand where she's coming from. She's
afraid that she's not worthy of your love any more because of the way she looks." Daisuke
pulled at the bell for his stop, blanching at Darks comment.
"That's preposterous! I'll love her no matter what! I kind of get her situation. But I won't lie
to you; it's difficult to understand why she feels that way. I'm not in the same situation as her.
In fact, I'm the cause of her distress." Daisuke smiled sadly out the bus window. "I love her
Dark. I don't want to hurt her, but…" Daisuke sighed, running his hand through his ruby locks.
"But how do I stop the hurt? How, when it is my being with her that hurts her? Yet if I am
gone, I think that will hurt her also." The red head sighed heavily. Dark stayed silent, musing over
what Daisuke had just said. The bus pulled up to Daisuke's stop and he got off of the bus, throwing a
quick "thanks" to the bus driver. He walked to the Tsuki no Hana Flower Shop, the one he always
went to, to get Satoshi's flowers. He stepped in to the quaint little shop, breathing in the heavy scent
of the flowers that perfumed the air. He flashed a smile at the girl at the counter, which she returned
shyly. Daisuke moved to the back of the store, browsing through the display of flowers that the shop
had.
"So what are you buying for the creep?" Dark asked, changing the subject. Daisuke glared
mentally at Dark.
"YOU should know. After all you've been with me all the times I went to buy flowers for
Satoshi." Daisuke frowned, "where ARE the flowers?"
"I just thought that you might want to make a change of purchase. You buy the same thing
each year." Daisuke ignored the thief, continuing his search of the flower shop. The red head spun a
full circle once on the spot before spotting the flower he was looking for sitting in a far off corner of
the shop. Quickly, Daisuke made his way over to the display. He glanced at his watch. The watch
read fifteen to five. He still had a lot of time left in the day. The redhead examined each flower
carefully, making sure that none of the heads were damaged and that each flower was in near perfect
condition.
"Making sure everything is perfect for your LOVER boy?" Dark teased. He swiftly ducked a
mental punch that Daisuke directed towards him. "What was that for?" The purple haired thief
growled indignantly.
"You make it sound like I'm cheating on Riku or something like that." The red head was
blushing again. He gathered the six flowers that he had chosen and moved towards the check out
counter.
"Boy, you are STILL as easy to tease as when you were fourteen!" Dark crowed, laughing
jovially. Daisuke cringed at the sound, not entirely sure why. It might have been because he thought
the whole entire world should surely be hearing this noise, considering how loud Dark was being. He
set the six flowers on the counter, taking out his wallet out to pay for them. The girl smiled at him
again, heart shaped face framed by golden blonde hair blushing slightly. Daisuke smiled back. The girl
blushed all out. She fixed her bright brown eyes on the task before her, not daring to look up at
Daisuke. The red head quirked his eyebrow slightly at her.
"Ooohhh, looks like she's got the hots for you!" Dark crowed again. Daisuke aimed another
mental slap for Dark, but missed.
"These are nice flowers." The girl's quiet voice broke through Dark and Daisuke's conversation.
"Huh what?" Daisuke's head shot up and he looked at the girl. The girl blushed harder. "Sorry, I was
out of it. What did you say?" Daisuke grinned in embarrassment.
"The flowers, they're nice." She picked one up to examine it. "Ice blue carnations." Daisuke nodded
in affirmation.
"It's hard to come by in other flower shops. Yours is the only one that sells them." The blonde girl
smiled at him shyly again. She gently tied the six flowers together with a red ribbon and slipped them
in to a round piece of plastic before handing them over to Daisuke.
"1295 yen please." Daisuke handed her his credit card. Once the transaction was completed,
Daisuke took the flowers. The girl smiled at him again. He smiled back.
"Hope whoever gets the flowers likes them. Thank-you for coming." He nodded to the girl before
exiting the shop.
"She probably thought you were hot!" Dark grinned from the back of Daisuke's mind.
"Do you want a painful death Dark? If not, I suggest you CAN it!" Daisuke moved in the
general direction of the subway station, weaving around street vendors and the throngs of people
who were out and about enjoying the early Sunday evening.
"I can't die, not without taking you!" The thief smirked at Daisuke again. "But you might want
to though, to join your lover boy in the after life!" Dark sighed and then fainted dramatically.
"Oh the tragedy! The romance! After long years apart, one lover finally can bear the pain no
longer and throws themselves over a cliff so that they can join their love in the after life."
"That's not funny Dark." Daisuke muttered, trying his best not to blush. He moved in to the
subway tunnel, paying quickly for his fare before standing on the platform to wait for the train.
"The TRADEGY!" Dark had his hand thrown over his eyes, his body lying prostrate on an imaginary
chair and was sobbing theatrically. Daisuke glared. "The PAIN!"
"Dark…" Daisuke glared again at Dark in warning.
"Of being separated from the one that you LOVE!" Dark was now on the floor, beating his limbs
about in a childish manner and sobbing wildly. Daisuke threw a mental punch at Dark. The blow
landed squarely on the thief's head and silenced reigned in Daisuke's head. For only a couple
seconds.
"Dai-chan! Why did you do that? It hurts! Itte itte!" Dark held his hands over his head and
sobbed in a corner of Daisuke's mind, pouting the whole entire time.
"Grow up Dark. If you don't stop now, there's more where that came from." The train pulled
up to the platform. Daisuke let the crowds of Sunday shoppers and whatnots step off first before
boarding the train himself.
"Fine, fine, fine. Jeez, so mean now a days. What happened to nice Daisuke?"
"He got thrown over a cliff to join his true love in the after life?" Daisuke offered as he
searched for a seat. Finding none, Daisuke opted for standing by the train door. He heard humming
and whistling from the purple haired thief for most of the trip but nothing other then that. The only
times the thief did speak was to comment on two hot looking "chicks." Daisuke had given the thief a
mental thump and gone back to his musings about nothing. About twenty minutes later, Daisuke
arrived at the stop he wanted and got off. He wove his way through the crowded train station and out
on to the moderately crowded sidewalks of downtown Azumano. Daisuke moved quickly away from
the crowds and soon entered the quiet sanctuary of the cemetery. Spring wind played gently with
Daisuke's hair. It danced through the grass and through the budding branches of the many trees that
dotted the hills of the cemetery. The already green grass grew in thick bunches, muffling the sound of
Daisuke's steps. He moved swiftly, already having memorized the location of his friend's gravestone
after countless visits. He arrived at the top of the highest hill, panting slightly. It overlooked all of
Azumano and some of the surrounding countryside. The red head paused, taking in the view before
him. To his left, the sea sparkled bright as a jewel. The sun lowered its golden body in to the water,
almost as if it were begging the sea to allow it in to its watery embrace while waiting for the dawn of a
new day. In front of him, Azumano sprawled, cars crawling along the streets, the size of toy cars
from Daisuke's vantage point, the pedestrians looked nothing more then the size of ants. For a
moment, Daisuke felt his whole entire being lift off the ground, his heart straining for flight. "Like the
gulls…" Daisuke turned his gaze towards the wheeling white bodies, high in the deep blue sky, now
turning to crimson shades of red and brilliant shades of yellow and orange.
"We could go flying later on tonight?" Dark whispered from the back of his mind. Daisuke
nodded absently. Too bad he hadn't brought his paints with him. The sunset was just right today for a
painting. He gazed one last time at the scene before him before turning around and moving towards
Satoshi's gravestone. It was a simple affair, a square of black granite marble worn away by the
hands of time. Satoshi had insisted that his head stone be left unmarked, giving no reason as to why
he wanted it that way. Daisuke had managed to convince Satoshi to give permission for at least his
name to be on his marker. The blue haired man had finally complied. So the only way to know the
age at when Satoshi had died at would be to have known him personally, or to have done some sort
of investigation in to Satoshi's life. Daisuke smiled sadly.
"Hey ya there Satoshi-kun." Daisuke leaned down and set the flowers on to his friend's gravestone.
Satoshi had died when he had turned twenty, the curse of the Hikari having finally caught up to him.
Doctors didn't know how he had died or why. It was one of those "medical" mysteries. A perfectly
healthy man, in the prime of his youth, dies when he turns twenty. Why? Medical science did not
have the answer. But Daisuke had known why. Although the red head had not said as much. He had
attended Satoshi's funeral along with his parents, his father and grandfather more willing to attend
then his mother. The funeral had not been crowded, in fact, it had been nearly empty. Hiwatari Kei
had stayed for only a little bit before leaving. Riku and Risa had attended along with Takeshi's father,
Captain Saehara. Some of the members of the police force had been there, but Satoshi had had little
to no blood relatives and almost no friends. Daisuke had been the only one to stay through out the
whole funeral and also afterwards. Daisuke smiled sadly again and sat down near the headstone. He
had long since stopped "talking" to Satoshi. The red head now sat in comfortable silences by his
friend's head stone, contemplating the world and occasionally saying some things to his friend about
the weather or some major world events. This time though, Daisuke poured out his heart. Dark
disappeared, having decided that it was best that he leave Daisuke alone. The red head ranted about
all his current problems to "Satoshi," but mostly about his problems that he was having with Riku.
Daisuke didn't know how long he vented for, but during the whole entire time, not a living soul had
appeared. The sun had set by the time he was finished, the lights of Azumano slowly flickering to life.
The night creatures the town harbored during the day were slowly beginning to stir. Daisuke imagined
him going back in to the town, back in to the noise and chaos that made up life in a town. Back on to
the subway, back on to the bus, back home…to Riku. The thought did not stir any feelings of joy
and excitement with in his heart. He no more felt the kind of love he had had for Riku all those years
ago when they had first married. No longer were there the skips in the heart beat or the dropping of
the stomach as they laid eyes on each other. No longer did he long to hold Riku in his arms and
whisper words of comfort to her at night when she was troubled, or even to just feel her in his arms.
There was nothing there any more, not where his love for Riku should have been. All the light and joy
of love had been replaced, had been taken away from him. To be replaced with…nothing. He stared
out in to the dark night. Daisuke turned his gaze, eyes now full of tears to look upon his friend's
headstone.
"I just want to stay here. Forever." He whispered, words lost to the darkness around him.
Swallowed by the oncoming night. Daisuke began to cry.
Urrgggghh. The horrible chapter. I couldn't seem to get it to work. The flower shop conversation, thebus conversation, the subway conversation and the ending I had such trouble with. Urrrgggghhhh, hoped it turned out okay. I had to revise it so many times. Anyways, please read and review, I want to know what you guys think of this chapter. Also, this will probably be the last update for winter break, I shall try to keep writing, but there is always school in the way. Damn school! shakes fist at school And it doesn't help that I'm behind in units…trails off yeah, most of you wouldn't understand. The school I go to has a different way of schooling. It takes much to explain, so I shan't be saying anything, it's kinda confusing.
The story seems to be angsty neh? I couldn't really help it, and I'm sorry if I'm putting our poor Dai-chan through needless amount of misery! I truly am! And is 12.95 too much for flowers? If they're are ice blue carnations then NO! Because these are special flowers! And special flowers deserve special prices! As decreed by the Silverlight Neko of this universe! MWHAHAHAHA!