Ever start writing something and have it turn into something else? Well, this chapter did that to me. A lot. Lol, anyway, another chapter for you guys. Nice and early too; not even two weeks since the last chapter! But I'm on spring break, so I have extra time on my hands. XD Lol, but darn you Poe, you've KILLED the angst. Well, at least, any angst that involves Link. DL still gets to be a bundle of angst, so it's all good! So yeah, here's the next chapter!
What's mine is mine, what's Nintendo's is theirs.
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It was early dawn, the sun just barely peeking up over the horizon. Slow moving rays of light twinkled gaily on the freshly fallen snow, increasing its illumination tenfold. It was blindingly beautiful, the white of the snowflakes so clean and untouched. In mere moments men and women would walk out their doors, stepping on and crushing the snow under their feet; the sweet purity would be dirtied, trampled on and left as nothing but a pitiful, ugly brown slush to be but a hindrance. What was once pretty and loved would soon become the ordinary; the unloved. Ironic isn't it? That it would become dirtied by people who once loved it; after time being used by those people, only to be cast away and looked down upon by those men and women, the ones who used it, made it what it became? How many times has this story played itself? How often has it been told, whispered into the deaf ears of mankind? No matter how many times they promise they will never do it again, another snow will fall and the same sad fate will fall on its fragile, icy limps. When will they ever learn? How many centuries will it take?
How many lives crushed under their heels until they notice not only the blood stained on other shoes, but the grim on their own?
But, for now, the snow laid untouched; a virgin blanket of white, hoping for the gentle touch of lovers walking slowly home; the soft caress of children sledding on its smooth surface. How ignorant it was to its own demise.
Then again, perhaps that was simply the way Dark looked at things. When he saw beauty, often all he could think of was how it would be used by the unclean hands of men. That was how the world looked to him; a world of white being engulfed in the darkness. And, really, no one could blame him for his pessimism.
He was Dark Link after all; a torch that had been quickly swallowed whole by the monstrous bogeyman that is the darkness of man's soul. There is no beast worse then that.
These thoughts, amongst a great many more, swirled and spun about in Dark's mind, but they wouldn't go anywhere. They couldn't. He wouldn't let them. In all earnest, he would have preferred to not have any thoughts at all. It was one of those rare moments that the world of relaxants appealed to him; what he wouldn't do for a good smoke…
But he knew in the end that he wouldn't. No, he could never do that. He wouldn't become one of those bums. He would never beg for money to buy the very thing that pains him, that is slowly killing him. It was another side to men that was pathetic; how they could continue to do something to forget their lowly lives, when it's that very something that made them what they are. Dark sighed heavily as he leaned further into the wall, his forehead resting on the dusty window that looked out. And yet, he couldn't help the dark chuckle that escaped his lips as he saw a minion walking out the front doors, leaving the first of many footsteps in the snow; it was the start of a repeating pattern. The start of the ultimate demise of the soft purity that lay so helpless and open.
"God, what the hell were you thinking, setting these hellhounds loose?" he asked softly, but he knew there would be no reply. There never was.
And yet there he would stand, watching the silent death of the snow and locking his thoughts away whilst Yuki rested on his bed, his breathing rough. For the rest of the day he would stand there, waiting desperately for an answer. An answer he would never – could never – get.
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"Link…? Liink…" Poe whispered as he nudged at Link's sleeping form. The young man grimaced, groaned, and buried his head further into his pillow. Poe proceeded to stick out his lower lip in a little pout as he whined, "Come on, I'm hungry! Liink!"
"Mngh… Poe, I'm trying to sleep…" Link protested sleepily, looking over at the boy with one eye, trying it's best to look intimidating. It wasn't successful. Poe just stared back, hands on his hips, with the biggest puppy dog face imaginable. Sadly though, puppy dogs don't work on the morningly challenged. "God, just give me five more minutes… Mmph." Link face was back in his pillow, where he felt it belonged.
Poe felt differently.
The young detective relaxed into his bed, relieved to hear the soft footsteps of Poe leaving the room. Why was it that kids felt that when they were awake, everyone needed to be awake? Link really hoped this wouldn't become a daily occurrence. But, even half asleep – he may as well have been half dead – his interest peeked when he heard the sink running. Then again, Poe was probably just getting a drink. One can't help but laugh at the ignorance of those who don't have children.
When the young detective heard the footsteps come back into his room, he decided just to stay still; make Poe think he'd gone to sleep. The plan backfired though as, without warning, ice cold water was dumped on his head, dripping chilled tendrils of H2O down his neck and back. Link was up in a flash, cursing loudly as he shivered with the sudden decrease in body temperature. Looking about wildly for an explanation, he saw Poe standing ever so innocently by the bed, cup in hand and small smile on face.
"Now that you're up, could you make some breakfast please?" he asked nicely, as if he hadn't just about given Link a heart attack. Oh boy was the detective pissed. Never before in his life had he been so tempted to strangle a boy. And, as if the to add insult to injury, the clock by his bed showed that it was only five in the morning. Five!
"Poe… do you have any idea what time it is…?" Link asked bitterly, glaring daggers at the troublemaker. Poe tilted his head ever so cutely, mock guilt written all over his face.
"I'm sorry… I just wanted a little bit of food…" Link simply couldn't help the way his eye twitched, his hands gripping tightly to the bed sheets to keep from reaching out and shaking that son of a…
"Look, there's cereal in the cabinet. Milk in the fridge. Make your own damn breakfast," he stated darkly. Poe's expression died down some as he laughed nervously, backing away slowly towards the door.
"O-oh, ok. Um, then I'll just, you know, be going. Heheh…" Poe was out like a shot. Jeez, adults were scary in the morning!
As the door closed behind the young teen, Link sighed, his head resting in his hands. It was way too early to have to deal with this shit. But, as much as he hated to admit it, the water certainly worked in waking him up. There was no way he was going to be able to go back to bed. So, there was only one option left if he didn't want to kill Poe within the next hour.
It was shower time.
He rose clumsily from the bed, stretching his arms and legs and letting out a loud yawn. Once his muscles were warmed up and all the cricks cracked, he stumbled out of the bedroom with fresh clothes in hand and into the bathroom. There he happily rid himself of the now damp sweatshirt and pants. He grumbled in irritation at the pile of towels thrown on the floor before picking them up and hanging them. This whole kid thing would definitely take some getting used to.
Link felt infinitely better though as the hot water washed over his skin, running down his face, arms, all the way down his chest and stomach before racing down his legs, warming him to the bone. Letting out a sigh of relief he ran his hands through his wet hair. What was it about a hot shower that was so relaxing? Oh well, it didn't matter much.
What to do though; that mattered. What was he to do with Poe? He could skip work today, but he couldn't stay home for too long. And there was no way he could just leave the young teen alone here everyday for hours on end. No way. The only way thing he could think of that would work is if he could get the child into school, but to do that he'd have to be Poe's legal guardian. But the only way to do that would be to adopt him, and that would cause a whole new world of issues. The only way they could do it was if Poe were to explain about what had happened. And, while it was true that the teen didn't say he how he felt about involving the police, it was possible he wouldn't want to talk about it.
And what about Poe's real parents? Link didn't know how the boy had lived before going to, well, wherever he had been staying. Or, what if he had been staying with his parents? They would have total custody of Poe and could easily take him back into whatever life he had been living.
Hell, did he even want to adopt Poe? He certainly wasn't ready to have a child; he didn't know the first thing about raising them! Not only that, but they are expensive to have around. Money could be tight. In fact, this brought back the whole work issue. He was hardly home at all, and it wouldn't be right to leave Poe all alone! And the amount of psychological damage he must have… jeez, it gave him a headache just thinking about it.
And, yet, despite all the cons, he knew he had no choice; he had to take Poe in as his own. At least for now. Hopefully as the days progressed he'd learn more about Poe and find another option.
This brought up another interesting point; how was he going to get information about Dark from Poe? He had already decided he wasn't going to use force or manipulation. All that was left was to befriend him and hope he'd trust him with the secrets he held. There had to be a reason that he chose now to come to Link for help. What was going on? It made Link feel even more anxious.
Deciding that that was enough thinking for the time being, Link shut off the water and leaned against the side of the shower. Could it be he had found himself yet another dead end? No, this was more like a locked door; he had to find the key, and he had to find it soon.
Lest this ticking time bomb blow up in their faces.
Well, that was certainly a pleasant thought to start the day off with. Sighing, Link dried himself off and put on faded blue jeans with a dull maroon sweater. It was going to be a cold day out.
"G'morning Link! You feeling better now?" Poe chirped as the detective walked into the living room. He was seated at the kitchen island/bar/makeshift dinner table, his legs dangling under the little stool he was seated on, happily eating a bowl of cereal. Why did he have to be so goddamn cute? Link sighed as he walked pass the boy and into the kitchen, shifting through his cabinet for another bowl.
"Yes, though I'd be better if I was still asleep," he replied as he poured his own bowl of cereal. Poe giggled softly, trying his best to quiet himself by stuffing a large spoonful of cereal in his mouth. The detective rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly. "But I'm sorry for reacting the way I did. I shouldn't have been so…"
"Scary?"
"Right, we'll go with that. I'm just not--"
"A morning person?"
"…Yes, a morning person. So--"
"You'd like it if I didn't throw water on you in the morning?" Poe finished. Link gave the boy an exasperated look before sighing and nodding.
"Yes, now would you please--?"
"Stop finishing your--"
"Yes, my sentences," Link interrupted, grinning at his victory. Poe regarded him for a moment with intrigue before frowning and going back to eating his cereal; yes, no better way to drown your sorrows then in a bowl of cereal.
Leaving things at that, Link took his bowl to the island and sat on the stool next to Poe's before starting to eat. It was fairly quiet for a little bit after that, the only sounds being the noises that wafted in from outside. But the boy simply couldn't leave it like that, now could he? No, not when he was on a mission. But could he trust Link? He really liked him, no doubt about it. The question was whether he could tell him about Dark. Link was a nice guy and Dark had to trust him at least a little – why else would he give Poe his number – but he was still a detective; an officer of the law. It could be really dangerous to tell him.
So, first he had to interrogate him.
"Hey Link?"
"Hmm?"
"How d'you know Dark?" Poe asked innocently enough. Link's spoon froze half way to his mouth as he stared at the young teen for a moment. Ok, obviously an awkward question, but it had to be asked! So the red head stood his ground, staring right back at the detective. "Well?"
Finally Link let out a breath as he set his spoon back in the bowl. "Dare I ask why?"
"You don't get to know 'til you tell me. Now come on, tell me! I can keep a secret!" Poe insisted. Link couldn't help the suspicious look he gave the teen. But, hey, it wouldn't be fair to expect information without giving some. Equivalent exchange of sorts. Question was how much could, or should, he tell…
"Alright, fine, but this stays between us, ok?" Poe nodded vigorously and, while it wasn't completely reassuring, it worked. So, Link continued saying, "Well then, you see, Dark and I were…" Hmph. Well this was bad. Hardly a sentence out and already in a sticky position. "…friends." Yeah, that works. Friends is a nice, safe word, right? Nothing wrong with friends.
"Friends?"
"Yes, friends."
"…Now, when you say friends," Poe asked, "do you mean friends as in actual friends, or are we talking can't-talk-about-sex-in-front-of-the-kid-so-let's-say-friends type of friends?"
Ok, so friends wasn't a safe word. Link bit his lip and looked away for a moment. Ok, new excuse, new excuse… But there was no time for a new excuse. Poe had his answer.
"Oh, so you guys were like that?" Poe asked casually. Link took a deep breath and continued to stay silent, trying his best to keep from whamming his head into the table. The boy just rolled his eyes as he pushed his bowl away and laced his fingers behind his head. "Don't be a girl. I wasn't born yesterday; I know all about sex, so you don't have to worry about it."
"Do you now?"
"Yeah, I do! Probably a hell of a lot more then you do…" Poe muttered bitterly, leaning forward to rest his chin on his folded arms supported by the table. Link blinked at him in surprise, instantly regretting his words. So the boy had lived that kind of life? Could it be that he was like Dark…?
He sighed and turned in his seat so he was facing Poe. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring anything up…"
"Don't," the child spat, glaring up angrily. "Don't you dare pity me. I'm not that weak you know. I'm not a kid!"
"Poe…"
"Don't!" Poe yelled as he slammed a hand down on the table. Link breathed in sharply, watching cautiously as the boy grimaced and laid his head back on the table, looking away from the detective. Well, THAT went over well. But, it was probably a good thing in a way; it reminded Link that this wasn't just any kid. Poe had been through a hell that he could only imagine. One similar to what Dark surely went through…
Link sighed heavily, spinning his chair so he was facing the direction opposite of Poe. "…You're right. We weren't friends." The teen's interest perked up, but he stayed where he was, staring moodily at the wall. "To be honest, I don't think we ever were. He was my lover. Well, first he was sort of an unseen rival, but soon after we sort of jumped into this… relationship. It didn't last long though; we broke up about a week ago."
"…Uh huh," Poe murmured softly, shifting around a little so he was looking at Link's back. "So, what? You were his lover and that's how he knows you?"
"Yeah, basically," Link replied softly. "I was put on the Dark Link case and met him during a robbery. And, wouldn't you know it, that numbskull had the balls to ask me out. Course, like I'm one to talk; I'm the one who showed up for the date."
Poe looked down at the countertop he had his head rested on as he asked, "Was it… was it for the sex?" Link couldn't help the way his face flushed – he couldn't believe he was talking to a thirteen year old about this! – as he shook his head.
"No. Well, not for me anyways. It may have been for Dark, but not for me. I liked being with him. He was different, exciting… and, of course, a lot more then that. I was with him because I—well I loved him," Link admitted. Poe lifted his head up from the counter a little, his eyes growing wide.
"Love? You were in it for love?"
"Yup. Don't get me wrong; the sex was nice too," Link said, his lips curling into a little smile, "but that wasn't why I loved him. I didn't love him because we had sex; I had sex with him because I loved him. And I still do."
"Then why did you guys break up?" Poe demanded as he sat up straight. Link chuckled quietly, but there was no joy in it; it wasn't true laughter. He turned his head, looking back at the red head with watery eyes and sad smile.
"I don't know. He called me a week ago saying it was over, and that it would be the last I heard from him. I saw him on Saturday though, but he still didn't tell me. I don't know what happened…"
"But… I… That doesn't sound like Dark at all!" Poe cried, surprising Link. "He could never be that cold unless… wait, a week ago?"
"Yeah. He called me on Friday. Why?" Link asked as he rubbed at his eye irritably. Poe looked down for a minute, his brows knitted together as he muttered things softly under his breath and finally looked up with a rather oh-I'm-so-smart look on his face.
"I remember that!" he said. Link blinked at him blankly and the teen shook his head. "Well, ok, so I wasn't there when he made the call, but I remember that a couple days before that he had to talk with his boss and got the shit kicked out of him! I remember overhearing Dark yell something like 'It's none of your business who I sleep with,' and then his boss yelled something about the NYPD… Maybe that's it! Maybe his boss found about you guys and Dark had no choice but the break up with you!"
Link looked at him blankly, his mind in a haze as the words slowly sunk in. Dark… didn't want to break up with him? Could it really be possible that this was all just a big misunderstanding on his part? But then why hadn't Dark said anything? Why didn't he just tell him?
Was it… for Link's own good?
"That has to be it! Dark loved you too, but had to break up with you because The Boss found out about you guys! But now you can save him, and you guys can be together again! You'll do it Link, won't you? If I tell you what he's doing on Tuesday, you can stop him and help him, right!" Poe asked excitedly, happy he'd finally found someone to help him and Dark. Link just sat quietly before smiling softly at the teen.
"If you tell me Poe, then I promise I'll do my best."
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"Damn it, where is he?" Rikuo grumbled angrily as crushed the paper cup in his hands. As hard as it was, he had somehow managed to drag himself out of bed to come to work, and how was he repaid? With Link ditching! What could that bastard be doing? Ugh, this was just so goddamn frustrating…
"Hey Saerchi, what's up with you? You look like shit," another officer commented as he walked up to the water dispenser. Rikuo scowled.
"Thanks, that makes me feel loads better."
"Aw, I didn't mean it like that," the man replied, pulling a paper cup from the stack and filling it with water. Once filled, he took a small sip from it before looking at Rikuo curiously. "Hey, where's your lover boy at? Usually you two are practically joined at the hip."
"I don't see how that's any of your business," Rikuo shot back, giving him a dirty look. The officer backed away a little, laughing nervously.
"Oh, sorry 'bout that. S-so what, you working alone today? I overheard the secretary say that Lennings was out sick, so I guess you're the only one left eh?" Rikuo's scowl lifted some, taking on a more calculative look as he turned to eye the officer.
"When'd he call in?"
"I dunno. I just happened to overhear is all. Why… hey!" he yelped as Rikuo tossed his empty cup into the trash and stalked past him without so much as a word of goodbye. And onward he stalked until he was in his office, sitting down heavily into his swivel chair and picking up the phone. Out sick his ass! Link was up to something, that was to be sure.
He drummed his fingers impatiently on the desk as the phone rang once, twice, trice… after the fourth time, the answering machine picked up. Something about it being the "Lennings' residence", blah blah blah… Finally he heard the tone and all hell broke loose.
"LINK! Pick up the goddamn phone! I know you're there!" he spat into the phone. Quite a few officers that were walking by the office all jumped and yelped, a shriek or two being heard. No matter though. "Link, I'll sit here all day if I have to! Pick up your phone!"
"Shit Rikuo, could you yell any louder? I think I can still hear out of my right ear," Link muttered bitterly. Sadly, sarcasm was lost on the thoroughly pissed off.
"What the hell are you doing home Link?" Rikuo asked pointedly. He heard the younger detective sigh heavily.
"Look, Rikuo, I'm kind of in the middle of something…"
"Yeah, so am I. It's called my job," the man interrupted. "And, unless you want me to leave it and come get you myself, I suggest you explain yourself."
"Wha—no! No, you don't have to come get me," Link assured him. "It's just that, well… God, where do I start? Ok, look, last night I got a call from this kid, and I kind of took him in for the time being, and I couldn't leave him alone, you know?" Rikuo was dead silent and it made Link feel even more anxious. "I'm sorry I didn't call you myself, but I've been kind of busy. You see, it turns out that he knows about, you know…"
"What?" Rikuo asked. "What is it he knows? Why are you being so goddamn vague?"
"Well, I mean… Ah hell. Ok, you remember what Ranmaru told us? You know, about how we couldn't do anything 'cause they would know what we were doing?" Link explained as well as he could. Rikuo's brows furrowed when it finally struck him.
"Oh, you mean--?"
"Yes, exactly," Link said, sighing in relief into the phone. "I don't know for sure if he meant, you know, but it's definitely a possibility."
"Then I'll come over," Rikuo replied, moving to stand up and head on his way. Before he could though, Link stammered, "No, wait!
"We can't all be out of the office. I need you to stay there to cover for Yuki and me," Link explained, biting his lip. He knew Rikuo wouldn't like it, but it had to be done. Luckily Rikuo took a deep breath and grumbled irritably under his breath.
"Grr… fine. But as soon as six o'clock hits I'm coming straight over, alright?"
"Yeah, that'd be great. Bring Sheik too, 'kay? I think he'll find this interesting too," Link added. Rikuo agreed and placed the phone down on its stand. He felt agitated, that was for sure, but he felt sort of guilty and worried at the same time.
It would seem that they couldn't even trust the precinct anymore.
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It was about mid afternoon that Yuki finally awoke, lifting his throbbing head cautiously and looking about the room as if it were something new. But, the events of the previous night came back to him and, as much as he hated it, and he knew exactly where he was.
He sat up in the rock-hard bed, wincing as the dull ache of pain in his body doubled itself. His back, chest and head all stung, but his neck felt the worst. His throat was dreadfully dry and he found it agonizing to swallow. Yuki moved a careful hand to it, only to grimace and bite back a yelp at the pain. The skin was still tender and probably badly bruised, with a scratch here or there from nails most likely; but now it was wrapped in cloth. Even so, it still hurt so much! He couldn't help the groan that escaped him or the way his body shuddered slightly, ready to break down with so much as a feather's touch. This was simply too much for him to handle. He just knew that he was going to die in this god awful place, never to see Rikuo again…
Yuki surprised himself when the first piercing sob escaped him. It hurt his throat even worse, feeling like it was on fire. Of course this only brought on another tremble and soft cry as his hands held fast to the bed sheet. God, it hurt so much. Why him, why now? Why did things end up like this…?
"You need some water?" Yuki looked up quickly, instantly regretting it; it felt like needles were stabbing the back of his neck. All the same he stared in surprise at Dark, the man's back to him.
He swallowed hard – another mistake – and shook his head slowly, doing his best to fight back the tears that threatened to spill. "N-no, I, I f-f-fine," he said, his voice hoarse and rough. Every word was like sand paper grating away at his throat, sanding away until he couldn't get another word out. His body shook as a coughing fit hit him straight on, adding salt to his wound. Tears took advantage of him, escaping down his cheeks and onto his hands that covered his mouth. This was it, he couldn't take anymore! Dark should have just let left him to die; it would have been kinder then this!
In his bout, Yuki didn't notice the thief leave the room for a moment, coming back with a glass of tap water. Dark walked to the side of the bed, standing there stiffly with his offering. "Take it."
"N-no…th-th-thanks," Yuki refused before proceeding to hack, his body rocking with each blow it hit him with. Dark merely rolled his eyes, taking the detective's hand and wrapping it around the glass.
"Just drink it. It'll be good for you," he stated before turning away and walking back to the window. Yuki watched him, breathing shakily before forcing the glass to his lips. The first sip was the worse; it felt like molten flame singeing its way down his throat. He coughed and gagged on it, but one look from Dark and the cup was back on his lips, forcing more liquid down him. The second time was less painful, and after the third it was only a dull ache from swallowing. The liquid, while not particularly cold, was soothing in its own way. Yuki chugged it down, dehydration finally catching up with him; damn was he thirsty!
"You need more?" Yuki nodded slowly.
"Y-yes… thank you…" he murmured, feeling better. Still though his body shuddered softly, his hands trembling. He was a complete mess, mentally and physically. How he would last much longer, he didn't know.
This time though, Dark took a little longer before walking back in with a glass of water in one hand, and a plate of food on the other. It was only a simple sandwich and bag of chips, but it would have to do. Yuki forced the food down like he had the drink; his blood sugar had to be extremely low.
What made Yuki feel worse about it though was he was almost certain that this was Dark's dinner, and that for this kindness the man would go hungry. He attempted to give some to the thief, but Dark turned away and stood by the window again. He certainly wasn't in the mood to talk.
"When you're done with that, there are some books on the stand," he commented. Before Yuki could reply though, Dark moved away from the window, grabbing a coat and opening the door. "I have some preparations to set. Don't go back to sleep until I get back. I borrowed Ranmaru's cell phone, so if anything happens, hit redial. It'll call my beeper." And just like that, he was gone. Yuki blinked curiously after him before shuddering and wrapping his arms around himself.
Had he… had Dark waited until his was awake before leaving? To make sure he was alright? Why was he being so caring? It was his fault that Dark was in this mess, and yet he's still willing to take care of him? Why did he care so much? Why!
…Maybe it was because was able to; because he could finally help someone.
…Because he couldn't help Link.
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Ok, first off, something that has bothered me for quite sometime. Now, I know that, more like then not, you guys don't keep track of the timeline. I do though, and I had to say this. I screwed up some during the whole DLxL break up thing. In it I said that DL called on Saturday; this has now been changed because that just doesn't work. If he called on Saturday, then it was Saturday night that Link was all, "ah, the world hates me" and Sunday night that Yuki came to the rescue. But that wouldn't work because Yuki was there on Saturday night! So, because of that, in this chapter I say DL called on Friday and that's the final date. So hah. I feel better now.
Also, in case you didn't catch the whole "You know," convo between Link and Rikuo, Link's implying that Ranmaru said that The Boss would know the police were coming before they could do anything, and that that means the police can no longer be trusted. Since they were talking on a police headquarters' phone, it was possibly that it could be bugged. (I don't know if in reality this is so, but this is fiction, so deal with it.)
And I think that's it. Long author's note, I know, but I had to get that all off my chest. Comments please, and thank you so much for the ones you give me! (And, btw, thank you for almost nine thousand page views! Holy crap that's a lot! XD)
