Chapter 23

Love Is Rare

Dark's body came to a complete stop at Daisuke words. Had he heard correctly? Was Daisuke actually telling him to ask him out? No. Daisuke was only telling him that he wouldn't receive an answer until he truly asked the other boy out.

He smiled at Daisuke and placed his hand on the boy's head, and gave it a soft nudge. "You just have to make this difficult."

"It's not difficult," Daisuke whined. "I really don't know how I'll react until you ask me out."

"You're joking right?" Dark asked nervously, pulling away from Daisuke as if the boy had suddenly developed a deadly disease.

Daisuke shook his head.

"I can't believe this," Dark groaned and threw his head back, closing his eyes in frustration at the same time. He had to fight off the smile tugging on the corner of his lips though. Only someone like Daisuke would say something like that, and he had to admit silently to himself that it was funny. What poor sap had to wait to be asked out to know their reaction to it? "You are one seriously messed up kid, you know?"

"Am not!" Folding his arms over his chest, Daisuke childishly let out a "Huff" and turned his back on Dark. However, if someone were to look closely they would be able to see the small pink stain on his cheeks.

"Aww! Don't be like that Dai-chan. You know I love you."

"How many times do I have to ask you not to say those things? It's not like you're serious."

Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut, because the next second Daisuke found himself being pulled back against Dark's chest, with the older teen's head resting on his shoulder, something he wasn't enjoying at the moment. "Now Dai-chan, who said I didn't mean what I just said?" Dark asked, letting his words whisper along Daisuke's ear, causing the redhead to gulp.

"Do you think I could have some of my personal space back, please?" Daisuke tried in a weak attempt to dislodge Dark from him and also change the subject.

"Nope."

Daisuke's heart fell.

"I like this position too much," Dark explained, a playful spark in his eye as he watched with sadistic enjoyment, as Daisuke squirmed in his hold. "Besides you didn't answer my question. 'Who said I didn't mean what I just said?'"

"No one." Daisuke admitted in defeat.

"Then why don't you believe me?"

Daisuke sighed, he could feel a headache coming on. "Because it doesn't make any sense. How can you go from hating me then," Daisuke felt himself chock on the next word to leave his mouth, "love me?"

Dark was silent for moment, contemplating the best way to answer this question. Just when Daisuke was sure Dark wasn't going to answer the older teen surprised him with a response. "It was never hate. I just liked to pick on people, and as for my feelings suddenly turning to love, if what Krad told me was true then I've had a crush on you for a while and over time my feelings have developed into love. It's not as sudden as you think."

"Krad?" Daisuke repeated, his voice laced with doubt and sarcasm. "What did he say?"

Dark chuckled, understanding Daisuke's disbelief. "He pointed out how I treated you different from other victims. Usually I get tired of my victims after a while, but you were constantly on my mind. There was also the fact that I lost my temper whenever you didn't react to one of the pranks I pulled on you. As Krad put, I was acting like a little boy who has a crush on a girl."

Daisuke frowned, "I'm not so sure I like the fact that you just implied I was a girl, or at least play the girl part."

Dark shoved Daisuke onto the ground, making Daisuke lay on his back as he straddled the red head's waist, a smug and superior look on his face. "I'm not saying you're a girl Daisuke," Dark teased, "But can you really expect someone as manly as me to play the female role?"

"You're thinner than most girl's I know," Daisuke muttered darkly while giving his friend a glare that could make anyone shiver in their boots. "Plus you got the waist, and you're always sauntering around."

Dark raised any eyebrow at this, but snickered after taking in Daisuke's words. "Now really, Daisuke, why are you watching the way I walk?"

Daisuke blushed, red covering his entire face and threatening to go past his neck and take over his whole body. "I don't" he denied, trying to cover his face with his hands, but Dark grabbed his wrists and stopped him.

"Oh no you don't, I'm not letting you get off so easily," Dark laughed, pinning Daisuke's hands to the boy's side, smirking as he watched Daisuke eye him nervously. "So when were you planning to tell me you watch how I walk, or is it that you're really looking at my butt?"

"Dark!" Daisuke cried in embarrassment, trying to cover his face again, forgetting about Dark's hold on him. "Please stop it! It's humiliating!"

"Only if you answer one question."

"Deal." At this point anything would be better than this.

"Will you go out with me?"

Daisuke stopped all movement, and stared up at Dark in shock. Of all the things Dark would ask him that was the last Daisuke expected to hear, which was stupid now that he thought about it. He and Dark had just been talking about the subject so he should have seen this coming.

"Well Dai-chan…?" Dark asked, getting impatient.

Turning his head to the side, Daisuke tried to control his beating heart and breath slower. He stuttered out his answer, only adding on to his humiliation. "I-I guess s-so?"

"You guess so?" Dark laughed.

Pouting, Daisuke scowled at Dark. "You do realize you're not helping matters?" That shut Dark up.

Taking a deep breath Daisuke tried again. "Yes, I'll go out with you."

Daisuke looked up at Dark, as if waiting for something. When neither of the two did anything Daisuke broke the silence that had formed between them. "So, is this the part where you're supposed to lean down and kiss me?"

"I would love to, but I'm afraid I'll get my head chewed off in the process."

"Dark!" Daisuke shouted, but laughed.

Smirking, Dark let go of Daisuke's wrists and crossed his arms over his chest, taking on a smug expression. "No. I won't kiss you. I won't kiss you until I feel the time is right."

"And when will that be?" Daisuke asked, still laughing.

"When I think you've been tortured long enough with want."

"Who said I wanted you to kiss me?" Daisuke asked coyly, not realizing what he was doing, but instead going on instinct.

"Trust me Dai-chan," Dark said, leaning down so their faces were only inches apart. "You'll want me to kiss you soon enough."

"Confident aren't we?"

"It's easy to be when you're betting on a fact."

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

If there was one thing Satoshi despised it was unwanted attention, something that the student body was oblivious to as one student after by another asked him what was going on between Dark and Daisuke, or at least it felt like the entire student body was asking him that. Truthfully, some were asking Krad who would respond with a deranged smile while saying in a blood chilling voice, "How about a trade? My information for your life?"

"Hiwatari-kun?"

That was the last straw. Standing up in his seat abruptly, he walked out of the classroom, ignoring the teacher, who no one was actually paying attention to.

He could feel a headache coming on. Why did he ever let himself get involved with Daisuke, Dark, and Krad? His life had been fine before they came into it. Now it was one mess after another.

"Satoshi-sama?"

Satoshi could almost cry from his desperation to escape, but he held it in. Couldn't anyone take a hint and leave him alone, especially Krad! Damn that crazy blonde! "What do you want Krad?"

Krad mentally winced at Satoshi's harsh tone, but remained calm on the outside. He would be lying if he said he was used to the bluenette's rough exterior. Out of all the people Krad had dealt with in his life, Satoshi was the only one to remain a cold-hearted jerk after so long. Most either went insane or learned to loosen up and deal with Krad as the days went by.

"If you want me to, I'll gladly smack some sense into those morons who keep bothering you." Krad spoke nonchalantly, pretending to study his nails with intense interesting.

"No. Thank. You." The words came out clipped, and once again Krad winced mentally at them.

"Suit yourself."

"I will." With that, Satoshi stomped off. Krad was the most annoying and insane person on the planet. Could the boy not see that he had no interest in him whatsoever! Why the blonde kept following him and offering him strange things, such as beating someone up, was beyond him.

Footsteps could be heard behind Satoshi, and he had to bite back the aggravated growl at the back of his throat as he spun around to stare venomously at Krad. "Stop following me!"

Krad's golden eyes took on an eerie glow that made Satoshi take a step back. Before he knew what was happening, he found his arm being tightly grasped by Krad, and he was being pulled in the direction of… oh hell! He was in school! Krad could be pulling him in any random direction and it wouldn't matter because in the end he'd probably take Satoshi to an empty classroom and beat him to a bloody pulp.

Not one to submit so easily, Satoshi used all of his strength to remove his arm from Krad's iron hold but to no avail. "Let me go!"

"Shut up!" Krad spat out and yanked on the bluenette's arm to get him to move faster. "You want to be left alone, correct? Then let me help you!"

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

This is… nice. Daisuke blushed. Yes, it was indeed very nice to be walking back to class with Dark, holding hands. It was strangely relaxing, although Daisuke was sure at any moment Dark would let go of his hand because someone would walk by, or he'd just get tired of it.

"Dai-chan, you're blushing." Dark teased.

"Oh shut it!" His blush deepened, but he held his head high and tried his best to act like he didn't notice it.

"Prefect!"

Daisuke Molester senses are tingling! Unconsciously, Dark turned his body so it was in front of Daisuke acting as a barrier between his Dai-chan and the molester that dare come near them.

Keiji, also known as the Daisuke Molester, was holding a camera up to his smiling face and with the press of a button a blinding light filled the room.

Dark blinked his eyes. What on earth had that blinding light been? It was so horrible. Maybe next time he'd bring a blindfold so this kind of stuff wouldn't happen.

There were more flashes, each coming from a different angle. "You two are adorable! Honestly I was considering only Daisuke for a model in my next photo shoot, but you, my purple haired friend, shine with sex appeal making Daisuke look even more innocent and adorable, which makes you more sexy, which only makes him more cute, and I think you got the point!"

More flashes, and Dark was about ready to lash out at the closest thing, but he reminded himself that the closest thing might be Daisuke. "WILL YOU KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY, AND I PROMISE NOT TO MURDER YOU!"

There was one last flash, and then after a few seconds worth of blinking, Dark was staring at Keiji, whose smile was that of a sly fox who had just caught a chicken.

"So what do you say?"

"So… much… light…" Daisuke breathed out, clutching his head as he swayed on his feet, before letting his body rest against Dark's.

Alarmed by Daisuke's sudden show of fatigue, Dark did the only thing anyone would do: misplace his anger and take it out on the poor sap who was near by. "You killed Daisuke!"

Shrugging, Keiji asked excitedly, "So are you guys going to do it or not?"

"I should kill you after all the hell you put me and Daisuke through! And how dare you stare at his butt!" Dark shouted.

Giving a "tsk tsk" Keiji shook his head. "Don't kill me. That's illegal. And I only looked at his butt because I wanted to see if he had the right body to be my model. So will you two be my models or what?"

"That's a lame excuse!"

"Dark," Daisuke groaned, getting the older boys' attention instantly. "Just say yes. You're both giving me a headache."

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

If anyone had told Satoshi that Krad was dragging him off to the school roof he would have screamed at them to get a few more IQ points and save him.

"Why did you bring me here?" Satoshi asked, as he leaned over the roof's railing.

"You wanted to be alone, right?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Satoshi looked away when he saw Krad staring at his back, and tensed up as if he expected an attack from the blonde at any moment. "Thanks, I think."

Krad frowned. At least he got a thank you.