Title: Tribulation Within
Pairing:
Satoshi/Daisuke

Summary: (SatoshiDaisuke) (3shot) Daisuke forgets his lines on the night of the new play he's performing in. When forced to make up a passionate profession of love to confess to Satoshi, the private investigator, he realizes he doesn't have to make one up at all: he just has to speak his heart.

Disclaimer: Still don't own. /mushroom sigh/

Japanese Vocabulary
Futago: twins
Sensei: teacher
Ohayou: good morning
Yami no Dorobou: thief of darkness/dark thief
Ore-sama: super respectful way of referring to one's self (males)
Kouhai: underclassman (opposite of senpai)

OH! I FORGOT TO TELL YOU ALL THAT- /cough/ Eh… I'll stop the caps now. xD Anywhoosle, I forgot to tell you that when I went to the Philippines, I was flipping through the channels and found DNANGEL ON TV! BWUHAHA……… /evil laughter/ xDDD Riku's hair was flippin' orange. O.o It was unnatural… /shudders/ But alas… /sigh/ Everyone was speaking Tagalog! I was all like, "Omfg, what are they saying! Auggghhh………" Eh… But at least I got to watch the anime! …Even though I already did on YouTube (/cough/ YAY FOR JAP SUBS! ./cough/)… Heh… I don't think any of you care, but I needed to let that out. XD Carry on with the reading!

/squeal/ AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I love you, my precious reviewers! I thought you'd all throw rocks at me or something. /sniffle/ I feel so welcomed in this new fandom! AHHHHHH! .X I swear I'll explode if I get some more of that positive feedback! Yohko, you may translate my fic (horrible as it is x.X) into French, though I expect credit where credit is due, m'kay, sweetie? XD I'm so strange. And Yue, you were right. XD This did turn into a tri-chapter fic. xD

------

The next morning, on the way to school (he just wanted to skip it and gallivant right on to the high school for practice, but Ika had set down the rule that he, Satoshi, and the other volunteers had to at least show up for roll call; it was common courtesy), Daisuke was thinking. How ever would he apologize to Satoshi and…and…admit his…eh…

It had taken Daisuke all night to pull himself out of that little corner of his mind dubbed 'denial dentistry services,' and even when he did, he had the bad habit of blushing when the subject of to whom his affections were directed came up in a conversation with Dark. He had realized that everything Dark said had been true, but it was still embarrassing to admit it aloud, let alone to Satoshi. So that left him with the problem he was currently brooding:

How was he going to confess his attraction to Satoshi?

Daisuke kicked a rock and held onto the straps of his backpack with his thumbs. He couldn't just walk up to him, pat him cheerfully on the shoulder, and yell out, "I'm sorry for running away when we were making out on your couch yesterday, and for leaving you there all turned on and depressed! But I love you now, so we can do it again!" That was just sad…

Dark had liked the idea, of course, and he oh-so-helpfully pointed out that the confession needed a hot maid's uniform, but Daisuke quickly shut him up.

The redhead kicked the rock again, and this time, it soared in the air several feet. He watched it fall, and winced when it hit some poor bystander, flanked by two girls, in the head.

"Itai!" The bystander floundered around, looking as though he were clumsily dancing to the melody of the two girls' laughter. "Who was that? I'll swear, I'll write a nasty article about 'em! 'Crazy Maniac Attacks Innocent Reporter!' Hey, stop laughing at me, Harada-futago!"

Daisuke ran up to Takeshi with apologetic laughter bubbling from his mouth. "Sorry, Saehara. The rock tried to kill me– I had to defend myself."

Takeshi nodded wisely, hand contemplatively holding his chin. "Ah, yes, so they have gotten to you, too?"

"Eh…" Daisuke blinked at his strange, paranoid friend before blatantly spinning around to face the Harada twins. "Good morning, Harada-san, Riku-san."

"Morning, Niwa," both replied simultaneously (it was a twin thing o.O).

"Why are you three here?" Daisuke asked as the four began to walk.

Riku held her bike steady, careful not to let the front wheel spin out of her control. "Risa and I met up with Saehara, and he said you lived around here, so we decided to wait up for you. …Of course, we would have just gone ahead if you were late, but I guess we're all lucky today."

Daisuke rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh… I actually woke up on time today."

"S'not like it would've mattered, Niwa. You're just gonna leave, anyway."

Daisuke resisted from the task of rolling his eyes. Takeshi was at it again.

"Man, I wish I were you (except looking like my own, handsome self, not weird, like you, with giant eyes and funny hair). You get to skip out on all your classes except lunch, stop turning in your homework, and hang out with busty high school girls!" This earned a hardy smack upside the head, courtesy of Risa.

Daisuke turned red. "It's not like that, Saehara." Then he thought about said 'busty high school girls,' and immediately died. Well, no, but whatever. Instead, he began to speak of the horrific tales relating to his senpais, each of them more terrifying than the last. "Now that I think about it, I wish you were me, too!"

"Hey, Niwa, it can't be that bad, can it?" Risa asked curiously.

"It is! The director, Kawa-senpai, she's crazy. I have to play a girl again."

Riku touched her lip with her index finger musingly. "Well you've done it before. You ought to be just a little bit used to a skirt by now."

Daisuke barely stopped himself from wailing and dying right there on the sidewalk. Shoving his face into his hands miserably, he mumbled something inaudible and incoherent, causing his three companions to lean in closer to hear him.

"What was that, Niwa?"

Daisuke looked up at the voice, and found himself nose-to-nose with a curious Riku. A few days ago, he would have blushed madly and transformed into a walking, squeaking tomato, and he would have been reduced to a stuttering puddle of mush that couldn't string a single sentence together. But now… This seemed to be it. This was the test that fate had cast to him; a test that would show him that he could let everyone go, and that he was ready for the moment when he would run in Satoshi arms, and share a mutual kiss, and then have hot, rabid –

Staring time. Yes.

Daisuke did not blush, and he did not turn into a tomato; nor did he melt into a pile of incoherent mush. He no longer needed to. He could let her go. He had passed the test.

"We couldn't quite hear you behind your hands," Riku said playfully, poking his palm.

Daisuke smiled once again, finding a mask of happiness pulled over his contemplating features. Funny… He had never had to do that before…

Takeshi stared up at the sky as everyone straightened up again. "Yeah, what'd'you say? I couldn't hear one word of what you were mumbling."

The smile quickly slid off Daisuke's face and he turned blue. "The skirt……"

"Yes, yes?"

"Its…short………"

Takeshi made a face. He, too, seemed horrified at the idea of a short skirt (on a guy, of course). But the Harada twins were used to short skirts. They wore them every day to school, for Pete's sake! Therefore, they were unimpressed.

"Maybe you're just overreacting," Riku reasoned. "Just how short is it?"

Daisuke lowered his hand to about four inches above mid-thigh. It was Riku's turn to pull a face. Even she could not bear to voluntarily wear such a short skirt.

Risa flicked out her wrist nonchalantly. "Still, it's not that bad," she huffed, for she probably had some skirts of a similar nature in her own vast closet.

Takeshi's horrified face grew, and he stared fixatedly down at where Daisuke's hand was. "It…it's so…short," he sniffed pathetically.

Daisuke nodded and pulled the hand away to brush a stray lock of hair away from his face dramatically. "It's too short. …Saehara, they've taken away my manhood!"

Risa and Riku giggled madly at this splay of theatrical drama whilst Takeshi's eyes widened to the size of saucers. His jaw dropped, and he blinked those saucers several times. The reporter slung his arm around Daisuke's neck in panic, cupped his ear to stop anyone from overhearing him, and urgently whispered, "How could they! …Is it in a jar?"

Daisuke rotated his neck to gawk at Takeshi. "N-nani?" Surely Takeshi wasn't talking about what he thought he was talking about…

"A jar, a jar, Niwa. They didn't just chuck it, did they? Did you get to keep it?" Takeshi gasped, and his eyes magnified to an unimaginable size. "Did it hurt? Aie, baka, of course it hurt!" He looked about ready to cry.

"Saehara, Saehara!" Daisuke shrugged Takeshi's arm off and raised his hands up in defense. "What ever you're thinking, it's not like that. Of course they didn't…ah…cut it off."

Takeshi blinked once again. "They didn't?" he asked pitifully with the air of a pathetic puppy.

Daisuke bonked him on the head for good measure. "Of course they didn't!"

The twins giggled. They seemed to have figured out what the two boys were talking about.

"But then again… They might as well have…"

"Why, Niwa?" Risa questioned.

Daisuke stared at her and blushed brightly. He really shouldn't be telling the girls the things that went on with his body… "Ah… No reason."

"Yes, there's a reason!" Risa insisted.

"Aw! C'mon, Niwa, tell us!" Riku pleaded.

"Yeah." Takeshi changed the pitched of his voice until it was sickeningly high. "Tell us, tell us, Niwa!" He smirked in Daisuke's direction, paying no attention to the glare on the redhead's face.

"Ah…well…"

"Spit it out, Niwa! We're your friends, we won't think you're a freak."

Daisuke dropped his head. "Fine. But Harada-futago-san, if you get extremely disturbed, it's not my problem."

"Hey, what about me?"

"You're always disturbed. Humph. Now anyway… Where do I start? …Well, since the skirt is so short, I have to wear super small, super tight, spandex shorts under. …And to stop everything from…moving out of place…when I jump around or something, I have to…" Daisuke's head sank lower. "…wrap my…eh…hips with some fabric………" Hesitantly, the little thief raised his head a millimeter to see the looks on their faces.

"…"

Sighing, Daisuke's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Oh, alright! Go ahead and do it, I know you want to. Go ahead and laugh." At least Riku and Risa had the decency to stifle their giggles, but Takeshi went all out and began to howl out in hilarity, throwing his head back like some sort of hyena and sounding as though he was laughing into a microphone.

"Hey, hey," Daisuke said defensively, staring pointedly at Takeshi. "It's better than walking around with no covering under a skirt at all!"

Takeshi smirked. "Harada-nee would think otherwise, considering that it's you we're talking about here." He and Risa burst into another fit of laughing whilst Daisuke and Riku blushed brightly – Daisuke, because his friend was being very lewd; Riku, because it was probably true.

Daisuke rolled his eyes as he fought the blush away, knocking Takeshi on the head lightly. "Shut up. It's not like any of you are going to see it, anyway."

"Oh, oh, but on the contraire, Daisuke-chaaaan." Takeshi slung his arm around Daisuke's neck again, though this time, his mouth was expelling exclamations of a happy nature. "Of course we're going to your performance! The entire class is!"

Daisuke's head rapidly swiveled to eye both of the Harada sisters, and to his horror, they both smiled and nodded at him. "What?" he half-screamed. "You can't be serious! Everyone?"

Takeshi's grin only grew. "We can't miss a high school play starring two of our very own classmates! Saeki-sensei even made us fundraise the money for the thirty-two tickets. …Though Hiwatari's fangirls made most of it. They must really wanted to see him in action!"

"Yeah, he'll be in action all right…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing."

------

Daisuke banged into the Matsuda Junpei Memorial Hall, eyes dashing around the inside at a speed his feet could not manage. Finally, he spotted Satoshi and put those feet to work, rushing up to meet him. With the customary smile plastered on his face, he greeted the taller boy with a cheerful wave. "Good morning, Hiwatari-kun. I wanted to come here with you, but I guess I missed you."

"You were late." Satoshi wasn't even looking at Daisuke. His eyes were directed to any inch of space that didn't contain the redhead. It was very easy, too, for he was particularly small. He was petite. He was dainty. With the most beautiful scarlet eyes, and long, feminine legs, and a soft, supple body that would fit perfectly under the blunette's own…

Shut up shut up shut up, he sang to himself.

Daisuke grew sheepish. "I…entered exactly after the bell rang. Sensei made me stand outside for fifteen minutes before I could get here."

Usually, Satoshi would have commented snidely on his habitual lack of punctuality, but he merely nodded and gave a short, "Hn." His eyes darted to the stage, then back down at his script.

Daisuke blinked. "Um… Okay then. Well, Hiwatari-kun, Kawa-senpai isn't here yet. Do you think we can…?" He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Talk about yesterday?"

Satoshi knew this was coming. He knew they would eventually have to sort things out between them. He knew that it was an inescapable subject. He would have to face it, now or never.

"No, I don't think that's quite necessary."

…He wasn't escaping the inescapable subject! Oh, ho ho, no! He was just…trying his hardest to avoid it.

"Nani?" Daisuke looked truly surprised. "W…why not?"

"Because I know what you're going to say." Before Daisuke could speak, Satoshi continued on, his voice evenly calm. "And I agree. We should forget everything that happened yesterday and go on as if it never happened. I'm sorry that I pushed you into doing something you weren't comfortable with, and the moment that I walk away, I'll start the charade. You don't need to forgive me, or pity me, and I'd rather that you not yell at me, because that would mean that yesterday happened." He stared fixatedly at the word 'alone' in his script before hastily turning his attention to a ninth-grade volunteer carrying what seemed to be his weight in props.

"But…Hiwatari-kun…" Daisuke blinked. "That's not what I wanted to say."

"Was it something else?" Satoshi's eyes looked rather distant as he eyed a paint chipping on the wall, an avocado green patch showing amidst all the purple. "Was is that you hate me? Was it that you'd no longer like to be my…my friend?" He smiled ruefully to himself. "I suppose I deserve it then."

Daisuke frowned. This wasn't the Satoshi he knew. The Satoshi he knew spoke with an elegant confidence that made him shiver for unknown reasons. This Satoshi seemed…out of order. He was muttering negative things about himself as though Daisuke wasn't there beside him, a depressed air clouding his usually intimidating features.

"That's not it, Hiwatari-kun."

The rueful grin only widened a millimeter, and Daisuke grew wary of the new Satoshi. "If you say so." Although his elegant confidence had made its return in those four syllables, it was the wrong kind of confidence. It seemed that he was quite insistent on being right about the schism of their friendship. Satoshi raised his icy blue eyes to the ceiling, as though the answer to life was written on its crumbling architecture. "I should be going now. Because the moment I leave, yesterday will only be some strange sort of fantasy we both happened to dream of, and will eventually be forgotten."

"Hiwatari-kun, wait!"

But Satoshi had already turned away from him, script rolled up in his fisted hand.
But Satoshi had already begun walking forward, neck arched and chin held high.
But Satoshi had already stopped listening, and would not begin again.

Dai… I think you broke the Hikari.

Daisuke swallowed. What should I do?

There was no answer.

Dark? Dar-

"Niwa!" A sickly happy voice rang in his ears. "O-ha-you!" Arms wrapped themselves around his neck from behind and he stumbled before regaining his balance.

"…" Daisuke sighed. "Ohayou, Kawa-senpai."

If Ika detected the misery in her little drag queen's voice, she showed no signs of hearing it. "C'mon, Niwa! Time to practice! We've only got one week until opening night, and I want everything to be perfect." She giggled madly to herself and grabbed him by the scruff of his collar, dragging him over to and up the stage. "Now practice pages seven to twelve, scene eight, with Hiwatari. No need to change- now is the time to practice." There was an odd, obsessive glint in her eyes, as though practice were the greatest thing on this earth. "And ACTION!" she shrieked.

Daisuke blinked. He hadn't opened his script yet, and Ika wasn't even off the stage.

"Who are you?" Satoshi started abruptly.

"Naa, naa, naa, Hiwatari!" Ika interrupted, waggling her index finger as she hopped off the stage and into her director's chair. "Less anger, will you? You're Takagi Heiji: happy and curious – not yourself: eh… I'm not going to start."

Satoshi rolled his eyes. "Who are you?" he repeated.

"Who am I?" Daisuke smirked. "I-"

"NAAA! Niwa!" Ika brandished her director-funnel-thing at him. "What's that in brackets right after your name?" she demanded.

Daisuke blinked down at his script with a slight blush as he replied, "Sexy voice."

"Exactly! Now use a sexy voice! Make it…eh…husky, and low – but girly! Can't forget girly! Heheheh… GO!"

Daisuke began again, inwardly trying to convince himself that he owned a 'husky, low, sexy, girly' voice. "Who am I?" Daisuke put up another smirk, hoping this attempt would satisfy Ika. "I am a shadow in the eternal darkness, a staff of thorns beneath a beautiful rose. I am hurt, above all things, that you do not know me. You have, after all, been trying to find me throughout the past few days." He let a suave, lazy smile spread across his lips, feeling as though it fit Dark's face more than his.

"Y-Yami no Dorobou?" Satoshi gasped shakily. But the shakiness in his voice was far from brilliant acting. In reality, Daisuke's attempt at a sexy, mysterious voice had done its job. He was personally surprised that such an erotic noise could come from such an innocent boy. But then again, there were the pleasured moans of yesterday –

Shut up shut up shut up, he found himself singing again.

There would be no thoughts of yesterday. He had promised both himself and Daisuke that.

"Correct you are, dear detective. Now to whom do I own this pleasure?"

"To your own thieving ways, Dorobou-kun. Now give back whatever you've stolen from my clients, or I'll be forced to use these." Satoshi whipped out a pair of faux handcuffs dramatically, letting one cuff dangle off his index finger.

Daisuke gave off a girly giggle with strain, as though girly-giggling was a huge pressure to do (which it was, because no boy would voluntarily giggle like a girl). "Like I'd ever do that, dear Tantei-kun. Now you ought to show some manners while in my presence. I am a-" Daisuke gagged. "-lady, after all. You don't go barging into a woman's special hideout and demanding her personal belongings."

"Personal belongings my ass," Satoshi retorted. "I'll show you manners!" And without another word, he leapt forward and tackled Daisuke to the floor, expertly pinning him down as he towered above him on his knees.

Somewhere off the stage, Ika sighed loudly, though with admiration. "You know, I'll never stop wondering why you're so good at that, Hiwatari. And I'll never know why you never get hurt when he does it! Heeheehee…" She giggled playfully. "Is it because you do it often?"

Satoshi looked up at Ika penetratingly. "I work with the Azumano police force; I should be able to do such petty things. And Niwa-kun, he's used to falling to the ground."

"Eek, Hiwatari, no need to use the Scary Face with me." Ika held her hands up in defense, sheepish smile plastered on her face. "Go on and continue! Just ignore me."

"S'not at easy as she thinks…" Daisuke muttered to himself before falling into character again. "Get off me!"

"I'm not getting off until you've given me what I want," Satoshi replied coldly.

Daisuke only responded to this coldness with another strained giggle. "You sound dirty," he replied, grinning impishly at the commander, while his own face flared up in red.

Satoshi tried to act flustered, tried being the key word. 'Flustered' was one of many expressional facets he often hid, and coaxing it out was troublesome work. "Shut up."

Daisuke's grin only grew and his eyes flashed mischievously. "Though, if I may say so myself, that's not a bad idea." And in the blink of an eye, he bucked his hips up against Satoshi's inner thighs and flipped them over so that their positions were reversed: he triumphantly over the other's form. He straddled the blunette's hips with his knees, his bottom seating on Satoshi's upper thighs and one palm resting on his quickly rising chest, effectively stopping him from sitting up.

Once again in the span of twenty-four hours, their eyes met, blue and red entangled in a dance of unreadable messages. Satoshi's chest rose and fell even more rapidly, evenly matching his racing heart. Please… Stop looking at me. But with both their eyes alit with a young, familiar magic, they were trapped in the memories of a wonderful, horrible, passionate, horrible yesterday. His learned mind must have found it amusing to repeat the Niwa's untimely escape from his clutches (though that phrase made Satoshi seem like some sort of Daisuke-clutching madman). You're making me remember what I should forget.

Don't you get it, Satoshi-sama? Krad smirked at his tamer from the back of said tamer's head. He wants to make you suffer.

No he doesn't, you idiot.

Don't go insulting ore-sama, the only one who will ever love you.

Satoshi sighed, the aftermath of yesterday's tragic activities also trickling into a box labeled 'unpleasant memories that will never cease from being shoved into my face.' Listen, Krad, yesterday was nothing. You know that I was… He didn't want to say vulnerable. Hiwatari Satoshi was never vulnerable. Down. He chose this particular word (ignoring the fact that it was lame) because it neither gave off the impression that he was weak, nor that he was feeling anything (for he had not said "feeling down").

Krad twirled a lock of long, golden hair that had managed to escape his…eh…hair scrunchie. I love you, too, he murmured absently.

Shut up, Satoshi ground out, remembering the words he had agreed to before passing out. I don't love you. And I don't belong to you, either.

Krad seemed very interested in his hair, and he merely glanced through Satoshi's eyes at the flaming Daisuke before returning to their former subject. This is his plan. He will make you suffer by constantly reminding you of his rejection, and then, when your guard is down, he will destroy you.

I doubt Niwa-kun is able to 'destroying' me.

Oh, but it has already begun… Krad observed in what seemed to be a nonchalant manner, had Satoshi not been capable of deciphering many of the angel's hidden undertones.

Satoshi ignored this and continued to gaze into Daisuke's burning eyes. He's so beautiful… he mused to himself, not caring whether Krad was listening or not. I just want to…want to… He felt like grabbing him by the collar and smashing their lips together –

Resist the temptation! The blonde all but bellowed. Do you want to be made a fool of again? In front of all these people, no less?

No. His voice was businesslike again, no longer dreamy at the thought of his crush. No… Satoshi forced himself to snap out of it, but noticed that his lips were moist from subconsciously licking them.

"Get off me."

Daisuke's face continued to glow, but his voice was still in character. "But you have such lovely eyes…"

"What does that have anything to do with getting off me?" Satoshi demanded, struggling under Daisuke's weight (not that he minded; his role forced him to flounder around like this).

Daisuke's eyes raked over Satoshi's chest, finally stopping at his face. "Lean chest, sense of style…"

"What are you saying?"

Daisuke lowered his face to Satoshi's, not breaking eye contact. "Smooth skin, beautiful hair…" He dipped his nose into the juncture of Satoshi's neck, shivering slightly from embarrassment.

Satoshi's heart began to beat again, close to the point of exploding. He felt foolish for growing so excited at this show of faux affection. This was all in the fucking script for god's sake. But Daisuke was just so close…so warm…so irresistible… The redhead's breath was making hot layers on the skin of his neck, and a pleasant shiver ran through his body. Satoshi felt at ease with the little thief above him, and his mind was in such a haze of bliss that he wouldn't mind reliving yesterday, despite horrible memories.

I don't care if he hates me…

Satoshi-sama, don't you dare finish that thought! Krad ordered.

I still love him.

Satoshi's hazy, gratified mind paid no attention to his other's ongoing protests. He felt like flipping Daisuke over and ravaging him and touching his special boy parts –

"I can't do it!" Daisuke floundered up off his friend and stumbled to his feet, prominent red blush still on his face. "I can't do it, I can't do it, I can't do it!" he half-yelled, glaring at the director.

Ika giggled and the crowd of girls that had gathered behind her sometime during the two boys' rehearsal began to murmur things about how cute shounen-ai was and how they regretted ever putting Daisuke in a skirt and wig. "Can't do what?" the senior director asked absently, as though she couldn't understand Daisuke's angst.

"I can't…" Daisuke pulled his script out from his back pocket and brandished it at Ika to emphasize his point. "I can't… I can't suck on Hiwatari-kun's neck!"

The gaggle of yaoi fans giggled and burst into another fit of shounen-ai worshipping.

"You're not sucking on 'Hiwatari-kun's' neck," Ika reasoned. "You're sucking on Takagi Heiji's neck!"

"…" Daisuke rolled his eyes at her. "It's all Hiwatari-kun in the end, Kawa-senpai. And he's my friend, and I refuse to suck on his neck!"

Ika sighed in defeat. "Giant baby…" she muttered to herself.

"Hey, I'd like to see you-"

"Anyway," Ika interrupted, whipping a stray lock of hair from her eyes, "I think you'll just have to live with it."

"But, Kawa-senpai, I-"

"Ahem." Everyone turned to look at Satoshi, forgetting that he was even there (for he had been lying on the ground silent for the past few minutes). He had stood up, brushed himself off, and looked mighty impatient at the bickering. "Why don't we jus pretend?"

Ika arched an eyebrow. "And just how exactly are you supposed to do that?"

"You know…" Satoshi motioned to Daisuke, then back to himself.

Ika's brow rose until it was in dire danger of disappearing into her hairline. "No, Hiwatari-kun, I don't know. Please-" There was a smirk on her face, one that showed the commander that she knew exactly what he meant. "-enlighten us."

Satoshi resisted the urge to do something so pointless and immature as rolling his eyes. Instead, he stared pointedly at Ika and explained: "Instead of…sucking on my neck…Niwa-kun can just…go near it with his lips." …What a lame explanation.

Ika snorted. "What?" She tittered at the failed explanation and winked at Satoshi. "What don't you show us?"

This time, Satoshi really did roll his eyes. "No."

"Come oooooon, Hiwatari. We don't know what you're talking about. You ought to give us an example."

The blunette gave off a strangled sort of noise before shrugging gracefully in defeat. "If you say so, Kawa-senpai. Niwa-kun, come here, please." He positioned both their bodies so that they were lined up before each other with their sides facing the watching senpais. With a shaking hand (shakieness hidden, of course), Satoshi lifted Daisuke's chin up so that their eyes met, allowing him full access to the redhead's smooth, pale skin. He hesitantly brought his lips to the little thief's neck, and at just a centimeter away from contact, he stopped. His lips hovered temptingly over the warmth of Daisuke's skin, and he could feel the aspiring artist's breath hitch below him.

Probably disgusted with me… Satoshi deadpanned depressively before quickly shaking off all the emo thoughts of rejection and whatnot. He gave out a slight sigh.

Daisuke froze and stopped breathing entirely. He tried to look anywhere but down, where a head of silky, platinum blue hair was currently situated. He could feel the heat from Satoshi's body pressed close to his, and he almost expelled a little choked moan when the blunette's warm breath spread out over the skin of his flushed neck.

"Does it look like I'm sucking on Niwa-kun's neck?" Satoshi questioned.

The artist's speech was slightly muffled, but Daisuke paid this no attention, for he was still frozen in space. Satoshi's breath had rolled out with his words, and it really tickled, making Daisuke inwardly squirm.

Daarrrrk, Daisuke whispered. Help me… Oh my god, he's too close.

But you like it, Dark pointed out.

Of course I like it! I like him! But it's not gonna help anyone if I turn into you in the middle of rehearsal.

"I don't know; your head's blocking the way."

"Exactly."

Daisuke let out an involuntary shiver as another wave of hot breath rolled over his neck.

"If Niwa-kun were to suck on my neck, his head would just block the way. If he did what I'm doing, and just let his lips hover over my neck, then it would look the same as the real thing," Satoshi explained, causing Daisuke to quiver again.

Sljkjsgafhjk! Does he have to keep talking?

Just grab him by the neck and redirect those lips somewhere friendlier – if you know what I mean. Dark winked and mentally nudged inner Daisuke flirtatiously.

Daisuke turned red and mumbled something incoherent, which caused Dark to sputter loudly and try to block out his eyes and ears. Agh! Dai! Not that friendly! Stop the images! Aggghhhhh!

"And if I dip my head like so-" Satoshi bobbed his head up and down, starting from the middle of Daisuke's neck to the patch of pale skin under his left ear. "-it looks even more convincing, no?"

Ika sighed, partially throwing her hands up in defeat. "Fine, fine, Hiwatari!" She donned a disgruntled expression and shot Satoshi (NOOO! HOW COULD SHE?) with an evil look (…Oh, I see…). "If Niwa's not man enough to suck on another boy's neck, then he can fake it, like you!"

Satoshi pulled away (to which the inner Daisuke mewled sadly at the loss of semi-contact) and smirked triumphantly at Ika whilst Daisuke blinked at her oddly.

"What's so man about-"

"Continuing on," Ika interrupted loudly. The disgruntled expression slid off her face, instead replaced with a familiar look that downright scared Daisuke: her insane, play-loving, practice-enforcing, ninth-grader-dooming smile. "ACTION!" she shrieked happily, squealing to herself.

------

Sad to say, the rest of the week (filled with practice!) was not as eventful, though still filled with horror. There were many rehearsals, many last-minute costume changes, and many complications.

And of course, there were many attempts on Daisuke's part to confront Satoshi.

But Satoshi was a brilliant actor, completely worthy of the role of Takagi Heiji, high school PI. He seemed to disappear in a flourish of style and elegance whenever Daisuke approached him, and when the little thief did manage to corner him, he feigned disinterest in everything the redhead had popped up to say. He was smooth, he was nonchalant, and he was using these attributes against his poor, mislead crush.

Needless to say, Daisuke was crushed. He couldn't understand why Satoshi didn't want to hear him out. Sure, he had somewhat rejected him and ran away from him in a hurry that would make it seem as though he was scared of him, but… Ah… Well, yes, he understood why Satoshi didn't want to hear him out, but that didn't stop him from obliviously trying to break down the emotionless blockades the commander had set up for him, in hopes of confessing his love once and for all and riding off into the sunset like a sappily romantic couple would.

Both boys were suffering, inwardly angsting in the shadows of their supposedly unrequited love. Both wanted to make it all better, but one feared rejection, and the other was pushed away.

Daisuke was the other, and he swore to himself that he would make it all better.

"Niwa, quick, quick, I can see your hair sticking out of the wig! C'mere and let me fix it!"

Daisuke jumped and turned, hurrying to the teen male who had called him. "Aa, senpai."

But this was not the time, unfortunately. Oh no, no. It was the time, however, for Daisuke to prance around in a skirt, a wig, and heels and do semi-naughty things with the boy that he loved. It was a dream come true for a homosexual transvestite, but he wasn't the latter (and was only the former for Satoshi). He hated the girly ensemble and wasn't even sure if the boy he loved returned his feelings.

"Niwa, Niwa, Niwa!" Ika squealed and glomped Daisuke from behind, once his hair was fixed, of course. "I'm so excited!" She then turned him around, hands on his shoulders, and glared at him. Her emotions were very much like Emiko and Towa-chan's: always shifting. "You'd better not screw this up, boy. This is my last year at Azumano High, and this play is supposed to get me into a great university out of town." With a bubbly giggle, she flicked his nose playfully. "Hey, hey, come with me!" And without another word, she steered him to the curtains and pushed a handful of the thick fabric aside for their heads to fit through. "Full house, Niwa!" She squealed excitedly and hugged herself. "Full house!"

"Wow." Daisuke blinked owlishly at the audience, suddenly fearful of their presences. There were too many of them. All of the seats had been taken, and even more teens were filing in through the three sets of double doors, taking places by the wall. Some had even brought folding chairs, as though expecting such a large crowd.

"Oh look!" She motioned to a large patch of teens dressed in identical maroon and white uniforms. "Your little school chums are here!"

Daisuke glanced at her indignantly at the comment about 'little school chums' before turning to where she had gestured. Sure enough, there sat his class, clad in their uniforms. Apparently, Saeki-sensei had ordered them all to wear them, so that he wouldn't lose track of the little troublemakers.

Daisuke waved at the four chairs nearest to him, or rather, the people seated in them: Masahiro, Takeshi, Riku, and Risa. Masahiro blinked at him in confusion while Takeshi stared and drooled. Riku and Risa mirrored each other's reactions, waggling their fingers hesitantly in greeting. They didn't seem to recognize him, but that was understandable- he was after all, dressed as a girl.

"Oh, look, it's Miyuki and Yuko! Ah hah hah hah hah… Those bitches actually came to my play! TAKE THAT, SUCKAS!" Ika giggled malevolently. "Ooooh, Mom's here too! Is that Masato-senpai? Gosh, I thought he went to college in Hokkaido! Wow, this crowd brings back memories." She smiled to herself. "Looks like those posters we put up to publicize the play really did their job!"

"Posters?" Daisuke asked clueless.

Ika arched an eyebrow at him. "Yes. They've been everywhere on school grounds for three weeks, advertising the play. There's one over there."

Daisuke followed her gaze and spotted a large, eye-catching poster plastered to the wall of the hall. It was a deep, royal purple in color, with bright golden writing that spelled out 'Tribulation Within' in large, artistic type. 'A story of tragic pasts, new beginnings, wild goose chases, and love at first sight' was splashed under the play's title in the same fancy writing, but in a smaller size. Two cosplay figures, Daisuke and Satoshi, were smack dab in the middle of the poster, each with their own spotlight shining over them. The two beams of light contrasted against the dark, lightless room they had taken the photo in, centering all focus solely on them.

Daisuke cringed when he saw what was written at the bottom of the placard. 'Starring two gorgeous kouhai from Azumano Middle School: Niwa Daisuke and Hiwatari Satoshi. And Niwa's dressing up as a girl! COME WATCH, 'CAUSE HE'S SO CUTE!'

"Kawa-senpai, what's that at the bottom of the sign?" he exclaimed in horror.

Ika grinned impishly. "Well it's true, isn't it?" She sighed blissfully to herself. "Ah, I guess it worked! The entire Gay Club is here!"

Daisuke stared at her with wide eyes. "Your high school has a Gay Club?" he asked incredulously.

"It's formally called the Group for the Sexually Confused, but whatever…"

Daisuke shook his head to himself at the thought. High schoolers were just too strange.

"Ika-san, five minutes to eight! It's nearly show time."

Ika jumped and gasped loudly. "Oh my gosh, really?" She tugged Daisuke away from the curtain and pushed him to the side of the stage. "Niwa, are you ready?"

"Er… As ready as I'll ever be."

"Good enough. Now break a leg!" She patted him on the head as though he were a puppy and smiled at him encouragingly.

"Eh… Thanks."

"Everyone, everyone, get ready! We're starting soon!"

Lights.

The lights behind the curtain dimmed all around Daisuke until he was illuminated under only a small beam of light.

Camera.

There were certainly no professional cameras, but the audience had their own.

Action.

And on the other side of the curtains, the occupants of the Matsuda Junpei Memorial Hall gasped in awe and surprise as the entire enclosure turned pitch black.

------

Killah: Eh… I was wrong. nn;; Looks like this is gonna be THREE CHAPTERS. /gasp/ I typed up this chapter, intending for it to be a little happening between the makeout session and the play, but it turned out way longer than expected… Whoops? It's just that I hadn't even started writing the play up, and if I were to make you all wait, you'd skewer me. :D Besides, this chapter's long enough for now…right?

I know it's just an uninteresting filler chapter, but please bear with me. x.X There were some parts with information in it, like Daisuke finally letting Riku go, and that 'seductive thief protocol' from last chapter was Daisuke sucking on Satoshi's neck, but… /sigh/ At least there was some… SatoxDai action! …Almost. …Kind of. …Whatever. XD

Next Chapter: The play is performed (no, I'm not lying this time xD) and there will be SATOXDAI ACTION TO THE MAX! WH0000000T! xDDD