"Riku?" Risa pushed her sister's door open gently. "Riku, are you okay? You ran off so fast after lunch."
The girl let out a soft sob, trying unsuccessfully to smother it with her pillow.
Risa let herself into the room, approaching her twin's bed. "Riku, what happened? Did you and Daisuke have a fight?"
At that remark, Riku lost it. She could no longer control the torrent of emotions welling up inside of her. The small girl burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably and clutching her pillow for dear life. "How can he do this to me!" she cried, unable to hold it in any longer.
Risa was a bit taken aback. She wasn't used to seeing Riku like this. Normally she was the dramatic one. Riku had always been stronger. She'd never cry in front of people, and she seldom let a little fight get her down. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you can talk about it with him…" she suggested hopefully. "There's nothing you can't work out!"
Riku shook her head, finally sitting up, hiccupping softly. "Not this time... there won't be anything to talk over."
"I'm sure that's not true," Risa pressed. "Whatever happened, it can't be that bad. It can't be bad enough to break you up right?"
"Daisuke's got someone else." Riku blurted.
Risa blinked. "What?" she demanded. "Daisuke's cheating on you with another woman!"
Riku shook her head, squinting to hold back the tears.
"But you just said…" Risa attempted, confused.
"I know what I said." Riku replied firmly, finally meeting her sister's eyes.
Risa stared a long moment before realization dawned on her. "Oh my… Riku, my poor sister!" She sat down quickly, rubbing Riku's back. "That's awful… I never would have thought that Daisuke would… I mean, he's a little femmy, but," she grinned. "It's kind of sexy, don't you think?"
"If you're trying to make me feel better, you're not!" Riku snapped.
"Well sorry!" Risa snapped back, resting her fists against her hips. "They don't really make a 'what to do when your sister's boyfriend goes fag' manual, now do they?"
"If you're just going to make fun of me, then get out of my room." Riku sulked.
Her younger sister sighed. "Fine. You can mope by yourself, for all I care. I was just trying to help." With that, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Great. Riku thought. Now she had made Risa mad too.
Dark slipped quietly into the room. The light was on, but Daisuke was fast asleep, fully clothed, a book open on his chest. The older boy smiled to himself; he'd been waiting up.
He approached the bed quietly, studying the sleeping form. He was beautiful. Cinnamon locks rested lightly on his forehead, contrasting with his soft, porcelain skin. He looked so small… so delicate, like a china doll. He was so still and motionless, his light breathing barely even disturbing the book on his chest. For a second, Dark could feel his chest tighten painfully at the memory of earlier that day.
Daisuke was small and delicate… breakable. Dark ran a hand through his hair, lost in thought. If something happened to Daisuke, what would he do? How would he go on? Until that day, he had had the luxury of ignorance, freedom from fear. As he gazed at his young love, the fears and anxieties building inside of him threatened to crush him, weighing down on his mind and his soul. What if Daisuke fell down and didn't get up one day? What if the doctors said that he would never walk again? Or worse, never wake… A small sound escaped Dark's throat at the sheer terror of his own imaginings.
At the noise, Daisuke's eyes fluttered open. "Dark?" he smiled sleepily. "Welcome home."
Dark blinked, startled from his terrible fantasies. "Oh… I… you didn't have to wait up for me…" he stammered, trying to regain control of his rampant emotions.
Daisuke rubbed at his eyes, sitting up slightly, his brow knitting in concern. "Sit down," he ordered.
"Hm?" Dark replied, caught off guard.
Daisuke patted the bed. "Sit with me a minute. Mom told me what happened today."
Dark flushed. "Oh… she did?" He sat. "It's… no big deal. I'm over it."
"Don't lie." Daisuke shook his head, pulling Dark to him gently, brushing his lips over the other man's. "Tell me what you were thinking just now."
Dark sighed. "It's not important, Dai… I don't want you to worry about it."
"I worry about things when you don't talk to me," Daisuke stated. "And right now, you're not talking; you're avoiding talking."
Dark gazed into Daisuke's ginger colored eyes for a moment. "You are so amazing; baby…" he sighed. "You're beautiful and sweet, you're sexy and smart. You're everything I've ever even imagined I could want. Since last week, I've been living in a fantasy. Every day, I spend dreaming about you, and every night, you make those dreams real. Your touch is like fire, your embrace is like heaven, you even taste like strawberries! There's nothing about you that isn't perfect." Dark sighed. "And you're too perfect; Dai… you complete my life so fully, that without you, everything else would fall apart."
Daisuke listened intently, waiting to hear what Dark was really getting at. The older boy reached out, brushing his knuckles over Daisuke's cheek lovingly.
"Daisuke…" he finally spoke. "What will I do if I lose you?"
That was the question he'd been preparing for all day. Daisuke gave one quick nod before suddenly standing up. "Okay," he said. "Then I'll tell you."
Dark watched, puzzled, as the younger boy retrieved a yellowed book from his desk. Daisuke climbed back into the bed, snuggling close to Dark as he flipped through the pages of the old book. "Grandpa gave this to me today. He said it would help me to understand some things… to come to terms with some things."
Dark cocked his head to the side in curiosity. "Come to terms?" he asked.
"Newton's law," Daisuke continued. "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. For everything we do, there are consequences, you know?"
"Dai, I don't understand what you're trying to tell me…" Dark apologized.
"Ah, here it is." Daisuke pointed to a passage towards the top of a worn page. "Read that."
Dark glanced down. "It is possible, in rare circumstances, for a trainer and his alter to become partially separated." He read. "Partially?" he asked, glancing up.
Daisuke pointed down again, implying that Dark should keep reading.
Doing as he was instructed, Dark let his eyes scan the page. The bond between a trainer and his alter ego can never truly be severed as it is such a bond that will free the alter in the first place. Two ties will forever exist between the trainer and his separated alter. The first is the bond of love; the aforementioned bond that results in the initial separation. The second is the bond of life.
"Bond of… life?" Dark asked. "Dai, I don't…"
Daisuke shut the book, pursing his lips in thought. "It means…" he began, "That you don't have to worry about all that stuff, about what you'll do when I die."
Dark blinked.
Daisuke glanced up, meeting Dark's eyes with his own before continuing, a bit hesitantly. "Because when I die… you die too."
Dark stared. "What… do you mean?"
Daisuke sighed, returning the book to his desk. "Your lifeline used to be connected to the lifeline of the Niwa family tree, but when we confessed our love for each other," he flushed slightly, "we made a new bond, severing the old one. You're now bonded to me and me alone." He shifted his feet a little. "But since you have no lifeline on your own, you… share mine. As long as I live, you will live, but when I die, you die too, but the catch is, the reverse is true. If you die… so will I."
"Dai…" Dark breathed. "I- I didn't know… you, Daisuke, you're risking your life just to be with me!"
Daisuke smiled softly, taking Dark's hand in his own. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he told him "because if you died, I'd kill myself anyway."
"Then…" Dark thought a minute. "We'll always be together… in this life, and the next."
Daisuke chuckled softly. "Yah… we will." He paused. "You're not upset Dark? I took away your immortality…"
In response to the question, Dark drew the boy quickly into his arms, kissing him deeply and passionately. All of his worries had been swept away. His greatest fear would never come to pass. He would never be… alone.
When they finally broke apart, Daisuke was laughing, relieved by how well Dark had taken the news.
"I love you." Dark told him. "I love you, I love you, I love you. Oh God, I love you more every day, I want you more every night!" He trailed kisses down Daisuke's throat, sliding his hands up the back of his shirt.
Daisuke gasped, startled by Dark's sudden vigor. "D- Dark, what are-!" Before he could protest, his shirt had been successfully removed and discarded and Dark was trailing kisses over his chest and abdomen. Daisuke shivered, his eyes sliding closed, losing any mental focus he might have had as Dark's practiced mouth located and set to work on his nipple. (A/N: god, the word nipple makes me blush! O.O) He could feel his entire body tensing, a whimper escaped him. "Oh god…" he mumbled, biting his lip. He jumped, his eyes shooting open as the older boy placed a kiss directly below his navel. "Dark!" he yelped, sitting up abruptly.
"Shhh…" Dark cooed, trailing a thumb gently over the hem of Daisuke's pants. "Don't get yourself all worked up. I wasn't going to." He moved up the younger boy's body, satisfying himself with a taste of the boy's collarbone before pulling Daisuke over to cuddle on his chest. "Not tonight," he finally added, masking his physical disappointments with a smile of contentment. "Soon, but not tonight."
Daisuke sighed, relieved but disappointed in himself none the less. He knew it was unfair of him to constantly put Dark off for his own insecurities. It was obvious the older boy was holding himself back a lot more than he would like to. He loved Dark, he really did, and he wanted to show that love, but it was still all so soon. When he thought about the things he could do for Dark, the things Dark could do for him, he froze up. He wanted those things! He did, but the idea of it all made him so nervous, he could barely think. It wasn't that he questioned Dark's love for him; it was impossible to question. IF the gentleness of his touch or the passion of his kiss wasn't enough of a reminder, the mere facts were indisputable. It was Dark's love for him that had caused the separation. Hard, cold evidence. There was no denying that. No, it wasn't that he questioned their love, but once they did those things, once they shared that bond, everything would change. He would change. What would he think of himself the morning after? What would Dark think? Of course he would still love him, but… was love enough? Right now, Dark craved him, wanted him, could barely restrain himself at the thought of the things they had yet to experience together. Daisuke hated to admit it, but he was reluctant to give up that power.
He reflected on some images from his mother's comic collection. There were things he could do, he supposed. There were things he could do to show Dark how strongly he felt for him… things that weren't so serious…
He sat up a minute, studying the older boy, chewing his lower lip in concentration. He let his eyes wander over the other boy's body.
Dark raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Dai?" he asked a bit sleepily, watching the boy in curiosity.
Daisuke swallowed dryly. Would he do it? Did he have the courage? What would Dark say? What would he do, think? What would it feel like? What if he didn't have the courage to finish it once he started? His pulse was racing and he could feel the blush tingling in his cheeks. He was terrified, he realized. The thudding beat of his heart was crowding all thought from his mind.
Dark sat up a little, beginning to look worried. "Dai? Baby, what's wrong?"
Daisuke swallowed again, closing his eyes for a minute to gather his resolve. It was too late not to do it; he'd already made enough of a fool of himself. With one steadying breath, he shifted his weight, carefully straddling Dark's hips. "Shh…" he silenced Dark's next question with a soft kiss.
Dark was warm. Daisuke could feel that heat on the inside of his thighs. He rocked forward slightly, brushing the material of their jeans together. His body shivered at the contact. There was no going back…
"Dai, what-?" Dark's question was cut off by a quick gasp of surprise as Daisuke pressed himself closer to the older boy.
Daisuke continued the rocking motion, grinding his hips against those of the boy beneath him. His mouth quickly found Dark's, in need of reassurance.
Dark felt a flush tingling in his cheeks. He wasn't entirely sure what had just transpired. He tossed his head back at the sensation as Daisuke's body moved over his own. In all of a moment's confusion, something important had taken place; a step forward had been taken. His hands roamed hungrily over Daisuke's soft body, searching desperately for something. He gripped the boy's bottom firmly, almost painfully, arching his body into the sensual touch.
Daisuke cried out suddenly at the contact, gripping the front of Dark's shirt, trying to steady himself. This feeling was-!
Dark grunted, thrusting his hips against his young lover. His head was reeling with the shock and the adrenaline. "Fuck!" he hissed through clenched teeth. It was all he could do to control himself. He had to be gentle. Daisuke needed him to be gentle.
Above him, the younger boy was panting, whimpering, making noises so sexy it was driving him mad!
"D-Dark…" Daisuke panted. "I- I -nn-!"
"Don't talk," Dark hissed. "Don't do that! When you say my name in that helpless voice-! Ah!" He pulled Daisuke closer to him, grabbing fistfuls of the back of the boy's shirt.
Daisuke buried his face in the cradle of Dark's neck. When he'd thought about it, when he'd seen it in the comic, he'd had no idea it would feel like this! "Please, please, please…" he was begging, his breath hot against Dark's neck.
His mind was reeling and his body acting as if on its own, wholly unreceptive to any command his mind might issue. There was such a pressure rising inside of him, he thought for sure he would explode! Was this how a soda felt when someone shook it up?
And suddenly, something happened. Daisuke jerked back as his entire body tightened up. "Oh!" It felt like a firecracker went off in his head dropping sparks, like pinpricks of pain and pleasure all over his body.
Dark grit his teeth, feeling the younger boy tense above him. It was enough to drive him over the edge and he let out a low groan as his own body gave in to climax.
The two lay a minute, breathing hard, their heartbeats fighting to outdo one another.
"Daisuke…" Dark finally spoke, his voice still a bit shaky. "I love you. Oh god, I love you!"
After a moment, Daisuke sat up, a slightly surprised look on his face. "I- my pants feel… wet," he observed embarrassedly.
Dark raised an eyebrow then burst out laughing. "Dai… tell me you know what we just did!"
The redhead glanced down embarrassedly. "I know it had… something to do with… sex, right?" he whispered the word as though it were taboo. "But that doesn't explain…"
Dark chuckled adoringly. He leaned in to whisper in the boy's ear. "Dai, it's…"
Daisuke's eyes went wide and his flush deepened. "Oh…"
Dark couldn't help but laugh. "Don't be embarrassed!" he chided, and then leaned in, conspiratorially. "I did too." He confessed.
The younger boy looked up, surprised, hopeful. "You - You did?"
Dark nodded seriously. "Oh yah." He agreed. "I did."
"Then it's… okay?" Daisuke asked nervously.
"More than okay," Dark replied.
Daisuke grinned. "I wanted to… I mean, I've been thinking about doing that… for awhile."
Dark brushed his fingers lovingly through Daisuke's hair. "I'm glad you finally did," he told him.
Daisuke hiked his backpack over his shoulder as he climbed the flights of stairs to his classroom. There was no reason to hide today, not now that Riku knew.
Once in the classroom, he slid into his seat a little stiffly, his body still aching from the night before.
"It will." Dark had told him, "At least for a little wile."
He flushed again in memory. He'd been too embarrassed to let his mother see his dirty laundry, so he'd just thrown them away at the train station.
"Daisuke!" He was suddenly tackled out of his seat by the over exuberance of his best self-proclaimed best friend.
"Ta- Takeshi!" he yelped as his desk tipped over. "Whoa!"
"You dumped Riku!" He demanded. "What the hell are you thinking! The Harada twins are the hottest girls in our grade! Unless…" He drew back in horror. "You've found someone even hotter! Who? Is she older? Does she go to another school? Daisuke, you jerk! How long have you been holding out on me!"
"It's not like that!" Daisuke shoved Takeshi. "Don't be such a jerk! Do you even think about things before you say them? Riku will be here any minute and she's probably still upset!"
"I'm not." Came the reply from directly behind them.
Daisuke leapt up hurriedly. "R - Riku, I…" he rubbed a hand through the back of his hair nervously. "Um… about… it all..."
"Don't worry about it," she brushed him off, taking her seat next to his. "I'm okay now. I had some time to think about it."
She'd gotten over him that quickly? Daisuke was relieved, but he had to admit, it hurt a little to think he was that easily forgotten. He'd tried to be a good boyfriend…
Catching the crushed look on his face, Riku leaned in quickly. "Dai, we'll talk about it at lunch." She gave him a wink. "I'm okay, seriously."
Daisuke nodded dumbly, regaining his seat.
"Well," Takeshi grinned, "now that the soap opera business is out of the way, let's get down to some real business. Has anybody heard anything about Dark? He did two thefts just last week alone, but now he's dropped from the radar," he snapped his fingers, "Just like that. My dad says nobody has any leads."
"Do they ever?" Risa asked rhetorically, a dreamy look on her face.
Daisuke felt something in his stomach tighten. He'd forgotten about Risa. She… liked Dark. He felt himself grimace. Part of him was angry at Dark for not telling her yet, but then again, what sort of chance had he had?
-nock nock- "Is this the Harada residence? Oh good. Is Risa home? Hi Risa, just thought I'd let you know…"
He shook his head to clear it, groaning softly and laying it on the desk, gazing out the window. He hated to admit it, but he was starting to get a little cabin fever. All he did was go to school and go back home while Dark could spend his days any way he liked. It wasn't that Daisuke couldn't go somewhere else, but if he didn't go home, he couldn't spend time with Dark, and they couldn't be seen together in public. He sighed.
"-so that's why I think it should be Daisuke."
At that, Daisuke lifted his head. "What?" he asked, making it apparent that he hadn't been following the conversation.
Takeshi stared at him for a minute. "The upcoming play," he prompted, hoping it would jog the boy's memory. "You know, you played Dark's lover once, in that other play with Fredert, remember? Yumi's play won the contest. It's about Dark. She based it on some legend or… something…" he trailed off lamely.
"I based it on the old Samurai legends of Matsuda Yuba and Shiroagi Kyo. In the legend, the two men were secretly lovers, but Matsuda's disciple Shin Jiro discovers their love and threatens to reveal them to the council. In the end, Jiro kidnaps Kyo and tries to force him to fall in love with him. Matsuda thinks that Kyo is dead and so he takes his own life, but when Kyo finds out, he dies of grief." She adjusted her glasses.
Daisuke blinked. "What does that have to do with Dark? Or me?"
She sighed. "I rewrote it with a modern twist. Matsuda will be Dark, Shiroagi is the man that he falls in love with and Shin Jiro will be that new thief that everyone's talking about, the one that fights Dark."
Daisuke blinked. "You mean Krad?" He said it before he could stop himself.
"Is that his name?" Takeshi asked. "Yah, I think I heard something about that."
"So, you'll be Shiroagi, right Daisuke?" she smiled. "It's the biggest part. I really don't want anybody playing him but you."
Daisuke flushed. He was flattered that she would ask him, and the truth was… he'd been thinking of auditioning. "I- I mean, are you sure? I'm not very…"
"Don't be such a prat!" Takeshi slapped him on the back. "Everyone knows you're a great actor, Dai! Admit it, you've been thinking about going to school for it."
"What!" Daisuke paled. "How did- I didn't tell anybody!"
Takeshi flashed a pamphlet for the Kyoto school of theatre. "A good reporter always knows where to snoop. I found this in your gym bag," he grinned.
Riku glanced up. So that was what he had meant.
"You don't even know what I want to be!"
"So you'll do it?" Takeshi asked.
"What? Well… I'd be honored to." He replied with a blush and a short bow.
"And of course, Satoshi will be playing Dark again."
Daisuke coughed. "He - he will?"
Takeshi cocked his head to the side. "I thought he did a good job last time…"
Daisuke glanced to where Satoshi was sitting. The boy was looking back at him. Obviously, he already knew about the play.
"And I'll be Krad!" Takeshi grinned. "No funny business, I'm in this for the chicks!"
Daisuke finally let his gaze drop from Satoshi's. This promised to be an interesting play.
Dark sipped his tea wordlessly. He could feel Emiko's eyes on him from across the table, but he did not respond. Finally, she couldn't stand the silence any longer.
"I heard you," she told him.
"Oh?" he asked, unconcerned.
"Well?" she demanded.
"Hm?" He asked again.
She sighed in resignation. "Fine," she grumped.
"Fine," he agreed.
She stared a moment longer. "Well? I mean, did you?"
He met her eyes with his own, a mischievious twinkle therein. "Not yet," he finally grinned. "Oh god, he's so beautiful, though!"
"He is!" she beamed with motherly pride.
"He was so alive…" Dark sat back, admiring the image in his head; Daisuke, moving over him, his cheeks flushed, tears at the corners of his eyes. "I had no idea he was like that!"
"I told you he's not as innocent as you think," she replied knowingly.
Dark chuckled. "I still think you're wrong, but even innocence will only go so far."
She laughed. "So you're happy, then?"
He nodded. "I really am. More than I ever thought I could be." He sighed. "Why didn't you just tell me about that whole lifeline thing?"
"Well I didn't know about it!" she protested. "Some things are kept secret even from me."
"Hn…" he mused. "Well that doesn't seem very fair."
She shrugged. "That's just the way it is." She sighed boredly. "Dark, do you want to go shopping today? I've got to get some groceries and things and I thought we might catch a movie."
"I'd love to," he smiled. "If you think no one will ask about me."
"Pish posh," she waved off his concerns. "I'll just tell them you're my future son in law."
"You're really proud of that, aren't you?" he teased.
"Can't you tell?" she smiled. "I'm just so happy for both of you! It's… it's all so perfect."
He laughed again. "I'd love to," he repeated.