A/N: Sorry! I'm being so slow lately… I don't mean to, but I've been really busy trying to get accepted into a good college. I'm not sure how often I'll be updating, but I'm still shooting for once a week! Keep reading!

Dark ascended the stairs slowly, going over his apology in his mind. The stairs creaked under the weight of his conscience. ((A/N ooh, poetic! .)) He cleared his throat, pushing open the door to his shared room. "Dai?" he called out hesitantly. "Look, I'm sorry…" He nudged the door closed before approaching the bed.

The younger boy was lying with his face buried in the pillow. Dark hesitated, then rested a hand gently on the boy's back. "Dai, I-" the boy stiffened. Dark cringed, removing his touch. "I didn't mean to push you. I didn't mean to make you feel like that."

"Oh God…" Daisuke groaned into the pillow, finally sitting up. "I feel like such an idiot!"

Dark blinked, "Huh?" he asked, confused. He had been under the impression that Daisuke was mad at him.

The younger boy looked up, a sheepish grin on his face, his cheeks wet with tears. "I didn't mean to freak out." He apologized, pitifully. "I-I really want to do those things with you, but-" he hiccupped, wiping a few more tears from his eyes. "I just started to feel so, so… like before, like… last night." He flushed. "Only, more. I got scared." He lowered his eyes, ashamed.

Dark blinked again. "Oh Dai," he cooed, tilting the boy's chin up, forcing their eyes to meet. "It's perfectly alright to be afraid. This is all new to you." He brushed a thumb lightly under the boy's eye. "It was my fault. I should have been more patient with you."

Daisuke chewed his lower lip nervously. "I didn't mean to freak out," he repeated, "It was just… everything's been going so fast and I'm not really sure what comes next until its already happened, then its too late to think if I really wanted to or not. I don't know anything about this; I don't know how this is all supposed to go. I don't know how things are gonna feel, or how I want them to feel, or what I can do to make you feel good, and then when you go and do things that make me feel so good, well, I feel worthless, like I can't keep up, like you deserve someone who's better at that sort of thing,"

"Dai," Dark cut the boy off in a scolding tone. "Is that what you really think of me?"

Daisuke blinked, shocked by the tone in his lover's voice. "What… what do you..?"

Dark grimaced. "Do you really think that that's what I want from you?"

"Don't… you?" Daisuke asked hesitantly.

Dark tapped the boy's cheek sharply with the back of his hand, causing him to gasp in surprise. "Now you're being an idiot." Dark told him. "If that's all I wanted, I could do it myself."

"What? …Oh!" The redhead blushed as realization dawned on him.

"Look," The phantom thief reached out, effortlessly pulling the smaller boy into his lap. "I love you, Dai. Maybe I don't say it enough… maybe I say it too much and it's starting to lose its meaning, because you don't seem to think about it when I say it anymore."

"I've never questioned that you love me!" Daisuke defended.

"No," Dark countered, resting his chin on the boy's head, "But you've questioned why." He sighed. "I don't love you because of what you can do for me, or how you can make me feel, Dai. I love you because of who you are and how that makes me feel. I love you because seeing you smile makes my heart forget how to beat for a second, and waking up with you in my arms makes me glad to wake up for the first time in my existence. Our love broke a very powerful curse, Daisuke," at this, he pushed the boy away a second to gaze into his eyes. "Do you honestly think I'll stop loving you 'cause you don't want to fuck?"

At that, Daisuke's face turned a brilliant shade of red and he turned away to hide. "Don't say it like that!" he yelped. "Do you know how embarrassing that is!"

Dark grinned, grabbing the boy up in his arms. "Yah," he purred. "And just think how embarrassing its gonna be when we finally do it." He nipped at Daisuke's ear as the boy wrestled to get away.

"You pervert!" he squealed. "I can't believe I was taking you seriously! Go sleep on the couch! I don't want you near me!"

But it was obvious that he was teasing. Dark laughed, tackling the boy beneath him and biting at his neck playfully. "Too bad." He chuckled, "I'm going to stay as close to you as possible."

Daisuke burst into a fit of giggles, trying to push the older boy away. "You're heavy!" he accused.

"Oh?" Dark grinned, pressing down a bit harder. "Am I?"

"Quit! You're gonna-" Just then, the bed gave a final creak before crashing to the ground.

The two boys stared at each other in shock. Dark tried to stifle a chuckle.

Suddenly, the door swung open revealing a startled looking Kosuke, with Emiko in tow. "Are you boy's okay? We heard a… ah." Kosuke flushed suddenly, turning away from the spectacle.

Dark, in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts, was straddling Daisuke upon the now fallen bed.

"Told you." Emiko accused in a sing-song voice. "Now we'll have to get a new bed."

Daisuke was blushing again and he rolled over to hide his face in the pillow, giggling furiously.

-scene-

What are you thinking! You can't do this! You can't do this!

Satoshi Hiwatari ignored the voice in his head, as he now found, he was becoming very adept at doing. The voice in my head. He smirked to himself. That was all that his former 'problem' had become, and to think it had all been so easy. It had started out slow, a protected thought here, a sheltered secret there, and finally, Satoshi had learned to ignore Krad almost entirely. How long before even that ringing voice of his was nothing but a memory.

His success was bittersweet in coming, though, as the price had been great. "Forget about Daisuke. You will acknowledge that Daisuke is mine. He will always be mine. You will realize this and move on."

-think of me? The voice had grown softer, and for a moment, the fair hared youth let himself slip. "What?" he demanded.

Do you… ever think of me?

The words stung, cut to a place in his heart that the youth could not understand. "Never." He growled, then quickly closed his mind off again. "You are nothing to think about."

-scene-

"Daisuke! Do you like it?" Risa was grinning, holding up a half-finished costume. The day had gone by relatively quickly and the air in the auditorium was charged with excitement. The members of the drama club were running around readying things for the first official day of practice on the upcoming play.

"Check me out!" Takeshi crowed, sporting his own costume, his wig slightly askew. "What do you think? Lady-killer?"

"Um…" Daisuke hesitated, "You look-"

"Ridiculous."

They all spun around to face Satoshi. "Who made that costume?" he spat, turning away harshly.

Takeshi blinked. "What's with him?" he asked, surprised.

Daisuke shrugged, equally confused. "Dunno…"

"Quick!" Takeshi grabbed him by the shoulders. "Confess your love for me so he'll off himself!" ((A/N If you'll recall, that's the story behind this play.))

Daisuke pushed the boy aside. "It didn't work for Shin Jiro," he told him, "and it won't work for you."

"Aw, you're no fun." Takeshi pouted, running off to hang up his costume.

Daisuke laughed, turning back around to face, not Risa, but Riku. "Oh!" he exclaimed in surprise, slightly embarrassed. "Um…"
"I'm over it, Daisuke," she reminded him.

He nodded. "About that…" he began.

She cocked her head to the side in concern. "Hn?" she asked.

The redhead assessed the stage for a minute, trying to locate Risa. Once he'd decided she was at a safe enough distance away, he continued. "Risa… still loves Dark, doesn't she?" he asked, but it was more of a statement.

Riku looked down, slightly ashamed. "Well… yah."

"Then, you didn't tell her?"

"Well I didn't think you'd want everyone to know!" Riku defended. "It's not like it's really my business!"

"She's your sister, Riku…" Daisuke rationalized. "You really should tell her…"

"Well I'm sorry!" She snapped. "I'm sorry if I'm not ready to tell everyone I got dumped for another man yet!"

"Ah!" Daisuke stepped back, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" he flushed. "I'm really sorry… about everything, I just… I don't want anyone else to get hurt, you know?"

"Well," Riku shoved the costume into his hands. "It's too late. It's going to hurt no matter who tells her." With that, she stormed off.

Daisuke sighed. He knew he should feel worse about it, but he just couldn't let anything ruin his day. Not when it had started out so wonderfully.

(flashback)

"Dai… c'mon baby, wake up."

The youth had awakened to the gentle caresses of his lover. He made to sit up, but realized that the task was a bit more difficult than he had anticipated in the now dilapidated pile of blankets, mattress and planking.

"Oh, the bed…" he remembered.

"Yah, that's my fault." Dark grinned sheepishly.

Daisuke smiled. "Better now then when we-" He cut himself short, blushing furiously.

"When we what, Daisuke?" Dark asked, grinning evilly.

"Shut-up." The younger boy snapped.

Dark laughed, pulling the boy to him playfully. "It would be more embarrassing though, don't you think? You, me… naked."

Dai pushed out of the older man's arms. "If you don't stop, I won't kiss you goodbye." He threatened childishly.

Dark gasped, pulling back in mock-horror. "You wouldn't!" he argued. "That's just cruel. And after that wonderful date we had last night."

Daisuke flushed happily in memory. "Hee…" he grinned. "Yah…"

Dark reached out, pinching the boy's cheek softly. "You're a tyrant," he told him.

Daisuke leaned in, resting his head against Dark's chest lovingly. "How long before school?" he asked with a yawn.

"Couple of hours." Dark replied. "Sorry I woke you so early… I just wanted to spend some time with you."

The younger boy nuzzled into his embrace. "Do you hear me complaining?" he challenged. He trailed a finger over the older man's chest in a circular pattern. "I am sorry, you know… about last night." He reminded.

"Dai, don't even worry about that anymore, you don't have anything to be sorry for." Dark began.

"But I am." Daisuke continued, burying his face shyly. "'Cause now I sort of want to."

"Hn?" Dark blinked, then glanced down. "Oh! So I see!"

Daisuke flushed. "But I'd probably chicken out again, huh…"

Wordlessly, Dark slid his hand down to the front of the boy's pants.

"D-Dark?" Daisuke yelped, surprised.

"Gonna chicken out?" Dark asked with a grin.

The younger boy stared at him for a moment, in shock, before responding. "Hn-nn." He replied, shaking his head emphatically. "But what are you… gonna – oh!" he exclaimed, as he realized exactly what it was the older man intended to do.

Dark slid his hand lightly down the front of Daisuke's undershorts, taking the boy in hand.

Daisuke shivered, pulling back slightly, more out of instinctual response than actual fear. "Dark- I…"

"Shhh…" Dark caught the younger boy's lips in a soft kiss, cutting off whatever protest he had been about to make.

Daisuke whimpered slightly as the older boy continued his ministrations. He didn't know which was worse, the powerful hand stroking his length, or the hot mouth on his own, but the combination was driving him wild. Dark alternated between quick, practiced strokes, and gentle squeezes, sending shocks of pleasure through the boy's body.

"D-dark…" he panted. "Oh, g-god!" His loins were aching with need for the gentle manipulations, and he could not restrain his hips from rocking towards his lover's hand. Daisuke groaned desperately into Dark's kiss, the pleasure becoming almost painful in its magnitude.

Dark squeezed a bit harder, thoroughly aroused by the boy's response.

Daisuke cried out, thrusting hard against the older man, giving in fully to the culmination of lust, grabbing a fistful of Dark's shirt as he came.

"That's right…" Dark purred, giving a few final strokes before withdrawing his hand, now wet with the result of his young lover's experience.

"You okay?" he whispered, kissing the shell of Daisuke's ear lightly.

Daisuke paused a minute to catch his breath before panting. "The… the comic books didn't mention anything like that…" he swallowed.

"I told you," Dark grinned. "I can teach you more than those books ever could."

(End Flashback)

Daisuke swallowed hard, trying to keep the blush off his cheeks. The last thing he needed was for Riku to overhear someone asking him why he looked flushed. He figured it would probably be best to get his mind on other things for the time being, and he glanced around to find Satoshi.

The boy was sitting on a riser, looking strained, but somehow triumphant.

"Hi." Daisuke greeted with a nervous wave. He couldn't say why, but something about Satoshi always unnerved him, made him feel clumsy. "So, it looks like we're opposite again," he commented.

Satoshi gave him a curt nod and a strained smile. "So it seems."

The slightly shorter boy sat quietly beside the blonde, studying his shoes indifferently. "Hey Satoshi…?" he asked after a moment. "You okay lately?"

Satoshi looked up. "Hm? What do you mean?" he asked, a little harshly.

Daisuke shifted his gaze back to his sneakers. "Well… it's just, ever since I told you about me and Dark…" he shrugged. "You just seem… tired, maybe…"

Satoshi stared hard at the boy. Was Daisuke worried about him? Not that it mattered; he'd given up that dream. He swallowed, looking away. "I've been working on… a sort of project," he admitted.

"Project?" Daisuke asked, innocently.

Satoshi turned to him, catching the boy's eyes with his own piercing gaze. "I've cut him out," he replied evenly.

Daisuke blinked. "Who?" he asked, lowering his voice, "You mean Krad?"

Satoshi nodded evenly. "Yes."

Daisuke paused. "You mean… today?"

"No," the boy replied evenly. "I mean completely."

Daisuke blinked, taken off guard. "Satoshi… is that really… what you want?"

"Of course it is!" he snapped, surprised by the boy's response. "Why on earth wouldn't it be!"

Daisuke paused, then shrugged. "I dunno…" he scuffed his feet on the cement. "But it's… kind of lonely, don't you think? I mean… he does bad things, I know, but… he's still part of you, right? He's still always been there. Doesn't it feel a little empty when you stop listening?"

Satoshi shook his head emphatically. "Don't be so naïve, Daisuke," he replied. "You're far too trusting. Krad is not like Dark. He is a monster. He has no feelings except for hate, and I have none but the same for him." So saying, the blonde shivered suddenly, a shadow crossing his mind like the ghost of a memory, the ghost of a touch long forgotten.

Human's are not endless… that is the reality, yet you treasure this reality… Satoshi. What do I treasure? To me… you are everything.

He shook his head to clear it. Lies… none of it had meant anything. Not to Krad, not to him. He swallowed. Not to him. "Anyway, I'll be rid of this curse once and for all… someday." With that, he stood, strolling across the stage to a group of students beginning work painting the backdrop.

Daisuke blinked. "Hm." He thought.

-scene-

Hell wasn't dark, and hell wasn't warm. Not like one would think… It was bright and cold and infinitely empty. In all of eternity and the many facets of time, the tortured soul had never been faced with such agony. The fallen angel lie, its white wings splayed on the fettered ground of broken dreams, one thought, one plea echoing in the chasm of futility. "If only…"