Naru-chan: THANKS EVERYONE FOR REVIEWING! ::has hearts in her eyes::

Dark: She means it, 'cause when she read your reviews, she was about to burst.

Daisuke: And thanks to those who said it was sad, because I was sad! T-T

Satoshi: …Wasn't I sad too? ::doesn't remember::

Dark: ::snickers:: Heh, this time the reviews were about ME, not YOU!

Satoshi: ::vein pops::

Naru-chan: Oh! By the way, I forgot to explain! There is a reason why Dark has red eyes! It's because, well, for a while I wasn't sure what colors his eyes were and I saw a lot of pictures of him with red eyes, and it would remind Riku of Daisuke!

Daisuke: ::sniffs:: Rikuuuuuuu!

Naru-chan: Remember though! In French, you must be VERY close to call each other by their first name! (And I put a little French in, but only a little, since I'm only in French 1…)

Dark: Yep!

Naru-chan: Ah! By the way, so far Dark/Riku is winning by quite a few votes! So if you want to support it, or not to, please vote now! (Some of you haven't!) Pleaseeeeee! Because I don't know who to make with! Lol That is…I love Dark but…I love Daisuke too!!!!!!

Dark: MWAHAHAHAHA! I'm so cool!

Daisuke: T.T I want to be with Riku…! ;;

Satoshi: Oh, and there's quite a few for me and Risa…

Naru-chan: But do you want it Satoshi and Risa?

Dark: Feh…who wants to be with Satoshi?

Satoshi: ::death glare::

Krad: And I appear this chapter!

Sabrina: And I'm an OC!

Mio: I here too! ::waves her arms::

Naru-chan: Anyway, I love you all! So here's the fourth chapter! XD

Chapter Five: Her Bright Future

Dark stared in complete utter shock and jumped as the woman standing in front of him screamed, "Pervert" at him, when HE was the one barged on! But still…she looked so flustered…and cute! Unlike any other girl he'd seen before. Not many girls would do what she did, seeing him naked. He felt himself blush, which he'd never done before. He never believed in love at first sight…until now. He felt himself take a step back.

"YAH!" Dark shouted in a manly way (hahaha! Couldn't resist!), as he slipped on the floor, ending up unconscious on the floor with little yellow chicks flying around his aching head.

Riku blinked, her face bright red. This was definitely not what she thought her "bright future" would be like! Then her face got even redder as she saw something she DEFINITELY wasn't supposed to see!

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" she screamed.

"What's going on here?" a female voice asked in a broken American accent.

Riku turned her head to see a bob of blonde hair. There was a pale girl with short hair, except for a long strip by the right side of her face with a ribbon tied around it. She wore a pink tube top and a long white, ruffled skirt.

"Ah! You must be the new comer, no?" She laughed.

"H-Hai," Riku stammered. "Ano…"

"Ah! You Japanese?" she grinned. "Pleased to meet you. I Hio, Mio!"

"M-Mio…wha? What's going on?" Riku cried in confusion.

Mio glanced over to Dark. She blushed immediately.

"D-Dark!" Hearts appeared in her eyes and she began to drool. "Naked body… unconscious… heh heh heh heh heh…!"

She took out a long rope and had an evil twinkle in her eyes.

"Ah! W-What are you doing?!" Riku blushed.

A groan came from the handsome man on the floor. He winced as he opened one eye.

'Yume…ka?' he wondered to himself. He felt disappointment stir in him.

"Ah! Are you okay?" Riku ran over to him, forgetting the fact that he was nearly naked.

Dark's eyes widened.

"You're really here…" he whispered.

"I think something's wrong with him!" Riku said in concern to Mio, who had come over to her side. "He's saying something weird."

Dark let out a sigh and pushed himself upward. He rubbed the side of his head, where he felt a bump growing. "No, I'm fine."

"Dark, I was so worried!" Mio crooned. She fluttered her eyelashes.

Riku felt a twinge of vexation toward Mio.

"…" Dark stared down at rope still in her hands.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to it. He had a suspicious look in his eyes.

"Ah!" Mio looked down, just realizing what she was still holding. She laughed and grinned, blushing lightly. "Oh, this little thing? I was…trying to catch a horse, you see! Ohohohoho!"

Dark just laughed, looking smug. Riku noticed this and felt the urge to smack him. She didn't hold back.

"ARG!" Dark uttered in surprise as Riku's fist got "friendly" with his face. "What was that for?!"

"Grrr! Don't look so smug! You look like someone who's never been hurt before, so I thought I'd be the first!" Riku growled. She was really angry because she had been someone who'd never been rejected before, unlike herself.

Mio looked at Riku with new interest on her face. "Before you two continue this squabble, why don't we let Monsieur Dark change into some clothes, hmmm?"

"AH!" Riku blushed. She'd forgotten. Now that she was reminded, she couldn't help but glance at his abs. She quickly looked away, obviously flustered. "Hurry up!"

"It's a little hard now that I have a lump on my head and probably a bruise on my face!" Dark shot back. He rubbed the side of his face.

"Feh, a wuss, I see," Riku sneered, her face still red.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Dark cried out in frustration. He got up and slammed the door behind him. Then he grinned, and high-fived the air. "She's perfect!"

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Later, they were all in the kitchen, Mio and Riku sitting around a round, maple table with a single red rose in a vase in the center. Dark, this time fully clothed and with a bandage on his cheek, was pouring some tea into three cups and added some honey into each cup. Then he joined them at the table, sitting down in a relaxed manner.

Riku fidgeted the whole time. She couldn't help it. She found herself staring at Dark when she hadn't realized what she had been doing. When he concentrated...when he looked so relaxed...his eyes
made her think of Daisuke. It was odd. Daisuke was nothing like Dark! Daisuke was kind, nice, always smiling... Dark--Dark was.... Riku couldn't place her finger on it. Surely a man wearing a black tied vest would look silly, but...it really suit him. Riku felt the nerves slip away as she just stared at him.

The thought occurred to her that he could be a model for her clothes, but she blushed and shook her head, trying to get the image out of her head.

"Are you okay?" Dark asked in a strange voice.
"Ah! Fine!"

"So, why do you share the same room as Dark?" Mio asked in a sly tone. "Everyone wants to...so why would you, a female, get to, hmmm?"

"I-I'm not going to STAY! I'm leaving right now!" Riku claimed, starting to get up to prove she meant it.

"You're not going anywhere," Dark said calmly, drinking his tea.

"V-V-V-V-ou!!!! (You)" Riku blushed a deep scarlet red. She, once again, struck out at the other side of Dark's face.

"Oi, oi, oi! (Hey, hey, hey! And this is Jap. )" Dark exclaimed, dodging her fist of fury. "I didn't mean it that way! Calm down!"

"T-Then what way did you mean?" Riku stammered, sitting down again.

"There's no more rooms in the dorms," Dark explained. "What's more, you're required to live on the school's dorm unless you want to pay for an apartment yourself, and let me be the first to tell you, it's not cheap."

"Ah…" Riku blinked. "But…But I can't just live with you!"

"Why not?" Dark asked, truly curious.

"B-B-Because you're a guy and I'm a girl! Obviously it wouldn't work," she argued.

Mio, who had just been listening the whole time, suddenly started giggling before outright laughing. Dark couldn't help snickering.

"What is it?" Riku asked, confused.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Mio laughed. "It's just that…you're so serious!"

"What's going on?" Riku demanded.

"Of course you're not living with Dark," Mio smiled. "You're living with me!"

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah," Dark agreed. He smiled smugly. "You see I had to come and use Mio's shower. Mine's busted. I live just across the hall."

"W-W-Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" Riku cried in distress. She had been so worked up over nothing!

"Well you didn't let me explain, did you?" Dark pointed out. "You just jumped to conclusions."

"You can't blame me!" Riku growled.

"Dark, you should get going now," Mio stated.

"What? Why?" he blinked.

"Because," the blonde girl smiled, "My new roommate and I need to get to know each other better."

Dark grumbled something about weird women, but he didn't put up much of a fight, and left. Mio, turning around, took Riku's hand and started leading her somewhere.

"So, here's your room," Mio announced cheerfully, opening a white door. "Voila!"

Riku's eyes widened. She dropped her things on the ground and slowly stepped forward. The walls were white, but with black and red designs painted over it, with a touch of silver. There was a wide window, with white billowing curtains. The floors were made of wood that seemed waxed before. There was a desk at the side, and Riku walked up to it. She brushed her hand over the smooth wood and felt herself smile. There was also a wide bed, big enough for two.

"You like?" Mio asked.

"Oui (Yes)! Very much so!" Riku laughed. She twirled around, enjoying her new room.

Mio, who had been leaning against the doorframe, watched Riku with her gray eyes.

"Hey…do you like Dark?"

"WHAT?!" Riku exclaimed, taken aback. The comment had seemed to come from nowhere. Riku didn't know what to say.

"Do you like Dark?" Mio repeated, looking very serious. There was no playful air around her anymore.

Riku normally would have blushed and cried "OF COURSE NOT!", but something about Mio made her answer slowly and just as seriously, "I don't know Monsieur Dark. I can't say I like him."

"But you might." Mio replied. It wasn't really a question.

"I could. But I won't."

"Why not?"

"Because…I love someone else." At this, Riku looked away.

Mio's eyes lifted for a split second. "I see…I won't bug you about that. I just wanted to ask you because...I don't want Dark to get hurt. Nothing personal. That's all. You should start unpacking now." Mio then turned and walked off.

Riku felt the tension still in the air and sighed. She let herself fall on her new bed.

"Not personal, huh?" she whispered to herself. She closed her eyes tight. She couldn't help but wonder…what relationship did Mio and Dark have together?

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Riku began unpacking. She couldn't let whatever happened earlier distract her. Mio had stopped by a little back and cheerfully told her that she would be cooking a welcoming dinner for Riku with a few friends that Riku should meet. Riku had, of course, insisted on not having it, but once Mio gets an idea in her mind, it apparently refused to get out. Riku felt slightly odd about this, but she felt that the whole strange "Dark" thing was over…for now at least. She hoped that she and Mio could be friends…

She looked up from what she was doing and noted that the sky was rather dark now. Then she turned her head back to what she had been doing. Suddenly her heart stopped. Her arms froze. She felt numb, as if she couldn't move if she tried. In her hands was a picture of Daisuke. When had it gotten into her bag? She couldn't recall…But Daisuke came back to her.

His red hair…his smiling face…his red eyes that bore right through her. Yes, right through…to Risa. Before she knew what she was doing, she had thrown the picture with all her might. It didn't, however, get far…being paper and all. Riku bit her lower lip hard as she tried to hold back the tears.

Daisuke…He was still there, in her heart. Just because she was in France didn't mean anything… especially to him. She couldn't just forget him like that…She hadn't really expected to, and yet… part of her did.

Riku slowly got up and carefully picked up the picture of her love. She held it against her chest-would have to her face, if it had not been wet. She lifted the picture and stared into the eyes of her beloved.

"Do you care now that I'm gone…?" Riku asked sadly. "Or do you love Risa still?"

The picture did not reply.

Riku sighed and went over to her bags. She ruffled through it for a second, before finding a green and blue book with the Japanese words that meant "Harmony, Peace, Tranquility" painted on the cover. It wasn't old, but the corners were bent. It was her diary. She opened it and carefully placed the picture of Daisuke in a slot near the front. It was a hidden slot. Only Riku would know about it, but part of her wished to forget about it.

She didn't want to keep the picture. She really didn't! But part of her wasn't quite ready to throw it away. She still needed a part of Daisuke with her.

"Mademoiselle Riku! Are you finished yet?" Mio called out from the kitchen.

Riku, taken off guard, jumped. "Um! Not yet!"

"Why not?"

Riku, taken off guard once again, jumped back. She looked up from the ground and found herself looking at Dark. He wore a stripped black suit with a white blouse and a tie that had silly designs on it. He was even wearing a necklace! In his hands was a long flute with some sort of purple liquid in it.

"You drink?!" she heard herself shout.

"Oh, this?" Dark smirked, looking down at his glass. "This is just juice. But I suppose wine would be much more pleasing. I, however am still underage. What sort of high schooler do you think I am? I'm not willing to get expelled even though it's technically still summer. There's still summer school."

Riku blushed. "O-Oh."

Dark arched an eyebrow, obviously amused. "How long do you plan to sit there on the ground?"

"Oh shut up!" Riku blushed even redder. She tried untangling her legs, but only succeeded to be sitting in an awkward position in front of Dark.

"Errr," Dark blushed slightly, looking down.

"You…you…PERVERT!!!" she screamed, jumping up as quickly as she could.

"Hey, it's…it's not my fault!!!" he argued, starting to run off.

"Get back here you!" Riku demanded, about to furiously chasing him around the apartment, only to find her face lifted.

"You've been crying, haven't you?" Dark asked with a tint of concern and sadness in it.

"Wha…?" Riku blushed.

He traced a finger under her eye. Riku's heart pounded hard against her chest. So hard she felt as if she was going to burst any second.

"It can't be because you're homesick," he whispered, "so…A boy, perhaps?"

"L…Let go!" she shoved him away and turned. She found her face buried into a hard chest.

"Hello there," came a husky voice.

Riku blinked, and looked up to find herself staring into golden eyes…surrounded by golden hair.

"You're the latest new comer, I presume?" he smirked, reminding her of Dark. "Monsieur Krad at your service!"

"Pleased…to meet you…" Riku managed, swallowing hard.

"Oh let go of her already," Dark growled in a vexed tone.

"Shut up, you!" Riku sneered at him.

Krad grinned. "She doesn't like you? I think I've fallen head over heels!"

"Feh, whatever." Dark turned and entered the kitchen, where Mio was. Riku stuck her tongue at his back. "And stop that Mademoiselle Riku, it makes you look hideous."

Riku jumped slightly before huffing. "Like you'd know, Monsieur Pervert!"

"I'm NOT Monsieur Pervert! I have a name you know," Dark cried from the kitchen.

"Grrr, why does he have to be so…so…!"

"Stupid?" Krad laughed. "He's not usually like this."

"He isn't?" Riku asked, confused.

"I guess you just have that effect on him," Krad grinned, ruffling her hair.

Riku stood there, utterly tongue-tied. When she finally untied it, she managed, "Wait, why do you say that?"

"Well I've known my whole life, so I believe I can say that…He's always been a total chick magnet," Krad explained. "Always a charmer. Yet with you…he's different. He's not pretending to be anything-not that he really pretends to charm girls. You've just met and yet Dark is comfortable around you."

"Bonjour!!!!!!" a loud voice interrupted before Riku could answer.

Riku stared straight at the girl who stood at the door. She was tall--much taller than Riku, but perhaps not as tall as Dark or Krad. Long, streaming, straight, black hair flowed down her shoulders. She had a wide set of flashing, black-coffee eyes that sparkled over her curved cherry lips. The orange tube top flattered her slightly lighter than olive skin, and her long denim skirt, which went well with her dark, suave boots. As she walked forward, those boots made "click, clank" sounds with every step. Before Riku realized it, the girl was in front of her.

She stared deep into Riku's eyes. Riku felt as if she was reading her soul word for word. Then she did something Riku was definitely not expecting.

"BELLE! (Pretty!)" she squealed, hugging Riku tightly. Riku let out a strangled choke. "Bonjour! J'mappelle Sabrina! Comment t'appelles-tu? (Hi! I'm Sabrina! What's your name?)"

"J-J'mappelle…Riku."

"Sabrina, let go of her," Dark laughed from the doorway of the kitchen.

"Awww, Dark, but she's so cute," Sabrina answered in a dejected tone. She pouted prettily.

"Hahaha, c'mon Sabrina, you know that doesn't work on me!"

Sabrina let go of Riku, walked up to Dark and traced her finger up from his neck to his chin with a red nail.

"Then will a kiss?" she purred seductively.

"Why don't we find out?" Dark replied suggestively.

"A-HEM," Krad, Mio, and Riku all coughed loudly. They all glared at the pair with equal dislike.

"My, my, it seems our audience thinks it isn't alright to find out," Dark smirked.

"I wonder why," Sabrina said innocently.

"Don't worry. Later on tonight…" Dark began.

"I don't think so," Krad cut in, wrapping his arm around Sabrina's neck possessively. He glared angrily at Dark.

"Awww, Krad, you know better than that," Sabrina laughed. She lifted her face and laid a little kiss on his cheek. Krad felt heat rush to his face.

Dark sighed dramatically. He put on a mock exasperated expression and ran a hand through his purple hair. "Sabrina, when are you going to dump this loser for yours truly? He can't even take a little kiss!"

Krad growled, as his face became a deeper scarlet.

"Stop this petty fighting," Mio said in a causal manner. She was obviously used to this. "It's time to eat."

Sabrina turned and smiled at Riku as they all entered the kitchen, which was slightly stuffy with all the people there, but at least they fit. "I'm very pleased to meet you by the way. What do classes do you plan to take?"

"Designing," Riku answered with a smile of her own. She was really starting to warm up toward Sabrina. She seemed…so comfortable in herself! There was an undeniable appeal around her. "Et toi? (And you?)"

"Moi? (Me) I'm an actor," she responded calmly, taking a seat in a wooden chair.

"Really?!" Riku cried in awe, nearly falling off her own chair. "That's awesome!"

"It's nothing really," Sabrina laughed, waving off the compliment. "I mean, Krad here is an artist, Mio's a dancer, and Dark's a singer and model."

"Wow," Riku uttered. She hadn't realized that there were so many great people around her. She mentally kicked herself, remembering this was the Academy of the Arts-a famous school. She blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"What? It's not like we're famous," Dark commented, coming into the room carrying a bowl of salad and pasta, followed by Mio, with food in her hands as well. Krad entered soon after, carrying glass cups and drinks.

"Not all of us, anyway," Krad added.

"One of you is famous?!" Riku exclaimed. She blinked, trying to guess which one it was.

"Oh come on Krad," Sabrina frowned. "Just because I'm your girlfriend doesn't mean that you can should flatter me."

"Ah, but you are my dear," Krad chuckled lightly. He sat down and began eating in ease, despite the glares he received from his love.

"You're FAMOUS?" Riku didn't pay attention to the food that Sabrina was busily shoveling onto her plate.

"Not unless you call being in a few shows and a movie famous," Sabrina muttered, looking away.

"That's so amazing! You ARE famous then!" Riku laughed. She still felt slightly (just a little) incredulous though.

"I really did enjoy that movie though," Mio grinned. She pointed a silver fork at Riku. "It's called 'Sabrina'."

"How ironic," Dark laughed.

"Well I was just lucky with that," Sabrina claimed, waving her spoon in the air. "It just so happens to be my favorite movie!"

"Wow, but that's really great! I'm sure we'll be seeing on TV a lot," Riku laughed.

"But designing," Sabrina let out a long breath. "That's great! Can I see your designs later?"

"Sure, but they're not THAT great," Riku said.

"Can I see too?" Dark asked.

Riku raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Ha! She doesn't trust you," Krad laughed. "I'm not surprised."

"That's the first time a girl has refused to let Dark do ANYTHING," Sabrina laughed.

"Ohhhh, does that mean if he requested you to do a little something-something, you'd let him?" Mio smirked, twisting Sabrina's words around.

"WHAT?!" Krad choked on his bread.

"Why, he's never asked me of anything. But you know…not that you mention it…" she trailed off.

"Admit it, Sabrina," Dark grinned. "You love me, don't you?"

"Why of course, Monsieur Dark," Sabrina grinned back. "Who can resist you?"

Krad continued to choke.

"You guys should stop before Monsieur Krad dies from all of this frivolity," Riku said.

"All the better! Then Sabrina…once that louse dies, elope with me!" Dark demanded, grabbing Sabrina's hands in his own.

"Oh Dark, you have such a way with words," Sabrina sighed dramatically. "I have no choice, since you have touched me so."

"Not on my watch," Mio coughed loudly.

"It looks like the forces are against us, Sabrina…." Dark let out a sigh.

"Oh, don't say that! Sing to me like you used to and everything will be okay!"

"OKAY, OKAY!" Krad finally managed. "Stop this now!"

"We're only playing…" Dark said innocently, but winked at Sabrina.

"Yeah," she answered with a wink of her own.

"Oh, but you're all freshmen, right?" Riku asked suddenly. She had been enjoying their squabbles, but the words blurted out of her mouth. She just realized that they were very familiar with each other…

"Why, yes, we are," Dark confirmed.

"Then…how did you all know each other?"

"Well, Dark and Krad are childhood friends," Mio informed Riku.

"We were born in Japan, but both our families moved here," Krad said.

"And I'm their childhood friend," Sabrina smiled, pointing at her face. "We met in France."

"And I was a transfer student from America in their middle school," Mio added.

"Wow, you all know each other very well then…" Riku said in awe. She felt a pang in her heart. She now fully realized that she didn't really know anyone here, unlike at home…

"Yeah, I guess we do…" Dark trailed off. He noticed the look that now graced Riku's face. "But no worries. We have four years to get to know each other."

He smiled warmly at Riku and she felt herself blush. Then she quickly glanced away.

"Yeah…" she muttered.

"Ah, you must be so tired!" Mio realized. "You should go get some rest!"

"But…" Riku began, looking at her plate.

"Don't worry about cleaning up. We'll take care of it," Dark told her. "So just go to bed. You look dead on your feet."

"Okay," Riku gave in, only because she was indeed tired. She excused herself and said goodnight.

The rest stared at the door as they heard Riku close her room door shut.

"So what do you think?" Mio asked.

"I like her," Sabrina said simply. "Et toi? (And you?)"

Krad nodded in agreement.

"I think she'll be an interesting addition to our group," Mio smiled.

"I definitely like her…" Dark grinned widely.

"Oh! Was that just what I heard? Cupid's arrow?" Sabrina cupped her hand against her ear.

"Hahahaha," they laughed.

"But you know, she's different, Dark," Krad stated. "She's resisted your charms."

"She won't for long," Dark answered with a wink.

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After she took a quick shower, Riku slowly laid down on her new bed. She hugged her pillow against her face and closed her eyes.

Riku felt her lips curve. She knew her heart was lifted. It was practically overfilling with joy…or rather peace. She hadn't felt like this…since as long as she could remember! It felt great! It felt… enlightening.

She finally knew that she was somewhere…where she didn't feel hurt anymore. Though she loved Japan with all her heart…it seemed Paris could very likely become her home. Here… there were no memories to haunt her.

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Naru-chan: Ne ne? What do you think? XD Good? Bad?

Dark: Aren't I cool?

Satoshi: ::looks through the chapter:: …I didn't appear this time…

Dark: HA! HAHAHAHA!

Satoshi: …::Vein pops::

Daisuke: Nooo, Rikuuuuu!

Naru-chan: Please review! I'm already working on the next chapter! It's because of that it took me longer to update, so don't blame me! ::bows her head:: Anyway, Review review review!