While I Was Away
By: Naru-chan
Naru-chan: Hi everyone! Yes, I'm still alive! Sort of! Lol
Risa: You're not very funny…
Riku: Don't be rude! Anyway, the guys are taking a break because someone had requested seeing more of us girls.
Naru-chan: Yes, Dark didn't take it very well…
Riku: Hmph. Who cares about that pervert?
Risa: He's not a pervert! Dark-sama!
Riku: What would Satoshi think if he heard you?
Risa: Ah! Y-You should talk! Last night in bed all you talked about was Daisuke! Daisuke this, Daisuke that! Dark-sama is so much hotter!
Riku: Don't insult Daisuke!
Naru-chan: Yes! Daisuke is so cute and adorable!
Riku: Deshou deshou? (Right, right?)
Naru-chan: Mmhmmm!
Tou-chan: WAHHH! I'm not in this fic at all!
Naru-chan: Ah. T-Tou-chan…gomen…(sorry…)
Mio: Hi hi! Mio-chan here!
Riku: What are you doing here?
Mio: I was in-vi-ted for your in-for-ma-tion, you simpleton.
Riku: What did you say?
Naru-chan: Now, now you two! You're both very important in this chapter! Relax!
Riku: But I'm the main character!
Mio: but I'm so much cuter!
Naru-chan: We're leaving now so you guys can read in peace! Thanks and love!
Chapter Fourteen: His Warmth
"Satoshi…what did you call me out here for?" Mio finally spoke up. They had been walking in silence for a time before they had reached the entrance of the concert. Satoshi's cold eyes met hers. She smiled cheerfully. "It wasn't nice of you to leave your girlfriend."
"That's right!" Risa whispered fiercely to herself. She and Dark were huddled together in a bush close to the two before them. For once she didn't even care if leaves and twigs were poking at her or messing up her hair. Right now…all that mattered was Satoshi.
"Shh," hushed Dark. He glared silently at the girl next to him. It was true he said he'd come, but inside he was dying! He had no idea what Daisuke and Riku were doing! If he laid a single hand on her…! Ahhh! He now intensely glared at Satoshi. It was this jerk's fault. If only he hadn't paired everyone this way! The no good son of a…!
"That's a bit cruel to say. Ha…who would have ever thought? Me, one of the most coldhearted people saying such a thing…it's laughable." Yet neither of them laughed. He stared at her grimly. "Mio…"
"It's beautiful isn't it?" she smiled brightly again, turning to the view of the concert. The bright lights flashed everywhere, lighting up the sky.
"Mio," he said firmly this time.
"Yes?" she answered lightly.
"Yesterday…" his gaze faltered and he stared at the ground.
"You cannot?" she whispered.
"What?"
"You cannot love anyone else but her?" she smiled sadly.
"That's…" he hesitated.
Risa's heart sped up. What were they talking about? Were they…talking about her? Why was Mio asking such a question? It couldn't possibly be that Mio…liked…Satoshi?
Dark's ears perked up. What exactly was going on between these two…?
"I love Risa."
Risa felt tears fill her eyes. What was she doing here, she wondered? Was it because she didn't trust Satoshi? The one that loved her? She could still feel his tender hand trace the side of her face, brushing away any stray strands of hair. His soft, calm voice… His whisper of kisses… His smile…the one only reserved for her. Hot tears slipped down her face. Her heart was in turmoil. Who was the one that belonged in her heart? Daisuke or Satoshi?
"But…" he continued.
But? Risa's heart clenched painfully. What?
"You were right when you said…it feels like my hearts being ripped out… How much longer can I take this? I'm losing my one and only true friend because of this!" he moaned, covering his face with his hands. "I can't stand seeing either of them hurt, and yet… why is it that I can't be happy for them if they were together? I…am I that selfish? But why, I ask myself. Why can't I be happy for once? Why can't I be with the one I love? Why do I have to feel this endless pain that tears through my whole being?"
"Why…can't you love me?" Mio said, causing him to look up at her. She gazed off into the sea of people and colors. It looked black and white to her. "Why can't I be the one?"
Don't love her! Risa wanted to cry out, but all she could do was hopelessly cry. She couldn't even enter into this conversation. Why couldn't she trust him? Why was she even here? She didn't deserve to be here. Don't give up on me!
Dark frowned. To him, Mio had always seemed carefree… Since when had she fallen in love with the cool headed and cool hearted blue boy? What kind of friend was he, not to have noticed? And the words she said…they echoed deeply to his.
"Mio…"
"It would be perfect then," she sighed, smiling. "Perfect…"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you selfish, you asked me. My answer…is yes…" She turned to him, staring him directly in the eye, gold clashing with blue, and blue clashing with gold. "You are terribly selfish."
He took a step back. He knew this, but the words shot him through the heart.
Risa jolted forward and her mouth opening when she felt a hand grab her back and cover her mouth. Dark's scarlet eyes glared down at her. They seemed to remind her, "You have no right to interrupt this…" But she did! This was… this was her Satoshi Mio was hurting…! Satoshi…!
"You're self-centered!" she cried angrily, stepping forward. "You know it! Love makes you that way! But get over it! If you had the chance, wouldn't you want her to be happy?"
"Of course!" he found his voice, though his throat was painfully dry. He wavered. "Of course I want her to be happy…"
"Liar."
A stiff silence fell over the two. Satoshi glared at the ground in frustration while Mio watched him closely. She closed her eyes. She knew what was coming.
"You're right…it may be so…" he licked his suddenly dry lips, "it may be so that I…would rather myself be happy than her…but I…I'm not lying. I…I want her to be happy! Damnit!" he shoved his hand through his hair. "Don't accuse me of not wanting her to be happy when I would die to save her! Don't you dare -!"
When her pale, cool hand contacted with his skin, he felt electricity shoot through his body.
"Your glasses," she said calmly with a smile. She set them back in place. "They were askew."
"T-Thank you…" he muttered, almost afraid to move.
Quietly, her arms surrounded his cold body. Apart, they were both cold. Together…they were each other's source of warmth.
"Please…" He felt her breath against his neck, sending chills down his spine. "Could you learn to love me…? Then everything would be perfect…"
"But Mio…" he said, trying to stomp down his trembling heart. He stared at her sadly, making her nearly drop her arms. "I'm not the one you love either…"
"Ah, this is so goooood!" Riku exclaimed happily. With vigor, she took another huge bite from her hamburger. She rarely ever got to eat junk food. Most of the time, she was too busy designing this for this project or being dragged out by her friends. The rich taste of cheese, beef, and tomatoes graced her tongue. She couldn't get enough.
"You don't get to eat out often?" Daisuke asked in surprise.
"Nope," she answered before taking another huge bite.
Daisuke chuckled. He slowly ate his French fries. He was so happy. Had he ever been this happy, he wondered? His whole body lost all the tension it had before. The best part of it all was that she seemed happy and relaxed with him for the first time. She kept on smiling cheerfully, and it brightened everything around him. Her silky hair, her caramel eyes, her flushed cheeks over her pale skin …her rosy lips… As she spoke and ate, he felt his eyes follow them. Color flooded his face, but still, he smiled. Was this why people said, "I can die happy now"?
Riku blinked, and suddenly realized Daisuke was watching her. His kind eyes studied her closely, as if he was taking in her every detail. In fact, he wanted to remember this moment. He was always called naïve, but he did know that this couldn't last forever if she was to be in Paris and he in Japan.
Riku blushed under this inspection. She was eating like a man, for goodness sake! He must be revolted!
"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, putting down her hamburger. "I'm being a pig! Ahhh!"
"Hmm? What are you talking about?" he smiled. "No you're not. Here, have something to drink."
He handed her his soda. She took it gratefully, before she almost dropped it. She stared in awe at it. An indirect kiss! D-D-Daisuke…and an indirect kiss! The very thought made her head swoon. She glanced up at him, abashed. He blinked and smiled, totally oblivious of the thoughts that ran through her head. She couldn't help but smile herself. His innocence… hadn't changed. His face was more mature… his hair not as wild, and his eyes not as wide… but his purity had remained untouched.
Hesitantly…shyly…she pressed her lips against the straw and drank. The drink wasn't anything special, and yet… the awkward unsteady beat of her heart pounded against her chest. She couldn't help but turn a bright red.
What was this feeling?
"Riku!" he said as he rose from his seat. "The fireworks are about to start! Shall we go?"
She stared in awe at his outreached hand. She slowly drew her gaze toward his gentle smile that reached deep into his scarlet eyes.
"Mmmm."
She put her hand in his. His, in response, lightly folded over hers. As he led her away, she gazed at his back. Since when had it started to look so sturdy and strong, unlike the last time she had met him? The warmth from his hand traveled through her. She hadn't even realized she had been cold until then. Could it be that the whole time she had been cold? Could it be that Daisuke was her only source of warmth?
"I'm not the one you love either…"
Both Risa and Dark's heads lifted up in surprise and shock. Mio didn't love Satoshi? What was this nonsense?
"What…are you talking about?" Mio whispered airily. She had turned ghastly pale.
"I'm not stupid," Satoshi answered softly, tucking back a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear. "This…prefect you speak of…it got the wheels to turn in my head. I'm not the one you love. You just want me to love you so that everything will fit together, like a puzzle. That's…very selfish of you yourself…"
She took a step away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You wanted for me to sacrifice my happiness for the sake of your plan… You wanted to seduce me with your comforting arms and your brutal words…" he closed his weary eyes. "You are…so cruel."
"…I'm only as calculative as you are."
"Is that why I can't hate you?" His lips curled upward just in the slightest manner. "But it would be wrong to say that you didn't once think of me, isn't it?"
"I do care for you…but I love him."
"I do not doubt it. You're willing to give up everything and all of yourself for his sake, after all," he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Ha ha, and you called me selfish?" she laughed bitterly. She turned away from him.
"You are…do you deny it?"
"No…I have long given up on denial…" she let out a sigh. "I've loved him all my life."
"Why can't you tell him?"
"Are you crazy?" she turned and smiled at him. "Dark will never love me."
"Ah, look Krad!" cried Sabrina with glee, pointing up at the sky. "It's so pretty!"
"Not as pretty as you, my darling," Krad answered, holding up her pale chin with a glint in his eyes.
"Oh Krad," she blushed, fluttering her eyelashes shyly.
"GAH! Stop it, you two!" groaned Takeshi. He grumbled as the two laughed at him. He would much rather have been with Mio! Her beautiful eyes… her gorgeous hair… her… her… Frenchness! Instead…he was stuck with two lovebirds that kept taunting him for his singleness…! The torture!
"Oh buck up," Krad slapped Takeshi on the back, causing him to yelp in pain. "The fireworks really are pretty."
Takeshi looked up and saw the bright lights and the awe from the crowd. He grumbled, disliking the fact that he felt his face go red.
"It's alright, I suppose…"
"Wah, it's starting!" Riku pointed out, staring up at the sky as a large object fizzed into the air and with a loud "POP!", exploded into an array of pink light. It was soon followed by another blast of green and blue.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Daisuke replied.
"Mmm!" she answered enthusiastically, her cheeks glowing with pleasure.
His crimson eyes watched her again. He couldn't help it. His gaze always seemed to trail to her direction. No matter what. No matter where. She was always on the back of his mind. In the back of his heart. She was the reason he could smile. As long as he knew she was happy somewhere…he could smile. At that moment, with nothing but joy on her face, he could believe that he could make her happy. He knew he could. He knew he would.
"Riku," he called to her softly.
"Hmm?" she turned, still flushed with her eyes alive.
He smiled in his quiet manner.
"Do you think…this is weird? For us to be together right now? Do you think we're strangers?"
"No…" Riku blushed deeper, staring at the floor. "I've never felt like you were a stranger, though I haven't seen you in so long…"
"It's kind of funny, though…don't you think? I've been thinking about this for so long… At home, I've wondered if I should call you…or write you…but I couldn't bring myself to, even though I wanted to. I thought to myself…'She'll be disgusted! Communicating with someone she doesn't even think about at all!'"
"I wouldn't think that!" She wanted to tell him that it had been the opposite. She had been thinking of him the whole time.
"Did you know…the day you left…I ran after you?"
"Eh…?"
"Sou (Yes)," he nodded. "It had been graduation and you didn't even say goodbye…"
"Gomen…nesai….(I'm sorry)" she whispered. She had known, back then, that if she had seen him one last time…she might have lost her resolution to leave.
"I had been…so desperate…" he laughed sadly. "I had grabbed someone's bike and just pedaled to the airport. I thought…I thought I had caught you. I thought… Ha…" he broke off.
He closed his eyes as the familiar pain of that day washed over him. It had been Risa he grabbed. Instead he had to watch Riku fly away from him. And there had been nothing he could do.
"Daisuke…"
"Do you remember classes and middle school?" he changed the subject with a nervous smile. "It seems like so long ago. Everyone, even my friends, would joke around and call me 'Baka' (Idiot). Ha ha, in fact, you called me that quite a few times yourself. Every time I spoke up, you would call me an idiot with my carefree silly smile. You would get mad at me and yell at me all the time, especially for my clumsiness. So I would think to myself…why am I such an idiot?"
"Y-You're not an idiot…" she stuttered.
"That's when I realized that it had been because I had been blind to my own feelings and because I wasn't brave." He turned and looked at her straight in the eye, before looking away, his face flushed.
Her pulse sped up. What was he trying to saying?
"I-I had…always wondered why. All this time, I had wondered. How should I do it? How could I tell her? Why couldn't I find the courage to find her and finally tell her how I feel? Why couldn't I have stopped her? I had been always searching for a way…to tell you not to leave. In the end, I couldn't even do that little thing...
"Ah ha, what am I saying?" he blushed scarlet, shaking his head. As he spoke, he slowly worked up the nerve to look at her. "This is it! I-I'm going to make up for all that wasted time! I'm going to confess… My confession of my most important person… Is that okay?
"Boku…kimi no gotou suki des. (I love you.)"
Naru-chan: DAISUKE DAISUKI! (LOVE)
Riku: (blush) Oh…my…God…
Risa: …I'm going to kill you…
Mio: Not if I can get her first…
Risa: And you love DARK?
Mio: So?
Riku: OH MY GOD WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? I'M SO EMBARRESSED! WHY'D HE HAVE TO DO IT IN FRONT OF EVERYONE?
Naru-chan: Heh…that would be my fault…
Riku: Why Why Why? How am I going to respond?
Naru-chan: That's in the next chapter! Review and find out!