Disclaimer: I do not own D N Angel, nor do I own Beauty and the Beast.

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Ever Just As Sure As the Sun Will Rise

Stage 4

"You're never going to get this," Dark said, kind of half smiling in amusement.

"No!" Daisuke was trying really hard to learn to bow properly. He hadn't thought that simply bending at your waist could have so many rules attached. "I can get this. I know I can." They were standing in Daisuke's room, Daisuke in the middle, demonstrating his attempts in front of a critical Dark.

"Then do it," Dark said. He was leaning against the wall, smirking happily at his new 'charge'.

"Okay..." Daisuke bowed his head and bent at his waist, trying to keep his back a straight as he could.

"YAWN!" Dark said, holding a hand to his mouth as if to stifle a yawn. "C'mon. Put a little more into it. It doesn't seem genuine."

"Maybe 'cause it's not," Daisuke said, growling a little. Dark didn't seem to be helping much. It certainly was irritating.

"A courtier must always seem genuine," Dark said in a singsong voice.

"I'm not asking to be a courtier!" Daisuke said exasperatedly.

"But you are asking how you should act in front of Hikari, no?" Dark said, examining his fingernails. "The only people he used to interact with were courtiers."

"Fine..." Daisuke said with a sigh. "I want to be a courtier."

"Alright, add a little bit of a... gesture with it. Friendly, warm," Dark advised, shifting his weight off of the wall and standing, straight backed, in front of Daisuke. "Like... this." Dark bent at the waist, making a sweeping gesture with his right hand. "Make it have meaning."

"Ah… Alright…" Daisuke tried. He was a bit rigid and his arm movement was jerky. It definitely looked forced.

"No, no! You're not flowing! You must flow!"

"Huh? Okay…" Daisuke tried again, trying his hardest to make his movements flow.

"That's too much. Someone of your status should not gesture so much. You are not to draw attention to yourself, nor are you to outshine the lord. You are a commoner."

"I thought I was being a courtier," Daisuke said, indignantly.

"You cannot be what you are not. You shall learn to act as in a court, but you shall not overstep your bounds," Dark said. "Again."

"Fine," Daisuke said, irritated. He bowed again and simplified his movements significantly while still remembering to 'flow'.

"Good... Now, just slow down a bit and work on your expression. Let me see it again," Dark said, leaning back against the wall and genuinely smiling. Not one before this had ever shown this attitude towards the lord... Maybe this could finally be it...

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Riku had finally finished cleaning the books up, and righting the bookcase. That took longer than expected, and she was told to bring a guest some supper. She couldn't very well set a bookcase that was twice her size upright in a short amount of time. It was also very heavy, and that, of course, didn't help. She also had to wipe up the blood that Krad so kindly spilled for her. 'Humph. A guest finally comes to this damned castle and I have to be late to bring him supper.'

The girl had become bitter since her imprisonment at Castle Eerie, much to everyone's dismay. She had once been very kind hearted, forgiving...loyal, friendly, and a really good servant. Now... She was bitter, sarcastic, and unhappy.

She sauntered down to the kitchens, climbing down 3 servant stairways and down a dank and dark hallway. Being a servant certainly didn't have perks.

Riku picked up a bowl of soup handed to her by Takeshi, the head cook. In fact, the only cook left. Thanking him lowly, and hearing an amount of kindly babble that was truly irritating back, she turned and placed the bowl on a platter with some tea and bread. She picked up the platter and huffed her way to the guest's bedroom, knocking lightly before entering.

Riku stole a quick glance at the man in the bed before lowering her gaze to the floor. An old man? How did he get here? He didn't seem to be awake.

Riku shuffled to the side of the bed and placed her platter on a bedside table. She glanced around the room quickly. No one else was in the room. Hmm.

She stole another look at this old man, acknowledging his erratic breathing that was very odd for someone who seemed so deep in sleep. She crept closer to the bed and stared at his face. Nice. Warm. Wrinkly. It reminded her of her grandfather... But he had died a long time ago. And she had not. It was a pity that she was mortally afraid of ghosts or she might have been able to talk to him again. Not that it would help her longing to once again hug her grandfather... Walk hand in hand with him and her sister down the servant hallway while he told her stories of battles and fairies that always made her dream sweet dreams and imagine adventures fit for knights.

Riku allowed herself a smile as she looked away from this man. She didn't know him. Why must she get so schmaltzy over him?

She turned to walk out when the man coughed slightly and his eyes opened. Riku turned 'round to look back at him. He sat up slowly, looking up at the girl with short brown hair and he smiled through another fit of coughs.

"Hello," Daiki said, sensing that she was either curious or somewhat afraid to be found in his room when he was asleep.

"I-I am sorry. I must leave," Riku said, turning around again, blushing from embarrassment. Servants are not to be heard... Servants are not to be heard.

"Oh... I was hoping for some company, I suppose," Daiki said in a raspy voice.

"I have put some food for you on the bedside table," Riku said, still facing the door and trying to keep this man from becoming too friendly with her.

"Thank you, miss," Daiki said as he turned his attention to the food. Riku began to walk away when she heard Daiki struggle with the tray. The platter clattered slightly as he tried to pick it up and failed, and Riku turned around quickly.

"Wait! Let me get that for you," She said, rushing over to Daiki and picking up the platter. She set it carefully on his lap, trying her best not to just suddenly drop the weight of the soup and tea on his frail body.

"Again, thank you," Daiki said, smiling warmly.

"It is my duty," Riku said, blushing slightly. Why did this man have to be so kind? She was not used to it... Under Krad's regulation... Nothing seemed kind. Not even her own twin sister.

Daiki sneezed and looked at the unlit fireplace once more. Riku straightened and looked to the fireplace as well.

"Ah! I am sorry. I had not realized that it was unlit. I shall light it for you. Maybe that should make you warm? You seem to be sick…" Riku trailed off, unable to stop. Damn! She was supposed to be a servant. She was not to be friendly, but only serve. She was not to make trifling statements. Only those that would hold significance with the listener.

"Please, you don't have to," Daiki said, feeling that he should not have this young woman do all this work just for him. He started to sit up fully to stand, but fell back into the cushions, nearly tipping the soup and tea over on his lap.

"No, no..." You should eat or your food will get icy," Riku said, a smile shining through her voice... The first time in a long time that she had smiled... It was refreshing.

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Lord Hikari had left Daiki the moment he had fainted. He was not going to sit around and wait for the man to wake. Instead, he sent for a servant to go and bring him some food and tea. The first one he had come across happened to be Riku, and though she recently would be that last one that Lord Hikari would send to tend to a guest, he ordered her to it anyways.

She had been on her way to clean up the library, as he had been so crudely reminded, so Satoshi had told her to see to him after she had finished. It would not take long. The library was pretty clean already. Maybe a little dusting on the top shelves, but that would be it.

Satoshi found his tailor walking through the hallways, humming to herself with a pile of clothes to be sewn in her hands. The moment she saw him, however, she blushed and tried to hide the bundle behind her.

"Lord Hikari! Oh, good day," She said, curtseying awkwardly while still trying to hide her cloth.

"Miss Risa," Satoshi said, quirking an eyebrow at the girl. "Would you kindly go down to the kitchens and ask Takeshi to prepare a meal for a guest. Soup, bread, tea. That is, after you drop off those clothes. Don't worry, I shall not ask about them," Satoshi finished, turning away and heading toward his rooms. Risa curtseyed yet again, blushing even more than before.

"Yes, Lord Hikari. As you wish"

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"Well..." Dark said, scratching the back of his head. "You certainly have bowing down now, and you look a little more comfortable with silverware... I'm impressed. I wouldn't think a commoner as yourself would master so much in so little time." Dark had grown bored of watching Daisuke repeat his near-perfect bow about 1000 times. He had slipped into he kitchen and swiped a set of silverware to teach Daisuke which ones to use when, how to use a spoon correctly, and every little bit of etiquette he knew. Which was a lot.

"You really think so?" Daisuke asked happily. He was sitting at a wooden chair at a wooden table across from Dark, beaming. Dark was leaning back in his chair, balancing it on to legs.

"BUT! You still need to work on grace. I suggest you learn to dance," Dark said, smiling mischievously. He let his chair fall forward onto all four legs once more.

"Huh? How's that going to help?" Daisuke asked, eyes wide, yet eyebrows knitted.

"I just told you- grace. Your movements are still awkward and jerky." Daisuke groaned slightly. This was torture! "Hey! You're the one who asked me to teach you how to act! It ain't an easy task for either of us!" Dark said, smiling happily at Daisuke's expression. This was fun.

"If it's so ha-" Daisuke started to retort.

"Tut, tut! No talking unless spoken to! Someone of your status has no reason to speak unless it is of vital importance to the listener. Someone of higher class may start trifling conversation, but you may not. Understand?" Dark said, ever the teacher.

"Yes," Daisuke said with a huge sigh. Court life must be horrendous! He slammed his head into the table, making the silverware and ceramic plates rattle angrily on the table.

"Good. Now on to dance lessons! We shall go into the grand hall for this. Come on," Dark said, standing up and walking to the door while beckoning to Daisuke to follow. He had the hugest smile ever seen on his face now.

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Risa was in her quarters, sewing her new orders for Daisuke. No doubt that he would look princely now!

Daisuke's old clothes still made her curl her lip with disgust even now when they were not before her eyes. They would not be able to even hold a candle to these clothes that lay in her lap.

A light blue base color with royal blue and silver embroidery would make up the top. The slacks would be a rich black. There would be no velvet in this ensemble- something that surprised Risa. All of her works of late had been made with mainly velvet, but Dark insisted on just silk. That was fine with her, though. She, quite frankly, liked the look of silk much more than velvet for some reason.

She had finished sewing the clothes together, and now she was working on the décor. Embroidery would make majestic vines creep over Daisuke's shoulders and torso. Lace would add an air of stateliness about him. Cufflinks of white gold with a 12 karat diamond set in the middle would be a subtle notion of intelligence. Every little detail would make Daisuke seem less like a commoner and more like a lord.

This was what Risa was doing until someone came knocking at her door. Someone with a very mischievous smile and a request for her to follow him down to the grand hall to help teach a poor red head to dance with elegance.

This was something that not even Risa could pass up.

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A/N: A little bit of fluff for you. Cute, innocent, Grandpa-to-Riku fluff. Makes me go "awww... Daiki's so nice. -sniffle-"

But you know what sucks? I'm sick again.

And I have production practice.

Joy.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this'n and please continue to read. I know it's a bit jumpy right now, but I hope to get it centered mainly on Daisuke and Satoshi again once everyone's characters get situated.

I'm trying to go back and fix my typos from earlier, and if I have any typos this time around, please tell me. It's difficult for me 'cause I read what I think I wrote... You know?

Well, please review. It really helps these stories come out faster...