: Tied Down :

[Danny X Raguna]

Chapter One

Raguna had become a familiar face in the past three weeks he had been there. Danny wouldn't even have bothered to hold a conversation if the kid hadn't decided to stop by every morning. Before the mail came. While the mail was being delivered. After the mail had been delivered. Hell, he was surprised that the boy even had time to go up to Whale Island and kill a a shit load of monsters. If anything it annoyed him, he had spent his previous months (or was it even years now?) going completely unattached to anyone.

Sure, he greeted Annette almost every morning (when the weather wasn't as bad as cats and dogs) and talked to the other villagers... occasionally. But he had never had any bonds with anyone, so if- when- he would leave, there would be no tears, no cake, just a 'oh? he's gone?'.

Or at least that was how it should have been.

But then that bumbling, overly happy, selfless boy came into town following that looney girl. Even more, he decided that he wanted to be Danny's friend! Danny was flabbergasted (and he can't remember being so since longlonglonglong ago) but soon found that he was trying to be everyone's friend. Also, at the same time, Raguna was unknowingly wooing the females of Trampoli (which had increased in numbers rather drastically since he arrived) while completely oblivious to the mayhem he was causing in the blondes world.

Danny decided that maybe he should pack up and move again.

. . .

It had been a complete freak accident, something that had never happened before. While unpacking a box of turnip seeds, Danny cut himself.

Badly.

At first he thought he could continue on with unpacking the box before going to take care of the injury. But before her realized it, his hand was drenched in blood, and he was getting sick to his stomach. He stumbled back upon seeing how much it was really bleeding, tripping on another box of seeds. "Shit!" he cursed, trying to get himself back on his feet before he stained everything in his store red. "Shitshitshit," he mumbled, having to put his injured hand on the ground to push himself up.

It smeared across his shirt, meaning he would have to make new ones. At that same moment, Raguna walked through the front door of the general store, and chipper as ever. "Good morning Danny!" he said, until he looked at Danny. "D-Danny!" His face was horror struck as he stared dumbfounded.

Giving a sigh, Danny spat out, "Don't just stand there like a moron! Help me!" At that Raguna quickly bounded over to Danny, whom he helped up avoiding the blood soaked hand. Instead of just leaving the blonde like that though, he continued on rather forcefully (Danny wondered where in the world he brunette stored the strength he was currently using) dragging him up the stairs and to Danny's living space.

"What the hell are you going...?" Danny grumbled rather angrily as the blonde forced him to sit down. Within moments the blonde found a bandage being carefully wrapped around his hand. Raguna's hands were warm, but not an uncomfortably hot and sticky. They felt good-

"Danny you should really be more careful!" Raguna exclaimed, breaking Danny from his thoughts as he finished tying the bandage.

Danny frowned at the boy, sighing a bit. "The cardboard cut me. There's no need to freak out so much-"

"You were bleeding everywhere! Even now you should't move to much or else the cut could not heal!" Raguna was having a bit of a panic attack, and it was only succeeding in annoying Danny more. The last time he remembered someone worrying about him was when his younger brother had figured out that he'd gotten sick a while ago- he'd gotten a ton of letters with reminders on how to stay healthy.

"I'm fine," Danny tried to reason the boy.

"No you're not!" Was the response he got from the brunette, whom was pacing back and forth.

Danny sighed. "Well I need to finish unpacking those boxes, and I need to work the store. What do you expect me to do?"

. . .

Raguna had successfully managed to unpack all of the boxes in half the time it would have taken Danny- even if he hadn't been injured. That annoyed the blonde a bit, but he stayed silent still slightly thankful that the brunette had helped him. It wasn't even really like anyone ever came in besides Raguna.

"Thanks, you can go now unless you're going to buy something." Danny's voice had a fake Another goblin down. Raguna wasn't very happy, wasn't feeling as good as he usuacheeriness in it, one that Raguna can detect because Danny just always seems so faraway. But no matter how hard he tries to get Danny to show something other than annoyance or fake cheeriness, it never worked and he was always left with the same image of the young man. At the very least it annoyed him- even if Raguna had lost his memories, he still felt like he had more emotions than the blonde had.

And that wasn't right.

"Danny, are you sure you don't need any help?" The brunette asked him, leaning over the counter to where Danny was. "I mean I can stick around and help you out-"

"If you're not going to buy anything, leave."

. . .

HACK!

Another goblin down. Raguna wasn't in a really good mood, at all, and he was was pretty darn sure it had to do with Danny. Everyone else in Trampoli, even Kross, had a welcoming air around them, and were completely willing to make conversation with him. Danny on the other hand was a completely different case. All of his answers were short, with the hidden meaning behind them that he didn't care. Danny didn't seem to be in Trampoli because he necessarily wanted to, more because he needed to. It wasn't because of how gorgeous it was, or because there was someone there.

If anything, it seemed like Danny was running away.

But Danny wasn't the type of person to run from something- was he?

. . .

Danny stood alone in the upstairs of his building, staring blankly out the window. The shop was closed, and it was much to late for him to still be awake. But he could't sleep, no matter how long he laid there looking up at the ceiling. His body felt sweaty and uncomfortable, like he was burning up with a fever. His head pounded with a headache as he gazed outside, the sky clouded and starless.

Was it already time for him to leave?

He didn't really- no. No, he didn't have any personal feelings to hang to this place.

It was just like anywhere and everywhere else.

He'd be gone in a little bit, and it wouldn't matter. Nothing would hold him back, he would just continue on breezing right through life, because that was what he did and that was what he would always do.

He sighed, staring outside for just a moment more. Turning quickly, he flickered off the lights and slipped into his bed feeling a pit form in his stomach. His head still burnt, but he forced himself to close his eyes. Not sure how longed he laid there, he willed his eyes to stay shut. And they did, and he drifted off into a dreamless, restless, sleep that threatened to overtake him forever.