Now Can I Kiss You?

Now Can I Kiss You?

     'So do tell, what do you plan to do hmm?' Dark inquired smirking. Daisuke might not have been able to see the thief, but he knew him well enough to know when he was being mocked. The teen frowned and sighed. He was too tired to even try to be annoyed with Dark.

     “About what? Valentines?” Daisuke asked. Dark rolled his eyes. Boy could that boy be dense.

     'No, I was talking about visiting your grandma,' Dark replied sarcastically. Of course I meant Valentines! What are you going to do about it huh?

     “I dunno,” Daisuke admitted sullenly. He didn’t have a clue what to do. He knew he didn’t need to be so worried. At least it wasn’t White Day; he wouldn’t have to be the one giving things away. All he had to do was get candy from Riku; that was all. But it was still a holiday about romance and at that time in his life, romance was something he liked to avoid. Not because he didn’t like being in love, not at all! The problem was that he no longer knew where his feelings lay.

     It was almost funny in a way; some months earlier this would be a dream come true. To have Riku blush lightly while handing him a gift wrapped box; that glow in her eyes as she smiled up at him. He could see himself smiling back as they slowly leaned into one another, sharing a loving kiss…

     But that was just it. There was no more… loving. True, he could only speak for himself, but the romance seemingly died. They hadn’t kissed for well over a month, and the last kiss was just a chaste one, hardly a spark to it at all. They would hold hands every once in a while, but part of Daisuke thought – no knew – it was mostly for show. Neither wanted anyone to find out that things weren’t what they seemed. They were mostly just friends now, but both were afraid to admit it. They were afraid of breaking up, of what others would think, but mostly what one another would think. Would things change if they broke up? Neither really wanted to know.

     If that weren’t enough, Daisuke soon felt that feelings he had once thought he felt for Riku had fallen onto another. It was bad enough that these feelings were there, but for them to be for…

     'Well you better figure it out soon because in case you haven’t noticed, it’s already Valentine’s Day,' Dark mentioned, waking the boy from his thoughts. Daisuke frowned.

     “I’m not that dense Dark,” Daisuke muttered. Dark shrugged as he couldn’t help but grin. Daisuke bristled slightly. “I’m not!”

     “Not what?” asked a calm voice. Daisuke froze and turned his head to see Satoshi. The blunette looked at him through wide-framed glasses, the teen’s – you guessed it – blue hair ruffled slightly by the cold wind. Daisuke gave him a sheepish smile.

     “Oh, n-nothing,” Daisuke stammered, flushing a little. The cold air had already made his cheeks rosy so the blush was darker then it had any right to be; at least, that was his excuse. He could hear his other snicker at him.

     'Aw, isn’t it cute! Daisuke’s blushing!' Dark teased. Daisuke ignored him as well as he could, instead placing his attention on Satoshi. Who, coincidently, was thinking just about the same thing that Dark was.

     ‘It’s cute when he blushes,’ the teen mused to himself, deciding whether to let the chance pass him or not.  But, no, he couldn’t do anything and he knew it. The sad refrain of his life; he finally finds something or someone he could really care for and all it does is cause him more hurt. It was truly depressing, but more depressing was the fact that he was used to it.

     “Is that so Niwa?” The other teen nodded. “Well then, we should go inside.”

     “Uh… oh, right! Yeah, let’s,” Daisuke agreed, realizing that while his face was warm, the rest of his body certainly wasn’t. He pulled his crimson coat closer to his body and started towards the school, looking over his shoulder at Satoshi. “Hiwatari-kun? You coming?”

     'Oh Hiwatari-kun!'

     ‘Stop it!’ Daisuke yelled in his head. Dark smirked.

     “Oh, you can go ahead,” Satoshi replied. Daisuke paused as if for an explanation, but not getting any nodded.

     “Well, if you’re sure. Class starts in five.”

     “I know. See you there,” Satoshi answered, smiling ever so slightly. Daisuke felt his face grow warm again and his heart skipped a bit. Augh! Why was this happening?!

     “R-right. See you then Hiwatari-kun,” Daisuke said before speeding off to the school. God, he must have looked so stupid. Why was he running? He liked being with Satoshi, didn’t he?

     'Maybe that’s the problem,' Dark commented offhandedly. Daisuke grimaced slightly, knowing that the thief was right. He didn’t want to think about it though. He just couldn’t admit to it!

     'I really don’t see the big deal. So you’ve switched teams, no biggie. Not that I think you should go for a jerkwad like him, but hey, it’s your feelings.'

     “It’s not like that!” Daisuke insisted, but he was losing. He couldn’t hide anything from Dark: the blushes, the offhand thoughts,
the dreams… it was all there clear as day for his other to see. And since it wasn’t his feelings, the thief had no qualms in admitting the truth for the teen.

     'Face it Daisuke, you love Hiwatari.'

     “But… but I can’t… I just can’t…” Daisuke murmured. This is just what he didn’t want. Why he wasn’t looking forward to Valentines.

     Because he knew that today was the day that he would have to face up to fact. He no longer loved Riku. He… he…

     '…God, stop being such a girl Daisuke. Just admit it. You. Love. Hiwatari.'

     “…I’m going to be late for class,” Daisuke finally stated, dashing into the school building. Yes, it was silly, but he just knew that the minute he admitted the truth, said those words, that there would be no going back. He wouldn’t be able to deny it anymore.

     That he…

~//~//~//~//~

     'My, my, aren’t the sparks flying early this morning?'

     “Shut up,” Satoshi muttered bitterly. The golden haired angel smiled sadistically, resting his arms lightly on the boy’s shoulders.

     'Oh, come now, no need to be so harsh Satoshi-sama. I’m merely pointing out the facts,' Krad said. Satoshi grimaced, but didn’t reply. His other leaned close to his ear, whispering Did I hit a nerve? I’m ever so sorry master…

     “Just shut up.” Krad frowned, playing with a strand of sapphire hair absentmindedly.

     'Ohh, I see. You really love that boy don’t you? My, it is really rather cute to watch… and hypocritical,' Krad hissed. 'You’ve told yourself you wouldn’t do it ne? That you wouldn’t have any special person in you life? But yet here you are with nothing but that boy on your mind. It’s pathetic.'

     “I said shut up, and I mean it,” Satoshi growled. Krad sneered back, but unwrapped himself from the teen’s shoulders and stood up. There was a small part of the golden haired angel that felt sorry for Satoshi, much as he hated to admit it. He was so mistreated and unloved by most. It seemed no one noticed him. Well, other then that boy of course.

     But that was all beside the point. That little part of him, probably the only bit of humanity left in him, felt guilty. That was when the idea struck him. But he couldn’t do that. It was far too kind… and yet, cruel as well when he thought about it. Yes… yes, it was a perfect plot. It would sate his guilt and bring him morbid pleasure all in one day. Well, if Satoshi fell for the bait… But he didn’t really worry about that. He knew the teen couldn’t let such an opportunity pass him by.

    ' …Satoshi-sama?'

     “…”

     'Let’s make a deal shall we. It’s very simple really; in fact, it’s more like a gift then a deal,' Krad admitted. Satoshi didn’t look at him, but his other knew he was listening. 'I’m feeling rather generous today, so I’m going to treat you to one day of freedom.'

     “…Freedom? Do you take me for a fool?” Satoshi sneered. Krad shook his head and stood in front of the blue haired teen, feign innocence etched in his face.

     'Not at all master. You’re one of the smartest hosts I’ve had. That’s why I believe you’ll take up my deal. I’ll give you this one day to do as you please, without my interference at all. There are two simple rules,' Krad explained. 'First, no matter what happens, I won’t come out today. If you run into trouble, you must take care of it yourself Satoshi-sama.'

     “And the second?” Satoshi inquired. Krad smirked, knowing that he had the boy in his hands.

     'You must, in one way or another, show that boy your feelings.' Krad snickered as he saw the stoic boy flush ever so slightly, his eyes widening. Oh dear, this was just too good. Too good indeed.

     “And how am I to know you’re telling the truth?” Satoshi questioned. The teen didn’t trust Krad one bit, so how should he know that that being would keep this promise.

     'Please Satoshi-sama, why would I want to spoil the fun? This is as much for my pleasure as for yours. I only want to see you happy...' Krad murmured, his hand brushing the side of Satoshi’s face. The blue haired teen shuddered and knocked the hand away, disgust evident on his face. It was too bad the boy was so adverse to him. He was such an adorable boy… But, no matter. 'The deal has been set. I will see you in the morning master.'

     “But I didn’t agree!” Satoshi countered, but it was too late. The golden haired angel was gone, leaving the teen in his wake. What was he to do? Should he trust Krad? He didn’t want to do it, but yet, if Krad was telling the truth, dare he let the chance pass him by?

     While he knew that the next day he’d regret it, he decided that maybe, just this once, he would make a deal with an angel.

~//~//~//~//~

     “So, if X is equal to Y plus two, then we simple put that into our equation,” the teacher explained to her class. Very few of the children were paying attention though; fewer then usual. She supposed it was to be expected. It was Valentines Day after all, and with the massive amount of hormones in her class, it was no wonder they weren’t paying attention. Teenagers were funny that way. “So then, what’s our new equation… Niwa-san?”

     “What?” Daisuke asked, looking up in a confused way. The class snickered quietly and he blushed lightly.

     “I asked you what the new equation was,” the teacher explained. The teen boy glanced at the board, trying to make sense of it all, but failing miserably. He wasn’t bad at math, he just hadn’t been paying attention. He was too busy thinking about what to do about his feelings.

     “I-I’m sorry sensei, but I don’t know,” Daisuke admitted. The teacher nodded and smiled softly at him.

     “It’s alright, just please try to pay more attention hmm? Now, how about… Hiwatari-san? Would you mind explaining?”

     “Hmm? Well, Y equals two and X is four,” Satoshi answered, sounding incredibly bored. The teacher gave him a sheepish look and nodded.

     “Well, yes that is true, but I was actually asking for the next step, not the answer. I’ll ask you to please follow along too,” she said before going to explain it herself since it was obvious none of the students who knew the answer were paying attention, and those who were didn’t know a thing about math. It was going to be a long day…

     Daisuke sighed and sank into his seat. That sure was embarrassing. He felt bad about spacing out, but he just couldn’t help it. It was hard to pay attention to equations when all that was on your mind was a certain blunette sitting a few rows back. Ugh, why did things have to be so difficult? The worse part was that from his seat he could easily see the box of chocolates in Riku’s desk. He just knew that next break she would give them to him and he’d have to pretend to appreciate them like a boyfriend should. But he didn’t really want the chocolates. What he wanted was…

     '…Hiwatari, that’s what,' Dark interrupted. Daisuke’s face turned bright red.

     ‘DARK!!!’ Daisuke silently screamed. Dark burst out laughing.

     'But it’s true isn’t it? You want Hiwatari.'

     ‘Ugh! Why does everything you say have to sound perverted?!’ Daisuke asked irritably. The other shrugged and leaned back, a huge grin plastered on his face.

     'I’m not the pervert here Daisuke; you are.' Daisuke blushed even harder and hit his head on his desk. Why did things always have to get twisted around? But, he supposed there was some truth to what he said… 'What, about being a pervert or wanting Hiwatari?'

     Daisuke decided to just ignore the question and tried concentrating on his teacher, but his mind started to wonder on Satoshi again…

     '…Ok, ew, stop that. I don’t wanna see that,' Dark complained and Daisuke groaned realizing he had done it again. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about Satoshi?!

     “Niwa-san? The question?” Daisuke snapped his head up to find everyone looking at him again, as well as his math teacher. He gave a sheepish sigh.

     Today would be a very long day…

~//~//~//~//~

     “Riii~iing!” came the sound of the last bell of the day. Daisuke quickly got up from his seat, packed his bag and raced for the office. He’d been able to avoid Riku so far today, with lots of sneaking around and a huge helping of luck, and now all he had to do was finishing by cleaning the art room and he’d be home free. He just hoped that Takeshi hadn’t decided to cut out of work…

     'Jeez Daisuke, chill out would you. What’s the big deal? Who cares if Riku gives you some chocolate?' Dark asked curiously. Daisuke shook his head.

     ‘You don’t get it Dark. We can’t keep up this charade! I can’t pretend to love her anymore!’ the teen protested. His other rolled his eyes.

     'Then when she gives you the candy, give it back and tell her. I’m pretty sure she feels the same way.' Daisuke sighed, knowing that it was very likely.

     ‘But I… I’m just not sure I can do it. I’m not as brave as you are.’

     'Then why not let me…?'

     ‘NO! It’s almost over anyway. I’ll just clean out the art room and go home, no harm done,’ decided Daisuke. He turned down the hall towards the art room, skipping the office all together. He could get into the art room himself anyway, so why bother getting the key?

     'So you’re not even going to say good bye to Hiwatari?' Dark asked teasingly, his head rested on his palm. Daisuke turned a light pink.

     “Shut up! It’s not like that!” Daisuke cried aloud. Unlucky for him he had been standing in front of the art room door that was wide open to show a certain blue haired teen. The two stared blankly at one another before Daisuke turned a deep scarlet as he stammered, “H-Hiwatari-kun! I, I uh… Well I--!”

     Satoshi chuckled lightly as he resumed sweeping the floor. “Talking to yourself again Niwa?” Daisuke bit his lip cutely and nodded. Satoshi probably knew he had been talking with Dark again, so why bother explaining? Besides, he didn’t really want to explain what they’d been talking about…

     “So, um… Oh. What’re you doing here Satoshi? You’re not on cleaning duty this week are you?” Daisuke asked. Satoshi shook his head as he grabbed a second broom and handed it to the red head teen.

     “No, I’m not.”

     “Then why…?”

     “I thought it would be best to wait a while at school before going home,” Satoshi explained, sounding like it was incredibly obvious. Daisuke blinked at him, confused.

     “Why would you want to wait at school?” he asked. Satoshi pointed him towards the window and Daisuke went up to it, looking
out to see a great mob of girls, all of which had boxes or bags of chocolate. There were of course girls from their school, but also some from other schools as well. Every once in a while a guy would leave the school to have a girl go up to him, handing him the box/bag, if not several, depending on his looks. ‘SDaisuke sighed as it hit him; Satoshi was hiding out from his fans, hoping that in enough time they’d leave.

     “I get it. I guess it’s not that great being popular huh?” Daisuke stated, smiling lightly. Satoshi nodded.

     “It’s a real bother.”

     “But it can’t be all bad right? I mean, with your looks you could get any girl you wanted. It’d be really easy to get the person you liked…” Daisuke mused, mentally sighing to himself. With all those girls, why would Satoshi have any interest in him…?

     'Aw, Daisuke’s jealous!'

     ‘Ugh… would you be quiet for once?’

     “Hmm… well, I suppose you do have a point,” Satoshi murmured, standing next to Daisuke by the window. The red head looked up at him curiously and he couldn’t help but look away. “Too bad your theory doesn’t work out in reality.”

     “Huh?” Daisuke asked rather unintelligently. Satoshi smirked, leaning in closer to the confused teen.

     “You see, I do like someone, but I haven’t been able to get them… yet,” he added, his voice sending shivers down Daisuke’s spine. The poor red head had turned almost as red of his hair, his mouth opening and closing without a word coming out of it, giving him the appearance of a red fish. Finally he swallowed and found some courage in the pit of his stomach to speak up.

     “O-oh…”

     'Oh yeah, real smooth.'

     ‘Hey, I’m trying ok?!’

      Satoshi smiled to himself, rather enjoying the naivety of his crush. He knew he should let up a little though. It was bad enough that he pushed things as it was. If he went any further he would risk them gaining a deeper bond, and it was already hard enough with just a bond of friendship. He couldn’t imagine the difficulties they’d face if it became something more…

     “H-Hiwatari-kun?” Daisuke asked softly, gulping as soft blue eyes focused on him again.

     “Hmm?”

     “Uh…” He couldn’t believe he’d done that. No, he couldn’t believe what he was going to do! It was stupid to ask Satoshi that. He wouldn’t like the answer either way, so why bother? But he had to know… “W-who…” Another gulp. “Who is it you like?”

     Satoshi was shocked. He didn’t think that Daisuke would actually ask him that. What to do, what to do…? Ah screw it. The red head was asking for it, wasn’t he?

     “Well, funny you should ask,” Satoshi replied, his hands resting on either side of Daisuke. The teen gulped, his eyes wide and bewildered. It couldn’t be… could Satoshi possibly… “You see, the one I like is you, Niwa.”

     “Wha-what?!” Daisuke yelped, his heart racing in his chest and his mind spinning. Satoshi liked him? Him?! How could this be?! When had it happened?!

     'Boy, you sure are dense sometimes Daisuke.'

     ‘You knew?!’

     'Well, yeah. It was pretty obvious. He’s been making passes at you for ages now numbskull.' Once it all started settling into his mind, Daisuke started feeling somewhat faint. As if things weren’t complicated enough, now this?!

     “Hi-Hiwatari-kun, I… I…” Daisuke stammered aimlessly, trying to back away but finding there was no where to go. This was so sudden and he still needed to talk with Riku and he hadn’t even figured out his own feelings and… and… Oh jeez, to top it all off he was on the verge of transforming. This was just all so difficult!

     “Something the matter Niwa?” Satoshi asked earnestly, noticing the somewhat panicked look in the red head’s eyes. He brushed his hand across Daisuke’s cheek without really thinking about it and the teen shuddered.

     “Ah, d-don’t… we can’t… please, let me go!” Daisuke cried, pushing the other boy away. Satoshi’s eyes went wide as he stumbled slightly, watching the bright red teen pant lightly and cover his face with his hands.

     'Daisuke, what’re you doing?! Just transform into me, I’ll take out that jerk!' Dark yelled, his protectiveness of Daisuke kicking in. The teen shook his head.

     ‘No, I’m fine… I don’t want us to transform at school…’

     'Liar! You’re just protecting Hiwatari!' Dark cried angrily. Daisuke didn’t even bother to deny it.

     “N-Niwa, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Satoshi apologized, afraid he’d finally gone and done it. He’d gone way too far. He’d scared off the one friend he had. God, he was such an idiot sometimes! “I’m very sorry…”

     “It’s ok,” Daisuke answered, brushing his scarlet hair from his eyes as he looked up. His face had cooled some and he was breathing normally. “You didn’t know. I should have told you about my transforming.”

     “…What?” Satoshi asked confusedly.

     “Well, I mean… I don’t know exactly how transforming works for you, but for me and Dark, we change with… romantic feelings,” Daisuke blurted, gnawing his lip as that adorable blush swept over his cheeks again. Satoshi just stood there, blinking as it all slowly sunk in.

     “Wait, romantic feelings? You mean…?” Satoshi dragged off, hoping his point had gotten across. It had, and Daisuke nodded.

     “Y-yeah… I think I like you too.” There, he’d said it. He’d finally faced up to the truth. Well, mostly at least…

     Even Satoshi had the decency to flush, a light pink tingeing his face. His feelings were returned? Someone actually felt that way about him? It seemed bizarre, like a cruel joke, but no one was laughing. It wasn’t a joke. It was real. “Niwa…”

     “Daisuke,” the red head corrected, surprised at his own brashness. He looked down and added, “I mean, you can call me Daisuke, if you want…”

     “Well, alright… Daisuke,” Satoshi said, rather liking the way the name rolled off his tongue. Daisuke… He smiled at the red head. “I suppose then it would only be right if you called me Satoshi, no?”

     “Uh, right… if you don’t mind,” Daisuke replied, his heart already pounding after hearing blunette call him by name. He gave Satoshi a wide grin as he said, “Satoshi…”

     The blue haired teen felt his own heart skip a beat. He wanted so badly to hold Daisuke but… he wasn’t sure he could risk it. He didn’t want to end up with as armful of pissed off Dark. If only there were someway… wait, there was! He turned and dug through his bag, obviously looking for something, but what Daisuke didn’t know.

     “Um, what’re you doing Hiwa—er, I mean Satoshi?” Daisuke asked, correcting himself. The other teen didn’t answer, but continued to look through his bag.

     '...If he pulls out a condom I swear I’ll tear his cocky head off,' Dark stated, finding he couldn’t help but snicker at the look of absolute disgust on Daisuke’s face.

     ‘DARK! Ugh, you pervert!!’

     “Here it is,” Satoshi finally said, something small resting in his hand. Despite himself, Daisuke couldn’t help but gulp.

     “W-what?” Daisuke asked. The other teen instead walked up to him, took his hand and slid an intricate black ring on it. It looked rough, but was surprisingly smooth. One of the ends looked like a black wing. Daisuke looked at the ring curiously, finding the feel of it weird. He’d never worn a ring before.

     “Your father gave it to me,” Satoshi explained, “when you took me to your house after I fainted. He told me that it would suppress my shadow. If it would work for me, then it should work for you.”

     “My father gave this to you?” Daisuke asked curiously. Satoshi nodded.

     “He did. He also told me that I should tell you how I felt.” Daisuke nearly face planted. That’s right; he did say that didn’t he?! But, but surely he hadn’t meant like this, right?

     'Heh, who’d have thunk it? Kosuke, the matchmaker.'

     “O-oh… um, but why are you giving it to me?” Daisuke asked. Satoshi smirked, leaning in towards the other teen.

     “Because I want to kiss you.” Daisuke’s face suddenly turned an extremely dark scarlet, his eyes wide and his heart just about breaking his ribs with its beating. God was he blunt!

     “K-k-k-kiss?! M-m-me?!” Daisuke stuttered, his hands reaching for the window ledge behind him for support, else his legs go out from under him. Satoshi nodded, one hand tilting the teen’s head while the other rested on Daisuke hand, giving it a light squeeze.

     “Can I?” Satoshi murmured softly, his breath ghosting across Daisuke face. The red head felt shivers race down his spine as he slowly relaxed.

     'AUGH!!! DAISUKE, THAT’S GROSS!!' Dark cried.

     ‘Dark, just shut up.’

     “O-ok…” Daisuke gulped out, shuddering when Satoshi gently grazed his lips with his thumb. The other teen smiled as he leaned in, his own eyes sliding shut as he grew so close…

     “Niwa!” Riku yelled as she raced down the hall, coming to a stop at the art room. Daisuke’s eyes snapped open as he looked around Satoshi to see his girlfriend. Shoot! This was bad!

     “R-Riku-san? What’re you doing here?” Daisuke asked casually, or, as casually as was possible. She stared blankly at the two.

     “Um… am I interrupting something?” she asked pointedly. Even she could notice that she had barged in at a really bad time. But Daisuke shook his head nervously, trying to make his way past Satoshi.

     “Uh, no, why? Is something wro--?” he started before yelping lightly as he was pushed back against the window. He looked up at the other teen confused. “Satoshi?”

     Riku tilted her head a little to the side. Satoshi? Since when had those two been on a given name basis?

     “Actually Harada-san, you are interrupting something,” Satoshi stated. He’d grown tired of the Harada twins always coming at the wrong times, and wasn’t going to let it go this time. “So, if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to continue.”

     “S-Satoshi!” Daisuke yelped, glancing over at Riku. Ooh, would she be mad… but instead found that she was smiling slightly.

     “It’s alright Daisuke. I just came to let you know that I was thinking we should see other people, but you obviously beat me to the punch,” she mentioned, laughing slightly. “So, I guess that makes things easier. We’ll talk about this more later. Bye!”

     Daisuke watched with wide eyes as the girl raced from the door. Had… had he just been dumped? Or had he been the dumper?

     “Daisuke?” Said boy looked up suddenly. Satoshi smiled down at him. “Now can I kiss you?”

     Daisuke flushed, a huge smile overtaking his face as he nodded. “Of course Satoshi.”

     “Good…” Satoshi murmured before kissing the other teen. It was soft at first, but grew stronger and more passionate as time wore on. Daisuke wound his arms around Satoshi’s neck, his fingers intertwining in shimmering sapphire locks. The other rested his hands on the small of Daisuke’s back, bring the two flush up against each other.

     This was what Daisuke had been missing; a real kiss. A loving kiss.

     “I love you Satoshi…” Daisuke admitted, his face already flushed. The blue haired teen smiled.

     “And I love you Daisuke…” And they kissed again.

     So, it shouldn’t be any surprise that by the time the two finally left the school, all of Satoshi’s fans had given up. All but one of course.

     Because from that day on, Daisuke was Satoshi’s biggest fan.

~//~//~//~//~