D. N. Angel Fan Fiction ❯ Oh, Dear. ❯ Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

 

Disclaimer: I own the plot but not the show. Don't sue me.

 

Dark howled into his pillow as the alarm clock next to his ear shrilled to life. “Sh--!” He slammed a hand brutally down on the clock, but to his dismay it merely fell off the night table and continued ringing. “Ugh…”

 

He finally managed to get the ringing device to stop and twenty minutes later, a much wider-awake Dark Mousy strolled out of the bathroom. For the journalist, a shower was just the thing needed to kick-start his system. A dash into the kitchen and five minutes later, he was holding a warm wheat bagel in his hand. Just as he was about to walk out the door, the memory of the unknown caller and his unknown `stalker' flashed into his mind. Shifting uneasily, Dark slowly returned to the kitchen and flung open the cabinet where he kept food such as bread and snacks. Pushing the food to one side, long fingers glided over the seemingly smooth panel of wood until they met with a slight bump. Dark gently pushed the knot in the wood and the panel slid open to reveal an assortment of small, easily concealable weapons such as knives, darts, guns and sais. However, the journalist's eyes were fixed on one particular gun. It was an old Browning. Gently removing the gun from its place on the wall, Dark turned it over in his hands. To bring or not to bring…that is the question, he wryly thought. Shutting his eyes, he tucked the weapon away and shut the compartment, making sure to hide the knot with a well-placed bag of chips. Feeling a heaviness make itself known in his heart, the journalist walked out of the door to catch the bus.

 

Daisuke:

 

Red eyes slowly opened and Daisuke bolted up in bed, worried. At first he thought he'd been kidnapped, but then he remembered that he and Krad had stayed over at Dark's for the night. A glance at the clock showed him that he, for once, was up in time for class. He even had time to get back to the dorms and grab his books! Smiling, the Guardian rolled out of bed and walked to the bathroom, just down the corridor. The apartment was amazingly quiet and Daisuke guessed that Dark had either gone to work or was still sleeping. He raised an eyebrow as he passed the journalist's room and saw that the bed was unmade. He found himself thinking of the older one almost affectionately and shook his head sadly, reminding himself of his duty. Duty must always come first. It was the basis for everything he had been taught.

 

Krad:

 

Krad woke up much less calmly than Daisuke did. His was already a suspicious nature and it did not help that he was lying on a futon instead of in his own, fragile bed. His eyes roamed around, looking for something with which to identify his surroundings. He caught sight of the white curtains and the man remembered. Oh yeah, we stayed over at Dark's for the night. He sat up on the futon and looked around, listening for any other signs of life in the house. He could hear the shower in the distance, but he had a feeling that it wasn't Dark who was using it. Probably Daisuke, he decided. Swinging himself off the futon, he ventured down the corridor to check on whether his host was awake or not. Then he shook his head; if Dark were around, Daisuke wouldn't be in the shower, singing that godawful tune that he sang every morning. The guy was so preppy, sometimes Krad thought he could give Hilary Duff and the rest of the world's `teen queens' a run for their money. It was likely that he could beat Miss Risa Harada, too, the blond reflected. Marching up to the bathroom door, he knocked on his and yelled, “Are you going to be done any time soon?” A cheery affirmative was his reply and Krad was left to sulk in the living room for another five minutes before seeing his partner.

 

Daisuke stepped out of the bathroom, drying off his hair with a small towel. He'd found that Dark had pretty much thought of everything for both Krad and him and was grateful to the journalist for it. His thoughts then returned to the doll and he quickly walked into the living room, where he found a disgruntled Krad. “Morning,” he greeted the blond senior.

 

Krad made a non-committal noise in his throat as a reply and stood up. “Let's go.” The pair walked out of the house, but not before Daisuke grabbed a sheet of paper and scribbled out a hasty `Thank-you' note to the journalist, who was obviously at work. Neither remembered the little porcelain doll, sitting on the dining table, alone and forgotten. Her eyes gleamed a little and her tiny, pale hands wrapped themselves around the hilt of her hidden dagger, but she could not do anything.

 

Dark:

 

Dark hurried into the office, throwing himself into the chair and hastily switching on the computer, skimming through his files and picking out any that looked to be promising-all at the same time. He was inwardly relieved to find that no one was following him this time, although shivers did run up his spine whenever he thought of the doll on his doorstep. Speaking of said doll, it was still at home. And probably scaring the living daylights out of Krad and Dai, he thought with a wry smile. The toy was creepy, but it was just a doll, right? Besides, the craftsmanship and care which had gone into the making of the toy was amazing; the hands were perfectly formed and the maker had even gone to the trouble of finding some synthetic material which made the doll's hair and eyelashes feel as soft and silky as normal human hair and eyelashes would.

 

Tapping on the keyboard, Dark scrolled through the pages of information from his sources. He selected a few that looked interesting and closed the browser window. Opening up his word processor, the journalist smirked as his fingers danced over the keyboard, weaving a story out of the facts that his `mole' had given him. It was time to stun the people of Azumano once more. The gun lay in the inner pocket of his jacket, forgotten.

 

Apartment:

 

The doll looked around, her violet gaze blank and unfocused. A gentle breeze blew through the house although no windows were open. The wind increased in power until it was whipping about the place in a veritable fury, slashing at the curtains and furniture forcefully. The doll sat in the eye of the storm, her hair only moving slightly from the gale. Around her, angry howls rent the air, as though there were hundreds of tortured souls being beaten about her. She giggled to herself as she sat on the table, silken dress unruffled, hair untousled. Taking out her precious dagger, she caressed it, now ignoring the chaos around her. For a moment, if one were to have looked over her shoulder, one would have seen a mutilated human visage, but it was soon replaced by that of the smiling doll.

 

Satoshi:

 

He sketched out the next idea on a sheet of paper and tossed it to Kevin, who glanced at it and then raised an eyebrow before tossing it back. Satoshi knew that it meant acceptance of his cartoon and set to shading it. Twenty minutes later and he was finished. With a flourish of his pen, he tossed the sheet at Kevin once more and grabbed another article. “That one needs a sketch of Danz,” the head cartoonist quietly commented. Satoshi shrugged and tossed it carelessly to the side.

 

“Search the image libraries, then.” A man walked in, pushing his glasses further up his nose so as to see everyone better. Pretentious bugger.

 

“Fifteen minutes `til sendoff,” he barked into the room. No one moved to acknowledge him; various sounds were produced from throats and that was all the response he would get. Satoshi rolled his eyes and quickly sketched out another cartoon. He wondered how Dark was doing; the boss still hadn't forgotten the `headline bet'. There was even an office pool going on about whether or not Dark would be able to meet the deadline.

 

Dark:

 

“Done!” The triumphant shout echoed through the office and everyone sighed in envy. More than once they had ventured to ask how he managed to cut things so finely and still get away with them, but the journalist only smiled and then diverted their attention to some other, trivial matter. Moments later, the other journalists were treated to the sight of a purple blur making its way through the aisles and up to the Boss' door.

 

Dark eyed the polished oak door warily, wondering whether his boss would be in a better mood today. The last few days had passed in a blur and the end of the month was just a week away. The good thing was, Dark felt that he had enough material to make four headlines. There shouldn't be any problem. Now he was standing in front of the editor's office, ready to claim his victory. The problem was, he didn't know what to expect. The last encounter with his boss had left him shaking and the events of the past few days seemed to all be building up to something. Shaking his head violently, Dark told himself sternly, No. There is nothing wrong and if there is, you can blast him to thy Kingdom come. Now open the door! He flung the door open and stepped in.

 

The editor sat at the desk, hands steepled. “Good morning, Mr. Mousy. How are you this morning?”

 

“I'm fine.” Dark tossed the typed out articles onto the man's desk. “There are your headlines.” He waited for the verdict as the man glanced at each article, his dark eyes unblinking.

 

“A good job, indeed. Congratulations. You get to keep your job.” Dark stared in shock. Surely the man was joking? He didn't normally get off this easily!

 

“Is there something else?” Dark looked up hastily, smoothing out his features.

 

“No, nothing at all.”

 

“Good.” Dark left, knowing that this was the only cue he was going to get. He met Takeshi outside the door, who gave him the thumbs-up. Dark smirked and nodded smugly.

 

Krad:

 

Krad scowled at the board. He liked Physics well enough and occasionally found it interesting, but the teacher was giving him a headache and his voice had a soporific quality to it. The senior sighed and let his mind wander to the two journalists he'd met. Dark seemed like the type to enjoy a good argument, as shown by his constant bickering with Krad and Satoshi. Although it was clear he was missing more than just a few marbles, he seemed to be an okay sort of guy. Well, Daisuke certainly seemed to like him, even if he insisted on denying it. Drama queen, Krad sarcastically thought, rolling his eyes at the thought. Satoshi seemed to be a little more reserved in his actions. He was about to continue further along the path that his thoughts had taken when a hand smacked the desk.

 

“Huh?” Was all Krad could intelligently manage. The professor sighed.

 

“In what state do comets enter the atmosphere?” (I know this is really basic stuff but just bear with me here please).

 

“Uh…” Krad hastily searched his brain, but to no avail.

 

“They sublime, Mr. Hikari,” the teacher told him. “Which means…?”

 

“Oh. Gas. And partially solid.”

 

The professor sighed again. “Well done,” he sarcastically said. “But next time, pay attention.” Krad dutifully nodded and turned his attention to the board. He wondered how Daisuke was faring.

 

Daisuke:

 

The redhead sighed and leaned his head on his hand, red eyes staring out the window. His right hand was still although it maintained a firm grip on the delicate stick of charcoal. Today's art lesson proved to be a drag; Professor Tanaki was absent, so the class was told to do still life drawings of their chosen topic. The theme was `Structure', so Daisuke had chosen to do string, knots and woven structures. Luckily for him, the substitute was a soft-spoken, quiet little mouse of a Biology professor and as a result she did almost nothing to stop the class from pursuing other forms of work.

 

Daisuke wondered about the doll that Dark had found. He knew that it was only a matter of time before she began her work in deadly earnest, but there was a catch; she could only begin three days after her making. She might have stabbed Krad with her dagger, but nothing major would happen until the third day. But I still need to figure out how to sever the link between her and Dark, he thought worriedly. The journalist's face appeared in his mind and Daisuke smiled slightly, remembering the `sleepover'. It had actually been quite fun, as the older one had insisted on pulling a movie marathon. It was, in fact, a wonder that he was so awake today, considering just how late the three of them had stayed up until, just talking and going through movies.

 

His thoughts turned to the actual man. Dark was…Dark. He was infuriatingly cocky at times, sardonic, quick on his feet and certainly sharp with his tongue. He had a way with people, undoubtedly; it was an endearing charm, the same type that got village ne'er-do-wells the approval of the entire county. He was quite easy on the eyes, too, what with those mischievous violet eyes and that long, wild mop of hair. Subconsciously, Daisuke's hand began to move and the charcoal touched the paper gently. A form began to take shape.

 

Daisuke's smile grew wistful and he didn't notice that he was blushing slightly as he thought about his new acquaintance. He didn't notice the form on the paper, either, until Al nudged him. “Wow, Daisuke, that's really good!”

 

“Huh?” Unknowingly echoing his friend, Daisuke looked down at his sheet of…filled paper.

 

“What are you doing for Structure? The human body?” Daisuke blushed and sheepishly laughed.

 

“Ah, well, I was planning on doing…”

 

“Don't tell me; woven structures, right?” Daisuke looked at his sandy-haired classmate and nodded, surprised.

 

“Yeah. That's an amazing sketch though. I could never do that,” Al said admiringly. Daisuke vigorously shook his head.

 

“No, I'm sure you could! Yours looks really good, too!” A customary reply, but one that was made in all sincerity. Alphonse Elric was good at Art; his paintings held a certain something in them that marked them uniquely as his, and not someone else's. No matter how hard one tried, one would never be able to emulate Al perfectly. The other student had chosen buildings as his subject and he was in the middle of painting a cathedral, its spires reaching into the heavens. “It's so cool how you can make all your work look so personal!” Al blushed and shook his head.

 

Daisuke looked over his sketch carefully, amazed at the way he'd drawn Dark. The journalist was standing on the edge of a cliff, but from his posture and stance, it was clear that he was at ease with his position. His eyes stared into the distance, a hint of his trademark smirk playing about his lips. His hair whipped around his face in a frenzy and his coat was blown back by an unfelt wind. Every inch of his body was cloaked in a sure confidence. Oh, will ya take a look at that. Now look me in the eye and say you don't like Dark, Daisuke's little voice mocked. The teenager blushed and hastily stood up, intending to go for another piece of paper and draw his basket properly this time.

 

Lunchtime:

 

“Hey Dai,” Krad greeted his freshman friend. “How was Art?” He looked at the case Daisuke was holding, knowing that there was paper inside.

 

“Heh…” Daisuke blushed, not wanting to tell Krad just what he had spent his Art lesson doing. “Well, I…” Krad leaned forward, a devilish glint in his golden eyes.

 

“I knew it! You spent the entire lesson writing `Daisuke Niwa Mousy' in your sketchbook, didn't you?” the older gleefully accused. At the squawk, he laughed harder. “I knew it! You like him!”

 

Daisuke went an even deeper shade of red. “N-no I don't! He's arrogant, and irresponsible, and crazy, and ditzy, and…! And I didn't spend the entire Art lesson doodling,” he hastily added. Krad raised an eyebrow and waggled his finger.

 

“Shame on you,” Krad mock-scolded. “How could you say such things about the man who allowed us to stay over at his place even though he barely knew us?” Daisuke flushed and the blond laughed at his distraught state.

 

“It's all right,” he said calmly. “We all have our moments.” Daisuke merely choked out something that sounded like a cross between a moan and a sigh in reply. The two friends then continued to the canteen, where both cringed at the offered lunches and opted for a rock-hard (but still edible) granola bar.

 

Outside, Daisuke double-checked his schedule and winced when he saw that Chemistry was next. “No,” he moaned. “We're getting our Chem tests back today!” Krad looked sympathetically at his friend and patted his back.

 

“There, there. I'm sure you passed.”

 

“That's the thing,” Daisuke groaned. “At least I scraped `B's last semester. This semester, I've been failing every single test!” Golden eyes regarded him thoughtfully.

 

“You know, I could tutor you,” the elder offered. Daisuke looked up at him. There was an awkward pause before Krad hastily retracted the offer, remembering what had happened the last time he'd offered to tutor someone. That person still ran away screaming for help whenever he saw the blond senior.

 

“A wise decision,” Daisuke sagely responded before dodging a swipe from his best friend. All too soon, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang and Daisuke stood up with a heavy heart, dreading the Chemistry lesson.

 

Dark:

 

Dark casually leaned on Takeshi, watching his friend tap away furiously at the keyboard. He was now working on the Business section of the newspaper, trying to fit every single article on four pages of A3. His dark brows were furrowed in concentration as he carefully moved a picture around, trying not to drop it somewhere ridiculous. “Come on…” he whispered. Then Dark reached down and deliberately pressed the `Delete' button on the keyboard. Takeshi threw himself backwards violently, catching Dark in the nose and letting out an earsplitting expletive. Then he rounded viciously on his fellow journalist. “You SOB, can't you wait?” he bellowed. Dark smirked and left the tiny office, cackling to himself in spite of the throbbing pain in his nose. The rest of the day passed in humdrum, apart from when Dark jammed the copy machine by putting in too much paper. That evening, he and Takeshi shared a beer and went home in Sally.

 

Daisuke:

 

Daisuke smiled cheerily at Risa and Riku, both of whom were sitting in the living room, watching TV. “What's on?” he casually asked.

 

“The OC,” Risa promptly replied whilst Riku made a face. “Don't do that, Riku,” Risa scolded her twin. “It's a good series!”

 

“Yeah, right,” Riku replied, rolling her eyes. “It's so fake.”

 

“But you still watch it,” the younger one pointed out reasonably. Riku merely sniffed in reply and turned back to the television. Daisuke smiled slightly at the argument and then looked at the screen. After five minutes, he decided that he had better things to do and left the room.

 

“Ugh…I hate moles,” Daisuke quietly groaned to himself. “I never understood them. Never.” He tapped away at the calculator again, inputting figures and coming up with the same (wrong) answer for the fifteenth time. He sighed and flipped further through the paper, looking for his next mistake. Finding it, he eyed the question and flipped through his textbook, searching for the answer. He applied himself to Chemistry for the rest of the afternoon, occasionally falling into daydreams of Dark.

 

Dark:

 

Dark threw the garlic into the frying pan, singing along to the radio. He knew it was an incredibly cheesy thing to do, but it was one of his little habits all the same. Holding the spoon close to his mouth, Dark sang happily. “It's like you're always stuck in second gear, when it hasn't been your day, your week, your month or even your year…” He added the rice and egg at some point, continuing to sing. Just then, the phone rang.

 

Cursing, Dark ran out into the living room, grabbed the ringing device and carried it back into the kitchen with him. “Hello?”

 

To his relief, Krad was on the other end of the line. “Dark.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“…how are you?” There was a pause and then Dark smiled.

 

“I'm doing just fine, Krad. I'd be even better if I didn't have to chat to you whilst cooking dinner.” He could sense the blond rolling his eyes. “Hey, no one asked you to call,” he cheekily pointed out.

 

“Yes, well, someone had to check on you. Dai's busy crying right now, so the task fell to me. Rest assured; I will try not to call too much.” The sarcasm was evident in the senior's voice.

 

“Really?”

 

“Huh? Oh, the crying. Yes, well, he got his Chem test back today.”

 

“Mhm.” Dark absentmindedly stirred the mixture of egg and rice before adding the kimchee. “Is he okay?”

 

“My God, you sound like his mother or something.”

 

“No need to be profane,” Dark retorted. “I just happen to remember the post test blues, that's all.” Krad snorted down the phone.

 

“You had post-test blues?”

 

Dark frowned lightly. “Hey Mister, just because I don't act like a nerd doesn't mean I didn't have guilt issues over grades.”

 

Krad ignored this comment, continuing. “Anyways, where's the doll?”

 

Dark paused before looking out the kitchen doorway once more. “Uh…I think she's on the dining table. Why?”

 

At the other end, Krad rubbed his temples. “Listen,” the Guardian told Dark. “You have to know where that…that thing is, even if it means carrying it around with you. You have to keep an eye on it!” Just at that moment, Dark became aware that Krad's voice sounded hollow, as though someone was listening to the conversation on another line. He frowned.

 

“Hello?” There was silence. Then Krad spoke.

 

“Dark, this isn't funny.”

 

“I wasn't trying to be funny; it sounds as though someone else is listening to what we're saying.” There was a horrified pause and Dark sarcastically said, “I bet that's the doll, listening to the phone too.”

 

In a strained voice, Krad gritted out, “Get her. Now.” Dark rolled his eyes.

 

“Look buddy, she's just a doll.” Dark didn't notice the use of the pronoun `she' instead of `it'. “She's not going to go on a homicidal rampage any time soon; you told me that!”

 

Krad laughed grimly. “She's already doing her work. She's already putting a rift in this…thread of rapport of ours.” Dark didn't say anything.

 

“Well, tell Dai if he needs anyone to talk to about Chemistry or whatever, I'm available. Thanks and bye.” With those words, Dark hung up. He glared at the rice in front of him and turned off the stove, leaving it to cool for a while. Walking back out into the living room with the telephone in his hand, he suddenly froze. The doll was gone.

 

He crashed into his bedroom and to his shock, the doll was sitting next to the telephone. Which was hanging off the cradle. Maybe there's something to Krad's warnings.

 

Picking up his newest acquisition, the journalist examined the plaything more closely. Looks just like a normal doll, he thought to himself. Well, it's a little scarier than most, but that's probably just me. He'd always hated porcelain dolls, the way their smiles were so empty and the way they looked human and not human at the same time. Maybe I should consider getting rid of it, Dark thought. It didn't occur to him to give the doll away at all.

 

An hour later, after the washing up was done, Dark stood in the middle of the clean kitchen, thinking. I don't want to watch TV tonight, he thought. And I certainly don't want to sleep yet. Maybe I should go out, he thought. Just then, the phone rang again. It's been doing that a lot lately, Dark thought. “Hello?”

 

The awful sound of heavy breathing greeted his ears. A prickling crept up the back of the journalist's neck and amethyst eyes widened as he slowly turned around with a growing sense of dread.

 

Daisuke and Krad:

 

Krad sighed as Risa attached herself to his arm for the fourth time that night. “What do you want, Risa?” he asked the twin as he peeled her off. Ignoring the fluttering eyelashes and the annoying, syrupy voice, he concentrated on what she was saying instead. Then he paled. “No! A thousand times no!” It turned out the younger Harada twin was asking him to tutor her in Calculus. She could not get the hang of it, no matter how hard she tried, and Krad knew that any tutoring sessions between him and her would end in disaster. Just then, he felt his pendant grow hot again and when Daisuke flew out of his room, clutching his pendant, Krad knew that he wasn't going to be bored tonight.

 

Two minutes later, they were racing down the darkened streets of Azumano on Krad's motorcycle. “That idiot,” Krad grumbled.

 

“Don't call him that, please,” Daisuke begged in a small voice from the back of the machine.

 

“He is.” Krad continued to verbally abuse Dark until they pulled up at the building. Krad nodded at Daisuke. “You go first. I'll finish parking.” The redhead rolled his eyes and crept up the stairs, using his pendant to guide him to the source of darkness. As he placed a hand on the door to push it open with his magick, the Guardian heard a gunshot. Wildly looking around, he hoped that someone would come. Large numbers always drove evil away more quickly.

 

Krad:

 

He quickly chained the motorcycle to the railing and dashed upstairs, hoping nothing bad had happened yet. Golden eyes narrowed as a sound came from somewhere to his right, and Krad winced as the pendant seared into his flesh as it grew even hotter than before. “Who's there?” he asked the darkness. Suddenly, dark tendrils wrapped themselves around him and Krad struggled violently against them. “Let me go!” he snarled at his invisible enemy.

 

“I think not,” an amused voice replied.

 

“You'd better,” the blond Guardian demanded. “Or else you'll face the consequences.”

 

“Still as psychotic as ever, eh? All right then; keep your socks on.” Krad snarled angrily at the figure who suddenly appeared.

 

“This isn't funny,” he snapped. “Let me go. You know exactly what's going on around here, don't you?” he asked.

 

“Ach, ja, natuerlich,” the other replied cheerfully. Krad winced at the language but glared fiercely at his captor nonetheless.

 

“Sind Sie verrueckt?” he demanded angrily once more in German. “Wissen Sie, dass etwas gefaehrlich da oben ist?”

 

“Aber ja,” the other silkily replied.

 

“Dann lassen mir allein!” Krad snarled.

 

“Sie sollen nicht so unhoeflich sein,” the dark figure replied. “Ich brauche etwas fragen.”

 

“Dammit, you promised to help others in their time of need!” Krad shouted desperately, reverting to English.

 

“I did,” the unknown man agreed. “But it grew tiresome.” Golden eyes flashed dangerously and Krad let out an almighty roar of rage as his pendant glowed brightly.

 

“This is going too far!”

 

A smirk tugged at his captor's lips before he was thrown backwards into the wall. “Chains of Light!” Krad hurled the glowing chains at the other, but he was too slow.

 

“Tsk tsk Krad, still so violent. You haven't learned anything in this godforsaken place, have you?”

 

“Shut it!” They battled, Krad desperately trying to shake the other off so that he could go help Daisuke. Dai, you might be on your own for this one, he desperately thought as a glowing shuriken buried itself in the tiles next to his head and promptly exploded.

 

Dark:

 

Without thinking, Dark whipped around, pulling the gun out. He fired three shots in rapid succession before stopping to look at the thing behind him. It was hideous, even more so than what he'd seen in the office right before this whole crazy mess started. He swore loudly as the thing took a swipe at his head, disregarding the chunks of flesh it was now missing from its head. He vaguely heard the door shaking, but could not do anything about it except pray. Although it's unlikely that anyone will come, considering how normal violence is in this building, Dark thought grimly. He continued to fight the thing, trying not to gag from the smell of rot and decay that it was giving off.

 

The door flew open and Dark glanced over, hoping it wasn't something worse. To his relief, Daisuke stood there, hands still outstretched. “Hey Dai, join the party,” Dark joked, his face pale. Then turning back to the monster, he winked. “Be right back, babe,” he laughed as he turned towards the kitchen and ran.

 

Daisuke couldn't believe his ears. He's fighting one of those and he's still cracking jokes? Yup, he's definitely insane. Krad was right. He stared in horror as the journalist ran to the kitchen and flung open a cupboard. His eyes only widened as the man began tossing out chips and other snack foods onto the ground. Then he heard a grinding noise and two seconds later, Dark was out again, armed to the teeth. He has a secret weapons stash? Was all the Guardian could manage to think before he, too, joined the fray.

 

Dark slashed at the monster with his daggers, wincing as the thing somehow managed to clamp down on his arm and burn it. He hissed angrily, yanking his arm sharply back and slashing furiously at the rotting tendril. However, the monster was like dough-slashing it apart only slowed it down and even then not by much. Looking over at Daisuke, Dark almost screamed. The Guardian was drawing a design in the ground with what looked like flour. “You'd better have something up your sleeve, Dai, because I don't!” Dark's thumb brushed over the jewel in the hilt of his daggers and without warning, the blade grew longer, as though it had been hidden in the handle all along. Now the purple-haired man was wielding a dirk of sorts and he smirked triumphantly. “Yeah baby!” he crowed, slashing even more vigorously at the thing. “Take this!” Dark drove his other dagger into the creature's eyes and it shrieked, a horrible noise by anyone's standards. Just then, Daisuke finished his design and placed a hand to it, activating the magick within. In just a few moments, the monster disintegrated into a fine powder, which was blown out the window by a summoned wind. Dark turned to face the redhead.

 

“Thanks,” he said before wincing and looking at his arm. It was blackened, as though he had plunged it into a blazing flame. “I'd better go get this fixed up.” He slowly walked back towards the kitchen, dropping the daggers along the way. Daisuke stood still, looking at the weapons with a raised eyebrow. Looks like still waters run deep, he thought as he watched the man reach for some bandages.

 

“Oh, here!” Daisuke rushed over to help Dark right away. As he did so, he smiled reassuringly at the elder one, who merely rolled his eyes and continued reaching for the plasters. “On second thoughts, don't bother,” he said cheerily as he gently placed a hand on the wound. Dark hissed and tried to pull back, but Daisuke had him in a firm grip. “Just hold still, `kay?” Light blazed from the wound and to the journalist's amazement, flesh knitted together and his arm was whole again. “There,” Daisuke smiled, “All done!”

 

Right at that moment, Dark's neighbour chose to burst in. “WILL YOU CUT THAT RACKET OUT?!” he bellowed into the apartment. Dark ignored him. The irate neighbour stormed over and grabbed a handful of Dark's hair roughly, ignoring the wince.

 

“I SAID, `WILL YOU KEEP THINGS DOWN? YOU MAY BE HAVING A LOVER'S SPAT, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO TOLERATE YOUR NOISE! GOT THAT?” Dark glared venomously at the man.

 

“Look Vincent,” he quietly said, “I don't need your crap tonight. So get yourself out of here before I really get angry.” Vincent snorted and kneed Dark in the groin before walking out again.

 

“Ow…” Dark winced. This is the second time already! I may as well just join a monastery, what with the damage I'm taking right now. Daisuke could only wince and flush-there was no way on earth he was going to touch that place. Just then, a disheveled looking Krad appeared, holding his battleaxe in front of him.

 

“What's going on?” he called in. “Dai?”

 

“I'm here!” Daisuke called before looking down at the crumpled heap at his feet. He sighed before placing a hand to Dark's forehead. Krad walked in, still tense and holding the dagger/dirk that the journalist had been using.

 

“Hey man,” Dark croaked up at Krad. “I got kicked.”

 

Krad gave him a look of utter contempt before turning to Daisuke. “What happened?”

The redhead shrugged.

 

“He was being attacked by something big and ugly.” Krad raised an eyebrow.

 

“Is that all?”

 

“Heh, yeah,” Dark staggered to his feet, wincing at the pain Vincent had caused him. Krad looked at him sharply.

 

“What happened?”

 

“Neighbour,” Dark croaked out. “Did more damage than the monster did, really.” Daisuke blushed lightly and Krad swung his golden gaze back to the crimson one of his partner.

 

“So,” Daisuke casually asked. “What about you?”

 

Krad shrugged. “I got attacked in the corridor.”

 

“By the thugs, you mean?” Dark brightly asked. At the withering gaze from both Guardians, he quickly fell silent.

 

“I think I saw him, but I'm not sure.” Daisuke looked confused and Krad glared at him irritably. “You know,” he curtly said. “Him.” Daisuke continued to look confused until Krad waved his hands.

 

“Ah,” the redhead said, enlightened. “Right. Him.”

 

Krad rolled his eyes and sarcastically said, “You know, if you weren't a redhead, I'd say you were having a blond moment.” Daisuke pouted. Then the older Guardian turned once more to Dark, holding the dagger out to him. “And as for you, you'd better explain why you have something like this in your house.”

 

Dark rolled his eyes. “My secret, my life. Nose,” he leaned forward, “out.” With those words, he flicked Krad's nose gently. “Don't ask again.” The blond rubbed his nose, blinking in surprise. Then he looked around.

 

“Daisuke,” he said, “maybe we should stay here for the night. After all, goodness knows what other scrapes Dark's going to get into.” Ignoring the protests from the journalist, he walked over to the futon and looked at it. “Dark!” he called from the living room. “How do you open this thing?”

 

Two hours later:

 

The three men were once more huddled up on the couch, watching old horror movies. Daisuke, the most squeamish of the three, winced and shut his eyes tightly, hand so tightly wrapped around Dark's shirt that the knuckles were white. As the three watched the killer approach his victim singing `Humpty Dumpty', Krad and Dark both burst out laughing whilst Daisuke whimpered and snuggled closer to the journalist. “I bet fifty dollars she pisses herself,” Dark hooted.

 

Krad laughed so hard he nearly fell off the couch. “What a moron!” he gasped out between gasps for air. “What kind of idiot sings Humpty Dumpty, anyway?” The scene moved on to show the girl being disemboweled in all its gory detail and Daisuke let out a terrified squeak. At the sound, he brought the two back to their senses and Dark looked somewhat sympathetically at Daisuke.

 

“Come on,” he said bracingly. “It's not really that bad. Honest.” Daisuke shook his head violently and buried his head in Dark's chest. Krad snickered whilst the journalist turned an interesting shade of red. “…how about we watch a comedy, then?” he finally suggested. Daisuke looked up, ruby eyes hopeful.

 

“No more horror movies?” He asked.

 

Dark sighed and looked over at Krad. “No,” he finally said. “No more.” Daisuke beamed at him and Dark felt a warm sensation in his chest, suddenly feeling that seeing that big smile was compensation enough.

 

The three finally settled on a Stephen Chow movie, namely, `Shaolin Soccer'. Daisuke found himself much more at ease now, but blushed at some of the lewder jokes, such as when one of the team players was nearly molested, as he had egg on the front of his pants.

 

The movie finally ended at around 2:30am, by which time even Krad was starting to doze off. Dark grinned crookedly and headed off to bed, picking up the sharp objects along the way. After all, no one like to wake up to slashed feet. As he was about to turn the lights off, Daisuke asked, “Where are you going?”

 

“Bed,” Dark replied, slightly amused at such a naïve question.

 

“Mm…I'll come with you,” the redhead softly said.

 

“Eh?” Dark wasn't sure he'd heard Daisuke correctly.

 

“I said, `I'll come with you'. You shouldn't be alone, especially after what happened earlier this evening.” Dark ran his fingers through his hair distractedly.

 

“There's only one bed,” he pointed out.

 

“Then we'll share,” Daisuke decisively replied. “It's okay,” he added, mistaking Dark's expression for one of incredulity. “I had to do it with Krad.” Seeing the hentai smirk on the journalist's face, Daisuke shook his head violently, red locks whipping about. “Not that way!” he cried, distraught. Dark patted his back.

 

“No, no,” he answered with a laugh in his voice. “Of course not. Besides, Krad's your friend. I'm someone you don't know the first thing about. So don't even think about it.” Daisuke glared stubbornly, red eyes fierce.

 

“No!” Dark hastily backed off, slightly worried. Daisuke softened his tone slightly.

 

“Look, it's just for tonight, okay?” Dark was about to say no when he saw the `kicked-puppy' look on the redhead's face.

 

“Eh….”

 

“Please?” Daisuke turned up the charm.

 

“Oh all right,” the journalist grudgingly replied. “But no…funny business, all right?” Daisuke nodded cheerfully.

 

“Of course not!”

 

Dark followed Daisuke into his bedroom, inwardly moaning and groaning. The possibilities…they're infinite, he moaned to himself. Tossing his shirt off, he threw himself into the bed, blind to the light blush dusting Daisuke's cheeks. “G'night,” he yawned before falling asleep, leaving the redhead to turn off the light.

 

Next morning:

 

Ruby eyes cracked open and Daisuke blinked as he stared straight into Dark's sleeping face. With a small smile, he gently brushed some of the wayward purple bangs, which had fallen into the journalist's face and were in danger of entering his mouth every time he inhaled. He looks so serene, Daisuke observed. And I can see why Risa likes him so much. At this thought, the redhead flushed darkly. Unconsciously he leaned closer, examining Dark's face in minute detail. Just then, Dark's eyelids fluttered slightly as he, too, slowly awakened.

 

Sleepy amethyst met sharp crimson and the pair stared at each other before Dark sat up quickly, looking down at himself. He was mumbling to himself and Daisuke blinked before listening more closely. Then Dark turned to him, eyes worried. “Did we…” he paused, then took a deep breath. Daisuke blinked, left in the dark (no pun intended). “Didwesleeptogetherlastnight?” shot out of the journalist's mouth. Daisuke frowned before his brain deciphered the garbled words and he flushed a deep shade of crimson.

 

“No!”

 

A burst of laughter came from the doorway and Dark glared balefully at it, mumbling, “I had to ask,” in his defence. Krad stood at the doorway, clutching his sides.

 

“Oh gods,” he gasped out, “The look on your faces!” He burst into another round of laughter whilst Dark and Daisuke looked at each other, faces red. Then Dark turned to the blond senior.

 

“Hey, at least it would have been good. Unlike with you.” Daisuke could only squeak and bury himself deeper in the bed whilst the older pair bickered.

 

Done! I didn't think I would get anything up, but I guess this chapter proved me wrong. Now, to go finish studying (looks around guiltily). Please tell me if you enjoyed this chapter and some feedback would be nice, mm yes, very nice indeed. That's a plea for reviews, in case you didn't get it. Thanks for reading, and review please!

 

-Translation (German conversation)-

 

Figure: Yes, of course, naturally.

 

Krad: Are you crazy? Don't you know there's something dangerous up there?

 

F: But of course!

 

K: Then leave me alone!

 

F: You shouldn't be so impolite. I need to ask something.

 

-End-

 

Please tell me if the German's funny, I'm taking a German exam this year but my grammar's terrible…so yeah. Just tell me please. Thanks. Reviews please!