D. N. Angel Fan Fiction ❯ Trey ❯ I Love You ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8: I Love You

 

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel! Eesh, how many times do I have to say it!

 

A/N: Uh....you know how I said that this was going to be the last chapter? Er…well I went horribly wrong. This is not going to be the last chapter, but the story is winding down to a close. I'll try and make this one nice and rescue Daisuke. Expect a little sap here! Also, a few names from other animes (if you can name them all you have my eternal respect). Those animes don't belong to me either, by the way.

 

Daisuke slowly opened his eyes, feeling his chest wound throb in pain. Coldness surrounded him and he tried to locate where he was. Pain threatened to overwhelm him, but he forced it away. “You're awake, I see.”

 

Daisuke's head whipped around, and he stared at Krad with terror in his eyes. He remembered all too clearly what that look on his face meant: a savage beating was in short order. The tyrannical lord smiled slightly at the look of abject fear on Daisuke's face before pulling out on of his famous icy daggers. A scream soon echoed through the forest, but no one heard it.

 

Back in the castle:

 

Dark groaned as he groggily opened his eyes. For a moment, he couldn't remember anything, but as usual the memories came back and anger surged within the young lord. He knew that he was on his own this time; his mother wouldn't be around to help him with her small power, and no one else that he knew would be willing to place their lives on the line for Daisuke. Okay, fine, maybe there were a few. However, Dark knew that this battle was ultimately between him and Krad-perhaps Daisuke would have indeed been better off if Dark had not started to `court' him, if you could call their coming together courting. Picking himself up off the floor, the lord slowly staggered towards the door before opening it. At that point, Dark's mind was filled with nothing but how to find Daisuke and finish off Krad once and for all. He was so focused on this task that he didn't even notice Satoshi's form stirring slightly as he walked past the blue-haired Head of the Kitchens-that is, until said teen stirred.

 

Satoshi blinked slowly and frowned as a booted foot passed his view. What was he doing here again? Oh, yes. He had been talking to Daisuke and Dark, and then a cold blast of air had filled the room, and then…oh dear. He knew where Dark was going; there was only one logical conclusion anyway. Jumping up to his feet and ignoring the jolts of pain that came up from the back of his head, the blue haired boy rushed towards Dark, intent on making him see reason.

 

“Dark!” Dark heard his name called, but very faintly only, as though he were far away. “Dark!” Soon, he felt a gentle grip on his arm. Looking down, he found that it was Satoshi. “Think about it,” the blue-eyed boy said. For once, his voice actually held a touch of human emotion in it. “Daisuke would not want you to get killed, and neither would your mother. Think everything out, and plan. Attack Krad when he least expects it. Besides, you can't do this on your own,” The last sentence was said with a hint of amusement, the old, sardonic Ice Prince façade back in place. Dark frowned.

 

“Who's going to want to fight against Lord Krad with me? Who's to say that people here don't still have some loyalty towards Krad?”

 

Satoshi smirked, baring his teeth. Dark swallowed and reminded himself not to ever make Satoshi angry, or irritate him for that matter. “Trust me,” the strategist said, “I'll win people over for you. The servants all hate him, and they're willing to help Daisuke. You have to be able to train them though; I doubt any of them have ever handled weapons besides axes and cutting knives.”

 

“And rolling pins,” Dark added, remembering with some amusement how Riku had clobbered both him and Satoshi with that particular `war weapon'.

 

“And rolling pins,” agreed Satoshi. The two boys laughed slightly, the tension now gone from the air. However, it soon returned as the two teenagers returned to planning their revenge on Krad and rescue of Daisuke. Throwing open the door, Dark felt a small sense of relief as he prepared himself to tell the other inhabitants of the castle what had happened to Daisuke…again. He was glad of Satoshi's support now, more than ever.

 

The novice walked past the room and looked at the door, smiling slightly giddily as she remembered the three teens who were in there. Okay, so only one of them was actually hurt, but the other two were enough to make up for it. Daisuke really was very cute, especially when he was asleep and off guard, and Lord Dark and Satoshi Hiwatari were both equally gorgeous, each in their own way. Daisuke was cute because he was innocent, Dark had that `sexy and mysterious' aura about him and Satoshi had a `you may look but don't touch' aura around him. All in all, they were a very good looking bunch, you could say. The novice smiled and wondered whether any of them had noticed her. She quietly shook her head and was just about to continue on her way with the dirty linen when the door burst open with a loud crash. She turned around quickly, just in time to see Dark and Satoshi burst out of the room. Dark immediately grabbed her and began shaking her furiously, yelling, “Have you seen Krad anywhere?”

 

The novice's eyes opened wide with shock before she started choking because of Dark's strong grip. However, the blue-haired boy (Satoshi) grabbed Lord Dark's arms, pulling the enraged teen off her before she could suffocate. Gasping for breath and gently rubbing her throat, the novice shook her head frantically before taking off. Dark growled in helpless frustration whilst the only person he felt was helping him in the world right now was gently trying to make him see the logic in not attacking every single person they saw in the hopes of finding out whether anyone had seen Krad. Besides, if they had, they would probably be dead.

 

A healer that neither Dark nor Satoshi knew ran over, her light blue robes billowing out behind her. “Excuse me,” she said in a stern tone, “but what are you doing, making such a commotion?”

 

Dark indignantly opened his mouth to try and impress his rank on her. However, the woman did not seem to be phased. Instead, she retorted, “Lord or no, you should still have some respect for others who have been hurt or are sick!” Then she took a closer look at him and blinked. “Wait a minute…you're Lady Yuki's son, aren't you?” Dark nodded silently, hoping that she would have mercy on him. “Well,” she continued her tirade, “you should have even more cause to be quiet. You want your mother to get better soon, don't you?” With that parting remark, the short woman walked off, leaving Dark gaping at her back like a fish out of water.

 

Satoshi meanwhile looked around at the rooms and the people hurrying past him. He couldn't afford to waste his time listening to Dark and the healer arguing; he needed to find someone that he knew. This was a bit of a problem because he only knew a few of the people who worked in the Bay. However, he soon spotted the green-haired girl that Dark had called Maya. He hastily ran over and tapped her on the shoulder, hoping that she wouldn't yell at him. The startled woman turned around and when she saw who it was, she smiled slightly. However, the smile soon disappeared as she took in the panicked look on the normally composed boy's face. “Why, what's the matter?” she asked, praying fervently that Daisuke hadn't died or worse.

 

“He's gone!” Satoshi blurted out. His explanation came out faster than his mouth could process the words, so the whole story came out albeit a little jumbled. Maya could, fortunately, understand what Satoshi was trying to tell her and her brown eyes opened wide in horror.

 

“Are you sure Krad took him?” She asked, trying to keep calm.

 

“Yes!” Satoshi shouted back. “I'm sure! There was ice all over the place!”

 

Maya nodded. Then she quickly rushed to a door and opened it, sticking her head in. To Satoshi's puzzlement, she closed the door and faced him looking slightly relieved. “Well, if Krad was really here, at least he didn't finish Lady Yuki off.”

 

Satoshi nodded silently, when he felt Dark's presence from behind him. He felt the other boy relax slightly in relief and turned around to face amethyst eyes. “Is my mother going to wake up soon?”

 

The green-haired woman smiled at the pair of them. “Why Dark,” she joked, her voice slightly mocking, “Don't tell me that you've been spending all your time with Daisuke!”

 

Dark's eyes opened wide in amazement. “She's…awake?” he asked in a barely audible voice. The shorter woman nodded. “…OH MY..!” Dark rushed towards the door Maya had just peeked into like a giant black and purple whirlwind, before long Satoshi and Maya could hear loud yells of delight, most likely from Dark. These were punctuated by soft murmurs, which they took to be Lady Yuki's voice. Satoshi decided to walk in and see how the woman was doing-after all, she was the only one with enough power to influence the Lords' decisions and make them realise that Krad was a sadistic, homicidal maniac who should have been thrown into prison a long time ago. Satoshi sighed to himself-he really was going crazy. He slowly pushed open the door and entered the room. To his surprise, Lady Yuki was sitting up in bed, her long blond hair in a neat but intricate braid with no signs of the giant wound she had borne just a few weeks ago. Satoshi bowed, actually filled with respect for this person.

 

Lady Yuki smiled slightly at the blue-haired boy in the doorway. If she remembered correctly, this was the boy who the young Daisuke had once called `big brother'. He'd grown up too-they all had. “It's all right, Satoshi,” she said in a comforting way. The boy looked up at her, his eyes wary. Yes, she thought to herself, he's grown up, but his eyes still hold the same look. The blue-haired boy's eyes held the same look of wariness now as they had years before. He's softened a little though, she added to herself as an afterthought. “Is there something wrong?” she asked calmly. The barely concealed storm of emotions raged unchecked in Satoshi's eyes.

 

“You didn't tell her yet, Dark?” Blue eyes turned their sharp gaze onto the purple haired teen.

 

“No,” Dark admitted sheepishly. “I didn't think she needed the shock just yet.”

 

Satoshi shrugged. “If you say so.”

 

Once again, Lady Yuki felt slightly amused. She wasn't even forty yet, and people were already treating her like one of the elderly. However, her curiosity was piqued, and she wanted to know who-or what-the two boys were discussing. If it had been anyone else other than Krad's Head of the Kitchens, she would have thought that Dark was planning on telling her about the results of his latest prank-gone-wrong. “All right,” she said dryly. “Enough talking about me as though I'm not there. As for you,” she said playfully to Dark, “I'll decide when I'm too old to bear the shock of anything that you might have to tell me. Out with it.”

 

Dark rolled his eyes and chuckled slightly. Satoshi didn't smile, or show any facial expression, but he relaxed slightly. Yuki smiled-the tension in the room was a little less now. Dark sighed and his expression became serious once more as he looked at his mother. “Daisuke's gone and Krad's alive.”

 

To everyone's surprise, Lady Yuki didn't react as badly as they thought she would. Instead, she faced the pair calmly, although her blue eyes sparked with the fire of anger. “I expected that to happen, although I must admit you two didn't do a very good job of protecting Daisuke then, did you?” Her stern tone hushed any excuses that either of the two teenagers might have made at that point. “However,” she added, “I must consider that Krad is…more…skilled in this area of…knowledge,” she murmured thoughtfully. “You two have also, in reality, done far more than is expected of you. We cannot wait for you to recover though-we must find Krad and Daisuke as soon as possible.”

 

Both boys nodded, one slightly more impatiently than the other. Satoshi had almost lived by the code, `Revenge is best served cold', although admittedly that had been used for less dire matters than this one.

 

“Lady Yuki,” Satoshi spoke out, his voice quiet but unwavering. “I suggest that we work out a plan before attacking. We should try and spy on Krad with that…scrying spell I believe it's called?” At the nods he received, he continued slightly louder, gaining confidence. “If he has blocked himself out to all magical receptivity, then I think that we may have to send out scouts and have them search the surrounding area. After we've located where he and Daisuke are, we can work out the best plan of attack.”

 

Lady Yuki nodded approvingly. There really was nothing to do except try and find Krad quickly. Dark nodded, but only reluctantly. He didn't want to think about the kinds of mental and physical torture that Daisuke might be going through right now. (Me: Big cliché!)

 

Cavern:

 

Krad smiled at his captive. Pointing one long finger at the redhead in front of him, he whispered another freezing spell that was sure to kill the boy within another day if left for too long. Well…one day was enough to get Lady Yuki and his castle back. He turned his back on the pitiful, bleeding and ice coated figure and walked out into the maze of rock that surrounded the whole area.

 

Daisuke shut his eyes tightly as he felt the ice slowly creep up his legs. He prayed silently for something, anything that would deliver him from the hands of his sadistic uncle. Just as the cold became too much to bear, a pleasant warmth suffused the whole cave. Fire burst out of nowhere and began licking at the ice, melting it into a puddle of water. Daisuke's ruby eyes widened in even more fear as the fire worked its way up towards the huge wound in his chest (which was still bleeding sluggishly). However, he stared in amazement as the fire did not burn him. Instead, it gently lapped at the edges of the wound and the redhead stared in amazement as it slowly began to close up. Kinks worked themselves out of his back, the cuts and bruises that Krad had given him the night before Dark came closed up and disappeared. In addition, the fire seemed to push new energy into Daisuke, making him able to stand up again. Thanking the deities that were watching over him, the redhead walked out into the maze, hoping to find the exit. Please stay with me for just a little longer, he prayed silently.

 

Dark sat again in the confines of his own room, frowning sadly as he went over all the memories of Daisuke. He knew that he should be grateful that people were even bothering to look for the cute redhead instead of just calling him an `expendable life', but the idea that only a few people were looking for him. Dark groaned and walked down to the library in the huge castle because there was just simply nothing to do. Satoshi would probably beat him up if he dared set foot in the kitchens when they were cooking, and besides he didn't feel like dealing with Risa right now.

 

In the library:

 

Dark grabbed another ancient, rotting volume off the dusty shelves and flipped through it absent-mindedly, looking for layouts of the whole castle. However, one particular page caught his eye; it held a picture of a supposedly secret network of underground caverns that ran under the castle and landed in the middle of those rolling hills…Dark whipped around and stared at the hills from outside the library's window. Hope rose in his heart. *Hold on Daisuke, I'm coming for you*.

 

Dark rushed through the corridors like a giant purple whirlwind, crashing through the place with no regard whatsoever for the people walking along the corridors with things such as big heavy laundry baskets in their hands. As a result, fourteen more people ended up in the Bay and a certain green-haired healer tugged at her hair in frustration.

 

Dark burst into his mother's room, ignoring the fact that she was talking to someone else. Instead of being polite and patient and waiting for his mother to finished talking, he interrupted her conversation. “Mom!” he yelled. “I think I found out where Krad is keeping Daisuke!”

 

Lady Yuki ignored the loud noise of the door as it slammed into the wall. She was trying to concentrate on what the man in front of her was saying, but his voice was so monotonous and the topic so tedious that she might have long fallen asleep had it not been for the fact that, well, she had a reputation to preserve. However, it still came as a great relief to her when her hot-blooded son had burst in through the door, and an even greater relief when he said that he'd found Daisuke. She knew that if he was left to his own devices, he would eventually come up with some new piece of information that would enable them to perhaps-just perhaps-become a step ahead of Krad. She quickly dismissed the Minister of Finance (or whatever he was called) and turned to face Dark. “Well?” she asked impatiently, “what is it?”

 

Dark waved the book around and showed her the page where he'd found all the information about the secret passages. Yuki nodded silently, processing all the information quickly and efficiently in her brain. “Fine,” she said shortly after her son had finished speaking. “Choose as many men as you need and check those passages,” Dark nodded and left, fervently hoping that Daisuke was all right.

 

In the caverns:

 

Daisuke crept around a large rock pillar, praying that Krad would not turn around and see him. If only I had a ball of thread or something, like Theseus did, he thought wistfully. Although he didn't notice it, his newfound power recognised his wishes and sent out a needle thin thread of fire that attached itself to the ice lord without his noticing anything. Daisuke then blinked as his eyes noticed a small thin line of light. Not being one to question a gift when it was given to him (well, normally anyways) Daisuke followed the thin line, hoping that it would lead him out of this hell and away from Krad. Just then, Dark's image popped up in Daisuke's mind, and he wondered whether he would ever get out of this alive. What do I feel for Dark? He wondered to himself as he walked along the paths. The crazy, purple-haired boy's face kept popping up in his mind at the oddest times. For some reason, Daisuke was worried about him. What will he say when he wakes up? Will he hate me? Will he…? Daisuke realised that he had stopped walking, and continued on his, way still lost in his thoughts. A strange idea popped into his head and Daisuke decided to put it to the test. He still remembered the strange (and embarrassing) questions Satoshi had asked him after he had asked the blue-haired boy whether he was in love with Dark or not.

 

Flashback

 

Satoshi stared through his glasses at Daisuke. “What makes you think that you are in love with Dark?”

 

Daisuke stared down at the bed sheets and fidgeted. “I…don't know if I am!”

 

The Head of the Kitchens raised one eyebrow. “I see. And you want me to figure it out for you?”

 

Daisuke nodded slightly, still feeling embarrassed. The fact that Satoshi didn't seem to be smiling or acting `normal' was also a little off-putting.

 

Satoshi noticed the glum look on Daisuke's face. “Well…” he started, unsure of what to say to his best friend and `younger brother'. “Do you feel all…giddy and stuff when you think about Dark?”

 

Daisuke thought for a moment and then nodded slightly, blushing furiously. “I don't know why!” he wailed. “I always felt like that when Risa was around, but after Dark came then the feelings just kind of left, and…and…and…” Satoshi cut him off.

 

“Next question: Do you notice odd little things about Dark that you think are completely adorable?” Daisuke stared at his friend with a blank expression on his face. Satoshi rubbed his temples: this was going to be a long talk.

 

“As in, do you think that any particular habit that Dark has is particularly…eye-catching?”

 

Again, silence. Daisuke then looked up and nodded shyly. “I…think…I think that the way he runs his fingers through his long bangs is nice,” he ventured shyly. Satoshi forced himself not to wince and ruthlessly squashed the thought that Daisuke was turning into a Dark-obsessed fangirl. “And I like the way he smiles,” Daisuke continued, still blushing madly. “It's not that evil smirk; it's that nice smile he always seems to have on whenever he's talking to me, or after we…”

 

Satoshi decided that he'd heard enough. “Okay, next question,” he said hastily. He really didn't want to hear any more about Dark and Daisuke's…activities. In fact…how had they actually managed to get to know each other that well? On second thoughts, he'd better not ask that question.

 

End Flashback

 

Daisuke smiled a little to himself at that memory, despite the gravity of the situation he was now in. He'd managed to answer all of those questions that Satoshi had asked, but now that he was looking back, only he could tell for sure. Even the blue-haired boy had warned him that he was the only one who could truly answer that question. Daisuke decided to have another one of those talks with Dark. The last time they'd tried to have one, it had been interrupted by Krad and his icicles. Right now though, he was going to focus on escaping from this place.

 

Castle entrance:

 

Dark looked around, distractedly running his long fingers through his unruly hair. His mind was focused completely on Daisuke, and he almost forgot about his surroundings until one of the men tapped him on the shoulder. “Lord Dark,” the man said, “We are ready to move.”

 

Dark blinked and stared at the soldier, forcing his mind to go back to more practical matters. “All right,” he said, trying to smile, “We will…” his mind operated on auto-pilot and without his knowing it, Dark led the scouts to the entrance of the caves.

 

In the caverns:

 

Krad swept through the long tunnels with ease. Suddenly, he felt something…tugging at him. It felt hot; the element in use was definitely fire. What…? An evil smirk tugged at the corners of the blonde's lips. So the last Niwa has learned to use his power? This will make things more interesting indeed. Sending out a thread of his own power, Krad tracked down Daisuke's location and frowned. Apparently the boy had somehow healed himself and even broken that ice spell. Well, that was a minor matter. Krad quickly snapped off the thin thread of fire hanging onto him and smirked as he heard a soft thud. Daisuke was going to suffer. He turned silently and re-traced his steps until gold met crimson. The redhead swallowed hard and shut his eyes tightly, bracing himself for pain.

 

Entrance of caverns:

 

Dark stared in dismay at the map as he rode towards the hills that it mentioned. If the map was truly accurate, there would be enough tunnels and caverns in the area to keep his team and him busy for a year or more. With a quick prayer, the determined young lord entered the cavern's mouth.

 

Dark looked around and frowned. He could swear that he'd heard a soft thump just now, but so far no one else had seemed to hear anything. He decided to go investigate the source of the noise just in case, anyway. Besides, the likelihood of a thump being commonly heard in caves was something he had yet to hear of. Telling a random soldier that he was going off on his own, Dark set off in the direction of the noise.

 

An hour later:

 

Dark glared at the stone pillars surrounding him. He'd been walking for a long time now, but nothing unusual had turned up so far. He was just about to turn around and head back towards the group, when suddenly a flash of brown on the grey floor caught his eye. The lord carefully bent down and examined it closely. With a sinking heart, he recognised it to be blood. ~Crap.~ Without thinking, Dark rushed off down the pathway, the instinct to protect a loved one strong in him.

 

Daisuke:

 

Daisuke whimpered slightly as he tried hard not to move and jolt his right arm, or anything else for that matter. Krad had somehow managed to re-open every single wound he'd suffered from within the last few days, and by some twisted whim of fate he was still conscious. He shut his eyes tightly and prayed as hard as he could. Krad's cold laughter echoed down the corridors of the caverns, bouncing off the walls and surrounding the redhead.

 

Dark:

 

Dark straightened himself from the floor, to which he had been glued to since he'd spotted the small bloodstains. They seemed to have stopped though-the last stain had been ages ago. He continued walking however, sure that there would be some kind of trail. Fifteen minutes later, he felt something…hot tugging at him. It wasn't the physical sense of hot; more like a hot kind of magic. ~Am I…~ Dark frowned; there was only one possible explanation for this kind of feeling-magical residues. Judging from the way they felt, it seemed that someone had used fire magic here quite recently. However, the purple haired teen thought that Daisuke couldn't use magic. He knew that it wasn't Krad's; unless the man was an Elemental (and therefore just short of a deity), the magic would either have to be one of the trackers' that he brought with him, or Daisuke's. Since it couldn't be the tracker…elation and hope burst through Dark's mind. Again he rushed deeper into the network of caverns, his map and team long forgotten.

 

Soldiers:

 

Heero growled in frustration as he looked around for Dark. The last he'd seen of the man was when he'd led them to this cursed place! Now he was stuck here with about fifty men with absolutely no idea of where he was and there was no map. Worst of all, the men were starting to get restless and he knew that restless soldiers were the worst to deal with. As though to confirm his assessment, Yusuke, the loudmouth of the team, yelled, “What's going on up there?!” Kuwabara, his `other half' (as Heero personally thought of it), emphasised the mood of the whole team by yelling some rather inappropriate comments and using some colourful language whilst at it. Finally, Heero reached the end of his tether and told the two soldiers to shut up. Heero then decided to let his men relax a bit, because he knew that they would probably be stuck in this cavern for a lot longer.

 

Dark:

 

Dark raced along the pathways, his cloak flaring out behind him and all pretences to silence long forgotten. All he wanted to do was find Daisuke, maybe inflict a few painful wounds on Krad if he met the man and get the hell out of here. To his relief and delight, a large opening gaped in front of him, and it seemed to be the end of the tunnel. In the middle of the floor lay Daisuke, coughing up blood weakly. Purple eyes met crimson for an instant and Daisuke slowly shut his eyes, no longer having the strength to keep them open. Dark's eyes widened in horror and he rushed over to the body on the stone floor, already chanting the strongest healing spells that he knew under his breath. To his relief, the wounds began to close up. Picking the still unconscious boy up, Dark ran towards the cave fervently praying that he wouldn't encounter Krad.

 

Krad:

 

Krad sat on a large lump of smooth rock watching Dark pick Daisuke up. The ice lord's face was completely blank and devoid of emotion. However, his mind was ticking away. He had planted a little something inside one of Daisuke's wounds that would not only poison the boy slowly over a period of time, but it would also enable him (Krad) to control Daisuke's actions whenever he wished. Best of all, Dark had sealed the little shard into Daisuke's body by healing him, so there was no way to get the thing out. Unless…well, that wasn't a method anyone would think of anyway. Krad shifted slightly, his robes rustling softly. Stage two would soon commence.

 

Dark:

 

Dark puffed and panted his way through the caverns, praying that he did not get lost in them. Daisuke shifted slightly in his arms, and the purple haired lord found himself thanking whoever was up there. Daisuke seemed to be recovering from the shock of being healed. “Dark?” Daisuke croaked out. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

 

Despite the gravity of the whole situation, Dark laughed out loud. Daisuke was better now; he was going to be all right, and when he glimpsed a small line of light, everything just got ten times better. They were going to make it out, without Krad on their tails! Laughing with exhilaration, Dark leapt towards the light-and tripped over something soft and warm.

 

“Ow, f***!” Dark looked down to see a much squashed looking soldier beneath him. The man gasped and wheezed, trying to catch his breath. Heero, on the other hand, had leapt up almost instantly as soon as he'd heard the noise that Dark was making. He now looked at the pair and covered his mouth to hide a snicker. “You know Dark, I thought you were in love with Daisuke. Isn't he enough for you?”

 

At these words, all the soldiers roared with laughter whilst Dark just smirked and got off the soldier. “No way Hee-man, you know what I'm like!” the cheeky teen responded with a wink.

 

Another man shouted out, “Hey Dark, the way you were carrying Daisuke, I would have thought that you two were about to carry him over the threshold!” More laughter greeted this statement and Daisuke buried his bright red face in his hands. Dark seemed to remember that the small redhead was next to him and swept the younger boy up. He leaned towards Daisuke and the boy blushed.

 

Daisuke stared at Dark and whispered softly, so that no one else could hear, “Aishiteru.”

 

The purple haired boy gasped. “Are…are you sure?” he whispered back, ignoring the soldiers. “I mean, you don't have to feel obliged-“

 

Daisuke cut him off. “I'm sure,” he said shyly. “I was doing some thinking in the cave, and…” he decided that actions were better than words and leaned forward to gently press his lips to Dark's.

 

Catcalls and whistles filled the air as the soldiers watched the two newly proclaimed lovers kissing. Dark responded quickly and slipped his tongue into Daisuke's mouth. Hehehehe, doesn't he taste nice? I bet you'd like to run your—Dark quickly cut his evil half off and continued to kiss Daisuke, savouring each moment. He moaned softly as the little redhead returned the favour eagerly and their tongues duelled in passion and relief. The soldiers, upon seeing that the two were not about to stop any time soon, pulled the two apart and hurried back to the castle, knowing that Krad could come after them any time soon.

Back in the castle:

 

Daisuke walked into the castle and looked around the familiar courtyard. He was barrelled into once again by Risa, who (again) collapsed into loud sobs. She clutched onto his shirt and sobbed with relief, ignoring Dark's jealous looks. Finally, the purple haired lord could stand the girl clutching HIS Daisuke like that and yanked her off the redhead. “What did I say,” he asked calmly to Risa, “about Daisuke?”

 

The brunette had absolutely no idea (or else she had already forgotten) and tears began to well up in her eyes again. Dark sighed and grabbed Daisuke, pressing his lips to the other boy's and kissing him passionately. Risa could only stare in shock as `her' beloved Dark kissed another boy, Daisuke for that matter. She could not take the shock any longer and promptly fainted into Trowa's arms. Dark lifted his mouth from Daisuke's and looked at Risa calmly. “He's mine, Harada-san,” he stated coolly. “Don't forget that.”

 

Satoshi ran out, abandoning his cool demeanour for his best friend. “Daisuke!” the normally reserved blue-haired boy shouted. “You're all right!” He swept the shorter boy up and whirled him around, almost how a young man might swirl his fiancée around. Dark again saw red, but Quatre's hand on his arm reminded him that Satoshi felt nothing for Daisuke *that* way. As soon as Satoshi was finished with chastising Daisuke and checking him over for wounds, Dark swept his boyfriend into his arms and carried him up to the castle. Much to the young couple's embarrassment, Duo, another of the soldiers, broke out into a sappy love song. The others joined in and Dark and Daisuke walked up to the castle with the song trailing behind them. For a moment, Dark knew that Daisuke was safe and with him. For a moment, everything was all right. Somehow, he and Daisuke would make it through.

 

Whew! *Authoress wipes forehead* Is that sappy ending enough? Like I said before, this isn't the last chapter, and I don't think I'll be done lol. Sorry for the false alarm. I hope you guys like this chapter, I made it extra long to make up for the absence of updates (I was caught up in schoolwork and I just had a school trip). Anyhow, shoutouts to my reviewers:

 

Dark hikari7: Thank you for your review, short and to the point lol. I'm glad you enjoy the story so much!

 

Shatterednight: Awww shucks, I'm so honoured to be the recipient of your first review! ^_^. Lol of course you would die at the cliffhangers, that's what they're for!

 

KageKitsune16: Ah my loyal reviewer (lol) I hope you like this chappie! I finally gave Daisuke and Dark a break ne? Thank you for the loads of support (I have a feeling you gave me enough to kill a team of oxen). I'm glad you liked Dark's possessiveness (`He's mine!')

 

Myinuyasha04: Hehehe, Dai-chan finally catches a break here! I even healed him and all for you! Thanks for the review!

 

Staryday: Ah another of my loyal reviewers! Thank you so much for all your support, oh never mind the weird comment, I was probably being random. Thank you!

 

FallenAngel0104: Thanks for the review, you're one of the few ppl who review at the first chapter I take it? Anyhow, thank you!

 

Anyone I didn't mention: Don't worry ppl, if you reviewed and I didn't mention you up there, I still owe you a big thank you! Thanks for all the support guys!