D. N. Angel Fan Fiction ❯ When Doves Cry ❯ Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Truce!

 

Disclaimer: DN Angel = not mine. If you think that it's mine, you have another think coming.

 

A/N: I'm back from Canada, so hopefully things will start to pick up from here. However, school starts in five days and since exams are coming up…yeah. But I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter just as much as the others, and thanks for all the support.

 

Silence filled the room. Satoshi shut his eyes and turned his back on Daisuke and Dark, unable to look at either one of them. Inside, his heart was shattering into a thousand pieces but his face remained as expressionless as rock. “Krad, we're leaving.” He walked to the door without so much as a glance at either Dark or Daisuke. “Thank you for your offer of a stay, Dark, but I think Krad and I have overstayed our welcome.” Without another word, he opened the door and let himself out of the apartment.

 

Krad looked reproachfully at Dark and Daisuke, his golden eyes flat and cold. “You really couldn't stop yourselves, could you?” he snarled at the guilty pair before gliding out the door after his tamer.

 

Dark looked out the door and sighed, getting up and looking for his shirt. Daisuke sat on the couch, the full ramifications of what he had just done crashing down on him. Slowly, he got up and without thinking about what he was doing, he headed out the door with only a foggy notion of apologizing to Satoshi and trying to fix things. The thief however caught his arm and shook his head, indicating that he should probably let Satoshi cool off a little first. The redhead stood for a moment before sighing and sitting down on the sofa, burying his face in his hands. “Why?” he sighed out, not really directing the question at anyone in particular. Yeah, he repeated the question to himself silently, why? Why did I cheat on Satoshi when I knew that what he did was just because of the alcohol? And just why did I cheat on him with Dark, of all people? It was true that he had once harboured feelings for the thief, but that had just been a childhood crush, nothing more. Now, though…Daisuke wasn't quite sure what to think any more. On one hand, he loved Satoshi still, even if he hadn't been showing it. On the other hand, he didn't want to leave Dark; losing the kaitou once had been bad enough.

 

Dark looked at Daisuke, amethyst eyes filled with pity. He knew that he shouldn't have given in to Daisuke's request but something inside him had just snapped and he'd found himself kissing Daisuke. Then, of course, the detective had walked in. All right, so he hadn't actually meant to kiss Daisuke or anything of the sort, but it had still happened. Dark sighed and turned around to face the redhead. “Come on, Daisuke,” he told the younger man kindly. “Let's go to bed.” Daisuke's head jerked up and the man slowly nodded. Dark smiled slightly. “I'll show you the guest room.”

 

Daisuke stared numbly at the ceiling, red eyes wide open in the darkness. Sighing to himself for what seemed like the umpteenth time, he mulled over events. He knew that his relationship with Satoshi was close to becoming non-existent after that incident with Dark. Yeah well, he thought slightly rebelliously, if he hadn't beaten the living shyte out of me, I would have never run away in the first place! Of course, that thought was soon quashed by the memory of the purple-haired man and his…advances. Well, all right, so Daisuke had encouraged him a little and even begged for more. Still though…well, Daisuke thought to himself, I owe Satoshi an apology at least. He remembered the way Satoshi sounded when he'd decided to leave. His detective's voice had been cold and lifeless, just like the way it had been before Daisuke had managed to draw him out of his shell a little. That voice had scared him. With a determined look at the ceiling, Daisuke promised himself that he would apologise to Satoshi and do everything in his power to mend their broken marriage. With that thought in his mind, the redhead fell into a restless slumber.

 

Dark lay in his bed, his eyes glazed over. He wanted Daisuke so badly for himself, yet he knew that the redhead belonged to someone else. He knew that he shouldn't be playing with his love's feelings if he really did love him, but at the same time he couldn't keep himself from doing so. As for Krad…he sensed that the blond genuinely wanted to help, even if he didn't show anything. He could hear the ring of truth in Krad's voice when he told him that he didn't expect any benefits out of helping Satoshi. Dark knew that it was wrong to want another's property-especially another man's love-but he couldn't help it. All his life he'd been a thief, taking others' possessions. Isn't that so, he thought mockingly. Isn't that just peachy? Dark tossed in bed, unable to get his thoughts to stop.

 

Satoshi and Krad:

 

Satoshi lay awake in bed, his heart aching painfully. Why? He thought. Why? Why are we, the Hikari, destined to lose what we value most for eternity? He couldn't sleep because every time he shut his eyes, the image of Dark and Daisuke together would appear, searing into his mind's eye and refusing to disappear. The blue-eyed man shut his eyes as he felt an all too familiar prickly wetness in his eyes. I won't cry, he told himself. I haven't cried since I was seven, and I'm not going to start now. He shifted, his heart aching more than ever. That damn thief, he thought angrily. Isn't it enough that he's stolen much of the Hikari artworks? Isn't it enough? Isn't it? Satoshi shut his eyes, willing himself to sleep, but the image of Daisuke and Dark together remained present as though it had been branded into his mind and on the insides of his eyelids. He felt hot tears make their way down his face and angrily dashed the water droplets away, his eyes filled with pain. The azure orbs settled on Krad and Satoshi was forced to smile ironically as he realized that now, he and Krad were actually on the same side. How ironic.

 

Krad did not need to sleep, the reason being that he'd slept enough for four lifetimes whilst sealed away. His golden eyes rested on his tamer, shuddering with the pain flowing through him. Not being able to bear seeing Satoshi in any type of pain for long, Krad rose from his chair and glided over to the bed, gently sitting on it next to Satoshi's body. “Satoshi-sama,” he whispered softly. He reached out to stroke the man's hair gently, making soothing noises as he did so. “It's all right, everything will be fine…” Seeing that this was of no avail, the blond angel gently pulled Satoshi's upper half up from the bed and hugged him like a father would do to a small child. “Don't worry, everything will turn out fine,” he cooed softly. Satoshi continued to shudder, trying to suppress the sobs threatening to come out.

 

“It's not going to be fine,” the blue-haired detective sobbed. “It's not!”

 

Krad sighed and gently pressed his other half's body closer. “It will be.” He sat for a moment in silence and then added, “Daisuke did not know what he was doing, it was his pain driving him.” No response from the Hikari. Krad sighed. “Satoshi-sama, pain causes us to do things that we would never normally do.”

 

“Krad, it's not that! It's that…it's that Daisuke was enjoying it! He was enjoying what that…that thief did to him!”

 

“I don't deny that, but I think it was because he was trying to forget. Have you forgotten what you did when you were hurting?”

 

Of course. Satoshi bitterly remembered that he had turned to drink and started taking out all his frustration on Daisuke, which was what had caused this whole mess in the first place. “Come now, Satoshi-sama,” coaxed Krad, “I am not trying to make you relive old memories, but you must remember, for both his sake and yours. If you are to sort this mess out, you will each have to forgive the other. That is what a relationship is, is it not? A mutual give-and-take. That is the whole meaning of a relationship. Love is something that must be given freely, true, but for it to bind a relationship it must be strengthened by both parties. Do you understand?” God, Krad thought, I sound like some worthless two-bit marriage counsellor or something. He suppressed a wry smile, knowing that Satoshi would probably have a heart attack if he saw the look on his face at the moment. Just then, the detective chose to look up.

 

“Krad?” The angel looked at his charge and smiled slightly, nodding in response to the younger one's silent question.

 

“What makes you so confident?” Satoshi wondered just why Krad was suddenly so optimistic-it had never been in the blond's nature to act so.

 

“I think…I think Daisuke's thinking now. Well, Dark is at least. So if your…husband…tries anything…inappropriate…he won't be supported wholeheartedly. Of course, knowing the thief, he'll probably give in anyway. Gods know how strong-willed he is.”

 

Satoshi pondered the answer silently, and then looked at Krad. “Yeah, but do you think Daisuke will actually try again?” It hurt him to say the words, but he forced himself to ask the question as coldly as possible.

 

Krad shrugged and the blue-haired detective felt the angel shift. “Who knows?” Satoshi wasn't satisfied with the answer, but he knew that Krad probably didn't know any better than he did.

 

“What made you change? You would have molested me by now, when I was younger.” Satoshi smiled wryly, thinking to himself, That makes me seem like I've aged.

 

Krad blinked, caught off-guard by the question. “I'm sorry?” He pretended not to have heard the question in order to buy time; something that he hadn't done for a long time.

 

“You heard me.”

 

Krad hesitated. “I don't know,” he said finally. “The words of the Essence (1) made me think, and the way he said them just seemed to persuade me.” He knew that it was the wishy-washiest speech that he had ever made, but it just sounded right. Satoshi knew what he meant, though, and that was all that mattered. The blue-eyed man nodded silently and then relaxed into Krad's hug, arms wrapping around the other man.

 

“Thanks,” Satoshi whispered. Krad nodded, enjoying what might turn out to be the last time he would ever hold his tamer.

 

Wednesday morning:

 

Daisuke rolled over to the other side of the bed, groping around for the clock on the nightstand. Frowning in the darkness, he pressed the `Glow' button and the screen lit up. The numbers flashed out at him: 9:28am. Daisuke blinked for a while and then carefully pushed one of the curtains back to look out of the window. The sky was completely dark and raindrops sat on the window, dripping occasionally. Daisuke sighed and slowly rolled out of bed, looking around for the clothes that he'd worn the previous day. Finding his clothes, he quickly changed and made the bed-a habit picked up in university. He walked downstairs and grabbing a pen from the bunch near the phone, he hastily scribbled a note to Dark and left.

 

Satoshi:

 

Satoshi woke up to find himself still resting lightly on Krad. He felt an immediate stab of guilt when he realized that he was leaning on Krad almost affectionately. At first, he was angry as he remembered how Daisuke betrayed him, but at the same time he knew that it had been the pain speaking. Just like Krad said. He sighed and waited for his blood pressure to return to `normal', enjoying the warmth around him. He had just recovered from his foggy state when a knock sounded at the door. With a groan, Satoshi tried to heave himself up but couldn't, due to Krad's arms around him.

 

“Krad,” the detective whispered softly. “Krad!” The blond man jerked upwards, wide-awake. Satoshi nodded in the general direction of the door. Krad hastily disentangled himself from his love's body and quickly stood up, brushing his clothes off and trying to smooth out some of the newly acquired wrinkles. Satoshi, on the other hand, walked to the door dressed only in his nightclothes.

 

“Yes?” Satoshi struggled to remain calm at the sight of Daisuke; part of him wanted to shout at the other man for cheating on him with Dark and yet the other part of him wanted to just lean forward and hug the redhead.

 

“Ah…” Daisuke shuffled a little; a habit he had never entirely managed to get rid of. “Sato…” Satoshi felt like bursting into tears at the sound of his familiar nickname. “I'm sorry.” Daisuke paused a moment before continuing with obvious effort. “I'm sorry for everything that I've done to hurt you, and I understand if you want to file for a divorce.” He smiled weakly and Satoshi felt tears well up in his eyes. “I…I guess we weren't meant for this kind of thing. But I'm sorry, Satoshi. I'm so sorry.” Daisuke bowed his head now, unable to look at his husband's face.

 

Satoshi slowly reached a hand out to cup Daisuke's chin, forcing the shorter one to look him in the eye. “Daisuke,” he said firmly, “why don't you come in, and then we can talk this over.”

 

Inside the house, Daisuke looked around. He looked at the sofa, remembering how he had just been sitting there one night and Satoshi had stumbled in, blinded by alcohol and suffering. He slowly seated himself next to Satoshi, not knowing what the man would say. Krad had mercifully made himself absent, giving the two their space. “Sato…”

 

“Hush.” Daisuke made another effort to speak, but was stopped by Satoshi's hand on his mouth. “Just listen to what I have to say, please.” Satoshi made sure that Daisuke understood him, and then took a deep breath. “I'm sorry for all the times I came home late, drunk or both. I'm sorry for all the times I've beaten you up. I'm sorry for being unable to listen to your side of the story, and I'm sorry for all the times that I've ever given you cause to doubt my love. I…” Satoshi stopped to breathe deeply. “I don't want to divorce. I want…I want to try again.” Satoshi looked at Daisuke's face, trying to find any sign of emotion, trying desperately to find something on which to cling to. To his relief and gratitude, Daisuke slowly smiled and leaned forward to kiss Satoshi. Each let his relief and love pour into the gesture, keeping the kiss chaste.

 

Slowly the two pulled apart, each of them almost overwhelmed by the feeling of relief and love coursing through them. Daisuke slowly looked at Satoshi and leaned forward again, needing the physical contact more than anything else. Daisuke shut his eyes and rested his head lightly on Satoshi's shoulder, enjoying the feeling of being whole again. He felt lighter, easier and more whole than for the last few days. Although Dark had somewhat erased the feeling of missing Satoshi, his love for the persistent detective hadn't been completely replaced by the art thief. Slowly, he opened his mouth and began to explain to Satoshi the events that had transpired between him and Dark since he had run out of the house that night. This time, there were discussions; an exchange of ideas as opposed to arguments. Inevitably, the conversation turned to Dark and Krad. The two talked late into the night, discussing possible outcomes for the two magical beings' fates.

 

Dark:

 

Dark groaned and threw a hand over his eyes, trying to shield them from the light that was coming in through the doorway of his room. Seeing that the source of irritation would not leave any time soon, he groggily sat up in bed. Sleep-fogged purple eyes met gold and Dark immediately shot awake. “Krad!” He groped around on the night table, blindly searching for something to throw. He grasped something long and firm and threw it at the angel. The lamp sailed gracefully through the air and Krad just as gracefully reached out to catch it, saving the hapless object from further damage.

 

“You shouldn't do that again,” Krad commented idly as he checked the lamp for scratches. He walked over to the night table and replaced the light in its rightful place, next to the kaitou's head. Much to the violet-haired man's dismay, the blond seated himself in the black desk chair-his black desk chair-and seemed to be quite comfortable there. Dark hastily pulled the sheets around himself more tightly, trying not to let Krad see that he wasn't wearing very much.

 

“What do you want?” Purple eyes glared at golden orbs. “Don't you have people's lives to ruin?”

 

“Why ruin others', when I can ruin yours?” Krad smiled innocently enough and it was enough to make Dark shiver. He didn't like the way Krad had smiled, simply because it was unknown territory. He didn't think the guy had smiled since he was born. Sure, there was the psycho smile he wore just before wreaking havoc and (usually) trying to kill him but that didn't really count, because he was used to seeing it. Dark cautiously sat up in bed, senses alert and hoping that Krad decided not to throw something at him. He didn't like being confronted in his own house, especially when he was still lying in bed and not wearing very much. He sighed again and decided to get dressed.

 

“Get out,” Dark groaned as he huddled under the sheets.

 

“Why?” To the thief's chagrin and dismay, Krad crossed over to the small bureau and examined the CD case holder, raising an elegant eyebrow as he did so. “I hear GreenDay is rather popular nowadays,” he nonchalantly commented. Dark shifted to face Krad, his eyes glaring.

 

“Krad, as sexy and alluring as I am, I don't think you would like to be around examining my CDs whilst I change.” Dark prayed fervently that Krad would act normally and just disappear from the room automatically. To his dismay, the other man didn't leave. However, he did snort in derision at the thief's words.

 

“I don't wish to be blinded by you, Mousy. Why do you think I'm looking at the music you have? You can prance around in here naked if you wish, but don't expect me to join in.” Dark's eyes widened at the words. What the hell?

 

“Well now, who pulled the stick outta your ass?” the thief asked casually. He was surprised at Krad's seemingly indifferent attitude and then he wondered why the man was even here.

 

Dark contemplated the many ways he could get into the bathroom to change without having Krad looking at him, because now he really wanted to cross-examine his former archenemy and that simply could not be done when one was lying half-naked in bed. He slowly sat up in bed and yanked the tangled sheets around himself into a sort of makeshift toga. With as much dignity as he could muster, Dark marched to the bathroom wrapped in the blanket and trying to ignore the soft snickers from Krad. Luckily for the thief, he always hung up his next day's clothes in the bathroom, ready for him to wear once he finished showering.

 

Fifteen minutes later, Dark walked out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam and damp warmth, now wide awake. He walked into the living area carefully, just in case Krad decided to throw something at him from around the corner. It was exactly the type of thing he would do, Dark reflected dryly. To his surprise, he found his antagonist standing by the large window, leaning lightly on the glass. His back was turned to the thief, but Dark could see from the reflection that the man was thinking. Outside, the sun was halfway up in the sky, casting rays of light across the whole city. Dark yawned and decided to prepare breakfast. “Oi, bastard, you want breakfast?”

 

Krad let the insult slip but heard the rest of Dark's question. Before, he never had to eat to sustain himself because his host performed the `task' of chewing the food and then swallowing it. Krad had not really tasted food since he'd been sealed up three hundred years ago. As a result, the first thing he had done upon his return to the `human world' had been to go to the nearest restaurant and order some food. To his dismay, he didn't have very much idea of what the food was like nowadays, considering how frugally most of the Hikari ate. He finally shut his eyes and pointed, ending up with a steak au poivre et des pommes frites (pepper steak with French fries), which turned out to be remarkably good. He'd finished the entire plate of food, savouring each bite and the rich flavours that bombarded his senses, golden eyes closed in bliss and almost purring like a cat. As a result, one of his favourite pastimes was to eat and savour the feeling of food going down his throat.

 

“Of course…baka.” Krad blinked as the words slipped out of his mouth naturally and easily, and he almost winced as he realized that they sounded like some kind of...of married couple! He cringed at the thought and then shot a glance at Dark, only to meet amethyst eyes sparkling with mischief.

 

“I can see inside your head…” Dark sang as he leaned closer to Krad. Krad leaned away and gave the thief a look withering enough to make the Devil himself whimper. Dark, to his credit, did not flinch but merely backed off. An evil thought came into Krad's head and he decided to act upon the impulse. Being around humans had changed him quite a bit and without warning, he poked at Dark's chin, causing the thief to look down. To his delight, the purple-haired boy did just that and Krad quickly flicked his hand upwards, successfully whacking Dark in the nose. He smirked at the sore thief and sauntered off casually to the kitchen.

 

Whoa…that's scary, occupied the main part of Dark's thoughts as he hurried after Krad to stop the psychotic man from burning his kitchen down. To his surprise, he found Krad carefully leaning over the frying pan, his eyes wide like a child's.

 

Satoshi and Daisuke:

 

Daisuke leaned back with a soft sigh, smiling. He reveled in the familiar warmth of Satoshi around him and shut his eyes in bliss. Satoshi, on the other hand, ran his fingers through the red locks and marveled at the beauty of Daisuke. He was amazed by the way the other man seemed to look so ethereal when in bliss and resolved to keep that expression on Daisuke's face. He allowed himself a trip down memory lane and smiled when he remember how awkward it had been for both of them to confess to each other. He had Takeshi to thank for the incentive to do that, and the detective winced as he remembered just how much alcohol he had consumed in that one night. This brought him back to the more recent alcohol-related incidents and he shook his head to clear it of the thought.

 

“Sato?” Daisuke spoke drowsily.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Where's Krad? He's usually around you.”

 

“I don't know,” Satoshi replied. “He left before our little talk started, I think.”

 

Daisuke was silent for a while. Then, “Wonder if he went to Dark?” The two stared at each other and then burst out laughing at the mere thought of such a thing ever happening. Macbeth would probably be called a comedy before Krad would ever go within a ten-mile radius of the area. Satoshi could just imagine the scene-Krad throwing random objects at Dark whilst the thief dodged around making inappropriate comments. There was suddenly a ring of the doorbell and Dark's voice sounded way too cheerful, even through the thick wooden door.

 

“Lovebirds, are you done in there yet? Are you decent?” Daisuke winced and flushed at the comment, wondering just how Dark could ask that kind of question whilst in broad daylight, standing outside their door. Mrs. Smith would certainly have a good chuckle to herself behind those lacy white curtains that were forever drawn.

 

Satoshi slowly pushed Daisuke off his shoulder and with a reluctant moan shuffled towards the door. An evil thought blossomed in his mind and he decided to get back at Dark for that remark. Leaning close to the door, he gave a particularly load moan. “Oh…uh…ah…” This time, a knock sounded at the door and Satoshi hastily put a finger to his lips, warning Daisuke not to say anything. The blue-haired detective continued to moan and with an evil smirk at Daisuke, he began to gently bump against the door. “Ah…yeah…” he gasped. “Right there…ah…oh!” Daisuke noticed that the person on the other side of the door was now completely silent and could only watch in shock as Satoshi continued to make noises and thump against the door.

 

Dark and Krad:

 

Dark jerked back from the door as though he'd been burned after hearing the noises made by Satoshi. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Krad, a silent question hovering in his eyes. Then a devilish glint shone in his eyes and the thief leaned in closer again. Two could play at that game. He offhandedly remarked to Krad, “Don't you think that scene's hot?”

 

The thumping stopped and was shortly followed by a shriek from Daisuke. The door was immediately flung open and Dark laughed when he saw the mortified look upon both men's faces. Krad, on the other hand, looked highly disapproving and frowned at the madly cackling thief. “Don't pull me into this, you idiot.”

 

“Oh, but you loved it! Don't deny it; I know you did…” Dark smiled sweetly at the other man, irritating him more.

“Shut it,” Krad retorted. “Now, why did we come here?”

 

“Because…ah! There you are!” Dark rushed past Satoshi and swept Daisuke up in a hug. “Geez, do you know how worried I was about you this morning? I was looking all over for you!” Krad rolled his eyes as Daisuke slowly began to turn blue from lack of oxygen.

“Don't mind him,” Krad told Daisuke calmly. “He didn't give a crap about you. He was too busy throwing things at me.” Daisuke didn't bother replying; he was too busy fighting for breath.

 

“Let go of him, Dark. You're killing him.” Satoshi's voice sounded cool and commanding, although there was a hint of something else underneath, something like fear and warning. Dark heard this and released Daisuke, holding up his hands in surrender.

 

“Don't worry, Commander! I won't try anything again, I promise!” Dark saluted Satoshi mockingly, purple eyes glinting mischievously. Satoshi sighed and Krad calmly thumped Dark, his golden eyes holding a shadow of sympathy for his Tamer.

 

“Dark, behave!” Daisuke scolded. “He means it!”

 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever…” The thief waved off the scolding and then looked around as though seeing the apartment properly for the first time. “Nice place,” he commented.

 

“We try,” Satoshi dryly returned. Then Daisuke, who had been quiet all through this time, gently interrupted.

 

“Dark, why are you here then?”

 

“Well, you see, Kraddie-kins here—“

 

“Shut up thief—“

 

“—ate me out of house and home, so here we are!”

 

Both younger men stared in shock at the angel. He didn't look as though he was capable of eating Dark out of house and home. Satoshi blinked, especially surprised because he'd lived with Krad for so long. Krad rolled his eyes calmly, despite the fact that he felt just a little bit…well…guilty for eating so much.

 

“Well,” Daisuke finally said, “at least he appreciates your cooking skills, Dark.”

 

Dark's eyes widened comically and made a few choking noises. Daisuke continued, blissfully unaware of the amethyst-eyed man. Suddenly, a loud banging sounded from the other side of the door (which Satoshi had closed after recovering from the shock of Krad's being able to eat large quantities of food). Frowning, Daisuke walked over to the door, followed by Satoshi. “Who's there?” the gentle redhead questioned. The banging continued. Suddenly, the door was flung open and Takeshi rushed in, his dark eyes ablaze. They ignored Dark and Krad, and came to rest on Daisuke.

 

“Daisuke! Kenji called and told me to come home quickly, but they'd only let me come back today! I'm so sorry about what happened, are you—“ He stopped upon seeing Satoshi.

 

“What the hell are you doing here?” he snarled. “I heard what you did. You son of a—“ This expletive was mercifully left uncompleted as Daisuke stepped forward and laid a hand on the distraught photographer's arm.

 

“Don't worry about it,” he said calmly. “We sorted things out.”

 

Silence. Takeshi relaxed visibly, but his eyes still rested on Satoshi's. The detective looked back calmly, although there was still a hint of guilt in his eyes. The reporter now sighed and slowly moved Daisuke's hand off his arm. Then he turned to face the redhead, his expression serious. “Fine,” he said after what seemed like an eternity. “But,” his expression hardened, “you have to promise to tell me if anything like that happens again.” With those words, he left just as quickly as he'd arrived.

 

Daisuke stood still, eyes wide. It was Dark who brought him back down to earth with an audible thump. “Looks like you'll always have someone looking out for you, eh Daisuke?” He smiled ruefully, considering whether to tell Daisuke just what he'd realized about Takeshi. With a quick shrug of the thief's shoulders, the thought was off his mind. It wasn't as though the reporter would keep his promise; he'd already proved that when he and Daisuke had been fourteen, all those years ago.

 

It was Satoshi who finally made a comment. “I promise that I will never give you cause to run again. I promise.” He looked solemnly at Daisuke, blue eyes deep and serious. Daisuke nodded, feeling a lump in his throat.

 

“Aw,” Dark sarcastically remarked. “Now that you've finished, can we have our breakfast please? That would be wonderful.” At this comment, everyone laughed and the mood was lightened.

 

At the café:

 

Everyone stared at Krad in total shock. The blond man had gone through three plates of pancakes, eggs, bacon and fried potato thanks to the restaurant's buffet. Dark himself had only polished off two plates before calling it quits, Satoshi and Daisuke quite content to have only one. Dark finally mustered up the courage and whispered, “Krad…how can you eat that much?”

 

The blond man stared at him as though the answer to the question was so blatantly obvious. “I'm actually enjoying the ability to eat, Mousy. It would help if you didn't interrupt.” With this curt reply, he continued to enjoy his food. Daisuke suddenly realized why, and then laughed.

 

“The answer is obvious, Dark, I've just realized that.” Daisuke continued to laugh softly, whilst Satoshi and Dark looked at him as though he'd completely lost his mind. “It's because he hasn't eaten anything like normal food since the invention of dried instant foods!” Stunned silence. “Oh, don't you get it?” Daisuke impatiently asked, “It's because the Hikari live so frugally! They never eat properly, and they're always living off bread and instant noodles!”

 

“What are you implying, Dai?” Satoshi asked briskly.

 

“I'm implying that you never ate anything cooked and that's why Krad's enjoying himself so much!”

 

“Why you…” Without further ado, Satoshi pulled a stack of bills out of his pocket and slapped them on the table. “That's our half of the meal, you pay the other half. See you sometime.” He scooped the tiny redhead up in his arms and carried him out of the restaurant bridal-style, ignoring the stares that he garnered. Right now, both men were glad that they had finally resolved the conflict between them.

 

Café:

 

Dark and Krad watched their tamers leave, both inwardly smiling. Both sneaked glances at the other, wondering. If they can do it, why can't we? Krad paused in his eating and without any words, extended his right hand towards Dark. The thief looked at it a little warily and then slowly took it. The pair shook hands over the table and then returned to their former positions i.e. eating and daydreaming. No words were needed-despite their long history of hatred, it was clear that a new bond was being forged whilst the old one was slowly cracking and shattering.

 

The End…or is it?

 

Ah, I'm done. I really did expect that this story would be a bit longer, you know, but I guess things just didn't work out that way. I put Takeshi in, just to show that he still cares for Daisuke (you can guess Dark's realization yourselves) and because I wanted to show that people other than Dark, Satoshi (and Krad?) care somewhat for our dear little Dai-chan (lmao). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this story. I deliberately left an open ending because I think that this story deserves a last bit of ambiguity just to round things off. Will Dark and Krad eventually resolve their conflict? Perhaps. Will Daisuke and Satoshi learn anything from this experience? Definitely. Thank you to everyone for all the reviews that I have received, and more of these lovely things would be appreciated. Thanks for all your support, and review please!