TITLE: Involution

AUTHOR: Macx and Lara Bee

DISCLAIMER: not mine. Definitely not! I just play with them and hope I tread on no one's toes.

Author's Voice of Warning (aka Author's Note):
English is not my first language; it's German. This is the best I can do. Any mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize g> The spell-checker said everything's okay, but you know how trustworthy those thingies are.....

ARCHIVE: yes

WARNINGS: uh… none, I guess…

TYPE: yaoi

RATING: R

PAIRING: Daisuke/Satoshi (beginnings of Dark/Krad)

FEEDBACK: empty inbox seeks emails g>

Autumn had smoothly gone over into winter, bringing with it a drop in temperatures, snow, ice and coldness that permeated everything and everyone the moment one stepped out the door. The first snow had been something to watch in wonder and joy, from within warm and comfy houses, but the more it snowed, the less joyful it was. People had to get to work and fought through snow drifts, across icy roads, and along congested highway. Those sensible enough to go by bus or train were feeling more and more like sardines.
Niwa Daisuke had taken the snow and colder weather as a sign to finally bring out the skiing gear, call his friends and spend a well-deserved week away in the mountains to unwind. His lover and best friend had declined. Hikari Satoshi had work piling up left and right, and with Daisuke gone, the house would be a quieter place. Not that his lover was loud, but with him around, there was life. Life distracted now and then, and while Satoshi couldn't think of ever being without the other man, he needed the stillness right now. He also wasn't into skiing that much.
So Daisuke had gone off to have fun and Satoshi did his best to keep on top of the demanding job he had accepted. Actually, he didn't really have to work. Family money took care of his needs, but sitting on his butt the whole day had never been his kind of life. So he had called upon his police experience, his training, and had started to freelance in the security business. Offers had been slow and hesitant, but the day he had proven he knew what he was talking about, that he lived up to his promises, he had been flooded. Suddenly his young age didn't matter any more. Only his experience.
And Satoshi had a lot of it.
He worked with the already present systems of his clients – mostly museum, he mused with a smile – and improved them without selling them high tech to astronomic prices. It worked. It brought in money. And it was fun.
What hadn't been fun was the apparently declining relationship between Dark and Krad. Ever since the episode with the Unity artwork, Krad had pulled back, away from his other half, mostly incommunicado. He curled up inside Satoshi, silent, only talking to his host when necessary. Sometimes Satoshi wondered if he was even there. Where Dark spent some time outside Daisuke, Krad refused to be anywhere where the kaitou was, let alone separate. Satoshi accepted it, though he was growing more and more worried. He didn't want his partner back to square one where Dark was concerned, but at the moment they were pretty close to it.
--Don't you think you should give him a chance?-- he asked as he waited for the microwave to announce dinner was ready.
Krad seemed to sigh. --It's not that easy, Sato--
--It is--
On the mind-plane, golden eyes shot him an annoyed look.
--I did the same, Krad. I gave you another chance--
--That's… not the same-- Krad murmured, shifting uneasily.
--Oh, it is-- Satoshi took out the dinner and walked into the living room. --Very much so. Krad… he's trying. You're being stubborn--
--No, I'm just careful. I don't know how to trust him any more…--
Satoshi looked inward, meeting the inhuman eyes with a calm smile. --What do your instincts say?--
--They were wrong the last time!--
--No, they weren't. You two are so much alike, but there are still differences. You want to trust him, have him as your ally, but he made a mistake. Dark is trying to remedy that mistake, but you're not helping. You're making it a lot harder--
Krad grumbled and curled up, turning his back on his host. Satoshi grinned.
Well, they would have to talk about this in earnest. Soon.
After this last job which he had to run by the end of the week.

Satoshi yawned and walked into the kitchen, glancing out the window. It had snowed heavily last night and forecasts spoke of even more snow. There was talk of storms, too. He sighed.
Great. He had to be in the city the day after tomorrow and he really didn't look forward to battling his way through mother nature.
He coughed, sniffling a little, grimacing.
Wonderful.
Oh well, it couldn't be helped. He had a presentation to make and he better get started on it.
With freshly brewed coffee, some toast and a carton of orange juice, Satoshi went into his office, powered up the computer, and set to work.

Krad cast a worried look at his host, wincing as the rough coughing that had started a few minutes ago continued until Satoshi was breathing hard enough to have run a marathon. The cough was almost spasmodic and the young man had his eyes screwed shut, leaning against the wall, trying to collect himself.
--Satoshi-- he called softly.
--What?-- came the uneven reply.
--Maybe you should call off the meeting? You are sick...--
--I'm fine--
--Satoshi...--
--I said I'm fine! It's important I go there, so stop nagging--
Krad frowned. --I'm not nagging. I'm just stating that you've never been this sick before--
Anger coursed through his host. --How would you know?-- Satoshi snapped, pushing away from the wall. --You never cared one bit about my health before!--
The demon almost physically stumbled back, staring at the representation of his partner in their shared mind.
--I always cared-- he murmured.
--Yeah, right!--
There was acid in his Tamer's voice. Acid and loathing and a kind of irregularity that wasn't like Satoshi at all. The virus and fever were already influencing him.
Satoshi turned away, removing himself from the contact and clearly stating that he wanted to be left alone. Krad watched him, alarm coursing through him once more as Satoshi started coughing again. For four days now Hikari had shown symptoms of a cold, but he shrugged them off. He had never been sick in his life; at least he had never suffered from a cold. He got the sniffles for two days, that was it. Because of it he hadn't been very worried when he had felt the sore throat or the swallowing problems. When the coughs had grown more persistent, he had just taken a few herbal remedies and ignored the rest.
By then Krad had begun to worry.
His host was deteriorating and the meeting he was going to could be postponed. Still, Satoshi insisted. Aside from a full take-over, there was nothing Krad could do. He wouldn't overpower his Tamer, though. Satoshi trusted him and he honored that trust. The demon continued to watch as his friend changed into warmer clothes, pulled on his jacket and left the house, braving the icy cold weather and the steady snow. The winds had picked up and it was definitely not a climate to be outside while having a cold.
But Krad kept his silence.

Satoshi had managed the meeting somehow. With the help of paracetamol and an iron willpower. Now, after he had left the building and was making his way to the bus station, his head started to pound again, his nose was constricted, his throat was sore and felt swollen, and his limbs were heavier than he could ever remember. Waiting for the bus, he buried deep into his coat, shivering from more than the physical cold. He was miserable. Very, very miserable.
The bus deposited him a few streets down from his house and he walked through the snow sloshing around his ankles, nose buried in his coat, eyes on the pavement. A wave of dizziness hit and he had to lean against a house, eyes screwed shut, breathing hard.
Shit.
He didn't feel good.
Not good at all.
"Krad," he whispered desperately as the world did a merry dance to the pounding in his head.
--Yes?--
Satoshi winced as even the mind-to-mind communication hurt. His vision was swimming.
--Don't feel good-- he sent fuzzily. --Need your help--
His knees wobbled and he couldn't stop himself from sinking into the cold snow.
--Satoshi!--
He groaned softly, the world shrinking down quickly. --Krad...-- he whispered. It sounded like a prayer, a plea, then everything just fell away.

Krad reacted almost by instinct, materializing outside his host's unconscious body, pulling the unresponsive form out of the snow. Satoshi was hot to the touch, burning, and shivers wreaked his slender form.
"Sato..." Krad murmured, hoisting him easily up as he rose.
Wings exploded from his back, as white as the snow whirling all around him. He didn't care about the cold, the wind, the snow and treacherous footing. He wrapped the wings protectively around his friend and quickly pushed his way through the rising storm. Their home wasn't far from where Satoshi had collapsed and he made it within minutes.