A/N: This is the first chapter of my new DokuKou fanfic. It will get more exciting as time goes on. Enjoy! ^^

Late as it was, Dokugakuji paced his room, hands stuffed into his pockets, annoyed because he couldn't sleep. Annoyed because he knew the reason why he couldn't sleep and he couldn't change it. Annoyed because that reason he couldn't sleep was because he kept thinking about Kougaiji. Now, thinking about the prince wasn't all that uncommon among the guards and servants -he was their prince after all- but it was more about the way Doku was thinking about him. Not as a prince or a friend, but as… something more. Or course, Kougaiji was only his friend and prince, but that didn't stop him from wishing he was something more, that they were closer. He'd been being haunted by these thoughts for a while, and now it was even starting to interfere with his sleeping. This really wasn't good. He wished he could erase these thoughts as soon as they appeared in his mind, but no matter what he did, they stayed. With a loud sigh, the demon thrust his hands into his pockets and headed for the door. Perhaps a walk would help clear his mind.

Footsteps echoed down the silent halls of Houtou castle where Kougaiji walked slowly. It was a little after three in the morning, but the prince couldn't sleep. In fact, he'd been having trouble sleeping for quite some time now, and nothing seemed to help. Coming to a window, he gazed out into the star-filled night. He'd always loved the stars. He remembered one night, long ago when he was little, his mother had taken him for a walk in the moon-lit gardens. She'd taken his hand and told him about the different constellations, and how there was a whole other world out there, far away, beyond sight. It was a memory Kougaiji would never forget. He would always cherish it and keep it close to his heart. His mother. Kougaiji missed her so much, though he tried to keep those feelings hidden. He couldn't afford to look weak.

"Hey, Kou!" Startled out of his memories, the prince turned around and stepped right into someone. "Dokugakuji… what are you doing here?" he asked, stepping backwards and looking up into the face of his bodyguard.

"Oh nothing, just taking a walk," replied Dokugakuji, smiling just a bit too cheerfully. Drat. He'd wanted to escape his thoughts of Kougaiji, so running into him now didn't exactly help. Especially when the prince was wearing nothing more than a pair of jeans.

"It's the middle of the night," Kougaiji pointed out, looking at him skeptically.

"Well yeah, that's true, but…." Dokugakuji ran his fingers through his hair and tried to look anywhere but at his prince. "But it's not as if I'm the only one walking around," he replied, ignoring the point.

Kougaiji sighed and leaned back against the wall, not saying anything for a moment. His eyes, Dokugakuji observed, looked kind of… sad. Sad and lonely. And as Kougaiji finally lifted them and looked straight at Dokugakuji, he felt a sudden urge to wrap his arms around the other, to comfort and protect him, and tell him everything was going to be all right, that whatever happened he'd always be there for him. But of course he didn't, because he worried that if he touched Kougaiji, he wouldn't be able to stop.

"Are you all right?" he finally settled for asking, gazing at Kougaiji intently.

"Yes," the prince answered, though his voice was dull and unconvincing. "I… I should get some sleep," he mumbled, and began to walk past Dokugakuji, who then turned and put his hand on his shoulder. Kougaiji's bare skin felt warm, and Doku tried to stay focused. "If you ever need anyone to talk to… I'm here." Dokugakuji looked deep into his prince's eyes, and thought he felt Kou shiver. Or not. Kougaiji forced a weak smile, nodded, and stepped away. "Thank you, Doku," he replied, before continuing to walk down the hall, leaving his bodyguard staring after him.

Back in his room, Kougaiji flopped down onto his king-sized bed and stared at the ceiling. Part of him felt like he was about to cry (something he didn't do very often and only when he was thinking of his mother), but the other part of him felt… strange. The new feeling wasn't really something he recognized. He remembered the way Dokugakuji had looked at him and touched his shoulder, and chills ran down his spine. What was this? Why was he feeling this way? It was just Dokugakuji, the man he had known for years, his best friend! Kougaiji let out an irritated sigh and rolled over. He would try to get some sleep. And perhaps sometime, sometime soon, he would take Dokugakuji up on his offer.