Let Me Be Your Hero...

“ ‘Love is pointless and painful and I want nothing to do with it.’ She said. He frowned. ‘Have you ever given it a try?’ he asked softly.” Inspired by an Enrique Iglesias song. A little late for Valentines Day, but sweet nonetheless. DarkRiku Oneshot

Disclaimer: I do not own DNAngel or my imagination. The former belongs to Yukiru Sugisaki, and the latter is the sole property of Doug, my plot bunny.

Would you dance if I asked you to dance?
Would you run and never look back?
Would you cry if you saw me crying?
Would you save my soul tonight?

Would you tremble if I touched your lips?
Would you laugh? – Oh, please tell me this.
Now would you die for the one you love?
Oh, hold me in your arms tonight.

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.
You can take my breath away.
I can be your hero...

He saw her from across the room, and right then, she had captured him. Everything else faded away. Not even her unhappy face could hide her beauty from him. The jade-green dress she wore hugged her waist and hips, but flared out into a full-length skirt, accenting her athletic build. She wore no jewelry, and her beautiful auburn hair was down. From these last two clues and her expression, he could tell she’d rather be elsewhere.

He walked slowly and purposefully toward her. She was sitting in a red velvet chair in a corner with her legs crossed, sipping a Shirley Temple and sulking. When he was within a few feet of her, she finally noticed him.

He definitely stuck out from the crowd. He was dressed in black slacks that must have been custom made with black boots like the ones she’d seen in the cowboy movies from America. A white shirt left half-buttoned up was layered under a black vest. Worst of all, he was wearing a leather jacket instead of a dress coat. No tuxedo. No tie. No boutonniere. Who did he think he was? Sure, they said this was an American-styled black-tie gala, but this was inappropriate even by American standards. She turned her nose up a little, shifted farther away in her seat, and looked away.

He chuckled and, stepping forward, grabbed the stem of the cherry from her glass. She gasped and looked at him in time to see him eat it with more finesse than most men could hope to demonstrate. He smiled as he chewed, and stuck the stem back in her drink with a devious smirk.

If looks could kill...he would have died forty-two of the most painful deaths manageable.

“Do you have a name, sir?” She said the last word with icy sarcasm.

He put a hand to his heart, as if physically hurt by her tone. “I’ll tell you if you’ll dance with me, my lady.”

“Go use your corny pickup lines on someone else. I'm not worth your time.”

He stepped closer and sat down in the chair next to her. She got up and moved into the next seat over. With a smirk, he moved closer. She moved again, as did he.

“What are you going to do now? You’re at the end of the row,” he said, leaning toward her.

“If you’re looking for a girlfriend, you won’t find one here. Love is pointless and painful and I want nothing to do with it.”

He frowned. “Have you ever given it a try?” he asked softly.

“No. Why are you so interested?”

“What’s your name?”

She sighed and looked at the ceiling, hoping he would go away. Maybe if I just answer his questions he’ll leave me alone. “Riku Harada.”

“Riku...” he purred.

“Are you happy now?” she asked, starting to be irritated.

“Not yet,” he said.

“What do you want?”

“A dance,” he said simply.

She sighed. “Fine. If I dance, then will you go away?”

“If you’d like.” He stood and offered his hand with a low bow.

Would you dance if I asked you to dance?

She rolled her eyes, but took his hand as a song began. He led her onto the ballroom floor amid the other dancing couples. He took her hand in his and placed the other on her hip. Reluctantly, she reached up and rested her hand on his shoulder, making sure not to make eye contact. It’s just one song, she reminded herself.

The beat was slow, and the ballroom was so crowded that they had limited mobility. Everyone else was so into the song and their partner to realize it was Riku Harada dancing with an extremely handsome young man.

His fingers crawled slowly across to her lower back, pulling her closer, and she looked up at him, surprised. His violet eyes held her in that moment for an eternity. His genuine smile warmed her. Without realizing it, she stopped frowning. His hand moved again. One part of her was furious that she had to go through with this just to get rid of a pervert, and the other was curious and excited. Her hand slowly curled around his neck, and his smile widened. He closed the gap between them and rested his chin on her head, holding her back with both hands while she clasped hers around his neck.

For the last few notes of the song, he pulled away and looked deeply into her caramel eyes. Slowly, giving her time to pull back if she didn’t want to, he leaned forward, his eyes asking her silently. She tilted her head up, so into the moment that her mind had no time to second-guess, even if she might have wanted to. Their lips were millimeters apart...

“Riku!”

The song had ended, and through a gap in the happy couples, Risa had spotted her sister – dancing – with a gorgeous man. Riku’s head turned and stared at her sister across the room as the song’s spell broke and the guests around her began to recognize her and what she had been doing. Riku’s logical side kicked in and she paled as she too realized what she had almost done. Embarrassment washed over her like a cold wave. She looked up into his eyes again with a frightened look. He looked back at her sadly and tenderly, knowing what she was going to do, but wishing it wouldn’t happen.

Would you run and never look back?

“Riku!” Her twin called again, and the people around her began to whisper. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and she broke free from his comforting hands and ran.

He looked longingly after her, cursing the intervention of fate. All around him, the whispering and pointing continued. He slowly pushed his way through the crowd, escaping to the patio beyond the dance hall. Another song began, and the new couple was quickly forgotten.

He sat down on a cement bench in the well-kept rose garden, downcast. He listened to the new, more upbeat song as he sat in the shadows. Looking over, he saw a figure sitting on a bench a few yards away and immediately guessed who it was. He leaned back and looked at the bright stars glistening overhead between the gathering clouds, deciding to give her some time alone. Softly, so only he could hear, he began to whistle the song they had been dancing to a moment ago. He gradually got louder, until he could hear that she had stopped crying. Then, he stood and slowly walked to her, his boots making soft clipping sounds on the cobbled path with each step, providing the beat for the song. He reached her, and sat down, wrapping his arm slowly around her shoulder and whistling more, so that she would not be oppressed by the silence, and he would not need to say worthless words.

Would you cry if you saw me crying?
Would you save my soul tonight?

He stopped and let her lean on his shoulder while he rested his chin on her head.

“You never told me your name,” she said, smiling through her tears.

He smiled with her. “We never finished dancing.”

Her smile disappeared, and he realized he had said the wrong thing. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re right,” she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m just being so emotional...”

He handed her his handkerchief. “No, it’s alright. You’re probably just feeling a lot of new things.” He realized only just after he said this that it might have been better not to say it. Now he was out on a limb, and he knew it, but he decided to add to his peril anyway. “And maybe you don’t want to feel some of them.” He may be out on a limb, but he had also hit the target dead center. “But that’s what love is.”

“Love?” she asked, as if she’d never heard the word before. “Is that what you’d call this?”

He looked down at her tear-streaked face. “Sure.” He stood in front of her, bowed, and offered his hand. “May I have this dance?”

She smiled and took his hand again, this time letting him hold her however he wanted. Thunder rumbled overhead, mimicking her thumping heart. Rain poured down like a catharsis as they slow danced together.

Would you tremble if I touched your lips?

Again, he leaned forward, beckoning with his bright eyes. She looked up, and their lips met. He could feel her shiver beneath his fingers. Their kiss deepened, and they broke away for breath.

Would you laugh? – Oh, please tell me this.

“First timer?” he asked.

She smiled. “How could you tell?”

“Hm...no reason...do you always smell of chocolate-covered strawberries?”

She laughed. “I don’t know. I guess it wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

“Yeah...better that than laundry detergent.”

She laughed again and rested her head on his chest.

Now would you die for the one you love?
Oh, hold me in your arms tonight.

“I love it when you laugh. I knew you’d be like this once you opened up.”

“Like what?”

He shrugged. “Like this. Happy. Teasing. Beautiful.”

“Why’s that?”

He looked into her face with a serious face. “No one can sit in a corner and sulk forever and still look as beautiful as you.”

She blushed and was speechless. They had moved close to a purple rose bush. He picked one that had only just blossomed.

“Here,” he said.

She took the flower from him and smelled it. “Mmm...It’s the purple ones that always have the most powerful smell.” She inhaled deeply again, and went to put it in her right hand so she could keep dancing with him. Unfortunately, she caught her pointer finger on one of the tiny thorns at the top of the stem. Quickly, she pulled her hand back and saw a bead of blood appear. She put her finger in her mouth, trying to stop the small amount of blood.

“You okay?” he asked, chuckling. “How ironic. You were like a rose too, tonight. You look pretty, you smell pretty, and you sting pretty good, too.”

She looked at him remorsefully. “Oh, I’m sorry about that.” She stuck her finger in her mouth again.

“It’s alright. You’ve made up for it by now,” he said with a grin and a shrug.

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.

“Can a kiss make it better?”

“Huh?”

He pointed. “Your finger.”

“Oh, sure. If you’d like.”

He took her hand and gave her finger a tender kiss, smiling.

“Thank you.” She hugged him, and he embraced her again. They swayed together, feeling the rain and hearing the thunder of their hearts.

“You still haven’t told me your name, stranger.”

He grinned. “Oh, yes. That. I think I’ll need another kiss first.”

“No...You told me once we danced, you’d tell me your name,” she whined playfully.

“Just one more kiss...”

I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.

They shared another kiss and the bliss of asphyxiation. The rain lessened.

She asked him for the last time. “Do you have a name, sir?”

He leaned down and whispered in her ear. His breath was hot on her neck. “Pleased to meet you, Riku Harada. My name is Dark Mousy. May I have this dance?”

The clouds cleared, and the stars shone through them once again as they both danced, soaked, once more under the velvet sky.

I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.
You can take my breath away.
I can be your hero...

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