Open Fire

Disclaimer: I own nothing, don't sue me

A/N: Well, new fic up. I know there may be other fics like this one somewhere out there, and I've stumbled over a few. I don't want to steal anyone's plot or anything, I promise. I just got really inspired and thought I should give this kind of fic a try.

I don't really know anything about war, so forgive me if I mess up.

About the war: Japan is in the middle of a civil war. The Noguchi Guntai is led by Masahito Noguchi whose goal is to become the ruler of Japan. But the Hanto are doing everything they can to stop him and make Japan a democracy.

Chapter one: Reflections

Taichi Yagami was pacing back and forth, fists clenched and chocolate eyes sparkling with annoyance. He ran a hand through his hair (not quite as bushy nowadays as when he was a kid, though still enough for people to immediately recognise him) and pursed his lips. Despite his youth, he moved with all the authority of a General, and the two men kneeling in front of him shivered slightly as he came to a halt.

General Yagami was only 21 years old and yet he was one of the three leaders of the Hanto. How he got into that position, no one knew, but they knew that he deserved it. Yagami was fair, never harsh if he could avoid it, and he handled his troops with calm determination. His soldiers gladly died for him, knowing that their General would do the same for them.

But this day, the young General was not in a happy mood. His tanned face was frowned, his jaw firmly clenched, as he turned to the unlucky soldiers on the ground.

"YOU IDIOTS!" he bellowed, causing all of the men in the room to jump.

A boy around 18 with thick maroon hair and a mischievous glint in his eyes was leaning casually against the wall. His name was Daisuke Motomiya, and he was one of the General's closest men. He may be young, but he had proven many times that he was one of the best on the battle field and no one questioned his right to be among the highest ranked soldiers of the Hanto.

As Taichi continued to shout insults at the two men on the floor, Daisuke decided that it was time for him to interfere before something bad happened. He firmly gripped Taichi's elbow and forced the furious man to face him.

"Calm down", he said quietly. "Breathe!"

Taichi looked as if he considered punching his friend, but as the seconds passed, his scowl disappeared and he sighed. Once again, he ran a hand through his wild hair and turned to face the soldiers.

"Leave!" he said in a tired voice. "Everyone makes mistakes. But if something like this happens again, you will most definitely be executed. Do you understand?"

The relief was obvious in the soldiers' eyes as they hurried out of the shack. Taichi slowly walked across the floor to sit down at a table covered with various maps and paper sheets, resting his elbows on said table and burying his face in his hands. Daisuke sat down beside his friend, watching him cautiously.

"What's wrong with you today, Tai? I actually thought you would punch me", he said, hoping he'd sound more relaxed than he felt.

Being one of the General's closest friends was a good thing for many reasons. One of them was the fact that he could say whatever he wanted to say to him without having to fear the punishment. If an ordinary soldier had done what he just did, he would have been executed instantly. Daisuke knew that Tai still disapproved of the execution of people who didn't show respect, but even he had to follow the law of the Hanto. The point was, Daisuke was never afraid to contradict Tai. But this was the first day ever when he didn't feel completely safe around the General, and that annoyed him.

"Come on, Tai. Tell me what's bothering you. I haven't seen you like this since the day we lost the fight in the old factory."

Taichi shrugged.

"I woke up with a headache, it's raining, it's getting cold, we're in the middle of nowhere in a shabby shack, our spies haven't returned so we have no idea what the enemy's up to and then those stupid assholes fuck up their mission. I guess I'm just having a really bad day."

Daisuke peered at him, apparently not convinced.

"That's not the entire truth. I've seen you handle much worse days better than this. Come on, tell me what's up."

For a while, there was silence. Only the sound of rain and distant voices from the soldiers' camp could be heard. Then Taichi sighed.

"I'm so fucking tired of this", he exclaimed, getting on his feet and moving to stand in front of the window.

"Of what?"

"All of this. I'm tired of moving around all the time, sleeping on the ground and eating canned food. I'm tired of telling everyone what to do all the time. I'm tired of planning. I'm tired of shooting people. I'm tired of this fucking war, Daisuke."

He leaned his forehead against the window, undoing the top button of his green Hanto General's shirt.

"I know we fight for freedom, Dais. I know we're doing the right thing. And I'm glad that you're here with me, and Sora and Koushiro and… I just miss my old life. I miss sitting on my couch watching TV or playing video games. I miss ice cream and going to the beach. I miss soccer and… I miss my sister. I miss our friends."

'I miss Yamato' he added to himself.

Daisuke watched him silently for a few minutes. It was amazing that Taichi had grown up to be the man he now was. But at the same time, he was still the goofy kid Daisuke had known all his life. 'I wonder if I have changed too', he thought. Despite being the best fighter in the Hanto, he still felt like the kid he'd always been. All the killing and fighting didn't seem to get to him. He didn't know if he was supposed to appreciate that or not.

"They're fine", he said soothingly. "Kari's fine, and so is TK, and Matt…"

"I just… I miss them so much", Taichi whispered, his body shivering.

Daisuke was next to him within a second and wrapped his arms around him, trying to avoid thinking about the things he knew were on the General's mind.

Flashback

It was an ordinary Saturday in the city of Odaiba. The sky was blue and the inhabitants of the city were doing their best to enjoy the few hours of freedom. In the crowded mall, a bunch of kids were laughing hard about something while stuffing themselves with greasy pepperoni pizza.

"That's just hilarious, Matt", Taichi said and put an arm around his friend's shoulders.

The blond glared at his best friend, his cobalt eyes expressing annoyance as well as amusement.

"Well, at least I don't have a bush instead of a brain", he retorted, indicating Taichi's very wild grown hair.

"Hey! Mean!" Taichi pouted.

"It's true."

"It's still mean. Just because I don't spend an hour every morning fixing my hair…"

"Okay, stop it now, we do not need to hear you two insulting each other for the next couple of hours", Takeru said, rolling his eyes at his brother and his friend.

"I agree with TK", Sora said through a mouthful of pizza.

"It was quite funny though", Mimi added, taking a sip of her coke. "I can't believe you actually did that."

"Well what was I supposed to do?" Yamato defended himself angrily. "She was all over me!"

"Telling my sister that you're gay will indeed stop her from stalking you, but it will start rumours, y'know" Daisuke said and merrily chewed his pizza.

"I think it's cute. You could easily pass as gay, Matt."

"Thank you Kari. I guess. Maybe not."

Taichi laughed, his arm still around the blonde's shoulders.

"Please Yama, can I tell her I'm gay too and that we're dating? She would be soooo jealous, it would be hilarious!" he said and looked hopefully at the blond.

"No way. If I were gay, I wouldn't date you", Matt said, ignoring Tai's puppy look.

Their friends didn't realise that there was more to those words than it seemed, and they were both thankful for that.

"Do you hate me?" Tai pouted, his mock hurt eyes swimming with tears.

"The crying thing won't work on me", Matt said and stubbornly looked in a different direction.

However, as Tai succeeded in making tears slide down his face, the blond teen gave up.

"Okay, okay, stop crying for fuck's sake. I love you. Happy?"

Taichi opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly the entire building was shaking and a loud bang made them all temporarily deaf. Concrete and shattered glass and beams scattered the floor as the sound of the explosion echoed in the building.

"The war! The war is here!" someone yelled hysterically.

Taichi waded through the litter, calling for his friends who had disappeared in the chaos. His mind was numbed, and he didn't react at all as he passed a body crushed under a concrete block. The air was filled with dust, making it almost impossible to see.

The war had come at last. The rumours had been true. Japan was in war with itself.

As much as Tai wanted to find his friends and his sister, he couldn't get anywhere but where the hysterical mass of people were heading. He was swept along, and his struggle to go back inside to search for his friends was in vain. He was alone in the sea of people.

End flashback

Daisuke carefully wiped away the tears from his friend's face, just as he had previously done from his own.

"I thought it was over", Taichi mumbled, his face buried in Daisuke's maroon hair. "I thought they were gone. I thought I was all alone, you know. I'm so glad I found you and Sora and Koushiro and Jyou."

"Yeah, and then those guys forced us to get into that car", Daisuke said, shaking his head. "I don't think we resisted, though. We were pretty much in shock, all of us."

"Why wouldn't we be? We thought we'd lost our friends and we'd watched people get crushed under those blocks of concrete."

"I'm glad the Hanto found us before the Noguchi Guntai did though. I mean, if they hadn't brought us to the Hanto headquarters then we'd be working for Noguchi now."

"Yeah. But at least we would be able to talk to our friends."

"As much as it hurts me to say this, I think I'd rather be here now, doing what we do, fighting for freedom without our friends, than being in that monster's army."

"I agree. But I still miss them. When I thought they were dead, I was really upset. But seeing them in those clothes…" Taichi trailed off, once again lost in his memories.

Flashback

The city was quiet. The snow muffled all noises and lit up the dark streets with a cold glow. This gave the soldiers moving through the alleys, brick walls towering on either side of them, feel as if they were the only people on earth. The snow was untouched and it felt wrong to mess it up with their boots. There were no streetlights, but the moon reflected in the snow and they could see everything clearly in the silver light. That was how they spotted the snipers.

"Get down!" Taichi snapped and pushed Daisuke to the ground as a bullet hit the brick wall where his head had been just seconds earlier.

No more shots came. The snipers knew that they were discovered and they'd probably re-locate.

"Come on!" Taichi whispered and crawled back the way they'd come, not wanting to risk anything. He could hear his squad moving swiftly through the snow behind him.

"What now?" he pondered.

The rest of the soldiers were waiting for him to make a decision. He didn't want to lead them into another sniper ambush, but they couldn't stay in this alley all night.

"Tai?" Daisuke whispered. "We should get going. They could be coming this way, they know where we are now."

"I know", the sergeant said. "But still, I like them better where I can see them. I'd rather fight them here than know that they could be anywhere, just waiting for us to walk into their trap."

"You're right, Tai", Sora said and brushed her red hair out of her face. "If I'm going to get killed, I'd rather not be shot in the back."

"I agree", Raiden said, standing up and holding his rifle steadily. "We wait until they show up, and then we kill them all."

The rest of the squad nodded in approval and Tai stood up, surveying his soldiers with a proud smile. They were brave.

"Okay then, but be ready for them. They may pop up any minute."

The group of six gathered in the middle of the alley, in a circle with their backs towards the centre. They were still, quiet, listening fiercely to detect the enemy soldiers, and the only thing indicating that they were not statues but human was the smoke billowing from their mouths.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. It took a while before the Hanto warriors realised that it was Daisuke who had fired.

"They're just around the corner over there", he whispered.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Jiro called out.

"Shut up, you idiot", Taichi hissed.

Jiro shrugged his shoulders, and he and Kazuki just grinned when the sergeant scowled.

And then there was another shot. Jiro yelped and fell backwards, and his fellow soldiers were returning the fire before his body hit the ground.

Then, there was silence again. Kazuki kneeled next to his friend, obviously not caring about the enemies hiding around the corner. The snow was turning red, and even though the others' eyes never left the end of the alley, they all knew that Jiro was gone.

"Kazuki, get up", Taichi commanded.

Kazuki didn't answer.

"Kazuki, take your rifle and get up! You can cry for him later. If you don't get up now, you'll join him soon."

Kazuki nodded and got to his feet, clutching his rifle and wiping away fresh tears. As much as Taichi felt sorry for him, he couldn't let his squad fall apart. Their survival depended on their teamwork, and even though he felt his eyes burning at the loss of his friend, neither he nor the rest of them could afford to break down now.

Suddenly, five figures appeared in the end of the valley. The all froze. The enemy was just a few yards away, rifles pointed steadily at the Hanto soldiers. No one moved, knowing that if one of them fired, they would all be dead within seconds. There was no getting out of this situation unless one of the sides surrendered.

"Taichi."

Taichi widened his eyes as he looked at the young man who knew his first name. He had had his eyes fixed on the rifle and not the face.

"Oh my…"

In front of him, dressed in the beige Noguchi Guntai uniform, stood Yamato Ishida.

"Yamato…" Daisuke whispered. "Takeru, Ken… we thought you were dead."

And there they were, the blond brothers and the blue haired genius, pointing their rifles at the brunettes.

"We thought you were dead" Takeru answered his best friend.

Silence reigned again as the former friends observed each other.

Taichi's heart thumped violently as he gazed into the cobalt eyes he'd been missing so much. Yamato was alive.

He lowered his rifle.

"Tai, what the hell are you doing? What is wrong with you?" Kazuki yelled.

Daisuke glanced at his friend and copied his action; he too lowered the weapon.

"What the hell is going on? What are you doing? These are the bastards who killed Jiro!"

"I won't shoot my friends", Taichi mumbled.

Yamato and Takeru both nodded slightly, and they shouldered their rifles, as did Ken.

"Is Hikari alive?" Taichi asked, not entirely sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"She's fine" Takeru replied.

"What's with the small talk, Tai? They're the enemy, they just killed one of us! You can't let them live!" Kazuki screamed furiously.

"Shut up", Taichi snapped. "That's an order."

Kazuki looked as if he was about to say something, but the fear of what would happen if he didn't follow a direct order made him keep his mouth shut.

"What happened to you?" Sora asked the boys standing in front of her. "How did you get out of there?"

"We were saved by the Noguchi Guntai", Takeru said. "They took us to the hospital, and when we had recovered they brought us here to fight for Masahito Noguchi."

"How can you do that?" Sora snapped. "Do you want Japan to be ruled by a dictator?"

"Would it be different if you won the war? It's either Noguchi or Tokugawa", Takeru stated firmly.

"No it's not. We fight for a democracy, you little…"

"Leave it, Dais", Ken said quietly. "I won't discuss politics with you guys. We have made our choice and you have made yours."

"You have to join us", Taichi said. "It's the only way. Go get Hikari and meet us outside the city."

"That won't happen, Tai", Yamato said.

"I can't fight you."

"There's no other way unless you want to join the Noguchi Guntai, and I don't think you will do that."

"But…"

"No. It has to be like this."

"I can't fight knowing that I might kill one of you or my own sister!" Taichi shouted.

"Then don't fight."

"I have to."

"And we have to leave now."

The two soldiers watched each other silently. Then Yamato walked closer. His cobalt eyes were full of unshed tears as he faced his friend.

"This is the only way", he whispered. "Goodbye, Taichi."

"Tell T.K. to look after Kari for me."

"I will."

Yamato embraced the brunette, burying his hands in the bushy hair, and then he let go of him, blinked away his tears and left Taichi feeling like the blond had died a second time.

End Flashback

"Do you remember how mad General Tokugawa was at you for letting them go?"

"How could I forget?" Taichi said, and unconsciously stroke his right arm, where a pale scar stretched from his knuckles to his elbow. "I thought he'd kill me."

"So did I."

They were quiet for a while, Daisuke staring out through the window and Taichi leaning against the wall.

"You miss him a lot, huh?"

"Of course I do. He was my best friend."

"I don't know why you keep lying to me, Tai. He was always more than a best friend to you. It was obvious that you were in love with him. And you still are."

Taichi didn't protest.

"I don't understand why you didn't tell him. He felt the same way about you."

"I did."

"What?"

"I did tell him. The day before we went to the mall, the day before the war. He said he needed time to think. And then… then he died."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"He's not dead though."

"As good as. He's a Noguchi Guntai. I may shoot him tomorrow without realising it, maybe I already have. He may be dead already."

Daisuke shook his head.

"When this war is over…"

"Stop it, Daisuke. I'm not in the mood for optimism."

Taichi sat down at the table, glaring at the newspaper that had a picture of himself on the front page along with the headline: General Yagami bringing the Hanto to Tokyo.

"At least you're famous", Daisuke chirped, trying to cheer up his friend.

"Make that infamous. And I told you to stop being optimistic."

"Sorry."

There was silence for a while. Then…

"Maybe you should just get over him, Tai. Forget about him."

"Don't you think I've tried?"

"I'm just trying to help."

"Well, don't."

"Fine. If you don't want my help, then I won't help. I won't even tell you that I saw him last week."

"You WHAT?"

"I saw him. Him and Takeru. Though they probably didn't see me. They shot at me. That was kind of rude."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Taichi yelled at his friend.

"Because you've told me like five hundred times not to speak his name", Daisuke reminded him.

"Oh…"

"The point is, he's alive."

"Yeah. That's great."

Taichi turned away from him, closing his eyes. He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts of the blond, but failed.

'Yamato' he thought, his eyes burning with unshed tears. 'I wish I could see you again. One last time.'

Little did he know that his wish would soon come true.

End of chapter

Wow, this is a long one. But I felt that I had to explain things. There will be more action in the next chapter.

So, what do you think? Please review.

Love, Snowflake