Title: Mirror Mirror
Author: Lucia
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Doom, doom, death and destruction! ^_^ OK, OK, only the death part. Suicide, yaoi (duh.) Timeline jumping around a lot. Swearing. Daisuke slightly off his rocker. (or a lot. -_-;), threesome hints to those really observant people who pick up the imagery.
Pairings: TakeDai, Taito minor
Disclaimer: If I owned it, I'd have Taichi and Yamato kiss onscreen so I could show it to little kids (preferable Taiora fans) and scare them. ^_^

[Why don't I like the girl I see
The one who's standing right in front of me
Why don't I think before I speak
I should have listened to that voice inside me]

Daisuke gazed into the mirror, scowling at his reflection. "God...how could I so...stupid! My fault...all my fault..."
He punched the mirror in front of him, sending the glass flying into a thousand sharp, glittering pieces, before sinking to the floor of his room and sobbing.
Jun, hearing the shattering of glass, walked quickly down the hall and poked her head into Daisuke's room. "Daisuke!" she gasped. "Look, this isn't good for you! You need to go talk to someone- Yamato, Taichi, one of your other friends! Somebody!"
"No!" Daisuke sobbed, rocking back and forth. "All my fault...they'll hate me...all my fault..."
Jun didn't reply verbally, but her lips thinned into a line and she grabbed Daisuke by the wrist and hauled him out off the apartment, Daisuke putting up very little resistance in the sate he was in. Jun was intent on getting him to Yamato's one way or another...

[I must be stupid must be crazy must be out of my mind
To say the kinds of things I said last night]

1 week previous:

"Daisuke, I..."
"You what? Just spit it out, OK, Takeru?"
"Hey, gimme a break, this isn't that easy to say!"
"What, you're dating Kari now and you want to spare my feelings? Don't worry about it- you should know I got over that hang-up a long time ago."
"That's not it at all!"
"What, then?" Daisuke questioned, leaning backwards on the park bench to stretch.
Takeru, in contrast, leaned even further forward. "Asherrr," he mumbled to his knees.
"What? Takeru, sorry if I seem deaf, but you're really gonna have to talk to me. I'm over here, remember?"
"I _said_ I love you! OK?"
"..."

[Mirror mirror hanging on the wall
You don't have to tell me who's the greatest fool of all
Mirror mirror I wish you could lie to me
And bring my baby back, bring my baby back to me]

Present:

Daisuke rocked back and forth in the taxi cab. "Daisuke, stop _doing_ that!" Jun hissed, placing her arm across his chest so he couldn't move. Instead, he curled up in the corner of the seat, his face buried in the cheap cover on the seats.
*Stupid, Daisuke! You ran! Coward, coward, coward! Courage, Friendship, why the fuck were they given to me? I definitely wasn't a good friend that night, and I definitely had no courage! Face it, Daisuke, you were afraid! Afraid of what that meant to you! Afraid of what that made you if you loved him back! Coward...coward...coward...!*

[Why did I let you walk away
When all I had to do was say I'm sorry
I let my pride get in the way
And in the heat of the moment I was to blame]

1 week previous:

"Go talk to him!"
"No. I can't give in. It makes me weak."
Daisuke was perfectly aware that he was talking to himself. He was also perfectly aware that Takeru had just drunk one of the cans that made his six-pack whole.
"Just...say you're sorry for running off like that and tell him you still want to be friends."
"Hell no! Daisuke does not apologize. Not to anyone!"
"Go!"
"No!"
"Go!"
"No!"
In the end, friendship won out over pride, and he headed for Takeru's house.
"Takeru?" he said, knocking on the door. "I wanna talk! Can I come in?"
No answer.
He frowned. Takeru should be up by now, getting ready for school-"
"Takeru?"
He frowned, realizing the door was open, and pushed it open.

[I must be stupid must be crazy must be out of my mind
Now in the cold light of the day I realize]

Daisuke peered into the apartment, flicking on the lights-
And freezing in his tracks. The image of Takeru, sprawled lifelessly on the floor, blood seeping lethargically from his wrists, was one that would haunt Daisuke for the rest of his life.
He stared for what felt like hours, but really couldn't even have been a minute. "Shiiiiit!" he screamed, the sound finally ripping its way from his throat as he ran to Takeru and tried to bind his wrists up, checking for a pulse. So faint... he couldn't have slit his wrists that long before Daisuke go there...if only he hadn't argued with his pride so long...
He ran to call an ambulance, trying to keep Takeru alive until it got there.

[Mirror mirror hanging on the wall
You don't have to tell me who's the greatest fool of all
Mirror mirror I wish you could lie to me
And bring my baby back, bring my baby back to me]

"Kami-sama...how long has he been like this, Jun?" Yamato breathed, looking at the torn Daisuke.
"Since Takeru's suicide," she replied, rubbing her temples. "Look, I figured you'd be the best one to talk to, and not just because you're...were...Takeru's brother."
"Huh?" Yamato said, looking at Jun.
"Takeru had been talking to me...because I am 'the person who knows Daisuke best.' It wasn't really obvious, but I think Takeru had a crush on Daisuke. No- he didn't- he _loved_ Daisuke. You could see it in his eyes. He kept asking...trivial things..favorite color, ice cream, when his birthday was...the things you'd wanna know to court someone."
"Good gods," Yamato said. "You know about us, then," he grimaced, leaning into Taichi, sitting beside him on the couch.
"Well, yeah," Jun replied, laughing nervously.
"Thanks, Jun. You're a good person, and I really appreciate you bringing him here. Would you mind if we talked to him alone?"
"Not at all," she said, picking up her purse to go. "I'll be at home, call if you need help getting him back home, or with anything else. And good luck."

[If only wishes could be dreams and all my dreams could come true
There would be two of us standing here in front of you
If you could show me that someone that I used to be
Bring back my baby, my baby to me!]

"Daisuke, look at me," Yamato ordered.
"I know you hate me, I know it's my fault he's dead. Just leave me alone. I want to die!"
Yamato knew that while Daisuke might feel that way, he had much too strong a will to live. That plus the fact that he hadn't done anything yet indicated that there might be hope to bring him out of the self-blaming internal torment he was in.
"Shhh, Daisuke. I don't blame you," Yamato murmurred soothingly, reaching across to the chair Daisuke was sitting in and gathering him into his arms. "Is what Jun said true?"
"..."
Taichi reached over and rubbed Daisuke's back. "Daisuke, please talk to us. Everyone makes mistakes."
"Not you! Not Yamato! You have a perfect relationship! You could never-"
"Shut up, Daisuke!" Taichi suddenly yelled, smacking him across the face. "No one's perfect!" He jerked the sleeves on his sweatshirt up, revealing two scars horizontal on either wrist.
"See this? This is what I did after Yamato told me he didn't love me! Didn't even _like_ me!"
"The only difference," Yamato said, more softly, "Is that I killed my pride more quickly than you did and found him less than a minute after he cut his wrists. I smacked him for being so stupid, told him I'd royally screwed up, and patched him up." Yamato let out a wry chuckle. "He didn't even know the proper way to slit his wrists."
"Bottom line, I could never blame you for my brother's death. It was a mistake on his part- if not more of one- to kill himself, just as much as it was a mistake for you to run from him. I'd always been taught that suicide was a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Guess Takeru never heard that, or else he forgot. But how could I blame you for making the same mistake I did?"
"I- Yamato- Takeru!" Daisuke wailed. Yamato held him tighter, knowing that Daisuke had gotten rid of the guilt and just needed to cry out some of his grief.
And cry it out he did, falling asleep over 15 minutes later, face still pressed against Yamato's shirt.
"You know, I could get jealous, very easily," Taichi commented.
"Oh, come on. I know you- you're not the jealous sort. Besides, why be jealous?" Yamato grinned and deposited Daisuke (gently) onto Taichi's lap.
"Hey!" Taichi protested, shifting Daisuke, who was now sucking his thumb, into a more comfortable position.
"I'm going to go fix lemon tea- he'll need it when he wakes up."
Taichi nodded, then smiled down at the sleeping Daisuke. He hoped it'd be enough- enough to heal.

[Mirror mirror hanging on the wall
You don't have to tell me who's the greatest fool of all
Mirror mirror I wish you could lie to me
And bring my baby back, bring my baby back... to me

(Mirror mirror lie to me)
(Show me what I wanna see)
To me
(Mirror mirror lie to me)
(Show me what I wanna see)
(Mirror mirror lie to me...)]

AN: Say it with me, now: Lucia needs prozac! Is there a doctor in the house? Anyone get the song reference in the last paragraph?