Title: Measures Misunderstood 

Author: Sailor Red

E-Mail Address: Sailor_Red@yahoo.com

Rating: PG-13

Fandom: Digimon

Pairings: Taito/Yamachi (Taichi+Yamato/Yamato+Taichi)

Genre: Romance/ Angst (Do I write anything else?)

Disclaimer: Digimon doesn't belong to me. Suing me will get you diapers, and I don't mean clean ones . . .

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He was there and then he was gone. Countless times Taichi had dreamed this dream, every time getting closer to the one he chased, and every time missing him by the slightest sliver of empty space. The funny thing was that he didn't know who he was chasing, or why. The person in his dream was always hidden in shadow, always shrouded just enough that Taichi couldn't make out the figure's identity.

It was always the same dream. A door would slam and he would open it and chase someone through the streets of Odaiba. He would weave through masses of faceless people, knock over a few, apologize, and continue his chase. Finally, he'd corner his mystery person in an alley and grab for him, only for the person to vanish into thin air.

Every time he had this dream he woke up screaming, drenched in sweat, and crying so hard he couldn't breathe. Every time, Hikari would run into his room and to his side to comfort him. When he had finally calmed down, they would engage in the same conversation.

"Was it that dream again?" Hikari would ask quietly, still holding her brother, still trying to calm him.

"Yeah." Taichi would reply and remove himself from his sister's arms to walk to his bedroom window. He'd sit on the sill and stare outside until Hikari would eventually leave the room, shaking her head.

However, today was different.

"Tai, this has got to stop." Taichi turned to his sister and stared at her.

"How do you suppose I make it, Kari? Should I stop sleeping?" He asked with venom-lined lips as he got up and walked over to the young woman. She narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists, willing herself to look him in the eye and shout:

"Maybe you should see a psychiatrist!"

"Oh, so now I'm crazy!" Hikari shook her head and took her brother's hand, which he immediately ripped away.

"No, Taichi, I don't think you're crazy. Look, obviously something's bothering you subconsciously. Maybe if you did a little soul searching you'd find out what that thing is. There's someone you're obviously afraid of losing, for whatever reason, and there's something inside yourself protecting you from knowing who that person is. You've got to figure it out, or you are going to go insane." Taichi stared at his sister in shock. He sighed and put his hand to his head, and rubbed his temples as if he were trying to stave off an awful headache.

"You're probably right. I shouldn't have yelled at you. Sorry." Hikari smiled.

"Yeah, well I'm sorry for yelling too. I just hate seeing you like this, Tai!"

"I know. I hate being like this. I just wish that dream would stop."

"It's not going to just stop, Tai. This has been going on and off for years now, ever since you had that fight with . . ." Hikari's eyes widened, and Taichi regarded her quizzically.

"What's going through your head, Kari?" Hikari opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it, having thought better of her comment. She bit her lip nervously.

"Kari . . ."

"When's the last time you talked to Matt?" She blurted out, and then slapped her hand over her mouth. Taichi glared at her coldly.

"Why are you bringing him into this?"

"I-I think . . ." Hikari took one look at her brother's angry, hurt expression and closed her mouth, sighed through her nose, and walked out of his room.

Taichi laid himself down on his bed and tried to swallow the sorrow that threatened to spill out of him. How long had it been since he had last talked to Yamato? Was it one year? Two? He had stopped counting ages ago.

Although he had lost track of the time that had passed, he had not forgotten the argument that they had. How could he, after all? It was something too important to forget, and too horrible to forgive.

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"Seki asked me out." Yamato nearly choked on his lunch at Taichi's comment, and grabbed for his milk to drink and stop his coughing.

"What . . . Tai, he's . . . well he's a he!" The brunette sighed and calmly took another bite of his sandwich. He looked at Yamato, chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed.

"So?" Yamato's eyes widened.

"You . . . you're gay?" The blonde asked in shock, a little to loudly, as someone at the table next to them overheard and whispered to the person next to him. Then, that person told the next person, and within minutes, the whole cafeteria was buzzing with the new gossip. Taichi glared at Yamato.

"Say it a little louder next time, will you? I want all of Japan to know, after all. It's not like it's a secret or anything." Yamato, having realized what he had just done, bowed his head and sighed.

"Tai . . ."

"Thanks a lot, Matt."

"I didn't mean to . . ."

"Don't bother. Go to hell, Yamato." Yamato's head shot up at that comment and he stared at Taichi in disbelief.

"It was a mistake, Tai! I didn't mean to out you to everyone! You just surprised me!"

"It's a mistake you can't ever fix. Now everyone knows about me and Seki." Taichi watched as something flashed in Yamato's eyes and then disappeared. It was something the spiky haired brunette couldn't place.

"Y-you are going out with him?" Brown eyes glared at blue.

"Yeah, I am. Is there a problem?" Yamato opened his mouth to say something, but only shook his head. Before Taichi could say anything else, Yamato picked up his tray and left the table, then walked out of the cafeteria entirely.

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Taichi shot up in bed, and wiped a tear from his eye. He hadn't remembered falling asleep, but he recalled clearly the dream that had waked him. Not a dream, in actuality, rather a memory. The tear that had been wiped away was quickly replaced by another, and then another.

He was not crying out of anger this time. Nor was he crying out of fear or hatred.

He was mourning his loss. He was made distraught by the sheer stupidity of the fight that had lost him his best friend. The fresh perspective that time gave made him want to curl up into a ball and disappear.

Taichi now realized that Yamato didn't mean to blurt out Taichi's secret. In retrospect, telling Yamato about Seki really wasn't necessary, as the couple had broken up not even a month later, deciding to instead be friends. However, Taichi never should have told Yamato about Seki in such a public setting and in such a surprising way. He should have known from experience that most people react with shock at such a revelation. 

There was one thing still nagging at him, however. It was the one thing that he was finding himself unable to rationalize in his head.

Yes, Taichi hadn't made any attempt to talk to Yamato over the years, but why hadn't Yamato tried to talk to Taichi?

They were still in school together, still going to graduate in the same ceremony this year, and they were even in the same English class.

Was Yamato angry with him? Was he waiting for Taichi to apologize? Was he too prideful to apologize to Taichi? Was he scared? Or, could it be the worst thing Taichi could think:

Was Yamato a homophobe?

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"Hey sexy." Taichi slammed his locker shut and glared at Seki. Seki grinned toothily at him, unfazed, and sighed; pushing blonde locks past emerald eyes.

"Did little Tai-Tai not sleep well last night?" Taichi shook his head.

"What was your first clue, Seki, the rings under my eyes or the attempted murder of my combination lock?"

"Both, simultaneously. So, what's up? Is the man getting you down?" Taichi cocked an eyebrow at his ex-boyfriend turned friend, who continued his insane smile. Taichi rolled his eyes.

"Not the man, but definitely a man." Taichi could nearly see Seki's ears perk to attentiveness.

"Ooh, gossip! Do tell!" The brunette digidestined had to laugh at his ex.

"God, you're so gay!" Seki's grin widened.

"Well, yeah! So, spill! Who's this guy you're thinking about?"

"It's not what you think."

"Sure." Taichi rolled his eyes.

"It's not! It's just . . ." Seki looked at Taichi, concerned. The mirth faded from his eyes.

"Tai, do you want to talk about this somewhere else? It's kind of crowded in the hall . . ."

"No." Taichi sighed. "It's okay. I just, well, I've found myself missing an old friend."

Seki's eyes widened.

"An old friend? Are we talking about the old friend?" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "The blonde musician old friend?" Taichi nodded after looking around and making sure no one had overheard.

"That's the one." Seki frowned.

"Tai-chan . . ." Taichi shook his head and forced a laugh.

"Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that years ago?"

"Don't change the subject, Tai." Seki sighed. "Maybe you should talk to him . . . I mean, he could just think that you're still mad at him or something . . ."

". . . Or he could be a homophobe." Taichi finished Seki's sentence, and watched his green eyed friend's head sink.

"Tai, I love you man, but I think you're a little paranoid. I mean, he seems a pretty open-minded guy to me!"

Taichi was about to respond, but was interrupted by the look in Seki's eyes. It was a look he had seen before, many times. There was a certain mischievous glimmer that Taichi didn't trust.

"What's going through your head . . ."

"Taichi . . . someday you'll forgive me for what I am about to do." Seki mockingly bowed, then head butted him in the stomach. Taichi sprawled backward and knocked several people over.

"S-seki! I'm going to kill you! What the hell was that all about?" Seki just smiled and cocked his head to the right, as if to say: 'look.'

Taichi turned his gaze to the side and found himself face to face with Yamato.

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"S-Sorry." Taichi managed to force out, and Yamato's eyes widened. "Seki, he . . . well he's a lunatic."

"Could you get off me?"  Taichi blushed a deep shade of crimson and scrambled to his feet. Why he was blushing, he didn't know. He just hoped Yamato hadn't noticed. It didn't seem that he had, as the blonde was busy picking up a book he had dropped.

Taichi instinctively held out his hand to help Yamato up, and to Taichi's surprise, Yamato actually took it.

"Thanks." The blonde said simply, and started walking towards his next class.

"Mat --- err, Yamato!" Yamato stopped, but did not turn around.

"Do – um, would you like to talk, after school, maybe?" Taichi asked and stared pleadingly at the back of Yamato's head. Yamato sighed and replied with a slight crack in his voice.

"Y-yeah  Tai, I'd like that." Taichi's mouth went slack with shock. "I have to get to class."

With that, Yamato ran off. However, he was not going to his next class. Taichi knew this because his next class was English, the one class the two shared, and the door had been behind Taichi. Yamato had run in the other direction, towards the lavatory.

Naturally, Taichi followed him.

As soon as Taichi opened the door to the rest room, Yamato turned around and saw him.

"You're still predictable. Couldn't pass up an opportunity to skip class, huh?" Taichi didn't laugh; all he could see was that Yamato's eyes were red and puffy. The blonde had been crying, and actually, still was doing so.

Taichi didn't think. He walked over to his old friend and gave him a hug.

"I'm sorry, Matt." Yamato hiccupped and cried harder.

"It's been two years, Tai. That's way too long for us to be fighting. I really didn't mean to do what I did, and then you started avoiding me, and, well . . ." Taichi released Yamato and looked at the floor.

"I wasn't trying to avoid you, Matt, I just thought . . . I thought you were disgusted with me. I thought you hated me because of what I am."

"That's not it, Tai. I could never hate you, for any reason . . . I just . . . lets just say I hate Seki." Taichi's eyes widened.

"W-why do you hate Seki? He's a good guy, Matt!" Yamato sighed and shook his head.

"Whatever, Tai. I'll talk to you after school. I'm going to get to class. You coming?"

Taichi nodded and the two digidestined walked in silence, both knowing that this was going to be one long school day.

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TBC ASAP

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