Disclaimer: Digimon-A. Hongo "Dream On"- Aerosmith

Warning: Child abuse, molestation/rape (no graphics-Kouji's 11 here), you know the deal.

"Sing with me,

Sing for the year

Sing for the love

And sing for the tear

Sing with me

Just for today

Maybe tomorrow the Good Lord'll take you away"- "Dream On", Aerosmith

Chapter 2- Dream On

Discharge time was 10 AM, but Ms. Kimura came and took Kouichi at seven to be at her job at eight.

Both of those who were leaving were in tears, taking turns hugging Kouji and apologizing to him.

Kouji wanted so badly to cry, too. He wanted to cling to Kouichi and never let go, he wanted Adelisa to just say, "Screw it," and take him, too. Take him home.

But he knew she couldn't.

He knew it would only make things worse.

"I'll be fine. It'll just be like any other day."

"I'll just keep to myself, and avoid being alone with him."

"Maybe I'll visit Takuya or Izumi."

Knowing they could do no more, they hugged, kissed him, and left.

A half hour passed as Kouji pulled the covers over his head, turned on his side, and cried to himself.

Knock-knock, "Kouji"

Kouji peeked out from his cocoon. He'd know that awkward mid-change voice anywhere, Junpei.

"Come in."

Junpei came over to his bedside, wearing the same blood-stained green sweater with the bullet hole on the right sleeve and navy dungarees he'd worn that day.

"Kouji," Junpei put a gentle hand on Kouji's back, "are…you're not okay, are you?"

Kouji was silent, sitting there, looking down at his lap, before finally speaking, "I-I don't-I can't"

He relapsed into sobs, pulling his knees up to his chest "Help me."

Junpei sighed, "I can't tell you why, but I can't let you stay in my place."

He thought for a moment, "I could-We could sneak out of here…and stay like where I was at before."

Kouji tried his best to steady his voice, "It'll just make things worse. I can't make anything worse for Mum and Big Brother. No one can help me," he lowered his head.

Junpei gently lifted Kouji's chin so their eyes met, "I spoke to your Mum." Kouji put his hand over Junpei's as Junpei wiped the tear from Kouji's cheek, "I'm testifying against your father." And I'm a hypocrite.

"But-I-You-No!"

"I'm testifying, and that's final."

In the Digital World, Junpei had seemed, a bit too eager to please, sure, but otherwise, he'd come off as an average pre-teen.

From the moment they'd come back, sure, he still had that voice that cracked and squeaked, but it seemed to be an even worse mismatch. Before, he'd been comical, happier, and it was passable.

Now, he seemed older, more mature, sombre, serious, and he wasn't thinking for himself at all, or he'd never come near Mr. Minamoto.

He was free; he wasn't in danger the way he is now. Me, too, except I didn't realize it. His mum, like my dad; they weren't there. Sure the evil Digimon were, well, evil, but we were allowed to fight back. We didn't live with them. We didn't belong to them.

Kouji looked at the clock that hung over the door, "Dad'll be here soon. It's best if he doesn't see you before court."

"I understand, "Junpei gave him a quick hug, covering the back of Kouji's head with his hand, as if to shelter him.

"You're a very strong person, Kouji; I need you to remember that."

Junpei got up to leave, but he paused at the door, "You have my number, so if you need anything, or just want to talk. Anytime at all, okay?"

"Thanks" Kouji smiled softly.

As Junpei left Kouji began to think.

I do have feelings for him. I wonder how he feels about me…No, he's with Izumi, he had his heart set on her for a really long time, ever since they went off together that first time.

He reminds me of a penguin, he wants one person, to have forever.

Now, Takuya, I could see as a player. Even Izumi, she was always hugging on Takuya and me, which, I have that old-school phobia of being touched by the opposite gender, but Takuya or Junpei were pretty much her pick.

If she wasn't so damn bubbly, I would totally be friends with her, but, well, I just hope she realizes how lucky she is.

"Kouji!" Mr. Minamoto's voice broke Kouji out of his mind as clean clothes were thrown at him.

Everything was fine until they got to the parking lot.

Mr. Minamoto grabbed Kouji's wrist and wrenched it, "I thought I told you to STAY AWAY FROM THEM! I have COURT because of YOU!"

Kouji grit his teeth and remained silent as his father slapped him hard in the face.

He opened the door. "Get in the car," he shoved Kouji into the back seat.

The silence was deafening.

Kouji lay awake on his bed, later that afternoon, glad that he'd been confined to his room.

A knock came at the door, "Kouji?" his stepmother, Satomi, called.

Kouji came to the door, "Is he still at work?"

"Yes, dear."

Kouji opened the door, "Good, I wanted to talk to you anyway."

They sat facing each other on the floor.

Kouji took a breath, "You told me why you're always shaking. You have multiple sclerosis. My mother has type 1 diabetes. Mum left him because he was beating her, but he sweet-talked the court into keeping me.

"One of the first things I remember was him breaking my arm when I was four, when we were living in Fukushima.

"He wants me to be like him, a revolting macho man. Truth is, I think I have feelings for an older GUY.

"Anyway, I would never call you as my mother, even when I thought Mum was dead, because I don't want you getting attached.

"I've heard you scream when you think I'm asleep. I know you didn't fall of a ladder that one time, you're too afraid of heights to climb one.

"He's a good talker, he should be in politics. He'd fit right in. The pattern I see, he looks for easy, vulnerable marks, traps them, and abuses them to make himself feel better. He's that ill."

Satomi was in grim awe, "Yes, you're right. Everything you just said, even though you're too young to have to.

"Problem for me is…I'm already trapped. It started when I moved in, before we even got married.

"You're the one who needs to get out of here. You're the one who has a chance-"

Her eyes caught the clock, "I have to have the laundry finished, or now you do know what."

She hugged Kouji, and he let her.

"I hope your mother does get custody of you, you deserve better than this."

"So do you," Kouji told her as she left.

Kouji hadn't been allowed dinner, so he fell asleep around eight, only to be awoken by a bucket of scalding water poured on him.

"AAH!"

Mr. Minamoto leered evilly down at his son, one hand behind the doorframe, and yanked Satomi into the room, as she stumbled with the sudden motion.

"Do what I told you!" he commanded.

"No. Please, Kousei, don't-" Satomi sobbed fearfully.

In one quick motion, Kousei removed his belt, smacking Satomi's back with it.

"Leave her out of this!" Kouji cried as Satomi fell down.

Kouji had been here before, when they were living in Shinjuku, near the red-light district, except in Satomi's place were various prostitutes.

How nostalgic.

Kouji wondered as Kousei harshly ripped Kouji's pants to shreds, clean off his body, if it ever clicked in Kousei's head that Kouji had already gone through puberty.

Satomi stood, shakily, "He's just a child! I can't-"

Kousei smacked her face with the belt, "You are just a woman! Learn your place! YOU WILL DO AS I TELL YOU!!!!!!"

"It's okay," Kouji said barely audible.

She knew from his tone, he'd been here before.

Kousei ripped Satomi's shirt down the middle, exposing her womanly chest.

"That's better," Kousei smiled sadistically as he sat at Kouji's desk, turning to face them, whip raised threateningly, "begin…"

Damn, Kouji thought to himself the next day in the bathroom, did he have to make her bite me?

Not to mention his skin was blistered from the impromptu boiling shower.

He had fallen asleep immediately following…that. He needed to stay strong

Now I could really use some help…

"You have my number, so if you need anything, or just want to talk. Anytime at all, okay?"

Even the fresh clothes he was wearing were painful against his skin. Not to mention he could barely stand.

He heard pounding, angry footsteps.

He grabbed his mobile, climbed the window ledge…

…and jumped two stories.

He untangled himself from the shrub that silenced his fall, only to stand to have pain shoot through his knee.

"KOUJI?!" Kousei screamed.

Kouji ran.

He took the train to Ikebukuro, Kouichi lived here.

No, I can't, Kouji sank on the other side of the fence he'd just climbed, I can't get Mum involved.

He doubled over from the pain, now that the adrenaline rush had passed, and fell into a bush as he involuntarily let out a small groan.

"Did you hear that?" came a frightened girl's voice.

"Yeah, I did," a boy answered-a familiar voice.

"I'll go check,"

That voice-Junpei?! Here?!

Kouji panicked-he couldn't let anyone see him like this! He stood- white hot pain both in his knee and his groin- and he fell.

A rustling of shrubbery.

"Kouji?!"

He felt Junpei's arms around him, pulling him up.

Junpei looked at his bare arms, "What happened to you?! Who-HE did this didn't he?"

Kouji looked down as a lump caught in his throat, "I didn't know you were here. Just forget you saw me-"

"What are you, mental?!" Junpei protested, "You need help, I'm calling an ambul-"

"No! Don't! They'll-they'll-"

Junpei put an arm around him, "I understand. Let's get off campus, and then…how about we camp out until Friday?"

Kouji looked at him in teary-eyed shock.

"I'll take that as a yes," Junpei smiled.

Hoisting Kouji onto his back, they snuck through sheds, stairwells, hid in the utility closet, ducked, and ran their way off the back of the campus and into a battered residential neighbourhood.

"Are you okay with me carrying you into town?"

I love it; it feels like the first nice thing that's happened to me in two days. I should be embarrassed, shouldn't I? "I can't really walk, so I have no choice."

In the commercial district, they located a sizeable alley behind a Chinese restaurant.

Clearing a small area, Junpei sat Kouji on the ground and picked through his school bag.

"Here we go" he revealed a white box.

"Besides your forearms, where else are your injuries?"

Kouji chuckled darkly, "My entire upper body, my knee and somewhere I shouldn't be showing anyone."

At the latter, Junpei looked off to the side, anger flashing in his eyes.

He looked back at Kouji, a far gentler expression, "Wait here, I'll take care of you."

Kouji watched him walk off. Just my luck…I think I really like you, but your heart belongs to someone else. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the side of the building that propped him up.

Junpei came back with some boxes, packing tape, and a towel.

In about forty minutes, they had a cardboard hut with a cutout door.

Junpei closed the door, laid the towel down, and came over to Kouji

"Okay, we're closed in, so no one else can see you. I'd like to treat your wounds."

But-I don't want you to have to see me like this! I'd love to be naked WITH you, but not when my body's so-

Junpei noticed Kouji's blush, "Trust me, I look far worse naked any day than you possibly ever could," he smiled, which made Kouji smile.

Junpei's touch was so gentle. He cut and drained the blisters, disinfected the wounds (Okay, maybe THAT hurt a little) wrapping him in gauze and bandages from his hips to his neck.

He made a brace of sorts for Kouji's knee with an elastic bandage.

Even the abrasions on Kouji's private parts were gauzed around the shaft, with no tape touching the sensitive skin.

Good thing that hurts so badly, Kouji thought, as just then would be the utterly worst time to be turned on.

Kouji redressed and with his back turned, held one arm across his chest, holding himself together, and whispered, "Thank you…but why?"

He felt Junpei's big, strong arms around him, pulling him in, pulling him back together from everything that had just happened, his iron wall defenses, his tough shell had been destroyed in the Digital World, but he was happy.

But Kousei had ripped his fragile glass heart from his chest, and thrown it hard against the cold, stone walls of the prison, and it had shattered into a million pieces.

Kouichi wouldn't be strong enough to handle this.

Adelisa's hands were legally bound, and her soul was attached to an ailing body.

But, here, Junpei, just a friend, with no duty, no relation, and no obligation, was holding him, piece-by-piece risking so much himself to put back together Kouji's heart.

Kouji was 11, the younger of the two, but Junpei was only twelve himself.

Kouji could no longer expend the energy it took to resist.

He burst into tears.

Junpei and Kouji held onto each other tightly, Junpei held Kouji securely together, as Kouji held on to the only person he had.

TSUZUKU: Like the others aren't going to find them….