Song is "Paternal Reversal" by Bayside, from the acoustic album.

I don't own it, Anthony Raneri does.

***

The pair boarded the plane as quickly as possible, after hastily packing for the trip. I didn't have many possessions, anyways. What I brought with me was most of what I owned.

Taichi had quickly thrown in anything he thought he might need, and now that they were on the plane, he was fretting about things he might have forgotten. It was kind of annoying, actually. I was relieved when he gave up worrying and pulled out his iPod.

I noticed he was listening to the Wolves.

About an hour into the flight, a teenage girl spotted me and started giggling.

"You're Yamato Ishida, aren't you?"

I shake my head, and then I decide to be honest. "Takeru Takaishi. Matt's my brother."

She giggles again, and Taichi pulls off his headphones to figure out what the commotion's about.

"What's going on, TK?"

I shake my head. "Nothing, Taichi. You should sleep, it's kinda late."

The girl looks shocked. "Taichi? But… no, it couldn't be."

Tai looks up at her through sleep-dazed eyes. "What do you mean?"

She says something about a rare recording of The Wolves, from back when they were the Teenage Wolves. It's called 'Paternal Reversal', apparently. "I think they recorded it just before they took that year-long hiatus. But… well, I'll be right back."

The girl runs to get an mp3 player from her seat. She scrolls through and finds the song. Tai puts her headphones on.

--*--

Taichi, your life's not over

But you've given up all you live for

Put the bottle down and fix the things you ran from

Do you say what you really mean?

Are you really how you're perceived to be?

If the lights go out tomorrow, would you know?

The recording quality is mediocre at best, and I wonder if it's not one of those songs they recorded in their practice space. Yamato would do that sometimes, to see if he liked the way a song sounded.

His voice sounds bitter, and it's like he's asking if I actually ever cared about him. I can hear it in his voice. He thinks I lied every time I told him I loved him. It hurts.

I don't wanna call your family,

Tell them to build a coffin

Because their oldest son just overdosed on pills

You've got a red glare in your eyes

And the sky outside your door's a blacker blue

I hate to see what's become of you.

So he did know about the drugs. Well, I knew he saw me taking them. I thought he'd be too naïve to realize I was addicted. I guess he wasn't. He always was quick to pick up on things.

Taichi, it's just a stick in the spokes

It's not too late for you to find your way home

Because your friends are still here

And your family's where you left them

So put on a clear head and try out for a ride

Because you're better than this and you can better your life

You can't choose your father

And we're suffering together.

I never knew I caused Yamato so much pain. I promised myself I'd never hurt him. I'd never hurt him like my dad hurt me.

The morning I left Yamato was the day my dad left our family.

I remember he was arguing with mom. I was listening in, because I could hear it was about me.

I had come home late from Yamato's house, and he had snapped. He slapped me in the face, and told me I wasn't his son. It wasn't the first time.

He was drunk. My mom was screaming. I heard the front door slam.

Mom came into my room and told me that it was okay. He loved me, he just didn't realize it. She assured me that he'd be back soon.

I didn't want him to come back. I never wanted to see him again.

You're getting closer to the end of your rope

I never thought you'd let yourself get so cold

But lately I've been thinking about all the things I said to you

And now I need to prove that

I didn't mean it when I said, said that you were dead to me

You mean the world to me.

I hurt him, the same way my dad hurt me. I even slapped him in the face when he got mad at me for leaving – I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

I always thought of my dad as a monster. I suppose I'm no better. I wonder if he tried to hate me, the way I tried to hate my father.

I feel myself crying. I thank the girl and return her mp3 player. Her name is Hayley, or at least that's what I think she said. To be honest, I wasn't listening.

She's not leaving. She looks… concerned? I'm not sure. I just want to be alone right now. God damn plane.

Suddenly, I feel nauseous. It's like the plane is jerking around, not stable like before. It's not just me. Hayley falls down and lands awkwardly over Takeru, and they hold on to each other for support. I grab Takeru's arm nervously.

"Are we going to die?" I scream. Hayley's eyes are tightly shut, as if she's trying to ignore the screaming and shaking all around her.

My face is soaked with tears. "I don't want to die, Takeru. I need to tell Yama that I love him! I can't die now!"

Takeru's hand finds mine and squeezes it comfortingly. "We're not going to die, Taichi. Just wait it out."

It's harder than it sounds. I reach for the paper bag in the back of the seat in front of me and my stomach empties. The stench almost makes me throw up again, but my mouth just makes a horrible retching sound. I've got nothing left to throw up.

Eventually, it passes. A flight attendant comes around and cleans up puke. She takes the bag from me, and hands me a new one just in case. What a terrible job that must be.

Later, she brings two small packets of crackers and a glass of water. I'm thankful. She smiles at me.

Hayley looks terrible, though Takeru is about the same. Her long blue hair is messed up. There's a seat beside Takeru, as the seats are in threes. I'm at the window.

TK offers Hayley the seat beside him, and she accepts. I can tell she's scared to walk back to her seat, just in case the turbulence hits again.

"Are you going to Los Angeles, too, or transferring after this flight?" Takeru asks her.

"L.A," she replies.

"Do you have tickets to the Wolves concert? Because we don't have any yet, but if I talk to Matt I can probably get you a VIP pass. What are you doing going to America, anyways? You look too young to be travelling to another continent alone."

It's true. She's Takeru's age at most, but could be much younger. She blushes, so I assume Takeru is right.

"I'm seventeen," she replies. "And I don't have tickets yet. To be honest, I'm running away from home. I don't really want to talk about it, though."

Takeru just nods. I decide it's a good time to interrupt their conversation.

"I ran away once," I say quietly. "I thought it would fix all my problems – get everybody off my back, you know? And now I'm flying halfway across the world to try and fix everything I broke that day."

Hayley looks at her feet. I don't know why she's leaving, but it had better be a damn good reason. I wouldn't let her make the same mistake I did.

Eventually, I fall asleep on Takeru's shoulder. He doesn't seem to mind. It's strange to think that less than twenty-four hours ago, he was just some whore to me. I didn't even recognize him. But now, he was my best friend in the world. As I'm drifting off to sleep, I sit up for a second.

"'Keru… I'm sorry I used you. You're like a little brother to me. I'm supposed to protect you, but I didn't. I'm sorry."

I kiss his forehead gently, the same as I do when I'm comforting Hikari. I lean back onto his shoulder and drift off to sleep.

--*--

"I'm supposed to protect you, but I didn't. I'm sorry." he says and he kisses my forehead. Soon, he's fast asleep.

Hayley gives me a questioning look, but I just shake my head and change the subject.

"So… what are your plans for when you get to Los Angeles?"

She looks nervous. "I haven't got any," she admits. "I've got a thousand bucks and I speak English well. I'm hoping that's enough to get me by, at least until I can find a job."

I nod, though I wonder if she has a working visa. Hayley might be in for a rude awakening when she gets to America.

Considering this, I come to a conclusion.

"Why don't you stay with Taichi and I when we get there? That way, you'll know someone when you get there – us. You don't have to worry about anything, either. Tai can pay, I'm sure; he knows how broke I am and seems to be loaded. Neither of us likes girls, and we're not creeps, so no worries, right?"

She thinks about it for a minute, and nods. "Okay," she replies before yawning and claiming my left shoulder as a pillow.

Oh, joy. Now I get to try and sleep without disturbing either of them.

--*--

Takeru nudges my shoulder and tells me we've landed. I look out the window; it's morning. We leave the plane, get our bags, and take a taxi to the hotel. Hayley's with us. Takeru tells me she's going to stay with use for a while, and I'm okay with that. It'll be nice to know more people in Los Angeles.

When we reach the hotel, Takeru asks if Matt Takaishi has checked in. It must be a pseudonym. After all, fans might try to find them at the hotel.

Apparently, the Wolves weren't staying at our hotel. We get up to the room and Takeru pulls a large phonebook out of the nightstand. Grabbing the phone, he starts calling hotels.

After about twenty minutes of calls, he raises a fist in victory.

"Yes, could I talk to him, please? Oh, I see. Could you tell him his brother, Takeru, is calling?"

He tells me he's on hold. Yamato has told the desk to block calls from anyone he doesn't personally know, or who isn't involved with the concert. The call seems to go through.

"Hey Matt! Long time no chat!" he says into the receiver, smiling. "No, nothing's wrong. I just came to see the gig – well, it's more than that, really. It's kind of important. No, no one's dead. Look, could I just meet you somewhere? Your hotel?" He grabs a pad of paper and a pen from the nightstand, scribbling down an address and room number. "We'll be there as soon as possible. W-what? No, I meant 'I'. I'll be there as soon as possible. Uh, bye!" He hangs up the phone and grabs the paper.

"Let's go." he says, motioning for us to leave.

***

Thanks Dragon77, Minato-Akemi, and bed of nails and sandpaper for the lovely reviews!

I'd write you nice long thank-you messages but it's like four in the morning and I'm hardly sitting up in my chair, let alone think coherently. (wrote the actually story when wide awake, don't worry.)

So, accept hugs! *hugs all of you*