Digimon belongs to Toei! *sob*
---------------------------
Shi-chan: My oh my...here I was thinking that having Love Is, Memory Lapse and Sandglass out of the way would free up some time to finish those Gundam serials I have laying around...and then I promise Silver, Quartze, and Memory Loss. Not to mention more chapters of I. I think I'll try and keep this one short..I had quite forgotten what I had planned for the ending; I got so wrapped up in the amnesia-fics and one-shots. Lucky thing I wrote a next-chapter perview on chapter 3 so I can sorta remember where this fic was going. ^^;; I think I'll devote some serious time to this one in the next few weeks, and to Memory Loss as well. Silver can wait.
---------------------------
Tomodachi
Chapter 4
~By Shimegami-chan
Warnings: Kensuke! Yay!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay. Now we are branching far-far-away from Rules, and into more of my own ideas. :-P
Daisuke awoke to hear pounding on his door. "Dai! Unlock the damn door!"
"Takeru?" Daisuke leapt out of bed and opened the door for the red-faced blonde.
"Did you plan to sleep right through your first classes? Come on, man, get dressed! Gogogogogogogo!"
"Right! Right!" Daisuke slapped his palm to his forehead. "It's past nine! Ken! Ken, get up!"
"Mm?" The indigo-haired boy sat up, his skin white against the pale blue pajamas. "Oh. Um, sorry, Daisuke-sama, I ought to have woken you, I'm sorry..."
"Not your fault," Dai said breezily, tossing his pajamas to the floor and yanking on his dress shirt, exposing Digi Charat boxers. Both Takeru and Ken stared. "What are you looking at?"
Ken dared to laugh, and Takeru closed the door gently. "Nice Puchikos, Dai. I'll give you some privacy."
"What's so funny?" Daisuke grumbled, pushing his mop of hair back with a pair of goggles. "What's wrong with Puchiko?" Ken didn't answer but continued to smile, removing the pajamas and pulling on his grey uniform. The fabric was worn and torn in many places. "Your clothes are pretty beat up. Can't you get new ones?"
"Some of my masters have been a little careless," Ken said, stone-faced. "I've had my uniform replaced several times this year already." He folded the pajamas and placed them on the pillow, before starting to make the Western-style bed.
"Damn, it almost looked like you were gonna keep smiling there." Daisuke's tone was hopeful.
Ken let the expression grace his lips again. "It's been a while since I've felt a need to...it's been a while since I felt I could. It's been a while since I've talked so much either."
"Still not as much as me," Dai boasted. Ken began to tidy the clothes Daisuke had thrown on the floor. "Whoa, you're so neat. Aren't we going to be late if you're so slow?"
Ken stopped to eye the mahogany-haired teen. "I'm waiting on you."
"Hey, I'm ready!"
"You aren't wearing any pants."
"Point."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ken and Daisuke parted ways outside Daisuke's English class, while the former and Takeru continued down the hall. Iori pattered into another room across the hall.
Daisuke took the last remaining seat in the small room, near the back. Some whispering had started as soon as he entered, along with several boys eyeing him hungrily. "Sorry guys, I'm nobodies' slave."
A few were seemingly taken aback that Daisuke knew about the rules already, and others looked disappointed. One boy--Michael, the blonde that he had met yesterday--leaned over and whispered to another boy loudly, "He took Ken last night."
This statement was met with gasps. "High standards," another boy murmured. "Who's he going to claim as a permanent Pet, do you think?"
"I'm taking Ken," Daisuke said loudly. "I've Claimed him."
A rush of whispers went up, and Daisuke found himself of the receiving end of several pointed glares. Michael opened his mouth to say something else, when the teacher entered the room.
"Hajimemashite."
"Hai," the class answered in unison.
Daisuke smiled to himself and opened his notebook, immediately beginning to doodle in the margins. Things were looking up--as long as the other seniors didn't try to take Ken back forcibly, he'd be OK. And if they did...well, Daisuke wasn't planning to be at this school for long. One legal complaint against this hellhole and Daisuke was certain his parents would let him come back to Odaiba.
And what about Ken?
Daisuke hesitated. He couldn't deny that he was attracted to the other boy...just a bit. Ken was beautiful, like a porcelain doll almost, and his rare smiles were radiant. Even if they weren't going to be lovers, Daisuke desperately wanted Ken as a friend. And then, maybe, someday...
Daisuke's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a note on his desk. It was on blue notebook paper, and although he hadn't seen the sender directly, a purple-haired boy on his left was staring pointedly at him. Dai groaned. A death threat, already?
He unfolded the note, to find a short but curious statement.
"Your name is Motomiya, right? Why do you want Ken?"
That was certainly strange. He scribbled a reply in crooked handwriting. "Motomiya Daisuke. And you are...?"
The reply came only a moment later. "Inoue Shinichi. Fourth year. I'm your next-door neighbour...now, why do you want Ken?"
"Everybody here has a Pet...or a Master. I'd rather have the former."
"I don't."
This confused Daisuke. Hadn't Takeru said that all the students were either Masters or Pets? "Why not?"
"I don't beleive in using people as slaves. And you still haven't answered my question."
"I like Ken, and he was unclaimed."
"You like him." Dai was unsure how to take his. Was Inoue Shinichi asking him to clarify, or simply repeating what Daisuke had said? In surprise? In sarcasm?
He didn't get much chance to wonder before the bell rang, and the class slowly exited. Daisuke waited for the purple-haired boy to place his notebook in his sachel before walking by his side down the hall. "Hi there, Inoue-kun...shall I call you that?"
"I suppose so." Shinichi's eyes seemed to be searching Daisuke's soul...or at least boring holes in his head. "Why do you like Ken? Is he a good screw?"
Daisuke was taken aback. "Um...I'm...not sure..."
Shinichi stopped short, the venom in his voice lessening. "Didn't you have him last night? Why do you want to keep him?"
Daisuke looked around nervously. "If you want me to tell you personal stuff like that, first I want to know your opinion on the Pet thing."
"I think it's disgusting," Shinichi said simply. He pulled the brim of his blue baseball cap down furthur. "No one should be treated the way people treat Pets around here."
"I didn't sleep with Ken," Daisuke said slowly. "I felt...sorry for him. I claimed him because I didn't like the way he was being treated around here."
Shinichi looked at him in shock. "You...really?"
"Yeah."
A smile graced Shinichi's face for the first time. "That's...really great, Motomiya-kun."
"Please, call me Daisuke."
"Daisuke, then. And you can call me Shinichi."
"'One truth.'" Daisuke smiled. "It's a nice name."
"Thanks." Shinichi looked forlorn. "I...like Ken too. Not romantically, but in a friendly way. Problem is, to get close to him means to sacrifice your own freedom. There was a kid here named Ryo last year, who was definitely Master material. He liked Ken, and even had him for a night...but he didn't want to have him for a Pet, partially because he thought it was cruel, and partially because the competition for Ken was so intense. He tried to befriend Ken...and then one day after classes, he got beat up. Bad. By a group of boys who were trading Ken around between themselves at the time...Ken's brother among them."
"Ken has a brother?" Daisuke looked on in disbeleif.
"Yeah, he came before Ken--he's a genius, the top student here. You wouldn't know they were related, though, by the way Osamu treats him."
"Osamu?" Daisuke shuddered, remembering the boy who had been 'playing' with Ken in the cafeteria the day before. "Oh my God..."
"I take it you've met him, then? Anyway, Ryo landed in the hospital, never came back. I think it was the last time Ken ever struggled against the Sekitomachi system, when Ryo left."
"Harsh..."
"Anyway, I have algebra next. I guess I'll see you around, then, Daisuke-kun...and please, be careful. Don't end up like Ryo."
"Thanks." Daisuke continued to his chemistry class, making a mental note to get more information out of the other boy later. The classroom was different than the one he had just left--it was set up somewhat auditorium-style with long tables and fixed chairs, plus different students, Yamato's Pet Taichi among them. Taichi grinned and pointed at an empty desk next to him. Daisuke sat down. "Hey there."
"Hey there yourself." Taichi grinned. "How was Ken?"
Dai groaned. "I'm going to get that all day, aren't I?"
Taichi nodded.
The behavior of Yamato's Pet still intrigued him. "Why don't you act like other Pets here do?"
Taichi laughed. "A question for a question, Dai."
Daisuke smiled at the nickname. "I didn't sleep with Ken, so I wouldn't know. But I like him."
"Ah ha, I thought so." Taichi grinned widely. "It's only fair of me to answer too, then--this is hush-hush. I think I can trust you, though, I have a sixth sense for these things. Yama and I entered out Master-Pet relationship willingly--I was a Master when I first came here, but when I met Yamato I gave up my Pet and became his. We're...involved."
Daisuke smiled. "I kind of thought you two were different. When I heard all about the rules that Pets had to follow..."
"I make my own rules," Taichi said proudly--but quietly enough so that the other students in the noisy room couldn't hear. "We're bold about it, but we haven't been challenged. I know some people would love to rebel against this place, but they just can't. It's kill or be killed, here. Take a Pet or become one, or you're an outcast--or worse."
"I met someone else...Inoue..."
"Shinichi-kun?" Taichi smiled. "He's protected. He's taken down five guys at once--he does judo. He's also one of the top students in the school, with more than enough prestige to become a Master--he just won't. But there's more to Shinichi's story--he apparantly came here voluntarily, following a friend from his hometown. The guy's name is Koushirou, and he was taken as a Pet almost immediately. About a month later Shinichi appeared, and threatened to beat Koushirou's Master's face off if he didn't stop abusing his Pet. The Master--guy's name is Aki--challenged Shinichi, and landed in the hospital for a week. Shinichi got suspended, since everyone took Aki's side. Then Shinichi tried to claim Koushirou, but Aki's friends ganged up on him, and he got beaten up. Everyone thought Shinichi was out of there for sure--but he came back, with video recordings and photos of the beatings and rapings Aki and his friends had with Koushirou. He'd installed cameras in the room while Aki was in the hospital, and now he's got enough evidence to get quite a few people kicked out of here for good. Problem is, Koushirou is an orphan, and this is where he's required to go. There isn't a home for home to be sent back to." Taichi looked sad. "So he has to stay--and if he stays, Shinichi stays to look out for him. For some reason, Shinichi won't take any Pet besides Koushirou, and Aki won't give him up. If anything happens to Kou-kun or if anyone beats up Shinichi, he goes public with the evidence--and if Shinichi tries to challenge for Ownership, Aki's friends gang up on him. It's at a total standstill."
Daisuke was horrified. "So that's why..."
Taichi nodded. "So, nobody tries to take Shinichi-kun, everyone knows that. He's a friend of mine, and so is Koushirou, so I know the whole story. He's angry, but he copes--it's the only way Koushirou won't get hurt. Or put out on the street."
"That's terrible. Poor Shinichi-kun...he was a really nice guy too. Hey, it seems like everyone's gay in this school," Daisuke said conversationally.
Taichi laughed, the sombre mood lightning. "Not really, most of the guys here just have some severe sexual frustrations. The only people I can say for sure are myself and Yama, Aki, Jyou, Iori, Takeru--wait, I shouldn't have told you that. Oops." The brown-haired boy blushed.
"I could have figured it out," Daisuke said wryly.
"And if I'm guessing, you are too." Taichi winked.
Dai groaned. "Bisexual. Is it that obvious?"
"Well, there's got to be some reason why you didn't sleep with Ken."
The teacher chose that moment to enter the room and begin the class, leaving Daisuke bewildered by the obvious paradox.
Is that what it is? I've never had a problem with my sexuality before...but is what I feel for Ken just pity?
Or something a little more than friendship...?
~to be continued...
Shi: I think that went well. I remember how much I like writing this story. ^_^
Next Chapter: Daisuke is inadvertantly drawn into Shinichi and his 'gay way'--but the other boy's hiding an immense secret. Are Koushirou and Shinichi more than just childhood friends? What secrets does Shinichi's name hold? And what of Osamu's relationship with Ken? It's not proper for the 'school whore' to be kept by one person--but can Ken and Daisuke stay together, or will he end up like Ryo? Enter Koushirou, the last player in Sekitomachi's twisted little game, and read on!
^There. Now, in 3 months time, I'll remember what I was supposed to write about. ^^;;
---------------------------
Shi-chan: My oh my...here I was thinking that having Love Is, Memory Lapse and Sandglass out of the way would free up some time to finish those Gundam serials I have laying around...and then I promise Silver, Quartze, and Memory Loss. Not to mention more chapters of I. I think I'll try and keep this one short..I had quite forgotten what I had planned for the ending; I got so wrapped up in the amnesia-fics and one-shots. Lucky thing I wrote a next-chapter perview on chapter 3 so I can sorta remember where this fic was going. ^^;; I think I'll devote some serious time to this one in the next few weeks, and to Memory Loss as well. Silver can wait.
---------------------------
Tomodachi
Chapter 4
~By Shimegami-chan
Warnings: Kensuke! Yay!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay. Now we are branching far-far-away from Rules, and into more of my own ideas. :-P
Daisuke awoke to hear pounding on his door. "Dai! Unlock the damn door!"
"Takeru?" Daisuke leapt out of bed and opened the door for the red-faced blonde.
"Did you plan to sleep right through your first classes? Come on, man, get dressed! Gogogogogogogo!"
"Right! Right!" Daisuke slapped his palm to his forehead. "It's past nine! Ken! Ken, get up!"
"Mm?" The indigo-haired boy sat up, his skin white against the pale blue pajamas. "Oh. Um, sorry, Daisuke-sama, I ought to have woken you, I'm sorry..."
"Not your fault," Dai said breezily, tossing his pajamas to the floor and yanking on his dress shirt, exposing Digi Charat boxers. Both Takeru and Ken stared. "What are you looking at?"
Ken dared to laugh, and Takeru closed the door gently. "Nice Puchikos, Dai. I'll give you some privacy."
"What's so funny?" Daisuke grumbled, pushing his mop of hair back with a pair of goggles. "What's wrong with Puchiko?" Ken didn't answer but continued to smile, removing the pajamas and pulling on his grey uniform. The fabric was worn and torn in many places. "Your clothes are pretty beat up. Can't you get new ones?"
"Some of my masters have been a little careless," Ken said, stone-faced. "I've had my uniform replaced several times this year already." He folded the pajamas and placed them on the pillow, before starting to make the Western-style bed.
"Damn, it almost looked like you were gonna keep smiling there." Daisuke's tone was hopeful.
Ken let the expression grace his lips again. "It's been a while since I've felt a need to...it's been a while since I felt I could. It's been a while since I've talked so much either."
"Still not as much as me," Dai boasted. Ken began to tidy the clothes Daisuke had thrown on the floor. "Whoa, you're so neat. Aren't we going to be late if you're so slow?"
Ken stopped to eye the mahogany-haired teen. "I'm waiting on you."
"Hey, I'm ready!"
"You aren't wearing any pants."
"Point."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ken and Daisuke parted ways outside Daisuke's English class, while the former and Takeru continued down the hall. Iori pattered into another room across the hall.
Daisuke took the last remaining seat in the small room, near the back. Some whispering had started as soon as he entered, along with several boys eyeing him hungrily. "Sorry guys, I'm nobodies' slave."
A few were seemingly taken aback that Daisuke knew about the rules already, and others looked disappointed. One boy--Michael, the blonde that he had met yesterday--leaned over and whispered to another boy loudly, "He took Ken last night."
This statement was met with gasps. "High standards," another boy murmured. "Who's he going to claim as a permanent Pet, do you think?"
"I'm taking Ken," Daisuke said loudly. "I've Claimed him."
A rush of whispers went up, and Daisuke found himself of the receiving end of several pointed glares. Michael opened his mouth to say something else, when the teacher entered the room.
"Hajimemashite."
"Hai," the class answered in unison.
Daisuke smiled to himself and opened his notebook, immediately beginning to doodle in the margins. Things were looking up--as long as the other seniors didn't try to take Ken back forcibly, he'd be OK. And if they did...well, Daisuke wasn't planning to be at this school for long. One legal complaint against this hellhole and Daisuke was certain his parents would let him come back to Odaiba.
And what about Ken?
Daisuke hesitated. He couldn't deny that he was attracted to the other boy...just a bit. Ken was beautiful, like a porcelain doll almost, and his rare smiles were radiant. Even if they weren't going to be lovers, Daisuke desperately wanted Ken as a friend. And then, maybe, someday...
Daisuke's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a note on his desk. It was on blue notebook paper, and although he hadn't seen the sender directly, a purple-haired boy on his left was staring pointedly at him. Dai groaned. A death threat, already?
He unfolded the note, to find a short but curious statement.
"Your name is Motomiya, right? Why do you want Ken?"
That was certainly strange. He scribbled a reply in crooked handwriting. "Motomiya Daisuke. And you are...?"
The reply came only a moment later. "Inoue Shinichi. Fourth year. I'm your next-door neighbour...now, why do you want Ken?"
"Everybody here has a Pet...or a Master. I'd rather have the former."
"I don't."
This confused Daisuke. Hadn't Takeru said that all the students were either Masters or Pets? "Why not?"
"I don't beleive in using people as slaves. And you still haven't answered my question."
"I like Ken, and he was unclaimed."
"You like him." Dai was unsure how to take his. Was Inoue Shinichi asking him to clarify, or simply repeating what Daisuke had said? In surprise? In sarcasm?
He didn't get much chance to wonder before the bell rang, and the class slowly exited. Daisuke waited for the purple-haired boy to place his notebook in his sachel before walking by his side down the hall. "Hi there, Inoue-kun...shall I call you that?"
"I suppose so." Shinichi's eyes seemed to be searching Daisuke's soul...or at least boring holes in his head. "Why do you like Ken? Is he a good screw?"
Daisuke was taken aback. "Um...I'm...not sure..."
Shinichi stopped short, the venom in his voice lessening. "Didn't you have him last night? Why do you want to keep him?"
Daisuke looked around nervously. "If you want me to tell you personal stuff like that, first I want to know your opinion on the Pet thing."
"I think it's disgusting," Shinichi said simply. He pulled the brim of his blue baseball cap down furthur. "No one should be treated the way people treat Pets around here."
"I didn't sleep with Ken," Daisuke said slowly. "I felt...sorry for him. I claimed him because I didn't like the way he was being treated around here."
Shinichi looked at him in shock. "You...really?"
"Yeah."
A smile graced Shinichi's face for the first time. "That's...really great, Motomiya-kun."
"Please, call me Daisuke."
"Daisuke, then. And you can call me Shinichi."
"'One truth.'" Daisuke smiled. "It's a nice name."
"Thanks." Shinichi looked forlorn. "I...like Ken too. Not romantically, but in a friendly way. Problem is, to get close to him means to sacrifice your own freedom. There was a kid here named Ryo last year, who was definitely Master material. He liked Ken, and even had him for a night...but he didn't want to have him for a Pet, partially because he thought it was cruel, and partially because the competition for Ken was so intense. He tried to befriend Ken...and then one day after classes, he got beat up. Bad. By a group of boys who were trading Ken around between themselves at the time...Ken's brother among them."
"Ken has a brother?" Daisuke looked on in disbeleif.
"Yeah, he came before Ken--he's a genius, the top student here. You wouldn't know they were related, though, by the way Osamu treats him."
"Osamu?" Daisuke shuddered, remembering the boy who had been 'playing' with Ken in the cafeteria the day before. "Oh my God..."
"I take it you've met him, then? Anyway, Ryo landed in the hospital, never came back. I think it was the last time Ken ever struggled against the Sekitomachi system, when Ryo left."
"Harsh..."
"Anyway, I have algebra next. I guess I'll see you around, then, Daisuke-kun...and please, be careful. Don't end up like Ryo."
"Thanks." Daisuke continued to his chemistry class, making a mental note to get more information out of the other boy later. The classroom was different than the one he had just left--it was set up somewhat auditorium-style with long tables and fixed chairs, plus different students, Yamato's Pet Taichi among them. Taichi grinned and pointed at an empty desk next to him. Daisuke sat down. "Hey there."
"Hey there yourself." Taichi grinned. "How was Ken?"
Dai groaned. "I'm going to get that all day, aren't I?"
Taichi nodded.
The behavior of Yamato's Pet still intrigued him. "Why don't you act like other Pets here do?"
Taichi laughed. "A question for a question, Dai."
Daisuke smiled at the nickname. "I didn't sleep with Ken, so I wouldn't know. But I like him."
"Ah ha, I thought so." Taichi grinned widely. "It's only fair of me to answer too, then--this is hush-hush. I think I can trust you, though, I have a sixth sense for these things. Yama and I entered out Master-Pet relationship willingly--I was a Master when I first came here, but when I met Yamato I gave up my Pet and became his. We're...involved."
Daisuke smiled. "I kind of thought you two were different. When I heard all about the rules that Pets had to follow..."
"I make my own rules," Taichi said proudly--but quietly enough so that the other students in the noisy room couldn't hear. "We're bold about it, but we haven't been challenged. I know some people would love to rebel against this place, but they just can't. It's kill or be killed, here. Take a Pet or become one, or you're an outcast--or worse."
"I met someone else...Inoue..."
"Shinichi-kun?" Taichi smiled. "He's protected. He's taken down five guys at once--he does judo. He's also one of the top students in the school, with more than enough prestige to become a Master--he just won't. But there's more to Shinichi's story--he apparantly came here voluntarily, following a friend from his hometown. The guy's name is Koushirou, and he was taken as a Pet almost immediately. About a month later Shinichi appeared, and threatened to beat Koushirou's Master's face off if he didn't stop abusing his Pet. The Master--guy's name is Aki--challenged Shinichi, and landed in the hospital for a week. Shinichi got suspended, since everyone took Aki's side. Then Shinichi tried to claim Koushirou, but Aki's friends ganged up on him, and he got beaten up. Everyone thought Shinichi was out of there for sure--but he came back, with video recordings and photos of the beatings and rapings Aki and his friends had with Koushirou. He'd installed cameras in the room while Aki was in the hospital, and now he's got enough evidence to get quite a few people kicked out of here for good. Problem is, Koushirou is an orphan, and this is where he's required to go. There isn't a home for home to be sent back to." Taichi looked sad. "So he has to stay--and if he stays, Shinichi stays to look out for him. For some reason, Shinichi won't take any Pet besides Koushirou, and Aki won't give him up. If anything happens to Kou-kun or if anyone beats up Shinichi, he goes public with the evidence--and if Shinichi tries to challenge for Ownership, Aki's friends gang up on him. It's at a total standstill."
Daisuke was horrified. "So that's why..."
Taichi nodded. "So, nobody tries to take Shinichi-kun, everyone knows that. He's a friend of mine, and so is Koushirou, so I know the whole story. He's angry, but he copes--it's the only way Koushirou won't get hurt. Or put out on the street."
"That's terrible. Poor Shinichi-kun...he was a really nice guy too. Hey, it seems like everyone's gay in this school," Daisuke said conversationally.
Taichi laughed, the sombre mood lightning. "Not really, most of the guys here just have some severe sexual frustrations. The only people I can say for sure are myself and Yama, Aki, Jyou, Iori, Takeru--wait, I shouldn't have told you that. Oops." The brown-haired boy blushed.
"I could have figured it out," Daisuke said wryly.
"And if I'm guessing, you are too." Taichi winked.
Dai groaned. "Bisexual. Is it that obvious?"
"Well, there's got to be some reason why you didn't sleep with Ken."
The teacher chose that moment to enter the room and begin the class, leaving Daisuke bewildered by the obvious paradox.
Is that what it is? I've never had a problem with my sexuality before...but is what I feel for Ken just pity?
Or something a little more than friendship...?
~to be continued...
Shi: I think that went well. I remember how much I like writing this story. ^_^
Next Chapter: Daisuke is inadvertantly drawn into Shinichi and his 'gay way'--but the other boy's hiding an immense secret. Are Koushirou and Shinichi more than just childhood friends? What secrets does Shinichi's name hold? And what of Osamu's relationship with Ken? It's not proper for the 'school whore' to be kept by one person--but can Ken and Daisuke stay together, or will he end up like Ryo? Enter Koushirou, the last player in Sekitomachi's twisted little game, and read on!
^There. Now, in 3 months time, I'll remember what I was supposed to write about. ^^;;
