Chapter 7

"So what you're telling me is you set Matt and Hikari up?" Mimi nodded ecstatically. Tai looked at her dumbfounded. "Then why the hell did you send TK and her on a date! Then telling Matt all about them being the perfect couple!" Mimi sighed and stirred her coffee. "Tai, love doesn't grow on trees. It has to be fought for. Can you imagine? Yama sweeping Kari off her feet from the evil TK. Then they'll be together forever and TK will wake up from his hate streak and accept Yama again." Tai shook his head and stared into the coffee cup. "What if he doesn't want to fight for her?" Mimi laughed at his comment, "Come on Tai! It's Matt we're talking about. He doesn't give up." Tai winced at her words, recalling his serious conversation with the blonde. "Well…what about Kari? What if she truly believes she loves TK?" Mimi shook her head. "Hello? Yama and her have been talking forever and have you seen the way they flirt? Come on Tai, only if TK did something especially romantic and made Kari forget about Matt would that happen. And now that you know about the scheme, help me push Hikari towards Yama, okay?"

Tai rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Mimi frowned. "Tai, please say you didn't give her love advice already." He slowly pushed farther back into the seat. "Meems your left eye is twitching, maybe you should get that checked out." Mimi latched onto Tai's wrist from across the table, "Taichi, please tell me you told her to go for Yamato." Her grip tightened and he said nothing. Sighing she let go. "Tai, you ruin everything. Have I told you that?" Tai shrugged and quickly hugged his injured wrist. "Only when I messed up the Koushiro/Jyou love plan." Mimi tapped her chin. "Oh yah. You still owe me for that too. Well make it up to me by going to talk to Yama. Get him to go get her. I'll work on adverting TK from Kari. Good luck!" Waving she quickly took off, leaving Tai with the tab. Sighing he put money down on the table and left. Maybe Matt would go to dinner with him.

Hikari cracked her back as she walked up the stairs to Matt's apartment. Today was the day. Last night with TK had confirmed her feelings. She loved Yamato. There was no denying it, especially after mentally pointing out the differences between the two brothers. Tai had told her to go for TK, but she couldn't just settle for the look alike. She needed him. Using her spare key she entered his apartment without knocking, usual routine for the pair. Taking off her shoes, she headed into the living room. Not sprawled across the couch, not cooking, not sitting in the middle of the floor writing. Nodding her head she headed to the bedroom. She opened it slowly. The sun filtered through the blinds of the window. He was on his side, facing her. Smiling she noticed how his hair framed his face. She sat down on the bed and shook him gently. "Yama, I have something important to tell you." His eyes opened, clouded with sleep and she smiled at him brightly. "Morning."

He sat up quickly. "Hikari!" She laughed a bit at his confusion. "How late did you stay out last night?" He ran a hand through his hair; "You should go." Her smile died. "Yama…" He interrupted her quickly, "Just go!" Feeling rejected she shuffled out of his room. The soft sound of the shower broke the silence. She looked at the bathroom door then around the apartment. Wineglasses and a half-empty bottle, she should have known. Looking back at him, tears welling in her eyes, she spoke to him voice shaking. "How stupid of me. Sorry, I'm leaving. Don't worry about me." As quickly as she had said it, she fled out the door. The woman stepped out of the bathroom, only wearing a towel. "Friend?" Yamato looked darkly at the door of the apartment. "Maybe you should go." Shrugging she changed and wrote down a number on a slip of paper. "Ever need some fun that the little tart can't provide, call me." With a wave and a swish of her hips she was gone. Yamato sat for the next hour looking out the window, wondering where Kari had run.

Takeru flopped on his bed, staring at his old room's ceiling. Sighing happily, he thought about last night. Everything was perfect. His cell phone rang and he quickly picked it up. "Hello?" He heard soft crying on the line and then a shaky voice answered, "Hey TK." Instantly recognizing the voice, worry filled him. "Kari? What's wrong?" A sniff, "Can I talk to you? Now?" TK nodded, then realizing she couldn't see him responded, "Of course. Where?" "The park." "I'm already out the door." "Thanks TK."

Tai walked up the stairs, dreading arriving at his destination. Fearfully he knocked, and thankfully he got no answer. Picking up his cell, he dialed the blonde's recently acquired phone number. He heard the ring from behind the door. After two rings, he heard movement from inside, and then a voice came over his phone saying it had been disconnected. He frowned. Knocking again (louder this time), he waited for an answer. After a few minutes of no response, he ran his hand alongside the top of the doorway. Jackpot! Taking the spare key, he unlocked the door and opened it. Only a shaft of light came through the closed drapes. From the dim light, he noticed the mess that the apartment was in. Frowning he walked farther in. "What are you doing here?" The soft voice directed Tai to a corner where his friend was currently sitting in a tight ball. Kneeling beside him, Tai touched his shoulder. Yamato immediately jumped up and clenched his fists. "Why are you here?" Taken aback, he said nothing but stood to face the blonde. Glaring Yamato started picking up random objects from the floor. "Just go."

Grabbing the blonde by the arm, he spun him around to face him. Tears glittered in the other's eyes. "Leave me alone Tai." A small shake of the head in response. "I'm not leaving you again Yama." The blonde tried to get the brunette to release his arm. "You will, and if you don't I'll screw you over." Compassion radiated off the other and Tai hugged his best friend tightly. "I'm gonna stay here tonight, we can talk." Yamato pushed away and opened up the drapes to let light flood into the apartment. "What about work?" Tai shrugged as he helped Matt pick up some random items off the floor, "Eh, they owe me some vacation time." Yamato smiled at the brunette as he tried to bounce a wad of paper like a soccer ball off his head. "Want some coffee?" Tai nodded then tripped and fell into a pile of papers. "Well, then can you get me some while you're at it?" Tai stared shocked at his friend's smirking form. "My god, Matt Ishida, NOT making me something. I'm shocked to my core." Tai walked into the kitchen anyway and pulled out the necessities for making coffee and a small snack. Yamato came in and pulled out a few things from the cabinets.

A loud knock sounded from the door. Tai looked at Yamato quizzically, "Who is it?" Yamato shrugged and turned the corner to answer the door. Tai stood in the kitchen, staining to hear as the door opened. Tension filled the whole apartment immediately. Sensing the change, Tai almost went to see whom it was when Matt's voice filtered through. "TK." Takeru stood in the doorway of his brother's apartment frowning. The older blonde was too startled to do much more then stare at his sibling. Takeru stepped in quickly and shut the door behind him. "Hey Matt." Takeru looked around the apartment, eyes stopping on each pile of assorted junk. Yamato wished as he watched his brother glance around he had cleaned up, but since he couldn't do anything about it took a deep breath and started, "So, what brings you around?"

Takeru shrugged and turned back to face his brother. "Just wondering why you do what you do." Taken aback by the statement, Yamato glanced around the apartment, "Oh, well. I haven't had a good chance to clean up, writing new songs and all…"

Takeru shook his head, "I meant to people Yamato. I don't understand why you do things to them. Does it make you feel better? Make you feel more superior? Or do you just enjoy it in your sick little twisted mind?" Confusion flooded into the older blonde's eyes, "TK, I…" Takeru cut him off quickly, "Kari, idiot. What do you think you're doing to her? Playing with her like a doll, then throwing her away when you're done. Damn it Yamato! I just spent an hour comforting her, because of you! You keep doing this to people Matt! Whenever they get to close, you just cut their strings off and let them fall! Why do you think everyone hasn't stayed in touch with you? They can't stand being hurt anymore! You ruin everything! You can't befriend one person without destroying them!"

Takeru paused for a minute to breathe as his older brother stood in silence taking it all in. Tai meanwhile was fuming. Shaking with rage he wanted to beat the younger boy until he saw stars for the rest of his life. Yamato wouldn't like that, he knew that; but damn it, he wasn't even standing up for himself!

Takeru had calmed down considerably and glared at his older brother. "All these years, and I finally see it. No wonder Dad was always gone," Yamato winced at the comment, "and Sora. Couldn't bear you for too long could they?" Tai clenched his fists and stared at the picture hanging on the fridge of Yama and Sora together. "Disappear Yamato. Make everyone's life a whole lot better. Kari will be happier and she'll move on to bigger better things, without you blocking her way. Goodbye Yamato. Have a good life." With those last biting words, Takeru opened the door and slammed it behind him. Tai timidly walked up to Yamato. Whatever spark of the old Yamato, Tai had seen a bit earlier was gone. Dull eyes stared at the close doorway. Tai barely heard the smallest whisper uttered by his friend, "Sorry TK."