A/n: Here it is (finally). Sorry about the delay. I had to write a paper on the Joker, only to turn around and write one on the real causes of alcohol abuse. I'm tired…anyway on with the story. It's slow at first but I promise it'll start moving later on. It's just going through what everyone is doing in the aftermath of the last chapter. Sora will make a cameo again in this chapter (she hasn't been here in a while) I haven't written with her in a long time. Almost two years now, back when I wrote only Sorato's under a different account, so sorry if I'm a bit rusty with her. Thank you to my beta chrono-contract, and to the reviewers of the last chapter: Akira Nishikawa and Sumi19! I now give you chapter 10: "Ripple Effect"

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Nor do I own any movie, book, show, electronic, ect, ect that may be mentioned in this chapter.

Matt wiped his eyes in a fit of agitation. His eyes stung from a lack of sleep, but nothing he did would push the insomnia away from his mind. He just didn't want to sleep. He couldn't sleep. It had been two days since the scene in the digital world and, since he'd come back, his mother had put him under constant supervision. If she wasn't with him then Takeru was. He hadn't had proper time with Ken in those two days. After falling asleep next to Ken for nearly four weeks, it was difficult to say the least to get any sleep. Most nights he stayed up, thinking of how he missed the constant shuffle and groaning from his bluenette counterpart... he even missed the snoring. Ken had come by to see him regularly over the last two days; however, it was nothing like it had been before when everything they did was in secret.

He rolled over and looked at the clock. 4:28 flashed with the burning, unforgiving red lighting up the room. Three hours from now, he should be waking up, and waiting for Ken to appear. He sighed and rolled to his other side. Closing his eyes, he willed himself into a fake sense of sleep, only opening them again when his alarm went off.

Matt sat up slowly and stretched. He could hear running water in the bathroom. He grimaced, noting that Takeru had beaten him there. He sighed and fell back onto the makeshift bed. He heard his mother enter the kitchen and turn on the stove.

"Good morning Yamato. Are you ready for your first day of therapy?" Matt shot into a sitting position, his eyes widened with shock. He'd forgotten that his first therapy meeting was today.

Natsuko stopped what she was doing and focused on her son. "Yamato? Are you alright?" she asked, gliding over to the side of the pullout couch. He nodded absentmindedly, his fears now turning to the meeting that would be taking place later today. He heard the shower shut off, and the door banged open, and then closed again. He sighed, and moved to get into the shower.

"I'm fine mom, I just forgot about the meeting today."

She only nodded before returning to her cooking. Yamato sighed, and moved into the bathroom, to start his morning ritual. Half an hour later, he excited the bathroom and moved towards the kitchen. He sat at the table, across from his brother and waited as his mother finished setting the meal in front of him. He ate quickly. As he finished he stood, placed his dishes in the sink and moved on to finish getting ready. Twenty minutes later, he found himself in the car and moving towards the therapist's office. He sighed and placed his head against the window. He hoped it would go better this time, then the last time he'd went. The drive there was relatively quiet and slow. He'd noticed as of late, everything he did seemed to be in a foggy haze. His hand went up automatically to the cuts, and he scratched at them absentmindedly. He ignored the glare from his mother and continued to scratch feeling the skin break. A hand over his stopped his movements. He looked over to meet pleading blue eyes.

"Yamato, stop that. You'll break the skin." Takeru said quietly, concern flashing through his eyes.

Yamato rolled his eyes, but stopped the motion anyway. Instead he turned and looked out the window. Ever since the digital world, Takeru had been whole heartedly trying to act like a better brother and make up for the weeks he'd spent treating Yamato like an alien. Yamato sighed; he really couldn't blame his brother. After all, he was weak, and pathetic. If he were in Takeru's shoes he'd think the same thing. Over this whole time he'd wondered why Ken chose him of all people to like. He was too weak to resist the temptations to cut again, and now, he had been too weak to end his life. He pressed his forehead against the window, and watched the streets slowly filter by. After what felt like an eternity his mother pulled into the parking lot. He sighed, and unbuckled his seat belt. Moving to open the door, his mother shut the engine off. Without waiting he walked himself to the clinic and entered leaving his mother and brother to fend for themselves. He made his way to the reception desk. A perky young woman smiled at him.

"How may I help you!" She asked, pulling up her datebook.

Yamato forced a smile. "I'm Ishida, Yamato. I'm here to have a meeting with Dr. Satoshi." The lady nodded and smiled, picking up the phone to page her boss. As she spoke with him, Natsuko and Takeru entered the clinic and moved to catch up with Yamato. He ignored them and waited for the lady to get off the phone. She hung up and smiled, gesturing for him to move through the door.

"He's ready for you now." She said. Yamato smiled his thanks and moved to the door. Breathing deeply he opened it and made his way into the office with his new therapist. He wished Ken could be there with him, but knew this was something he needed to do on his own.

Taichi groaned and rolled over. He didn't want to get up. Every time he woke all he could think about what the events of two days ago. After that day, nothing made sense anymore. He just wanted to sleep and forget that the past few months had happened, when he woke, he wanted to be back in Yamato's arms and forget about Sora, Ken, and everyone else. He knew this would never happen, especially after what he had said to the elder blonde haired teen. Especially after what he had done to Yamato, it had only now fully hit him how much he must of hurt Yamato when he had cheated on him with Sora.

He groaned again, but got out of bed nonetheless. He moved out into the kitchen where his younger sister sat munching on a bowl of cereal. "You talking to me yet?" he asked nonchalantly, moving to grab the cereal where she had left it on the counter. A soft hmph was heard and she left the room with her bowl, trying to escape her brother.

"Apparently not," Taichi sat at the table and ate his cereal slowly.

With everyone mad at him it wasn't like he was in any rush to go somewhere. After the incident in the digital world, not even Sora would talk to him. He sighed and took his bowl to the sink to be washed. If no one would talk to him he might as well just go back to skulking in his room.

Much later in the day, he left his room to find his sister talking to Miyako and Iori in the kitchen. He did his best to stay out of the way of their conversation and ignore the glares he received from the two girls. Iori on the other hand just sat and watched the anger seep off the two girls. Maybe everyone wasn't mad at him. He sighed and stole a soda from the fridge before retreating back to his room where his X-box sat paused on a quest in Fable. He sighed and un-paused the game, hearing a call of 'chicken chaser' he ran through the town on his search for blue mushrooms. A few hours later he heard shuffling and the door closing signifying that Miyako and Iori had left. He sighed and decided to use this chance again to sneak more food without his sister seeing him.

He was proven wrong however, when he walked out into the kitchen to see his sister waiting for him expectantly, a plate of dinner set out for him on the opposite end of the table from her. He hesitated but sat down across from her, and the two began their meal in silence.

"I am sorry about what I did you know." He said finally. She humphed and looked up.

"Look, I overreacted. We all do that on occasion. I'm sorry it was a stupid thing to do. Takeru was right by my side, why aren't you as mad at him as you are me?" Taichi asked, his anger returning. It wasn't fair that only he was blamed. Everyone one else had been right behind him most of the way. Why was he the only one being exiled?

"Takeru didn't call Yamato a whore." Kari said simply, she got up as she finished her meal and made her way to the sink. She slammed everything down into the dirty side and turned back to him. "Also, if you're so sorry, why are you saying it to me? You'd be better off finding Yamato, or even Ken. I'm going out with Mimi tonight. I'll see you tomorrow." She turned away from him and stormed out of the house. He stared blankly at the wall. After everything that had happened over the past few months, what his sister said really hit home. He needed to talk to Yamato. He placed his dishes with his sister's and threw his jacket on. He moved to get out of the door and headed towards the blonde's apartment. He just hoped Yamato was there and would see him.

Takeru and Daisuke sat curled up watching the movie in Takeru's living room. His mother and brother were still at the clinic, after almost forty five minutes of the first session Takeru had become bored of waiting and asked his mom if he could leave and spend the day with Daisuke. She agreed, and he sped off to catch up with Daisuke. It had been far to long since they had hung out. He smiled and looked over at his softly snoring boyfriend. After half of the Harry Potter movie, the brunet had passed out against the back of the couch, and Takeru had taken up residency on his shoulder. His smiled widened as Daisuke mumbled in his sleep. Even when he was fighting with Daisuke he couldn't help but miss the moments like this. The thought of the fight brought a frown to Takeru's face. He couldn't believe he'd been so blind and naive Daisuke had never stopped telling him that his brother needed him, and yet... Takeru had shunned Yamato at every chance he got.

"Daisuke?" He asked softly, nudging the boy awake. "Daisuke, do you think I'm a bad brother?" Takeru asked as the boy looked down on him. The annoyance of being woken up faded as the question registered with the brow eyed boy.

"Take, what would make you say that?" He asked wile shutting off the movie that he hadn't watched. Takeru looked down.

"I was so mean to him. I never even pretended to care. He won't talk to me. He must hate me." Takeru dissolved into tears and buried his face into Daisuke's chest. Startled by this sudden outburst Daisuke mutely wrapped his arms around the crying boy.

"He doesn't hate you. Yamato could never hate you. He's just- just preoccupied. He's at the clinic right now. I mean he's going through a lot right now Take. You were there for him when he absolutely needed you. Give him some time and he'll come around. I promise." Daisuke placed a kiss on the top of Takeru's head. "Don't cry sweetie." He said rubbing Takeru's back soothingly. "He'll be okay."

"What if he isn't? What if this time he has to go away?" Takeru asked, wiping the remainder of his tears away. Daisuke only continued to rub his back. For once, he didn't have an answer. He wasn't sure about any of this self-harming business. Going to a clinic to work through his problems 24/7 might be the best option for Yamato.

Sora stared at her ceiling and wondered why she'd done everything she had to upset Yamato's life. She had been one of his best friends for as long as she could remember, and he had always been there for her, and to repay him, she let Taichi use her for sexual pleasure- not that she didn't enjoy it herself- and she let him talk her into having said pleasure in Yamato's room. She brought herself into a sitting position and wiped away tears that were forming in her eyes. Even after everything that happened she and Tai still weren't ever going to be a proper couple. He never did like her for more than just sex.

She sighed and got off her bed. She didn't need to be like this, what she really needed to do was talk to Yamato, apologize, and then hope for the best. She got off her bed and began to prepare to make the trip over to the blonde's apartment. As she was gathering her coat and keys to leave, she thought better of it. Today wasn't the day to go gallivanting off. She'd wait until at least Wednesday before she spoke to him again. Today was Friday, so that gave her a few days to prepare what she would say to Yamato.

"So Yamato, would you like to tell me why you are here today?" Doctor Satoshi asked, shutting the door behind the blonde boy before moving back to his desk and sitting in the overly stuffed chair.

Yamato hesitated near the door. "You can sit anywhere you want. Whatever makes you most comfortable." Yamato moved to the couch- putting the most distance between himself and the doctor.

"There we go, now, can you tell me why you are here?" Yamato opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out, so instead he pulled his sleeves up to his elbows and showed his arms. Dr. Satoshi nodded, and scribbled some things down on his paper. "Can you tell me why you chose to start cutting?"

"I-I-I'm sorry." Yamato said looking down. He shook his head. It was all still too fresh, and some of it he just couldn't explain. However, the doctor just nodded at him.

"Alright, we'll start off with an easier question. Do you have a girlfriend?" He asked, Yamato shook his head again. "Boyfriend?" Yamato hesitated before nodding. "Can you tell me his name?"

"Ichijouji, Ken" Yamato said quietly.

"Really? Good for you. Can you tell me about him maybe?" Yamato nodded again, but kept his eyes focused on the ground.

"As you probably know from the new broadcasts, he's has blue hair, and dark blue eyes. He's one of the kindest people I've ever met. He's sweet and caring, talkative and intelligent, and very good looking." Yamato blushed when he realized he was rambling. The doctor chuckled, and motioned for him to go on. "It was him who first took away my knife. I mean I found it again later, but he was the first to really try to get me to stop. He did so much for me and I feel like I've let him down." Yamato's eyes were once again on the ground. The doctor continued writing, taking everything he could in about his newest patient.

"I just. I- can we not go there?" Yamato asked suddenly, it had worked before, maybe the doctor would keep letting him dodge the subject.

"You can't ignore the problem forever Yamato." Dr. Satoshi said. Damn. "However, if you are still not ready, how about you tell me about your family?"

"My mom and Dad got a divorce when I was really little, so I don't remember too much about being one big family. Takeru, my brother, and I were only re-united a few years ago when we took a trip to summer camp together. A lot happened to us on that trip, and we grew close and stayed connected, but now I just feel as if I let him down too. I really am worthless." Yamato said tears brimming in his eyes. "He was so angry when he found out about my cutting…" Yamato trailed off, lying back against the couch in his own little world, completely forgetting the doctor was there.

Doctor Satoshi let him settle back, and watched him slowly drift off into his own world. Yamato's mind was clearly in another place and the doctor felt it best not to disturb him. Instead, he just sat, waiting to see if Yamato would respond to him again. An hour later, he still had no response from the blonde. "I think that's enough for today Yamato, I'll see you again next week." The blonde looked up startled, and hung his head.

"I'm sorry." He said again.

"It's perfectly fine Yamato; we'll talk about everything when you're ready. I'll see you next week." He said again, and Yamato walked out to be greeted by his mother.

"Takeru went to hang out with Daisuke. Is there anything I can do for you?" She asked, trying to get close enough to him to comfort him. He backed up slightly, trying desperately to stay out of her reach.

"Can I have Ken over?" He asked sullenly. She looked sad, but smiled at him all the same.

"You know what? Why don't you call and see if you can go there for the night? I have some stuff to finish up anyway and I think it will be a nice break for you.

Yamato smiled and pulled out his phone, dialing the now familiar number.

Ken waited in silence for his door bell to ring. Yamato had called nearly hour and a half ago asking if he could spend the night. Ken immediately said yes and went about cleaning his house for his long awaited visitor. Soon the doorbell sounded out and he moved to the door to let the blonde in. Yamato smiled as he walked across the threshold. Before he could begin to remover his shoes, Ken pulled him into a deep kiss.

"I've missed you." He said, pulling Yamato into a closer hug. "I've missed sleeping near you every night."

"Me too." Yamato said.

"So tell me, how did your appointment with Doctor Satoshi go today?" Ken said, pulling Yamato into the kitchen and sitting him down. Yamato looked at his feet, shame flashing across his face.

"I couldn't talk to him. Every time he asked a question I would just talk myself into the ground. I'm sorry." Yamato felt like all he'd done that day was apologies to people. He felt that same sense of worthlessness wash over him. Ken pulled him into another kiss.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He said breaking the kiss. "It's hard to talk. Don't you remember how long it took you to open up to me?"

"You were the Digimon Kaiser." Yamato said dryly.

"That's beside the point. It's a hard thing to talk about Yamato. One day you'll get it and feel better. I promise." Ken said. "Now let's go do something fun." He smiled wickedly and dragged the blonde with him.

At the Takashi residence, the doorbell rang. Natsuko got to her feet and moved to the door wondering who on earth was there. She mentally counted off her children. Takeru and Daisuke were asleep on the couch (she'd shut the Harry Potter menu screen off when she'd gotten home) and Yamato was with Ken. Still, she made her way to the door and pulled it open to come face to face with Taichi.

"Is Yamato here?" He asked without looking up from the carpeted floor beneath him. Natsuko blinked in surprise and tried to regain her composure.

"I'm afraid he isn't Taichi." She said, a worried look passed over her face as the brunet's face fell. "He's at Ken's house. I'll tell him you stopped by when he gets back tomorrow alright?" She asked, oblivious to everything that had happened in the past few days. He nodded and walked away, his face distorted by anger once again.

Ken Ichijouji.

Every time he tried to get close enough to Yamato to apologize that boy seemed to pop up and foil his plans. He angrily kicked a rock across the sidewalk as he silently cursed the name of the boy who'd replaced him.

Ken Ichijouji.

Taichi felt bile rise in his throat, and his eyes darkened with anger. Anger mostly at himself, and some of the anger misdirected at Yamato and his new boyfriend. Taichi picked the rock up and threw it as hard as he could.

Ken Ichijouji.

The name tasted like venom every time it circled his head. He got back to his house, and instantly sealed himself off in his room, fully intending to skulk for the rest of the night.

Yamato smiled and curled up against Ken, breathing in his magnificent smell that was uniquely him. They both lay together in Ken's bed, just waiting to fall asleep.

"Good night Ken." He said quietly.

"Good night Yamato" Ken said back, placing one last kiss on the blonde's lips before he fell asleep.

A/n: There you go. Then end of Ripple Effect. Looks like Tai still isn't over Yamato. Tch. That might not end well for him. As for my next update I don't know exactly when it'll be. I have my first college finals coming up, and on top of that two more papers to write. I have all of J-term off though, so I will try to get the last two chapters I'm planning up in that time. Sorry that it's going to take so long.