A/N: Sorry if I made Yamato seem a bit too nihilistic in this chapter.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon

Oh brother I can't, I can't get through

I've been trying hard to reach you, cause I don't know what to do

Oh brother I can't believe it's true

I'm so scared about the future and I wanna talk to you

Oh I wanna talk to you

Coldplay- "Talk"

"Yes?!" Takeru yelled excitedly before enveloping Sora in a crushing hug and whirling her around like a rag doll.

Taichi watched the scene before him with a bemused grin on his face doing his best to give the impression that he was happy and that all was well. He knew that he was supposed to be thrilled that Sora, the love of his life, would be rejoining the team, but he was extremely conflicted. Sora had made it very clear that, without necessarily saying it, she was reuniting with the rest of the Chosen despite him, and not because of him.

He knew that it was selfish to think this way and wished that he could think more positively, but it was to no avail. He was seriously unnerved by her rejection. Even after all this time she still had yet to forgive him for what he had done. He knew now that he was a fool to even think that she would show mercy and forgive him, when what he deserved was to be shunned.

Over the past 5 years Taichi had given up on the pipe dream of being with Sora romantically and had accepted that the best case scenario would be to repair the friendship they once had, however this too had seemingly proved to be too lofty a goal to achieve. Taichi realized now that he would have to settle for the hope that one day he could at least come to have an amiable if slightly awkward relationship with Sora akin to those shared by co-workers.

The mere thought of being only a "co-worker" to Sora made him shudder. Despite this Taichi was still resolved to follow through on his promise to take this second chance that fate had granted him and do everything in his power to make things as close to right as possible with Sora. It was the very least he could do to atone for his grievous mistakes of 5 years ago. By treating Sora as an object rather than a full person with free choice he lost any right he might have had to forgiveness.

Continuing to watch Sora and Takeru, who were now filling each other in on their lives over the past 5 years to each other, Taichi was extremely thankful for Takeru's intervention. He wasn't sure if Takeru fully meant everything or was partially saying it on his behalf, but either way he knew if it weren't for the younger boy's quick thinking Sora would not have joined up with them.

Taichi guessed that it sort of validated his old theory that Sora had a soft spot for Takeru after acting as a mother like figure to him during their first adventure in the digital world. Once Takeru played the dependence card Sora's resistance completely crumbled as her maternal instinct overrode any sort of logical objections she may still have had. Taichi had always admired that less rational more emotionally driven side of Sora and figured that it was one of the many reasons he had fallen in love with her.

Shaking his head Taichi silently chastised himself, knowing that he had to stop thinking that way about her. It wasn't that he was going to stop loving her, he wasn't stupid enough to think that was possible, rather he just needed to stop thinking about her in that way. It was unhealthy and ultimately would only cause him more pain in the long run.

Seeking to focus on anything else to take his mind off his unrequited feelings for Sora, Taichi began to scrutinize Takeru and found something that was simultaneously shocking and blatantly obvious: Takeru was nowhere near as happy as he was pretending to be. This overjoyed excited schoolgirl like reaction was a huge facade to hide his true feelings.

Taichi could see it in his eyes and hands, they were dead giveaways.. Those usually joyful blue eyes were full of dread and apprehension of what was still to come. Additionally Takeru's hands, which he was trying to hide ever so carefully, were shaking further cementing Taichi's suspicions that he was frightened out of his mind about what was to come: namely having to confront Yamato and Hikari.

Taichi's heart went out to Takeru as he could truly empathize with him, on the Yamato front at least, given that the older blonde could be incredibly cold and abrasive at times. However, in Taichi's experience he had never seen Yamato act that way towards his younger brother, if anything he was a different person when he was with Takeru. This lead to Taichi to surmise that something really awful had to have happened to lead to the two of them being estranged for 5 years.

Deciding that he had to take action so that Takeru wouldn't try to hide from the issue indefinitely Taichi grabbed the chatting duo's attention and swallowed hard before setting out on the unenviable task of pointing out the elephant in the room. This was most definitely not going to put him in any better stead with Sora, but it was something that needed to be said no matter how little anyone wanted to hear it.

"Takeru drop the act." Taichi said in a stern tone that brooked no argument. "I know you're scared. Scared about seeing Yamato. Scared about seeing Hikari. Scared that they might reject you. I get it and I feel for you, but this is something you have to do. You have me and Sora here for support and we'll be here with you all the way. You don't have to pretend anymore."

Takeru's expression dramatically darkened and his entire body began to shake as Taichi's words were processed. Taichi felt extremely guilty as he observed this, but knew he was doing the right thing so he chose to persevere. Takeru needed to hear what he had to say and in the long term he would be thankful that Taichi had confronted him, at least that was the hope.

"Taichi's right." Sora interjected drawing shocked looks from both Takeru and Taichi. "You need to see your brother and Hikari. Frankly I'm a little shocked that you haven't already. They are so important to you and you are so important to them. They need you Takeru, so don't be selfish. Just remember that you are not alone, ok?"

Putting his hand on the younger boy's shoulder Taichi said, "C'mon let's go we have work to do."

However, as he started to try to start to get Takeru walking with him Taichi was shocked to find that he wouldn't budge, instead he kept staring at the ground in an attempt to hide his face from Taichi and Sora.

"What the hell Takeru?! Let's go already!" Taichi snapped feeling himself becoming increasingly annoyed with Takeru's stubbornness.

Finally Takeru raised his head to look Taichi dead on and what Taichi saw made his heart break in a million pieces for the younger boy. Tears were freely flowing and his blue eyes showed an alarming mix of abject fear and unwavering resolve. Whatever Takeru was about to do scared him to death, yet he was not going to let anyone or anything stand in his way. Taichi could only hope that it didn't result in him hurting himself or anyone else.

"Both of you listen." Takeru said his voice shaking with emotion. "There is no 'we'. There is no 'us'. This is my burden to bear. This is my problem to fix."

With that Takeru stormed off past Taichi ostensibly in whatever direction he thought and/or knew Yamato was in. Sora's cries for him to wait and stay fell on deaf ears as did her pleas for Taichi to go after him. Taichi knew that Takeru was too far gone to argue or reason with. He had obviously made up his mind on this matter a long time ago and was not about to change it. Taichi could only pray that Takeru had made the right choice and that he would be able to sort things out with Yamato and Hikari.

As he walked towards the concert hall where he knew Yamato was scheduled to perform later on this evening Takeru was certain of one thing: he had never been this scared in his entire life. With every step he took he needed every ounce of courage he had in him not to turn tail and run. He hated feeling this way. It was so messed up. There was no person in the world he admired more than Yamato and yet here was shaking with fear at the mere prospect of seeing him.

He desperately wanted everything to return to normal between Yamato and himself, but he had his doubts that it was even in the realm of possibility. Over the last 5 years to try to numb the pain of missing his brother Takeru had not even dared to hope because nothing in the world hurt worse than the realization of that what he hoped for so fervently would never come to pass.

After he had stormed off, leaving a stunned Taichi and Sora in his wake, the world seemed to shrink to eliminate all existence apart from him, his path, and his goal. It was as if he were walking through an abyss that contained only him and his worst fears. He wasn't even sure if he was crying anymore he had become so numb to the world. He guessed this might have been what it felt like when Yamato and Sora were trapped in that cave during their battle against the Dark Masters.

In truth this was the lowest he had felt since that day 5 years ago and the worst part was unlike then he had no logical reason to feel that way. Over the last 2 days he had received his crest again, found out that he and Patamon would be reunited soon, and had reconciled with 9 of his closest friends.

Any reasonable person would be happy in his situation yet he had to be the one coward who was deathly afraid of seeing his big brother who he had for so long idolized. Yamato had always been there for him and now it was his turn to be there for Yamato, yet he was too paralyzed by uncertainty to do anything.

In a weird sadomasochistic way Takeru was thankful for whatever the trouble in the digital world was, even if it was causing unknowable pain and suffering to the denizens of the digital world. Now he had no choice in the matter, his hand was forced by an exterior force to attempt to bury the hatchet with Yamato. While this did nothing to dispel the fear and uncertainty that he felt about seeing his brother again, but it was a push in the right direction.

For now all Takeru could do was focus on putting one foot in front of the other and hope that everything would be ok. Hope that he would find the right words to say. Hope that Yamato would forgive him. Hope that for once in his life he could have the self-confidence of Daisuke, who never seemed to doubt himself even for one second in his life. All he had left was hope.

He could live with that.

The sky this evening was truly beautiful. The array of colors that were on display were simply breathtaking. In a way it looked as if the sky was ablaze with a alluring fire that was dancing across the horizon bathing the whole world in its warm orange glow. It seemed so inviting and genuinely serene. For so many reasons this was deeply upsetting and off putting to Yamato Ishida.

Staring at the sky from the window of his dressing room Yamato longed for his life to be as simple and beautiful as the sunset. The sunset did not have to deal with the weight of expectations, instead it was roundly admired and somehow never failed to inspire awe in those who stopped to observe it. Yamato hated the sunset so damn much.

The sunset in its own diabolical way represented the sum of all his failings as a friend, as a boyfriend, as a son, and as a brother. Yamato, for all his success in music and school, would always be a failure. He failed the people most important to him in his life and there was no recovering from that.

With every passing day Yamato that thought about his failures his self loathing increased astronomically. Most days he couldn't bear to look at himself in the mirror apart from making sure to do the bare minimum to make himself look presentable to the outside world. He did not want people knowing how badly he was suffering as that might lead to pity that he most definitely did not deserve.

What the world saw of Yamato was a front, partially constructed by their own assumptions. He was the brooding front man of the hit rock group "The Teenage Wolves." It was amazing how being an artist gave him a free pass to be sullen and introspective 24/7. People always just chose to assume it was part of his persona as a rocker and Yamato never corrected them.

Over the last 5 years the band had seen unprecedented, for them at least, critical and commercial success as the public had eaten up the darker tone to their music. No one ever thought to question what the meaning behind these dark words was, seemingly content to just enjoy the music mindlessly. This just flat out annoyed Yamato, and made him feel like even more of a failure.

Nowadays he barely talked to anyone unless it was strictly necessary for professional reasons. He had truly become a misanthrope and the antithesis of what his long since departed crest said he was supposed to represent. His success had at least given him the financial ability to live alone and not deal with people he found contemptible, which included pretty much everyone he encountered on any sort of regular basis.

There was still one person in the world that Yamato desperately needed to see again, but was too afraid to face. The hurt in his eyes when Yamato had last seen him 5 years ago haunted him to this day. Every single night Yamato would find his dreams haunted by those blue eyes that were so filled with hurt, shock, and betrayal, often causing him to wake up to find that he himself had been crying.

Yamato needed his little brother again. Takeru gave him a sense of purpose in the world. From the moment their mother had brought Takeru home from the hospital Yamato had made a silent vow that he would always be his protector, his guardian, and that he would prevent any harm from coming to him. If that Yamato could see him as he was now he would be rightfully disgusted.

Yamato had so egregiously broken that vow by not only failing to protect Takeru, but also being the very cause of his pain. He had replayed the situation in his head countless times in his dreams always focusing on the look in Takeru's eyes. Yamato had never seen Takeru give him that look before and he hoped he would never see it again. The very thought of it made his stomach turn.

He had always taken such great pride in the fact that Takeru idolized him. Takeru's admiration was his most prized possession and he had never thought that he would throw it away so carelessly. It killed Yamato to think that now Takeru probably hated him and that he more than deserved it.

Picking up his guitar and bringing over to his couch Yamato began to absently strum some chords to a long forgotten song as the thought back on that fateful conversation with Takeru. He wished more than anything that he could stay his tongue and never utter those vile words that he had said to his brother…

Watching Sora leave the park Yamato felt as if his world was falling apart at the seams. So much of his identity was staked on being a member of the select group of Chosen Children, but now that seemed as if it was going up in flames. His mind was unable to comprehend how this whole situation had spiraled out of control so quickly.

Scanning the park he found that the only ones still left from the original group that had convened here for what was supposed to be a joyous occasion were Takeru, Hikari, and himself. Looking at the younger duo he found it strange that Takeru seemed to not be exuding negativity and worry.

It didn't make sense to him, shouldn't Takeru have been extremely concerned about why everyone was suddenly fighting on a day they should have been celebrating? Even the usually upbeat Hikari seemed to be showing the proper amount of concern and anxiousness so why wasn't Takeru?

He could faintly overhear Takeru talking to Hikari most likely trying to comfort her or at least put her mind at ease. The way he saw Takeru looking at Hikari with such genuine admiration that was generally reserved for him unnerved Yamato a bit. He had known the two of them had been growing close since Takeru's return to Odaiba, but he had no idea they had gotten this close.

This scared Yamato because it meant that Takeru would be spending more time with Hikari, which in turn meant spending more time at the Yagami's home, which meant spending more time with Taichi, which was unacceptable to him after today's events. He wanted his brother nowhere near that selfish arrogant prick that had just ruined everything. He needed to take action and soon.

"What are you doing Takeru?" Yamato demanded as he marched over towards his brother and Hikari.

Takeru apparently not picking up on his tone casually replied that he was just explaining to Hikari that in a few days after all the dust settled that everything would be ok. He firmly believed everyone would forgive each other and things would go back to normal.

Yamato began to seethe at his brother's seemingly flippant comments and felt that he needed to set him straight in a major way. Things were never going to be the same and the sooner Takeru learned to accept that, the sooner that he could begin to move on with his life. He was not going to like to hear it, but it was harsh truth that he needed to hear nonetheless.

"You're wrong!" Yamato shouted as his anger about this whole day and this whole situation began to boil over. "Nothing is ever going to be the same. Nothing! It's time you dropped this whole optimistic routine and joined the rest of us here on planet Earth. You need to open your damn eyes and see the reality that life is shit!"

Both Takeru and Hikari recoiled at these words, but Takeru still had the spark of defiant optimism and hope in his eyes that needed to squelched before it ended up hurting him. Yamato knew now exactly what he needed to do to drive his point home to Takeru so that he would finally understand the true nature of the world.

"You need to stop lying to yourself Takeru! You have been lying to yourself since you were 4 years old! You keep pretending in that messed up little mind of yours that one day Mom and Dad are going to get back together and that we'll be a happy family again. That is never going to happen. Never. The sooner that you understand that the better, because otherwise you'll be living a lie. Your whole identity is a lie Takeru. It's time you grow up and embrace reality for the hell it really is."

The look Yamato saw in Takeru's eyes as his words sunk in broke his heart in ways that he never thought possible. His brother was looking at him with such rage and betrayal that was so foreign to the usually cheerful boy. Yamato had never seen this expression from Takeru in his entire life and knew that his resolve would waver if he stayed too much longer.

"Think about it kiddo." Yamato called over his shoulder as he casually stalked away from Takeru and Hikari leaving them to marinate in the aftermath of what he had just said.

A persistent loud knock at his dressing room door broke Yamato out of his unpleasant trip down memory lane and he shot a glare at the door. His mind quickly clicked into gear in order to try to figure out who the hell was bothering him at this time and how best to get rid of them without opening the door.

All he wanted until the show was to be left alone with his thoughts, as was the usual protocol. He guessed based off the stubborn knocking that it was likely Akira, one of his fellow band members, whose stubborn disposition grated on Yamato's nerves, never more so than right now. Akira being the paranoid worry wart type likely wanted to do an extra early sound check to make sure that everything was all set for later on that night.

"Akira I am not in the mood to deal with your panic attacks right now, if you want to do an extra sound check so badly do it your damn self." Yamato called out making sure to convey how annoyed he was in his tone.

After waiting a beat for a response and receiving none Yamato went back to strumming the same aimless tune on his guitar that he been playing before he was so rudely interrupted. He was pleased that he had been able to brush off Akira so easily and made a mental note to take this more forward approach with him in the future.

"Yamato...it's me." A voice said from the other side of the door. A voice that he could never mistake. A voice that cut down right to his soul.

Yamato's guitar clattered to the floor as he vaulted towards the door and ripped it open before enveloping Takeru in a crushing hug. He had no idea why or how Takeru was here, but none of that mattered to him right now. All that mattered was that he had his brother back and that he was never letting him go again as long as he lived.

Without warning tears began to stream down his face and he openly wept with a mix of joy, guilt, and relief. Yamato felt Takeru's arms encircle his back as he finally returned the hug. For the first time in years Yamato finally felt whole again. He felt as if the darkness that had been suffocating his heart for the last 5 years was finally lifting now that he had Takeru back.

After what seemed like an eternity Yamato finally broke the hug and wordlessly ushered Takeru into his dressing room closing the door behind him so that they would not be interrupted or have to deal with any onlookers. Yamato decided that it would be best to skip small talk and get straight to the point with Takeru and ask the question that had been plaguing him for the last 5 years during their separation.

"Do you hate me?" Yamato asked almost fearfully. He couldn't even look Takeru in the eye as he asked the question because he was still replaying the look of hurt and betrayal from 5 years ago in his mind.

"What?" Takeru asked clearly confused and caught off guard by the question.

"Do you hate me? I'd understand if you did. You have every right to after what I said to you." Yamato responded gloomily.

"Listen, I could never ever hate you Yamato. You're my hero. You're my idol. Most importantly you're my big brother. I could never hate you even if I wanted to." Takeru said resolutely as if he were trying to dispel any doubt that Yamato might still have to the veracity of his words.

"Oh thank God." Yamato sighed feeling as though he had just shed a massive weight off his shoulders. He was truly thankful in this moment for how consistently positive his younger brother always managed to be. Yamato wasn't sure he would be able to forgive someone so easily if they had treated him the way he treated Takeru that fateful day.

"There are so many things that I want to talk to you about that have happened over the last 5 years, but there's something I need to tell you first." Takeru started uneasily piquing Yamato's curiosity. He wondered if he was going to say something like he and Hikari had eloped or something, it honestly wouldn't shock him. "You may not like hearing this, but I need you to agree to this. Can you promise that you'll at least hear me out?"

"Yes of course anything." Yamato said quickly, apparently too quickly for Takeru who seemed increasingly uneasy.

"Well it involves Taichi...and Sora…" Takeru said quietly.

"What about them?" Yamato shot back.

Takeru arched an eyebrow, apparently deriving some meaning from Yamato not using Taichi and Sora's name, before explaining the whole series of events that led him to this point, including Gennai's visit, the return of his crest, and the reunions with the rest of the Chosen. One thing that captured Yamato's attention was that there was something Takeru had left out in his recounting of the events of the past day and a half, but he filed it away for later choosing to focus on the present dilemma before him.

He did not want to be anywhere near Taichi even after all these years, but he wasn't about to let Takeru go to the Digital World without him. Yamato already knew he was going to the Digital World because Takeru was going and there was no convincing him otherwise, but dealing with Taichi was still a problem. Just the thought of the former leader made his stomach turn.

After some thinking Yamato finally found a solution that he could live with. While it was childish it still represented for him a more than fair punishment for Taichi's crime. Yamato had lost something precious because of Taichi's selfishness so he decided that Taichi had to lose something precious as well.

"I agree to come back and do my part to help defeat the evil that's attacking the Digital World. I'll even work with Taichi again too." Yamato paused allowing for Takeru to process what he just said before continuing, "There is however one non-negotiable condition that Taichi needs to agree to before I agree to work with him again"

Takeru's eyes lit up at this, seemingly overjoyed that Yamato was going to put aside his differences with Taichi and work together again. Yamato couldn't help but smile at how excited his brother was. He could never resist Takeru's smile it had always had such a positive effect on him and he was glad to have it back in his life.

"What is it?" Takeru asked excitedly. "I'm sure whatever it is Taichi will agree to it. He's so desperate to make up for his mistake that he would do anything. You have no idea how much he misses you and the relationship you guys used to have."

"Taichi needs to officially step down as leader of the Chosen. I don't care who replaces him, he just needs to not be the leader." Yamato said matter of factly while carefully gauging Takeru's reaction.

"Uh sure that should be fine." Takeru replied uncertainly.

"Good. Now there's something I wanted to ask you about." Yamato said as a devious smile spread across his face. "When you were talking about seeing everyone earlier I noticed something. You left Hikari out. So what happened? Lovers quarrel?"

Yamato was certain that he had never seen Takeru turn a brighter shade of red than he did at just the mention of him and Hikari in any sort of romantic context. Torturing Takeru with this was going to be oh so much fun.

Next chapter is Hikari and will be out eventually.