Disclaimer: The muses would like to remind everyone that Angel Spirit doesn't own Digimon, just the plot of the fic.

Author's Notes: I'm sorry for how long this has taken me to update, but I'm glad that everyone seems to be enjoying the one shot I brought out that's in the same time frame as this! If you haven't read it yet and are interested, the one shot is called "Creating Memories." It definitely helped me to overcome my writer's block for this fic, so yay for that! I'm hoping to have more frequent updates now that the colder weather is slowly coming our way and usually with the colder weather, comes not so busy times for me-meaning that I'll be able to write more too…I'm also really excited for the new Evanescence CD to come out…from what I've heard so far, "The Open Door" is almost better then their first album "Fallen" (who's song "Bring Me To Life" actually helped inspire me to write this fic as did all the songs off of "Fallen" actually)-so with new dark/angsty music on the way, that'll definitely help me too…double yay for Evanescence! There's not a lot of action in this chapter very little actually save for the ending…personally it's not one of my favorite chapters of this fic, but I still felt like it needed to be put in…however, Kouichi, Kouji, Takuya and Junpei (especially Junpei and Kouji) get themselves into plenty of trouble in the next couple of chapters or so.

Quick little side note: I'm actually going to start using the word BREAK in place of the actual break line that this site offers, as the break line's been giving me some trouble and hasn't actually been working for me for some odd reason…heh…

Rating: PG13

Warning: This fic contains slash/yaoi…if you're not a fan of male/male pairings or any of the pairings listed below then I suggest that you hit the wonderful back button to the top left of your page now and run far, far away. Don't say you weren't for warned!

Pairings: Takuya/Kouji, a Junpei/Izumi/Kouichi triangle, and some Shinya/Tomoki at times

Rating: PG13

Time Setting: Four years after season 04-ages of the Digi Destined for this fic are in the first couple of chapters

Confessions

Author: Angel Spirit

Chapter 11: Calm Before The Storm

It had been one week since the incident with Junpei's father, and things had slowly started to calm down around the Kimura household. Junpei had taken to staying in the apartment with them, since he had no desire to go back to an empty house while his father still resided in jail…though, rumor had it that his bail would be set sometime this weekend and Junpei was afraid that without a doubt one of his father's higher employees would probably bail out his old man. That seemed to scare him more then anything else that currently mattered to him…and that was another reason why Junpei didn't quite want to stay at home. He didn't want to be there when his father got there, for he was sure that some kind of punishment was already set in his father's mind for him, for having completely disobeyed him the night he got arrested after breaking and entering into the Kimura's apartment.

And from past experiences, Junpei knew that his father's punishments were never very fun.

Luckily, Tomoko had been most understanding and had told Junpei that he was allowed to stay as long as he wanted too.

Unfortunately, this was starting to pose a bit of a problem for the Kimura-Minamoto family, as their apartment they resided in was starting to get a bit on the small side with all the people they had staying with them now. While Kouji's room was big enough for a larger bed to fit both him and Takuya, Kouichi's room wasn't…meaning that while Junpei stayed he either slept with Kouichi on the pull out couch some nights or on a cot that they'd set up in the older twins bedroom.

But Tomoko was reasoning that eventually they'd have to move into a bigger apartment…she'd already been debating about making the decision to move into a bigger place when Kouji had first come…and they also had Wolf living in the small apartment with them too, and heavens knew that that dog needed an actual yard to run around in instead of having to be taken on a daily walk. Since Kouji couldn't really walk Wolf, she, Kouichi, and Takuya had divided up the chore between the three of the with Kouji promising to take over the chore completely once his cast was off and he was finished with his physical therapy that he had to do to restrengthen his knee.

All in all though, they really would be much better off in a bigger place.

So on of her days off, Tomoko was sitting at the small breakfast bar in the kitchen, musing over the realty section of the local newspaper-every once in awhile using a highlighter to circle a place she thought that she'd like…as well as Kouichi and Kouji. It wouldn't be fair for just her to pick a place…she wanted her sons to feel happy and comfortable as well.

Tomoko knew that eventually she'd have to tell the twins of her plans, but at the moment she was content with just letting things be for awhile. They were finally happy…probably the happiest that they'd been in a long time, and she didn't want to burst that bubble of happiness by telling them that she was thinking about moving.

Money wouldn't be a problem…Kousei had left them plenty of it in his will; having spread it out evenly between herself, Kouji, and Kouichi-there was enough money for Kouichi and Kouji to go to college, and then some. Tomoko had a sneaky suspicion that she could probably retire from her job as a nurse if she really wanted too and would be just fine with the money that Kousei left her. She had the feeling he might have done it, knowing that if anything happened to him she'd want to spend as much time with their sons as possible. He was right. And a part of her hated that…but a part of her also didn't mind that either, because she was able to take more time off now instead of having to take extra night shifts and exhausting herself just to make ends meet.

She was still sitting at the breakfast bar around noon, when Kouji came downstairs-looking like he'd just woken up from a nap. Tomoko couldn't blame him…with the weather being as warm as it was, a nap definitely sounded like a good idea…and she was still planning on taking one herself a little later on. However, she was glad for the quiet time…and couldn't pass up the opportunity to start looking for housing without having to worry about the twins looking over her shoulder and asking her why she was circling places in the newspaper.

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to hide it quickly enough from Kouji, who eyed her suspiciously as he maneuvered himself on his crutches to the cabinet that contained the glasses as he grabbed a glass and then proceeded over to the fridge.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them, until Tomoko let out a soft sigh and turned to face her youngest. She might as well get this done and over with…Tomoko had the feeling that out of her two sons, that Kouji would have the hardest time dealing with the fact that she was planning on getting a bigger place. It would mean that he'd have to move…again. And while Tomoko didn't want to have to put Kouji through that kind of pain again, she also knew that he'd be happier in more comfortable living quarters too.

"Kouji…I've been doing some thinking, and the more I think about it, the more the solution I've come up with seems to solve a lot of our problems." Kouji raised an eyebrow at this, before nodding for her to continue.

"This place is getting too small…with Junpei staying with us now; we're going to have to look at getting a bigger place. Your room was big enough to get a larger bed, Kouichi's isn't…and I have the feeling that Kouichi will jump at the chance of a larger bedroom. That, and we've also got Wolf now too…he's happy with the two walks he gets each day, but it's not enough for him Kouji. He's used to having a big yard to run around in and a bit more freedom then he's got here. He's had to change his living style too…though I know he doesn't mind doing it as long as you're here with him. I just think that we need a change…and I was going to bring it up to the two of you when I'd found a few different places for us to go and look at, but you seemed to have caught me at a disadvantage…are…are you okay with this Kouji?" There was that small, awkward silence again after Tomoko asked this, and Kouji seemed to be lost in thought.

Deciding to let what she'd said sink into Kouji's thoughts for awhile, Tomoko got up and started to fix them a snack. She had the feeling that if Kouji was up, that that meant that Junpei and Kouichi would probably be up soon too-and would probably come into the kitchen looking for something to eat.

She started looking through the cabinets, musing over what to fix and nibbled on her lower lip-it looked like she was going to have to do some grocery shopping sooner then later. For now though…

Her dark blue gray eyes spied a package of unopened tortilla chips hidden behind a box of cereal, and she made a grab for them…settling on making nachos for everyone until dinner time came.

When she turned around again, she found Kouji lazily looking over the housing ads that she'd put down when he'd come into the kitchen, and her own eyebrows raised as she opened the bag of chips and wandered over to him.

"What are you thinking Kouji?" She asked softly, as Kouji just shrugged and gave the ads one more glance over before looking up to meet her in the eyes…his eyes shining with a look that she didn't think would be there…it was a look that held a bit of excitement, and a bit of curiosity all at once. It was a bit of a relief for Tomoko…it looked like Kouji was going to accept moving without to much of a problem.

"I don't know…I mean…I can see why you'd want to look into a bigger place mom…but…do Kouichi and I have a say in where we move to?" The moment the question was out of Kouji's mouth, Tomoko enthusiastically nodded as she popped a chip into her mouth and offered the bag to Kouji, who declined and maneuvered over to the fridge to grab the container of grated cheese they had.

"Of course you two can help me pick a place, you're going to be living there after all…you can even drag Takuya along with us since I have the feeling he'll probably be living there part time as well…speaking of which, where is Takuya anyway?" The twin's mother hadn't seen her son's boyfriend since that morning at breakfast, and usually Takuya and Kouji were never very far from each other for very long.

Kouji shrugged, and handed her the container of cheese that she opened as she graciously poured it over the plate of chips.

"He got a phone call this morning after breakfast from his mom…he wouldn't really tell me much but he said that he was needed at home for something, and that he'd probably be back before dinner tonight. I-I'm kind of worried about him mom, he seemed really distracted after the phone call, like something wasn't right." Tomoko frowned at this, as she put the plate of chips and cheese into the microwave and sat down next to Kouji as she waited for the cheese to melt.

"I'm sure that everything is okay, he'd call if there was something wrong…why don't you call him if you're so worried about him?" She asked, and Kouji nodded, getting up and heading towards the phone.

"That's a good idea…I hope he's got his phone with him and that he didn't leave it here. I don't think he did though, I'm pretty sure I saw him put it in his pocket when he left." Kouji mused, dialing Takuya's number and waited as patiently as he could for the phone to ring. One ring…two…three…

When Kouji got Takuya's voicemail, both of his eyebrows raised and he hesitated but finally left a brief message telling him to call if he wasn't going to be able to make it for dinner. After a soft 'love you' as a goodbye, he hung up and caught his mother watching him.

"It's not like him to not answer his phone…whenever I used to call it he'd always answer. I've got a really bad feeling." The microwave dinged, announcing the nacho's were ready and Tomoko sighed as she went to take them out…having the feeling that Kouji wasn't very hungry now, and that she'd be eating them all herself.

"If you're really worried you could try calling him at home." She pointed out, picking up a chip and savoring the melted cheese as she bit into it. Tomoko hated it when the cheese from nacho's got cold; making them inedible for her though she knew Kouichi liked them that way…for some strange, odd reason.

"Yeah…but something's telling me not to. Takuya's been over here so much that maybe his mom just wanted him to stay for dinner…I'm probably being paranoid, that's all." With that said and done, Kouji headed over to the plate and snatched up a nacho, as Kouichi and Junpei stumbled into the room.

"I smell food." Kouichi declared, and Tomoko laughed as she put the plate in the center of the kitchen counter, making it so that everyone could have their fair share.

While they munched, Tomoko told Kouichi that she was thinking of moving into a bigger place…and as she'd predicted, Kouichi's eyes lit up and he gave an enthusiastic nod.

"Having a bigger bedroom would be wonderful." He said agreeing with what Tomoko had thought, and then glanced over at Kouji, a question clearly showing in his dark eyes…one that Kouji just shrugged at as he moved to go refill his glass.

"I'm fine with it…I can see where mom's coming from…and we won't have to change schools or anything, so it's not like it's that big of a deal." The youngest twin answered, and Junpei's eyes blinked as he looked from one twin to the other, and shook his head as Tomoko grinned and stole one of the last few chips off the plate.

"What is it Junpei, you look confused." She asked him, and Junpei just sighed and fought with Kouichi for the last chip, until Kouji came over and stole it, eating it before the two other teens could protest on Kouji's action.

"I just don't know how you two do it…it seems like you can talk without having to…talk." Junpei finally admitted, after he and Kouichi got finished glowering at Kouji for eating the last chip on the plate as Tomoko went to rinse it off to hide the grin she had on her face…while she had to admit that it was pretty sneaky of Kouji stealing the last nacho to end Junpei's and Kouichi's argument, it hadn't necessarily been the right thing to do…but…it was just a chip after all. Kouichi finally settled for sitting in Junpei's lap, as Junpei eyed him while Kouichi finished fidgeting in his lap.

"Comfortable?" The dark brunette asked and Kouichi laughed as he nodded.

"Much, thank you. And you have to realize that Kouji and I are twins Junpei-it's a twin thing, that's all. Sometimes we don't even really have to talk to know what we're thinking; we just have to be close to each other, or touching one another." Junpei nodded, as though it made sense…and some of it did make sense to him…he was just always amazed to watch it actually happen…the twins had once called it 'twin speech', when someone else had asked about it. And Junpei could see why they called it that.

"Is Takuya going to be back in time for dinner?" Kouichi asked, nodding towards the near-empty cabinets as though he were asking if they needed to go to the store for more food. In all honesty, Tomoko had been seriously considering ordering out take out and then dealing with the grocery store tomorrow.

"I'm not sure…I tried calling his cell phone, and he wouldn't answer it. I'm kind of worried, he was a little out of it this morning and not at all like himself after his mom called and said that she wanted him home for awhile…he looked kind of upset actually. When I asked, he shrugged me off and told me not to worry about it that he'd try to be back before dark." Kouji said, filling his twin and Junpei in on what was going on and the three were silent for a few minutes.

"He'll be okay Kouji; he's been through tougher situations before." Kouichi finally declared, and Kouji nodded as Wolf came trotting into the room, leash in his mouth and a playful look in his eyes as he headed right over to Kouji and bluntly sat down in front of him, raising a paw up in the air as if to say 'okay, I need attention too…take me on a walk.'

Everyone in the room was getting a good chuckle out of it, as Kouji grinned and reached over to grab Wolf's leash out of his mouth…or at least he tried to anyway. Wolf, who had felt like he was being ignored by his master long enough, decided to start a game of tug of war with the leash…and soon it was Kouji growling in frustration as he tried to wrestle the leash from the German Shepherds mouth while Tomoko, Junpei, and Kouichi were laughing merrily at the scene going on before them.

"I think that Wolf wants some attention Kouji." Kouichi said pointing out the obvious, as Kouji grumbled something underneath his breath and then barked a command for Wolf to let go. Wolf let go…and Kouji stumbled backwards, not really expecting the dog to have let go as quickly as he had. Kouji lost his balance completely and landed hard on the floor, his crutches having fallen on either side of him. For several seconds he felt like the wind had been knocked out of him, as he heard Kouichi kneel down next to him and start calling his name as he gently rubbed his arm to get his attention back in focus.

Eventually Kouji felt like he could breathe properly again and when he looked at his twin, Kouichi sighed in relief.

"You okay?" He asked, and Kouji nodded as Kouichi helped him sit up. Wolf had lain down next to Kouji right after he'd fallen over, his long pointy ears laid back and the look in his eyes told him he was extremely sorry.

Kouji's reply to the look was to reach over and gently scratch Wolf's ears, to which the dog replied with a lick to the hand, and all was forgiven as Kouichi helped him to stand.

"Nothing's hurting?" Tomoko asked worriedly, placing a gentle hand on Kouji's shoulder as he shook his head…and then decided that wasn't a very good idea as he felt slightly dizzy and a bit disoriented. He hadn't thought that he'd fallen that hard…his left knee hurt a little, but not too bad since Kouji had managed to shift himself enough so that his right side had taken most of the fall.

As his mother and twin helped him up, Junpei looked on in concern, but Kouji gave him a sincere look that told him he was alright…so Junpei hung back while Kouichi and Tomoko helped him over to the couch.

"You're sure that you're okay?" Tomoko asked again, and Kouji nodded as Kouichi helped him settle back against the cushions.

"Yeah mom, I'm fine…really…Wolf just startled me that's all, I wasn't expecting him to actually obey me as quickly as he had." Kouji said with a soft chuckle as Wolf quietly padded his way into the room and managed to wiggle his way in between Tomoko and Kouichi, and sat right in front of the couch, placing his head on Kouji's chest…the German Shepherds eyes still looking very apologetic about the incident. Kouji laughed again and gently scratched Wolf's ears, whose tail started thumping as he happily, licked his master's hand once again.

"I'll go get the leash…hey Junpei, want to go on a walk with me?" Kouichi asked, as he went back into the kitchen and picked up the fallen leash off from the floor, and Junpei nodded.

"Sure, I'll come along. I assume we're taking Wolf?" The older twin nodded as he and Junpei headed over to the couch, where they found Tomoko sitting on the edge of the coffee table in front of the couch, one of her hands scratching Wolf's right ear while Kouji scratched Wolf's left. Wolf looked like he was completely happy with the situation, giving Junpei and Kouichi a lazy, lupine smile as he leaned a bit more against Tomoko's hand, causing her to laugh.

"Go on with Kouichi you big mutt, he'll give you your walk." Tomoko murmured, shooing Wolf to where Kouichi stood patiently waiting for him. Wolf headed off in the direction that Tomoko had sent him, but not before casting a longing glance at his master, who only grinned and shook his head as he pointed to his left knee.

"Wait until this horrid thing comes off in the next couple of weeks or so Wolf, and then I'll take you on your walk…in the meantime, go with Kouichi." Wolf let out a playful bark, wagging his tail-making it look like he had completely understood what Kouji had told him and accepted it-before obediently going to sit by Kouichi's side.

Kouichi grinned, and quickly attached the leash to Wolf's collar as his free hand reached over to grab Junpei's.

"We'll be back before dinner!" He exclaimed, and Tomoko nodded as she watched while they headed out of the apartment.

Suddenly, all was quiet…and Tomoko found herself suddenly looking at her youngest son, not wanting to say anything…just wanting to look. Really look at him.

She was glad that Kouji had actually closed his eyes…making it look like he was sleeping though she knew he wasn't. It made it easier for her to truly look at Kouji…and she bit back a sigh as she remembered all those years she'd lost with him because of one stupid mistake. If she had known the heartache that she would've caused herself by leaving Kouji with Kousei all those years ago, she wouldn't have done it…if she could, she'd go back in time and tell herself that it was a really bad idea…and that struggling with two children would be better then suffering with the memory of loosing one.

She'd missed all those birthdays, Christmas's, New Years, and other special times…

But I won't miss anymore. Tomoko thought, determination filling her as she nodded to herself while she continued to look Kouji over. He was so much like Kouichi…and yet, completely different from his older twin as well. It was easy to see how overprotective the two were of one another, especially now, with everything that had happened within the past month or so…while Tomoko had heard from their friends that normally Kouji was the overprotective twin, she knew that that role had steadily changed since the accident. Kouichi had taken over the part of the overprotective sibling, though he did it in such ways that only close family and friends could really detect it…but Tomoko doubted that Kouji minded it all that much.

Despite everything that had happened to her youngest son, Kouji remained strong…holding up as well as he could against the odds that had been thrown at him…pretty much causing his whole entire life to change.

He's had family and close friends to help him through it though…and a wonderful boyfriend who I believe would move heaven and earth if it meant making him happy. Takuya's been really good to him…and I'm glad…it's not every day one meets their soul mate and it works out completely. As Tomoko continued to think, she noticed that Kouji's breathing had evened out and it looked like he'd fallen asleep again. She wondered briefly about Takuya, hoping that he was okay and that Kouji really didn't have anything to worry about. But still…she decided that if Takuya hadn't come back or called before six, then she'd call the Kanbara residence herself and check up on him.

Takuya was almost like another son to her…and she mused on how easily he'd fit in with her small family. Of course it helped that he got along with Kouichi and Kouji equally…and that he loved Kouji to bits…but he'd also won her heart as well and Tomoko reminded herself that she needed to tell Takuya that he was always welcome to stay with them, that he was no stranger here. She also realized that she owed Takuya big time for having agreed to move in for the summer and help her get Kouji back on his feet…both emotionally and physically. Though, she had the feeling that Takuya wouldn't have had it either way.

When that cast comes off of Kouji's leg, I'm going to treat him and Takuya to something…I'm not sure what it is yet, but it'll have to be something special…maybe I can have Kouichi, Junpei, and Izumi help me out…A wicked grin crossed Tomoko's features as she nodded at her thoughts, before standing and grabbing a quilt off the back end of the couch that Kouji was now sleeping on…apparently, Kouji had fallen asleep after all. Taking the quilt and unfolding it to place over her youngest, Tomoko quietly moved out of the living room and back into the kitchen to continue going over the housing ads. She'd ask Kouichi if he and the other's would like to help her out with Kouji's and Takuya's surprise later…though she had the feeling she wouldn't even have to ask and that they'd all say yes in a heartbeat. The problem would be, planning it out when Takuya and Kouji weren't around…

So for the rest of the afternoon, Tomoko continued to let Kouji sleep as she pondered over the newspaper, allowing her thoughts to run away while she did so…

BREAK

It was almost six by the time Kouichi and Junpei got back, and Kouji got a phone call on his cell phone. He was lucky that he'd left it on the coffee table the other night and had forgotten to bring it up to his and Takuya's bedroom. Mumbling something inaudible as he woke up to the sound of his phone ringing, Kouji slipped out of the quilt he found over him long enough to grab the phone, not wanting to leave the comforting warmth that the quilt provided him just yet.

While the day had been rather warm, it was quickly cooling off as evening came, and the twin's mother had left some of the windows open to cool down the apartment.

Seeing Takuya's number on the caller ID screen allowed Kouji to focus a little bit more and become more alert as he hit the talk button before bringing the phone up to his ear.

"Takuya?" He murmured, fighting a yawn that threatened to escape as he greeted his boyfriend.

"Kouji…I got your message, I'm sorry my phone was off…I-I should be back in time for dinner, I'm on my way back now…" Even though Kouji was only half awake, his eyebrows rose at the sound of Takuya's voice. Was it just his imagination, or did it sound like his koi had been crying?

"Takuya…are you okay?" Kouji asked, becoming more awake as he sat up and managed to maneuver himself so that he was lying with his back against the arm rest of the couch.

"Y-yeah…I'll…I'll be fine. We…we're going to need to talk when I get there though…something…something's happened, and…and for once in my life, I think…I think I'm really afraid Kouji…" Takuya seemed to stumble over his words, as though he wasn't quite sure what to say.

Kouji's dark blue gray eyes narrowed at Takuya's words, and from the corner of them he saw Kouichi wander into the room-no doubt to see if he was awake or not.

Kouichi saw that Kouji was on the phone, and started to turn around to head out of the living room to give his twin some privacy, but stopped when he noticed that Kouji was frantically waving him over…a look of concern etched into his features.

"Takuya, what are you afraid of…?" Kouji murmured trying to coax his koi to tell him what was wrong.

Takuya hesitated for a moment, and Kouji bit back a sigh. For Takuya to hesitate like that something must've happened…and Kouji was betting himself that it was on his love for him that that something had to do with his family. Something had happened when Takuya had gone home, and Kouji was determined now to find out what that something was.

"Did something happen while you were at home Takuya?" Kouji whispered, and he heard Takuya sigh.

"Y-yeah…you could say that…look…I…I don't want to talk about it over the phone okay? I promise we'll talk when I get there…" But now that Kouji had part of it figured out, he wanted to know the rest of it. He didn't want Takuya heading back to the apartment by himself if he wasn't okay.

A deep tremor of fear went through Kouji, as he prayed that what he was thinking what had happened to his koi, hadn't happened and he gripped the cell phone in his hand a little tighter.

"Takuya…you're okay right? No one…no one hurt you?" There was nothing but silence behind Kouji's question, and he bit back a curse that threatened to come out as he sat up completely and threw off the quilt. Kouichi looked on in alarm when he saw his twin's facial expression suddenly change and knew that something was up, that something wasn't right.

Unfortunately for Kouichi, the only conversation he could hear was Kouji's end…and from what he was gathering, it sounded like something bad had happened to Takuya when he'd gone home that afternoon.

"Takuya, answer me!" Kouji demanded, trying to keep his anger in check…it wasn't Takuya he was angry at…not by far. He wished that he'd sent Kouichi with Takuya when he went home or something…then maybe that would've helped advert whatever disaster had happened. If his koi was hurt in anyway…

Kouji's free hand tightened in a fist as he promised he'd make whoever hurt Takuya pay.

As Takuya sighed again and answered Kouji's question, his heart nearly broke when he found out he had been correct.

"Dad…dad found out…about our relationship…Shinya had accidentally let it slip…he and mom had been keeping it a secret from dad because my dad's a bit of a homophobic." Takuya whispered, and Kouji closed his blue gray eyes as he allowed himself to lean back against the couch completely.

"W-what happened?" Kouji whispered back, licking his suddenly dry lips as he feared the worst.

Takuya let out a hollow laugh over the phone, and Kouji winced…that didn't sound like Takuya at all…

"There was a lot of arguing, a lot of shouting…and then…my dad gave me an ultimatum, and made me choose my choice then and there." The brunette's breathing had gone suddenly soft while Kouji's had gone just the opposite as his face paled…ultimatums given by parents were usually never good ultimatums…

Kouichi, upon seeing his twin's sudden reaction to whatever Takuya had said on the other side of the line, moved to sit down next to him and he placed a gentle arm around Kouji's shoulders. Though, if Kouji noticed it he didn't show it…he was more focused on what it was that Takuya was saying over the phone, his eyes opening wide with horror at one point and Kouichi wished that he knew what it was that Takuya was saying.

"Dad gave me the ultimatum…the final choice…he said that it was either you…or them. I had to choose between the one I loved with all my heart-my soulmate-and my family…" Kouji's breath hitched at this, and he suddenly closed his eyes and leaned forward…feeling like he was going to be sick. He couldn't believe he was hearing this…that was a horrible choice to have to even make.

A part of Kouji was hearing Takuya telling him that he'd chosen his family and that it was over between the two of them…that it could never work this way…Kouji knew how much Shinya idolized Takuya and how protective Takuya could be over the younger Kanbara…Takuya wouldn't choose him over Shinya…he wouldn't…

But it was just his mind playing tricks on him…especially with what Takuya had said next.

"I…I told dad that if he couldn't accept me for who I was, then he wasn't my father…he knew my choice when I said that. I couldn't leave you Kouji…I think I'd be broken if you were ever taken from me. I know I've said that once already, but it's true…you complete me…and I'd rather spend the rest of my life with you and have no family…I can't loose you." Nothing was said for a moment, as Kouji took a couple of seconds to take in what Takuya had just told him…

And he felt like crying. But it wouldn't be tears of sadness…more like tears of joy. He managed to hold them back though, deciding to save them for later in a more private time. He consciously leaned up against his twin, acknowledging his presence as he felt Kouichi's arm tighten a bit around his shoulders in a protective manner.

"Where are you Taku? We'll come and get you." Kouji murmured softly, nothing but love and adoration filled his voice-and Takuya must've heard it, because Kouji could tell from the sound of his voice that he was trying his hardest not to break down as well.

"I-I'm almost there, really, I'm very close…there's no need to come and get me…" Takuya murmured back, relief filling him.

On his side of the line though, Kouji shook his head as he motioned for Kouichi to stand. After giving Kouji a quizzical glance, Kouichi did so.

"No I want to come and get you…I need to see you now, so where are you?" At Kouji's persistence, Takuya finally gave in and told him that he'd just gotten off the subway and was only a few blocks away from his house.

Kouji nodded at this, and accepted Kouichi's offered hand as he helped him to stand up, and Kouji leaned against him for balance for a minute.

"Alright…stay right there, we're going to come and get you…I'll see you in a few minutes Takuya." With that, they said goodbye, and as Kouji hung up his cell phone and put it in his pocket, Kouichi handed him his crutches.

"Takuya's okay, right?" Kouichi asked, as Kouji lowered his eyes…not quite sure how to answer his twin's question since he couldn't really answer it himself.

"I…I hope he's okay…his father gave him the ultimatum today after finding out about his relationship with me from Shinya when Shinya accidentally let it slip. He had to choose between his family…and me." Kouichi sucked in a sharp breath, looking at Kouji with concern as he took in the sudden sadness that Kouji's feature's held.

"He…he chose me. But…no one should have to make that kind of a choice…no one." Kouji murmured, and Kouichi nodded his head in agreement as he and Kouji headed into the kitchen, where Tomoko glanced up from just having reached for the phone. She was just debating on what to order out for dinner, and had been planning to go out and get the twins to help her decide when they walked in.

"What's wrong Kouji?" The moment her sons came in, Tomoko could instantly tell that something was wrong…more from the look on Kouji's face then anything else.

"We need to go and get Takuya-he's at the subway station, I told him to stay there and we'd go get him…I'll explain the rest in the car, can we go now mom please?" Kouji pleaded, a look of longing in his dark eyes that told Tomoko that right then all Kouji wanted to do was to be with Takuya.

Nodding quickly, Tomoko placed the phone back down in its cradle, and moved to go grab the keys to the van.

"Kouichi, why don't you and Junpei decide on what to order in while we're gone okay?" Tomoko murmured to him, and Kouichi nodded as he helped Kouji out to the van while Tomoko got in the drivers seat and started it.

"We'll be back with Takuya in a few okay?" She added and again another nod as Tomoko made sure that Kouji had his seat belt on before she started to head out of the driveway.

As the van disappeared, Junpei came out and gently wrapped his arms around Kouichi's waist, and Kouichi leaned up against him grateful for the contact.

"Do you think Takuya's going to be okay?" Junpei asked softly, and Kouichi sighed and turned enough so that his face was now buried in Junpei's chest.

"I hope so…that's a tough decision for anyone to have to make…but I think he'll pull through it. He means the world to Kouji, and I know that now Kouji's given Takuya his heart and soul…I think that right now, that's all they need." Kouichi murmured, and despite the situation, Junpei found himself smiling softly.

"True love conquers all." The dark haired brunette whispered and Kouichi found himself grinning as well as he managed to pull away from Junpei's embrace as he grabbed one of Junpei's hands instead and started to lead him back into the apartment.

"Come on lover boy, let's go in and decide what we're going to have for dinner tonight…and no, it's not going to be pizza…I'm sick of pizza!" Kouichi declared, and Junpei's face fell as he'd just opened his mouth to suggest pizza, and Kouichi chuckled at this.

Junpei pouted for the rest of the way up to the apartment, and he and Kouichi were still arguing over what to order when Tomoko returned with Takuya and Kouji a little while later…

TBC

End Note: Poor Takuya…hehe, Kouji can't hog all the angsty moments, ne? (The ending here was for those of you who've been requesting that Takuya get his fill of the angst too!) I've actually been planning on heading in this direction for quite some time now…so now that Takuya's father has given him the ultimatum and Takuya's chosen true love, will true love truly conquer all? Trust me when I say that the trouble and danger is nowhere near over yet…this was merely a breather. ((Winks))