OK, OK, (LOOK! LOOK, Yamato, I capitalized the stupid K in OK, are you
happy now?! O.o) because Kylie pointed this out (thanks for editing this
for me! thank your head Taichi and Yamato too! ^_^) I should make a note of
this. I mention chai in this, you know, that really yummy off-white tea you
mix with milk... anyway I hope you know what chai is, or you're a deprived
person! Go get some! NOW! ...Anyway, in this Taichi doesn't know what chai
is. I should mention that I have been told by a few Japanese friends of
mine that they didn't know either, until they came here, much later. They
said they're sure it's sold somewhere, but all the tea houses in Tokyo tend
to only have traditional Japanese and occasionally Chinese teas, not silly
Indian spice chai. ^_^;; Uhhhhh yeah. So that's the really long silly note
for this chapter.
Uhm... enjoy! ^_^
--------------------------------------------
Chapter 3 - Ame no Ato Ni
Drips of cold water ran down Taichi's neck, making him shiver. He hated the rain, and it was even worse when it was cold rain. There was a mist in the air, causing the traffic to move slowly as drivers did their best not to run into the cars in front of them. Taichi walked along the sidewalk downtown with a bright red umbrella in one hand. After spending a whole day cooped up inside, he had decided it was a good idea to go to a cafe and get some coffee. It was then that he noticed it had started to rain. After the idea of coffee entered his mind however, he couldn't forget it, so he grabbed his umbrella and trench coat and decided to brave the cold, wet weather.
Shoppers ran along the sidewalk, splashing through puddles as they tried to cover their heads with their shopping bags and newspapers. Up ahead was the coffee shop, and Taichi hurried along to get inside the warm building. Finally reaching its glass doors, he pulled them open with his empty hand. After ordering a large cup of black coffee, he turned to find a place to sit. Most of the tables were already occupied with drenched customers, looking for warmth and a dry place to hide.
"Taichi! Over here!" a voice yelled. He turned to see Sora sitting in the corner in a bright yellow rain jacket.
'Greeeeat,' thought Taichi with a groan. 'Just who I don't want to see right now.' He walked over to Sora's table and sat down across from her. He took a long drink of his coffee, sat the mug carefully on the table, and then looked at Sora with a skeptical expression.
"What's up?" Sora asked, sweatdropping.
"Gee, I dunno. Why don't you tell me?"
Sora sighed. "I knew he would end up staying with you. Did he tell you what happened?"
"He was a drunk, blubbering mess. He said you said he drives you crazy and you don't want to be with him anymore. After that, he fell asleep."
Hanging her head, Sora chuckled a bit. "He's such a drama queen." Taichi scowled at Sora's casual attitude, but kept his mouth shut. "He needs to calm down, that's all."
"What do you mean, 'calm down'? You broke his heart!"
"No, I didn't," Sora stated very simply. "You can't break someone's heart if they don't love you." She looked out the window and sighed. "And he doesn't love me. He loves the attention I give him, and he loves that I care for him, but he doesn't love me."
"...oh." Taichi was very confused. "Isn't that the same thing?"
Sora laughed. "No wonder you've never had a real girlfriend! No, no, he's a lonely person. I think that's why I liked him so much. I'm a caretaker--I have this instinct to like people who need babying; people who are lonely and pathetic. He likes that I care for him, but he'd like that from anyone. He doesn't feel anything deeper for me than friendship."
"I don't believe you." If that was true, then why had Yamato been so upset last night?
Sora turned and stared Taichi in the eyes with a totally serious expression. "You don't believe me? We haven't had sex in over three months."
Taichi twitched involuntarily. The two of them going at it was not something he wanted to think about. Still, three months? "That's a really long time," was all he could say without showing the disgust he felt.
"It confused me for a long time, but then I figured it out." She took a sip of the odd off-white liquid she was drinking.
"Sorry but I have to ask, what the heck is that?" Taichi pointed to the cup.
"Oh, this? Chai. It's Indian I think." She paused. "Anyway, I figured out what the problem was. He doesn't love me. Yamato is a very," she blushed, "passionate person. He writes music, he loves art and good food, and he loves sex. He hides it well, but anything that involves passion attracts him. That's why he listens to opera," she wrinkled her nose.
Taichi sighed. There was so little that he knew about Yamato, really. He didn't know he liked opera, he didn't know he liked art, and he certainly didn't know he liked sex. He blushed. "So, you think he was just looking for warmth and love from you."
"Yep." Sora nodded.
"What about you? Don't you love him?"
Blushing, she smiled softly. "I thought I did. Maybe not; I was so young. We moved in together too quickly. What I felt for him was what you feel for a lost puppy. It's cute and fun to snuggle, but when you take it home and it pees on the floor, barks all night, and chews the furniture, you wish you would have gotten one that was better trained, you know?"
Taichi blinked. "Yamato pees on the floor?"
"No, baka!" She smacked him on the head. "What I mean is, he's cute and huggable, but when you come down to it he knows nothing about being in a relationship, or even how to love someone! I'm just not the right person to teach him those things. I need a guy who knows how to spoil me as much as I spoil him. I want to be someone's lover, not someone's therapist!"
Taichi couldn't help but laugh at the image of Sora being anyone's 'lover', but he stopped as soon as he saw the glare on her face.
"I tried to be kind. We've talked about this before, but he promised he'd change. I just didn't want to hurt him. Finally, last night, I had to let him go. I packed a bag for him, and let him know how I felt. It was really hard," she said softly, "when he started to cry." She shook her head, and sat up straight in her chair. "But I know I did the right thing! We'll both be happier this way!"
Taichi thought about all of this for a minute, and finished his coffee. "So... what you're saying is-- it's over? Really over?"
"I know Yamato probably can't stand it, but it is." Sora stood and pulled the hood on her raincoat over her head. "Tell him he can come and pick up his things tomorrow. I already packed them for him, so it won't be much work." Sighing, she turned and began to walk towards the door. "Take good care of him, Taichi."
He watched Sora leave, confused. "What does that mean, take care of him?" Taichi blushed. "Of course I will." He looked down at his watch and jumped up. "Oh man, Yamato is probably getting off work now, and I know he doesn't have an umbrella with him."
In spite of thinking this, Taichi only just remembered the thing as he ran out into the rain. He ran five blocks down the main street, and after turning down a side street, ran another four blocks to where the video store was. He stopped a few meters in front of the store.
Yamato was standing there in the rain, looking as if he was going to cry. He was drenched to the bone, and shivering from the cold. When he locked the store up for the night, he was going to go home, but then he realised that he didn't have one. This realization had made him stop dead in his tracks, not knowing where to go. He really didn't want to bother Taichi again, and he hadn't made contact with the other male chosen children in so long that it would be rude to show up and ask for free room and board. His band members lived with their parents or on school campus, so there was really nowhere for him to go. He looked up to see a figure walking towards him.
"Sorry, we're closed." Yamato turned to walk away, to where he didn't know.
The figure laughed and came closer. There stood Taichi with his trademarked smile. "Don't worry, I'm not an angry customer." He held out his umbrella for Yamato. "Your note said you'd call. When you didn't, I was a bit worried you were going to try something stupid, like staying at someone else's house!"
Yamato couldn't help but grin, and he stepped under the umbrella with Taichi. "I didn't want to bother you."
"Baka! You're my best friend. If you're in need, I'm here to help." The two stared at each other and an awkward silence came over them. Yamato tried to blink away his tears, and Taichi couldn't help but stare into those deep blue pools, wanting nothing more than to hug him and tell him it would all be okay. "Anyway, if you're staying with me, it'll be like having a free cook and maid in one!" he laughed, breaking the silence. "Aren't you cold?" Taichi asked, looking pointedly at Yamato's black t-shirt and khaki shorts he was forced to wear for work.
"It's okay," Yamato muttered, trying not to shiver too much.
"Oh, no it's not. You're such a baby about the cold, you might freeze to death." Taichi handed the umbrella to Yamato, and took his trench coat off. "I'll be fine. If you die under my watch, your brother would never forgive me!" He grinned and wrapped his coat around Yamato's shoulders. The black heavy material fell around Yamato's petite body loosely, almost dragging on the ground. "Let's go home now, I'm hungry." Taichi took the umbrella back, and the pair walked back towards their apartment.
Uhm... enjoy! ^_^
--------------------------------------------
Chapter 3 - Ame no Ato Ni
Drips of cold water ran down Taichi's neck, making him shiver. He hated the rain, and it was even worse when it was cold rain. There was a mist in the air, causing the traffic to move slowly as drivers did their best not to run into the cars in front of them. Taichi walked along the sidewalk downtown with a bright red umbrella in one hand. After spending a whole day cooped up inside, he had decided it was a good idea to go to a cafe and get some coffee. It was then that he noticed it had started to rain. After the idea of coffee entered his mind however, he couldn't forget it, so he grabbed his umbrella and trench coat and decided to brave the cold, wet weather.
Shoppers ran along the sidewalk, splashing through puddles as they tried to cover their heads with their shopping bags and newspapers. Up ahead was the coffee shop, and Taichi hurried along to get inside the warm building. Finally reaching its glass doors, he pulled them open with his empty hand. After ordering a large cup of black coffee, he turned to find a place to sit. Most of the tables were already occupied with drenched customers, looking for warmth and a dry place to hide.
"Taichi! Over here!" a voice yelled. He turned to see Sora sitting in the corner in a bright yellow rain jacket.
'Greeeeat,' thought Taichi with a groan. 'Just who I don't want to see right now.' He walked over to Sora's table and sat down across from her. He took a long drink of his coffee, sat the mug carefully on the table, and then looked at Sora with a skeptical expression.
"What's up?" Sora asked, sweatdropping.
"Gee, I dunno. Why don't you tell me?"
Sora sighed. "I knew he would end up staying with you. Did he tell you what happened?"
"He was a drunk, blubbering mess. He said you said he drives you crazy and you don't want to be with him anymore. After that, he fell asleep."
Hanging her head, Sora chuckled a bit. "He's such a drama queen." Taichi scowled at Sora's casual attitude, but kept his mouth shut. "He needs to calm down, that's all."
"What do you mean, 'calm down'? You broke his heart!"
"No, I didn't," Sora stated very simply. "You can't break someone's heart if they don't love you." She looked out the window and sighed. "And he doesn't love me. He loves the attention I give him, and he loves that I care for him, but he doesn't love me."
"...oh." Taichi was very confused. "Isn't that the same thing?"
Sora laughed. "No wonder you've never had a real girlfriend! No, no, he's a lonely person. I think that's why I liked him so much. I'm a caretaker--I have this instinct to like people who need babying; people who are lonely and pathetic. He likes that I care for him, but he'd like that from anyone. He doesn't feel anything deeper for me than friendship."
"I don't believe you." If that was true, then why had Yamato been so upset last night?
Sora turned and stared Taichi in the eyes with a totally serious expression. "You don't believe me? We haven't had sex in over three months."
Taichi twitched involuntarily. The two of them going at it was not something he wanted to think about. Still, three months? "That's a really long time," was all he could say without showing the disgust he felt.
"It confused me for a long time, but then I figured it out." She took a sip of the odd off-white liquid she was drinking.
"Sorry but I have to ask, what the heck is that?" Taichi pointed to the cup.
"Oh, this? Chai. It's Indian I think." She paused. "Anyway, I figured out what the problem was. He doesn't love me. Yamato is a very," she blushed, "passionate person. He writes music, he loves art and good food, and he loves sex. He hides it well, but anything that involves passion attracts him. That's why he listens to opera," she wrinkled her nose.
Taichi sighed. There was so little that he knew about Yamato, really. He didn't know he liked opera, he didn't know he liked art, and he certainly didn't know he liked sex. He blushed. "So, you think he was just looking for warmth and love from you."
"Yep." Sora nodded.
"What about you? Don't you love him?"
Blushing, she smiled softly. "I thought I did. Maybe not; I was so young. We moved in together too quickly. What I felt for him was what you feel for a lost puppy. It's cute and fun to snuggle, but when you take it home and it pees on the floor, barks all night, and chews the furniture, you wish you would have gotten one that was better trained, you know?"
Taichi blinked. "Yamato pees on the floor?"
"No, baka!" She smacked him on the head. "What I mean is, he's cute and huggable, but when you come down to it he knows nothing about being in a relationship, or even how to love someone! I'm just not the right person to teach him those things. I need a guy who knows how to spoil me as much as I spoil him. I want to be someone's lover, not someone's therapist!"
Taichi couldn't help but laugh at the image of Sora being anyone's 'lover', but he stopped as soon as he saw the glare on her face.
"I tried to be kind. We've talked about this before, but he promised he'd change. I just didn't want to hurt him. Finally, last night, I had to let him go. I packed a bag for him, and let him know how I felt. It was really hard," she said softly, "when he started to cry." She shook her head, and sat up straight in her chair. "But I know I did the right thing! We'll both be happier this way!"
Taichi thought about all of this for a minute, and finished his coffee. "So... what you're saying is-- it's over? Really over?"
"I know Yamato probably can't stand it, but it is." Sora stood and pulled the hood on her raincoat over her head. "Tell him he can come and pick up his things tomorrow. I already packed them for him, so it won't be much work." Sighing, she turned and began to walk towards the door. "Take good care of him, Taichi."
He watched Sora leave, confused. "What does that mean, take care of him?" Taichi blushed. "Of course I will." He looked down at his watch and jumped up. "Oh man, Yamato is probably getting off work now, and I know he doesn't have an umbrella with him."
In spite of thinking this, Taichi only just remembered the thing as he ran out into the rain. He ran five blocks down the main street, and after turning down a side street, ran another four blocks to where the video store was. He stopped a few meters in front of the store.
Yamato was standing there in the rain, looking as if he was going to cry. He was drenched to the bone, and shivering from the cold. When he locked the store up for the night, he was going to go home, but then he realised that he didn't have one. This realization had made him stop dead in his tracks, not knowing where to go. He really didn't want to bother Taichi again, and he hadn't made contact with the other male chosen children in so long that it would be rude to show up and ask for free room and board. His band members lived with their parents or on school campus, so there was really nowhere for him to go. He looked up to see a figure walking towards him.
"Sorry, we're closed." Yamato turned to walk away, to where he didn't know.
The figure laughed and came closer. There stood Taichi with his trademarked smile. "Don't worry, I'm not an angry customer." He held out his umbrella for Yamato. "Your note said you'd call. When you didn't, I was a bit worried you were going to try something stupid, like staying at someone else's house!"
Yamato couldn't help but grin, and he stepped under the umbrella with Taichi. "I didn't want to bother you."
"Baka! You're my best friend. If you're in need, I'm here to help." The two stared at each other and an awkward silence came over them. Yamato tried to blink away his tears, and Taichi couldn't help but stare into those deep blue pools, wanting nothing more than to hug him and tell him it would all be okay. "Anyway, if you're staying with me, it'll be like having a free cook and maid in one!" he laughed, breaking the silence. "Aren't you cold?" Taichi asked, looking pointedly at Yamato's black t-shirt and khaki shorts he was forced to wear for work.
"It's okay," Yamato muttered, trying not to shiver too much.
"Oh, no it's not. You're such a baby about the cold, you might freeze to death." Taichi handed the umbrella to Yamato, and took his trench coat off. "I'll be fine. If you die under my watch, your brother would never forgive me!" He grinned and wrapped his coat around Yamato's shoulders. The black heavy material fell around Yamato's petite body loosely, almost dragging on the ground. "Let's go home now, I'm hungry." Taichi took the umbrella back, and the pair walked back towards their apartment.