A quick chapter addition... This one's really really short... O_o I was going to make it longer, but I really didn't know what to put. I know how it'll end, but I just didn't know what to cram in. So, I left it. +_+
***
"So..." Matt said, slowing down his pace so that he'd be at the same rate as his companion being dragged down by luggage. "How are things in Tamachi?"
"Fine." Ken answered, sounding unintentionally blunt. "Dad got a new job somewhere, but I'm not sure of the location."
Matt stared up at space blankly, obviously trying to think of something else to say; though nothing appropriate was coming to mind. The only ideas he had sounded either stupid or pointless.
The two were quiet for a while, looking timidly at the lights and buildings nearby, until finally Ken turned and opened his mouth again.
"You don't live with Takeru, do you?"
Yamato was momentarily stunned by the question, but recovered himself and replied dully "Nah... our parents got divorced when we were small."
"Oh..." Ken said with a look of surprise that was quickly transformed to guilt. "I'm sorry..."
"Why?" The other replied, "There's nothing for you to be sorry about... It's not like it was your fault or anything like that."
Ken gaped at his fingers tediously. "I suppose...", he said slowly. "But it's always been customary for me to say that... Out of respect."
"Yeah, well..." Matt said dully, "Don't worry about it... Everyone I've ever told that to has given me the whole 'oh, I'm so sorry...' bit, even when I know that they're not." Then he added, "Not like I'm trying to accuse you of anything..."
When Ken didn't answer, Yamato continued. "I don't care much anymore. Mom and dad made a bigger effort to keep T.K. and I together after seeing that it was having a negative effect on both of us."
Upon seeing Ken's expression he added, "It doesn't hurt to talk about now. The scars have almost healed." Then his lips curved into a smile; which beamed even through the dusky night air.
Ken grinned back, feeling more comfortable then he had before with the older boy. He had never really gotten the chance to get to know Yamato, therefore making it difficult to find discussion topics.
His thoughts were interrupted when he was asked, "What about you? I'm sure someone mentioned to me that you had a brother...it could have been Izzy or Tai..." Yamato abruptly caught himself and winced instantly after the name had been mentioned but tried to propel it from his mind. It was Tai's fault that he was strolling the night away in the middle of Japan...
He noticed Ken still hadn't answered and glanced down.
To Yamato's surprise, Ken's eyes appeared to be glazed over while the rest of his body refused to move from it's spot. His fingers trembled a bit, up to the point when Matt nudged his shoulder and said "Ken? You alright?"
"What?-" Ken blinked hastily. "Oh-yeah… I'm sorry about that." He then answered quickly, "Yes, I had a brother..."
"Had?" Matt said, investigating Ken with searching eyes. "What do you mean?"
Ken paused again, but this time not for as long. "He's gone now... A couple years ago, there was a car accident. He died the second the vehicle hit. His body was shattered."
"Oh...", Yamato replied slowly; wishing that he hadn't asked. "I'm sorry..."
Ken rotated in his direction, then said with a meek smirk, "See? I told you. It's automatic..."
"What??" Matt asked in confusion. "I don't-"
"You apologized." Ken interrupted, "You had absolutely nothing to do with Osamu's death, and yet you express regret."
Yamato stared at Ken in bewilderment, until he smiled too. "You're right." He hesitated again and said "But what you had to go through was a lot worse...You *lost* your brother; I was just on an absence from mine."
"Well..." Ken began, "I've heard that divorces are pretty hard to get through too."
*He can say that again...*
"At least I had T.K. to confide in if I was feeling upset or down... You-"
"Yeah, but I didn't have to worry about my parents..." the other shot back. "At least I had them to depend on when the ordeal happened."
"Ken...", Matt said idly, "I-"
"Look..." Ken said with his eyes closing momentarily, "Sure, it can be painful... It was a lot more complicated before, but we're living with it. My family- we're coping. We were all devestated, but now things are different. Pretty soon, thinking about him won't be so tough. Now lets stop arguing over whose life was filled with more agony, and hurry up so we can get to your place."
Yamato gaped for a moment, but stopped himself, and shut his mouth after thinking better of it.
*For a kid that was once trying to destroy a whole other world and everything in it- he sure knows that he's talking about.*
***
Miyako yawned loudly, then pulled herself off of the floral colored couch. "It's late... Daisuke, Iori, Takeru... You should probably be home soon, or else your parents are going to get worried..."
The others nodded in agreement and began collecting their things.
"What about Kari?" T.K. asked while lugging his crowded backpack onto his shoulder.
Miyako opened her mouth to respond, but Hikari replied for herself. "I'm sleeping over tonight so that we can work on our project for a bit, and then we'll meet you later tomorrow."
Iori shoved Upamon into his bag then nodded his head. "Alright, that sounds like a plan." Once they had grabbed all their possessions, the three boys walked over to the door to say their goodbyes.
"See you two tomorrow!" Takeru called cheerfully while waving energetically at the girls.
Davis stared hard out at the sky and pondered aloud, "I wonder why Ken never showed up...It's not like him..."
"Maybe he just got his schedule screwed up," Miyako replied, shrugging. "I'm sure he's fine..." She added gently, after eyeing the goggle boy.
"Yeah..." Daisuke said in a hollow voice, though he didn't sound too convinced. He smiled reluctantly, waved, then turned around and strolled out into the open night.
***
'Hello, you've reached the Ishida residence. We can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave a short message after the beep, we'll get back to you as soon as possible.'
Tai twirled the phone cord impatiently over his fingers as he tried thinking of something to leave.
*What to say, what to say... If I mention anything about tonight and his dad hears, I'm going to be in more shit then I'm already in...*
'Beep!'
"Uh- hi Matt, this is Tai... I just wanted to apologize about what I said early tonight... I didn't mean it- I was just- it was on the spur of the moment!"
He smacked his forehead in frustration, realizing that he was trying to argue with an answering machine.
"Look, I didn't mean to hurt you like that... I wasn't thinking. I know you're still upset at me, but if you get this *please* call me back, we need to talk."
He pushed the hang up button uncomfortably and squirmed while putting the phone back on the receiver.
*I'm sure he's going to be able forgive me after getting a message like -that-...* Taichi thought sarcastically and slumped back down onto the couch.
"I'm a bigger idiot then I thought..." he muttered while rubbing his temples and looking out the window.
"Yamato..." he whispered hoarsely, "Please come back to me..."
***
That was too short..._* But! I've already started the next chapter, so it should be up soon!
Remember Sparky!
~Reviews are like presents. Nice to give away, but even better to receive!~
***
"So..." Matt said, slowing down his pace so that he'd be at the same rate as his companion being dragged down by luggage. "How are things in Tamachi?"
"Fine." Ken answered, sounding unintentionally blunt. "Dad got a new job somewhere, but I'm not sure of the location."
Matt stared up at space blankly, obviously trying to think of something else to say; though nothing appropriate was coming to mind. The only ideas he had sounded either stupid or pointless.
The two were quiet for a while, looking timidly at the lights and buildings nearby, until finally Ken turned and opened his mouth again.
"You don't live with Takeru, do you?"
Yamato was momentarily stunned by the question, but recovered himself and replied dully "Nah... our parents got divorced when we were small."
"Oh..." Ken said with a look of surprise that was quickly transformed to guilt. "I'm sorry..."
"Why?" The other replied, "There's nothing for you to be sorry about... It's not like it was your fault or anything like that."
Ken gaped at his fingers tediously. "I suppose...", he said slowly. "But it's always been customary for me to say that... Out of respect."
"Yeah, well..." Matt said dully, "Don't worry about it... Everyone I've ever told that to has given me the whole 'oh, I'm so sorry...' bit, even when I know that they're not." Then he added, "Not like I'm trying to accuse you of anything..."
When Ken didn't answer, Yamato continued. "I don't care much anymore. Mom and dad made a bigger effort to keep T.K. and I together after seeing that it was having a negative effect on both of us."
Upon seeing Ken's expression he added, "It doesn't hurt to talk about now. The scars have almost healed." Then his lips curved into a smile; which beamed even through the dusky night air.
Ken grinned back, feeling more comfortable then he had before with the older boy. He had never really gotten the chance to get to know Yamato, therefore making it difficult to find discussion topics.
His thoughts were interrupted when he was asked, "What about you? I'm sure someone mentioned to me that you had a brother...it could have been Izzy or Tai..." Yamato abruptly caught himself and winced instantly after the name had been mentioned but tried to propel it from his mind. It was Tai's fault that he was strolling the night away in the middle of Japan...
He noticed Ken still hadn't answered and glanced down.
To Yamato's surprise, Ken's eyes appeared to be glazed over while the rest of his body refused to move from it's spot. His fingers trembled a bit, up to the point when Matt nudged his shoulder and said "Ken? You alright?"
"What?-" Ken blinked hastily. "Oh-yeah… I'm sorry about that." He then answered quickly, "Yes, I had a brother..."
"Had?" Matt said, investigating Ken with searching eyes. "What do you mean?"
Ken paused again, but this time not for as long. "He's gone now... A couple years ago, there was a car accident. He died the second the vehicle hit. His body was shattered."
"Oh...", Yamato replied slowly; wishing that he hadn't asked. "I'm sorry..."
Ken rotated in his direction, then said with a meek smirk, "See? I told you. It's automatic..."
"What??" Matt asked in confusion. "I don't-"
"You apologized." Ken interrupted, "You had absolutely nothing to do with Osamu's death, and yet you express regret."
Yamato stared at Ken in bewilderment, until he smiled too. "You're right." He hesitated again and said "But what you had to go through was a lot worse...You *lost* your brother; I was just on an absence from mine."
"Well..." Ken began, "I've heard that divorces are pretty hard to get through too."
*He can say that again...*
"At least I had T.K. to confide in if I was feeling upset or down... You-"
"Yeah, but I didn't have to worry about my parents..." the other shot back. "At least I had them to depend on when the ordeal happened."
"Ken...", Matt said idly, "I-"
"Look..." Ken said with his eyes closing momentarily, "Sure, it can be painful... It was a lot more complicated before, but we're living with it. My family- we're coping. We were all devestated, but now things are different. Pretty soon, thinking about him won't be so tough. Now lets stop arguing over whose life was filled with more agony, and hurry up so we can get to your place."
Yamato gaped for a moment, but stopped himself, and shut his mouth after thinking better of it.
*For a kid that was once trying to destroy a whole other world and everything in it- he sure knows that he's talking about.*
***
Miyako yawned loudly, then pulled herself off of the floral colored couch. "It's late... Daisuke, Iori, Takeru... You should probably be home soon, or else your parents are going to get worried..."
The others nodded in agreement and began collecting their things.
"What about Kari?" T.K. asked while lugging his crowded backpack onto his shoulder.
Miyako opened her mouth to respond, but Hikari replied for herself. "I'm sleeping over tonight so that we can work on our project for a bit, and then we'll meet you later tomorrow."
Iori shoved Upamon into his bag then nodded his head. "Alright, that sounds like a plan." Once they had grabbed all their possessions, the three boys walked over to the door to say their goodbyes.
"See you two tomorrow!" Takeru called cheerfully while waving energetically at the girls.
Davis stared hard out at the sky and pondered aloud, "I wonder why Ken never showed up...It's not like him..."
"Maybe he just got his schedule screwed up," Miyako replied, shrugging. "I'm sure he's fine..." She added gently, after eyeing the goggle boy.
"Yeah..." Daisuke said in a hollow voice, though he didn't sound too convinced. He smiled reluctantly, waved, then turned around and strolled out into the open night.
***
'Hello, you've reached the Ishida residence. We can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave a short message after the beep, we'll get back to you as soon as possible.'
Tai twirled the phone cord impatiently over his fingers as he tried thinking of something to leave.
*What to say, what to say... If I mention anything about tonight and his dad hears, I'm going to be in more shit then I'm already in...*
'Beep!'
"Uh- hi Matt, this is Tai... I just wanted to apologize about what I said early tonight... I didn't mean it- I was just- it was on the spur of the moment!"
He smacked his forehead in frustration, realizing that he was trying to argue with an answering machine.
"Look, I didn't mean to hurt you like that... I wasn't thinking. I know you're still upset at me, but if you get this *please* call me back, we need to talk."
He pushed the hang up button uncomfortably and squirmed while putting the phone back on the receiver.
*I'm sure he's going to be able forgive me after getting a message like -that-...* Taichi thought sarcastically and slumped back down onto the couch.
"I'm a bigger idiot then I thought..." he muttered while rubbing his temples and looking out the window.
"Yamato..." he whispered hoarsely, "Please come back to me..."
***
That was too short..._* But! I've already started the next chapter, so it should be up soon!
Remember Sparky!
~Reviews are like presents. Nice to give away, but even better to receive!~