Another chapter! And I finished it before 2:00 in the morning... [throws hands into the air happily]. Anyhow, I suppose we should get on with the fic... I hope you like it! ^_^
***
"Are you sure it's alright that I come over?" Ken asked nervously while struggling with his bags. He was exhausted from -everything- and found it strenuous to lug his things behind him without collapsing into the ground in depletion.
"I'm sure that my parents won't mind…" Davis said slowly, though he really hadn't paused to think about it. "They're both at work and Jun's at school."
Ken was tempted to ask again where Daisuke was *really* supposed to be right then as he didn't want to get him in any trouble, but at the moment it felt good for him to have someone to depend on. He *would* have just gone home, but seeing as he would have to take the train back to Tamachi- he decided that he would at least meet the others before leaving.
He tried not to think about what had happened earlier, but it was killing him inside. Every part of his body felt like it had been- used. His hands- they'd trickled over his body…and caress… his lips- they'd said so many gullible and foolish things- his eyes- how many times had he stared into the other's pools of cerulean, believing that someone actually cared about him?
*Somebody caring about me? Ha, that's a laugh. Every time I've managed to get close to someone, they're always stolen away. What's the point of trying anymore? All anyone sees in me is my brains- I'm supposed to be intelligent and I can't even tell when someone's lying to me. Ken Ichjouji- boy genius. Yeah, all right. If everyone believes it, what's the point of proving them wrong?*
"Ken??" Daisuke asked, staring at him blankly, "Are you alright? I know you're not always the world's greatest chatterbox, but today you're abnormally quiet."
"I don't want to talk about it...." Ken replied abruptly, still deep in his thoughts.
*I must be stupider then I look to fall for something like that. That's all he wanted- a one night stand. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I never had to see him again- but I do. He's part of our team. He said he 'loved' me. So, why did he leave?? He didn't even say why- just went away- probably trying to get away from 'me' as fast as he could.*
"Come on…" Davis urged while beginning to climb up the stairs to the elevator, "You can tell me. What- you think I'm going to laugh at you or something?"
"No…" Ken answered briefly as he stumbled along, then stepped into the little room and watched as Davis pushed the number '5' on the button panel then stared back at him "I just…I'm not in the mood to think about it, okay?" But that was a lie, as his mind was still roaring at full blast, tormenting away.
*I let him touch me… he kissed me, he played with me…hell, he screwed me! 'I' fucked another guy! It's just- wrong. What was I thinking?? Why couldn't I have understood what was going on?? Heck, even 'now' I don't know what was going on. Does he? Yamato Ishida- did you know what you were doing? Did you 'know' that you were going to slash my heart into pieces? Because you did; I hope you enjoyed it; that way one of us would be able to say that we did.*
"Here."
Ken felt the bags he had been dragging behind him being lifted from his hands and dropped to the fuzzy carpeted ground. "You don't have to go through all this trouble- you know…" he said timidly, staring warily at the other boy's massive purplish hair.
"I *know* that I don't have to…" Daisuke replied for the seventeenth time since he had met Ken that bright morning, "But I *want* to. It's obvious that you're not in the best shape- and I just want to make sure that you're alright." He smiled warmly to show that he actually meant it too.
Though he had been itching to ask all morning about what had happened the night before- he restrained himself. It was obvious that Ken would rather not talk about it- the way that he twisted around in discomfort every time he mentioned it.
"Well- this is my house…", He said slowly, preparing to give the customary tour that came with introducing a friend to your house for the first time.
"I know…" Ken answered blankly, "I've been here before, remember?" His mouth was dry and talking proved to be a challenge by itself.
"Oh, yeah. Right…" Davis would have slapped his forehead in embarrassment, but decided now wasn't the best time. His body was shuffling and bustling around, trying with what he had to make Ken feel even the least bit better. "I'll make some tea…" He called, then hurried into the kitchen where the clatter of cups and saucers could be heard crashing together.
Standing alone in the living room, Ken pushed his assorted luggage into a further corner where they weren't as apt to be noticed; then sat down on one of the couches, his body was uptight and rigid as he listened to Davis practically destroying the Motomiya household.
"What kind of tea would you like!?" The goggle boy asked spiritedly. "Will Oolong be alright?"
"That'd be fine…" Ken said dully.
*I feel like I shouldn't be here right now. But- there's no where else 'to' be. Mom and dad aren't expecting me back for 2 days- if I come back now, they'll know something's up. I can't go back in this shape- they'd probably think I'm sick and try to ship me off to the hospital. I want to talk to him…… tell him what he's done to me….. Ask him if he liked it. I thought that I -had-, but then again, that was probably my fucking body talking- and not my head.*
"There ya go!" Davis said brightly, snapping him from his trance by slamming down two tea-cups in front of him. "I hope it's not too hot… or too cold… It's sort of hard to tell sometimes." Again, Ken looked up to see him beaming, so the navy blue haired one tried to put on a small grin himself. It was difficult.
They both started sipping their beverages, a silence so dense that it struck both of them as unbearable. All that could be heard was the tiny clinking of cups and saucers that rung every once and a while.
Sensing the candor of the conversation, Davis tried to think of something to say. "Miyako and I were talking about having a get together with the rest of the digidestined, if you'd be willing to come. There's really no point if one of us can't go- seeing as Mimi would have to fly in from America. We'd all be there- the new kids and the older ones too. Tai, Sora, Izzy, Jyou, Matt-"
*CRACK~!*
The instant that the words had left his mouth, there was an impetuous tinkling of glass that filled the air. The freshly made tea began seeping into the carpet while the shards of the former cup glinted threateningly.
"Ken~!? Are you alright!? What's the matter?" Davis asked feverishly, looking hard at the other boy's whole physic. Ken didn't even seem aware of what he had done until he felt his shoulders being shaken furiously back and forth.
*…That name…*
"What!?" He replied in confusion- his lost eyes searching the room, "Oh…Sorry… I've messed up your carpet… here, let me try to clean it up a little…"
"No~!" Davis cried with a note of what sounded like anger in his voice. Ken stopped picking up glass and instantly gawked- trying to figure out what he meant.
Daisuke's brown eyes seemed to glow with determination as he finally got up the gut to speak thoughts that had been following him continuously. Usually he was one to blurt out anything that was on his mind- but this had been unlike most situations. He had known Ken for something like a couple months, and he had learned that just screaming at someone wasn't the best way to try to get through to them.
"Look, Ken…" He started, "Something is *bothering* you. Why won't you just tell me what it is!? Maybe I can help you-"
"I don't need your help!" Ken snapped, "It's nothing that you need to get involved in!!"
Daisuke assumed that he had hit a soft spot and tried to back off. "I-I'm sorry…" He apologized delicately, "I didn't mean to get you upse-"
But Ken had already dropped his head into his hands, running his fingers gingerly through the fine strands of bluish hair. Davis couldn't see his face, but from the gentle noise that was coming from him- he could only guess that he was crying.
Minuature speckles of water dropped onto the table- staining the dainty wood with tears. Daisuke tried to reach his arm over to the other's shoulder, so as to give some sort of comfort for whatever was bothering him, but Ken's fist instantly smacked against the coffee stand.
"I-I don't understand…" He sobbed quietly, pushing tress' away from his eyes. "He just left… Like -that-." Still contaminated in what seemed like disappointment and fury, he snapped his fingers on the word 'that'. "Why didn't he explain? Why didn't he at least tell me what I did *wrong*…That's the least he could have done…"
Though Davis didn't comprehend a word that had been said so far, so he tried his best to pretend. His mind was busy trying to think of something sympathetic or moderately nice that he could say, but it wasn't that easy, when you didn't even know what you were comforting him -for-.
"I'm sorry, Davis…" Ken said in a choked voice, "I really- I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Daisuke asked in surprise. "Sorry about what?"
"I didn't mean to break down like that…" Ken replied, while trying to look like he had been weeping for no reason at all. He wiped his saturated face with his shirt collar then stared with a dazed look at his companion. It didn't fool Davis.
But though he knew that he was supposed to be subject to bad acting, he pretended like he hadn't noticed. It was hard to do, seeing as he had just watched his friend crumble to his knees in a fit, but he did his best.
Both of them felt the familiar muteness coming on, so it was Ken's turn to break the tranquility. "What's that?" He asked in rapture, pointing at the small pink envelop that was displayed from his coat pocket.
"That!?" Davis asked in panic, covering it from view while his cheeks briskly began turning scarlet. "It's nothing~!" He explained in an abnormally high pitched voice, "Just something that I found on the way here…"
"May I see it?" Ken asked naturally, reaching his hand out to accept it still showing a look of deep enchantment.
Daisuke disorderly attempted thinking of something excuse to use, but each one that popped into mind was more unbelievable then the one before. He scratched his head for a moment then started "-Actually, I-"
Ken noticed the way Davis had been behaving and resolved to forget about it. "Davis, if you don't want to show it to me, all you have to do is say it-"
"Who said I didn't want to show it??" Daisuke responded almost at once, letting his contradicting nature take it's toll. As soon as he had said it, he realized that he had almost found a loop hole- yet still managed to miss it.
Having run out of ideas, he casually pretended to stretch out his arms, pulling them back then letting the tiny paper object slip from his fingers, and glide through the air and land next to the heater.
"Oh shit…" He muttered innocently, acting as if this turn of events annoyed him then getting up high enough on the cushion so that he could look at the lost piece of paper. "Sorry…" He said starkly.
"Don't worry, I can get it…" Ken said, extending his forelimb behind the seat and waving it so that he would be able to collect the missing letter.
Davis immediately called, "Nah, it's not a problem. Too bad though…" Inside he was beaming like something absolutely amazing had just occurred, and he had been a part of it.
Quite aware of what had just happened, yet again, Ken simulated like he had imagined it. A small smirk began to creep onto his lips, only to be intruded upon by a boisterous yawn. "If its not too much trouble…" He said slowly, "Would it be possible for me to sleep for a little while?"
"Yeah, alright~!" Davis replied animatedly, "Just let me go get you a couple of blankets…" He emerged to the hallway closet, quickly snatching up more covers than necessary, and floundering back, occasionally knocking over lamps and vases then catching them in mid-air. It took over ten minutes before he was able to arrive back with a minimum of 6 antiques then pile them up on the living room floor.
"Here you g-" He started, but stopped as soon as he saw the curled up body in front of him, on the couch. He wondered if he had ever seen Ken Ichijouji as peaceful and serene as he was now. The boy's eyelids had been lightly shut, and the rest of him was gently pulsating up and down; each breath being taken in causing Davis to sigh in satisfaction.
"I'll never be able to figure you out…" He said with a slight smile then threw a cotton bedspread on top of Ken sensitively, then reaching behind the sofa to collect his lost envelop, then heading out back out for school.
***
Yamato ran out of the apartment building, tears streaming behind him in the merciless wind.
"I shouldn't have told him!!!" He yelled to no one but himself, "I could have lied~! I *should* have lied! He said he-" He paused to wipe away the liquid that was oozing from his eyes, mixed with a runny nose. "-loved me…"
*Good Job, Yamato. You fucking screwed up one of the only good things that have ever happened to you. It's no wonder you weren't able to find a meaningful relationship before this. Tons of fans, screaming your name while you're onstage: doesn't mean anything. They just like you because you can carry a tune and happen to have a pretty face. Baka… I finally met someone who cared about me for more than just that, and now I've ruined it.*
"Goddamnit!!" He screamed, then coughed loudly, "Why!? Why did it happen to me!? Why do these things *always* happen to me!?" Not being able to hold out against his emotions any longer, he fell to his knees with pained crystals fallings from his face and onto the sidewalk. "I'm sorry, Tai…" He said quietly, though fully aware that no one else could hear him, "I'm sorry…"
He ignored the distinct stares that the rest of the public around was giving him, though noticing the fact that a good percent of them were students, obviously on their way to school. Come to think of it, they were wearing the same green and white uniforms that *he* was used to sporting to Juku.
*Fuck!! I'm late for school!!*
The realization hit him hard, and he nearly fell over backwards as he got up and started sprinting as fast as he could to his own household, where he would be able to change and gather his books. Even after all that had happened that night, how could he manage to forget about that too!?
Dashing through the park and slipping across clusters of waterlogged dead leaves and back to his apartment. Sprinting up the group of stairs, he landed at the top panting and gasping.
*Mental note… Take up jogging.*
Once he had stopped his lungs from gasping and wheezing out of control, he started emerging to his own house. As much as he denied it, deep down he knew that his 'out of shape' problem was probably a result of second hand smoke.
Slinking along the hallway to avoid nosy neighbors, he clicked the door open and went in- kicking clutter and garbage off of the floor and away from his feet. He didn't have enough time to get anything to eat, though his stomach was howling with hunger.
He stumbled into his room then pulled a drawer out of its socket and began sifting through it in search of his school uniform. Luckily, he had managed to fit 'doing laundry' into his schedule, so a clean shirt and pants weren't too hard to find. He tugged them on, took a couple minutes to run a brush through his hair, then took off again out the door.
It was hard to tell whether or not he liked rushing around like this- at least now, anyway. Being in such a hurry made it harder for him to worry about other things like Tai and Ken…
He wondered if Tai would be there at school. If he was- chances were the two would end up avoiding each other. What was there to say now? Apologizing hadn't done any good before, how was it going to help now?
Again, he ran at top speed through the park, excluding the bothersome glances that other people were giving him. If the media was anywhere near, they'd probably start writing stuff on the headlines like: "Yamato Ishida- Troubled lead singer: Was skipping school the first sign??"
Pounding along the sidewalk, he finally reached the large beige building and with a burst of speed clamored past the dingy schoolyard and into the brick structure, shifting his arm to transfer his backpack to the other shoulder. He then barged in, suddenly remembering that he was in a public junior high and if he wasn't quiet, the principal would probably pop out of the wall and nail his ass.
He clicked his lock until it arrived at his combination, shoved his bag inside and snatched a couple of books, then headed to his homeroom.
"Sorry, I'm late~!" He exclaimed, slipping along the newly mopped floor and into the classroom. "I got- uh… caught up in something on my way to school…"
His teacher, Mr. Kajiyaro, raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else while marking something down on a sheet of paper that looked like the attendance.
Yamato scuttled into his desk then began sorting through his books, scattering crumpled papers all over the ground.
The dark haired teacher stared around fortuitously for a while then asked loudly, "Has anyone seen Tai Kamiya this morning??"
The blonde instantly cringed from the name, but didn't say anything; just continued collecting the materials he had lost to the ground.
"Anybody? Come on, people, I feel like I'm talking to a wall, here. It's a yes or no question…"
Finally deciding to give an answer, he raised his arm in the air. "Excuse me?"
"Yes, Mister Ishida?"
He shifted his fingers uncomfortably for a moment but continued, "I-I-uh- think he was sick today…"
For the second time that morning, Mr. Kajiyaro flipped up his brow then asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah… I talked to him this morning-"
It wasn't a total lie…
Suddenly the door flung open again to reveal the brunette himself, ironically enough for Matt. Everyone turned around to face him.
"You were saying??"
His cerulean eyes looked around nervously, then sort of smiled to intervene the awkward moment.
"Hey- Sorry, I'm late…" Tai said, obviously not having looked around, "I had to get-" And then he stopped, when letting his eyes rest on Yamato.
The older boy could barely stand to stare- they seemed so sad… or disappointed…he couldn't tell… Either way, it pained him to look, so he didn't. Instead, he stared down at his desk, running his fingers along the dents that had been created by previous occupants.
"Well, aren't we a happy bunch." The teacher said sarcastically, waving his hand in irritation then grabbing a thick book from his desk. "All right: Even though you guys are about as lively as toast, I've got a class to teach, so we might as well get started. Today we'll be discussing the ending of Romeo and Juliet. Please tell me you didn't forget to read it…"
The class nodded all together, though nothing else was said.
"Alright then. Could anyone summarize it up for me?"
Hesitating a bit, Tai slowly lifted his hand into the air.
"Wow, you mean we actually have a volunteer? Who says the day isn't full of surprises? So, Tai, what happened when Romeo and Juliet found out that they shouldn't be seeing each other?"
"They- they arranged to meet other wise so that they'd still be able to see each other without anyone else knowing." He stopped, not knowing whether or not to continue, but he did, after receiving a friendly,
"Go on…"
"After a while, they decided to get married, but Juliet's parents still believed that she was single, and tried to get her together with somebody else. So, she went and faked her death so that she could be free from her family. Unfortunately, the messenger who had been sent to warn Romeo about it didn't arrive in time, and he believed her to be dead. In pure desperation, he committed suicide and then later- she found *his* body, and did the same thing."
"And why do you think she did this?" Mr. Fujiyaro asked intently, pleased that one of his students finally decided to comment on something.
Tai paused for a second, then mumbled something under his breath.
"I'm sorry, Tai, I can't hear you unless you speak up."
"I said- 'She did it because she loved him and wanted to be with him.'-" The rest of the class was alert, hanging onto his every word. Nobody had ever really seen him take much interest in that class for anything except soccer. He shot Matt a dirty look.
*What's he playing at??*
"Um, Pardon me!"
The whole population of the room now turned to face Yamato, uncertain about what he was going to say.
"I-uh-" He began to stutter, but then looked back at Tai who was eyeing him edgily. "I don't think that Romeo should have taken such drastic measures in the end- after finding out what Juliet had done…"
"What the hell are you talking about!?"
Now everyone in the room diverted their attention back to Taichi who had an expression of disbelief on his face. "I think that Romeo had every right to do what he did~! She went and did something stupid- and it ended up fucking up the relationship!!"
The teacher lifted his hand up to comment about the usage of 'colorful four letter words', but wasn't given the chance.
"I don't think she *meant* to hurt him!" Yamato started ferociously, "She was just confused~! She didn't know what to do at the moment~!"
"Oh, I'm sure~!" Tai responded instantly, "How can you even say that!? The point is that in the end she did end up hurting Romeo- even if she didn't *mean* to. Maybe if she had taken two seconds to think it through-"
"She wasn't *given* two seconds to think it through~!" Matt screamed back, "She was getting forced into something she didn't want to do~!"
"What-?" Taichi said, his mouth gawking, "Are you saying their relationship was a waste of time~!? She shouldn't have been there!? Because if so- maybe-"
Yamato felt his well-known spirit of 'Compete-with-Taichi' coming into play, though he made no effort to stop it. "I didn't say that~! Those words never left my mouth, did they~? No~! What I was saying was, maybe if things hadn't taken a sudden turn of events for the worse- then-"
"So, you're going to blame it all on fate!?" Tai said angrily, "I don't think so! That's not the way it works, I'm sorry~! The truth is, she-"
"Okay, Tai, he may have said something he shouldn't have, and hurt her-" Yamato choked out, "So why is she being blamed for the fact that she had to find some sort of remorse?? She was hurt~! She didn't have any idea what to do~! What would you have done, huh??"
"Well, I sure wouldn't have screwed someone else, the little whore~!!!!" Tai yelled bitterly, causing everyone else to cast him peculiar glimpses.
"I hate to interrupt this little debate…" Mr. Fujiyaro said with an unusual expression on his face, "But- We're talking about Romeo and Juliet. What the hell are you two screaming about!?"
Both of their cheeks flushed red as their voices were abruptly silenced, and they muttered quiet apologies.
"I have to go to the bathroom…" Yamato piped up, then lifted himself from his chair and exited the classroom.
After a couple minutes had passed and the teacher had gone on endlessly about Shakespeare's style, the musician still hadn't returned. Tai got up from his chair and said, "I have to go to the bathroom, too…"
His peers began snickering silently, but when the instructor had his back turned, he flashed them the finger and left.
***
The second Tai's fingers wrenched open the door to the bathroom, he stepped in to see the recondite lights shining and heard the sound of someone choking on tears. It had been easy to identify he had witnessed a lot of it lately.
"Hey, Juliet…" He said with a feathery smirk, "What're you doing here in the boy's washroom?"
"Go away, Tai…" A raspy voice called, "What're you even doing here??"
"It'd been almost ten minutes since you had left the class- I'm just the search party."
The room was hushed as Tai waited for a reply, standing next to the only locked stall.
"I'm not a slut."
An acclaimed frenzy of jealousy exploded from inside of him as he shouted, "That's what you say- but can you prove it!? You slept with someone else! We had a GOD-DAMNED fight, and you decided to wreck the relationship, not me."
"I was angry."
"So?" Tai snorted, "What's that got to do with anything???"
"It's got *everything* to do with it~! I thought you didn't care about me anymore. All I wanted was to have someone who I could rely on- and love. But you told me that it didn't mean anything to you. I was numb."
Hearing the words in this tone of voice instead of being shouted made them seem a lot more believable. Turning himself around again, Tai asked, "But why did you sleep with him? And Ken of all people?? I didn't even think you talked to him that much…"
"I didn't before. But yesterday we did. He's a lot like me."
"You didn't answer my question."
"What?"
"Why did you do it??"
Yamato stopped again with his hands next to his burning eyes, trying to brush the tears away.
"I don't know. As I said before. I was confused."
"Drunk sounds more accurate." Tai ridiculed, "What'd he do, drug you until you to get into bed with him?"
Feeling a the famous tweak of guilt, Matt replied, "I already told you. He didn't know what he was doing. I manipulated him. I forced myself upon him. I feel like-I- I raped him…"
Now Tai was in no mood to joke. Even if Ken *had* be the guy that his boyfriend had cheated with, it would be lying to say he felt absolutely no sympathy for him.
"What happened after you- left?"
"I told you that one before, too…" Yamato answered drearily, "I'm not sure. I just- left him there. When I came back home later, he was gone. Ran away, I guess. I don't know where he is now."
Taichi bit his lip. "Do you think we should try to find him? After all- he said that he doesn't know his way through Odaiba…"
"Since when do you care so much? Yesterday you seemed about ready to tear his skin off, and now you want to go help him???"
Tai squirmed as if every inch of him was being investigated, but he answered, "I don't know. I just- he seems to defenseless, you know? Where do you think he is right now??"
"I dunno."
"That's all you have to say? I don't know?"
"What else do you want me to say?"
"I don't know…"
"There you go."
They sighed, each one feeling tired and stressed out to their breaking points.
"Matt, just come out of the stall…" Tai said while knocking gently on the door with his index finger. "If we don't come back to class soon, they're going to think we ran off together."
"I don't want to…"
"Oh, why not?" The hazel eyed boy asked, beginning to get aggravated, "Come on, Yamato, please?"
"I look horrible."
Tai got into the stall next to him then stepped onto the seat of the toilet and stared over at the blonde teenager in front of him. If truth be told, he did look like a wreck. Blonde hair sprawled all over the place, his azure eyes looking as if they'd been hit with red dye, his skin stained from all the drops that had soaked his cheeks.
"You look fine…" He said with a smile, reaching an arm over and stroking Yamato's tresses.
"Oh, God… stop it…" Yamato groaned as he tried to shield his head from view, though he did unlock the door and step out into the rest of the washroom. Tai followed as he walked along behind and observed while he splashed water onto his face and tried to cover up the blotches as best as he could.
"Hurry up…" Matt said, taking a further step towards the way out of the lavatory, "They probably think we've died…" He began to hurry back to the class until he heard someone call from behind him.
"Hey, Yamato."
"Yeah?"
"Are we alright?"
He beamed the biggest grin he was able to muster, then added, "Yeah, Tai. I think we're going to be fine."
***
I liked writing this chapter. I'm not sure if I liked how some parts came out (for once I sort of let this come out however my fingers intended it to...) but I enjoy writing the ickle bitch fights. I know, I know, I'm a wrong and evil person. Muah. :D
And remember kiddies!
~Reviews are like presents! Nice to give, but even better to receive!!~
Please Review!
*Oh, and a huge thank you to all the people who have reviewed so far... I- yeah, after getting bitched at by 'certain individuals' about the stuff I write, it's nice to get some positive stuff once in a while :)
***
"Are you sure it's alright that I come over?" Ken asked nervously while struggling with his bags. He was exhausted from -everything- and found it strenuous to lug his things behind him without collapsing into the ground in depletion.
"I'm sure that my parents won't mind…" Davis said slowly, though he really hadn't paused to think about it. "They're both at work and Jun's at school."
Ken was tempted to ask again where Daisuke was *really* supposed to be right then as he didn't want to get him in any trouble, but at the moment it felt good for him to have someone to depend on. He *would* have just gone home, but seeing as he would have to take the train back to Tamachi- he decided that he would at least meet the others before leaving.
He tried not to think about what had happened earlier, but it was killing him inside. Every part of his body felt like it had been- used. His hands- they'd trickled over his body…and caress… his lips- they'd said so many gullible and foolish things- his eyes- how many times had he stared into the other's pools of cerulean, believing that someone actually cared about him?
*Somebody caring about me? Ha, that's a laugh. Every time I've managed to get close to someone, they're always stolen away. What's the point of trying anymore? All anyone sees in me is my brains- I'm supposed to be intelligent and I can't even tell when someone's lying to me. Ken Ichjouji- boy genius. Yeah, all right. If everyone believes it, what's the point of proving them wrong?*
"Ken??" Daisuke asked, staring at him blankly, "Are you alright? I know you're not always the world's greatest chatterbox, but today you're abnormally quiet."
"I don't want to talk about it...." Ken replied abruptly, still deep in his thoughts.
*I must be stupider then I look to fall for something like that. That's all he wanted- a one night stand. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I never had to see him again- but I do. He's part of our team. He said he 'loved' me. So, why did he leave?? He didn't even say why- just went away- probably trying to get away from 'me' as fast as he could.*
"Come on…" Davis urged while beginning to climb up the stairs to the elevator, "You can tell me. What- you think I'm going to laugh at you or something?"
"No…" Ken answered briefly as he stumbled along, then stepped into the little room and watched as Davis pushed the number '5' on the button panel then stared back at him "I just…I'm not in the mood to think about it, okay?" But that was a lie, as his mind was still roaring at full blast, tormenting away.
*I let him touch me… he kissed me, he played with me…hell, he screwed me! 'I' fucked another guy! It's just- wrong. What was I thinking?? Why couldn't I have understood what was going on?? Heck, even 'now' I don't know what was going on. Does he? Yamato Ishida- did you know what you were doing? Did you 'know' that you were going to slash my heart into pieces? Because you did; I hope you enjoyed it; that way one of us would be able to say that we did.*
"Here."
Ken felt the bags he had been dragging behind him being lifted from his hands and dropped to the fuzzy carpeted ground. "You don't have to go through all this trouble- you know…" he said timidly, staring warily at the other boy's massive purplish hair.
"I *know* that I don't have to…" Daisuke replied for the seventeenth time since he had met Ken that bright morning, "But I *want* to. It's obvious that you're not in the best shape- and I just want to make sure that you're alright." He smiled warmly to show that he actually meant it too.
Though he had been itching to ask all morning about what had happened the night before- he restrained himself. It was obvious that Ken would rather not talk about it- the way that he twisted around in discomfort every time he mentioned it.
"Well- this is my house…", He said slowly, preparing to give the customary tour that came with introducing a friend to your house for the first time.
"I know…" Ken answered blankly, "I've been here before, remember?" His mouth was dry and talking proved to be a challenge by itself.
"Oh, yeah. Right…" Davis would have slapped his forehead in embarrassment, but decided now wasn't the best time. His body was shuffling and bustling around, trying with what he had to make Ken feel even the least bit better. "I'll make some tea…" He called, then hurried into the kitchen where the clatter of cups and saucers could be heard crashing together.
Standing alone in the living room, Ken pushed his assorted luggage into a further corner where they weren't as apt to be noticed; then sat down on one of the couches, his body was uptight and rigid as he listened to Davis practically destroying the Motomiya household.
"What kind of tea would you like!?" The goggle boy asked spiritedly. "Will Oolong be alright?"
"That'd be fine…" Ken said dully.
*I feel like I shouldn't be here right now. But- there's no where else 'to' be. Mom and dad aren't expecting me back for 2 days- if I come back now, they'll know something's up. I can't go back in this shape- they'd probably think I'm sick and try to ship me off to the hospital. I want to talk to him…… tell him what he's done to me….. Ask him if he liked it. I thought that I -had-, but then again, that was probably my fucking body talking- and not my head.*
"There ya go!" Davis said brightly, snapping him from his trance by slamming down two tea-cups in front of him. "I hope it's not too hot… or too cold… It's sort of hard to tell sometimes." Again, Ken looked up to see him beaming, so the navy blue haired one tried to put on a small grin himself. It was difficult.
They both started sipping their beverages, a silence so dense that it struck both of them as unbearable. All that could be heard was the tiny clinking of cups and saucers that rung every once and a while.
Sensing the candor of the conversation, Davis tried to think of something to say. "Miyako and I were talking about having a get together with the rest of the digidestined, if you'd be willing to come. There's really no point if one of us can't go- seeing as Mimi would have to fly in from America. We'd all be there- the new kids and the older ones too. Tai, Sora, Izzy, Jyou, Matt-"
*CRACK~!*
The instant that the words had left his mouth, there was an impetuous tinkling of glass that filled the air. The freshly made tea began seeping into the carpet while the shards of the former cup glinted threateningly.
"Ken~!? Are you alright!? What's the matter?" Davis asked feverishly, looking hard at the other boy's whole physic. Ken didn't even seem aware of what he had done until he felt his shoulders being shaken furiously back and forth.
*…That name…*
"What!?" He replied in confusion- his lost eyes searching the room, "Oh…Sorry… I've messed up your carpet… here, let me try to clean it up a little…"
"No~!" Davis cried with a note of what sounded like anger in his voice. Ken stopped picking up glass and instantly gawked- trying to figure out what he meant.
Daisuke's brown eyes seemed to glow with determination as he finally got up the gut to speak thoughts that had been following him continuously. Usually he was one to blurt out anything that was on his mind- but this had been unlike most situations. He had known Ken for something like a couple months, and he had learned that just screaming at someone wasn't the best way to try to get through to them.
"Look, Ken…" He started, "Something is *bothering* you. Why won't you just tell me what it is!? Maybe I can help you-"
"I don't need your help!" Ken snapped, "It's nothing that you need to get involved in!!"
Daisuke assumed that he had hit a soft spot and tried to back off. "I-I'm sorry…" He apologized delicately, "I didn't mean to get you upse-"
But Ken had already dropped his head into his hands, running his fingers gingerly through the fine strands of bluish hair. Davis couldn't see his face, but from the gentle noise that was coming from him- he could only guess that he was crying.
Minuature speckles of water dropped onto the table- staining the dainty wood with tears. Daisuke tried to reach his arm over to the other's shoulder, so as to give some sort of comfort for whatever was bothering him, but Ken's fist instantly smacked against the coffee stand.
"I-I don't understand…" He sobbed quietly, pushing tress' away from his eyes. "He just left… Like -that-." Still contaminated in what seemed like disappointment and fury, he snapped his fingers on the word 'that'. "Why didn't he explain? Why didn't he at least tell me what I did *wrong*…That's the least he could have done…"
Though Davis didn't comprehend a word that had been said so far, so he tried his best to pretend. His mind was busy trying to think of something sympathetic or moderately nice that he could say, but it wasn't that easy, when you didn't even know what you were comforting him -for-.
"I'm sorry, Davis…" Ken said in a choked voice, "I really- I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Daisuke asked in surprise. "Sorry about what?"
"I didn't mean to break down like that…" Ken replied, while trying to look like he had been weeping for no reason at all. He wiped his saturated face with his shirt collar then stared with a dazed look at his companion. It didn't fool Davis.
But though he knew that he was supposed to be subject to bad acting, he pretended like he hadn't noticed. It was hard to do, seeing as he had just watched his friend crumble to his knees in a fit, but he did his best.
Both of them felt the familiar muteness coming on, so it was Ken's turn to break the tranquility. "What's that?" He asked in rapture, pointing at the small pink envelop that was displayed from his coat pocket.
"That!?" Davis asked in panic, covering it from view while his cheeks briskly began turning scarlet. "It's nothing~!" He explained in an abnormally high pitched voice, "Just something that I found on the way here…"
"May I see it?" Ken asked naturally, reaching his hand out to accept it still showing a look of deep enchantment.
Daisuke disorderly attempted thinking of something excuse to use, but each one that popped into mind was more unbelievable then the one before. He scratched his head for a moment then started "-Actually, I-"
Ken noticed the way Davis had been behaving and resolved to forget about it. "Davis, if you don't want to show it to me, all you have to do is say it-"
"Who said I didn't want to show it??" Daisuke responded almost at once, letting his contradicting nature take it's toll. As soon as he had said it, he realized that he had almost found a loop hole- yet still managed to miss it.
Having run out of ideas, he casually pretended to stretch out his arms, pulling them back then letting the tiny paper object slip from his fingers, and glide through the air and land next to the heater.
"Oh shit…" He muttered innocently, acting as if this turn of events annoyed him then getting up high enough on the cushion so that he could look at the lost piece of paper. "Sorry…" He said starkly.
"Don't worry, I can get it…" Ken said, extending his forelimb behind the seat and waving it so that he would be able to collect the missing letter.
Davis immediately called, "Nah, it's not a problem. Too bad though…" Inside he was beaming like something absolutely amazing had just occurred, and he had been a part of it.
Quite aware of what had just happened, yet again, Ken simulated like he had imagined it. A small smirk began to creep onto his lips, only to be intruded upon by a boisterous yawn. "If its not too much trouble…" He said slowly, "Would it be possible for me to sleep for a little while?"
"Yeah, alright~!" Davis replied animatedly, "Just let me go get you a couple of blankets…" He emerged to the hallway closet, quickly snatching up more covers than necessary, and floundering back, occasionally knocking over lamps and vases then catching them in mid-air. It took over ten minutes before he was able to arrive back with a minimum of 6 antiques then pile them up on the living room floor.
"Here you g-" He started, but stopped as soon as he saw the curled up body in front of him, on the couch. He wondered if he had ever seen Ken Ichijouji as peaceful and serene as he was now. The boy's eyelids had been lightly shut, and the rest of him was gently pulsating up and down; each breath being taken in causing Davis to sigh in satisfaction.
"I'll never be able to figure you out…" He said with a slight smile then threw a cotton bedspread on top of Ken sensitively, then reaching behind the sofa to collect his lost envelop, then heading out back out for school.
***
Yamato ran out of the apartment building, tears streaming behind him in the merciless wind.
"I shouldn't have told him!!!" He yelled to no one but himself, "I could have lied~! I *should* have lied! He said he-" He paused to wipe away the liquid that was oozing from his eyes, mixed with a runny nose. "-loved me…"
*Good Job, Yamato. You fucking screwed up one of the only good things that have ever happened to you. It's no wonder you weren't able to find a meaningful relationship before this. Tons of fans, screaming your name while you're onstage: doesn't mean anything. They just like you because you can carry a tune and happen to have a pretty face. Baka… I finally met someone who cared about me for more than just that, and now I've ruined it.*
"Goddamnit!!" He screamed, then coughed loudly, "Why!? Why did it happen to me!? Why do these things *always* happen to me!?" Not being able to hold out against his emotions any longer, he fell to his knees with pained crystals fallings from his face and onto the sidewalk. "I'm sorry, Tai…" He said quietly, though fully aware that no one else could hear him, "I'm sorry…"
He ignored the distinct stares that the rest of the public around was giving him, though noticing the fact that a good percent of them were students, obviously on their way to school. Come to think of it, they were wearing the same green and white uniforms that *he* was used to sporting to Juku.
*Fuck!! I'm late for school!!*
The realization hit him hard, and he nearly fell over backwards as he got up and started sprinting as fast as he could to his own household, where he would be able to change and gather his books. Even after all that had happened that night, how could he manage to forget about that too!?
Dashing through the park and slipping across clusters of waterlogged dead leaves and back to his apartment. Sprinting up the group of stairs, he landed at the top panting and gasping.
*Mental note… Take up jogging.*
Once he had stopped his lungs from gasping and wheezing out of control, he started emerging to his own house. As much as he denied it, deep down he knew that his 'out of shape' problem was probably a result of second hand smoke.
Slinking along the hallway to avoid nosy neighbors, he clicked the door open and went in- kicking clutter and garbage off of the floor and away from his feet. He didn't have enough time to get anything to eat, though his stomach was howling with hunger.
He stumbled into his room then pulled a drawer out of its socket and began sifting through it in search of his school uniform. Luckily, he had managed to fit 'doing laundry' into his schedule, so a clean shirt and pants weren't too hard to find. He tugged them on, took a couple minutes to run a brush through his hair, then took off again out the door.
It was hard to tell whether or not he liked rushing around like this- at least now, anyway. Being in such a hurry made it harder for him to worry about other things like Tai and Ken…
He wondered if Tai would be there at school. If he was- chances were the two would end up avoiding each other. What was there to say now? Apologizing hadn't done any good before, how was it going to help now?
Again, he ran at top speed through the park, excluding the bothersome glances that other people were giving him. If the media was anywhere near, they'd probably start writing stuff on the headlines like: "Yamato Ishida- Troubled lead singer: Was skipping school the first sign??"
Pounding along the sidewalk, he finally reached the large beige building and with a burst of speed clamored past the dingy schoolyard and into the brick structure, shifting his arm to transfer his backpack to the other shoulder. He then barged in, suddenly remembering that he was in a public junior high and if he wasn't quiet, the principal would probably pop out of the wall and nail his ass.
He clicked his lock until it arrived at his combination, shoved his bag inside and snatched a couple of books, then headed to his homeroom.
"Sorry, I'm late~!" He exclaimed, slipping along the newly mopped floor and into the classroom. "I got- uh… caught up in something on my way to school…"
His teacher, Mr. Kajiyaro, raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else while marking something down on a sheet of paper that looked like the attendance.
Yamato scuttled into his desk then began sorting through his books, scattering crumpled papers all over the ground.
The dark haired teacher stared around fortuitously for a while then asked loudly, "Has anyone seen Tai Kamiya this morning??"
The blonde instantly cringed from the name, but didn't say anything; just continued collecting the materials he had lost to the ground.
"Anybody? Come on, people, I feel like I'm talking to a wall, here. It's a yes or no question…"
Finally deciding to give an answer, he raised his arm in the air. "Excuse me?"
"Yes, Mister Ishida?"
He shifted his fingers uncomfortably for a moment but continued, "I-I-uh- think he was sick today…"
For the second time that morning, Mr. Kajiyaro flipped up his brow then asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah… I talked to him this morning-"
It wasn't a total lie…
Suddenly the door flung open again to reveal the brunette himself, ironically enough for Matt. Everyone turned around to face him.
"You were saying??"
His cerulean eyes looked around nervously, then sort of smiled to intervene the awkward moment.
"Hey- Sorry, I'm late…" Tai said, obviously not having looked around, "I had to get-" And then he stopped, when letting his eyes rest on Yamato.
The older boy could barely stand to stare- they seemed so sad… or disappointed…he couldn't tell… Either way, it pained him to look, so he didn't. Instead, he stared down at his desk, running his fingers along the dents that had been created by previous occupants.
"Well, aren't we a happy bunch." The teacher said sarcastically, waving his hand in irritation then grabbing a thick book from his desk. "All right: Even though you guys are about as lively as toast, I've got a class to teach, so we might as well get started. Today we'll be discussing the ending of Romeo and Juliet. Please tell me you didn't forget to read it…"
The class nodded all together, though nothing else was said.
"Alright then. Could anyone summarize it up for me?"
Hesitating a bit, Tai slowly lifted his hand into the air.
"Wow, you mean we actually have a volunteer? Who says the day isn't full of surprises? So, Tai, what happened when Romeo and Juliet found out that they shouldn't be seeing each other?"
"They- they arranged to meet other wise so that they'd still be able to see each other without anyone else knowing." He stopped, not knowing whether or not to continue, but he did, after receiving a friendly,
"Go on…"
"After a while, they decided to get married, but Juliet's parents still believed that she was single, and tried to get her together with somebody else. So, she went and faked her death so that she could be free from her family. Unfortunately, the messenger who had been sent to warn Romeo about it didn't arrive in time, and he believed her to be dead. In pure desperation, he committed suicide and then later- she found *his* body, and did the same thing."
"And why do you think she did this?" Mr. Fujiyaro asked intently, pleased that one of his students finally decided to comment on something.
Tai paused for a second, then mumbled something under his breath.
"I'm sorry, Tai, I can't hear you unless you speak up."
"I said- 'She did it because she loved him and wanted to be with him.'-" The rest of the class was alert, hanging onto his every word. Nobody had ever really seen him take much interest in that class for anything except soccer. He shot Matt a dirty look.
*What's he playing at??*
"Um, Pardon me!"
The whole population of the room now turned to face Yamato, uncertain about what he was going to say.
"I-uh-" He began to stutter, but then looked back at Tai who was eyeing him edgily. "I don't think that Romeo should have taken such drastic measures in the end- after finding out what Juliet had done…"
"What the hell are you talking about!?"
Now everyone in the room diverted their attention back to Taichi who had an expression of disbelief on his face. "I think that Romeo had every right to do what he did~! She went and did something stupid- and it ended up fucking up the relationship!!"
The teacher lifted his hand up to comment about the usage of 'colorful four letter words', but wasn't given the chance.
"I don't think she *meant* to hurt him!" Yamato started ferociously, "She was just confused~! She didn't know what to do at the moment~!"
"Oh, I'm sure~!" Tai responded instantly, "How can you even say that!? The point is that in the end she did end up hurting Romeo- even if she didn't *mean* to. Maybe if she had taken two seconds to think it through-"
"She wasn't *given* two seconds to think it through~!" Matt screamed back, "She was getting forced into something she didn't want to do~!"
"What-?" Taichi said, his mouth gawking, "Are you saying their relationship was a waste of time~!? She shouldn't have been there!? Because if so- maybe-"
Yamato felt his well-known spirit of 'Compete-with-Taichi' coming into play, though he made no effort to stop it. "I didn't say that~! Those words never left my mouth, did they~? No~! What I was saying was, maybe if things hadn't taken a sudden turn of events for the worse- then-"
"So, you're going to blame it all on fate!?" Tai said angrily, "I don't think so! That's not the way it works, I'm sorry~! The truth is, she-"
"Okay, Tai, he may have said something he shouldn't have, and hurt her-" Yamato choked out, "So why is she being blamed for the fact that she had to find some sort of remorse?? She was hurt~! She didn't have any idea what to do~! What would you have done, huh??"
"Well, I sure wouldn't have screwed someone else, the little whore~!!!!" Tai yelled bitterly, causing everyone else to cast him peculiar glimpses.
"I hate to interrupt this little debate…" Mr. Fujiyaro said with an unusual expression on his face, "But- We're talking about Romeo and Juliet. What the hell are you two screaming about!?"
Both of their cheeks flushed red as their voices were abruptly silenced, and they muttered quiet apologies.
"I have to go to the bathroom…" Yamato piped up, then lifted himself from his chair and exited the classroom.
After a couple minutes had passed and the teacher had gone on endlessly about Shakespeare's style, the musician still hadn't returned. Tai got up from his chair and said, "I have to go to the bathroom, too…"
His peers began snickering silently, but when the instructor had his back turned, he flashed them the finger and left.
***
The second Tai's fingers wrenched open the door to the bathroom, he stepped in to see the recondite lights shining and heard the sound of someone choking on tears. It had been easy to identify he had witnessed a lot of it lately.
"Hey, Juliet…" He said with a feathery smirk, "What're you doing here in the boy's washroom?"
"Go away, Tai…" A raspy voice called, "What're you even doing here??"
"It'd been almost ten minutes since you had left the class- I'm just the search party."
The room was hushed as Tai waited for a reply, standing next to the only locked stall.
"I'm not a slut."
An acclaimed frenzy of jealousy exploded from inside of him as he shouted, "That's what you say- but can you prove it!? You slept with someone else! We had a GOD-DAMNED fight, and you decided to wreck the relationship, not me."
"I was angry."
"So?" Tai snorted, "What's that got to do with anything???"
"It's got *everything* to do with it~! I thought you didn't care about me anymore. All I wanted was to have someone who I could rely on- and love. But you told me that it didn't mean anything to you. I was numb."
Hearing the words in this tone of voice instead of being shouted made them seem a lot more believable. Turning himself around again, Tai asked, "But why did you sleep with him? And Ken of all people?? I didn't even think you talked to him that much…"
"I didn't before. But yesterday we did. He's a lot like me."
"You didn't answer my question."
"What?"
"Why did you do it??"
Yamato stopped again with his hands next to his burning eyes, trying to brush the tears away.
"I don't know. As I said before. I was confused."
"Drunk sounds more accurate." Tai ridiculed, "What'd he do, drug you until you to get into bed with him?"
Feeling a the famous tweak of guilt, Matt replied, "I already told you. He didn't know what he was doing. I manipulated him. I forced myself upon him. I feel like-I- I raped him…"
Now Tai was in no mood to joke. Even if Ken *had* be the guy that his boyfriend had cheated with, it would be lying to say he felt absolutely no sympathy for him.
"What happened after you- left?"
"I told you that one before, too…" Yamato answered drearily, "I'm not sure. I just- left him there. When I came back home later, he was gone. Ran away, I guess. I don't know where he is now."
Taichi bit his lip. "Do you think we should try to find him? After all- he said that he doesn't know his way through Odaiba…"
"Since when do you care so much? Yesterday you seemed about ready to tear his skin off, and now you want to go help him???"
Tai squirmed as if every inch of him was being investigated, but he answered, "I don't know. I just- he seems to defenseless, you know? Where do you think he is right now??"
"I dunno."
"That's all you have to say? I don't know?"
"What else do you want me to say?"
"I don't know…"
"There you go."
They sighed, each one feeling tired and stressed out to their breaking points.
"Matt, just come out of the stall…" Tai said while knocking gently on the door with his index finger. "If we don't come back to class soon, they're going to think we ran off together."
"I don't want to…"
"Oh, why not?" The hazel eyed boy asked, beginning to get aggravated, "Come on, Yamato, please?"
"I look horrible."
Tai got into the stall next to him then stepped onto the seat of the toilet and stared over at the blonde teenager in front of him. If truth be told, he did look like a wreck. Blonde hair sprawled all over the place, his azure eyes looking as if they'd been hit with red dye, his skin stained from all the drops that had soaked his cheeks.
"You look fine…" He said with a smile, reaching an arm over and stroking Yamato's tresses.
"Oh, God… stop it…" Yamato groaned as he tried to shield his head from view, though he did unlock the door and step out into the rest of the washroom. Tai followed as he walked along behind and observed while he splashed water onto his face and tried to cover up the blotches as best as he could.
"Hurry up…" Matt said, taking a further step towards the way out of the lavatory, "They probably think we've died…" He began to hurry back to the class until he heard someone call from behind him.
"Hey, Yamato."
"Yeah?"
"Are we alright?"
He beamed the biggest grin he was able to muster, then added, "Yeah, Tai. I think we're going to be fine."
***
I liked writing this chapter. I'm not sure if I liked how some parts came out (for once I sort of let this come out however my fingers intended it to...) but I enjoy writing the ickle bitch fights. I know, I know, I'm a wrong and evil person. Muah. :D
And remember kiddies!
~Reviews are like presents! Nice to give, but even better to receive!!~
Please Review!
*Oh, and a huge thank you to all the people who have reviewed so far... I- yeah, after getting bitched at by 'certain individuals' about the stuff I write, it's nice to get some positive stuff once in a while :)