Title: Of Consciences and a Crazy Colleague
Chapter:
2 » Guy Meets Friend of Bestfriend
By: Authorless

Author's notes: The votes have come to a draw. V-V; Apparently my sister insisted on Yamachi. So I guess I could do both Taito and Yamachi? And if you're wondering where the 'slave auction' idea came from, well… Our school had one in the year 2000. And it was quite funny to see my Math teacher be sold to my classmate for RM150 - RM200 [Ringgit Malaysia]. So I thought it would be amusing to use that for a plot. Considering I did buy a slave myself that time. ::cough::

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Period.

Here I am. Shuffling around in this stupid getup on a humid morning. I'm sweating buckets in this stupid coat. Plus, I seem to be attracting a lot of funny glances from other pedestrians as I walk down the familiar streets. And all of this for what? A chance to see the old high school again! Now how ridiculous is that?!

Oh, don't lie, Yamato. We both know why you're walking to the old high school in a huge coat, a funny hat, and black shades, basically trying to disguise yourself.

Of course, we do. I just want to see how stupid I look in this detective getup on a nice sunny day and practically sweating my pants off!

Tsk. Tsk. You're a very bad liar, Yamato. And you know it. The only reason you came here was bec-

Because I got word Taichi would be here! Okay? Mou… Are all consciences like you?! Annoying and ever vexatious?

Most of us are.

That's a comforting thought… Just another few billion more people, each with a disturbing voice that just enjoys nagging at them at the back of their head. And I thought people had consciences to guide us. Yeah right… Whoever said that about consciences should get his brain examined…

You humans just don't like it when we point out the truth. It hurts your pride. So you really can't blame us for pointing out your insecurities.

Whatever. I thought I was going to enjoy the little time-off I was getting to relax for a week or so. Then I spend a little quality time with my little brother [who isn't so little anymore] and… Bam! Here I am in this stupid, idiotic looking apparel…

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"Oniichan, have you heard from the others lately?"

"Uhh… No, I haven't." I answered, feeling slightly uneasy at the subject at hand and shifted slightly in my makeshift bed. Not like Takeru would notice, considering we were both lying awake in his dark room, he in bed and me on the carpeted floor with a warm mattress and blanket.

"Not even Taichi?""

"No." I cringed slightly at the mention of that name. The name of the one person whose friendship mattered to me more than anything else I can think of. The one person who I could never hurt deliberately. Yagami Taichi.

When I realized that I loved him, I couldn't accept it. What would people think? What would my family and friends think? And most important of all… What would Taichi think? He'd probably reject me and call me a fag. I couldn't bear to face that. Then I drowned myself into my work to try to forget the dull ache deep within me. It's still there. That feeling of complete hopelessness. And the aching truth that Taichi could never possibly feel the same way.

"Onii-chan?"

"Hmm?" I murmured absently as I found the ceiling quite interesting to stare at.

"What would you say… If I told you that Taichi is working as a teacher?"

That. Jolted me out of bed to sit up straight and stare incredulously into the dark where I could barely make out the outline of my brother curled up under the warm sheets and facing the opposite direction.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope."

"You have got to be kidding."

"No, I'm not joking."

"Seriously? You better not be pulling my leg."

Takeru gradually turned on his side to face me even though it was too dark to read the expression on his face.

"Would I lie to you, onii-chan?"

"…… I still don't believe you."

"If you don't believe me, then be my guest and call Hikari up in the morning." He finished rather smugly and I can almost imagine the look on his face. That was enough to prove his point.

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Even now, I still can't believe what Takeru said. Taichi? Teacher? Very strange. But next thing you know. I told my manager and the rest of the band where'd I be and was stupid enough to insist on not having any bodyguards buzzing around me like flies. And that brings us back here, with me in this stupid outfit, walking all the way to school.

Well it was either this or be knocked over by a swarm of fans. I pray that no one can recognize me in this oversized coat. This is like going into the enemy's base armed with nothing more than a toothpick. And this could get dangerous. God knows how many raving fans are currently in that school and it'll be even worse if they all recognized me. Well how can they not know me?! I can see posters of the band slapped all over the place! They'd have to be blind not to see any of those!

I blinked as I felt something graze the back of my palm. Looking down, I felt it again. It was… A raindrop? On a sunny day? This has got to be a cruel joke! Glaring up at the skies through dark shades, there it was. The sun shining cruelly through the light shower which seemed to be steadily increasing into a huge downpour. I had a few more blocks to go before I reached the school, so I broke into a small jog, seeking any sort of shelter from the oncoming precipitation. I really don't want to be soaked through…

"Kuso!"

It had begun to pour down harder and I was still surprised at how bright the day was even though the rain was now coming down in hard torrents, drenching me with each passing minute. Suddenly, the ridiculous clothing seemed to be heavier and running started to become equally difficult. I swore under my breath as I bent over to catch my breath. I really should get more exercise in my free time.

You should. But you'd never put much conviction into doing that anyway, would you, Yamato?

Hmph. Thanks for pointing that out. You're so helpful. What would I do without you.

Why, thank you. I didn't know you could be so appreciative.

Whatever you say.

"Are you all right, sir?"

Panting, I looked up, finally noticing for the first time that I was being sheltered under a black umbrella. I stood up straight and nearly hit my head against the umbrella when I tried to reply to the owner of the concerned voice. The reason why I was so close to having an impact with an umbrella was probably because the owner seemed a foot shorter. I took a step back to inspect this person. Her entire attire was black. From the T-shirt to her rubber shoes, not to mention her slightly damp raven black hair. She had a backpack slung over her left shoulder and her umbrella in her right hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I mumbled quietly. What if she recognized who I was? Oh boy. I'd better be prepared to make a dash to school. A very quick dash.

"That's good. Can I be of any help?" She smiled cheerfully. How can someone be so cheerful on such a rotten morning is beyond me but how she can be so nice and helpful to a complete stranger is way too much for me to comprehend.

Just because you had a bad start, doesn't mean others might feel the same way. You're all grouchy.

Yeah. Yeah. Right. I'm thinking nonsense again. Might as well accept her offer while it's still on the table. I don't fancy reaching the school looking like a drowned rat, not like it would make much difference now, taking into account that I'm already drenched thoroughly.

"Are you by chance walking anywhere near the Odaiba High School?"

"You're in luck. I happen to be heading there right now. It's a good thing I don't have a class to teach at this time of day."

I blinked at the stranger. It never occurred to me that she'd be a teacher by the way she dressed. I would have thought she were a student! She casually grabbed my coat sleeve and started pulling me along the street under the shelter of the umbrella. She had attempted to straighten her arm slightly so as to not hit my head against the roof of the umbrella. Her arm seemed to be feeling strained from being in such a position but she didn't complain which surprised me. A rather awkward silence hung in the air as I fell into step. I was about to open my mouth to say something to break the silence, when the wind grabbed up my hat and blew it clear off my head.

"My hat!" I cried in utter dismay. How was I suppose to hide my blonde strands that stands out so much?! The stranger snapped her head up at my sudden outburst and practically froze in step as she stared at me quizzically, squinting a few times. I can feel a rise of panic within me. If she figured out who I was, I'm doomed… Please don't recognize me… Please don't recognize me… I squeezed my eyes shut behind my shades, praying that she wouldn't guess who I was. Then I felt something pulling the shades off my nose in a swift movement so I wouldn't be able to resist.

"Open your eyes."

She said it so calmly and yet… I couldn't shake off the feeling that she'd start screaming when she found out who I was. I didn't know what made me obey her command and open my eyes that were shut so close, you'd have to knock me out to pull back my eyelids. There was just so much… Conviction in her voice that makes you want to listen.

The stranger looked up at me, narrowing her eyes as if searching for something within my own. Those piercing pools of dark gray looked like they could see through your very soul. Then she blinked and took out something from her pocket. Looked to me like a picture of some sort. Holding it up in her free hand and staring hard at it for a moment before flashing me a grin. I couldn't make head or tail of what was going on anymore. This is puzzling…

"So I'm right!! It is Ishida Yamato in this picture! No wonder this kid looked familiar! I've got to remember to knock the baka upside his head for not telling me anything at all and I had to go to all the trouble of doing research instead!'" She exclaimed in glee. I guess I must have had a really dumbstruck expression on my face, otherwise she wouldn't have turned the picture around for me to see it. I tried to choke back a gasp. How the hell did…

"How did you get that picture?!"

I almost yelped in shock as I stared at the familiarity of it all. Lucky for me there was not many people around to see me making a scene. My hat and shades were now totally forgotten as I stared at the object in her hand. There, clasped in-between two slender fingers was the picture of Taichi and me at the picnic we had with all our friends when we were around the age of 15. Taichi had an arm slung casually over my shoulder with a mouthful of sandwiches and making a victory sign with his fingers. How… How the hell did she get a hold of that?!

"Tadahiro Natsumi. Friend of Taichi's. Pleased to finally get to meet the bestfriend of Yagami Taichi." She tilted her head up and gave me a cheery smile, carefully placing the picture into her pocket once again. The thought that this stranger would know so much about Taichi was enough to brighten my day. However, it also had peaked my curiosity as to how she could get a hold of that picture which would rightfully belong to Taichi.

"You know Taichi?"

"Yep. Funny how you can make a new friend when a student decides to kick a soccer ball and have it land smack into your face while you're walking by the field."

I heard Natsumi chuckling at the memory. I on the other hand, visibly flinched at the thought of having a soccer ball going into collision with my face. That sort of impact was enough to knock you into a state of unconsciousness and give you a broken nose if you're out of luck.

"I was lucky enough to get away with a headache and a couple of bruises. Oh yes. Not a word about the picture to Taichi. He'd skin me alive if he ever found out I'd sneaked into his office. Again."

Taichi kept that picture in his office? Maybe… Maybe I still have a chance after all. I stared at Natsumi suspiciously as she made a look of mock innocence and was visibly putting some distance in-between us, feeling my intense stare on her.

"Ummm… Anyway, I suppose you're going to the school to see Taichi, ne?"

A flicker of emotion crossed my face as I felt my heart began to race at the thought of seeing Taichi again and I solemnly nodded the affirmative, hoping that she wouldn't be able to see through my defenses. Natsumi surprised me by giving me a friendly pat on the shoulder in an encouraging sort of way. We continued walking in silence, only this time it was seemed that both of us were deep in thought. Did she know about my feelings for him by the simple gesture?

Maybe you shouldn't look down on this girl.

Maybe you're right for once… I should probably keep an eye out for trouble. Right now, I've got only one thing left to worry about. What would Taichi's reaction be to my arrival? Would he be happy to see me? Would he be mad at me for not keeping touch? Even worse… What if he hated me for it?

"Ne, Ishida-san?" I acknowledged her by meeting her gaze and gave her a forced smile.

"Yamato is enough."

"Right. Yamato, I need to ask you some things… And I hope you won't deny them."

You could see that raw depth of seriousness in her eyes, displaying how explicably important and sedate her question was but you could judge the nervousness in her voice. Not to mention that she was fidgeting with the strap of her backpack.

"Do you… Ummm… How do I put this… Uhhh… Have feelings for… Taichi?"

My eyes widened as large as saucers. My jaw dropped awkwardly. I can feel the blood in my heart run cold as all the color drained from my face. For one thing, she was being very straightforward about this particular question which involved my love life. However, it's a completely different thing that she managed to figure it out and I've only just met her less than 15 minutes ago. Anyone else would have taken ages to figure it out!

I opened my mouth to speak but no words would come forth from my lips. Then I would close my mouth and open it again to attempt to say something useful. I only managed to accomplish the simple task of looking like a goldfish, closing and opening my mouth.

"I'll take that as a positive answer then."

She turned away, folding her umbrella, which informed me that I had successfully ignored the fact that the downpour had ceased. I was expecting her to walk away from me with a feeling of mutual disgust.

However, I was completely dumbfounded when she turned, gave me a small smile, and told me one sentence that struck a chord deep within me.

"Love only comes once in a lifetime. Don't let it pass you by, ne?"

She nudged me to move along, positively omitting the funny look on my face and we continued our walk in silence. Every word that she had previously uttered still hung fresh in my mind. Taichi sure is lucky for such poor soccer players to get him friends like her. Or in other words, get them injured and Taichi having to apologize on the student's behalf then they get to be good friends and forget the whole ordeal.

Natsumi suddenly stopped walking towards the direction of the school and dragged me off the sidewalk and into the nearby park, I assume she wanted to ask me something else. Finally she stopped walking and turned to face me with this look in her eyes that said "I have a plan in mind. Interested?".

"How about… Forgetting all about seeing Taichi at school today and give him a huge surprise this Friday instead?" She grinned slyly as if she had some sort of top-secret plan that needed to be carried out. I passed her a quizzical look and she motioned for me to bend down to her level of height to whisper in my ear. As word for word sank into the depths of my mind and finally she pulled away, I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear myself.

Oh. Sweet. I like the way this girl thinks.

You and me. Definitely an interesting plan which I'd be more than happy to carry out. Though it would require to wear this stupid outfit again. I guess it'll be worth it. Now I wonder how Natsumi keeps such a devious side behind an innocent face so well. Wonder if Taichi knows how she does it…

Tsuzuku… [To be continued…]

Chapter two is done! School starts next week so, who knows when I'll write the next chapter. ^^'