A Step Towards The Light; Two Steps Towards The Dark Ooh, never thought of putting this in before. Ok, / /=thought. Um...ok, Japanese! Doushite-why. Nande-Why. Onii-chan-Older Brother. Onegai-please. Hontou-Really. Kiite kudasai-Please listen. Gomen nasai-I'm sorry. Now onto the story!!!!

Yamato stared out the window at the bright blue sky, and inwardly wondered how anything could be so happy. It had been two weeks since the world had seemed to start over, two weeks since he had finally told someone the secret he had been hoarding for most of his life.
RING! The phone sounded gleeful as it rang through the house. In fact, everything sounded happier now...so why did Yamato still feel so empty inside?
He sighed as he walked towards the phone. No point in wondering now. He had plenty of time to do that. The whole rest of the summer. "Hello?" he asked tiredly, trying to find out who might be calling him at this time.
"Yamato?" came the scared voice. The voice sounded as though he was afraid of being struck by him.
"Takeru?" Yamato answered doubtfully.
"Yes?" Takeru asked, hoping that this conversation wouldn't be a repeat of the last time.
"Why are you calling?"
"I...I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Sure...why don't you come over here?" Yamato asked, suddenly realizing that he hadn't invited anyone, other than Taichi two weeks ago, to his house since the divorce. Or was it before that? He actually couldn't remember ever inviting someone over...why was that?
"Really? Ok, Yamato!" Takeru answered, sounding greatly relieved. However, there was still something haunting his voice, as though a mysterious being was there, pressing down on his innocence, forcing his happiness to a minimum.
Yamato hung up the phone, confused. He understood so little of what was happening now. Before it was so simple. Just stay away from everyone, then you can't get hurt, then they can't hurt you...
KNOCK! Came the sound that Yamato was expecting. Even so, he jumped, then winced as he remembered that he was waiting for Takeru. He silently cursed himself as he walked towards the door.
Takeru was standing there, his eyes clouded and doubtful. He was obviously afraid that his older brother would change his mind at the last moment and tell him to go home, that he never wanted to see him again. "Hi, Yamato," Takeru nervously whispered, shuffling his feet.
/I'll just let him sweat a little longer. If what Taichi says is true...but if it's not, then.../ "Hi, Takeru."
/Is he still mad at me? Taichi said that he told him the truth, but then...Yamato was so mad at me.../
Yamato decided to take pity on the younger boy, and motioned him inside. Takeru visibly let out the breath he had been holding, and quickly stepped inside, looking as though he had been invited into a holy sanctuary. /Right, a sanctuary. More like a gateway to hell./ "Takeru, what do you want to tell me?" Yamato asked, as though he wouldn't believe a word that Takeru said.
Takeru's eyes began to fill with tears. /He didn't believe Taichi after all! Why doesn't he want to believe me? I wouldn't lie to him! Why can't he believe me? Why? DOUSHITE?/ "Onii-chan...onegai..." he pleaded with his older brother for sympathy.
"What did you want to tell me?" Yamato repeated, wondering how this would play out. /If I continue this, things could get interesting...but how much longer can I hold out to Takeru's innocence? Damn him. Why does he have to be so fucking sweet?/
Takeru looked down, his hands clasped together, as if he knew that if he let them go, he would grab his older brother and beg him. "I never said that I hated you, Yama."
"Hontou?" Yamato asked sarcastically.
/Why does he have to be so mean? I'm trying to explain...and I need his help right now!/
/Why does he keep trying? What could I mean to him that makes him keep coming back?/
"Onii-chan...kiite kudasai. Gomen nasai for what you heard, but I never said that! I'm your little brother, and I could never think that about you, much less say it! Please, you've got to understand!" Takeru was close to tears by now, and although he could try to hold them back, he knew he wasn't strong enough to keep them away forever.
"Then why did they say that you said that, Takeru?" Yamato asked, deadly calm. "Why, Takeru? Answer me that! WHY?" his cool finally broke, and he raged at Takeru, his eyes boring into him, trying to make him understand the pain that he had gone through because of him. Not just that one time either. Several other times rumors had almost split the two apart.
/Why doesn't he understand? They've said things like this before! Why is he listening now? What did I do that made him believe this?/
/Why doesn't he understand? I don't think he wants to understand the pain he's put me through! He thinks he's all high and mighty, and when something like this happens he expects me to just listen?/
"They've said things like that before, Yamato--"
"Yeah, maybe that's true, but before at least someone had the courtesy to tell me that it wasn't true as soon as they heard," he replied accusingly.
"I couldn't, Yamato! Mom, she--"
"She what? She kept you from telling me? Great, so both my parents are against me."
"That's not what I was going to say-"
"I think you've said enough, Takeru," Yamato replied, his anger rekindled thanks to his brother's outbursts.
"Yamato...I came here for your help," Takeru tried to explain.
That stopped Yamato's anger for a moment. He turned around so that Takeru couldn't see the conflicting emotions dancing across his face like words dancing across a blank page. "Nande?" he asked quietly, wanting to know the reason before he made any decisions on whether or not to help.
"It's Mom. She's been acting really strange lately..."
"So? Why should I care?"
"And she's been seeing Dad," Takeru finished quietly.
Yamato felt every bone in his body stiffen up. /This can't be happening! I won't go through that again! I won't!/ "She's what?" he asked softly, menecingly.
"She's been seeing Dad," Takeru repeated, unsure now, his brother's reaction being so out of the ordinary. He thought that he would yell, or simply accept it, but this coldly controlled...fear? /What's wrong, Onii-chan? What is it about them seeing each other that makes you so scared?/
"No!" Yamato whispered to himself, beginning to lose the last shreds of control he had. "No..." Flashes of memories ran through his mind, like lightning, each quicker than the last.
"Yama?" Takeru asked, looking at his brother. He hadn't meant to upset him...
"Never mind," Yamato's face softened slightly as he turned to face his younger brother again. /We're going to have to work together in order to stop this...but to do that, I'm going to have to trust him...and tell him the truth. Do I really want to do that, and risk getting hurt again? What if he's lying now? How can I ever trust anyone with this? How can I know.../
"Yama...?" Takeru looked so concerned, as Yamato inwardly battled the memories that threatened to surface.
RING! The phone snapped Yamato out of his battle, and for once in his life, he thanked whoever was on the other side.
"Hello?"
"Yamato? Are you ok?"
"Taichi?"
"Yeah, it's me...I wanted to know how you were doing..."
"And whether Takeru was over here."
"Well..."
"He's here. I'm fine."
"If you say so..."
"I do."
"You wanna come over here? Besides, Hikari would love to see Takeru."
"Sure."
"See you in a little while then?"
"Yeah..."
"Promise?"
"Yeah. I promise."
"All right."
"What was that about, Yama?" Takeru asked, looking at the phone, hoping that Taichi asked what he thought he had.
"C'mon, Takeru. We're going to Taichi and Hikari's."
"Oh...but..."
"Let's go."
Takeru sighed, looking at his older brother. Something was wrong here, but he couldn't place it. /What's wrong, Yamato? What are you so afraid of? What could hurt you this badly?/