A/N: I'll just say here that there's a good deal more fluff in this chapter than the last few. With the exception of Ken, who just doesn't want to let me coax him into blissful fluffiness just yet. I'll get him later...

Ken: Is this the part where I gulp in fear?

...Anyways, go on and read. I know you don't really pay attention to these things anyway.

A Little Ray Breaking Through

Daisuke and Ken wandered down the main street, eyeing store windows and not moving out of the way for people, making them have to jump to the side to avoid being trampled or crashing into the two bored teenage boys.

"I wish there was a circus in town or something," Daisuke said, yawning and scratching his chin.

"Yeah," Ken said, kicking at a rock that was in his path.

Daisuke looked over at him, smiled slightly, and reached into his pocket. He brought out the earphones of his CD player and offered one to Ken. Ken gladly took it and slipped it in his ear. Daisuke pulled his CD player out of his pocket enough to press the Play button, and Adema's "Speculum" filled their heads. Ken felt a little tinge of sadness in his heart as he listened to the lyrics.

'Reminds me of Osamu,' he thought a little sadly.

"Hey, Ken," Daisuke said a little loudly, to make sure the other boy would hear him.

"Yeah?"

"How come you've been sorta depressed lately?"

Ken cringed slightly. He hated it when people asked him about it. He got it all the time. "Not enough sleep," he said truthfully.

"Why not? You just can't?"

"Right."

"That's such a load of crap, Ken."

Ken looked up, faintly surprised, not at the use of language, but at the tone of voice Daisuke had said it in. He had sounded like Ken had suddenly made him very angry.

"I can't sleep," Ken protested.

"You make yourself stay awake, Ken. You don't let yourself sleep, because you're afraid to dream of him. If you don't let yourself dream what you dream, then you won't get over it. You know that. Just let it go."

Ken stared at his friend again. He had an odd feeling that his mind had turned into an open book that Daisuke could recite aloud.

Daisuke turned to smile at him. "Believe me, Ken. I had to get over my long-time crush on Kari about two years ago. Trying to keep from thinking about him will do you no good. Let your mind think what it wants to think, let yourself dream what you want to dream, and you'll get over it. The way you're carrying on, it's like you're stuck on replay. No progress whatsoever."

"That's deep, Dai."

"What? Am I not capable of being deep like that?" Daisuke raised an eyebrow and grinned.

Ken blushed slightly. "I didn't mean it like that! I mean...I meant-"

"Hey, it's okay. I'm used to it."

Ken stopped stuttering and shut up, staring forward. He thought over what Daisuke had told him. He sighed to himself, knowing his friend was right. He had to just stop trying to control everything, and just let it all go. He had to let the feelings for Takeru flow out of him on its own time.

"Thanks, Daisuke," Ken said, smiling gratefully.

"Hey, no problem. Anytime, Kenny-boy."

After a while, Daisuke stopped walking. He had a sudden urge to go and find Takeru and see him. He knew that Takeru was with his older brother, and he was always slightly afraid to barge in on their brother-to-brother time, but he couldn't understand why he suddenly needed to see him so badly.

"Hey, Ken, I don't think we're going to find anything to do. Let's walk back."

Ken stopped and turned around. "Okay."

~ ~ ~ ~

Takeru went to Yamato's house, carrying two shopping bags, following Taichi's bushy hair through the crowd. They got inside and set the groceries on the counter, carefully taking the food out of their respective bags and throwing the bags in the trash. Once they had put everything in its place, Takeru asked to talk to Yamato in his room, so, of course, Taichi followed close behind.

They gathered on Yamato's bed, Taichi laying on his stomach, Yamato sitting back with his elbows propping him up, and Takeru sitting with his lower legs crossed.

"What did you want to talk about, little bro?" Yamato asked, grabbing a pillow to get comfortable with.

"About Daisuke," Takeru said, shifting on the bed.

"What about him?"

"He told me about last summer," Takeru said, poking at the bed covers.

Yamato stopped moving the pillow around and Taichi looked up from where he lay to stare at Takeru. Yamato slowly began adjusting the pillow again, staring at it.

"Oh, he did, did he?"

Takeru ignored the question. "I want you to tell me everything that happened, in your own words. Tell me the truth."

"The truth is Taichi and I got in a fight, he left, I got drunk, and when I woke up, Daisuke was lying beside me and I was on a dirty, old mattress and my head hurt like hell." Yamato shrugged. "That's all I know of the truth."

Takeru sighed and put his head in his hand. "I can't stop thinking about it. I can't help but be a little untrusting now...is that bad?"

Yamato smiled slightly and reached out to grab Takeru's arm and pull his hand down, looking Takeru in the eyes.

"So you guys had your first little argument thing. Hardly even an argument, actually. Big deal. Congratulations, you're a normal couple."

Takeru sighed and shrugged slightly. "I know, it's perfectly fine to have an argument now and then, but...it just bothered me. If I can't trust him..."

"Then why go out with him?" Yamato finished.

"Exactly."

"Because you like him."

Takeru looked up at his brother. Yamato smiled at him and tucked his hair behind his ear.

"You don't have to trust him right off the bat. It takes time to develop trust in a person, especially one that is as close to you as Daisuke is, because if he hurt you, it would hurt you more than if someone else did."

"I didn't talk much to Yama for a week after what happened last summer, even though I knew Yamato really didn't even know what happened. I lost a little trust in him. But you know what?" Taichi asked.

"What?"

"After that week, we had a long talk about it, we hugged, we cried, we kissed, and that night I realized I had gained more trust in him than ever before."

Taichi smiled as he looked at Yamato, and Yamato smiled back. Takeru never saw Yamato smile special like that except if it was at Tai. Watching the two stare into each other's eyes for a while longer, Takeru realized something. Yamato's and Taichi's relationship was very rocky in the beginning, but now, it was a bit hard to miss the love that was in their eyes when they looked at each other and smiled. Sometimes you have to go through a very bad time to get to an extremely good time. Takeru thought about this, and then smiled to himself.

"You're absolutely right," he said. Yamato and Taichi stopped grinning stupidly at each other long enough to give Takeru love-dazed glances.

"What?"

"I said you're right. We are going to get through this, and we are going to come out closer than before."

"That's the spirit!" Taichi clapped Takeru on the back, making the younger boy jerk forward and clutch his chest, coughing.

Just then, the door was opened, and Daisuke stood there uncertainly, a slightly guilty look on his face.

"I heard Takeru was here, so I came over. Sorry for not phoning or anything, Yamato."

"It's okay," Yamato answered, and then grinned at Takeru.

Takeru grinned back and hopped off the bed. He walked up to Daisuke, hands on his hips, smiling.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

Daisuke lowered his gaze to the floor. "I stopped by your house, but you had already come over here...so..."

Takeru lifted his hands to cup Daisuke's face. Daisuke looked up at him, his gaze clouded by mild confusion. Takeru leant forward, eyes closed, and gently kissed Daisuke. Daisuke raised his eyebrows in surprise and leant into Takeru, bringing his arms up to circle the blonde's waist. Takeru flicked Daisuke's upper lip with his tongue and Daisuke allowed the boy's tongue entrance. Takeru gently ran his tongue over Daisuke's and gently pulled back to stare into Daisuke's eyes. Daisuke was breathing a little faster and stared at him in surprise.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

Takeru laughed and hugged Daisuke tightly, head resting on his boyfriend's chest. Daisuke suddenly smiled widely and hugged back, feeling his heart beat with happiness. Daisuke looked over at Taichi and Yamato, who were grinning at the younger couple. Daisuke grinned back and gently pressed his face into Takeru's soft hair. He ran his fingers through his boyfriend's hair and gently trailed them down his back, and then Takeru stepped back, smiling up at him.

"I'm going to go home now," Takeru said, still facing Daisuke, but addressing his brother.

"Okay," Yamato said, and then the two younger boys closed his bedroom door and began to walk out of the house.

Yamato and Taichi grinned at each other.

"A job well done, Agent Yamato," Taichi said, lifting his hand.

Yamato laughed and high-fived him. "I agree, Agent Taichi. I agree."

Taichi smirked and crawled closer to Yamato so he could rest his chin on Yamato's shoulder.

"Well, we're all alone. Whatever shall we do now."

"Watch TV?" Yamato suggested, turning the TV on and grabbing the remote. Taichi growled slightly and tackled Yamato back onto the bed, sending the pillow flying off and onto the floor.

"I don't think so!"

"Ack, Tai! That's going to leave a mark!" Yamato whined as Tai gently bit his neck.

"Enjoy it, kid, or I'll climb off and go home and leave you here all hot and bothered."

Just then Yamato purred and Taichi forgot all about his threat, yanking the bed covers over the both of them, shielding them from view.

~ ~ ~ ~

Ken stared out of his window at the streets below. "Foolish Games" by Jewel was playing on the CD player in a corner of his room. He watched as people walked, clutching their jackets around themselves, some laughing and smiling, and some lone walkers, staring at the sidewalk in front of them, not smiling.

He sighed and moved to his bed, laying down and hugging the bedsheets around himself. He closed his eye, forcing a tear to slide over the bridge of his nose and drip onto the blankets.

Just then, the phone rang. Ken wiped his eyes and slowly stood, walking to the phone in his room. He dropped to his knees beside the phone, on the floor, and slowly picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ken," greeted a voice that was becoming familiar to him. He smiled to himself and sat up against the edge of his bed.

"Hey, Koushirou," he said softly.

"Just wanted to make you smile. Unless you really don't want to talk, or don't want to hear my voice, or you're busy or something, then you might not smile...but I figured it was worth a try. So, did I make you smile?"

"Yeah, you did." Ken laughed a little and rubbed his forehead.

"So, you want to talk?" Koushirou asked gently.

Ken cradled the phone against his head as he leant back against the soft bedsheets.

"Sure, let's talk."

~ ~ ~ ~

A/N: Heh...I couldn't stand writing angst anymore. It just didn't fit with this fic. Now I guess we're back to Fluff City. O.o' Well, that is, until my mind comes up with some new obstacle for them. And, of course, there is the fact that Ken has yet to heal. That'll be gradual, but it'll be nicer for him day by day.