I honestly don't know why I gave Koushirou a teddy bear. I've thought
about it now for three days and I still can't find a rhyme or reason for
it. Oh well. It was cute though, right?
Have any of you ever written chapters that seem to have a theme song? Well, a lot of mine do. Listening to the song seems to make it go a lot smoother. Tonight's theme song for Koushirou and company is "Fall Into Me" by Emerson Drive. It just fits.
"Tai, is everything okay?" Koushirou's voice was quivering when he asked Tai this, partly out of fear and partly from seeing Tai's tear- streaked face.
"It is now, Koushirou. It is now." Tai buried his head in Koushirou's chest. Koushirou nuzzled the top of Tai's head with his own.
Mara was sitting back on the couch, trying to give the boys a little moment to themselves, which was a bit hard considering that her son was sitting on her lap and Tai almost was, so she just leaned as far back as she could. The love she felt radiate off the two of them brought a little moisture to her eyes as well. She wrapped the two of them in her own hug and they sat there for a moment or two.
Finally Mara broke the silence. "Okay boys, it's been a rough night so why don't we all get some sleep?"
"Yeah, I think that might be a good idea," Koushirou whispered and nodded in Tai's direction. "I think Tai's already there, Mum."
"I'm not surprised, really. He had a very traumatic evening and it obviously took a lot out of him."
"How are we going to get him to bed?" Koushirou asked with concern.
"How about we give him your bed for tonight and you can either sleep on the floor in your sleeping bag or out here on the couch?"
"I think I'll stay in my room with him, Mum," Koushirou said and Mara nodded.
"Alright then, go get the bed ready and I'll carry him in there in a minute."
"You can't carry Tai in there, can you?" Koushirou looked at his mum extremely confused.
"Son, you don't know how many times I've had to carry your father out of bars, do you?" Koushirou only shook his head negatively, beginning to grin. "If he gets more than three beers in him, he is out like a light. So, to answer your question, yes. I can easily lift Tai down the hall."
"Alright. I'll go fluff everything up for him." Koushirou gently extricated himself from Tai's grip and left him leaning against Mara. He darted down the hall and fixed the bed properly. Mara shifted Tai a little to her left and began to stand up. It's a good thing that my son fell in love with a skinny boy.
To anyone else who could have possibly seen the sight right then, it would have looked ridiculous. Mara was wearing her trademark stylish green robe and looked like she was carrying the world's largest three year old. Tai was passed out cold with his head leaning on her shoulder, his arms and legs sticking out behind her. You'd better not drool on me, Taichi she thought to herself and chuckled a bit.
Koushirou had the bed ready and he tossed the covers back as Mara walked into his room. She gently laid him down on the mattress and Koushirou covered him up. She then ran a hand across her shoulder, just to be sure. Dry. Good.
"Mum?" Koushirou whispered as Tai snuggled deeply into the soft bed, "did he tell you what happened?"
"He did. Things didn't work out too well in the Kamiya house tonight, Koushirou." Mara didn't mention the bruise that was forming on the side of Tai's face. There was no sense in worrying Koushirou over it tonight. Besides, she still wasn't sure exactly what she would do about that yet.
"Can he, can Tai stay here, if he needs to?" Koushirou asked with a look of near desperation on his face.
"Kou-chan, Taichi can stay here for as long as he wants or needs to. I wouldn't dare kick him out at a time like this. Besides, I sort of like having him around," Mara told her son quietly and was nearly bowled over when Koushirou raced to hug her. "Alright, alright, you don't have to crush me," she said as she returned the embrace.
She looked down on her son and was taken back to the day she first held him. The love was still radiating off him, much like she remembered feeling herself way back when. She became a bit choked up herself and sniffed, causing Koushirou to look up at her.
"Mum, what's wrong?" he asked as he noticed her wet eyes.
"I was just remembering how much I love you, that's all." Her son smiled at her.
"Thanks, Mum, I love you too."
"I know. Now why don't you get some more sleep? I have a feeling that tomorrow will be rather eventful."
"Good idea." Koushirou opened his closet door and pulled out his sleeping bag, unrolling it and preparing to climb in. Mara had walked out but returned when Koushirou was just getting comfortable.
"Here you go, you forgot something," she said as she tossed the stuffed bear to him. "Mr. Smith would have been lonely if you left him in the hall all night." Koushirou caught the bear and stuck him by his side. Mara laughed quietly and flipped the light off and closed the door behind her.
[[[AN: again, I don't know why he has a teddy bear, much less why it's named Mr. Smith. Too much caffeine and too little sleep, I guess..]]]]
Mara went back into the living room and grabbed her mug, intent on refilling it for one more cup before she turned in. Hot chocolate seemed much more appetizing than tea, so she finished off Tai's remnants. She came back in the living room and plopped back on the couch. Various scenarios raced through her mind, most of them causing Mrs. Kamiya great bodily harm. She still hadn't picked one when her mug went dry. She went on to bed, letting the question wait until morning.
A few hours after Mara went to bed, Tai woke up with a start and a little yell. He had been in his living room with his parents when they both turned on him. His father turned into a cross between a horrible caricature of his former self and what appeared to be Daemon. LadyDevimon appeared where his mother was previously standing. Tai fled the room and tried to escape, but he felt a clawed hand on his shoulder, causing him to scream. He was bolt upright in bed, not totally sure of where he was. As he looked around in fright he saw a mass of red hair pop up beside him.
"Tai, are you alright?" Koushirou asked, laying a hand on Tai's.
"Oh, Koushirou. Yeah, I'm fine now. It was a horrible dream. Thankfully I can't remember most of it already. All I can remember is that Daemon was there." Tai shivered.
"That is rather horrible." Koushirou's eyes adjusted to the dim light seeping in through the window. "Tai, you're shaking," he said.
"I, I know. I can't seem to stop."
"You're not cold, are you?" Koushirou asked genuinely.
"No, I guess just a little scared still."
"Well, I'll have to help you fix that," Koushirou said as he unraveled himself from the sleeping bag and started climbing into his bed with Tai. Tai started to protest, saying that he'd be fine, really, but Koushirou wasn't having any of it. "You were there for me then, so I'm going to be here for you now. Scoot over already, bed hog." Koushirou was making his way under the covers when Tai's rear got in the way. He gave it a little goose and Tai moved as well as protested just a little.
"Hey, that wasn't called for," Tai told Koushirou with a surprised look on his face.
"It slipped," Koushirou said as he got comfortable. He leaned into Tai and put an arm over him, claiming him as his own.
"I need you to know you can fall into me , That my arms are wide open and will always be, Right here waiting, Staying strong, Come and fall into me," Koushirou sang softly to Tai in his newly-found singing voice while pulling him a little closer. Tai turned and smiled at him and took Koushirou's hand in his own.
"I love you, Kou-chan," Tai told him through a yawn.
"And I love you, Tai," Koushirou told him. The two of them snuggled tight and passed into the realm of dreams, Tai's being peaceful this time.
They awoke many hours later, completely refreshed, to find a note on the kitchen table as well as a wonderful smell. Tai followed his nose while Koushirou picked the note up.
"It's from my mum, Tai. She says she has a few errands to run this morning and that she left us some---"
"Orange rolls!!" Tai yelped in excitement as he opened the oven.
"Yeah, orange rolls. She made them and left the oven on warm."
"Your mum is so awesome, Koushirou," Tai told him while debating whether or not to use an oven mitt to pick the tray up. He jabbed a finger against the pan and found that 'warm' was still hot enough to require a mitt.
"Here, silly," Tai turned in time to catch the mitt from Koushirou square in the face. Tai grabbed it before it fell and extricated the pan.
"So, Koushirou, what are you eating for breakfast?" Tai asked him, turning away and protecting the rolls.
"Your arm if you don't get those over here in the very near future," Koushirou told him and started moving toward him, grinning like a fool the whole time. Tai realized that it would be in his best interests to comply so he carried the pan over to the counter and let Koushirou dig the gooey things out with the spatula.
They were sitting on the couch, watching some inane television program or another, enjoying the rolls and the orange juice that must always accompany orange rolls. "Where'd your mum go, do you think, Koushirou?"
"I don't know. Probably out Christmas shopping with her girlfriends or something. Who knows. With her, I never really have a clue."
"Oh! Koushirou," Tai exclaimed a minute or so later, "when is TK's game today?"
"Crap. In just over an hour and a half. Good thing you thought of that, Tai. I'd completely forgotten. Do you still want to go?"
"Of course I want to go. I call dibs on the shower." Tai said as he grabbed the uneaten part of Koushirou's roll, the last one of all, from his hand.
"Hey!" Koushirou said but it was too late. The roll had disappeared beneath the event horizon of Tai's black hole mouth. Tai only shrugged his shoulders and mouthed what might have been a 'what?'. "Go on then, get a shower. I'll find you some clothes, you mooch." Tai nodded and headed off to the bathroom.
"Yum, your roll was *sooooo* good, Koushirou.." Tai dashed into the bathroom before Koushirou could get to him, laughing all the way.
Meanwhile, a little ways across town, Mara pulled her car into the driveway of the Kamiya household. She hopped out and pushed the hair out of her eyes, biting back the utter contempt she had for the people inside. She walked around to the trunk and popped it, pulling two suitcases out and then slamming it shut. She slowly made her way to the door, enjoying the sound her heels made on the concrete. She rang the bell and waited.
The door opened and before Mara stood the woman that she'd rather shoot than talk to. Before Mrs. Kamiya could speak, Mara pushed her out of the doorway and started walking into the house. "Good morning, Kari, how are you today?" she asked the younger Kamiya as she rounded a corner.
"Uh, I'm fine, Mrs. Izumi," Kari answered, quite bewildered at Mara's sudden appearance and her possession of suitcases.
"That's good. I heard you were ill. Could you direct me to Taichi's room, please?"
"Sure," Kari said and told her to follow. From the front room they heard the sound of the front door finally closing. Up the stairs they went and into the second door on the right.
"Thank you, Kari."
"No problem, I guess. I take it you know about last night?"
"Oh yeah. Your brother showed up at my door after midnight." Behind them they heard the sound of footfalls coming up the steps.
"Excuse me.." Mrs. Kamiya said from the hall and Mara completely ignored her and started emptying Tai's dresser drawers into her suitcase.
"Excuse me," Mrs. Kamiya said again as she came up behind Mara and put her hands on her hips.
"Why, did you fart?" Mara asked her as she continued unloading the drawers into her suitcases.
"NO! I want to know why you barged into my house and are currently putting my son's clothes into those suitcases." Mara looked in the mirror over the dresser while she was speaking and saw her jabbing her finger in the air while she rattled on.
oh hell no Mara thought as she stopped and stood up, turning to face the other woman. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't formally introduce myself. I'm Mara Izumi, nice to meet you." Mrs. Kamiya stood there dumbfounded. She knew that name. Tai had mentioned it last night.
"Uh, I, ah.." She stammered.
"Nice to meet you. Now, if you don't mind, I've work to do," Mara told her as she filled the first suitcase and opened the other one. Kari looked on in what seemed to be a mixture of humor and fear.
Mrs. Kamiya rambled on and on about how she had no right to do this and other things and Mara continued to ignore her and went on packing. When she finally finished she stood up and picked the two suitcases up and started walking out of the room. Mrs. Kamiya followed her, still ranting about 'how could you' and other assorted stuff.
"Listen to me and listen to me well," Mara said as she turned quickly by the front door, catching Mrs. Kamiya by surprise. "Your son is staying with us for the time being. If you try anything, and I do mean anything, foolish to hurt him, we will have this talk again. I don't think you realize the effect you had on him last night. You could have destroyed him, don't you even care?" Mrs. Kamiya looked at her like a deer in headlights.
"I doubt you do. Let me say one more thing. He *loves* my son. My son *loves* him. If you get in the way of this, there will be hell to pay. Good day, Mrs. Kamiya." Mara picked the suitcases back up and headed out the front door. Mrs. Kamiya just let her mouth hang open as Mara walked away.
Mara tossed the suitcases in the trunk of her car and climbed in. She waved at Kari, who was watching from the upstairs window. She pulled out and briefly considered giving Mrs. Kamiya the finger but drove off instead.
Alright. Done. I almost had Mara knock the snot out of Tai's mum, but I didn't. this was funnier. Anyway. We get back to the takori part next time, sorry for the delay in that part. Um, I'm actually out of things to say now. Wow. Oh, here's the quote of the week: Denny's: Home of the Yaoi Confession. I love that. Nice one.
Have any of you ever written chapters that seem to have a theme song? Well, a lot of mine do. Listening to the song seems to make it go a lot smoother. Tonight's theme song for Koushirou and company is "Fall Into Me" by Emerson Drive. It just fits.
"Tai, is everything okay?" Koushirou's voice was quivering when he asked Tai this, partly out of fear and partly from seeing Tai's tear- streaked face.
"It is now, Koushirou. It is now." Tai buried his head in Koushirou's chest. Koushirou nuzzled the top of Tai's head with his own.
Mara was sitting back on the couch, trying to give the boys a little moment to themselves, which was a bit hard considering that her son was sitting on her lap and Tai almost was, so she just leaned as far back as she could. The love she felt radiate off the two of them brought a little moisture to her eyes as well. She wrapped the two of them in her own hug and they sat there for a moment or two.
Finally Mara broke the silence. "Okay boys, it's been a rough night so why don't we all get some sleep?"
"Yeah, I think that might be a good idea," Koushirou whispered and nodded in Tai's direction. "I think Tai's already there, Mum."
"I'm not surprised, really. He had a very traumatic evening and it obviously took a lot out of him."
"How are we going to get him to bed?" Koushirou asked with concern.
"How about we give him your bed for tonight and you can either sleep on the floor in your sleeping bag or out here on the couch?"
"I think I'll stay in my room with him, Mum," Koushirou said and Mara nodded.
"Alright then, go get the bed ready and I'll carry him in there in a minute."
"You can't carry Tai in there, can you?" Koushirou looked at his mum extremely confused.
"Son, you don't know how many times I've had to carry your father out of bars, do you?" Koushirou only shook his head negatively, beginning to grin. "If he gets more than three beers in him, he is out like a light. So, to answer your question, yes. I can easily lift Tai down the hall."
"Alright. I'll go fluff everything up for him." Koushirou gently extricated himself from Tai's grip and left him leaning against Mara. He darted down the hall and fixed the bed properly. Mara shifted Tai a little to her left and began to stand up. It's a good thing that my son fell in love with a skinny boy.
To anyone else who could have possibly seen the sight right then, it would have looked ridiculous. Mara was wearing her trademark stylish green robe and looked like she was carrying the world's largest three year old. Tai was passed out cold with his head leaning on her shoulder, his arms and legs sticking out behind her. You'd better not drool on me, Taichi she thought to herself and chuckled a bit.
Koushirou had the bed ready and he tossed the covers back as Mara walked into his room. She gently laid him down on the mattress and Koushirou covered him up. She then ran a hand across her shoulder, just to be sure. Dry. Good.
"Mum?" Koushirou whispered as Tai snuggled deeply into the soft bed, "did he tell you what happened?"
"He did. Things didn't work out too well in the Kamiya house tonight, Koushirou." Mara didn't mention the bruise that was forming on the side of Tai's face. There was no sense in worrying Koushirou over it tonight. Besides, she still wasn't sure exactly what she would do about that yet.
"Can he, can Tai stay here, if he needs to?" Koushirou asked with a look of near desperation on his face.
"Kou-chan, Taichi can stay here for as long as he wants or needs to. I wouldn't dare kick him out at a time like this. Besides, I sort of like having him around," Mara told her son quietly and was nearly bowled over when Koushirou raced to hug her. "Alright, alright, you don't have to crush me," she said as she returned the embrace.
She looked down on her son and was taken back to the day she first held him. The love was still radiating off him, much like she remembered feeling herself way back when. She became a bit choked up herself and sniffed, causing Koushirou to look up at her.
"Mum, what's wrong?" he asked as he noticed her wet eyes.
"I was just remembering how much I love you, that's all." Her son smiled at her.
"Thanks, Mum, I love you too."
"I know. Now why don't you get some more sleep? I have a feeling that tomorrow will be rather eventful."
"Good idea." Koushirou opened his closet door and pulled out his sleeping bag, unrolling it and preparing to climb in. Mara had walked out but returned when Koushirou was just getting comfortable.
"Here you go, you forgot something," she said as she tossed the stuffed bear to him. "Mr. Smith would have been lonely if you left him in the hall all night." Koushirou caught the bear and stuck him by his side. Mara laughed quietly and flipped the light off and closed the door behind her.
[[[AN: again, I don't know why he has a teddy bear, much less why it's named Mr. Smith. Too much caffeine and too little sleep, I guess..]]]]
Mara went back into the living room and grabbed her mug, intent on refilling it for one more cup before she turned in. Hot chocolate seemed much more appetizing than tea, so she finished off Tai's remnants. She came back in the living room and plopped back on the couch. Various scenarios raced through her mind, most of them causing Mrs. Kamiya great bodily harm. She still hadn't picked one when her mug went dry. She went on to bed, letting the question wait until morning.
A few hours after Mara went to bed, Tai woke up with a start and a little yell. He had been in his living room with his parents when they both turned on him. His father turned into a cross between a horrible caricature of his former self and what appeared to be Daemon. LadyDevimon appeared where his mother was previously standing. Tai fled the room and tried to escape, but he felt a clawed hand on his shoulder, causing him to scream. He was bolt upright in bed, not totally sure of where he was. As he looked around in fright he saw a mass of red hair pop up beside him.
"Tai, are you alright?" Koushirou asked, laying a hand on Tai's.
"Oh, Koushirou. Yeah, I'm fine now. It was a horrible dream. Thankfully I can't remember most of it already. All I can remember is that Daemon was there." Tai shivered.
"That is rather horrible." Koushirou's eyes adjusted to the dim light seeping in through the window. "Tai, you're shaking," he said.
"I, I know. I can't seem to stop."
"You're not cold, are you?" Koushirou asked genuinely.
"No, I guess just a little scared still."
"Well, I'll have to help you fix that," Koushirou said as he unraveled himself from the sleeping bag and started climbing into his bed with Tai. Tai started to protest, saying that he'd be fine, really, but Koushirou wasn't having any of it. "You were there for me then, so I'm going to be here for you now. Scoot over already, bed hog." Koushirou was making his way under the covers when Tai's rear got in the way. He gave it a little goose and Tai moved as well as protested just a little.
"Hey, that wasn't called for," Tai told Koushirou with a surprised look on his face.
"It slipped," Koushirou said as he got comfortable. He leaned into Tai and put an arm over him, claiming him as his own.
"I need you to know you can fall into me , That my arms are wide open and will always be, Right here waiting, Staying strong, Come and fall into me," Koushirou sang softly to Tai in his newly-found singing voice while pulling him a little closer. Tai turned and smiled at him and took Koushirou's hand in his own.
"I love you, Kou-chan," Tai told him through a yawn.
"And I love you, Tai," Koushirou told him. The two of them snuggled tight and passed into the realm of dreams, Tai's being peaceful this time.
They awoke many hours later, completely refreshed, to find a note on the kitchen table as well as a wonderful smell. Tai followed his nose while Koushirou picked the note up.
"It's from my mum, Tai. She says she has a few errands to run this morning and that she left us some---"
"Orange rolls!!" Tai yelped in excitement as he opened the oven.
"Yeah, orange rolls. She made them and left the oven on warm."
"Your mum is so awesome, Koushirou," Tai told him while debating whether or not to use an oven mitt to pick the tray up. He jabbed a finger against the pan and found that 'warm' was still hot enough to require a mitt.
"Here, silly," Tai turned in time to catch the mitt from Koushirou square in the face. Tai grabbed it before it fell and extricated the pan.
"So, Koushirou, what are you eating for breakfast?" Tai asked him, turning away and protecting the rolls.
"Your arm if you don't get those over here in the very near future," Koushirou told him and started moving toward him, grinning like a fool the whole time. Tai realized that it would be in his best interests to comply so he carried the pan over to the counter and let Koushirou dig the gooey things out with the spatula.
They were sitting on the couch, watching some inane television program or another, enjoying the rolls and the orange juice that must always accompany orange rolls. "Where'd your mum go, do you think, Koushirou?"
"I don't know. Probably out Christmas shopping with her girlfriends or something. Who knows. With her, I never really have a clue."
"Oh! Koushirou," Tai exclaimed a minute or so later, "when is TK's game today?"
"Crap. In just over an hour and a half. Good thing you thought of that, Tai. I'd completely forgotten. Do you still want to go?"
"Of course I want to go. I call dibs on the shower." Tai said as he grabbed the uneaten part of Koushirou's roll, the last one of all, from his hand.
"Hey!" Koushirou said but it was too late. The roll had disappeared beneath the event horizon of Tai's black hole mouth. Tai only shrugged his shoulders and mouthed what might have been a 'what?'. "Go on then, get a shower. I'll find you some clothes, you mooch." Tai nodded and headed off to the bathroom.
"Yum, your roll was *sooooo* good, Koushirou.." Tai dashed into the bathroom before Koushirou could get to him, laughing all the way.
Meanwhile, a little ways across town, Mara pulled her car into the driveway of the Kamiya household. She hopped out and pushed the hair out of her eyes, biting back the utter contempt she had for the people inside. She walked around to the trunk and popped it, pulling two suitcases out and then slamming it shut. She slowly made her way to the door, enjoying the sound her heels made on the concrete. She rang the bell and waited.
The door opened and before Mara stood the woman that she'd rather shoot than talk to. Before Mrs. Kamiya could speak, Mara pushed her out of the doorway and started walking into the house. "Good morning, Kari, how are you today?" she asked the younger Kamiya as she rounded a corner.
"Uh, I'm fine, Mrs. Izumi," Kari answered, quite bewildered at Mara's sudden appearance and her possession of suitcases.
"That's good. I heard you were ill. Could you direct me to Taichi's room, please?"
"Sure," Kari said and told her to follow. From the front room they heard the sound of the front door finally closing. Up the stairs they went and into the second door on the right.
"Thank you, Kari."
"No problem, I guess. I take it you know about last night?"
"Oh yeah. Your brother showed up at my door after midnight." Behind them they heard the sound of footfalls coming up the steps.
"Excuse me.." Mrs. Kamiya said from the hall and Mara completely ignored her and started emptying Tai's dresser drawers into her suitcase.
"Excuse me," Mrs. Kamiya said again as she came up behind Mara and put her hands on her hips.
"Why, did you fart?" Mara asked her as she continued unloading the drawers into her suitcases.
"NO! I want to know why you barged into my house and are currently putting my son's clothes into those suitcases." Mara looked in the mirror over the dresser while she was speaking and saw her jabbing her finger in the air while she rattled on.
oh hell no Mara thought as she stopped and stood up, turning to face the other woman. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't formally introduce myself. I'm Mara Izumi, nice to meet you." Mrs. Kamiya stood there dumbfounded. She knew that name. Tai had mentioned it last night.
"Uh, I, ah.." She stammered.
"Nice to meet you. Now, if you don't mind, I've work to do," Mara told her as she filled the first suitcase and opened the other one. Kari looked on in what seemed to be a mixture of humor and fear.
Mrs. Kamiya rambled on and on about how she had no right to do this and other things and Mara continued to ignore her and went on packing. When she finally finished she stood up and picked the two suitcases up and started walking out of the room. Mrs. Kamiya followed her, still ranting about 'how could you' and other assorted stuff.
"Listen to me and listen to me well," Mara said as she turned quickly by the front door, catching Mrs. Kamiya by surprise. "Your son is staying with us for the time being. If you try anything, and I do mean anything, foolish to hurt him, we will have this talk again. I don't think you realize the effect you had on him last night. You could have destroyed him, don't you even care?" Mrs. Kamiya looked at her like a deer in headlights.
"I doubt you do. Let me say one more thing. He *loves* my son. My son *loves* him. If you get in the way of this, there will be hell to pay. Good day, Mrs. Kamiya." Mara picked the suitcases back up and headed out the front door. Mrs. Kamiya just let her mouth hang open as Mara walked away.
Mara tossed the suitcases in the trunk of her car and climbed in. She waved at Kari, who was watching from the upstairs window. She pulled out and briefly considered giving Mrs. Kamiya the finger but drove off instead.
Alright. Done. I almost had Mara knock the snot out of Tai's mum, but I didn't. this was funnier. Anyway. We get back to the takori part next time, sorry for the delay in that part. Um, I'm actually out of things to say now. Wow. Oh, here's the quote of the week: Denny's: Home of the Yaoi Confession. I love that. Nice one.