Taichi's POV
There he is again. Ishida Yamato, my old friend from the Digital World all those years ago. Once again, he's with that Harukawa Kyousuke. Once again, I wonder why I never see Yamato anymore, why he's always with Kyousuke. Once again, I can't see any emotion in his eyes, his eyes that always remind me of shattered sapphires.
Shattered sapphires tossed like so much garbage away from someone, rejected and rejecting all comfort.
I don't know what it is, but I've never liked that guy, Kyousuke. He always seems to think that there's something owed to him from everyone, and I know for a fact that he's just a greedy bastard. I guess Yamato sees something in him I don't, but then again, I think I'm pretty fair about this kind of thing.
Usually, at least.
Why the keeper of Friendship would be hanging out with a guy like him, I have no idea...much less why Yama's dating him. Damnit, I said I wouldn't think about that. I said I wouldn't care about the fact that I think my old friend's making one of the biggest mistakes of his entire life, and jeopardizing his future.
I found out about those two a while ago, by accident because I asked someone why they were always together. I'll never forget the look on Matsuhiko-kun's face when he replied to me in shock: "You mean, you DON'T KNOW?! They've been dating for the past two months!!" He'd made it sound like the whole world knew about those two.
Then I found out the whole world DID know about them. It just happened that I wasn't part of that world at that time.
I never would've thought someone as strong as Yamato would end up with that kind of guy, but then again, maybe I didn't know Yamato as well as I thought I had. Besides, people change, and I haven't even talked to Yamato since we came back from the Digital World. I've barely seen anyone, barely talked to anyone. There might have been something that changed during all that time, right?
I sound pathetic, don't I?
All right, I'll admit it. I don't want to see Yamato making a big mistake. To see his eyes like that, as shattered as a crystal sapphire thrown out onto the street and smashed by careless footsteps into thousands of pieces, it kills me. I don't know what happened to him to make his eyes like that. They've been like that since I've known him, but they've gotten even more shattered since then, and I hate it. I hate it so much!
People say Kyousuke really loves Yamato. They say he's happy with going out with that Harukawa guy. If that's true, then I hope Kyousuke's really a nice guy, the way people seem to think he is. And I hope that Kyousuke's not hiding anything from the rest of this twisted world. And I hope that the sinking feeling I have every time I see them together is just a fluke that'll go away.
Damnit, I don't want Yama to get hurt! I want him to come to me if something's wrong!
I don't know why, don't ask me, but something about those shattered eyes makes me feel a little overprotective of him, never mind that we haven't talked in almost forever. Never mind the fact that Yama so obviously doesn't want to know me anymore. Something about the haunted look in those twin orbs makes me want to take Yama into my arms and keep the world from hurting him as it so obviously has...
Ok, so maybe I'm worried about a friend. And don't get me wrong, I think it's great that Yama's found someone he thinks he can trust, someone who everyone says is such a nice guy who'll take good care of Yama. But this guy...Kyousuke...I don't know, he gives me a really bad feeling. It's almost as if he makes me think he's going to do something to really hurt someone--namely Yama getting seriously hurt, and those eyes shattering even further into oblivion with no one around to pick up those shards.
Does any of this make sense?
"Oi! Taichi!"
Who the--
Kyousuke.
"Hey, Kyousuke!" I call back with a big smile. I have to smile, don't I? I mean, he's popular, talking to me...I should be flattered, right? How many people does Kyousuke talk to everyday, I mean?
Do I really give a damn?
No, not really.
He jogs over after a few words to Yama, who nods and seems to disappear without an argument. THAT IS NOT THE YAMATO I KNEW. The Yamato I knew would never have just willingly gone along with something as stupid as not seeing an old friend...right? Please, someone, tell me I'm right about that much. I can't stand to be wrong about that. I want to say I knew Yama, even if I don't know what the hell's happened to him since then, I DID know him back then, right? Right? Didn't I? I did, right?
I should just shut up. I sound so stupid.
"Big game today, yeah?" he asks me, smiling and seeming to fit in perfectly with the rest of the guys. All of us soccer players, clustered around me because I happened to draw Captain of the team for the third year in a row. I think it's mainly because we've won the championships the past two years while I've been captain of the team and someone thinks I've got something to do with that, but hey, I could be wrong. Yay. I'm the Captain of the great soccer team of Odaiba High for the third time.
Damn, why can't I get even a little excited about soccer anymore? It used to be such a big thing for me. And now I wonder what I saw in it at all. I don't say anything to the rest of the team, but I don't know if I'll go out for the team next year, my senior year. I mean, what's the point? It's just a stupid sport.
Man, I'm really caving in.
"Yeah, championships!" I grin at him, wondering when I got to the point where I don't have to feel happy to seem so. I never used to be like this. "And defending our title too, of the past two years I might add!"
Great, Tai, you sound so stupid.
"Ever since you became the Captain, you guys haven't lost a single game! You're like, a prodigy or something, Taichi!" Kyousuke smiles, but for some reason I can't see it reach his eyes. What am I talking about? I don't know.
Why don't I care that I'm getting that kind of compliment? So many people would love to be gushed over like this, and I would've before too, but it's Kyousuke...and Yama's gone.
Why the hell do I keep thinking about him?!
And why can't I go talk to him?