A/N: I no own, dangit!
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"So you'll support her?" Yamato asked, choosing now as the time to break in.
"Of course!" Tai snapped. "What do you take me for, an imbecile? I know when my sister needs me, and right now she needs me!" he paused. "And you're supporting her too?" he had obviously forgotten about exactly HOW MUCH Yamato was involved.
"Duh."
"And is Takeru the father?"
"Um, no. if Takeru did something like that, you'd see him with a few bruises and a sore bottom."
"Ouch, Oniisan," Takeru said, poking Yamato lightly.
Taichi looked at Hikari. "Who's the father?"
"You mean, you haven't figured it out... um, you haven't guessed?"
Tai sighed. "Yeah, you probably mentioned him, then I forgot his name."
There was silence for a while.
"Taichi?"
"Yes Hikari?"
"Yamato."
"What?"
Hikari shook her head, wiping at her eyes.
"The father is Yamato," Yamato said stiffly from the front.
"Yamato... who?"
"Yamato Ishida."
It took a moment for this to sink in.
Tai stared blankly. "Ishida Yamato?" he repeated dumbly. As though he remembered the name, but couldn't place who it belonged to.
"Ishida Yamato, My Brother," Takeru said, deciding to help Taichi along a bit. Taichi shook his head faintly.
"Yamato?" he repeated again, this time more thickly. He leaned back slowly. "My baby sister had sex with My best friend, and now he's gotten her pregnant?"
"That's about the size of it."
A very long time of silence. Hikari couldn't keep her eyes off of Taichi. Her brother lapsed into thought, much like TK had before, and stared out his window. Takeru, meanwhile, checked his watch every fifteen minutes or so.
"Yamato," Taichi said at last. His voice cracked. He actually sounded like he was going to cry. Takeru twisted in his seat, and Yamato risked another car accident by looking at Taichi from his mirror. "Yamato," he said again. "Yamato is the father of my baby sister?"
"No, he's the father of..." Takeru trailed off. He realized now that this was Matt and Tai time. Hikari figured this out, too. Both younger stiffened, watching either Tai or Matt.
"Of my baby sister's child," Taichi repeated, like a robot. "I can't believe that. Yamato wouldn't..." he trailed off.
Then seemed to snap back into reality.
"Ishida," he said, sitting up straight and looking at Yamato, who tensed slightly, if not more. "You got my baby sister pregnant."
"Yes, Taichi-san. I did." Yamato took a deep breath. "And she wants to keep the baby, and so do I. I fully intend to support her, whether I have your blessings, "permission," or not, even if my family disowns me, I swear to you that I will take care of both. I swear it." Yamato's voice tightened to a breaking point, and his hands slipped on the steering wheel. He wiped one on his pants, then the other. Ran fingers through his hair. Sighed. Bit his lip. Stiffened, and continued, "Neither will be hit or hurt, neither will go hungry, or cry, or wish for death. Both will be loved, and cared for, and happy," Yamato took a deep breath, dropping his voice to an almost deadly whisper. "Even if it kills me."
Takeru was in a sort of shock. Hikari was also, though hers was more of a dream-land kind of shock other than complete surprise. Yamato's words echoed and bounced in her mind. 'neither will be hit or hurt, go hungry, or cry or wish for death.' Hikari felt a strange sort of fluttering feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew Yamato meant what he had said. 'both will be loved and cared for and happy. Even if it kills me.'
A small smile spread over Hikari's face. She clenched her hands into a fist, and held them at her heart. A kind of gentleness took over, and she watched the back of Matt's head for a moment before snapping back to reality at the exact same time as Takeru. Both quickly looked at Taichi.
"Taichi?" Hikari asked softly, breaking the spell. Taichi slowly looked from her, to Yamato, and back and forth. His head didn't move, but his eyes had been shifting for quite a bit now. He had easily caught the look on Hikari's face, as Yamato had said.
'She loves him,' he thought, feeling an almost painful twang in his chest. He slumped, mouth closing and eyes opening in disbelief. 'She loves him.' Taichi had always dreaded the day that a man would steal her away from him, but never, this early... fourteen... he couldn't live without his baby sister. 'Yamato will take care of her.' He thought angrily at himself. 'it isn't like they're going anywhere. I'll always be with Hikari, no matter what.' Taichi straightened again, leaning down and retying his shoes as an excuse to wipe his eyes.
So this was how he was losing his baby sister's heart. Somehow, it could be a lot worse.
Matter resolved, Taichi sat up fully, stared out the window, and everybody was silent until they pulled into the driveway to Yamato's apartment. Only then did Taichi say anything.
"Ishida-san," he whispered. "look at me." grudgingly, Yamato took off his seatbelt and twisted in his seat to look Tai in the face. Tai undid his seat belt too.
He leaned forward, so that his forehead and Yamato's were almost touching.
"I'm going to hold your oath to you; if I find one hair out of place on Hikari's head, I swear I will kill you." he fell back, opening then closing his door. He looked at all of them rested his gaze on Yamato, and let his eyes soften before dropping his head. "Be responsible," he muttered. "marry her, be good." He let out a small breath. "Just don't take her away."
.
.
.
"So you'll support her?" Yamato asked, choosing now as the time to break in.
"Of course!" Tai snapped. "What do you take me for, an imbecile? I know when my sister needs me, and right now she needs me!" he paused. "And you're supporting her too?" he had obviously forgotten about exactly HOW MUCH Yamato was involved.
"Duh."
"And is Takeru the father?"
"Um, no. if Takeru did something like that, you'd see him with a few bruises and a sore bottom."
"Ouch, Oniisan," Takeru said, poking Yamato lightly.
Taichi looked at Hikari. "Who's the father?"
"You mean, you haven't figured it out... um, you haven't guessed?"
Tai sighed. "Yeah, you probably mentioned him, then I forgot his name."
There was silence for a while.
"Taichi?"
"Yes Hikari?"
"Yamato."
"What?"
Hikari shook her head, wiping at her eyes.
"The father is Yamato," Yamato said stiffly from the front.
"Yamato... who?"
"Yamato Ishida."
It took a moment for this to sink in.
Tai stared blankly. "Ishida Yamato?" he repeated dumbly. As though he remembered the name, but couldn't place who it belonged to.
"Ishida Yamato, My Brother," Takeru said, deciding to help Taichi along a bit. Taichi shook his head faintly.
"Yamato?" he repeated again, this time more thickly. He leaned back slowly. "My baby sister had sex with My best friend, and now he's gotten her pregnant?"
"That's about the size of it."
A very long time of silence. Hikari couldn't keep her eyes off of Taichi. Her brother lapsed into thought, much like TK had before, and stared out his window. Takeru, meanwhile, checked his watch every fifteen minutes or so.
"Yamato," Taichi said at last. His voice cracked. He actually sounded like he was going to cry. Takeru twisted in his seat, and Yamato risked another car accident by looking at Taichi from his mirror. "Yamato," he said again. "Yamato is the father of my baby sister?"
"No, he's the father of..." Takeru trailed off. He realized now that this was Matt and Tai time. Hikari figured this out, too. Both younger stiffened, watching either Tai or Matt.
"Of my baby sister's child," Taichi repeated, like a robot. "I can't believe that. Yamato wouldn't..." he trailed off.
Then seemed to snap back into reality.
"Ishida," he said, sitting up straight and looking at Yamato, who tensed slightly, if not more. "You got my baby sister pregnant."
"Yes, Taichi-san. I did." Yamato took a deep breath. "And she wants to keep the baby, and so do I. I fully intend to support her, whether I have your blessings, "permission," or not, even if my family disowns me, I swear to you that I will take care of both. I swear it." Yamato's voice tightened to a breaking point, and his hands slipped on the steering wheel. He wiped one on his pants, then the other. Ran fingers through his hair. Sighed. Bit his lip. Stiffened, and continued, "Neither will be hit or hurt, neither will go hungry, or cry, or wish for death. Both will be loved, and cared for, and happy," Yamato took a deep breath, dropping his voice to an almost deadly whisper. "Even if it kills me."
Takeru was in a sort of shock. Hikari was also, though hers was more of a dream-land kind of shock other than complete surprise. Yamato's words echoed and bounced in her mind. 'neither will be hit or hurt, go hungry, or cry or wish for death.' Hikari felt a strange sort of fluttering feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew Yamato meant what he had said. 'both will be loved and cared for and happy. Even if it kills me.'
A small smile spread over Hikari's face. She clenched her hands into a fist, and held them at her heart. A kind of gentleness took over, and she watched the back of Matt's head for a moment before snapping back to reality at the exact same time as Takeru. Both quickly looked at Taichi.
"Taichi?" Hikari asked softly, breaking the spell. Taichi slowly looked from her, to Yamato, and back and forth. His head didn't move, but his eyes had been shifting for quite a bit now. He had easily caught the look on Hikari's face, as Yamato had said.
'She loves him,' he thought, feeling an almost painful twang in his chest. He slumped, mouth closing and eyes opening in disbelief. 'She loves him.' Taichi had always dreaded the day that a man would steal her away from him, but never, this early... fourteen... he couldn't live without his baby sister. 'Yamato will take care of her.' He thought angrily at himself. 'it isn't like they're going anywhere. I'll always be with Hikari, no matter what.' Taichi straightened again, leaning down and retying his shoes as an excuse to wipe his eyes.
So this was how he was losing his baby sister's heart. Somehow, it could be a lot worse.
Matter resolved, Taichi sat up fully, stared out the window, and everybody was silent until they pulled into the driveway to Yamato's apartment. Only then did Taichi say anything.
"Ishida-san," he whispered. "look at me." grudgingly, Yamato took off his seatbelt and twisted in his seat to look Tai in the face. Tai undid his seat belt too.
He leaned forward, so that his forehead and Yamato's were almost touching.
"I'm going to hold your oath to you; if I find one hair out of place on Hikari's head, I swear I will kill you." he fell back, opening then closing his door. He looked at all of them rested his gaze on Yamato, and let his eyes soften before dropping his head. "Be responsible," he muttered. "marry her, be good." He let out a small breath. "Just don't take her away."
