Here's the next installment. I hope you enjoy.
Road Trip
Taichi stared out the window of the van and tried his hardest not to yawn.
"Dude, it's okay if you sleep, that's why I changed with you."
Taichi smiled over at Yamato. "You sure? I didn't want to leave you all on your lonesome."
"I'm fine. You sleep and I'll wake you in two hours so you can take over again."
"Sure thing Yama." Taichi closed his eyes, not noticing the strange stare he was getting from his friend.
Yama? Yamato looked over at Taichi quizzically. No one's ever called me that before. Yamato shrugged and turned his attention back to the monotonous black expanse of road.
Hearing something in the back, Yamato looked through the rearview mirror and smiled at what he saw.
Daisuke was leaning against Takeru, fast asleep. Takeru himself had drifted off not too much after in Yamato's reckoning, considering the indignant noises he would have made had Daisuke fallen asleep on him if he wasn't too tired himself to notice.
It was a cute picture, and a quiet one, of the two.
Yamato laughed quietly at them and shook his head. It was strange that they always fought over the stupidest things. To Yamato it seemed as though the fighting was a recognition of the way they respected and showed their liking for each other.
When he told Taichi this, he'd laughed and said that the two of them were just too much like themselves. Daisuke was as hot headed and stubbourn as Taichi and sometimes Takeru could be quite smug and arrogant, traits of his family. They rubbed on each others nerves, yet whenever things came down to it, they were always there for each other and always thinking of each other first before anyone else.
Yamato sighed.
Friendships like theirs were strange ones. He should know, he had one exactly like it with Taichi.
The blond looked over at his sleeping friend and wryly shook his head at the sight.
As usual, Taichi looked like he had just rolled out of bed and shoved whatever he could find on. Completely contrasting Yamato's carefully styled and planned out appearance.
They were complete opposites, but were closer friends with each other than anyone they knew, which was strange because they fought as often and about as many silly things as Daisuke and Takeru. But Yamato knew that he could always count on Taichi to be there when he needed him.
The one good thing about fighting over silly things is that you get all of your anger out so you agree on the important things. Yamato had never fought with Taichi seriously since they first came back from the Digital World when they were eleven.
Yamato glanced once more at his strangely silent friend and returned his attention to the vast expanse of road before him.
He sighed.
This is going to be a long trip.
* * *
Taichi fought back a yawn as he tried to concentrate on the road. Suddenly, his eyes went wide and he swore. Then he quickly swerved the van around and did a quick U-turn.
Yamato and the two boys in the back woke up with a start.
"Tai?!" Yamato rubbed a sore spot on the back of his head. "What was that for?"
"Sorry, I missed a turn back there."
Yamato glared at him. "Did you have to be so hard on the steering?"
"Sorry." Taichi glanced through the rear-view mirror to smile at the two boys. "You two okay back there?"
Daisuke was lying on Takeru's lap now, still half-asleep and yawning. Taichi didn't think he even noticed, or cared for that matter, what woke him. He was about to drift back off to sleep when Takeru, who was also rubbing his head and looking around dazedly noticed where Daisuke was.
He flushed bright red and pushed Daisuke away. "Find something else to use as a pillow Davis."
Daisuke looked at him tiredly, yawning again and curled up close. "But you're so comfortable Keru," he murmured softly and lay back down on Takeru's lap and promptly fell asleep.
Takeru tried futilely to move him completely off, but managed to moved Daisuke's head so he was now only leaning on his leg and not … other body parts.
Yamato grinned as he watched his little brother in the backseat.
"Having fun there, Teeks?"
Takeru glared at Yamato and crossed his arms. "Shut up 'Mato."
Yamato grinned sadistically at him one last time and turned around again to share a grin with Taichi. Taichi's eyes flickered once more to the mirror and he smiled secretively as he saw Takeru's face soften as he looked down at Daisuke and brushed his hair back from his face a bit.
"What's so funny Tai?" Yamato asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing, just remembering something Davis told me before we left."
"And that would be?"
"He told me this would probably be a great bonding experience. I'd say it's working already, don't you think so TK?" Taichi grinned as Takeru glared at him and Yamato laughed out loud.
The trip continued as it had before, rather quietly and uneventfully, but every so often when Taichi was driving, he would glance through the rearview mirror to see Takeru gently stroking Daisuke's hair with a soft smile on his face.
* * *
Taichi yawned and stretched the cramps from his legs and he stood up on the hard unmoving ground.
"Man, I sure am glad we're finally here," Yamato muttered closing the driver's seat door behind him as he stretched like Taichi did.
"Couldn't agree more big brother." Takeru glanced around at the beautiful scenery and smiled. "This is perfect." He walked slowly around the clearing they'd parked in. There were rocks on one side, sort of a small cliff that descended as it approached the small brook on the far side of the clearing and a little walk away. There were large trees everywhere but there were paths crossing all over the place, a sign that there had been other humans who used the area, and perhaps some animals.
"Yeah," Taichi agreed with a smile. It kind of reminds me of that forest we landed ourselves in the first time we went to the digital world."
"Except for the lack of giant evil monsters trying to kill us every few hours," Takeru interjected dryly.
Yamato grinned. "Yeah, that's sort of what I was hoping for. I kind of missed being there and seeing as we can't get there this time, I figured we'd try and get somewhere as close as we possibly could."
"It's too bad Gennai messed up and accidentally closed he gate, but this is just as good." Taichi breathed in deeply. "Just us four and nature." He grinned. "How on earth did we survive so long in the digital world without any kind of electronics or even basic camping gear?"
"You know, I'm still wondering that myself." Yamato looked back at the car. "Should we start unpacking now?"
"In a bit," Takeru advised, let's just enjoy things for now."
"I'll go and wake Davis," Taichi volunteered with an evil smirk. Yamato shook his head and grinned. Sometimes his best friend could be too much, but he was just glad that evil mind was focused on someone else right now.
The brothers laughed as they heard an indignant yell and Daisuke screaming, "Tai! What did you do that for? I'll get you!" Then they saw Taichi running from the van and laughed even harder saw they saw his grin.
"I think it worked."
"What worked?" Takeru asked. Taichi just grinned and looked away.
Daisuke came into view then, looking furious. He glared at Taichi. "I'm so going to get you Yagami."
Takeru tried to stifle a laugh. "He sound like you Mato!" Yamato glared at him. Takeru grinned innocently and looked over at the slowly advancing Daisuke. "What did he do to you?"
Surprisingly, Daisuke blushed and stopped walking. "Nothing," he muttered quietly and cleared his throat. "So, where are we going to set up camp?"
Takeru grinned at the change of subject and decided to let it go. He looked up at Yamato. "Where should we set up?"
Yamato shrugged. Somewhere dry and high in case it rains."
"Right. Let's get to it then."
* * *
Taichi sat with Yamato on top of the rocks bordering one side of their campsite, staring out over the scenery. The stars twinkled brightly above them and the fire below sent sparks up to meet them. Daisuke and Takeru were laughing about something and playfully fighting over the marshmallows and Taichi grinned at the sight.
"They really are like us."
"Hmm?" Yamato drew his eyes away from the starts and his contemplation to follow Taichi's gaze down to the two teens below them. He smiled and chuckled softly. "Yeah, they are."
"It's kind of creepy, but pretty cool at the same time."
"I guess."
There was a comfortable silence that descended on them and they once again let their minds wander.
"Hey Yama?"
"Yeah?"
"This was a really great idea."
"Yeah." Yamato smiled. "It was."
