Another chapter from me! I hope you all enjoy this one too. You should, lots of interesting things happen in this part! Oh, also, my Taisuke side fic is finished. It should give a bit more insight into Dai's character in this if you get a bit confused while reading. It's called Reflections of Courageous Fire and it's sweet and fluffy and has some lovely Taisuke bits.
Anyway, enjoy this chapter.
Readjusting
Takeru sighed as he lobbed another stone into the water.
Things were starting to get more confusing the more he thought on them. Well, in actuality, it was only one thing he was thinking about ...
"Hey Takeru." Takeru looked up at the sound of his voice. Daisuke stood below him on the shore of the sun-kissed lake. He smiled up at the blond standing on the rocky outcrop. "Mind if I join you?"
"Go ahead." Takeru lobbed another stone as Daisuke climbed up to stand beside him.
"I noticed you've been here for a while."
"Yeah." Takeru looked down. "I couldn't sleep properly and I got up early."
"So what's bugging you?"
Takeru looked at him curiously. "Daisuke, why do you care?"
Daisuke looked taken aback by this harsh response to his kindness. "What?"
"Why do you care about what's bothering me?"
Daisuke looked hurt. "I thought we were friends."
"Are we?"
"I thought so."
"All right then." Takeru bent over to pick up more rocks. He grinned and handed one to Daisuke. "Want to see who can throw the furthest?"
Daisuke took the rock and grinned back. "You're on."
Unknown to the two of them, the older digi-destined watched them with knowing smiles.
"They look happy," Taichi commented.
"Yeah. I was actually a bit surprised by this," Yamato admitted. I never thought that Daisuke and Takeru would ever become such close friends." He studied the two of them standing and laughing happily as they competed with each other. "Takeru was always telling me about how Daisuke was always so defensive about everything."
"Well Dai sometimes has a few problems with his friends, though you'd never tell just by looking at him." Taichi frowned slightly. "Daisuke's good at hiding his feelings."
"I noticed that. Takeru's been worried about him for a while now. I think he cares more than he says."
"Well truthfully, you, Takeru, Ken and I are the only ones who seem to pay any attention to Dai these days."
"Really?" Yamato looked surprised. "Why's that?"
"I don't know, but I guess the slight anti-socialism forced Dai to get a bit more defensive about things. That's probably why Takeru was having such a hard time getting close to him."
"He sounds a bit like me," Yamato whispered. He smiled over at Taichi. "I'm just glad that there was someone like you to break through to me and tell me what an idiot I was being by shoving everyone away."
"Well it's my job to call you an idiot." Taichi grinned and Yamato laughed and shoved him playfully. "Hey Yama?"
"Yeah?"
"Things are still right between us aren't they?"
Yamato smiled reassuringly at him. "They were never wrong between us. Like Takeru said, I'm probably bi myself. You've met my band and my other friends."
"Yeah," Taichi sighed, a wistful expression on his face. "Some of those guys are fantastic kissers." Yamato gaped and Taichi couldn't help laughing at him. Yamato growled and pushed him away again, starting a bit of a wrestling match between the two that was often punctuated with laughs and mocking threats and insults.
"What do you think it is?"
"I don't know. Some sort of bonding ritual."
"Well I hope we don't have to go through it, it looks kind of painful."
Taichi and Yamato stopped where they were, Yamato lying face up on the ground with Taichi straddling his waist and leaning over, pinning Yamato's hands above his head.
"When did you guys come over?' Taichi asked curiously, still holding onto Yamato.
"When we couldn't quite decipher what exactly was going on down here between you two," Takeru told them with a leer. "It looked a lot worse from up on the cliff."
Taichi looked a bit confused then suddenly he blushed bright red and leapt up off Yamato. Yamato got up as well and quickly dusted himself off, looking down at his clothes so that the two younger boys wouldn't see his blush. But Takeru and Daisuke had seen their faces and were grinning wickedly.
"Oh this is such perfect blackmail material," Takeru whispered in an evil voice. Luckily for him, only Daisuke heard him. Grinning, Daisuke nodded with him.
"We were just going to get some lunch," Daisuke offered. "You guys want to join us?"
"Sure," Taichi muttered. Yamato nodded. Both of them had regained their composure and started walking with the two younger boys back to the campsite. They could see the evil grins but could do nothing to stop the two boys from scheming. Yamato shared a hopeless look with Taichi. They could only pray it wasn't bad, though that was rather unlikely. The two boys were still annoyed with them about their wake up the other morning.
This did not bode well for the older boys.
* * *
Deciding to leave the older boys to sweat a bit, Takeru and Daisuke agreed to leave their revenge for later. They eventually found themselves back on the outcrop overlooking the wide lake.
"It's great here," Daisuke breathed, smiling. He'd always been an outdoors sort of person. Being here in nature, in the fresh air and sunlight always evoked the best feelings and mood for him.
"Yeah," Takeru agreed sitting down on the rocks.
They didn't speak again for a long time, just enjoying the tranquility and warm silence of their surroundings and of each other.
"Hey Dai?"
Daisuke was so used to the silence he almost completely missed Takeru's whispered comment. He turned to his friend. "Yeah?"
"Why do you dislike me so much?" Daisuke stared at Takeru in shock.
"I don't dislike you Takeru."
"You did."
Daisuke looked away. "Yeah, at first."
"Why? I know it wasn't Hikari and all that."
"It was at first." Daisuke laughed bitterly. "I guess I was a bit jealous of the attention you got."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I guess, but that wore off after a while."
"When you realised you were …" Takeru trailed off, slightly uncomfortable. Daisuke smiled and shook his head.
"Look Takeru, if you're uncomfortable around me—"
"No!" Takeru assured him. "It's just kind of weird, thinking about it now. I'm cool with it, but my head's still on overload a bit." Takeru smiled at Daisuke. "I guess I'm even more curious about you than ever now."
"Curious?"
"Yeah. I know we were never the greatest of friends, but I'd like to get to know you better."
Daisuke grinned at him. "Takashi Takeru, are you trying to pick me up?"
Takeru blushed bright red. "What?! No … I mean … not that you're not attractive and nice and … oh boy … uh …" Daisuke burst out laughing hearing Takeru's flustered stuttering. Takeru glared slightly at him. "You know, I'm not used to this sort of thing."
"What sort of thing?"
"This …" Takeru gestured vaguely, trying to find words to express just how he felt. "I don't know, but this something. My extent with relations in this deep a sense concerning my own gender is limited to that one incident with Ken."
Daisuke stared in shock at Takeru. "Are you telling me you're …?"
Takeru sighed, hugging his knees to his chest in a slightly protective gesture. "I don't know. Taichi's, and thus your, confession just made me think about a few things. That's why I couldn't sleep. I've been thinking about certain incidents and feelings I've had and I'm really confused." He leaned his chin on his knees.
Daisuke nodded at him and looked out over the lake. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's not like I'll hate you."
Takeru laughed at this and Daisuke smiled, seeing how he cheered his friend up a bit. "I guess." He smiled up at Daisuke. "You know, I like talking with you about stuff."
Daisuke grinned. "Yeah, me too. I guess I was stupid to act the way I did towards you before. You're actually a fairly cool guy Takeru."
"I'll take that as the compliment it's intended as."
Daisuke smirked. "Are you sure you want to accept it then?"
Takeru blushed slightly though he looked back at Daisuke with a slight smile. "Why, whatever do you mean by that?"
"I think you know what I mean."
"Dai, are you seriously flirting with me?"
Daisuke shrugged then grinned. "Yeah, I guess I am. Do you have a problem with that?"
Takeru stared at him in shock for a second then grinned. "No, I don't."
"Do you have a problem with me doing this?" Daisuke moved over and straddled Takeru, pinning him to the rock below. "Or this?" He then proceeded to place soft gentle kissed down Takeru's neck, making the boy beneath him shiver in delight.
"No, I don't." Takeru reached up and laced his fingers behind Daisuke's neck, pulling him closer to him.
"Are you sure?" Daisuke breathed into his ear.
Takeru nodded. "Yeah. I'd like to know what it's like, being with you." Takeru gave Daisuke a shy look. "You're an interesting person Dai, but I can't quite figure out what you mean to me yet."
"Then let's find out." Daisuke leaned down and captured Takeru in a deep, searing kiss.
AN: I know, no Taito, but I promise Taito in the next chapter. I'm building up suspense. But you got Daikeru! Lovely sweet Daikeru.
