Warnings: Future yaoi/shounen ai, child/sexual abuse issues, angst,
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Digimon show, only some of the original characters found in the story and the story plot itself.
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State of Mind
"We all of us need assistance. Those who sustain others themselves want to be sustained."
- Maurice Hulst, The Way of the Heart
Part 4: So Many in Need 1
Bright, burning sunlight shot through the open window as the sun greeted the new day. It managed to hit the sleeping boy directly on the face, disturbing him from his restless slumber. A pale hand flung itself over the squinting bright blue eyes, trying to block out some of the light that was so blinding. Blinking away the night's sleep, Yamato let out a large yawn and rolled over to his side. He then lay still for a moment, taking in the wide view of his room while trying to get his mind back into focus. In a sleeping bag on the floor lay his brother, still fast asleep, his expression peaceful for once. Yamato let his gaze linger on the much too thin form, wondering not for the first time if things were ever going to be normal between them. It had already been two days since Takeru had been found and brought home. Two days of confusion, frustration and guilt. The young blonde, so different from what Yamato remembered from years ago, could not seem to understand the concept of freedom. He still thought Yamato as a 'Master', not daring to do anything himself without permission or command. It hurt Yamato every time Takeru flinched from him, cringed as if he would hurt him, or even worse bowed to him as if he was something great. So far, no amount of explaining could turn Takeru from what he had been taught.
With a depressed sigh Yamato looked away, feeling the familiar resentment over himself well up inside. What a terrible brother he was, letting this happen, letting Takeru get hurt like this. If it wasn't for his stupidity none of this would have ever happened. Takeru could have grown up with a normal life instead of living all that shit.
"Yama?" The soft whisper reached his ears as he covered up his eyes with a shaking arm. Ken had once again stayed the night, claiming he had no reason to go home. His parents were hardly ever home anyway to miss him. Yamato was just thankful to have some company, keeping him from going insane with guilt and frustration. "Are you okay?"
Yamato blew out another sigh, turning his head to glare at his best friend, "I hate it when people ask me that!" He growled, careful to keep his voice low so as not to wake his brother.
Ken just smiled from the small sofa on the other side of the room where he had slept, "I know. Sorry. What do you think we should do today?" The bluenette was always quick to change the subject when he knew he was irritating Yamato.
"What day is it?" Yamato yawned again, stretching his arms and wincing when he heard the joints pop.
"Sunday." The other teen stood up, took the blanket from the sofa and started to fold it neatly. Yamato just shook his head, never ceasing to be amused by Ken's organized manner.
Then he groaned, "Oh great... school tomorrow. I'm going to call in sick, no way I'm leaving Takeru here alone." The boy wouldn't have a clue what to do with himself if nobody was here to guide him. He probably would just sit on the floor all day and starve.
"Good idea. I'll do that too." Ken nodded, setting down the now folded blanket, then turned to look down at the pale sleeping boy, "We need to get him out of the house, Yamato."
Startled, Yamato looked up at his friend in disbelief, "Out? Where? I'm not taking him anywhere where there's a crowd yet. He'd panic again." The image of his brother hyperventilating as he stood shaking in the middle of the parking lot still scared Yamato more than anything.
Ken shrugged, turning his concerned violet eyes on him, "Okay, we won't. But it's not doing him any good to stay in here all day. He's just getting more convinced that he's trapped here and that he's got to obey us. That's not good, Yama, and you know it."
With a shrug, Yamato sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Carefully he ran his fingers through his blonde hair, grumbling a bit when he felt the tangles get in the way. "Yeah, yeah. I know it. But I don't like the idea of bringing him out into a crowd of strangers." He reached for the comb on the nightstand, running it tenderly through the messy hair, trying to bring some order back to it.
"Well, it doesn't have to be strangers. I was thinking more along the lines of taking him to the Yagami's place. I'm sure he'd feel better if he got to be with his friends, Taichi and Daisuke." Ken suggested, still watching the other teenager carefully. The blonde knew that his friend was still as worried about him as ever, and found it irritating how carefully he was treated these days. Just because he made a couple of mistakes didn't mean he was going to turn into a druggie or a suicidal or anything.
He sighed, placing the comb back down, "Fine. Call them then. I'm taking a shower." Standing up abruptly, Yamato grabbed a fresh shirt and pants and stalked out of the room. He couldn't stand it when Ken looked at him like that, as if he was going to break down or something. All he wanted was for things to go back to normal, whatever normal was.
After yanking off the shirt and boxers that he had slept in, he turned on the shower, waiting for it to get hot enough before he stepped in. Yamato thankfully stood under the refreshing shower of cleansing drops of water, just letting them soak into his hair and skin, feeling the dirt wash away. He sighed, leaning back to let the water wash over his face. Closing his eyes against the stinging spray, he tried to relax, letting the tension drain away with the water. The last few days had been so stressful as he tried so hard not to do anything that would upset anybody, especially his brother. Of course that hadn't seemed to work anyway. And now it was all he could do not to grab Takeru and just shake some sense into him! Yeah, that'd go over well with everyone.
Maybe Ken was right. Maybe it would help Takeru to see how he wasn't under anyone's power anymore if they took him out to see other people. He'd probably feel safer if he got to see people he actually knew, and it could work the other way around too for the other two boys.
When Yamato finally got out of the bathroom, clean and refreshed, he found Ken in the lounge with Takeru. Once again the younger blonde was just standing there, not even looking up at his entrance. Biting his lip to keep from saying anything, Yamato just joined Ken on the couch, "So, what's the deal?"
"Hikari was overjoyed to find out we wanted to come over. She says they've had just as much progress with the two boys as we have had with Takeru. She agrees that it'll help to have them all together." Ken reported while still thoughtfully watching the statue-like Takeru. "How long do you think he can stay like that?"
"What?" Yamato blinked and looked towards his brother. The boy wasn't even twitching, looking as if he had been nailed to the floor.
Ken smiled, shaking his head, "Nevermind. Let's get going then. I've got nothing better to do anyway."
"What about Asrik? Don't you two always go out on Sunday?" Yamato glanced over, noticing the sudden blank face.
"We... broke up." Ken said, his voice shaky as he quickly stood up. Yamato followed him, not sure of what to say. It was obvious from the other's tone that his boyfriend had dumped him, which had probably hurt Ken very much. The two of them had been going out for almost a year and a half now, and though Yamato had seen how restless Asrik had become, he had hoped that they would work through the problems together. Obviously the boyfriend had thought otherwise.
Yamato placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He turned the slightly smaller boy around to look into the hurt filled violet eyes, wishing for some way to help as the other had helped him so many times before. "You're okay?" It was all he could think of at the moment, but at least it was something.
For a second Ken just stared at him, his eyes blank as though they were thinking about something else, before a small smile played across his lips. "What makes you think I like that question anymore than you do?" Not amused, Yamato just glared right back, waiting for the answer. He knew that Ken was having a lot of problems of his own, with his family and getting over the break up, and there was no way he was going to let him off that easily. Not when Ken had gone through so much to get Yamato back on his feet in the past years. Finally Ken rolled his eyes a little, "Yes, I'm fine, Yama. Don't worry about it, okay? Let's just find Takeru some shoes to wear." With that he pulled away and headed for the closet.
Yamato sighed, then went over and gently pushed Ken out of the way. In no time at all he had found a pair of his old runners and went back to give them to his brother. There had been no sign of any sort of movement. "Here, try these on." He held the shoes out to Takeru, trying to sound as brotherly as possible. The younger boy only stared at the blue and black runners as if he had never seen anything like them before. Yamato cursed under his breath, trying to keep his temper in check. He couldn't stand seeing his brother this way, it just wasn't right. Dropping the shoes on to the ground, Yamato pointed at them, "Just stick your feet in them, Takeru. They're not going to bite."
Wide cerulean eyes glanced up at him, startled by the last comment, before quickly turning back to the shoes. There was no more delay as Takeru clearly heard the command and slid them onto his feet before waiting for the next order. "Good, come on then. We're going out." Yamato turned and walked towards the front door, not waiting to see if Takeru had even moved.
The three boys were soon out the door, walking down the long hallway to the elevators. Takeru was once again trying to stay a couple of paces behind the other two but Yamato was having none of that. He quickly held back until he was walking beside the younger boy. Ken spoke from the other side of Takeru, "Are you driving?"
"No, Dad's got the car and Sachi claimed the van for the weekend," Yamato replied as they stepped into the elevator. "'Won't matter though, the Yagami's are only a five minute walk from here."
"I know. I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to give Takeru a heart attack over your driving skills on his first day out of the apartment!" Ken grinned as Yamato sent a death glare over to him.
"Har, har. Very funny." He pushed Takeru out of the elevator first, feeling the boy's muscles tense with surprise. Hopefully his friends could get him to relax once they got to the other apartment.
There wasn't much to say as they walked down the sidewalk in the bright spring sunlight, just enjoying the fresh air and light breeze. The streets were filled with people and cars, all seeming to be in some sort of rush. Every little noise seemed to startle Takeru, causing him to twitch as the other two tried to stay as close to him as possible. Yamato found it all very strange, to be leisurely walking over to a friend's house with a brother he had never expected to see again. Somehow it just seemed unreal. He glanced over at the other blonde, watching the wide, innocent eyes desperately stare at the ground, as if trying to deny that everything around them was happening. Once again Yamato felt the bitter guilt rise up inside of him. Never would he be able to forgive himself for letting his little brother wander into the sort of horrible life he'd been lost to. And it was worse now. He couldn't just pretend that Takeru had had a quick death, or that perhaps he had somehow managed to be taken up by some nice family. No. He had instead, for over ten years, sold his body to the rest of the city. Every dirty, sick bastard out there had touched his little brother in ways that no one ever should.
"Hey... Yama?" Yamato blinked, not realizing they had even stopped, and looked over at Ken. "We're here."
"Oh... yeah..." Still a bit dazed, Yamato just turned and headed up the stairs into the apartment building. The other two followed close behind. He could practically feel the worried pair of eyes drilling holes in the back of his head.
When they finally reached the Yagami's door, he knocked and stood back, suddenly feeling a little curious to know what his brother's friends were like. It was obvious that they would act in the same timid and submissive way of course.
Mrs. Yagami opened the door, smiling at the small group as she let them in. "Hello Ken, Yamato. I'm glad you came. And you must be Takeru, right?" She looked down expectantly at the boy, but did not seem surprised when all she received was a curt nod. "Well then, it's good to meet you. They're in Hikari's room, you just go right on in." She told the two oldest once they had taken off their shoes.
"Thank you." Ken said politely, while Yamato nodded his own greeting. They headed down the hall to where they knew the bedroom was, making sure that Takeru was following.
Yamato knocked lightly on the door while opening it slowly. When the girl's voice told him it was alright, he stepped in, moving aside to let the others through as well. "Hello 'Kari. How are you?" He greeted, giving her a half smile.
With her own smile, much wider than his, Hikari walked over to them. "I'm just great, now that you guys are here. Mum and Daddy are going nuts over this whole thing. Oh!" She turned around, letting them see the bed, "This is Taichi and Daisuke, my new brothers."
When he got a look at the two boys sitting on the edge of Hikari's bed, Yamato's mild curiosity turned into complete amazement. He had been expecting both of the boys to be around Takeru's age, but the one sitting on the left looked as if he was quite a bit older. That couldn't be right, what was a teenager his age doing acting like this? He couldn't actually have been in the same place as his brother. Before Yamato could ask about this though, Ken swept past him, almost running up to the younger one. "Hi Daisuke! See, I told you I'd come visit you." The red-head seemed startled as he determinedly held his gaze on the floor. Ken wasn't fazed at all by this, his smile only widening a bit as he sat down on the bed beside Daisuke. "How's life here, Daisuke?"
"S'okay, Ken-san." Daisuke replied, sounding pleased to have the bluenette beside him once again.
Yamato hardly noticed this small reunion, however, his eyes never leaving the tall brunette. "How old is he?" He whispered to Hikari, wondering if this was all just one big joke.
"Who? Taichi? My parents told me that he would have just turned seventeen last week. He was kidnapped when he was almost five." She answered, giving him a strange look before walking around to greet Takeru.
Ignoring this, Yamato frowned. Seventeen, not even a year younger than himself! Like his poor brother, this boy had been through so much pain. Even worse, he had been just old enough to remember his home, his family, and to know that what went on was wrong. But now, just looking at the defeated look on his face, one could tell they had broken him. Hesitantly, not really knowing what he was going to do, Yamato took a step towards Taichi. Then another. Slowly he approached, taking no notice of the others around him, until he was staring down at the head full of chestnut hair.
=-=-=-=
Taichi watched as the unfamiliar pair of feet started to come towards him. By now confusion and fright had become so frequent that he had ceased to really pay attention to his feelings. Each day that they had been here had been like the last, the girl and the adults all trying their best not to hurt him or his brother while they talked to the two of them about senseless subjects. It became so that he only listened for any type of command and shut his mind to the rest of what was going on around him. There was no point to this new life so far. It made him feel so... useless. But now these strangers had suddenly entered the room, three pairs of shoes that he did not recognize. He didn't bother trying to look up to see faces, all he was hoping for was that this was finally it. These were the people they were waiting for, the ones they would make the money from. All he had to do was focus on not screwing it up, make the deal has pleasurable as possible. The happier the customer was, the more money they paid. That was something he had learned very early in the business.
So when the plain black socked feet stopped in front of him, Taichi was already trying to figure out exactly what he was going to do. It was always good to have a plan in mind. But the stranger surprised him, crouching down in front of where he was sitting so that their faces were level. From this position Taichi couldn't help looking at the other boy's face, finding it's features amazingly young. Piercing, ice blue eyes stared out from the most pale, fine featured face. Golden blonde bangs swept down across the smooth forehead, making Taichi's fingers twitch with the thought of running them through the softest looking mane he had ever seen. Kami-sama... he was beautiful.
"Um... Taichi... right?" The low-toned, uncertain voice jolted him from the daze he had fallen into, making him realize he had been staring freely into those astounding eyes. Embarrassed, and not just a little afraid at the strange emotions that had overcome him, Taichi quickly lowered his gaze to his hands and nodded quickly. From beside him he heard the Ken guy whisper something to Daisuke, but heard no answer. Daisuke had already told him all about Ken, about how they met and how Ken had promised to come back. Taichi had tried to tell him not to get his hopes up, worried that he would only get hurt in the end, but now Ken was here. Along with this rare beauty in front of him. He almost wished that there was more to this than just doing his job. "Okay... I'm Yamato." Taichi wondered at the slight edge to the other teen's voice, but didn't say anything. He just waited for whatever was to come. "You... you were really... in that awful place?"
Awful place? Could he mean home? "I..." He stopped, not sure how to respond. Was he supposed to just agree? Or maybe deny that it was awful? Was it a trick, or a genuine question?
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..." Yamato quickly spoke up, his pale hand reaching out without a thought to rest on Taichi's shoulder. "I shouldn't have brought that up, I guess." He paused before saying, "Look at me, won't you? I'm not going to do anything to you. I promise."
Taken aback by this strange statement, Taichi let his eyes stray back up until he was looking over the teen's shoulder. Eye contact had always been something to stay away from, and it made him uncomfortable with the memories of the pain it brought. What he did see on the other side of the room, though, caused him to jerk to his feet in complete astonishment. "Takeru!?" Sure enough, it was his blonde haired friend, also looking at him with an open mouth. How did he get here? He hadn't expected to see that boy ever again, much less two days later! They stared at each other without knowing what to think. Daisuke, who had obviously heard the exclamation of surprise, kept his seat but was also staring at one of his best friends from home. It was Takeru who first came to his senses though, shaking his head quickly at the other two before silently placing his eyes back on the floor.
Shit... he had let himself get carried away by his emotions once again. At a loss for what to do now, Taichi just nervously stood there, his hands shaking slightly with fear of what was to happen now. He shouldn't have done that, yelling and standing up without permission in front of all these other people. That was not a good thing at all.
"Hey, Taichi, it's alright man, calm down." The other blonde, Yamato, was now standing as well, having jumped up when Taichi had. He was now standing in front of him, blue eyes staring at his face curiously. This did nothing to reassure Taichi, who felt as though he was going to be sick. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He was such a baka! He deserved whatever they were going to do to him now. "Takeru, get over here and tell him that it was alright!" Yamato sighed with exasperation.
Then it was Takeru who was standing there, whispering uncertainly, "Oh Taichi, I didn't think I'd get to see guys ever again! Don't worry, Yamato-san hasn't hurt me yet, so I don't think he's going to do anything to you either." The smaller boy told him, taking a small step closer. "What's going on?" He sounded close to tears, so confused and needing to know what was happening so bad that it hurt.
Taichi, feeling a little better, fought the urge to hug his friend. Gaining back some breath, he whispered, "I... I don't know, Teeks. But it's great to see you again. I didn't expect this either." Then he shut his mouth, signaling for the other to do the same. They shouldn't talk freely like this, not in front of the others.
After a few moments where the room was completely engulfed in silence, Hikari came over to the two of them and put her hand gently on Takeru's arm, "Hey Takeru, why don't we go over and talk to Daisuke and Ken now. I don't think you've met Ken yet, right?" She smiled at him, then at Yamato, "You try to explain things to Taichi while Ken and I try to help with Takeru and Daisuke, okay?"
"Sure thing, 'Kari." Yamato replied in smoothly before coming back over to Taichi. "Let's go your room to talk, Taichi." He briskly walked away, leaving Taichi to assume that he was to follow. He hated to leave the other two alone, but he was here to do his job and that's all there was to it. Although Yamato certainly didn't seem as bad as some of the men he had slept with, that was for sure.
Taichi quickly caught up to Yamato who was just slipping into the room that he shared with Daisuke. When he got in there as well, he found Yamato looking around curiously. Taichi stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do next. Finally the blonde noticed this and called him over where he proceeded to stare uncomfortably at him again. Confused by this silence, Taichi cautiously glanced up, remembering that so far nobody had reprimanded him for taking his eyes from the floor. The bright, azure eyes blinked in surprise, "So you are capable of doing some things without being told." He remarked a bit sarcastically. Taichi remained silent, marveling over the fact that he could freely look at this wondrous person. "Um... so you're good friends with my brother, huh?" Yamato continued, obviously disliking the silence.
Taichi frowned, thinking hard. Then he shook his head, "Who's your brother, Yamato-san, if you don't mind me asking?" He had almost gotten used to calling people by their first names by now.
"Oh... Takeru, of course. That's why he came with me." Yamato shifted uncomfortably, stepping backwards to sit in the desk chair. He looked up at Taichi with a thoughtful frown.
Wondering at this, Taichi asked, lowering his eyes so as not to seem disrespectful, "You are Takeru's Master, Yamato-san?"
Yamato shot back up to his feet, almost falling over the chair, as he sputtered, "Fuck no! Don't you even think shit like that, Taichi. I'm nobody's Master and you just remember that!" He seemed outraged, his fists clenched and Taichi cowered uncertainly. Great, what a good start. Never make assumptions, never. That was what he had always told himself, and now what did he go on to do? He was making a mess of everything! Readying himself for the blow that was certain to come, Taichi closed his eyes in defeat and turned his cheek for easy access. It was his own fault and he deserved this.
The blow never came. After a few more minutes, Taichi hesitantly cracked open an eye to see what the delay was and found the other boy staring at him with horror filled eyes. The blonde choked, taking a step back again, "You... you were expecting me to hit you... weren't you?" Taichi didn't know what was going on, but he nodded, his mind filled with extreme concern at this sudden turn of events. "'Kuso..." He swore softly, practically falling back into the chair. His face seemed paler than it was before. "And you were going to let me...?" Another unsure nod. What else was he supposed to do? If he'd done anything else, more punishment would follow. It was better to just submit and only get hurt once. Yamato stared at him some more, his eyes narrowed, "Stop nodding like an idiot and tell me why."
What? Taichi finally lifted his eyes to stare back, shocked. Nodding like an idiot? Wasn't that better than talking out of turn? "Well...I... I deserved it and.. It's better than... than getting hurt more for disobedience... Yamato-san."
Once again angered flared in those icy depths, causing Taichi to flinch and wonder what he had said wrong this time. "They... they did this to you!? It's disgusting!" Who? But he didn't dare ask. "You... my brother... that other kid, Daisuke... Fuck. How many kids did they ruin?" The now quiet blonde seemed to be talking to himself. Taichi just listened, hoping to figure out what this was all about. This was so unlike anything he had ever seen while doing business. "You really don't know what's happening now, do you?"
Taking this as a sign to speak up once again, seeing as how this teen seemed to hate silent answers, Taichi spoke quietly to the floor, taking the question very literally, "I'm here for you, Yamato-san. I'm very good, I promise. I have had lot's of experience and I will try my best for you to get the most pleasure out of this as possible. If you will just tell me what you'd like, Yamato-san..." Suddenly he glanced up again when he heard a choked gasp and noticed the complete astonishment in the other's face. Yamato's mouth was half open, his entire body trembling with what appeared to be shock. Taichi's stomach twisted as he once again felt that he was completely missing something here.
It took a little while, but finally Yamato blinked and with that managed to gather his wits. After another minute he stood up slowly, still shaking, but did not move any closer to Taichi. "You... You think that... that... Of all the fucked up..." He couldn't quite seem to form a complete sentence yet, but what he did choke out told Taichi that he had made some sort of mistake. A big mistake. This wasn't a customer. This wasn't a Master. Who the hell was this guy?!
Yamato took a deep, calming breath, muttered something to himself, and finally approached Taichi once again. The brunette couldn't help the small whimper as he shrank away from this stranger's reaching fingers. For the second time in his life he felt complete terror fill him up inside. Once again it was because he was being taken away from all he knew of. After the first time, all his life had consisted of was either Masters or clients, nothing else. But now that stability in his life was being threatened again and he didn't know what to do about it. "Dammit Taichi, I'm not going to hurt you, okay? Listen to me! I'm going to help you. I'll explain everything, if you'd just listen."
Yamato's hand still wavered uncertainly near his shoulder before resting lightly on it. His head still swimming with questions and fear, Taichi just shuddered beneath it, holding back the flood of threatening tears. This wasn't right! Why was this happening again to him? Why?! Everytime he thought he was safe, that he finally knew which people to trust, something happened to take him away from all that certainty! He just wanted to be able to hold onto something reliable.
"Here... sit down before your legs give out." Yamato advised, his voice softening as he took in the sight of the frightened boy. Feeling completely drained, Taichi submissively sat on the bed, feeling better at finally being told what to do. Yamato sat down beside him, placing an uncertain hand on his arm, "Are you okay?" He just nodded once in answer. Yamato sighed, "Aren't you happy to be away from all that... well, you know..." When Taichi said nothing, he became a little irritated, "Answer me, I want you to talk."
"It... it was my home." The brunette finally answered, knowing that that was what the other was speaking of. "My family..." He choked, wondering what his Masters would do to him if they ever found out he had left. He hadn't thought of that before, but now that he had he didn't think that any of this was their idea at all.
Yamato was silent for a moment, still staring with that unreadable expression at Taichi's face. Then he said in a quiet voice, "You really think that?" Keeping back his tears through force of habit, Taichi nodded. "Why?"
"'Cause they told me they were, that's why." He didn't hesitate to answer this time, remembering all the pain it had taken before he would even consider them to be his family. Would this time be any different?
"They... told you that... I see." Yamato sighed again and finally turned away, allowing Taichi to relax slightly. There was more silence and through the walls they could here the noise of the television in the lounge. That had been something that had truly amazed Taichi, that huge color tv that seemed to show him the entire world. He had only ever seen one once before, a tiny black and white set in one of the Master's rooms. It couldn't compare to this one, though. Yesterday he had spent hours on end just staring at it, constantly flipping through the channels like he had been shown how to. Daisuke was with him, and they exclaimed quietly, when the others weren't around, at all the strange things going on in front of their wide eyes. He hadn't understood what half of the stuff meant, but it had been very interesting indeed. Hikari had seemed amused over this enthusiastic interest.
Lost in thought, Taichi was startled as Yamato spoke again, "Does Takeru... does he think they were his family also?"
"Yes. We were all family." Looking up a bit, he saw Yamato staring at the opposite wall with the saddest look he had ever seen. Feeling a bit less afraid of this person who so far hadn't done anything to him, Taichi shifted a little closer, "I'm sorry."
Surprised, Yamato looked back at him, "For what? It wasn't your fault." Taichi just blinked and looked away, not sure whether he could believe this or not. It must be his fault, making Yamato angry and now sad. Suddenly he felt Yamato's fingers on his chin, forcing him to look back up at the perfect face beside him. "I'm the one who should be sorry. Anybody who knows me could tell you that I've got a nasty temper. I wasn't angry at you, just at what those bastards did to you and the others." Taichi just nodded a little, entrapped by the beautiful azure eyes in front of his face. He felt as though he was being pulled into the deep blue depths, unable to form a single coherent thought as they held his gaze. And there was that perfect mouth that seemed so close to his own. Perfect moist, rosy lips so close that if he just leaned in a little further... If only this boy would allow him to do his job, he might actually be able to enjoy it for once. "Uh... Taichi?" The nervous voice cut through his dazed thoughts, making him realize how wide those eyes had suddenly become. He had been slowly closing in on those precious lips without even knowing.
Blushing, Taichi silently cursed and jumped up, horrified with himself for almost doing something like that without permission. This wasn't like all those other times! Yamato wasn't like the other men that came to him, seeking something to fulfill their their pathetic lives. Yamato was different, and he was not here to use Taichi.
In the process of panicking, he had forgotten about the upper bunk and managed to slam his head full force on it. Hard. Hard enough to bring tears to his eyes as he held his poor head in his hands while trying to blink away the stars that had suddenly popped up in front of him.
"Shit!" Yamato yelped, jumping up after him, 'though careful not to hit his own head, "Are you okay?!" The previous incident apparently forgotten, the blonde hastily reached out to the whimpering boy, placing his hands gently in the thick chestnut hair. Taichi, scared of what Yamato might do to him for doing something so stupid in his presence, immediately backed away until his back hit the wall. There he cowered, eyes still tightly closed, wondering through the searing pain in his skull what was going to happen next. Every fear that had been previously forgotten returned in a flood. He honestly wouldn't be surprised now to feel Yamato's wrath for being such an idiot.
Yamato only took the time to see what was happening before hurrying over to where Taichi was. This time he didn't try to touch the shaking boy right away though. "Hey... Why are you so afraid? I'm not going hurt you, I just want to make sure you didn't crack your head open or something."
Still Taichi didn't dare to move or to say anything. He knew nothing about this teenager standing in front of him. Yamato could easily be lying, ready to punish him on whim. But he didn't run away again as the other's hands once again reached out to him, slowly this time. "There... see? Now just let me have a look here." Taichi's fear slowly turned to awe as the slim body came closer, tender fingers searching through his messy thick hair. His own hands were pushed aside as Yamato sought the injured area. The pain intensified a bit as the bruise was finally found, causing him to flinch with a small whimper, "Hey, it's okay. Just a bump, nothing to worry about." He pulled away, smiling a little. "You're really jumpy, you know that?"
"'Sorry," Taichi mumbled, still a little dazed. He couldn't believe it, Yamato wasn't mad!
"Don't be, really." With his smile widening a little, Yamato stepped back and took a glance at the clock on the desk. "Hey, it's past lunch. Are you hungry?"
That was one thing that Taichi still couldn't get over. Food. It was even more amazing than the television set. There were set times to eat, just like back where he used to live, but it was good food that they got to eat here. All kinds of good stuff that he'd never even tasted before. And so much of it that for the first time in ages Taichi had been feeling completely full and satisfied. Even more, they didn't have to earn the food. They got a meal in the middle of the day without having to do anything for it. The two adults had also insisted that any time during the day that they felt hungry, they were free to just take food out for themselves. Of course, neither Taichi nor Daisuke had felt that they deserved that yet, and so only ate when someone placed the food on the table for them. It had to be the best thing that had ever happened to him. "Yes, Yamato-san." He answered, trying to keep from sounding too enthusiastic.
"Alright then, let's go get something to eat." Yamato beckoned him to follow, then seemed to have a thought and turned back around, "Oh, and Taichi? Drop the whole 'san' thing and just call me Yamato, okay? You're making it sound as if I'm superior to you or something, and I'm not." Taichi hesitated before nodding, not really understanding what Yamato meant. Of course the blonde was superior, how could he not be? Look at who he was compared to himself. But if those were Yamato's wishes, then they should be obeyed.
As Yamato headed out the door, Taichi eagerly followed at his usual two paces behind the slightly taller teen. With nobody else around, Taichi stared dreamily at the back of Yamato's head, taking in the beauty of all that golden hair. He had definitely taken a great liking to the thoughtful, wonderful teenager in front of him. For once in his life he felt almost safe around someone he didn't even know that well.
=-=-=-=
(A/N) Yay! finally Yamato and Taichi meet! Okay... now to get out the
part with the other three characters. Only... I'm not quite sure whether
to make it Takari or stick Takeru in with a threesome with Daisuke and Ken.
I know there's many people who just like their sweet Kensukes, but
maybe the threesome thing's popular too. I just don't know! So
tell me in your reviews and I'll try to go with the majority! I really
don't care either way, but I don't want too many people ticked off over it
^_^;; Thanks!