State of Mind
"The cure for all ills and wrongs, the cares, the sorrows and the crimes of humanity, all lie in the one word 'love.' It is the divine vitality that everywhere produces and restores life."
-Lydia Maria Child
Part 8: Pic-a-nic
"I think I'm in love!"
Chocolate brown eyes were torn from their hypnotized gaze on the television set to stare down at the boy snuggled into his side. As usual, the two were the only ones awake in the apartment, because they always woke up so early, and were taking advantage of this to have some quiet time in front of the TV. The entire week had been one hectic learning experience that had not seemed to stop except to sleep at night. When their new friends had to go to school during the day, the parents saw to it that they continued discovering new things about the places, people and objects surrounding them. Then in the afternoon and on into the evening when the others came home, the three innocent boys were taught to read, write and do different types of arithmetic. All in all, it had been a very exhausting period. Hikari had promised that today they would get some time off from the lessons, and that they were going to be going to meet some of her own friends.
Finally Taichi shook his head and leaned back further into the couch. He hugged his adopted brother closer to him, but turned his attention back to the moving images on the screen in front of them. Daisuke pouted, "'Don't you wanna know who with?"
"Oh, I know who," Taichi shrugged, intently staring at the strange cartoon that they were watching. It didn't make much sense to him, but he supposed it would be funny for someone who hadn't spent their entire life locked away from life. "Ken, right?" At Daisuke's eager nod, he sighed, "Dais-chan... you know you can't be in love..."
The red-head frowned, "But-"
"No buts." Taichi cut him off firmly, "We're not allowed to. Just because our Masters aren't around at the moment doesn't mean we can disregard every rule that has been taught to us. Have you forgotten already?"
"No... I 'member..." Daisuke sighed sadly, and shivered a bit at some distant memory, "We're not real people... just brainless scum who... who're not allowed real feelings. M-mindless trash who are o-only allowed to... to live as long as other's w-want us..."
"Dais... shh..." Turning sideways, Taichi quickly took up the younger boy in his arms, trying to calm him down. He hadn't meant to make him so upset, but Daisuke couldn't be allowed to start disobeying lessons that had been forced into their minds from the moment they had entered that awful place. Any day now the Masters might come back... "It's alright, 'Suke... we'll be okay."
"B-but Ken-san wouldn't hurt me! He... he's s-so nice! An-and..." Daisuke's frantically mumbled excuses were drowned as he buried his face in his older brother's shirt, trying hard not to break down and cry.
Taichi winced, feeling horrible as he heard the distress in Daisuke's voice and felt the boy tremble in his arms. He wished so badly that things were different, that they really could do as they liked and didn't have to worry about the painful consequences. But as it was... "Remember... Master Genjo-san."
The boy instantly stiffened in his arms, letting out a startled whimper at this next horrible memory. Master Genjo had been one of the best masters they had ever had. The tall, burly man had seemed to have some sympathy for the little children who were forced to work for him every day. Unlike the others, he gave them breaks like extra food on good days, and time to talk quietly among themselves during meals. All the kids had to agree that they liked him more than any other master, feeling as though he actually understood the stressful time they were going through. Daisuke and Takeru had both especially felt more at ease around Master Genjo... until he had betrayed them all. Takeru had been a bloody, unconscious mess on the floor by the time some of the other masters found out what was going on. There had been eleven children in all, two of them dead and the others with extensive damage. Takeru had barely survived and even now hated to go away alone with strangers. The young blonde had only been six years old at the time. Taichi had actually cried that night as he held a sobbing, horrified Daisuke in his arms, both of them fearing that they'd never see their friend again.
It was obvious that Daisuke understood as he pulled away a bit, looking up at the brunette with tearful eyes. "You're right... but Ken wouldn't... I know..." But Taichi only raised a sceptical eyebrow and hugged the boy back to him in comfort. He didn't really believe that Ken, or any of the others, would do such a thing either, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
A few minutes later Hikari brightly skipped into the room. One look at the two on the couch swept the smile off of her face. "Are you guys all right?" She gently asked with a worried frown. They only looked away and nodded together. "Okay..." The brunette girl sighed, deciding that it would be futile to try to get the truth out of them, and sat in the armchair near by. Taichi warily kept an eye on her, feeling uneasy at the way she was observing them. "We are going to be leaving in about an hour to the park. Yamato will be coming with Takeru after picking up Ken, Jyou and Koushiro to get us. Are you hungry now, or do you think you can wait until the picnic?"
Daisuke slid off of Taichi's lap, but kept close to his side while the older boy wrapped a protective arm around his shoulders, "We... we can wait." It wasn't as though they had never gone without a meal before.
"What's a pic-a-nic?" Daisuke asked curiously, worriedly rubbing his stomach.
Hikari grinned at the pair, standing up again to turn off the television. "It's where everyone gathers together for a day of fun in the park. And there's a lot of food to eat, so don't worry about starving or anything. You'll both love it, I know you will." They had both perked up at the mention of food, feeling a bit less concerned about the event. "Now you guys should get dressed into some clothes that you haven't slept in. And I need to get some stuff ready for the picnic. Alright?"
They nodded, hopping off the couch and quickly heading for their bedroom. Taichi was feeling excited... food, Yamato, his friends, what more could complete the day? The only thing he was unsettled about was the thought that a bunch of strangers were going to be joining them as well.
The first thing Daisuke grabbed as he rushed into the room was the pair of goggles lying on the desk. He snapped these onto this head before tearing through the drawers full of clothes. Taichi smiled as he watched this, stepping out of the way just in time to avoid being hit by a bright orange shirt. "What're you gonna wear, 'Chi?" Daisuke's excited question was muffled as he stuck his head into one of the drawers to see the contents better. "'Found our shorts!" Two pairs of khaki shorts came flying out of the drawer to land in a heap near Taichi's feet. It still felt really weird being able to actually choose what to wear for the day. There had never been a choice before.
"I want my green t-shirt," Taichi said as he picked up the largest of the two shorts and started putting them on. A light green shirt flew into his face, causing him to lose his balance.
Daisuke grinned happily as he turned and held out his own purple striped t-shirt, "I'm wearing this one. What're you doing on the floor, Taichi? Get up, or we're gonna miss the pic-a-nic!"
Barely keeping himself from rolling his eyes in exasperation, the brunette managed to get back on his feet and continue getting ready. The two boys had never been embarrassed about changing in front of one another, it was something they had never before been able to avoid and so it was just regular routine. It was impossible for any of the children who had once lived in the prostitution house to be ashamed of their bodies.
They changed in a matter of minutes and hurried back to the kitchen where they could hear Hikari preparing for the picnic. A large woven picnic basket had been set up on the counter, and in it were all kinds of desert goodies. Hikari was just adding a small plate of chocolate brownies when the boys entered, causing them to stop at the sight and let the jaws hang open. Never had they seen anything that looked so delicious.
Hikari smiled at them, noticing the hungry looks on their faces, "Don't worry, there'll be plenty to eat once we get there. "She snapped the lid shut with a satisfied look at her work. "I'm just going to go grab my camera and fix my hair, okay? So go put your shoes on, and answer the door if they get here before I'm out."
Taichi and Daisuke went to do as they had been told without a second thought. As they quickly finished tying their new running shoes, the doorbell buzzed. Remembering what Hikari had told them, Taichi hesitantly opened the door which revealed the two Ishida brothers standing together.
"Takeru!" Said blonde was suddenly sent backwards a few steps by the small force that crashed into his arms. Daisuke grinned up at him, "Miss me?"
Takeru slowly grinned back, obviously feeling secure in the familiar hold, "'Course."
Yamato and Taichi watched this exchange with smiling faces, the former seeming to be in a rare mood. He looked more relaxed than Taichi had ever seen him, blue eyes glittering brightly with happiness. "Hi." Taichi greeted the the taller blonde shyly.
"Hey Taichi, how are you this morning?" Yamato replied, leaning against the door frame as the two younger boys in the hallway continued to quietly chat about the promised picnic.
Taichi shrugged, making himself look away from those mesmerizing ocean colored eyes. He forced himself to remember everything he had told Daisuke earlier, to remember Master Genjo, and to forget the sense of comfort he got whenever he was in Yamato's company.
Yamato regarded the brunette with a single raised eyebrow, "What's wrong?" There seemed to be a hint of concern in that pale face, something that Taichi both wanted and was loathed to see.
"Nothing..." Was his only reply, trying to shrug away the question again. He decided he was just tense about meeting a bunch of new strangers today, and went back to staring at the floor.
A moment later, Hikari rushed out of the apartment, shooing Yamato and Taichi away so that she could lock the door. A camera was now hanging around her neck, and her hair was neatly brushed back with a small, pink barrette to keep the bangs from her face. "It's about time, 'Kari. The others are still waiting in the van, you know." Yamato grumbled as he helped her by taking the basket before setting off down the hall.
Taichi quickly joined his two best friends, feeling slightly better when they didn't hesitate to latch on to either side of him. Of course, he couldn't help staring at the back of a certain blonde, wishing that he just go up and have a nice conversation with him for once. Taichi had never been the least bit shy when conversing with Yuki, Rio and the other older boys back home, but for some reason he felt too intimidated by those penetrating, soulful blue eyes.
=-=-=-=
The drive to the park had not been long at all, fifteen minutes at the most and only that because of the traffic. But to Yamato, it had seemed to take much longer than that. He couldn't believe that it could take so much energy to get three kids to just step near the van, much less sit down in it. Taichi, Takeru, and Daisuke had taken one look at the vehicle and decided that it was way too much like a bus for their comfort, immediately backing away again. The worst thing of all, though, was seeing the real terror in their eyes as they stared in silence at the pavement beneath their feet.
Surprisingly enough, it had been Jyou who had been able to draw them into the van. Being the oldest among the group of friends, he was very responsible at the age of nineteen. With encouraging smiles and words, he succeeded in wiping away their fears that they were about to be taken away to somewhere even worse than where they were now. Again, they seemed to trust Jyou the minute they met him, as it had been with Koushiro earlier that week.
Out of the three, Taichi had seemed to be the most afraid of what was happening. While the other two slowly became a bit more courageous about the venture, staring out of the windows and exclaiming over everything that they had never seen before, the oldest brunette had only huddled into the middle seat. He wouldn't speak, looking as though he had something weighing on his mind, and stared vacantly at the floor of the van. Yamato, who was driving up front with Ken next to him, couldn't help but feel concerned every time he looked into the rear-view mirror and saw the dejected expression on Taichi's face. He just hoped that the picnic would be able to cheer him up some.
Meanwhile, Koushiro had managed to start a small conversation with Daisuke. The red headed computer genius was surprisingly good with the younger teen, somehow knowing exactly the right things to say in order to draw the shy boy out of his silence. The didn't really have a lot in common, but the moment Daisuke asked Koushiro about the computer that had been mentioned in their discussion, he was only too happy to launch into a detailed description of these machines and their applications. For the most part, Daisuke just stared in wide eyed fascination with no clue to what all of the big and unfamiliar words meant.
Yamato only felt some of his anxiety slip away once they reached the parking lot and the gang piled out of the van. It was going to be a beautiful day; the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect for the activities that they had planned for the day. Of course, it would be all that more perfect if he could just get Taichi to brighten up and take part in the activities.
The blonde shook his head bemused as he watched the large haired brunette carefully duck out of the van and join his two friends nearby. He wished so badly that there was more he could do for them, something more that would help them to forget the past and to accept the truth. But as it was, he was just as helpless and unhelpful as ever before.
"Yamato, stop it." Blinking out of his grim thoughts with surprise, Yamato turned to look at Ken who was glaring at him in a determined sort of way. "No thinking bad or guilty thoughts today, okay? We're here to forget about all of that for now. How do you expect them to have a good time if they see you over here sulking?"
Even though he should have been almost used to the way Ken always seemed to be able to read his mind, it still amazed him. He glanced over at the others, noticing how Taichi was now staring at him nervously along with Takeru. "I wasn't sulking." Was all Yamato said, mock glaring back at the bluenette before replacing his frown with a grin directed at the waiting group. "Well, let's get going before they start partying without us then!"
Daisuke immediately turned to Taichi at his side and asked in an unintentionally audible whisper, "What's he mean... partying?"
Yamato was torn between amusement and pity at the innocence of these boys, but instead only began walking away towards the park. The others followed behind him quietly for a few moments until Yamato suddenly realized that Taichi was following exceptionally close to his heels. Wondering, the blonde turned his head slightly to look at the other out of the corner of his eye, noticing that Taichi kept staring to his left in a confused and anxious manner. It was obviously Jyou and Koushiro who had caught his attention, or more precisely, the way they were walking side by side, hand in hand. This didn't surprise Yamato in the least; he was quite used to the relationship between the studying doctor and the computer whiz, but he could also see that something about it was unsettling the brunette.
Just then, Taichi turned his gaze and caught Yamato's eye, his own chocolate ones widening with surprise. Yamato only smiled at him gently, knowing that Ken was right about having to watch his attitude towards them. This seemed to give Taichi some encouragement as he promptly picked up his pace a bit to walk directly beside the other teen.
"Why are..." Taichi started, but then cleared his throat as if too embarrassed or shy to continue with the question.
Fortunately, Yamato knew exactly what he was trying to ask. "'Cause they like each other." There was a quiet 'oh' in response, and then silence. It was a silence that, for once, Yamato hated. Behind them, the voices of Ken and Hikari reached him, chatting happily to the other two boys. He wished it could be that easy for him; just strike up a conversation and distract himself from all the horrid pictures that kept floating through his mind about what it must have been like for these guys during the past. It was just so hard to understand how anyone could survive, could live through that...
"'Mato?" The mumble was so low that he almost thought he had imagined it. Startled, Yamato looked over at Taichi and saw the brunette gazing almost tearfully at him, quickly darting his eyes back to the ground when he saw Yamato watching.
It was strange, as well as painful, to see how despairing the almost mature teenager appeared to be. How could anyone look so lost and hopeless? "What Taichi?" Yamato finally answered, looking away so that he did not have to see the other's expression.
For a while it didn't appear as though Taichi was going to respond, but finally he whispered in an almost heartbroken way, "You... you don't like me very m-much... do you...?" Yamato almost stopped walking in shock, staring over at Taichi in disbelief. But before he could react, the brunette continued softly, "Nobody much does... 'cept 'Keru an' 'Suke, but... I thought... dunno..." Taichi was avoiding the other's eye, wrapping his arms around his stomach as if trying to keep himself under control. Then suddenly he slowed down, dropping back behind Yamato.
Too astonished by this unexpected revelation, Yamato could only stare straight ahead in bewilderment. He had no idea that Taichi felt that he didn't like him, or that Takeru and Daisuke were the boy's only friends. It was terrible, and once again it came back to being his own fault. Hadn't Ken warned him that these boys could feel his strong, guilty emotions. And now look... Taichi thought he hated him, when all it was was frustration against the people who had done this to them in the first place!
Feeling the need to suddenly punch a tree or something, Yamato hardly reacted at all as they finally came over a small hill and were greeted by a familiar group of kids. They had obviously all heard about Takeru, Daisuke and Taichi, and were very excited to finally meet the infamous brothers that had come back from supposed death.
Silently he backed up, away from the commotion, and watched as the three girls and young boy were introduced to the newcomers. Stubbornly, he ignored the concerned glances from Ken, examining the reactions of the others instead.
Mimi was the first to be introduced. The three boys looked in startled fascination at her wildly strawberry pink hair as if they had never seen hair dye before in their life. Of course, Yamato thought bemusedly, they probably hadn't... at least not on girls. The ever exuberant eighteen year old teenage girl looked as though she was going to burst with joy at seeing the younger boys alive and in front of her. Three pairs of wide eyes only stared with gaping astonishment, and looked more than a little scared over her wild switches between "Poor dears!" and "I'd love to kill those bastards!" Really, quite amusing to watch.
Than Miyako, every bit as sympathetic and enthusiastic as Mimi came forward. She reached out and shook each of their hands, despite the frightened and confused looks she received. Her large glasses almost slipped right off her nose as she also told them how much she'd love to hurt the horrible people who had done this. This, of course, only agitated the boys further. Purple hair swishing around her head, she quickly reached around and pulled a short, brown haired boy up to them.
Iori only looked up at them with shy green eyes, looking as though he wished he were anywhere but here in front of abused teenagers. He seemed upset as he bowed slightly to them. He did try a small smile for them, at least, but then he quickly stepped aside to go stand with Jyou and Koushiro.
The last, a reddish-brown haired girl of seventeen gave them all a sad, motherly smile and introduced herself to them as Sora. She quickly tried to ease them of some of their fears, telling them that they really weren't scary strangers after all. Yamato had known from the start that Sora would feel as though she had to personally make sure that the boys were comforted, but he also knew that she was one of the best for that job. Although, the three still looked very perplexed as she moved away to speak with Mimi for the moment.
Yamato sighed, forcing himself not to act sulky with Ken watching him so closely. Taichi had moved off with the others to examine the large blanket set over the grass with numerous large picnic baskets spread across it. Even he had perked up at the sight of all that food, although he still seemed to have his mind on something else.
Everybody relaxed after that, chatting amongst themselves about things that had gone on earlier that day, or week. They were all great friends, having known each other since junior high, some even since pre-school. The three boys, who weren't a part of the group of friends yet, stood back and hesitantly watched the others. They were obviously feeling out of place.
They huddled nervously together as Sora and Mimi tried talking to them, answering only what was asked of them while trying to keep from staring. Yamato shook his head, almost used to seeing them like this by now, but still finding it horribly sad.
He jumped suddenly as a voice greeted him from his side, and turned to find Sora smiling at him. She came over and stood beside him, looking out over the picnic scene like he had been doing. "How are you doing, Yamato?"
For a while, Yamato chose to ignore the question. He should have expected this; Sora had always had a sixth sense about troubled minds. Instead, for the moment, he kept on just staring ahead. Miyako, Ken and Hikari were now showing Takeru and Daisuke how to unpack the food and where to place it all. The two boys seemed to be getting more excited by the moment about all of this, but seemed to be doing a good job at keeping themselves from showing it too much. Taichi, on the other hand, had been pulled aside with Koushiro who was talking animatedly to the blank faced brunette.
Finally Yamato realized that Sora was not going to just leave him alone, 'though she knew better than to push him too much with questions. He sighed, habitually running a hand through his golden bangs, "I'm fine, Sora. Really, I am."
She glanced over at him with an expression that told him that she didn't believe that statement one bit. "Are you getting along all right with your brother?"
"Yeah... I suppose. It's just..." Brother? Yamato still couldn't completely follow the idea that Takeru was his brother. He seemed too different, like he was a completely different boy. A stranger staying at his home, and nothing more. "...nevermind." And with that he walked away from her, heading for the others. The least he could do for the three boys was to lighten up a bit today. It wouldn't kill him to cheer up a little.
=-=-=-=
The second that the baskets had been opened, and the food laid out, Daisuke had dug into the yummy delights with great enthusiasm. He was still getting used to having so many good types of food to eat, much less being able to eat until he was completely full and satisfied. This time, of course, it went way beyond unusual. Eating outside, under the bright blue sky, surrounded by free kids all laughing and enjoying themselves. It had never been heard of before; at least not from where he came from. But somehow it just seemed... right. He was having a wonderful time while feeling really good about this entire experience for the first time.
Stuffing his mouth with another sushi roll, he proceeded to question Ken about the different foods that they had brought. Most of the treats were unfamiliar and so he felt the need to learn the name of every one. Of course, he went about the questioning carefully; making sure not to offend or speak too loudly. He didn't want to be the reason for ruining the good picnic, that was for sure. Ken didn't seem to mind supplying him with answers, however. The bluenette answered with a smile every time, sitting by the younger boy's side along with Takeru and Taichi.
As Ken shot him another sparkling grin, Daisuke thought about what a shame it was that he couldn't have feelings for the boy. It would have been really great to have someone to return his love for the first time. It wasn't a first for Daisuke to feel more for someone than the rules allowed. Living the life that he had, he and every other child were forced to grow up faster in certain ways than normal. Nobody should have ever gone through the experiences that he had at that age. But even so, he didn't know any better, and so did not really understand that what they had done was wrong.
Through out his life, he had met many strangers, the majority of them men, the men who had come for what little he had to give them. He had never felt hate for these men; after all, without them he wouldn't be able to please the masters. There were even a few who had seemed to have a bit of heart in them. Those guys had always tried to give back to Daisuke a little of what they received. They were gentle, comforting, even after they were finished with him. But they always left when the time was up, and rarely came back.
But now... now he was free, or so he was being led to believe. And Ken hadn't left yet, and there was a chance, however small, that Ken could comfort him like some of the others. The only problem left was that Daisuke would rather go through his first lessons with the Masters again than break their rules. No... there had to be some other way.
He glanced over at Taichi, wishing that the older brunette would wrap a comforting arm around him and tell him that everything was going to be okay. Taichi always knew how to chase away his fears. But at the moment, it seemed that the other teen was too wrapped up in his own problems to pay any attention to anything else around him. Daisuke sighed, sending a small glare at Yamato for daring to make his onniichan upset, before turning away again. It was hopeless anyway. Taichi couldn't help him here, not with all these strangers crowding around them.
"So, Daisuke, what do you think of your first picnic?" It was the purple haired girl, Miyako if he remembered correctly, who asked the question. She had come back from socializing with Hikari and squeezed into the spot between Takeru and himself. Takeru only glanced at her, looking a little miffed at being shoved aside, before shifting closer to Taichi.
Quickly swallowing the last of a small blueberry pastry, Daisuke gave her a weak smile and answered, "It's great, Miyako-san." Frankly, girls scared him. Perhaps it was because, while he knew everything there was to know about men, females were still a complete mystery to him. Automatically he leaned in a little closer to Ken.
Miyako didn't seem to notice this, or chose to ignore it. Instead she leaned over to wink at Ken and then turned to the blonde on her other side. Confused, Daisuke didn't know what to make of that, and so only turned back to picking out another desert. He listened in fascination as the girl at his side started speaking to Takeru so fast that there seemed to be no pauses between sentences at all. Poor Takeru didn't seem to know what to make of the gossip being thrown at him, staring at her with wide, blank eyes.
Ken had seemed to be listening in as well, giving a small snort of amusement as he saw the looks on the boys' faces. "Don't worry, it's nothing personal," He told Daisuke with a grin, "She's like this all the time. Almost as bad as Mimi. But, gods, can she work wonders with a computer."
"'puter?" Daisuke asked between a bite of desert, looking shyly over at the other. Koushiro had mentioned the word earlier during the ride over to the picnic, but the explanation had been so confusing that Daisuke still had no idea what it was all about.
There was a look of surprise on Ken's face before he seemed to realize just who he was speaking to again. "Computers... they... well, it's kind of hard to explain. I'll show you mine later. They are really neat; you can find almost anything you need to know with them."
Well, that still made absolutely no sense... but Daisuke just nodded anyway and turned his attention back to the food in his hands. For a little while he was left alone as Ken started conversing with Koushiro who had overheard them mention computers. It seemed that the redhead also had a great interest in these mysterious know-alls. Daisuke looked around at the others only to find his interest caught by Yamato. The blonde was sitting near the edge of the large group, and looked as though he wished he were anywhere but with them. It was strange but... he almost looked sad, in a way. He caught the blue eyes glancing from time to time at Taichi, but Daisuke couldn't figure out why.
A few moments later Iori, the smallest boy who was sitting nearest to Yamato, turned to the blonde and seemed to be asking him a question. Yamato shook his head, his eyes hardening into a stubborn glare aimed at the grass close to his feet, but the young boy persisted. Soon, Yamato relented a little and they started up a small, closed off conversation.
Daisuke sighed, wiping some crumbs off his shorts, and turned his gaze away. Everything was just so confusing, and none of it made one bit of sense. If only he could ask Ken about why people were acting so strange, but he was afraid that the other teen would take offence at this. Maybe one of those computers could help. Ken did say that they had all the answers, after all.
Suddenly he realized that Ken seemed to be asking him a question. He blinked and shook his head, "Sorry, I... I missed what you said."
Ken only smiled, looking as cool and collected as always, "I was just wondering if you wanted to go for a walk. I bet you want to see some of the sights, and I know a great ice cream vendor near here."
"Yeah!" Miyako jumped up, startling everyone sitting near her in the process, "That's a great idea Ken! Come on, Takeru, we'll go with them! Yamato, get your cute ass over here, I bet Taichi would love some ice cream too!"
Both Daisuke's and Takeru's jaws dropped at this, shocked that a girl would say such things, and so loudly! Yamato only looked startled at being included so suddenly, but otherwise seemed unfazed. He coolly stood up, brushed off his pants, and wandered over to them, reaching a hand out to Taichi as he did so. Daisuke felt as surprised as Taichi looked by this action. The brunette stared at the hand uncertainly before hesitantly taking it and standing up. Daisuke noticed how careful his brother was to not look at the blonde's face.
"Anyone else coming?" Ken asked, looking around. There was a general murmur of various no's, everyone else either too full to move or currently engaged in some sort of interesting conversation.
"Well then, let's be off! I've been craving a maple walnut cone for ages now." The only girl of the group announced, wrapping a friendly arm around a startled Takeru's shoulders.
Ken laughed, copying her movements with Daisuke as he teased her about her sweet tooth. Surprised at the sudden closeness to Ken, Daisuke only tensed up and silently allowed himself to be led across the park. Yamato and Taichi trailed behind the other four, their hands still loosely clasped together.
The group slowly walked across the grass, heading for the paths up ahead. It seemed more crowded up there as people hung around the vendors or fooled around on the cement paths. Daisuke would have been shocked at the sight of so many noisy kids and adults if he hadn't just been to the mall a little while ago.
He glanced over to Ken's other side where Takeru was walking with a terrified look on his face. Catching the blue eyed gaze, Daisuke sent him a small, comforting smile. He knew that the blonde was doubly afraid of strangers, and with good reason. Takeru seemed to relax a little as he looked back at his friend, even offering him his own barely noticeable smile. They'd be okay, so far nobody had tried to hurt them and hopefully things would stay that way.
Ken and Miyako continued to banter good naturedly until they all reached a small wooden shack with an open window at the front. A large, smiling woman greeted them from the other side of the window, asking them what they wanted today with a booming voice. Daisuke pulled back a little, intimidated by this loud attitude.
Ken tightened his arm around Daisuke's shoulders and smiled at him, "What'll be, Daisuke? They've got everything here." Daisuke only stared blankly back at him, having no clue what was going on.
"He means that you have to tell the lady what kind of ice cream do you want." Yamato told him, coming up suddenly to his side with Taichi in tow. "You know what ice cream is, Daisuke. We had it yesterday after lunch, remember? Cold, and disgustingly sweet."
"You're so strange, Yama-chan, how can anyone not like sweet things, especially ice cream?" Miyako informed the blonde, quickly ordering her own maple walnut two scoop ice cream cone.
He rolled his eyes back at her, but chose to ignore her, gently pushing Taichi up to the window, "What kind do you want, Taichi."
"Um..." Taichi looked as though he was facing the ultimate challenge, and really did not want to be there at all. He looked back at Yamato, asking with a shaky, shy voice, "Could... could you t-tell her? I don't r-really know..."
The blonde shrugged, looking over the brunette's shoulder at the menu, "Uh... How about just plain chocolate. Everybody likes chocolate."
"Everybody except you." Muttered Miyako from the side. She only grinned at the sharp glare he sent her way.
"Sure, get Daisuke and Takeru the same." Ken put in hurriedly before any fights could start to break out. "And I'll take Rocky Road, please."
Soon they all had their cones, with the exception of Yamato who had settled on a diet coke instead, and set off in a random direction down a path. Daisuke was practically in heaven as he licked away at the ice cream in his hand. It was the tastiest thing that he had ever had, including the food at the picnic. Why had they never had this at the Masters' place?
"Diet... how the hell can anyone like diet anything?" Miyako was commenting on Yamato's choice of drink as they came to a stop beneath a large oak tree situated away from the path. Far enough to be away from the main of the crowd.
Yamato glared at her again, taking a noisy, rebellious sip from his coke. "Mind your own fucking business, Miyako."
"Aw, lighten up, Yama-chan. I was only teasing." She grinned, not looking at all apologetic. Then she turned and whispered something in Takeru's ear, to which the blonde suddenly let out an uncontrolled giggle. Everyone stared at him in surprise, except Miyako who only grinned with satisfaction, until he blushed and took a sudden interest in the grass at his feet.
Yamato narrowed his eyes at the girl suspiciously, obviously trying to make up his mind whether or not to kill her for whatever she had told his brother about him. Finally he settled on another glare, and turned away to ignore her again.
Curious, and not just a little shocked, at this strange interplay between the two teens, Daisuke looked questioningly at Ken. The bluenette only rolled his eyes with an expression of 'don't ask'. "It's a long story." Was all he said by way of explanation.
"Oh." Daisuke suddenly realized that he and Ken were separated a bit from the others. Miyako was chatting with an almost smiling Takeru again, and Yamato seemed to be trying to have a nice conversation with Taichi. He turned back to Ken, taking in the sparkling violet eyes and the silky blue-black hair that framed his pale face so nicely. He knew he shouldn't be finding this so attractive, it was completely against the Masters' rules to have real relationships. But it wasn't fair.
"How's your ice cream?" Ken finally asked when Daisuke only continued to stare. Startled, the mahogany haired boy quickly nodded and stuffed the last bit of his cone into his mouth. "So you're enjoying yourself today, Daisuke?"
"Yeah..." Daisuke nodded again, nervously reaching up with one hand to straighten his goggles. Then suddenly he blurted out, "D'you have a... a b-boyfriend?" He was certain that that was what they were called, he had heard the term 'boyfriend' numerous times in his life.
Violet eyes suddenly seemed to darken, a shadow passing over his face. Ken looked as if he was almost ready to glare, but only shook his head, "I did... but he was a jerk. 'Broke up with me."
Daisuke blinked with surprise, then instantly felt horrible for asking such a question. It wasn't his place at all to be making inquiries about other people's personal lives. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... to make you m-mad."
And just like that, Ken's face brightened up again, as though the clouds had passed from the sun. He smiled, shaking his head again, "Don't worry about it, I'm not mad. I just don't like thinking about him. Ask Yamato about it some time, I'm sure he'll explain. Why did you ask, though?"
"I..." Daisuke stared at him again, not even sure himself why he had asked. It was wrong of him in any case, but... He hugged himself, feeling cold all of a sudden, before quickly explaining what he had been thinking of all along. A few minutes ago he had come up with the answer to his problems, and if Ken would only agree... "I... I know this might sound strange to y-you, and... and you've pr-probably never done it but I really, really l-like you, and I know I'm not s'posed to, but it's o-okay if... if you pay someone. That's how it's always done, you've got to p-pay someone, maybe... maybe Yamato-san, or... or Yagami-san, and then it'd be alright for... for m-me to... to pleasure you, to..."
Ken, as pale as he already was, seemed to go completely white as he listened to Daisuke go on at a very fast pace. It was obvious he was getting the idea of what the other was talking about, "Daisuke... gods... I..."
"...and it'd be okay, I wouldn't mind. I've done it so many times that... that... but you've just gotta talk to who's ever in charge and..."
"No... Dais... stop it..."
But Daisuke didn't stop, it all made so much sense now. Maybe these people had just never heard about paying for sex before, maybe that was why they hadn't asked yet. It wasn't as though he loved doing his job, but if it was with Ken maybe... maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Besides, it was his job. "...I'm really good at i-it, Ken-san, and I won't screw up, please believe me. I've never done bad before, and you get to choose..."
"Stop it, Daisuke... be quiet!" Ken was shaking now, a look of horror on his face as he listened to what Daisuke had to say about the subject. Mostly the horror was for the way the boy could so easily speak of it and want to do it now. "Don't..." The other's were now aware of the commotion, all of them staring at the two with confused expressions. Taichi seemed the first to catch on to what was happening, his own expression growing more terrified by the moment as he thought about what the results of this mishap would be.
"Please Ken-san... I-"
"Shut up! NOW!"
Daisuke clamped his mouth shut so fast that he bit his tongue, staring in horrified terror at what had just happened. Oh Kami... he hadn't stopped. He hadn't stopped talking when Ken had told him to. He had never said so much in his life. Ken had hated it, hated him talking, it wasn't supposed to turn out like this! Rigidly, he turned his eyes to the ground, trying to keep the horrified tears from escaping. 'Stupid boy.'
The once soft violet eyes were now glaring at him with such force that he could feel it even though he wasn't looking. "How could you say things like that?! That's disgusting! Don't you know ... do you have any idea...?" Ken sputtered angrily, looking ready to lash out any moment.
Daisuke cringed, biting his tongue hard on the spot that was already injured as he held back a sob. Stupid, stupid, stupid... He tasted the blood as it welled up in his mouth, shutting his eyes tight. He waited for the punishment to come. Oh Kami-sama... not alone again... not the dark room... so cold... so alone...
He was a horrible person and he knew he deserved whatever happened to him now. Taichi was right, he shouldn't have tried to disobey the rules. He shouldn't have spoken out of line.
There was a loud thump, confusing him until he realized that he had just fallen to the ground. His head hurt, he felt sick with the knowledge that he would probably be sent somewhere else now, away from Taichi and Takeru. Ken wouldn't want him now, neither would the Yagami's once they heard. 'Stupid boy, how dare you disobey...'
"Daisuke...? Oh no..." Breathe... breathe. Gotta breathe. Then he felt a pair of familiar arms wrap around him and the tears came. His brother was here now. He sobbed into the shirt, ashamed that he had ever disobeyed Taichi. He cried and cried as he finally broke under the stress of the past couple of weeks. 'Horrible child.'
"Shh... Suke-chan... it'll be okay..." Never, never okay! He was so frightened, so afraid that he had just ruined everything for them. Him and his big mouth! Why did he ever have to leave his home? Why did everything always seem to go wrong for him? He cried harder, the acid taste of blood burning his mouth and a hot waterfall of tears burning his face. The only people who had ever cared for him were Taichi and Takeru... how could he have betrayed them like this?
=-=-=-=
(A/N) Ah! I just can't seem to help myself, ending
such a nice chapter with more angst! *sigh* I honestly didn't
mean to, but it happened. Hopefully I'll get the next part out much
sooner, although I still don't really know where I'm going with it all...
Ideas appreciated!! ^_^