Takeru looked at Ken with a look of severe disbelief, he couldn't believe what Ken had just said to him. It was as if Ken had thrown all the years of friendship out the window and cleaned his slate to say such audacious things of Tai.
"TK, you all right?" asked Ken putting down his coffee cup on the coffee table.
Takeru just stared at him for a moment before speaking, "How can you think such a thing? I mean this is Taichi Yagami we're talking about, not some killer in the papers."
"I know, trust me it's hard for me to even acknowledge it as a possibility but I can't deny it as one."
Takeru blinked and looked down at his cup, the froth swirling in a sea of cappuccino; "Why would he possibly want to do such a thing to Matt?"
"Greed, love and passion are three reasons other people do similar things to people, they then pretend as though they are a victim of a crime against them," said Ken glancing over to the kitchen counter as a cat jumped up on it, "They play the part of the fool, act like they feel pain and hurt and make it seem like they are doing everything they can to find the perpetrator."
"What do they do after things pass and nothing happens?"
"Leave, they usually leave the country or at least the place where it all happened." Said Ken picking up his cup and taking a drink.
"Tai though, he loved Matt as though they were brothers." Said Takeru, stifling the comment about them being lovers.
"TK, Tai told me about his and Matt's true relationship, no need to keep up the veil of secrecy."
"He did? Oh," said Takeru looking slightly shocked but in a way he knew that it couldn't be kept secret from friends, "Tai loved Matt, I know that for a fact and Kari knows it too, he would never do such a thing."
They looked at one another for a second before Ken responded, "Passion crimes are done in the heat of the moment, a temporary moment of insanity in which all judgment and feelings go out the window. It could've of been a passion crime in which Tai focused on only one thing at the time, as rare as those crimes are it's a very real possibility TK. Even you have to admit that."
Takeru sat there, it made sense in a way but in another he knew it couldn't of happened like that his very bone marrow told him otherwise. He took a small sip of his drink and heard the door open; Kari was home.
Kari shut the door and put her keys on the little table next to the stairs next to her pocketbook. She thought about Taichi and imagined him at home crying which made her want to burst into tears. She never liked the idea of crying unless it was for joy and her bond with all of her friends made her share the same emotions as they had. "Damn sympathy." She said wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.
Takeru walked around the corner, "Honey you okay?" he asked noticing her eyes were slightly red.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Said Kari walking to within inches of Takeru and leaning in on him, "How is your day?"
Takeru wrapped his arms around the petite young woman, "It's okay I guess, Ken came over earlier."
Kari opened her eyes wide and looked up into Takeru's full of hope, "Did he find him?"
Takeru increased pressure in his arms bringing her closer, "No, nothing." He said keeping the fact that Ken had told him that Tai was his prime suspect secret.
Kari buried her head into his shoulder, she tried not to think of it and hated not knowing if Matt was okay, she hated that Tai was suffering and hated that she couldn't do anything to help. After a minute or two she looked up at Takeru, a solitary tear had rolled down his cheek.
Ken walked in a stopped dead in his tracks, "Oh god, I'm sorry I didn't mean to." He said thinking he'd interrupted them in a private moment.
Takeru let go of Kari and turned to face him, "Oh...it's okay, we were just about to go to the living room."
Kari looked at Ken; something in his eyes told her he was having some kind of internal conflict. "Ken, is something wrong?"
Ken looked to Takeru, his eyes pleading for an answer as to whether or not he should tell her what he told him. He watched as Takeru mouthed the words "Don't tell her" to him, "No, I'm just at ends on finding out what happened." Said Ken trying to keep a steady tone of professionalism.
Matt awoke to find that he had been unshackled when he was asleep, a plate of what looked to be food before him and a glass of water. He looked around to see if the person who had put it there was still in the room but they weren't. Slowly he made his way to the plate, there was no silverware, which he thought, was a smart move by who ever.
"It's still warm," said Matt as he touched the bread, "They must've just been in here." He looked at the contents, two pieces of fresh baked bread, a piece of fish and two carrots. He picked up a piece of bread and smelled it thinking it could be poisoned; it smelled like normal hot out of the oven bread.
His stomach screamed at him, "Are you stupid!? Eat the damned bread before I digest your insides!"
Without thinking any more about the chances of being poisoned he practically inhaled the first piece of bread. The sensations it produced while sliding down his throat were almost that of sheer ecstasy. His mouth became filled with saliva as he picked up one of the carrots, it too warm.
Suddenly, a voice boomed in the darkness and resonated off the walls, "Do you like your meal Yamato?"
His head bolted up and looked around in desperation, "Who said that?" asked Matt out loud.
"No need to know me by name, it will be a terrible thing to know your executioner wouldn't it?" came the voice again, this time sounding as though it were right behind him.
His mind raced, "I could be hearing things...I could be losing it, I've got to keep it together." He thought.
"Poor Yamato, you think I'm a delusion of your mind don't you," the voice said sounding farther away, "Unfortunately for you, I'm quite real but in a sense your feeble mind would never understand. I am here to set you free but that won't be for some time now."
"Where are you?"
"I'm here," said the voice coming from where his water was, "Or am I up here?" asked the voice, this time from above him.
The echoes were throwing him off, he thought as tried to pin point where the voices were coming from exactly. "Damn it!" he yelled, a sharp pain wracked his frail frame.
An insidious laughter resonated throughout the stone as Matt laid there shaking with pain, the type of laughter that is maniacal and menacing.
"Taichi, why aren't you trying to find me?" came the voice from the darkness.
Tai stood there searching in the darkness, "I can't." he said with tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Don't you love me?" came the voice again as a faint image of Matt appeared before him.
"I love you more than anything! More than life itself!" yelled Tai as he threw his arms out to hug the image. The image faded and he stumbled forward, falling flat on his face.
"You say you do, how do I know you do?" asked Matt, appearing and kneeling down in front of Tai.
"I will find you, I will find you and prove I do."
"You best get going then, you only have 13 days left to find me before something happens." Said Matt as he extended his hand to Tai.
Tai looked at him, tears were falling down Matt's cheeks as well, "I will find you Yama, I promise." He said placing his hand in Matt's.
Matt pulled him to his feet, "I love you Taichi, more than ever do I love you and need you right now."
Tai bolted up on the couch, eyes wide, "I love you Matt!" he yelled. After a moment he realized it was a dream, but still it made him more determined. He got up and stretched noticing that the trashcan was rank with vomit. Cringing he picked it up and carried it to the bathroom, holding his nose as he poured it's contents into the toilet and flushing.
He set the can down by the toilet and proceeded to use the restroom, as was his morning ritual. He thought about what he needed to do to leave the country for the United States, it was going to be tough not telling anyone why but he couldn't. He flushed the toilet again and walked into the bedroom he shared with Matt. It felt so cold in the room he thought as he started packing his suitcase, so very cold.