Sorry for the slight delay, I had school assessments to do. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Strained Truths

Gods will this never end? Two people were thinking the same thing as they sat next to each other on a table full of chattering happy individuals.

Taichi sighed for the fourth time in thirty seconds and his sister looked over at him worriedly. When Yamato yawned and scratched his nose for the third time, Takeru decided to have a chat with his fiancée to see if she knew what was going on.

"I don't know a thing," she whispered to him.

"Well there's something up. When have you ever known either of them to be like this?"

Hikari shrugged. "Not for a while." She studied the two of them closely. "Do you think there's something wrong in their relationship?"

Takeru looked away and said quietly, "I'm not even sure they're still in a relationship."

"What?" Hikari hissed. "Did Yamato tell you that?"

"No, it's just something I've come to a conclusion about. I think Ken and Davis have too." Hikari looked over to see the two soccer players studying the unhappy couple themselves.

"I see." Hikari looked rather sad. "I wish I knew what exactly was going on."

"We'll find out eventually I suppose. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's just because they've been away from each other so long." Takeru sighed. Somehow, I don't think I'm wrong though.

The engaged couple then began to converse with others around the table, trying to get their brothers' plight out of their mind for the time being. Takeru was talking with Koushiro and Jyou about various things with Sora and Mimi looking on occasionally with interest while Hikari was congratulating Miyako and Iori on their new relationship with Davis and Ken.

"I wonder how long that's been going on?" Taichi muttered, staring at the odd couple. Well, actually, he was more staring at Miyako who had undergone a very drastic change. Her stunning violet hair was now black with violet and red streaks in her fringe and was cut very short and styled almost as wildly as Taichi's, but slightly more feminine in appearance. Her clothes were dark and alternative, she pulled the indy, neo-goth look off rather well and, strangely, it made her look older and more intelligent than she already did. Iori, on the other hand, was still a rather formal appearing boy. He was the only one among them still in high school, but he was in his final year, having been pushed up a grade a while ago. He'd transformed from the shy young boy he was into a laughing, not quite as formal as he had been, handsome teenager and it was obvious he was loving every minute he spent with Miyako.

"They do look kind cute together," Yamato murmured in reply. Taichi looked over, noticing that Yamato was a bored as he.

"I guess. Now all the digi-destined have someone." Taichi paled and frowned. "Or, they would have."

Yamato winced. He knew they'd get to that eventually. The day had gone so well, neither of them had said a word about their predicament, being ready and willing to forget everything temporarily and fall back into the habit of fooling and joking around with each other. But both of them knew it was a facade and they knew they couldn't keep it up forever.

"Do you think we could talk later?" Yamato asked quietly.

"Sure." Taichi turned away again and decided to change the subject. He took a sip of his wine. "So, how's your band going?"

"Fine. We're taking a bit of time off after the game tomorrow before recording our new album."

"Any concerts?"

"Two, but minor ones. They're more like private parties. We're playing at the music awards ceremonies."

"So I heard." Taichi took another sip of his drink. "I also heard you guys are up for a few awards."

Yamato smiled. "Yeah. I'm so proud. I never knew we'd get so far, I only dreamed it. I mean, we've only been playing professionally for three years now —"

"Five. Your last two years of school could be considered as the start of a professional career."

"I guess. A local career anyway." Yamato looked over at Taichi and smiled. "I have you to thank for a lot of my success."

Taichi looked surprised. "Me?"

"Yeah. You were always there for me when I started. God I was a pain in the ass."

"You still are," Taichi joked playfully.

Yamato laughed good-humouredly. "Thanks. Not to mention, you were the main one who got me off my ass and made me do things to get out of depressions or slumps." Yamato smiled gently at Taichi. "I owe you so much, and I never really did thank you properly."

"No, you didn't and you didn't have to. Instead, you did the complete opposite." Taichi turned away bitterly.

"Taichi ..."

"No Yamato, I don't want to hear any apologies, I want an explanation. Don't I deserve one?"

"You do."

"Well?" Taichi looked at him expectantly, a gleam of anger in his eyes.

Yamato looked around the table nervously. No one was looking at them or seemed very interested, but he was nervous all the same. "Can we talk about this outside?"

"Why? They all know don't they?"

Yamato looked at Taichi strangely. "Did you tell them?"

"You didn't?' Taichi looked just as confused. "I was wondering why they seemed not to know much about what happened." Taichi looked around. "Actually, I like public humiliation just as much as you. It would be best if we took this outside."

Yamato nodded. They got up, drawing everyone's attention.

"Where are you guys going?" Hikari asked them curiously.

"Outside for a session." Everyone stared goggle-eyed at Yamato, who shrugged. Taichi just grinned at the joke, despite the serious thoughts running through his head.

"You're joking right?' Takeru asked nervously.

"No Takeru, I'm going to ruin Taichi's chances at playing tomorrow as well as possibly my reputation by smoking pot in a public place." Yamato loaded the sarcasm onto his statement and shook his head.

Takeru glared. "Well, you sounded so serious the first time."

Taichi laughed. "Maybe you should have been an actor instead of a musician Yama, you seem to have the talent for it."

Yamato glared. "Well you're going to wish you were a kick-boxer instead of a soccer stud by the time I'm through with you Tai-chan." Yamato grinned. "Come on." He walked towards the exit and Taichi grinned at the others.

"We won't be too long," he reassured them with a flourished bow. "But don't wait up in case we are." He grinned again at them before turning and following Yamato outside.

Yamato was standing on the kerb outside the restaurant looking at the stars when Taichi came out. He glanced over and pulled something out of his pockets.

"You actually do smoke?"

"Only cigarettes."

"Not any more." Taichi grabbed the packet and threw it away. Yamato glared, but gave up.

"I never should have started anyway."

"When did you start?"

"Three years ago." Taichi fell silent at Yamato's words. Yamato looked over at him with pain-filled eyes. "For what its worth, I am so sorry. I didn't want to hurt you like this."

"So why did you?" Taichi asked him imploringly.

Yamato shrugged, trying not to show how hard this was for him to talk about. "I guess, I was just frightened."

"You left me because you were scared?" Taichi looked at him in amazement. "That is the most pathetic thing I've heard."

Yamato glared at him. "Do you really think it was so easy to leave you behind?"

"Well it seemed pretty simple to you. So, what, all of a sudden, you just decided to go to New York—"

"LA," Yamato cut in. Taichi glared at him.

"Fine, LA, whatever. So, you just decided to go to LA and not say a word to me? Fuck, Yama, I thought you loved me, that I was an important part of your life. But obviously I was mistaken if you left me without so much as a goodbye!"

"You think that it's so simple? It's not, it wasn't. Leaving you was the hardest thing I'd ever done and one of the few things that I never wanted to do."

"So why did you?" Taichi yelled out. He could feel tears behind his eyes, they began to blur his vision. "Do you have any idea how that felt? Worrying about you for over a week then finding out in a note that you'd left me to go to New York?

"LA."

"I don't care!" Taichi yelled, tears threatening to spill over. "I thought you were fine, that you loved me, that you were happy. If you weren't, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I wasn't sure." Yamato ran his fingers through his hair, not worrying how messy it was getting.

"Not sure? You weren't sure of your feelings?"

"No, I wasn't ... look, its not that simple."

"So, dumb it down for me!"

Yamato stared at Taichi pleadingly, but saw determination in his watery eyes. "Everything I'd ever had had gone wrong in my life. My family, every relationship I'd ever been in. You were the only thing that was going right and I got scared. I was so afraid that you'd leave too and I didn't think I could handle that. Loosing everything else would have been terrible, but if I had you, everything would be all right." Yamato turned away so Taichi couldn't see his tears.

But Taichi saw and looked at him strickenly. "So why did you leave me? I never would have left you Yama." Taichi grabbed his hand. "We were supposed to be together forever Yama."

"I wanted to believe that, but I wasn't sure if I could. I freaked, I got completely paranoid when we got so close that I felt I had to escape. I don't know why I did it, you were everything to me and I couldn't bear the thought of loosing you if you got too close to me, so I ran." Yamato drew his hand back from Taichi's. "I'm sorry Taichi."

Taichi backed away from him, his eyes wide. "You … you ran away from me? You didn't love me, did you?" He asked in a choked voice.

Yamato turned around to stare at him in shock. Taichi was looking at him with a grieving expression. "Taichi, no, I —" Taichi turned and ran away. "No, Tai, please! Come back!" Yamato stared after him and Taichi ran around the corner and away before he could react enough to move.

Yamato continued to stand there, staring after him, tears streaming down his own face. "You're wrong. I always loved you and I still do." He put his head down and gently caressed the ring on his finger. "I always will."

AN: I hope that explained a few things for everyone. Sorry if it was a bit short. Next chappie, things start to move forward again, slowly, but they are moving.