Notes: I think this is becoming my Wednesday ritual. No, that's bad… I'm at work! But, then again, work is dull. So screw it then… on with the typing.
Warnings: come on, you can't be serious- like you don't know there's yaoi ahead.
Disclaimer: don't own Digimon, despite my various attempts and failures.
Also… this fic probably seems very similar to some others out there as far as tone and feeling. Honestly, that's mostly due to the other wonderful DaiKensuke authors whose fics have been inspirational and amazing to me. Kudos to all those who helped pave the way and inspire writers such as myself. I'd list the names, but that would make this note enormous. Thanks also go out to everyone who has left me a review- you have no idea how much I appreciate it!!! ^_^
And finally…
Glass Statue- 3
After sanding and cutting the glass down to the right size, Daisuke finally took a moment to stop. Wiping the sweat from his forehead he couldn't help but grin at the outlined shape of his creation. There was absolutely no way this gift would be mistaken for anything but a token of love. If Ken failed to get the message then it was certain his IQ would need to be tested again. Still considered a genius, the Child of Kindness could indeed be awfully dense sometime. Dai sighed hoping that when Ken received his gift it would not be one of those times.
Slipping a face mask over his nose and mouth and pulling his goggles and gloves back into place, the artist picked up his refined drill to begin giving his work the finer details it still needed. The mask was itchy, but it wouldn't do him any good to inhale minute shards of glass. That would probably hurt. Still, the thing was really restricting.
The drill in his hand was a smaller handheld version of what he normally used to add holes to his pottery or his walls. It took two bits, one for shaving the glass and another for cutting lines into it. After cutting the lines, Daisuke would have to sand them down a bit so that they wouldn't cut anyone who happened to touch them. As his mind began to wander, he mused over how cool it would have been to have a laser cutter. Yeah, laser… that was the way to go. Or if the Gate was open maybe Stingmon could use that weird spike thingy of his to cut the lines. Or maybe even X-Veemon could have helped.
Daisuke turned off his drill and quickly blinked away the gathering liquid in his eyes. No, he wouldn't cry anymore about this. He had already shed too many tears. And he knew what his partner had said- to just let things run their course, no matter how hard it was to be separated from each other. Best friends shouldn't be pulled apart. But then, Veemon and Wormmon had gotten together and the pain lessened. Or so they said…
Sighing again, Dai flipped his drill back on. As he thought some more his good mood returned, he could make one of these of his digimon! Now, why hadn't that occurred to him before? Honestly, his head was really in the clouds… some… times…
"Oh shit," Daisuke nearly fell over backwards when he noticed the unintentional cut he had made during his little mental trip. But when he looked closer at it… it seemed that this "mistake" would actually serve to make the piece better. He smiled again.
Even Daisuke had to admit that there are times when certain things must be dealt with and that certain things will start to happen whether people are ready for it or not.
***
Despite his best efforts, Ken was quickly finding that resistance was indeed futile. After hanging up from her conversation with Takeru, Miyako had declared that the three of them were going to hunt down the other trio- Taichi, Yamato, and Koushiro. More specifically, they were going to hunt down the brunette and the blond. They had some explaining to do. The redhead would, most likely, just get dragged along for the ride. Ken mused over the fact that he and Koushiro had something else to bond about besides computers at that point.
However, the girls were still quite upset about the whole ordeal. "He really didn't know?" Hikari was hoping for the best- that her friend and counterpart, Takeru, had not been holding out on her. She would probably beat him within an inch of his life if he had.
Miyako shrugged. "He really didn't know. And you know he's completely incapable of lying to either of us. He sounded pretty pissed off about the whole thing too. He's going to make some phone calls to sort this out while we go on a recon and capture mission."
That phrase made Ken groan. Recon and capture, definition: Miyako, Hikari, and now (unfortunately) Ken were going to tail Taichi and Yamato and in the course of any suspicious behavior, take them in for "questioning" using any means necessary. Having been on far too many of these missions in the past Ken began to try and backpedal to get away. But Miyako was too fast for him and caught his arm.
"Oh no you don't," she scolded. "After we're done with our questioning of Tai and Yama, you'll be in the hot-seat. So don't think for one minute that you're getting away, Ichijouji Ken."
He wanted to cry. "These missions never go well," he countered. "And I've been on too many of them."
Miyako snorted. "You've only been on one!"
"Exactly! That's one too many!" Ken tried to wrench free of her grip… and found out the hard way that when Miyako said he was doing something, then he was damn well going to do it. "Ow," he whispered. Her fingers were going to leave bruises.
'Kari giggled a bit, knowing full well that Ken was experiencing the Grip of Iron Death from her Jogress partner. "Does it hurt, Ken?" She laughed at the deathly glare she received.
"Hey, I don't lift weights for nothing!" With that, Miyako continued to haul Ken down the street, Hikari at their heels.
***
Takeru was in the midst of a full-blown pout when Iori strolled through the door. At the sight of his friend, Takeru brightened a bit. It was the first friendly male he had encountered all day. His job, unfortunately, left a bit to be desired as far as interaction. But he did get to meet some very lovely young women. Not that he would ever tell his girlfriend that. 'Kari would kill him.
When Takeru decided to get a job a year ago, he had gone to the mall in search of employment. As it turned out, the best paying job he could get was to work as a stock-boy for a women's lingerie store. Granted, they sold more than skimpy underthings, but he had still caught holy hell from all of his friends when they found out. Iori, in particular, seemed to think that the blonde could have done a lot better- until Takeru told him how much money he made. The issue had been dropped shortly thereafter.
"Iori!" Takeru all but flung himself at his friend. "Thank the gods you're here. Something big is happening."
"Don't tell me- Daisuke finally lost it completely and jumped Ken?" Everyone knew about the second leader's feelings.
Shaking his head, the blonde was dead serious. "Bigger."
Bigger? What could possibly be bigger than that? "Um… Hikari's pregnant?" Hey, it was worth a shot.
Aqua eyes bulged as Takeru clapped his hands over his ears. "No! And don't say things like that, you'll give me an aneurysm. She and I… nevermind," he trailed off with a blush.
Iori merely raised an eyebrow and pointed out the obvious: "I have hormones too, you know." The words were said in the same tone that most people reserved for the "I Have Feelings" speech.
Seeing his the brunette in distress, Takeru clapped a hand on his back. "Aw, I know. It's rough still being a virgin, huh? One of the few, the proud, the brave." With dramatic tears in his eyes, he delivered the next line with utmost sympathy. "Don't worry, I have hope that one day you too will get laid."
If patience and understanding were virtues, then Iori had instantly become a saint. Until he growled out his response. "Fuck you." So clearly enunciated that there was no mistaking just how irritated he was.
Takeru, however, only stuck out his tongue. "Bet you'd like to!" He laughed at the deadly menace in his friend's cool jade eyes. "Seriously though, this involves something of epic proportions!"
Rolling his eyes, Iori instantly switched to Why Should I Give A Shit mode. "Really? Do tell."
One blonde eyebrow went up before Takeru threw a thong at the other boy. "Quit being such a prude, this is serious!" Stifling a laugh when Iori pulled the thong off his face and blushed before awkwardly dropping it back on the table it came from, Takeru cleared his throat and resumed his speech. "My fair brother, it seems, had been holding out on me. It has been reported that he and Taichi are involved in a scheme of sorts that revolves around a certain redhead they've both been spotted with on more than one occasion." He knew that would pique his Jogress partner's interest.
Iori wasn't sure if he had heard properly. Yamato keeping secrets? From his brother?? "This is serious," he murmured.
"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" When Takeru yelled he startled several customers and earned a very dark look from his manager. He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Ken overheard Yama and Tai talking at my party two weeks ago about The Koushiro Project. One of them has a crush on him, or they both did at some point. No one knows right now. Miyako, Kari, and Ken are on their way to observe and interrogate even as we speak."
Iori was quiet for several minutes before letting out a big sigh. "Those two don't stand a chance and this could get very messy." The concern in his eyes was matched with Takeru's empathic nod.
They had no idea how right they both were.
***
Still in the bookstore, Taichi, Yamato, and Koushiro had reconvened for tea in the café area. All three were still having problems of the nose and ear variety. Tai had tried multiple times to clear his problem- with no success. His nose was raw and red. Yamato had tried a damp paper towel… which did absolutely nothing. Even Koushiro had resorted to the travel kit he carried on him for every last cotton swab he could find. He had scoured the kit and his ears were still so itchy that they were a distraction.
"We need to do something about this," Tai finally stated.
Yamato nodded in agreement, face solemn. "This is really starting to annoy me."
"Well, at least you aren't itchy," Taichi offered. "Could be worse."
After shaking his head a bit, Koushiro finally gave in and asked what had been gnawing at him. "Now, why did you say this was happening again, Tai? Ow…"
"People are talking about us. Either it's a lot of people or they're just doing a lot of talking. Can't tell which one yet." The brunette sighed and watched his statement register with the Chosen of Knowledge.
"You're aware that this idea is completely illogical," the redhead stated. When Tai nodded, he reaffirmed. "Just so we're clear. Ow. Dammit!"
All throughout Yamato had been muttering curses under his breath about burning ears and big-haired dolts who cause people to talk about them in excess. When his cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket it was a welcome distraction.
Hearing the soft buzzing, Taichi snickered. "Oooh, talk about good vibrations, eh Yama?"
"Oh shut up," the blonde snapped. "Yeah?"
While he had a quick and hushed conversation, Tai and Koushiro just looked at each other and shrugged. Since Tai was brave, he was willing to admit to the light blush on his cheeks. He was also thankful for his tan- it hid a lot of things. But, he noticed the same could not be said of Koushiro. A fine twinge of pink was scattered across the bridge of his nose and high up on his cheeks. And the longer Taichi stared, the darker that pink became. Throughout his staring, Koushiro tried desperately to pretend that it wasn't Tai staring at him. The redhead looked everywhere, his obsidian eyes darting as an obvious signature of nervousness.
Their trance was broken when Yamato snapped his phone shut, scowling. "Tai? Why the hell would your sister call me and want to know where we are?"
Gears turned for a moment. "Shit," he jumped up from his chair. "You didn't tell her did you?"
Blonde eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Of course I told her. Why wouldn't I?"
As he raked a hand through his wild mane of hair, Tai tried to think. "Anyone know where we can find Sora right about now? Or even Jyou?"
"Jyou's in class, but Sora should be at her apartment," Koushiro answered carefully. He didn't like the look on Tai's face.
Brushing aside a bare twinge of jealousy, Tai nodded. "Sora's it is then." He motioned to the others. "Grab your shit and get going. We need to clear out before to Inquisition gets here!" Looking up, he saw distinctly long, maroon hair moving by the window. "Damn." He grabbed his friends. "Not out the front- either we use the side entrance, the back door, or the window in the bathroom."
"Tai, what the hell is going on? What Inquisition?" Koushiro was all for fun and games, but this was getting ridiculous. Why on earth would Taichi be so frantic?
"Yeah, Tai, what the fuck? We just got here…" Yamato broke off when his friend turned to give him a hard glance. The blonde began to look around desperately. He knew then and there that their window of escape was a limited one. They had been discovered. "That window is awfully small. Think we can fit through?"
Taichi grinned. This was what made Yamato so much fun. "You bet your bony little ass we can!"
The three of them booked it to the bathroom just before Miyako walked into the store. Her eyes scanned the crowd and came up with nothing. Damn. Well, maybe Kari or Ken would have better luck.
When Tai, Yama, and Koushiro burst into the bathroom the brunette and the blonde wasted no time opening the window. And despite his utter confusion, Koushiro went through no questions asked. As his friends stumbled out behind him, they were greeted with a surprise.
"I'll help you escape," Ken offered, "but only if you'll take me with you!"
Tai nodded, not wanting to wait another minute. "How many of you are there?"
"Miyako's inside and your sister's at the back door," Ken replied. His eyes kept darting around, looking for that signature maroon hair.
Yamato and Taichi grinned. "Excellent," the blonde hissed. He grabbed Ken's hand. "We're headed for Sora's. Get your ass in gear and try to keep up!"
Ken laughed. "They don't call me The Rocket for nothing, Ishida," he cried as he sprinted past the blonde.
The four of them made it around the side of the store and onto the street before the two girls could find them. They dashed all the way to Sora's, shoving through crowded sidewalks and two subway stations all while screaming frantic things at one another.
"Yamato turn off your fucking cell phone!"
"But what if it's Sora or my brother?"
"Turn it off before I take it from you and beat you to death with it myself!"
"All right! All right!"
"Why are we running again?"
"To avoid the Inquisition!"
"What the hell is the Inquisition?!"
By then they had all stopped and were gasping for breath. Ken answered Koushiro's question with unlimited fear in his eyes. "Miyako."
That one name and the redhead understood.
After trekking up seven flights of stairs they reached Sora's apartment… only to find that she had been expecting them.
*************
You had to know I was going to bring in all the Chosen for this one. Hope some confusion was cleared up. I keep dropping hints… Next up: Sora and surprises, more Takeru and Iori, Daisuke once again, and Ken clears up some issues. This is so much fun to write… Review?
