Disclaimer: i don't own anything and i am not making any money off of this story.
"Tai? Tai, what's wrong?" Sora placed a hand on my shoulder, watching me with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
"Huh? Oh, I- I'm f-fine." I replied distractedly, waving a hand dismissively in her direction. I was watching Yama, who was sitting a little ways away, on a bench all by himself, his back turned to us. We were outside, during break, in the gardens behind the school and, though it was a warm day, he was wearing a ribbed turtleneck sweater, a scarf that covered half his face, and long, dark blue jeans. He hated wearing clothes that made him hot and uncomfortable, even during the winter. He said he didn't like taking off all the layers once he was hot and then having to put them back on because he was cold. I thought it was stupid but hey, who am I to say what he should wear or not? I understood him like no one else and he trusted me enough to show his true emotions but lately, he'd been freezing even me out. I didn't know why but I figured it was just one of those 'Yama moments,' as I'd come to call them. Whenever he was going through a particularly tough time, he would hide behind a mask of indifference. Usually, it meant that he just needed some time to think and sort out his thoughts and almost always, once he'd done that, he would go talk to me. But lately, something had been bothering him and he was even more depressed than usual, even for him.
"Oh come on, Taichi." Sora hummed seductively into my ear, reaching over my shoulders to rub my chest. I had forgotten about her and she had interrupted my thoughts. "I'm lonely. Make me feel better." Even without looking at her, I heard the honey sweetness and knew she had a coy pout on her lips. I stifled a sigh; sometimes, she really knew how to get on my nerves. And it wasn't like I could even talk to her about those sorts of things, either. The last time that I had tried to tell her about my concerns for Yama, she'd brushed them away like they were buzzing flies. For some reason, ever since we had become a couple, she hated it that I spent time with Yama, complaining that I never took time for her. So, I hoisted a smile on my face and hid the concern that I knew was evident in my eyes before turning back to her. "There you are. I was beginning to get- worried." With every word, she got a little closer and her voice dropped a little lower. At the end of her last sentence, our foreheads were touching and she was sitting in my lap, her legs wrapped around my waist. "Mmm." She brushed her soft lips against mine and I responded reluctantly but in her eagerness, she didn't notice. She was like a puppy-dog, all sweet affection, never noticing when that affection wasn't wanted. We kissed a bit but I heard footsteps walking away from where we were and broke the kiss to look. It was Yama and he was walking away, no, hobbling away. I had never known him to show any sign of weakness ever before and somehow, watching him limping and walking like a feeble old man made my heart drop. Something was wrong, more wrong than I had previously thought. What had happened to him? Then I felt a hand on my chin and it turned my head back and lips attacked mine. I was in no mood for this at the moment.
"Sora, I have to go. There's something I need to do." I stood, forgetting that she was practically on top of me and she slid to the bench with an unceremonious thud. "Sorry." And then I took off after the blonde boy. He walked through the halls, slowly, ignoring all the girls who sidled up to him and sighed and giggled and flirted. He shook them off without a word and entered the boy's restroom, much to their dismay. I'm sure they would have followed him in but a teacher walked by just then and they were forced to disband. I followed him in just as one of the stall doors clicked shut. I saw his pants fall to the floor and then a hiss of pain, but it was the sound of something hitting water that made me feel sick to the stomach. In retrospect, that nausea was a bit foolish because we were, after all, in a restroom. He could have just been peeing. At the time, it was more a gut feeling, than anything else, like my subconscious was trying to warn me that something was terribly wrong.
"Dammit." I heard him curse quietly to himself. "It's worse." Another hiss of pain. And was that a whimper?
"Yama?" I asked tentatively. He gasped. "Yama, are you okay?" I edged toward the stall. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine, Taichi." I was surprised at the venom in his voice. "Just leave me alone, ok?" He was impatient, like how he always sounded before he punched me in the face, but underneath that, there was something else. Pain? Sadness? I couldn't tell but it was something I had never heard in his voice before. Red alarms were going off in my head. I had heard enough to know that he was lying. But why was he shutting me out?
"You're not fine and I'm not going to get off your back until you tell me." He wanted to be stubborn? Well, two could play at that game. He was quiet and so was I; the only sound heard was his heavy breathing and I knew he was angry. "I'm your best friend, Yama. Can't you trust me?"
"N-nno. I can't. Not w-with this." I stalked from the room and slammed the door behind me. I was hurt and angry that he couldn't trust me but the weariness and pain in his voice stayed those feelings. Something was going on with Yamato Ishida and as I walked to my next class, I vowed that I wasn't going to stop until I found out or he broke down and told me. He could be as stubborn as he wanted but I was just as stubborn and persistent to boot. He wanted stubbornness and persistence on my part, then he got it.
A/N: Not my best chapter but if i don't post it now, it's just gonna drive me crazy so there you go. please review!