Disclaimer: Same old, same old.

I got into the bed and pulled the blankets over us. I began humming and soon, the sounds of his heavy breathing could be heard. I watched him and was surprised to find that I was feeling very differently toward him. There was a small patch of moonlight streaming through the window, directly on his face and I studied him. Full lips were slightly open through which breaths were escaping. His lashes rested on high cheekbones and golden hair fell haphazardly around his face. Though I had found out everything, his shame, his secret, I did not feel a single ounce of contempt or pity for him, as I knew he'd feared. Instead, I only experienced a sense of respect; that he could suffer so much and still not succumb into the depths of despair was something that I admired deeply.

Of its own accord, my hand reached up and fingered a lock of his silky hair. Girls would kill for this opportunity, to be lying next to the god, Yamato Ishida, and here I was, doing this for the first time in however many years we had been friends. His lips twitched upwards and he exhaled contentedly. I grinned. He was so innocent when he was sleeping. During his waking hours, he had a mask on; something that not many people could see past or even know was there. But when he slept, his defenses dropped and he was just Yama, not Yamato Ishida, god of the school, not Yamato, the boy whose home life was the most miserable that I'd ever seen, he was just Yama. My hand continued stroking his head, patting him like I would a puppy or a cat and I was gripped with a desire to feel his skin against my lips. I shook my head and blushed in the dark, thankful that I was alone with my thoughts. This was Yama I was talking about and he was my best friend. I still watched him and the same desire rose. It was powerful and I felt I needed to do this. Unhurriedly, checking to make sure he was in a deep sleep, I twisted my body and leaned forward. My lips pressed against the soft skin on his forehead and I closed my eyes happily.

As if waking up from a dream, I jerked backwards, horror taking a hold of me. I smacked my forehead. Stupid, stupid. If Yama had woken up just then-- I shuddered, not even wanting to think about it. He was being sexually abused and was probably uncomfortable around males at the moment. Then again, he didn't seem to mind it when I told him we would have to share a bed if he was to stay here. I supposed he trusted me at least and I was glad. I didn't want anything to happen that would potentially jeopardize our relationship. I didn't even know what I was feeling, what my emotions were at that moment and I wasn't going to act on them until I was sure and confident that whatever my actions, they would be the right ones. For the time being, I would wait and see. My eyes drifted shut of their own accord and before I knew it, I was asleep.

The sounds of teasing and laughter woke me the next morning. I checked outside the window; it was barely beginning to get lighter and I groaned unhappily. Whoever had decided to wake up at this godforsaken hour was certifiably crazy in my book.

"Get out of there, Yamato Ishida. I mean, right now!" Kari was banging on the door.

"No. I'm in the shower." His voice was barely discernable over the noise of running water. He was laughing and the sound was one that I hadn't heard for a very long time. "Come on, Kar. Only five more minutes. Then you can take YOUR precious shower. Why are you up so early anyways?"

"Why are YOU up so early?" Kari shot back.

"I asked you first." He shouted back and Kari stiffened, bent her head and clenched her fists. A muffled scream emitted from behind her clenched teeth. And I struggled to keep from laughing; she was always grumpy in the morning and I knew that any laughter would provoke a good thumping from her.

"What's going on?" I half-chuckled, half-grumbled at Kari and she jerked her thumb at the door.

"Your guest here has hijacked the bathroom and I really need to use it." Kari sounded exasperated and she was fidgeting in the way small children do when they need to use the restroom.

"Use mom's." I shrugged. "She won't hear you if you can be quiet."

"She's in there with her- boyfriend." Kari spat, making a face. "Do you know her state of dress when she's in her bedroom with her boyfriend?"

"Oh. Then I guess you gotta wait." I shrugged as she huffed frantically, her face was going redder by the minute and her fidgeting became more and more urgent. Just as she looked like she was going to burst from the pressure, Yama opened the door and stepped out, looking refreshed, with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"The bathroom's all yours, Kar." He bowed jovially, and she threw him a dirty look as she raced inside.

"You want to borrow some of my clothes? Until we can get you some new ones, I mean." I grabbed his elbow but he jerked away.

"Don't do that." His voice was low and dangerous, all traces of laughter gone from his face. I stared, open-mouthed at him. He brushed past me into my room and I trailed after him.

"Here." I stuttered, once my voice unstuck. I handed him a shirt, a pair of underwear and some shorts. "Mom apparently did the laundry last night while we were asleep."

"Thanks." I turned away and he hastily put them on.

"Look, I'm sorry that I snapped at you. It's just that- that- he used to- used to grab me there to pull me to- the Torture Chamber." He swallowed and hung his head.

"You'll be okay. He'll never force you to go someplace or do something you don't wanna do." I had said this comfort so many times that I had lost count but I just wanted to make sure that he knew he was finally safe. "Come on, let's go to the tennis courts."

"I don't do tennis."

"S'okay. We'll just go to do something and if we can think of anything better, we'll do that." He seemed to like my idea so we headed out the door. I wrote a note and tacked it to the bulletin board hanging on my mother's bedroom door. It was the most convenient way we communicated with her without having to interrupt her precious hours of sleep. This way, she always knew where to look for any note we had left.

We headed out in the bright morning sun. It was a beautiful day, with cloudless skies, a brightly shining sun, and a cool breeze. Flowers were popping up everywhere in bursts of color, giving everything a wild, vivid look. Young children ran past, screaming joyfully after a winter of being cooped up inside. Couples strolled by, hand in hand, as they gazed adoringly at one another; both young and old were out and about today. Yama seemed to shrink away from the hustle and bustle but I grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. With that, I let go and we walked, slowly, to the tennis courts which were only a block away from the house.

"Hey Taichi!" Sora's voice called, getting louder, which told me that she was getting closer. I cringed slightly and heard Yama chuckle at my discomfort. "I haven't seen you for a while." She threw her arms around my neck from behind and gave me a fat, wet kiss on the ear. "Hello Yamato." She nodded politely at him and he raised his arm, giving her a little wave, though the smile on his face looked a bit strained.

"Hi Sora." He replied. "Umm, I could go if you want some time- ahem, together." I shook my head no as Sora shook her head yes and Yama looked back and forth from each of us, his face devoid of emotion but his eyes were taunting me. She let go of my neck and bounced to my side, taking my hand. She was wearing a flirty v-neck t-shirt and a skirt that was way too low on her hips and way too short. She had a tennis racket slung over her back and sunglasses pushed to the top of her head.

"So, Taichi. How 'bout we get together and have- some fun?" she nuzzled my shoulder and I edged away from her. A group of kids were standing a few feet aways, pointing and laughing as she tried to kiss me. An elderly man and woman walked by and I distinctly heard the woman mutter to her partner,

"Kids these days. Have they no shame at all?" The heat rose up in my face. She could be cute when she wanted to be but this was past the point of mortifying.

"Sora? We were just about to go to the movie theatre and watch that new action thriller." I knew she hated action movies, preferring sappy romance and dramas. "Wanna come?" She wrinkled her freckled nose and shook her head.

"No. I think I'll just practice my serving today." She threw down my hand and ran away into the courts.

"Quick thinking." Was all Yama had to say. Instead of heading to town, we went the opposite way and sauntered toward the park. "Follow me. I know this one place. It's beautiful. Come on!" Excitedly, he took hold of my wrist and practically dragged me off the main path, through clusters of trees, and finally, came to a stop on a hill, away from the noise of people talking, children laughing and shrieking, away from everything. It was quiet and there was a beautiful view of the city from where we were. "Don't stop yet." He tugged and steered me toward small woodland and into a clearing. The floor was springy and there were rocks all around, covered with moss. The best part was the trees. They were tall and easy to climb and Yama, apparently knowing this, kicked off his shoes and pulled himself up. I followed suit and we sat in the tree branches, watching the world go by. It was peace as I had not known and I was content to be sitting, high above the world with my best friend sitting right next to me.

"It's- wow." I croaked after a while.

"Yeah. It's awesome, isn't it? I found it a long time ago but I never got a chance to show you. Especially after you and Sora hooked up." There was a sorrow in his voice that caused my heart to twinge.

"Do you have a problem with Sora?" My question came out sounding more accusing than I had intended. He looked at me for a while and I could tell he was debating with himself whether or not he should be honest to me.

"I do." His matter-of-fact answer caught me by surprise though I was grateful that he was at least honest with me.

"Why? I mean, Sora's one of us." I meant that she was one of the Digidestined and they had never really had problems before; at least, not ones that I had noticed.

"You're too good for her. I mean, at first, I didn't care because she was a really cool person and I was happy for you. But she's changed, Taichi, and I don't know if you can tell but- but she's- she's a- pardon my saying, but she's a slut." And his answer made sense. I wasn't in love with her, never had been. I'd just been fooling myself and wasted a lot of my time pretending that I was. "Tai? Look, if I offended you, I'm sorry." He had misinterpreted my silence.

"No, no. I was just thinking. You took my by surprise, is all." More like, opened my eyes. We sat in silence for a while, watching the sun change positions. When we started feeling restless, we jumped out and ran around on the grassy knoll beside our hiding place until all our energy had been spent. Tired, Yama dropped to the floor and lay on his back, spread-eagled. His spun-gold hair hung around his head like a halo and I flopped down beside him, only I was on my side facing him, my head propped up by my hand. We lay beside each other, panting from our exertions.

"Tai? Why did you like Sora in the beginning?"

"She was fun, played soccer with me, made me laugh, and wasn't like all the other girls. She was the opposite of every girl I knew and I liked that. She's changed. Now all she wants to do is kiss and cuddle and go shopping. I hate shopping." Yama laughed quietly. I loved it when he was happy. His smile, his laugh was infectious; you just couldn't help smiling along with him. He was perfect. As he lay there, staring into the sky, his sapphire eyes reflected the purplish-blue and pink hues left behind by the dying sunlight. They danced and sparkled joyfully, there was no longer a burden hidden behind the façade of indifference; he was truly happy. His pale skin was healing, the bruises left behind were already beginning to fade, the only outward testimony of the horrific abuse he had suffered.

"Thank you, Tai." His soft voice carried above the weakening sounds of people. "I owe you my life."

"Yama, you don't have to thank me. You would have done the same for me. That's what friends do." I put a hand on his and he held it tightly.

"Are you content with being my friend?"

"Of course! How could you think otherwise?"

"I dunno. Maybe I'm just a burden or something." He shrugged, and inclined his face slightly to look directly into mine.

"You are NOT a burden. You are not a burden. I don't care what you think. You are not a burden. Not now, not ever." I was adamant.

"I was just wondering." His face looked sad though he was smiling. "My dad used to say that I was. That he was taking what was rightfully his. It was like my payment to him for existing. He said I owed him."

"How long had he been- you know?" I gulped, afraid I had crossed the line. Yama closed his eyes as he pondered the question. He didn't seem offended, just thoughtful, as if he was trying to remember something that eluded him.

"I'm not sure." He trailed off. "I think it started a little after he and mom divorced and she took T.K. I don't remember exactly when." His brow furrowed a little. "Why me? Why did he choose me? Why did he have to hurt me?" His voice cracked.

"He was sick and probably depressed. You were there and you wouldn't be going anywhere. You couldn't fight back. He felt power over you." I replied, thinking back to shows that my mother used to watch that talked about this type of stuff. Yama started yelling into the skies.

"He was supposed to be my DAD, Tai! He was supposed to love me, not hurt me. Take care of me, not make my life a living hell! Fuck, I used to seriously think that the only way to escape the pain was to die. Do you know how many fucking times I begged whoever was up there to just kill me? Do you know how many fucking times I cried myself to sleep, locked up in that- that hell hole?! Do you have any idea? Dammit, Taichi, I just wanted to be loved. Is that so hard to ask?" The last two sentences were asked with a sort of quiet desperation as tears made rivulets down his pale cheeks. I wanted so badly to say something but I didn't know what to say. I scooted closer to him, my hand still holding his, until our shoulders were pressing together. At that moment, all I cared about was him. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Just him. And at that moment, I realized that I was in love with him.

"But you ARE loved, Yama." I told him. He stared at me with eyes that were darker than the midnight sky and shimmering with unshed tears. He bit his lip, thinking about something. "Yama?" He leaned in closer to me, raising his head above mine, looking down at me. Closer and closer and my mind screamed, 'Get away Get away Get away!' but I couldn't move and I didn't and he was getting closer and then, our lips met. My eyes widened and I couldn't believe I was lying on a secluded hill, at night, kissing my best friend. He was watching me, now anxious, wondering if he had gone too far. But I didn't move, didn't pull away from him. His tongue flicked against my lips and they opened of their own accord. I could taste him, sweet and beautiful. I closed my eyes as he closed his and we both moaned as our tongues battled against each other. We brought our lips together, over and over, a small smack sound as we broke apart for a millisecond of torture, of separation, and then we touched again. Again and again and it was so wonderful. I never imagined it could be this blissful. I held his face in my hands and we tasted each other. I was in heaven. He was more perfect than I had thought before. He groaned in his throat, I could feel the low rumbling as I kissed his neck. I attacked his face with my lips, I was so desperate to feel his skin, taste him, touch him. THIS felt right. This was heaven. This was where I wanted to be forever. I had never felt this way around Sora. His mouth was on mine again and his tongue was exploring my mouth. Then our contact was broken and I opened my eyes and sat up, wiping saliva off my chin.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, boys." A cold voice laughed.

"What-?" I looked around and Yama was being held back by two thugs in black with dark sunglasses over their eyes. He was struggling with a frenzied look on his face. "Yama?" Instinctively, I moved toward him, to help him but my forehead met the cool metal of a gun and I froze, my eyes moving to look up into the face of the carrier. It was Yama's father. Once the fact registered into my brain, my blood ran cold. He had found us. I had promised Yama. I had promised. Now he was going to take Yama. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't. I had promised. He squatted, the gun still touching my forehead.

"Don't move, faggot, unless you want a bullet in your brain." He leered at me.

"How did you find us?" I whispered, only one thought was running through my brain: I promised him he would be safe. He chuckled sinisterly.

"Oh, you see, I was looking for my son and happened across this," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. I blanched; those were mine. They must have fallen out of my pocket while I was in the house and I hadn't noticed. "And what made it so absurdly effortless was the fact that your key ring, Taichi Yagami, has your picture and your address printed on the back." Damn those personalized key rings. It was all my fault. "I went to your house and asked that pretty little sister of yours if she knew where you were so I could return your keys to you. Well, she didn't recognize me and told me right away that she thought you might be headed to the park. It is such a small park, don't you think? So easy to find someone and especially since my son has a head of blonde hair that rather stands out, don't you think?"

"You're sick." I spat but he took no heed of my words.

"My son never told me what a handsome friend he had." His calloused hand fondled a lock of my hair and I jerked away from him.

"NO! DON'T YOU DARE, YOU BASTARD! You are not going to touch him!" Yama screamed, straining frantically against the iron grips of the men who held him. He was never going to get away from them, no matter what he did. One of them punched him, hard, in the stomach and he crumpled, coughing and limp. They laughed at him, kicking him mercilessly and he could do nothing but curl into a ball and hope they didn't break him.

"Leave him alone!" I yelled, watching in alarm as he coughed blood onto the grass. They paid no heed to me but his father laughed lowly.

"They were paid to do that. They won't listen to you but it's touching that you would try. You won't be calling the shots, we will." He leaned in closer. "Do you love him, faggot? Do you?" he mocked me and I glared hatefully at him, at his scorn for something so pure. Yes. I do love him. "What would you do if I said to you that I was going to kill him, slowly and painfully? Would you let me do that to him?"

"No." I choked. I had promised he would never be hurt again and I would hold true to my word.

"Good, very good." He stroked my cheek and I flinched, squeezing my eyes shut. This is not happening. "Would you be willing to take his place?"

"Yes." I answered, even lower than before. My heart was beating painfully fast and I was having trouble breathing.

"What did you say?" I could tell he was grinning, having fun, already knowing my answer.

"I SAID YES!" I shouted angrily, clenching my fists, wanting so badly to smash them right into that smug face of his.

"Taichi, no." Yama coughed from his position on the floor. He looked at me, pleading with me, his lip was split and bleeding badly, a black eye was forming and his nose was bleeding. "You can't. You- can't. Don't do this to yourself. Please." Then his voice dropped so low that I couldn't hear him but he mouthed something. My stomach clenched. What did he just say?

"Shut up!" One slapped him hard on the face and his head jerked in the direction of the slap. I cried out and the air rang with evil laughter.

"The two faggots. Is this love?!" they jeered at us.

"Please, Tai, no." Yama mouthed over and over, unable to make a sound. I shook my head at him and accepted my fate.

"Don't hurt him. Leave him alone and never go after him again. Never send anyone after him. Don't even see him ever again and I'll go in his place." I said defiantly. Yama's father beamed, showing rotting teeth.

"Good, good. I'll bet you've never been fucked, have you? Very good, you're still a virgin. Ah, boy, you will know the full meaning of pain when I'm through with you and you will die knowing that your lover is safe from harm. Aww, isn't that touching?" He motioned to his thugs and they let go of Yama and grabbed me instead. I stood and went with them, looking over my shoulder at his prone figure sprawled on the ground. I hoped he would be okay.

"Bye, Yama. Know that I loved you. That's why I did this. It was for you. I love you." I whispered, although I knew he couldn't hear me.

A/N: Well, this is it. I don't really know what to say… The next one isn't as long but I'll try and make it longer though I'll update slower…

Anonymous: thanks for pointing that out to me. I didn't think of that. Hopefully the next chapter will clear it up.