Author's Note: I did it! I updated! It's amazing! Thanks for all of your encouragement.
My Inferno
Chapter 3
Yamato bit his lip.
He wanted coffee. He wanted his guitar. He wanted to get out of Taichi's room. He felt empty and frightened here, surrounded by someone else's home, someone else's happiness.
The way Taichi kept staring at him wasn't helping much either. No, it wasn't helping at all.
Feeling more than just a little exposed, Yamato did what he did best: he glared at Taichi.
The other boy only smiled, chocolate eyes warm, and Yamato shivered. He didn't know what this strange boy wanted from him, but he was determined that Taichi wouldn't get it, whatever it was.
So Yamato did what he did second best: he made a scalding, sarcastic comment.
"Are we actually going to work on the project, or are you just going to stare at me all day?"
The icy words did nothing to faze their target.
"Of course not, Yamato," Taichi replied mildly, "it would be rude to stare."
Yamato suppressed a tired sigh.
You want to be kind. Don't. You want to be patient. Don't. I have to hurt you, before you can hurt me.
OOOOOO
"You need to balance each half reaction with hydrogens and oxygens. You need to cancel the electrons on either side. You need to stop staring at Ishida Yamato, Yagami, and pay attention to the board."
Taichi was annoyed. After all, there were only about six girls drooling over the blonde at the time. And it wasn't as if he was looking because he was attracted to the other boy, he reasoned as those same girls turned as one to send him glares. Sure, Yamato had the most incredible sapphire eyes he'd ever seen, and that mass of sun gold hair was just begging to be touched, but really, he wasn't interested at all, couldn't care less about how that soft, pale skin would feel under his hands...
No, Ishida Yamato was merely a challenge.
If there was one thing Taichi liked as much as soccer, it was literature. Antigone and The Wars, Othello and King Lear. All explorations of human nature, imitations of life. He'd started writing, snatches of words here and there, reflections, nothing major, just snapshots of the people around him. But he always moved on. No one interested him long enough. They were too easy to understand, transparent.
Yamato was not transparent. The blonde was a walking mystery, beautiful, elusive. Worthy of being preserved on paper. If he could only see past the icy walls, understand why the other boy acted the way he did...
"YAGAMI!"
He looked up sharply.
"Good," a pointed look at the blank page that should have been his notes, "now, as I was saying, we are nearing the end of topic two. You've had three days to work on your projects, and they should be pretty much finished. I expect them to be handed in tomorrow morning. No lates will be accepted."
The last sentence seemed to be directed at Taichi, and the boy blinked innocently.
But he found his gaze fixed upon his lab partner a moment later, wondering if the other was as worried as he himself felt. They've barely started on the project, Yamato having made an excuse to leave his apartment quite early on that evening three days ago. All attempts to speak to the blonde since then had failed. And now, taking in the other boy's blank expression and indifferent posture, Taichi wondered if Yamato cared about his grades at all.
He was reaching for his bag when the paper ball hit him squarely in the head. Another glance towards the blonde showed Yamato to be studying the board intently. Puzzled, Taichi smoothed out the crumpled piece of paper.
Meet me at your locker after school.
- I. Y.
He did care, after all. Taichi grinned, not wanting to examine too closely the little bubble of happiness he felt, and pocketed the note.
The rest of the day was uneventful. He fell asleep in Math class again, was late for gym class again, and for the first time in his life, paid absolutely no attention to the English teacher; Yamato was sitting right in front of him.
Leaning casually against his locker after the final bell, it occurred to Taichi that he would have no reason to see Yamato again after the next day. He was so focused upon coming up with a convincing excuse to get closer to the blonde that he didn't realize Yamato was late until fifteen minutes later.
Taichi looked around the hallway anxiously. There, was that a glimpse of shining golden hair at the end of the corridor? Taichi blinked. Yamato was moving rather fast. And was it just him, or were there little tiny dots following the other boy? Yes, it did look like a mass of...
"Running, screaming girls," Yamato finished the thought for him, and that's all the warning Taichi got before he was grabbed by the arm and dragged alongside the blonde.
Even with all his soccer training, Taichi found it difficult to keep up with his slender companion.
"Ishida Yamato!" They heard a scream, "you can't leave yet! You haven't promised to marry me OR write a song for me!"
Yamato, if at all possible, ran even faster.
"Please," Taichi gasped, "the...bus..."
Yamato didn't even bat an eyelid at the plea and poor Taichi was almost slammed into the wall as they rounded a corner, flying right past the bus stop.
Oh well, he thought unhappily, I need the exercise anyway.
The blonde didn't stop until a good ten minutes later, when even the sounds from the busy streets were muffled by the number of quiet neighborhoods they'd passed.
"I think we lost them."
You THINK? Taichi thought savagely, but he was too busy catching his breath to speak his mind.
His companion led the way to the apartment without a backward glance, and Taichi followed wordlessly.
There was no denying it. The place was small, bare, cold. It was the kind of cold that reminded Taichi of Yamato's eyes.
"Would you like something to drink?"
"Yes, please."
Pause. The blonde looked at him, one golden eyebrow raised.
"What?"
"You didn't tell me what you want to drink."
"Oh."
"Well?"
"Do you have...water?"
Pause.
"Yes...I think I can manage to find some..."
"...all right then..."
Taichi escaped to Yamato's room before things could get worse. It looked disturbingly empty. One bed, neatly made, a few books on the desk, and a guitar case in the corner. There wasn't even a mirror. The walls were white, devoid of anything save one picture above the bed.
Taichi stepped closer.
There were four people in the picture. Yamato was the only one not smiling. He looked to be about seven or eight. There was an even younger boy beside him, Yamato's brother, Taichi realized. The resemblance between them was unmistakable. The boy must have turned at the last second to look at his older brother, adoration swimming in the light blue eyes, tiny lips parted in childish laughter. Their mother rested both hands on the younger boy's shoulders. Her smile was strained. Yamato had her eyes. And behind them all was a tall, dark haired man. He looked faintly out of place, standing with golden haired angels, but his teeth were flashing white, and there's something handsome about the way his eyes glittered.
"What are you looking at?"
Startled, Taichi turned to see Yamato at the door, a glass of water in each hand.
"Just...I...is that your brother?"
Blue eyes narrow. "Yes."
"Does he have a name?"
"Takeru."
"Oh...um...where is he?"
He'd asked too many questions. Taichi could see it in the way the other boy's body tensed, in the way he twisted his lips.
Bravely, though, he plunged on. "It's just that...well...this apartment's kind of small...and I'm...curious."
"He lives with my mother."
Taichi was stunned by the bitterness in Yamato's voice. It sounded almost like Takeru had been murdered.
"Your parents are...divorced then?"
Those eyes flashed, and Taichi decided that Yamato looked good when he's pissed off.
"What do you think?" The blonde muttered, turning away and effectively ending their conversation.
It didn't take long for Taichi to arrive at the same conclusion he'd arrived at a thousand times before: Chemistry was boring. Lucky for him, though, Yamato was doing most of the work.
The blonde was completely ignoring him, something Taichi had gotten used to by this time. But that didn't mean he had to like it. After numerous failed attempts at making conversation, he finally settled on something he was comfortable with.
"I'm hungry."
That got Yamato's attention all right.
"What?"
"I said I'm hungry."
A sigh. "Do I have to feed you?"
"Well, it is supper time and we are nowhere near to finishing this, so yeah, the answer is yes."
"Okay, would you like to have supper here?"
"Yes, please."
Pause.
"What?"
"You didn't tell me what you want to eat."
"I'm sorry. I wasn't aware of this being a restaurant. I shall be placing my order now."
Silence.
"Well?"
"You really have no sense of humor, do you?"
"Don't try my patience, Yagami."
"Fine. Do you have...um...food?"
"...Why do I even bother?"
They moved to the kitchen. Taichi blinked as the blonde donned a black apron. It made him look suddenly much paler, and Taichi decided he didn't like it. Yamato needed something more cheerful, like pink. Yes, Taichi blinked again, Yamato should wear a pink apron.
He mentally kicked himself, and settled down to watch the other boy cook.
It was like an elegant dance, except Yamato moved more gracefully than any dancer Taichi had ever seen. His eyes followed the slender, delicate hands, enchanted.
"This is really good," Taichi said twenty minutes later, taking a huge bite.
Those lips twisted again, and he realized Yamato didn't believe him.
"Hurry up and finish it. I'll be in my room." The blonde turned to go.
"Wait. Aren't you going to eat?"
Pause.
"Do you always ask annoying questions?"
"Nope, I think it's just you."
Yamato opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to decide Taichi was not worth talking to, and left the kitchen.
Taichi smiled.
OOOOOO
2:30 AM
"Yamato."
"What?"
"It's two thirty in the morning."
"So?"
"We don't have to do the bonus question, you know. That's why it's a bonus question."
"Yes we have to do it. It's taunting me."
"...Taunting you?"
"Shut up, Yagami."
"Now that's just rude."
Silence.
"Yamato?"
"HA! I found you, you little sneaky nitrate ion. So the strongest oxidizing agent is a combination of hydrogen and nitrate ions. And if hydrogen's oxidization number doesn't change..."
"Yamato."
"You can go to sleep if you want to. You phoned your mother, didn't you?"
"Yeah, like FIVE hours ago."
"Sleep then."
"And where would I sleep?"
"What the hell? Why doesn't this balance? It's not supposed to work out like this!"
"Yamato?"
"Sleep on the couch...Father's bed...the floor...I don't care..."
"Can I have your bed?"
"What?"
"I'm sleeping on your bed."
"My...bed...? STUPID electrons! Cancel, damn you! CANCEL!"
Sigh.
OOOOOO
3:30 AM
"You figured it out then?"
"What the hell are you doing in my bed?"
"I'm glad you finally beat the electrons."
"Get out of my bed."
"No. My pillow. My blanket."
"You are being irrational."
"You are the one who just spent three hours on a question we didn't even need to do."
"FINE! Steal my bed. I'll sleep in Father's room."
"Um...Yamato, you are still here."
Yawn. "Going...to...sleep...in other...room..."
Yawn. "Maybe...you...should get up...first..."
"Sleep..."
"Yeah..."
OOOOOO
8:00 AM
"Shakespeare explores the many aspects of human pride in his play Much Ado About Nothing. He uses various techniques..."
Let it never be said that Ishida Yamato was a morning person.
He crumpled yet another attempt at the English essay, throwing the paper ball into the trash and glaring at his pen as if it were to blame for his lack of sleep. Leaning back against the tree, he reached for his cup of coffee.
It wasn't there.
Slowly, Yamato raised his gaze.
Big brown hair, chocolate eyes, idiotic grin.
Oh. Crap.
"You ditched me." Taichi's voice was entirely too pleasant.
"Well..."
"You pushed me into a crowd of rabid fans and ran to school all by yourself."
"But you weren't moving fast enough."
"I see..."
"Give me back my coffee."
"I don't feel like it."
"Give it back."
"Coffee's not good for you, Ishida."
Pause.
"No, of course not. It inhibits fine muscle movement, increases alertness, and makes the glomerulus of your kidneys more permeable to water. Therefore, you lose more water than is normal and end up somewhat dehydrated."
Silence.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I have no idea. But it usually scares people away."
"I see..."
"What are you doing?"
"Sitting down beside you."
"Go away."
"Oohh, that essay. You are only starting now? It's due tomorrow."
"I told you to go away, Yagami."
"You are cute when you are mad."
Pause.
"Excuse me?"
"I think you heard me."
"What is your problem, Yagami?"
"I think the question is, what is your problem?"
"I don't have a problem."
"Well then, neither of us have a problem."
"I want you to leave me alone, Yagami."
"You know, all those torn up pieces of paper in the trash look awfully like the paper you have on your knees."
"Do you have difficulties hearing me? Leave. Me. Alone."
"I think someone's having trouble writing a certain essay."
"All right, that's--"
"That someone needs help."
"Look here, Yagami--"
"What was that? You want me to help you with the essay?"
"WHY YOU--"
"Sure thing, Yamato my friend. You can come to my place after school."
"STOP--"
"I'll wait for you after the bell."
Ishida Yamato was furious. Who the hell did Taichi think he was? He turned to the other boy.
Taichi wasn't there, and he's taken the coffee with him.
For a moment, all Yamato could see was red. He held his breath and counted to ten.
Bastard.
OOOOOO
Author's Note: Screw it. This chapter's getting on my nerves. I'm ending it here. I've rewritten it enough to last me a life time. It is amazing that I'm updating, isn't it?
Rubisco. Is. An. Enzyme.