Author's Notes: I just thought that you all should know. My grandmother has passed away. The chemo she did failed and the cancer spread to her lungs. It has been very difficult for my family because she had been such an essential part in all of our lives. But I'm glad she'd stopped suffering now. My grandma was the kindest and most selfless person I had ever known, and it's hard to go on in a world without her. For all of you who have been praying for her, and for all of you who have shown sympathy, I thank you here, for her and for me.
I apologize for the delay in any of my writings. Also, any questions/concerns regarding the story will be answered in the next chapter. I just don't feel it's right to do it now, after telling you all such terrible news.
My Inferno
Chapter 10
"Hey, Yama."
He turned, slowly because everything felt so heavy, but he managed it. Taichi stood by his bed, arms laden with packages.
"See, here." He dumped everything on the bed. "I went shopping."
Yamato stared blankly at the pile of purchases. He wasn't really interested.
Taichi took something else from the inside of his jacket. "And I brought you lunch too. You must be sick of all the hospital food."
Actually, Yamato's diet before the hospital consisted only of a piece of sliced bread and a tiny amount of rice everyday. But he wasn't about to say anything.
"Hmm. I got you pasta, see? With tomato sauce and cheese. There's chicken caesar salad. Fresh fruit too, since the doctor said something about vitamins and stuff. I know how you hate all the coke I drink, so I only brought a bottle of water. There, that's everything now. I think."
It smelled good. And for the first time in what seemed like forever, Yamato caught himself actually wanting to eat.
He took the offered box and plastic fork carefully, as if eating his first meal.
Taichi sat down beside him and watched every bite disappear with a hopeful smile on his face. It was beautiful, that smile. And Yamato found a strange urge to make Taichi smile like that again.
And when he was finished, when Taichi had forced every last bit of the fruit down his throat, Yamato felt a new feeling, of being full, satisfied, even. His body was warm where the food had gone. After years of eating barely enough to keep himself from passing out, Yamato had nearly forgotten what it was like to be full.
"Feel good?" Taichi asked gently.
"Hmm." Yamato let him take away the empty containers and settled down against the pillows.
Taichi flashed him another cheeky grin. "Wanna see what I bought?"
He seemed to take the silence as a positive answer and began to dig through the stuff. "Let's see."
Yamato's eyes widened as he took in a bag of brightly colored sweets, two warm looking sweaters, a dream catcher, five CDs, a small portable CD player, and several books.
Taichi held up the sweets first. "Because you need them." He said simply. Then he pulled a sweater over Yamato, who was too stunned to resist. "Because you are always cold." He hung the dream catcher over Yamato's pillow. "Because you have nightmares." He placed the CD player and CDs on Yamato's chest. "Because you love them." Then he picked up the books, looking at them. "Because you like it when I read to you."
Yamato looked down at the CDs. "How...how did you know what to pick?"
Taichi smiled again, that gentle, kind smile. And Yamato wasn't so afraid of the affection in his eyes anymore.
"We went to pick up your stuff today. You had only two CDs, but they gave me a pretty good idea of what you liked."
"You got my stuff?"
"Uh-huh. Which reminds me..."
Taichi was gone before Yamato could say a single word, digging out a set of car keys. He came back a few minutes later, and Yamato let out a strangled cry as he saw what the other boy carried.
Taichi laid the guitar, still in its battered case, carefully over Yamato's lap. "I know you missed it."
Yamato didn't say anything. His lips trembled helplessly as he touched the case. He opened the lid slowly, reaching out a hand to pluck the strings gently, one by one. He smiled.
Taichi walked over, threaded his fingers through Yamato's hair. "Give me a chance to make you happy?"
Yamato didn't answer, but his eyes shone.
Sitting back, Taichi watched very quietly as Yamato took hold of the instrument and began to play.
OOOOOO
"The smile on his face when I gave him that old, battered guitar. I would never forget it. His lips curved ever so gently. But it made color return to his cheeks. It made his eyes sparkle the way I always wished they could. And I knew then that Yama wasn't lost, that he could still be mine. I want you to remember, Yama-chan. When you sing in front of thousands who scream your name, I want you to remember, that I loved you before I ever heard you sing, before I ever laid eyes upon your guitar. Would you have faith in me then?"
- from The Soul of Yama, as was written by Yagami Taichi
OOOOOO
"What's going to happen to me?" His voice was small, and he clutched his guitar tightly.
Taichi met his eyes intently. "They talked to your mother."
The reaction was immediate. Yamato's shoulders tensed and he clenched his jaw.
"But..." Taichi trailed off.
And Yamato's shoulders slumped. "She didn't want me," he finished for Taichi.
"Just as well," Taichi said fiercely. "Because you are coming to stay with us."
Yamato looked up. "I am?"
"Of course. We were actually worried we'd have to fight her for you."
Yamato looked away. "You...want me to live with you?"
Taichi lifted his chin to see his eyes. "Yes."
"Your parents and Hikari too?"
"Of course."
"But..."
"Do you want to stay with us, Yama?"
"I..."
"You said you would give me a chance."
The blue eyes flashed. "I never said yes!"
Taichi gazed back at him patiently. "You never said no."
Yamato softened. "I didn't..."
"Come with me," Taichi whispered. "Just a few months to see if you like it. Then do what you want. I won't stop you."
"Promise?"
Taichi kissed him lightly on his forehead. "I promise."
OOOOOO
They looked in the mirror together.
"I look terrible," he whispered.
Taichi pulled him close. "You look beautiful."
Liar.
"Do you really think so, Yama-chan?"
He turned away. "Your mother is waiting."
Taichi leaned over his shoulder to whisper in his ear. "You will only look terrible if you believe you look terrible."
Yamato held very still. "I'm not afraid."
A hand snaked around his waist. "It's all right to be afraid. Just like it's all right to cry. Nobody's perfect."
Rigid, Yamato walked away.
"You'll see, Yama-chan," Taichi said to the empty room. "You'll see."
They left the hospital just as it started to rain.
OOOOOO
Rubisco. Is. An. Enzyme.