Hi all, chapter 12 here, hope you like it! Replies at the bottom! BTW, I edited some parts of this chapter, so you might wanna re-read it. Have fun!
Confused didn't even begin to describe how Motomiya Daisuke felt at the present moment. However, confusion was something he was used to by now.
After all, he lived with Tai.
But it wasn't just Tai that made him confused. Throw Matt into the mix and you had a clueless little twelve-year-old. And if he didn't figure things out in a few weeks, he was going to be a clueless little thirteen-year-old.
In exactly 19 days, he would turn 13. While the idea was exciting to him, he couldn't help but feel put out about it because of the situation between his brother and his brother's best friend. It had almost been a whole month since those two had stopped talking to each other.
"Actually, it has been a whole month. Today is the second and that was the day Matt and I traded rooms," the mahogany-haired boy mused aloud. Having gotten sick of being in the middle of what he dubbed the "Taito Fallout" (Taito being a combination of their first names), he had grabbed a bagel and an individual carton of milk for breakfast, choosing to seek refuge in his first period's classroom.
Anthropology: defined as the scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural developments of humans. But as Daisuke saw it, it was just how people worked. He enjoyed studying people, hence why he was taking the class to begin with; that and the class offered more then textbook knowledge. Kimoya-sensei made sure of that. Daisuke was flipping through his notes and munching on his bagel when his quiet escape was interrupted.
"Oh sorry, am I interrupting you?" a male voice spilled out smoothly. Daisuke blinked and choked on his breakfast, hacking and wheezing loudly. He took a long swallow of milk and looked up at the door menacingly. A pair of magenta eyes twinkled mischievously as the boy leaned against the doorframe.
"Uh, no, not at all," Daisuke managed to say and set down his milk, giving his full-attention to the other boy. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Not really...this is my class too, if you haven't noticed." A set of straight white teeth formed into an impish grin. Daisuke blinked and squinted at the door.
"You're one of Matt's new friends, right?" he asked. The boy stepped closer to Daisuke, flipping his black hair off to one side.
"Kiseki," he introduced himself and held out his hand. Daisuke nodded and shook it firmly.
"I'm Da-"
"Daisuke, I know. You're Tai's little brother."
"Right…" Daisuke trailed off with a frown.
'Because all I am is Tai's little brother. That's the only reason people even know I exist.' He sighed inwardly and returned his attention to Kiseki.
"So why haven't I seen you in this class before?" he questioned the black-haired male. Kiseki sat in a desk next to Daisuke and dropped his bag on the floor.
"Because I normally sit in the back of the room, head down, hair in my face, don't say a word, you get the general idea," the magenta-eyed boy said as he propped his feet up on his desk.
"Oh."
"Yep, that's just about it. But anyway, why are you hanging out in here? I figured you'd be with your brother or your friends or something?" Daisuke groaned at the question and shook his head.
"It's a long complicated story," he sighed and got up, throwing his trash into the disposal bin at the front of the room.
"Let me guess. Because of the fact that Matt and Tai are both super-stubborn and won't apologize and because they're both your friends, you feel frustrated that you can't fix things between them so for right now you're just avoiding both of them and the problem at hand," Kiseki predicted all in one breath. Daisuke stared at him with wide eyes, moving his jaw up and down trying to form words. The younger boy cleared his throat and blinked.
"How did you know that?" he asked in a low voice. Kiseki looked around the room, looked behind them to make sure they were absolutely alone before leaning in closely to the side of Daisuke's face.
"Can you keep a secret?" he whispered. Daisuke involuntarily shivered as Kiseki's hot breath tickled the tip of his ear.
"Um, sure I can," he assured the older boy. Kiseki nodded in approval and brought his mouth closer to Daisuke's ear.
"I'm psychic," he said quietly. Daisuke shivered again and relaxed under Kiseki's control, almost slumping down into his seat until he finally realized what the other boy had said.
"What?"
"I'm psychic. You know, can read people's minds and see the future and stuff like that," Kiseki explained vaguely.
"No, I know what it means, but what the hell are you talking about you're psychic? How the hell could you be psychic?"
"Well, mainly for the fact that there's no other explanation," Kiseki started out, twirling a lock of hair around his finger. "I was sent to this school because my foster parents believed that I was sick in the head for claiming I was psychic and for being able to do what I can do. I've been here for three years and nobody can figure out what's wrong with me, even though I knew they wouldn't. Because there's nothing wrong with me, this is how I'm supposed to be."
"In a land of make-believe, that don't believe in me," Daisuke muttered under his breath.
"What?"
"Heh, Green Day song. I bought Tai the CD for Christmas and I listened to that song," Daisuke said through a nervous laugh.
"Jesus of Suburbia," Kiseki filled in.
"Yeah, you've heard it?"
"Well that and psychic, remember?"
"Not this again!" Daisuke groaned and shook his head, boring his eyes into the side of Kiseki's head. "If you're really psychic, prove it."
"And how do you propose I do that?" A black eyebrow rose up in speculation.
"I don't know, read my mind," the cinnamon-eyed boy challenged.
"…you want me to just randomly read your mind."
"Yes."
"All right then," Kiseki agreed to the challenge and stared directly into Daisuke's eyes. The younger boy squirmed slightly under the intense gaze.
'Man, this is really weird.' He cringed. Kiseki nodded and grinned slightly.
"You didn't believe that I could read your mind and you find it weird that I was staring at you?" Kiseki predicted.
"Okay, so maybe you can read minds. Big deal. That still doesn't explain much," grumbled Daisuke, shoving his hands deep into his pockets
"Well what else do you want to know?" Kiseki questioned, toying with his bangs absently.
"Who else knows you're psychic?" Daisuke suppressed a yawn.
Kiseki scratched his nose and leaned back in his seat farther. "Well, my foster family but obviously they don't believe me, you, Naku but I'm not sure if she believes me either, and that's about it."
"Doesn't Toushi know? I figured he would since you two are always together," Daisuke stated. He was rewarded with a rather blank look. "What?"
"Didn't I say my foster family knows?" Kiseki retorted and licked his lips.
"Yeah, and?" Daisuke questioned back, not quite piecing the puzzle together. Kiseki sighed.
"As much as I don't like admitting it, Toushi is my foster brother, or whatever the correct terminology for it is. I've been living with the Niwas for almost six years now."
"Wow, why?"
Kiseki shrugged and shook his head. "Does it really matter?"
"…I suppose not," Daisuke replied slowly. Kiseki nodded and gave off a small grin.
"Perhaps some other time I'll fill you in. But for now, I do believe the bell's going to ring," he said and no sooner than the words left his lips the school bell went off.
"Lemme guess…psychic?" Daisuke sighed quietly.
"Nope, there's a clock behind your head," Kiseki chuckled with a triumphant smirk.
"Oh…" Daisuke trailed off as students filled the halls with their loud chattering and running. Kiseki climbed out of the desk he was sitting in and began making his way to the back corner of the room.
"Hey, you don't have to leave. Sit down, stay a while," Daisuke insisted and waved his hand vaguely over the desk Kiseki was just occupying. Kiseki blinked once, twice, and then sat down, staring at Daisuke in amazement as the other boys began piling into the room.
"You took this whole 'I'm psychic and nobody believes me' thing pretty well," the black-haired boy commented lightly.
"Well I know what it's like to have people doubt you. You don't need one more on top of that list. Besides, I figure if you have one person to believe you, it's better then none at all." Daisuke shrugged.
"Wow…that was deep, man," Kiseki whistled lowly.
"Eh, I guess so but whatever." Daisuke opened his book bag, searching for his thin textbook, leaving Kiseki to do the same. The other boys got into their seats no sooner than their teacher walked in. The final bell rang and every one of them quieted down, anxiously awaiting the lesson for the day. Mr. Kimoya dropped his blazer on his chair, his briefcase on the other side of his desk, and leaned against the front of the desk, brushing a few strands of chestnut brown hair from his forehead.
"It's nice to see you all so enthusiastic, especially for a Monday morning," he started off with a grin. "You won't be needing your text books, boys, we're going to have a group discussion today." He reached into one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out a green wiffle ball.
"About what, Mr. K?" a young boy with dark red hair questioned as he dropped the book under his desk.
"I'll get there, Kiyouji, be patient," Mr. Kimoya laughed and hopped up onto his desk, sitting down and leaning forward to watch his class. "Now, today I thought we could talk about why it is that human beings care so much about what other human beings think of them. Does anybody have any ideas on the subject?" Several hands shot into the air enthusiastically. Mr. Kimoya let out a surprised laugh and grinned widely.
"Wow, I see that we have a lot of ideas. All right, Maikeru, why don't you start us off?" he suggested and tossed the ball to a boy in the front corner. Maikeru caught the ball and began speaking.
"Okay, here's what I think. I think that people care about other people's opinions because they want to prove that they're an individual and that they don't really care what people think, but in order to not care, they have to first know what those opinions are and decide if they want to care about them or not," Maikeru explained and nodded triumphantly.
"What planet are you on?" somebody snorted. It was a surprise that it came from Kiseki himself. He never took a part in these discussions, merely listening and voting for sides, but that was because he never had anything to say up until now.
"You beg to differ, Kiseki?" Mr. Kimoya inquired, casting the boy a curious glance.
"Heck yes I do." Kiseki nodded assertively.
"Well then, let's hear it." Mr. Kimoya motioned for Maikeru to hand the ball over to Kiseki, awaiting the boy's argument. Reluctantly, Maikeru threw the ball to Kiseki who caught it with one-hand.
"My theory is the complete opposite of Mai's. I think that people care about other people's opinions because they want to be liked. They're afraid of how people will react to certain situations that arise." Kiseki paused for a moment, tossing the ball between each hand before continuing. "For example, I know this guy who is extremely worried right now about what other people are going to think of him. Because of this, he cut off ties with somebody very important to him just to save his reputation and now he's paying the price. However, the one he is avoiding couldn't care less about what people thought of him and he's proved that time and time again. Now the question is, which one is acting in the right state of mind, the one who's afraid to be himself to blend in with society or the one who would rather be in the minority?"
Mr. Kimoya nodded thoughtfully. "That is a good question. Would anyone like to share their thoughts on it?" Daisuke's hand shot in the air.
"Yes, Daisuke?" Mr. Kimoya called on the youngest boy in the class. Daisuke reached over and retrieved the ball from Kiseki.
"I'm going to have to say that the one in the minority is right."
"Why do you say that?" Mr. Kimoya prodded, folding his arms over his chest.
"Because…" Daisuke stopped talking, staring at his desktop.
"Because what?"
"Because…because he's probably happier being himself than trying to live up to what other people want him to be. If people spend their wholes lives trying to be something they're not, they're only going to end up being miserable and hating themselves for the rest of time. Because if they're living life just to please others, they're going to make mistakes, lose things they really feel passionate about, sever ties that were so strong, and destroy relationships." Daisuke looked around the room, only to find that all eyes were on him, staring intently and urging him to continue. He glanced at Kiseki out of the corner of his eye. The black-haired boy gave him a small wink and a grin, leaving Daisuke to return a smile of his own.
"The whole point of life is to leave a mark that the people around you will recognize and remember you for, but how can they do that if everybody is trying to be exactly the same, trying to be normal in the eye of society? There would be no way of telling everybody apart, it all goes back to the point of being unique. I think that people value other people's opinions because they're afraid of being unique in fear of being remembered for something horrible, or rather something that others look down upon. But people shouldn't care. The ultimate goal in life is to live it to the fullest in pure happiness; what's the point of living if you're so freely going to give away that chance? That's all," Daisuke finished and handed the ball back to Mr. Kimoya. The green-eyed teacher stared at his student in pure astonishment.
'He's not even 13 yet, and already he has a firm grasp on the way our world is today and what needs to be done to change it. It's almost as if he's speaking from pure experience.' The older man shook his head slowly and cleared his throat, standing up and walking over to the blackboard.
"Okay, so now that we have some ideas, let's look at both sides of the issue," he said, scrawling out two lists on the board as the boys shouted out ideas and the class proceeded, leaving Kimoya to push Daisuke's argument into the back of his mind.
"You were totally talking about Tai and Matt, weren't you?" Daisuke asked his newfound friend as soon as they stepped out of the classroom, heading down the hall to their second period class. Kiseki nodded and shifted his bag further up onto his shoulder.
"Well, yeah. Weren't you?" he questioned the shorter boy.
"After you started talking about them I did. I was more thinking along the lines of just Tai alone. Comparing how he and Matt are living now," Daisuke explained.
"Except for the fact that neither of them are happy right now," Kiseki pointed out.
"Ugh, don't remind me," Daisuke groaned and pushed the door open, allowing Kiseki to step inside the classroom. "Because neither of them are happy, I can't be happy either. It sucks." The two boys sat down and waited for Naku to show up, taking out their notebooks and pens.
"Why do you say that?" Kiseki questioned. Daisuke rewarded him with a flat look.
"Come on, think about it? Wouldn't you be irritated if you couldn't have fun too?"
"No, not that. I mean, why can't you be happy? Is there some sort of law that says you can't have a separate life?"
"Well, it's more like…I guess I feel bad for Tai," Daisuke sighed and flicked a stray hair off of his forehead. "Besides, they're both in such shitty moods that it can kill anybody's happy one."
"True," Kiseki commented just as Matt and Toushi stepped into the classroom, followed closely by Sachi and Kyo.
"Why do those two follow your…Toushi all over the place?" Daisuke motioned towards Sachi and Kyo, both of whom were fighting over who got to sit on Toushi's other side, since the desk to his left was occupied by Matt. Kiseki shrugged and shook his head.
"Cause they're dumbasses? I honestly don't know, he's such a jerk to them both. They don't even have this class this period," the magenta-eyed boy retorted. Both boys watched as Toushi ordered his two flunkies to get out of the room and go to their own class. The final bell sounded off and Daisuke saw Tai dart in through the door out of the corner of his eye, getting knocked aside by Sachi and Kyo in their haste to make it to their own class. The older brunet brother brushed them off and took a seat in the far back corner just as Naku entered the classroom, smiling brightly at her class.
"Good morning, boys," she greeted the class cheerfully.
"Morning, Naku," most of the boys replied. She smiled again and reached into her bag she had set on the desk, pulling out a DVD case.
"Now, like I said before, we're going to start the analytical section of this class and we're going to start that by watching a movie." She showed the class the case in her hand and dimmed the lights.
"What movie is it?" Matt asked her, squinting to read the title.
"It's a musical called Chicago that I thought would be perfect for this project. Not to mention, I really like the movie," Naku chuckled to herself while she placed the disc into the DVD player. "Has anybody else seen it before?"
"I have," Tai spoke up from his dark corner, fixating his gaze on the TV screen.
"When?" Daisuke asked without thinking, turning around in his seat to face his brother.
"A while ago, you wouldn't remember." Tai waved it off and focused on Naku again. "So what exactly do you want us to do?"
"Just watch the movie and then we'll just be discussing the plot purposes, the character development, and the themes and stuff. So basically, just enjoy it while you can," Naku replied and hit play, shutting off the rest of the lights completely and making her way back to her desk.
"Since when does your brother like musicals?" Kiseki whispered to Daisuke as the opening scene began to play out.
"I don't know but really, it doesn't surprise me," Daisuke said back just as quietly.
"Why?"
"Despite popular belief, Tai has more talents outside of being a star soccer player. He can also draw, breakdance, act, and play the piano, not to mention he practices kendo, which you saw that first day of P.E." Kiseki gave Daisuke a blank look.
"Your brother acts?"
"Yeah, before he got transferred here, he used to take drama classes and stuff. He hasn't done much acting since then because of where we are, but he's still interested in it." Daisuke glanced behind him, spotting his brother intently watching the picture on the screen as Velma Kelly sang the song entitled "All That Jazz", occasionally mouthing along with the words. His gaze flickered over towards Matt and Toushi, taking notice that the blond boy was paying more attention to Tai rather then the movie in front of him, much to Daisuke's delight.
'At least we know he doesn't totally hate Tai. That's a plus. Maybe we can make something work after all.' A smile wormed its way onto Daisuke's face.
"Your brother plays piano?" Kiseki's eyes were on the verge of falling out of their sockets by this point.
"Has for the past six years. Anything else you would like to question me about?" Daisuke shot back, becoming slightly irritated that Kiseki kept asking about his brother.
"No…I'm just surprised, that's all. Seems so unlike him."
"Yeah, that's because he doesn't really share those types of things unless he has to," the mahogany-haired boy replied with a shrug and turned back to the movie.
"Hmm. Next thing you know you're going to be telling me that he can sing or something," Kiseki mumbled and kept his eyes glued to the movie as the scene switched to Roxie Hart's first appearance.
"…well actually…"
"What!"
"Kiseki, is there something you would like to share with the rest of the class?" Naku interrupted, hovering over Kiseki's shoulder and staring down at him.
"No, not really," the black-haired boy said sheepishly, looking away from the movie and up at Naku innocently.
"Then be quiet and pay attention!" Naku scolded him lightly, moving away from his desk and wandering back over towards hers. Kiseki waited until she sat back down in front of her computer and began typing again before he leaned over again.
"He actually sings?" he whispered.
"Uh, yeah. Singing and acting kind of go together in his case. My mom wanted Tai to appear refined and well-rounded so she had him learn to sing, play piano, be on the soccer team, practice kendo, and play baseball. He had an active childhood basically." Daisuke nodded as if to confirm this fact and stifled a yawn.
"Weird…so what can you do?"
"What?" Daisuke blinked at the sudden change of subject.
"What can you do? Can you do all of that?" Kiseki asked.
"Hell no," Daisuke snorted. "Just because I'm related to Tai doesn't mean that I'm exactly like him."
'Despite what everybody else seems to think.' The preteen inwardly rolled his eyes.
"I see. So what can you do?" Kiseki repeated his earlier question.
"Well…I'm not bad at soccer myself. I can swim pretty good, play very limited piano because I gave up trying to learn, master of video games, and that's about it! Oh wait, I'm learning about computers too," Daisuke finished listing things off.
"Wow…so you two are like opposites aren't you?"
"Not really. I mean, yeah, we like different things and all, but we still share interests like soccer and video games. If anybody's opposite from either of us, it's Hikari."
"Who's that?" Kiseki raised an eyebrow.
"Our sister, little Miss Cheerleader-gymnast-dancing queen-photographer."
"…yeah, total opposite. Although are you sure it's not just because she's a girl?"
"That could be it but who knows." Daisuke shrugged and went back to watching the movie. Kiseki took the hint and closed his mouth, focusing his attention on the blonde on the screen. Not for very long of course, but just long enough to annoy Daisuke for interrupting him again.
"What?" Daisuke hissed when Kiseki's fingertips brushed his arm again.
"What do you think she's doing?" the green-banged boy inquired quietly.
"Who?" Daisuke hissed.
"Naku." Kiseki pointed to the front of the room where their teacher was smiling and typing on her computer still.
"How should I know?" Daisuke replied, focusing his attention on his teacher instead of the movie also.
"I don't know! Any speculations? Since you're taking Anthropology too?" Kiseki watched Naku's face change from excited to thoughtful in the light of the monitor.
"You're the psychic, not me," Daisuke pointed out. Kiseki's face faltered slightly, Daisuke's remark catching him off-guard. Just as quickly as he lost control he regained his cool façade.
"Yes, but I can't read minds from that far away!" he protested.
"Well, can't you try anyway?" Daisuke asked, quirking an eyebrow when he noticed that Naku was laughing quietly.
"I suppose…hold on," Kiseki said, staring at Naku intently. His face screwed up into concentration and he nodded slightly.
"Well?" Daisuke looked over at him impatiently.
"Well, if I had to guess what I read into, she's conversing with somebody close to her." Kiseki frowned and looked skyward. "Probably her husband or something," he concluded shortly after.
"I don't know…Naku doesn't really like talking about her husband. Why would she like talking to him?" Daisuke questioned.
"I don't know, don't ask me. That's just what I got out of it!" Kiseki exclaimed.
"Kiseki! Stop talking or I'm going to throw you out into the hall!" Naku shouted back, causing all of the boys in the class to jump. Kiseki shrank back into his seat and nodded. Naku went back to her computer and the boys went back to watching the movie. Daisuke decided that the conversation was over and also turned his attention back to the screen, slowly starting to get into the movie. That is, until Kiseki tapped him again.
"For crying out loud, Kiseki, you're going to get in so much trouble!" Daisuke warned his friend.
"I have an idea!" Kiseki announced excitedly in a quiet tone.
"For?"
"How to get your brother and Matt to be friends again."
"Really?"
"Yep. I'll tell you at lunch though because I think Naku will shoot me if I keep talking," Kiseki explained, motioning towards the blonde woman at her desk who was once again typing. Daisuke nodded in agreement and both boys went quiet again, Kiseki watching the movie and Daisuke watching everything else. He glanced back at Tai and Matt and wasn't surprised by what he saw; Tai watching the movie and Matt watching Tai.
Maybe it would be easier to get them back together then he thought.
"Okay, so what's your genius plan?" Daisuke pounced on Kiseki as soon as the black-haired boy sat across from him at lunch.
"Well, here's what I came up with," Kiseki started out and pulled a square of paper from his pocket, sliding it across the table into Daisuke's hand while he began to eat. Daisuke unfolded the paper and read it over.
"I don't get it. All it says is my name," he pointed out. Kiseki nodded and took the paper back.
"Exactly. You're the key to getting them to be friends again."
"How? Explain this to me." Daisuke slurped up some of his soup.
"All right, so here's how I figure it. You're caught in the middle of this whole thing right?"
"I suppose so…"
"So, that's what you tell them. Say that you're tired of being in the middle and that you know that they don't hate each other and-"
"That's not going to work," Daisuke protested suddenly.
"Why not?" Kiseki inquired. Daisuke swallowed the mouthful of bread in his mouth and coughed.
"Because Tai will, first of all, say that it's none of my business. Then he'll say that I'm not in the middle to begin with. As for Matt, he'll just blow it off because he's got your foster brother drilling crap into his head," the brown-eyed boy confirmed.
"All right, what if we got Toushi out of the way?" Kiseki suggested.
"And how do you propose we do that?"
"…well I didn't get that far."
"That's just great," Daisuke groaned. He took a drink of his soda and sighed. "So we have a five foot eleven inch brunet roadblock in our way."
"Precisely. So now what we need to focus on is getting him out of our way," Kiseki said as he chewed on a piece of squid thoughtfully.
Daisuke rolled his eyes. "Good luck with that."
"When you've lived with Toushi for six years, you come to learn his weaknesses and such," Kiseki commented and licked his lips.
"…he actually has weaknesses?"
"Everybody has weaknesses, Daisuke. Anybody who has a soul has at least one and as much as I don't like to admit it, Toushi has a soul."
"Okay, so what is his weakness?"
"Lack of power," Kiseki answered as if it were the most obvious answer.
"…what?"
"Basically, if Toushi's not in control of something, he flips out." Kiseki nodded towards a table across the dining hall. Daisuke turned his head and looked in the direction Kiseki indicated where he saw Toushi standing up and shouting at Sachi, who had clearly said something he didn't like since he was glaring defiantly up at the other boy.
"Okay so now that we know that, how do we use that to our advantage?" Daisuke questioned the older boy. Kiseki paused to think, chopsticks hovering over his lips and staring blankly off into space. Daisuke waited patiently as he watched Kiseki's eyes narrow in concentration, the piece of squid between his chopsticks threatening to fall back onto his plate. Finally after what seemed to be an eternity, Kiseki sighed and shook his head.
"I've got nothing," he informed Daisuke and popped the squid into his mouth.
"Well that helps us a lot!" Daisuke exclaimed. Kiseki swallowed and drained his glass of water before answering the other boy.
"Give me a week. I will definitely have a plan by then," he assured Daisuke as the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period.
"And if you don't?" Daisuke challenged him.
"Then…I don't know, but I don't need to worry about that because I know I will have a plan by then." Kiseki's speech was cut short by the sound of a crash behind them. Both boys whipped their heads around to be greeted with the sight of Sachi on the ground, Toushi still yelling, Kyo snickering behind his hand, and Matt rolling his eyes.
"Actually…you better give me two weeks," Kiseki said and Daisuke nodded in agreement. Both boys picked up their bags and headed out into the main hallway, splitting off into their own separate ways to get to class.
Daisuke sighed as he dragged his feet up the stairs. It was 9:30 in the evening and he was dead-tired, having spent most of the evening in the library studying and doing his homework. He continued hauling his body down the hallway, finally arriving at the doorway of his own room. Pulling a key out of his pocket, he jammed it into the lock and turned, causing the door to swing open. Taking the key back out, Daisuke stepped into the room and dropped his bag on the floor with a thud. Slowly walking over to the dresser, he opened the middle drawer and pulled out his grey and black pajama bottoms.
'Shower good, then bed better…yes…' He moved over towards the bathroom door and prepared to open it when the sound of shower water running and a tenor voice singing reached his senses. Pressing an ear to the door, his eyes widened when he realized Tai was singing. Tai was singing in the shower!
"Give 'em the old razzle dazzle, Razzle Dazzle 'em. Give 'em an act with lots of flash in it, and the reaction will be passionate. Give 'em the old hocus pocus, bead and feather 'em, how can they see with sequins in their eyes? What if your hinges all are rusting? What if, in fact, you're just disgusting? Razzle Dazzle 'em, and they'll never catch wise!" Daisuke stared bug-eyed at the door just as the shower water shut off. Tai continued his song even after the additional sound was gone and opened the door, sending Daisuke toppling forward. Tai abruptly stopped singing and looked down at his brother who was on his foot.
"What are you doing?" he finally asked, shaking the younger boy off of him. Daisuke picked himself up off of the ground and dusted himself off.
"I wanted to shower but you were in there. Did you use all of the hot water?"
Tai gave his brother a skeptical look. "No. But wait, you wanted to shower so you decided to keep an ear to the door?"
"What were you singing?" Daisuke changed the subject with a wary smile.
"Razzle Dazzle. It's from Chicago but we haven't gotten that far into the movie yet," Tai explained and rubbed his hair dry.
"Oh…you seem to be in a good mood tonight," Daisuke commented, watching as his older brother threw the towel on the couch and flopped down on his bed.
"I am," Tai replied smugly.
"Why?"
"Just because," Tai said in an airy tone. "Weren't you going to shower?"
"Yes."
"Then go." A tanned hand waved Daisuke off. The younger boy shrugged and shut the door to the bathroom, stripping down and stepping into the shower. After a short scrub-down and rinse of his hair, he hopped out and dried off quickly, rushing back out into the main room in hopes that Tai would still be awake enough to answer his questions. But alas, the older brunet was already asleep by the time he got out there. With a defeated sigh, Daisuke grabbed Tai's laptop from the bedside and turned it on. He typed in the address for his email account and opened it, cheering inwardly that he had a new message. He opened it and began to read.
From: Hikari
Sent: Monday, February 2, 2004 7:39pm
To: Daisuke
Subject: Taito Project
Hey Dais,
What's going on over there? Anything good? Are they talking to each other at least? It's been a whole month! It's bad! Tai said in his last email that he misses Matt so much…I asked Mimi and Sora what to do and neither of them have any answers. Oh man, tell me you have some plan. I don't know about you, but I'm not letting Tai get hurt again like Haru hurt him. It's the same story all over again. Funny thing is, Tai's not even mad at Matt. He just misses him a lot. I was hoping maybe you knew something I didn't? Send me a reply if you get some clue.
Other than that, life here is good. I can't wait for you guys to get home. And yes, I am still mad at Takeru, how did you guess? Although I'm actually talking to him now, right now in fact on MSN. Maybe if we prove that his brother is homosexual his homophobic-ness will go down. Ya think? Ah well…
Hey, what's going on between you and Mimi? She never did tell me and well…I kind of have something I need to tell you, but I want your opinion on what's going on first.
Anyway, Mom says dinner's ready so I gotta go. Write me back lil bro, luv ya!
-Kari
Daisuke nodded to himself and selected the reply button, stretching out on his bed and beginning his reply to Kari.
From: Daisuke
Sent: Monday, February 2, 2004 10:19pm
To: Hikari
Subject: RE: Taito Project
Hey Hika,
No, nothing really good has happened over here except I've been observing a few little things. Mostly, Matt's still watching Tai. Like, we were in class today and I saw him watching Tai rather then the movie in front of us. Maybe it's just me? I don't know, but I don't have a plan but I made a new friend today and he's going to come up with a plan. And I know what you mean, I don't want Tai getting hurt again either but I don't think that'll happen. If you could see the look on his face, you'd know that there was something still there, on Matt's face I mean. I totally know what you mean about Tai not being mad, you can see it on his face. I think over this past month, they both started to realize how much they miss the other and are trying to put aside their differences…or Tai is at least.
Glad things are good at home and I can't wait to be home either. I miss you and Mom (but what else is new right?) As for knowing that you were still mad at TK, I could kinda guess just by the way you were typing about him. Big give away? You keep calling him Takeru. Anyway, maybe you're right, he loves Matt so much, he might actually change his mind (after all, we accepted Tai's bi-ness because we love him enough).
As for me and Mimi? Nothing, why do you ask? I kinda just realized that things will never work out between us, even though I still kinda like her. What do you know that I don't know?
Anyway, I'm goin to bed. Night sis, see ya later, write back and stuff.
-Dais
P.S Do you know why Tai's in a good mood all of a sudden? Cause I sure as hell don't know.
The youngest Yagami-Motomiya sibling selected the send option and closed the laptop, carrying it back over to the desk and setting it on top. He crawled back into bed and reached above him, turning off the light and plunging the room into darkness, anxiously awaiting Kari's reply.
From: Hikari
Sent: Friday, February 6, 2004 5:43pm
To: Daisuke
Subject: RE: Taito Project
Well then if that's true, then why the hell is he avoiding him? Dumbass, both of them actually because Tai's not helping that much either, although if what you say is true (about them possibly starting to try and push aside their differences), then we might have a happy ending after all. Anyway, you have a new friend huh? Do you really think he can help? I hope so, for all our sakes.
I'm not as mad at Takes as I was. He made up for it because he said that Matt's being a jerk for avoiding Tai just because he's bi. Granted, I'm still annoyed because he believes homosexuality is wrong but whatever, that's not the issue here. The issue is how to get them together…if they got together…TK would be over his homophobic issues (we hope).
Ah…I'm glad you realize things won't work between you and Meems. And I ask because…well, she's got a new boyfriend. You remember Tai's friend Koushiro? Yeah…she hooked up with him. Long story short, her parents wanted somebody to help her study for finals and they found Kou…and well, yeah. Sorry Dai, hope the news doesn't hit you too hard, I know you've liked Mimi for a while now.
I'm gonna go hit the shower, I just got home from cheer practice. A lot of us are preparing for the high school squad's tryouts. So I'll talk to you later!
-Kari
P.S: No I have no idea why Tai's happy. Maybe he knows something that we don't?
From: Daisuke
Sent: Monday, February 9, 2004 8:24pm
To: Hikari
Subject: RE: Taito Project
Okay so Kiseki (my new friend) has until this Friday to come up with a plan. We figured out what's stopping those two from being friends and stuff but now we just need to figure out how to get around that. That's the hard part, really.
Glad you're not mad at TK as much anymore. You guys make a good couple…I think? I don't know?
As for Mimi dating Koushiro, I admit I'm not totally happy about it, but I'm willing to accept it. I wouldn't want to hold her back. After all, Koushiro's closer to her age, isn't he?
Hopefully Kiseki and I can come up with a plan by Friday…that was our agreement after all. But I'm out, see ya Kar.
-Dais
P.S I don't know what Tai knows, but he's definitely a lot perkier then before.
From: Hikari
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2004 6:57pm
To: Daisuke
Subject: RE: Taito Project
Good luck with that. Let me know how it goes.
-Kari
P.S: I have an idea that it's because he's thinking more optimistically about Matt. You know how Tai is when he's in love with somebody…he just won't let go.
Friday morning, the air was filled with the buzz of excitement. The next day was Valentine's Day and a Saturday at that. That meant one thing for the boys of Odaiba Academy: the girls from Yasashi High, the all-girl prep school, would be milling around the town that separated them from the Odaiba boys. The mere idea of female contact was enough to send the boys into a flurry of preparations.
Well, all except for four boys, that is.
"So, tomorrow is Valentine's Day," Kiseki said as they walked out of Naku's classroom, songs from Chicago running through their brains.
"Yep," Daisuke replied, less than enthusiastic.
"Why so down then?" Kiseki ran a hand through his black hair, flicking his long green bangs out of his eyes.
"You don't have a plan, do you?" the cinnamon-eyed boy asked woefully. Kiseki's face fell and he sighed.
"Well no. I'm sorry, Daisuke, I couldn't think of a single idea," he apologized. Daisuke opened his mouth to respond when he was cut off by a loud thud. Both boys turned around and spotted Tai pinned to a wall, Toushi standing in front of him with both hands on either side of Tai and looking a little more than angry.
"What, too chicken to fight back?" Toushi shouted, irritated by the fact that Tai still wore a smug grin.
"No, never. I just feel that I don't need to lower my level of intellect trying to come up with insults you'll understand," the brunet retorted casually.
"Are you calling me stupid?" Toushi narrowed his eyes, ignoring the fact that people were stopping to stare, including Matt who was right behind him.
"Something like that." Tai grinned again. "Anyway, you can let me go at any time now, I think we should both get to class." Toushi continued to stare at Tai menacingly, refusing to let the brunet go or drop his guard.
"No? Okay then, that's not my problem," Tai said and leaned forward, promptly planting a kiss onto Toushi's lips, a sloppy one at that. Toushi's green eyes widened in alarm and he pulled away from the wall and Tai, sputtering and gagging all the while.
"What the hell, Yagami?" he choked out, staring at Tai in horror. Tai quickly feigned horror himself, pressing both hands to his cheeks and forming his mouth into an 'oh!' of surprise.
"Oh my gosh, Toushi! Now my faggot-ness is going to rub off on you!" he exclaimed. He quickly droppedthe act, along with his hands, and pushed himself away from the wall, staring into Toushi's eyes defiantly. "Get real." He turned on his heel and started to walk away. Toushi growled under his breath and ran forward.
"Nobody walks away from me!" he roared and hauled back, sending his fist flying at a speed that would have surely knocked Tai unconscious if Daisuke had not stepped in, stopping Toushi's fist on impact with his own hand.
"Don't even think about touching my brother," the younger boy said darkly.
'Ow, that really hurt.' Daisuke inwardly winced at the stinging sensation that was running through his hand. Tai whirled around to catch sight of his younger brother staring up into the face of Toushi, who towered over him by at least a good seven inches, not to mention the fact that Toushi was almost three and a half years older then Daisuke. An amused look crossed the older boy's features and he lowered his fist, staring right back down at Daisuke.
"And just what are you gonna do about it, Shortstuff?" he sneered, a smirk curving his lips slightly.
"Kick your ass, what does it look like?" Daisuke responded, clenching his fists at his sides. Toushi snorted and rolled his eyes.
"You think so huh?" he asked rhetorically, but Daisuke nodded anyway. "Fine." Toushi threw his bag to the side and tossed off his blazer and tie, standing in front of Daisuke wearing only his white button-up shirt. Daisuke did the same and handed everything to Kiseki, who had moved up behind him.
"Daisuke!" Tai hissed. "What the hell are you doing?" Daisuke turned to face his brother and narrowed his eyes.
"I'm sick of people picking on you for everything," he simply said and turned back to Toushi. "Let's go."
"With pleasure," Toushi replied and cracked the knuckles on his left hand. Tai buried his face in his hands and groaned.
"Man, he's totally going to get slaughtered!" he pointed out and peered between his fingers.
"So why don't you stop him?" Kiseki's voice hovered over his head. Tai looked up and removed his hands.
"You obviously don't know my brother very well. When he gets an idea in his head, there's no trying to convince him otherwise. He's just stubborn like that," Tai explained. Kiseki merely nodded and meandered over to Matt, who was leaning on the other wall holding Toushi's things.
"So…what do you think?" the black-haired boy began, idly making conversation.
"Truly?" Matt asked, watching as Daisuke put himself into a fighting stance.
"Yep."
"Daisuke's gonna clobber Toushi."
Kiseki nodded in agreement before it registered just what Matt was saying. "What!"
Matt shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head towards the tan boy. "He looks ready to murder Toushi with his bare hands and if he's not careful, I'm willing to bet that Daisuke will do just that," the blond explained. Kiseki's eyebrows shot into his hairline and a small grin wormed its way onto his face.
"Is that so…how much are you willing to bet?" he questioned. Matt turned to look at the younger boy, confusion etched into his American features.
"What?"
"How much are you willing to bet that Daisuke will win this fight?" Kiseki repeated, the wheels turning inside his head at a rapid pace.
"I don't know…" Matt trailed off, not liking the psychotic look that had inhabited Kiseki's eyes. Kiseki licked his lips and grinned again.
"How about this? I'll make you a deal; if Daisuke wins, you can do whatever you want to me. But if Daisuke doesn't win, you have to do what I say, when I say, how I say, no questions asked. Deal?" he questioned and held out his hand. Matt stared at the pale hand, contemplating his options. With a curt nod, he grabbed Kiseki's hand and shook it firmly.
"Deal."
"C'mon Motomiya, stop being a pussy and hit me!" Toushi shouted. Daisuke remained planted in his spot, thinking of a way he could avoid physical contact all together.
'Me and my big mouth. It just had to get me in trouble, didn't it?' He inwardly sighed and bit his lip.
"What, are you too much of a fag to fight me too? Guess you and your brother really are so much alike." Daisuke snapped his head up at the comment.
"Leave my brother's sexuality out of this. This is between you and me," Daisuke growled and leapt forward, landing a punch to Toushi's gut. Toushi stumbled backwards, quickly regaining his balance and tackling Daisuke to the floor. Punches were thrown back and forward, none ever making contact.
"C'mon, Daisuke, do something!" Kiseki shouted from above the pair on the ground. Toushi threw a sour glance at his foster brother, driving his knee into Daisuke's stomach. The younger fighter gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. Toushi took this opportunity to punch him square in the jaw, satisfied with the crack that came with it.
"Daisuke, get up!" Matt and Tai yelled simultaneously. Daisuke grunted and kicked Toushi in the chest with both feet, sending the older boy flying backwards. Daisuke took the chance to roll away and staggered to his feet, hauling back and punching Toushi's left eye.
"Yeah!" Matt cheered, his mind on the bet with Kiseki.
"Come on, Dais, don't give up!" Tai encouraged the younger boy, proud that he was still trying to gain the upper hand. Victory was short-lived however as Toushi came back and kicked Daisuke in the groin.
"Yeah, go Toushi!" Sachi and Kyo cheered faithfully in the background as Daisuke gasped sharply, doubling over and falling to the floor once more. A red flush flooded his face and his eyes filled with tears as he curled up into a fetal position.
"Cheap shot!" A voice rang out from the crowd around them. Tai's eyes lingered on the form of his pained little brother, who was now curled up tighter and crying softly.
"That's it!" Tai dropped everything in his hands and jumped in front of Toushi, punching him in the nose. He smiled widely when he heard Toushi moan in agony. "That's for being a sleezeball!" He punched the older boy in the gut, bringing him to his knees. "That's for my brother!" He delivered one final kick at Toushi's groin, once again satisfied by the loud moan of pain. "And that's for me!" He nodded an affirmative and rushed over to his little brother, leaving Toushi on the floor for his cronies to pick up.
"Daisuke, are you okay?" Tai blurted out before he even reached Daisuke's side, sliding across the floor and kneeling down by his brother. Daisuke looked up with tears still coursing down his face and a harsh look of disapproval. Much to the surprise of everyone, he reached out and punched Tai in the cheek, knocking his brother flat on his rear.
"Ow! What'd you do that for?" Tai hollered, his hand instinctively flying up to his cheek.
"Don't think that I can't take care of myself, Tai! Cause I can, damnit!" Daisuke shouted back, sitting up suddenly.
"Well shit, calm down! I never said that you couldn't take care of yourself," Tai retorted. With a throaty growl, Daisuke lunged at his brother and landed on top of him, throwing his fists at Tai's chest.
"You always think you know what's best and you don't and you always treat me like a freakin' little kid!" Daisuke cried as he continued assaulting his older brother. Tai kicked at him and attempted to push him off, only using half of his strength because he didn't want to hurt Daisuke.
"You know, for somebody who just got kicked in the balls, you bounced back quickly," he commented dryly just as another fist collided with one of his ribs.
"Just shut the hell up, Tai! You don't know anything! I don't need your damn protection!" Daisuke continued to scream, landing one more punch on Tai's face.
"What in the world is going on here?" A loud voice boomed into the conversation, causing all five of the boys (Toushi and his lackeys were still there trying to get Toushi to stand up). All heads turned and spotted the Headmaster standing behind them, arms crossed in front of his chest and staring down at the boys in disapproval.
"We're in deep trouble aren't we…?" Tai whistled lowly.
"Indeed you are, Mr. Yagami. Indeed you are." The older man nodded and marched Daisuke, Tai, and Toushi to his office. Away from them, both Matt and Kiseki were watching the scene in front of them quietly. That is, until Kiseki spoke.
"So I guess that means I won the bet," he said, sneaking a peek at Matt through the corner of his eye.
"Toushi didn't win though, Tai did," Matt argued.
"Ah, see, that's where I prove you wrong. I never said that it had to be Toushi who won the fight. I just said it wasn't going to be Daisuke." Kiseki smirked triumphantly.
"Oh damn…" Matt groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Sorry man, you totally lose," Kiseki laughed in his face and walked away.
"Great. Just great," Matt sighed and rolled his eyes, walking down the hall to his next class.
"So what happened?" Kiseki asked immediately upon seeing Daisuke.
"Me and Tai got detention for a week for fighting and Toushi got two weeks for fighting and harassing us," Daisuke replied as he sat down next to his friend at the lunch table.
"You guys got off pretty easy," Kiseki mentioned and took a bite of his sandwich. Daisuke shrugged and gingerly ran his fingers along his bruised jaw.
"It helps that Tai's best friends with the Headmaster's daughter you know."
"True…hey guess what?" Kiseki changed the subject, eyes dancing in delight.
"What?" Daisuke asked, too tired to even try to guess what his friend was thinking.
"Not only did you take care of step one in our plan, I figured out step two!" Kiseki beamed proudly. Daisuke sat up, staring at Kiseki alertly.
"Meaning what exactly?" he questioned cautiously. Kiseki took another bite of his sandwich and swallowed it down with some water before continuing.
"Think about it. We first had to get Toushi out of the way; we've pretty much done that." Daisuke gave him a flat look. "All right, so you and Tai pretty much did that. Now, I have a plan to get Matt to do what I want him to. Don't worry, it'll be good!"
"What's your plan?" Daisuke asked, highly curious now.
"Ah, you'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see," Kiseki winked. "Oh, by the way, Matt's not friends with Toushi anymore."
"What? Why?" Daisuke's eyes widened.
"…that's a good thing."
"I know, but I still would like to know why."
"Because, he said he wasn't going to be friends with somebody who hurt his friends. He still considers you and Tai his friends! This makes our job so much easier!" Kiseki was nearly bursting with excitement.
"Wow…where is he now?" Daisuke asked, scanning around the area for any sign of blond hair.
"I'm not sure, I think he's in the library or something but anyway, when's your birthday?" Kiseki changed the subject yet again.
"Exactly a week from tomorrow," Daisuke answered warily.
"Good."
"Why?"
"You'll see…trust me on this one." Kiseki got up from the table and threw away his trash, grabbing his book bag from under the bench. "I'm skipping afternoon classes, I have a lot of things to do in preparation for tomorrow," he explained.
"What exactly are you doing?" Daisuke questioned once again.
"You'll see in good time," Kiseki also repeated himself and waved, turning on his heel and walking away. Daisuke sighed and the bell rang, signaling for everybody to go to class.
"Great, I spent most of lunch in the Headmaster's office and I didn't even get to eat!" he whined and got up, following the rest of the boys out of the dining hall.
From: Daisuke
Sent: Friday, February 13, 2004 9:14pm
To: Hikari
Subject: RE: Taito Project
Hika guess what!
I totally kicked some guy's ass!
…
Okay so I didn't, but I landed some good punches before Tai stepped in (jerk.) Anyway, Kiseki says it was a good step because it got Toushi to back off. Toushi being a Takeru 100 times worse. So now Matt broke off that friendship and apparently Kiseki has some genius plan for sometime to use for this whole thing…
He's psychic, maybe he knows something we don't. Anyway, just thought I'd fill you in…I'll probably send you an email tomorrow telling you how our V-day went. Hope you and TK and Mimi have a good one!
-Dais
A knock pounded on Matt's door late that night. Matt had already been asleep by that point and had no intentions of waking up anytime soon. However, the knocker had other ideas, continuing to pound on the door louder and louder.
"All right, I'm awake, just shut up!" Matt yelled and got out of bed, kicking the sheets away and stumbling to the door. Unlocking it and cursing the person on the other side, he threw it open and glared into a pair of magenta eyes.
"Hiya!" Kiseki chirped.
"What the hell do you want? It's 11:45 at night," Matt said through a yawn, flipping on the light switch next to the door.
"I wanted to drop off your props and the first part of your punishment for losing the bet!" Kiseki continued smiling as he thrusted a paper sack into Matt's hand. Cautiously, the blond opened the bag and peered at its contents.
"Oh no way!" he instantly objected, throwing the bag across the room.
"Yes way, you have to do what I say, remember?" Kiseki chirped happily.
"…damnit all. Damn stupid bets," Matt continued grumbling to himself. Kiseki merely chuckled.
"I assume you know how to put on all of that?" he nodded forward, indicating the paper bag that was on the floor now.
"Yes, and if not, I'm sure I'll figure it out," Matt sighed and rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. "Can you go away now, I'm really tired."
"I will when I explain what you have to do." Kiseki leaned forward and began to whisper into Matt's ear, holding back his laughter as blue eyes widened.
"No!" Matt said as soon as Kiseki finished explaining his plan.
"You have to do what I say, remember? Besides, this is only the first part," Kiseki reminded him and walked out the door. "See you tomorrow bright and early!" he called over his shoulder. Matt stared blankly at the 14-year-old's retreating form before slamming the door shut.
"Freakin' kid…" he muttered and shut off the light, crawling in to bed. After all, he had to brace himself for what would come tomorrow.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Tai!" Daisuke said to his brother, planting a wet kiss on his cheek. Tai's eyes shot wide open and he sat up quickly.
"Gross!" he hollered, swatting his arms at Daisuke. The younger brother merely laughed and held up a wet sponge that he had pressed against Tai's face.
"Like I would really kiss you," he said and threw the sponge into the bathroom.
"Well you never know." Tai shrugged and yawned, scratching his chest and stretching his legs. "What time is it?"
"9:30 in the AM," Daisuke replied. "I told Kiseki that we would meet him down in the front hall and go walk into town like everybody else." Tai blinked at the plan and gave his brother a skeptical look.
"If you wanna go with Kiseki, that's fine. Don't feel like you're obligated to bring me with you." He rubbed some of the sleep from his eyes.
"I'm not. Kiseki said he wanted to bring you along."
"Why?"
"That's what I said too!"
"Gee, thanks."
"No I mean…er, oh just get dressed, we're suppose to meet him down there at ten!" Daisuke gave up trying to explain, leaving Tai confused and groggy.
"Uh…okay? So much for you being mad at me…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. He threw the blankets to the floor and crawled out of bed, dragging himself into the bathroom to wash up. Daisuke sat on the couch and waited patiently. Moments later, Tai came out wearing tan cargo pants and a black t-shirt.
"So, are we ready to go?" he questioned his younger brother, tying up his shoelaces and slipping on his dark red windbreaker.
"Well I am if you are," Daisuke replied and hopped off of the couch.
"All right, lead the way little brother of mine," Tai said and motioned for the door. Daisuke grumbled something that sounded oddly like, "I'm not little," and kicked the door open, leading the way down the stairs. At the bottom sat Kiseki, calmly watching everybody else burst through the large doors.
"Hey 'Seki!" Daisuke greeted his friend. Magenta eyes looked up and a smile brightened Kiseki's otherwise gloomy features.
"Hey guys," he returned the greeting and rose to his feet. Tai raised a hand and waved before tucking his hands into his pocket.'
"So are we ready to go?" Daisuke asked. Kiseki shook his head, causing his green hair to swing back and forward across his face.
"Nope, we still have to wait for a friend," he said with a sly grin.
"Who else is going with us?" Tai asked as he looked around the hall for any signs of people joining them.
"You'll see him soon enough," Kiseki responded airily and looked at the watch on his right wrist. He peered down the hall and his eyes lit up suddenly.
"Ah, there you are!" he announced and ran forward into the shadowed area of the hall that the sun didn't reach.
"Ow, Kiseki, you have a tight grip!" a male voice protested. Tai instantly froze and Daisuke instantly understood.
"Oh stop being such a baby!" Kiseki laughed and threw the other boy out into the light. Yamato stumbled along the carpet and regained his balance, readjusting the belt around his waist that was too big. Both Yagami-Motomiya siblings' eyes went wide and had to bite the inside of their cheeks to keep from laughing out loud at the spectacle before them.
"Um, hi Matt," Tai said with a snicker. The blond boy glared at his former best friend, rearranging the black kitty ears on his head. He stood before them wearing a plain white long-sleeved dress shirt, plain black pants and a black cat collar along with the cat ears. A silver bell was attached to the collar and it jingled every time Matt moved his head, causing Tai to snicker even more.
"Are you wearing make-up?" Daisuke didn't bother to hide his laughter. Indeed the American boy was wearing make-up; mascara, black eyeliner, and grey eye shadow to be exact. Dull lip gloss was painted over his lips and a light dusting of blush was on his cheeks.
"Shut. Up," Matt grounded out through gritted teeth. Kiseki beamed proudly.
"Well, let's go!" he chirped and marched out the door, Daisuke in tow and leaving the two older boys in their wake. Daisuke looked over his shoulder to see if he was far enough away from his brother and Matt the Cat before leaning over and whispering to Kiseki.
"Okay, what the hell did you do?"
"Whatever do you mean, Daisuke?" Kiseki asked innocently, looking at Daisuke through his bangs. Daisuke made an odd noise in the back of his throat and motioned back towards Matt, who was trudging along behind them followed by Tai.
"Why is Matt a cat?"
"He lost a bet," Kiseki simply said and didn't say anymore. Daisuke shook his head and rolled his eyes, suddenly realizing what Kiseki's big plan was.
'I don't know who to feel sorrier for, Tai or Matt.' the mahogany-haired boy ignored his stray thoughts and came back to reality, listening to Kiseki babble about some sweets shop in the town.
Meanwhile behind them, Matt had slowed his pace down just a tiny bit and Tai had quickened his, coming up to his left side.
"Hey," he said softly. Matt's eyes flickered over to his old best friend, observing him lightly.
"Hi," he replied just as quietly. He ran a hand over one of his kitty ears, fixing it so that it would stand up again. The two walked along in silence behind their younger companions, neither one wanting to be the first to say anything.
"Hey you guys, me and Kiseki are gonna go in here for a few minutes!" Daisuke broke their tense silence and pointed at the large shop filled with boys from the academy, candy of all shapes and sizes displayed in the windows.
"Okay, we'll wait out here," Tai assured his brother and waved him away, leaning against the wall of the shop. Kiseki and Daisuke darted into the shop, leaving Matt and Tai on their own. The silence came back, keeping both boys uneasy and nervous. Tai took a deep breath and looked down at Matt, who had chosen to sit down on the bench next to him.
"So…why are you a cat?" he asked with a small smile, hoping that Matt wasn't going to bite his head off suddenly.
"It's all stupid Kiseki's fault," the blue-eyed boy muttered and folded his arms over his chest as people walked past the boys, girls cooing over how adorable Matt looked and the boys from the academy glaring at him for holding their girls' attention.
"How so?"
"I lost a bet," Matt sighed. "It's your fault you know," he added as an afterthought.
"How do ya figure?" Tai asked, not really caring what Matt's reasoning was. After all, the blond was actually talking to him. That was a reason in itself to be overjoyed.
"You stepped in and made Daisuke lose the fight yesterday." Tai blinked owlishly at the American on the bench.
"Wait, what the hell do you mean I made Daisuke lose? Daisuke was gonna get pounded to a pulp if Toushi decided to attack him while he was down! Besides, you should blame Toushi, not me," Tai argued his point.
"Whatever, the point is, Kiseki and I had a deal that if Daisuke lost the fight I would do anything he said…and well, this is what he said," Matt finished telling his tale of woe and pointed at the make-up, collar, and kitty ears. More girls walked past him and giggled, whispering to their friends and pointing at him. "Yes! I'm a cat, get over it!" Matt shouted angrily, his glare looking less-then-threatening when teamed with a pout. Tai stifled a giggle of his own and motioned to the bench.
"Mind if I sit?" he asked. Matt stared up at him for a few moments, amazed beyond belief.
'Even after I treated him like major crap for the past month, he still is trying to be my friend. Or at least be totally civil…unlike me who didn't even want to reason. Oh Tai…' He shook his head fiercely to clear it and scooted over.
"Go for it," he said to the brunet that was currently towering over him. Tai gave him a wide grin in return and plopped down next to him, leaning against the back of the bench.
"So anyway, how ya been this past month? Haven't seen ya around much lately," Tai said in attempt to strike up another conversation.
'I've been having a normal life while he's been suffering…all because of me. I can't believe I'm so stupid! But then again, it's not like my life's been perfect. Half of my time is spent missing him and the other half is spent beating myself up.' Matt swallowed deeply and nodded.
"I-I've been good…" he lied through his teeth, guilt washing over him like an ocean's wave. Tai nodded and looked at the sky.
"Yeah, I've been all right too," he replied. "Kinda been lonely, but ya know, it's not that bad," he continued, catching Matt's eye slightly. "Gives me time to think about things."
"Like what?" Matt questioned, cringing at how his voice was shaking and suddenly becoming aware of the sour feeling in the pit of his stomach that came every time Tai looked him directly in the eye. The other boy shrugged nonchalantly and looked back at the sky instead.
"I don't know…just little things ya know? You…me..." He looked back down and caught Matt's eye again, leaning in closer until their noses were almost touching. "Us," he breathed out, causing Matt to shudder.
'Spearmint. His breath smells like spearmint.' Matt idly thought in a vain attempt to stay calm under Tai's gaze. The sour feeling came back twice as worse and he suddenly felt like he wanted to cry, wanted to shout, wanted to do anything to get Tai to stop being so forgiving, so understanding, so…
'Tai.'
"Hey guys, we're ready to go!" Both of the older boys were startled out of their own little world, pulling away from each other instantly. Daisuke and Kiseki came out of the shop, each holding a bag of treats in their hands.
"What'd you guys find?" Tai inquired, peering into his brother's bag.
"Lots of junk," Kiseki answered around a mouthful of gummy worms. Daisuke nodded an affirmative and held out a marshmallow to Matt.
"Want one?" Matt shook his head. Daisuke shrugged and shoved it into his own mouth. "Anyway, we're ready to go back now," he informed the older boys.
"Well, that's nice. You three go ahead," Tai said and began walking down the street.
"Where are you going?" Three voices chorused simultaneously. Tai turned around and grinned.
"I just have a few things I want to look for. Go on without me," he insisted and began to walk again. Matt stared at the retreating back of his former comrade, throat closing up and eyes slipping out of focus.
'I can't believe I pushed him away. All because of something stupid like a reputation. Kiseki was right all along…Tai's opinion is all that matters. I want him back…I want him back with me.' He looked over at Kiseki and Daisuke, both of whom were oblivious to anything other than their chocolate malt balls.
'No. It's not just that. I can't continue living life this way, it's miserable! I need a best friend. I need a confidant. I need a rival. I need a roommate. I need a partner-in-crime. I need a better half.' He shook his head again and closed his eyes.
'I need Taichi.' Matt lifted his head and opened his eyes, but by the time he was ready to call out to Tai, the mass of brown hair was gone.
"Hey Matt, are you okay?" Kiseki's voice rang in his ears, but he paid no heed to the words the other boy was saying. He turned away from the direction Tai had gone and motioned for the other two to follow him.
"Come on guys, let's follow Tai's orders and head back," he said monotonously and began to march back towards the school at a rapid pace. The two younger boys exchanged worried glances and quickly closed their bags of candy, racing to catch up with the blonde. Matt didn't even notice that he had two additional shadows following him all the way back to the school building. He wasn't even taking notice of where he was going; he just allowed his feet to take him wherever they pleased. The only thing he took notice of was the hollow feeling in his chest and his own thoughts echoing in his mind.
'I never thought I would miss him this much. I haven't even known Tai that long, only since October I believe and now I'm ready to die without him? How pathetic is that? But I've done a lot of soul-searching this past month without him…I never did find my soul. I'm just now realizing why too. Tai is my soul…he really does make me complete and I can only pray that he knows that because, fuck, I miss Tai. But like he'll even take me back after all that I put him through. After all, what can I say? That I was scared? Yeah right. I'm still scared…but this time? This time I'm scared that he won't want me back.' Self-doubt continued to fill the boy's head and his heart felt heavy as he walked up the steps into the school, discarding all of the weird looks he was getting for being dressed as a cat and ignoring the burning behind his eyes.
An urgent knock played out on Daisuke's door, causing the young boy to jump a mile and choke on his jawbreaker. He clambered to his feet and padded over towards the door, unlocking it and opening it cautiously.
"Daisuke!"
A smile of relief flooded onto the tanned face. "Matt, it's just you," he stated. Matt nodded and looked around the room.
"Where's your brother? I really need to talk to him," Matt said, frowning as he noticed the older boy wasn't in the room.
"He's not here, obviously," Daisuke pointed out.
"Damnit," Matt swore under his breath, curling his hands into fists. With a defeated sigh, he turned around and his shoulders slumped. "Can you let him know I stopped by?" he asked and didn't bother to wait for an answer before he started to walk away.
"Hey, just because he's not here doesn't mean I can't tell you where to find him," Daisuke called after him. Matt stopped in his tracks.
"Can you really?" Daisuke nodded avidly. He hated to see Matt so depressed.
'Besides, this could be another step closer to their reconcile.' The Japanese boy convinced himself and pointed down the hall.
"He's in the music room up the stairs, on the third floor. It's the biggest room on that floor, you can't miss it," Daisuke insisted. Matt nodded slowly and tugged at his cat collar, the bell jingling merrily.
"Right, thanks," he said to the younger boy and practically ran down the hall, anxious to find Tai. He bounded up the stairs three at a time, nearly tripping and falling at the top. He reached the third floor in record time and stopped in the middle of the hall, looking around for any sign of where to go.
'Think, Yamato. If it's a music room, don't you think you'd hear music?' he chided himself and strained his hearing, listening close for any little sound. Nothing reached his ears and he sighed.
'This was stupid. Besides, what makes you think that he'll take you back now?' With a discouraged sigh and a small frown, he turned around and started heading back towards the stairs when suddenly the notes from a piano hit his eardrums head-on.
"There!" he said aloud, spinning around with such force he almost fell to the ground. He raced down the hall, desperately trying to follow the sound of the notes. He came face-to-face with a large door at the end of the hall. It was closed but he could tell that the music was inside. Slowly, as to not disturb the player of the piano, he grasped the door handle and quietly pushed it open.
'I wonder why Tai would be in here…maybe he's just listening to the piano player. Although why the heck would he do that?' Abstract thoughts raced around as he silently made his way into the room. It was dark, dimly lit by low lights and smelled of cinnamon. As he walked in further, the music got louder. Having an ear for music himself, Matt followed the beautiful song. It was soft and feathery, melodic and passionate in a way that only a fellow musician such as he could appreciate. He soon rounded the corner and the music was its loudest yet. Becoming more curious about whom this player was and less worried about finding Tai, he hurried forward and stepped into the light, eyes sweeping over the piano and the pianist behind it. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened.
"Tai?" he exclaimed in surprise. Startled by the rude entrance, Tai hit a wrong note and stopped playing all together.
"What the heck are you doing in here?" he asked the American boy.
"I-er, well…Daisuke said I could find you in here," Matt replied lamely, allowing his eyes to move away from the piano and study Tai. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt very similar to his own, other then the fact that it was burgundy in color. His school tie was placed around his neck loose enough to be comfortable but tight enough to pull the look together. Black slacks were his choice of bottoms, along with black dress shoes; shoes that Matt had never seen before in his life.
"Well, you found me," Tai laughed slightly. Matt nodded in agreement.
"So…I didn't know you could play the piano," he mentioned, motioning towards the black grand piano Tai was sitting at.
"Not many people do." Tai shrugged.
"Oh. So…what were you playing?" the blond questioned, staring at the other boy in awe.
"Think of Me. It's from another musical, Phantom of the Opera?" Tai said in a form of a question, as though he were wondering if Matt was familiar with it.
"Haven't heard of it, the song I mean."
"Somehow I didn't think you would." A smile reached Tai's lips.
"So how does it go? It has words right?" Matt asked.
"Yes."
"So how does it go?" Matt repeated himself.
"Well…go watch the movie for yourself," Tai replied.
"Just sing it for me." Matt waved a hand in the air. Tai averted his gaze back to the piano keys.
"I'm not much of a singer," he began to mumble his protest.
"C'mon, Tai, please? It's just us in here," Matt pointed out, knowing that Tai's resolve was slowly crumbling.
"But…" Tai couldn't think of a decent argument. He heaved a heavy sigh and glared up at Matt. "If I sing, you're not to tell anybody all right?"
"Got it." Matt nodded eagerly and leaned against the top of the piano, awaiting Tai's performance. Tai positioned his fingers over the keys of the piano and started playing a small introduction before he opened his mouth and began to sing quietly.
"Think of me, think of me fondly, when we're said goodbye. Remember me once in a while, please promise me you'll try. When you find that, once again, you long to take your heart back and be free. If you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me…" Matt stared at his friend with wide eyes once again.
'What the hell is he talking about not being much of a singer! Idiot, he sounds…wow. And the song is so gorgeous…wow.' Matt couldn't believe what he was hearing. Tai continued singing and playing softly, slowly gaining more confidence in his voice as he went along.
"Recall those days, look back on all those time, think of the things we'll never do. There will never be a day, when I won't think of you…" Tai stopped singing and finished out the final notes of the song, looking up at Matt timidly, who was standing still with his mouth open and eyes wide still.
"Er…I told you I wasn't very good," he started to say before Matt cut him off.
"What are you talking about? Tai that was…holy shit, why didn't you tell me you could sing and play piano?" Matt babbled excitedly. Tai blinked in surprise and lowered his fingers away from the keys.
"You actually thought that was okay?"
"Okay? It was better then okay! Holy…wow," Matt laughed suddenly. "Who would have thought?"
Tai's smile grew wider. "Yeah…" he trailed off, taking in the sight before him while he could. Matt was still dressed as a kitty but unlike earlier that day, he looked…happy. He was there, laughing and smiling again, all because of Tai.
"Tai? Can we talk?" the blond's voice brought him out of his appreciation for beauty.
"Sure. What's up?" Tai asked, giving his full attention to the blue-eyed boy. Matt took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Look, I know I've been a real jerk for the past month…and I thought I had a legitimate reason why," he stopped suddenly and opened his eyes again, staring directly into Tai's. "There is never a legitimate excuse to ignore your best friend."
"I'm glad you finally figured that out," Tai joked, but the look in Matt's eyes quickly hushed him. "Go on."
Matt nodded and continued. "Anyway, I just want to say I'm sorry for being a jerk and I'm sorry for being so stupid. I just want things to go back to the way they were. Do you think we can try that?" he stopped again, waiting for Tai's reaction. No reaction came. Panicked by the idea that maybe Tai wouldn't forgive him after all, he continued talking.
"I completely understand if you're mad at me and you don't care about me anymore and never want to deal with me again or even bother to forgive me, but believe me when I say this, Taichi Yagami, I'm sorry. Letting go of you and our friendship was the biggest mistake of my life." Matt inhaled sharply, biting back tears for the second time that day. Tai's eyes hardened suddenly as he watched Matt slowly lose composure.
"What makes you think that I would never forgive you?" he started off, turning on the piano bench to face his companion better. "What makes you think that I'd still be mad when you're obviously still the same Matt? What makes you think that I want to throw away our friendship anymore then you do?" he stopped to take a breath and looked at his hands. "Matt, I have missed you like crazy and I don't think you understand that. I forgave you a long time ago and I don't know how you could think otherwise." Matt bit his lip and swallowed.
"I just thought…maybe you didn't care," he said in a shaky tone. "Or that maybe you didn't love me anymore," he whispered almost silently, eyes trained onto the ground. Tai suddenly stood up and walked away from the piano until he was standing right in front of Matt. Forcefully grabbing the other boy's chin, he lifted Matt's head until his blue eyes met Tai's own brown ones.
"Now you listen to me and you listen to me good," he started out. "Never once in this whole fight did I stop loving you. Where you got the idea that I stopped, I have no clue. But come on! I'm not that flaky! Everybody has their good days, bad days, and all that other shit. That's why I never stopped, even though I knew it was gonna be hell trying to get to you. But really? It's worth it. I love you so much." He leaned forward and brushed a chaste kiss across Matt's cheek, pulling away and dropping his hand.
"Don't ever forget that," he said with a flourish and walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the room. Matt allowed his gaze to linger on Tai for the longest time until he could no longer make out his outline, dropping his eyes down to the piano. A faint smile crossed his face and his tears finally fell down his cheeks as he sank onto the piano bench, resting his back against the keys.
"I am such an idiot."
From: Daisuke
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2004 11:08pm
To: Hikari
Subject: RE: Taito Project
Hikari!
Okay, something major has happened! Tai just came back from the music room with the dopiest grin on his face! Do you know what that means!
…
No really, do you know what that means, because I have no idea whatsoever. I tried asking him what happened and all he said was something about a walk through Hell? I don't know what Hell has to do with anything, but I do know it has something to do with Matt because I sent him to the music room earlier! AH! I hope that means they're friends again! Guess we'll find out right? Anyway, hope your Valentine's Day with TK was just as eventful as the one here.
Oh hey before I go…can I get some advice? Thanks.
So see, there's this guy here and he's a really good friend and stuff but lately he's been acting a little…weird? He's gotten kinda clingy and he's always making jokes about being my boyfriend and stuff…it's really weird. So what's his deal and how do I make him stop? I don't want to deal with this kind of stuff.
Anyway, is Mom sending my presents up? Cause that'd be cool, haha. Oh well, if not, I'll just wait until we get home in June. I'm going to bed though, I'm exhausted. All of this playing cupid shit is for the birds. Night Hika!
-Dais
From: Hikari
Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2004 2:37pm
To: Daisuke
Subject: RE: Taito Project
He likes you, dumbass. Either that or you've shown interest in him. But last time I checked, you were straight.
…
Is there something you're not telling me?
-Kari
"You are a genius," Daisuke stated as he crashed into a chair next to Kiseki. It was Wednesday afternoon and both boys were in the library, Kiseki working on a history paper and Daisuke visiting his friend.
"I know, thanks. But you can fill me in on why I'm a genius this time," the older boy replied.
"Because, whatever you said to Matt that made him apologized was brilliant! They're actually friends again!" Daisuke exclaimed, suddenly remembering where he was and lowering his voice. "Granted they're still not sleeping in the same room, but at least they're starting to talk and hang out again!" Kiseki stopped writing and looked up suddenly, examining Daisuke's face.
"What do you mean whatever I said? All I said for him to do was dress as a cat! Anything else he did was on his own, although that was the second step in my plan," he said thoughtfully, looking up towards the ceiling.
"…well, that takes care of that. Any other ideas?" Daisuke asked. Kiseki nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear.
"Yep, but you'll have to wait until your birthday Saturday to see hear it." He grinned impishly.
"Aw, that's not fair!" Daisuke whined.
"Oh well." Kiseki shrugged and looked back down, staring straight into Daisuke's eyes. Daisuke blinked and pulled away slightly.
"What are you doing?" he questioned the black-haired boy.
"Reading your mind. Something's bothering you, I can tell," Kiseki explained and continued staring at him.
'Shit! I forgot he could do that!' Daisuke's mind went into a flurry, trying to think of anything to cover up what he was really thinking.
'Please don't know what I was thinking.' He silently begged.
"You want to get Matt and Tai together so that you don't have to think about your own confusion of your sexuality?" Kiseki said in a questioning tone and stared at him oddly. A light pink flush flooded Daisuke's cheeks and he looked away. Kiseki took that as a sign that he was right. "Hey, c'mon. Just because you don't know what you like doesn't mean anything," he said in attempt to cheer Daisuke up. Daisuke shook his head and stared at the table.
"Yeah it does. I can't be anything less then straight. My dad already doesn't like the fact that Tai's bi, and Tai's not even his biological kid. What do you think he'd do if he found out I was even thinking about not being straight?" he said darkly, fiercely glaring at the tabletop. Kiseki leaned back in his chair and continued studying Daisuke's face.
'Well now, this looks totally familiar.' He chuckled inwardly. He cleared his throat and reached forward, lifting Daisuke's head up with his fingers.
"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Matt, okay? Screw what everybody else thinks. It's as simple as that."
"But my dad-" Daisuke started to protest but Kiseki shushed him.
"Obviously, your mom doesn't care. So you have one person on your side, and obviously Tai too. And I'm assuming your sister won't care?"
Daisuke shrugged and bit his lower lip. "I doubt she would care but I don't want to be anything other then straight…"
"Why not?"
"Because Tai's bi and I don't want to be like Tai!" the young brunt finally snapped. Kiseki jumped in surprise at the volume and blinked, his expression changing from one of concern to one of curiosity.
"Who says you'd be like Tai if you weren't straight?"
"Don't you get it, Kiseki? Everybody just sees me as a damn copy of Tai! And I. Am. Not. Tai! I don't want to be Tai! If I became less then straight, that would just add to the list of reasons Tai and I are alike, and I don't want that!" Daisuke hollered in exasperation, slamming his hands down on the table to emphasize his point. Kiseki remained silent for a moment, allowing time for Daisuke to calm himself and time for him to gather his thoughts.
"If it helps any, I don't think you're just a copy of Tai," he began slowly. Daisuke tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.
"Really?" Kiseki shook his head no. He slowly began to trace Daisuke's jaw line with the fingers on his right hand.
"Nope…and you wanna know why?" he spoke in a hushed tone, focusing his magenta eyes on Daisuke cinnamon-brown ones.
"W-why?" Daisuke managed to stammer out, unsure of how to react to Kiseki's touch, nor why he was enjoying it.
"Because you're so much cuter," Kiseki purred and leaned forward, brushing his lips over Daisuke's without warning. Daisuke let out a startled squeak that went unheard as Kiseki pressed against him harder. Realizing how uncomfortable that was, Daisuke let up and relaxed his lips, allowing them to meld together with Kiseki's. The older boy ran his tongue along Daisuke's bottom lip gently, causing Daisuke to gasp and open his mouth wide enough to Kiseki to slip his tongue inside. He explored and opened his mouth wider, almost as if he were trying to get Daisuke to mimic his actions. Unsurely and somewhat shyly, Daisuke poked his tongue into Kiseki's mouth, trying to copy what the other boy was doing to him. He had just gotten into it when Kiseki broke the kiss, pulling away slowly and standing up. Gathering his books and bag, he stood above Daisuke and drummed his fingers on the tabletop.
"Well, I hope that helped you figure out your sexuality," he said with a wink and walked away, disappearing behind the shelves of books in the library and leaving Daisuke to ponder what just happened.
'Oh. Shit.'
From: Daisuke
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 6:41pm
To: Hikari
Subject: RE: Taito Project
No, there's nothing I'm keeping from you, Kari. If there was, you'd already know about it, trust me. Don't even think about stuff like that. I'm not Tai, remember?
-Dais
Daisuke walked out of the bathroom later that night, feeling rather refreshed from the hot shower he had just finished up. Tai was lying on his bed reading a magazine when he came back out to the main room, idly turning the pages.
"Hey, Tai," he greeted his brother and continued rubbing his hair dry, squeezing excess water onto the floor.
"Hey, Hotlips," Tai replied with a knowing smirk. Daisuke's eyes enlarged and he choked on his own saliva, dropping the towel in his hands to the floor.
"What did you just call me?" he wheezed out, picking up his towel with shaky hands.
"Oh don't play dumb, Daisuke, I know what you were doing in the library this afternoon." Tai looked up from his magazine, amusement clearly written on his face. Panic arose in Daisuke as he quickly tried to find an excuse.
"What do you mean?" he winced, suddenly becoming aware of how pathetic that sounded. Tai's smirk widened and he threw the magazine down to the floor, training his eyes on his younger brother.
"Matt told me that he saw you and Kiseki making-out in the library today," Tai confirmed Daisuke's greatest fear. "But then I thought to myself, 'Gee self, that doesn't make sense because Daisuke's perfectly straight!' So, care to share little brother?" Daisuke averted his gaze to the floor, dripping in embarrassment as the conversation continued.
"Not particularly," he mumbled, feeling the blood rush to his face. Tai grinned again and sat up straight.
"Oh come on! Ya gotta tell somebody, might as well be me," Tai reasoned as Daisuke sank onto his own bed. "Or are you one of those who doesn't kiss and tell?" he questioned with a wicked grin.
"Shut up!" Daisuke commanded and chucked a pillow at his brother's face, burying his head under his other one.
"You can't honestly tell me you're ashamed of yourself!" Tai exclaimed.
"Well I am! Not all of us are flamboyant and stupid like you are, Tai!" Daisuke shouted from under his pillow, muffling the sound immensely.
"Who are you calling stupid?"
"You, obviously."
Tai rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, staring at the lump on the next bed known as Daisuke. "Why are you embarrassed about it?" he questioned gently, not liking the way his brother was hiding from everything.
"Because," Daisuke replied instantly and offered no more. Tai resisted the urge to beat his head against the wall and instead tried a new approach.
"So, what does that make you? Bi? Gay? Experimenting?" Daisuke didn't say anything for a moment, choosing to remain buried under his pillow. Tai was slowly losing his patience and prodded again. "Dais?"
"I don't know," the younger boy said quietly.
"What?" Tai asked involuntarily, unsure if he heard him right.
"I said I don't know okay?" Daisuke shouted and sniffled.
"How can you not know?" Tai continued asking questions, getting up from his position on his bed and padding over to Daisuke's.
"I don't know," Daisuke whimpered again.
"Well…did you like kissing Kiseki?" Daisuke sniffed again and by this point Tai knew he was trying not to cry.
"…yes…" came the tiny reply.
"Well there you go, you're gay," Tai announced with a shrug.
"No."
"What the hell do you mean no?"
"Mimi…"
"You still like her?" Tai raised an eyebrow at this revelation.
"I guess," Daisuke said in that same pitiful voice. Tai frowned and picked up the pillow, removing it from Daisuke's head.
"Hey!" the younger boy objected, looking up with tears in his eyes and distress written all over his face.
"Wanna try that again?" Tai asked rhetorically. "Look me in the eye and say that you still like Mimi." Daisuke's lower lip quivered slightly but he kept his gaze locked with Tai's.
"I still like Mimi."
"Wow…so you're bi," Tai concluded.
"No, Tai! You don't get it!" Daisuke exploded and sat up so he was eye-level with Tai.
"…okay so wait. I'm the one who's actually bi and you're telling me I don't get it? How does that one work?" Tai folded his arms over his chest and stared down at his youngest sibling.
"Just…leave me alone! I don't need you getting involved with my life!" Daisuke insisted, curling himself into a fetal position away from Tai.
"Coulda fooled me," Tai murmured and shook his head, returning to the situation at hand. "Well, do you like Kiseki?"
"I don't know! That's the entire freakin' point, Tai! I don't know who I like or what I want anymore!" Daisuke closed his eyes as a few tears slipped down his face. Tai frowned again, awkwardly patting his brother on the shoulder.
"Well, when you wanna talk about it, I'm the most experienced with this whole thing. Besides, I've gone through exactly what you went through…kinda." Tai looked up thoughtfully, placing his chin into the palm of his left hand. "Actually, I didn't go through this whole angsty thing. I kinda was just like, 'Okay guys are sexy too, yay!' Besides, being bi isn't too bad, best of both worlds. But yeah…I didn't go through the angst thing."
"Tai, just shut the hell up, all right? That's why I say you don't understand! You'll never understand because you're not me! You're better then me, you know how to handle everything, I get it! Stop rubbing it in!" Daisuke managed to choke out before he started sobbing harder. Tai remained frozen in his spot, running Daisuke's words through his mind slowly.
"Is that what you really think? That I think I'm better then you?" he asked, watching Daisuke cry his heart out.
"No, it's not just you, it's everybody else too!" Daisuke informed him through his tears.
"What in the hell are you talking about?" Tai stared at Daisuke dumbly.
"Oh for the love of…Tai think about it! Everybody loves you! God, I can't even talk to anyone without them mentioning your name! It's always 'You're Tai's little brother huh?' or 'Your brother is so awesome!' or 'Can you do whatever like your brother can?' You don't realize how freakin' annoying that is! It's like people don't even realize I'm not you, nor will I ever be you! It's like they're saying that I have to be a carbon-copy of you." Daisuke paused in his speech in attempt to wipe away some of his tears and to catch his breath.
"You don't know how many nights I've laid awake just thinking how much I hate you for being what everybody wants. But then at the same time, I hate myself because I know I shouldn't be mad at you for being you. And I know I'll never compare to you but I'm trying so hard and it's like I'm failing and I don't know what to do anymore! Nobody gets it!" he finally finished, his breathing hitched and his face streaked with tears as Tai sat silently, absorbing all of this new-found information.
"How long have you been feeling like this?" he asked slowly, afraid to shatter his brother even more then he already was. Daisuke shrugged and let out a small hiccup.
"Since I was like, ten?" the mahogany-haired boy guessed. Tai's mouth fell agape and he blinked hard.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Daisuke shrugged again and wiped his nose with the sleeve of his shirt.
"I didn't know how to tell you…unlike you, I don't wear my heart on my sleeve."
"What does that even mean?"
"It means, I don't go around openly telling people what I feel. I just can't, Tai, not with stuff like this."
Tai nodded solemnly and sighed. "That's why you freaked out last Friday huh? You were mad because I was smothering you."
"Yep."
"I'm sorry, Daisuke…if I had known…"
"Well, now you do," Daisuke spat out and grabbed his pillow back from Tai's grasp.
"But-"
"Tai, just shut up and leave me alone. I don't wanna deal with it," Daisuke said with an air of finality and slammed the pillow over his head once more. Tai rolled his eyes and got off of Daisuke's bed.
"Okay fine, whatever. But if you wanna talk, I'll listen, I promise," he reminded the younger boy.
"Sure you will," Daisuke mumbled. Tai shook his head and climbed back onto his own bed, shutting off the lamp and climbing under the covers.
"Good night, Daisuke," he said quietly, knowing that the other boy had already cried himself to sleep. He closed his eyes and let his mind replay Daisuke's words, trying to place a finger on what had caused the younger boy to completely snap. Then it hit him.
'His first major bout with hormones. Oh shit, we're all in for a wild ride.' He smirked into the darkness and drifted off to sleep.
From: Hikari
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 2:37pm
To: Daisuke
Subject:I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!
You dirty little liar! Why didn't you tell me you kissed a guy? I had to find out from Tai and oh my gosh! Daisuke! Why didn't you just tell me this instead of lying to me and saying that you had nothing to tell me? It's not like I would be mad at you or anything! God, I can't believe you kept that from me! Ugh!
So…was he a good kisser? This is crazy! Now I have two brothers who aren't straight! TK's going to have kittens…love ya!
-Kari
P.S: I won't tell anybody else unless you say I can, okay?
Thursday and Friday, things between Tai and Daisuke were a tad tense, Tai not wanting to anger the younger boy and Daisuke furious that Tai had told Kari about his experiment on Wednesday. However, by Saturday, both were willing to push those matters aside.
At 8am Saturday morning, Tai was awoken by somebody whispering his name and shaking his shoulder frantically.
"Tai! Tai, get up!"
Tai moaned and swatted at the intruding hands. "Go 'way," he mumbled in a slurred voice.
"Tai!"
Tai jumped and sat straight up. "What!" he yelped, looking around the room frantically. However, all he saw was Daisuke sitting at the foot of his bed with a wide grin on his face.
"I'm 13!" he announced proudly. Tai threw a glance at the clock and nodded.
"That's nice, Dais, but couldn't you have been 13 in a couple of hours? It's still really early," Tai pointed out. Daisuke shook his head, eyes dancing with delight.
"I want you to come downstairs with me and see if I have any packages! Kari said that Mom would probably send my birthday presents up here," Daisuke explained and hopped off of the bed, tugging on Tai's arm. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"
"Okay, jeeze!" Tai yanked his arm away and stood up by himself, pulling on a pair of sweatpants to cover his blue boxers. Slipping on his sneakers, he ran a hand through his hair. "Let's go then." Daisuke let out a whoop of delight and grabbed onto Tai's arm again, dragging him out of the room and down the stairs. Both boys ran into the front office and stopped at the desk.
"Good morning boys," the receptionist greeted them.
"Good morning, Kirei," both boys replied politely.
"What can I do for you two?" Kirei asked the two teens.
"We wanted to see if there were any packages for us," Tai explained. Kirei nodded and got up from her desk.
"Let me go check in the back and see what we have." She walked away, leaving the two boys to wait patiently. Well, one of them anyway.
"What do you think Mom bought me?" Daisuke asked, peering around the desk for a peek at the back room.
"I dunno, something you'll like though. I know that much," Tai answered just as Kirei came back with about five boxes in different shapes and sizes.
"This is what I came up with boys," she said and handed over the packages.
"Sweet, thanks Kirei!" Daisuke thanked her and ran out of the office, leaving Tai with his packages.
"I'm gonna kill him by the end of today," Tai growled to himself and followed at a slower pace.
Daisuke was bouncing on his bed by the time Tai arrived into their room. He dropped all of the packages in his brother's lap and sat on the floor next to the bed.
"Next time, it would help if you carried some of your own presents," he said dully and leaned his head against the edge of the bed. Daisuke shrugged and started tearing open his parcels.
"Manga!" he cried out happily and held up three volumes of Naruto.
"I'm going to guess that they're from Kari?" Tai questioned, not bothering to move his head as wrapping paper fell onto his face.
"Yep," Daisuke replied and tore open his other presents. He also received two volumes of Great Teacher Onizuka, two volumes of DN Angel, one of the Dragon Ball Z Gameboy Advance games, about 2,796 yen, and a sleek navy blue jacket, made out of what appeared to be nylon.
"You made out pretty good," Tai commented as he threw a ball of paper at his brother. Daisuke nodded and smiled.
"Yep, I sure did."
"Happy birthday, Daisuke," two new voices said from the doorway of the room. The two brunet brothers looked up and spotted Matt and Kiseki.
"Hey guys," Daisuke grinned. The two boys walked further into the room and sat down next to Tai.
"We come bearing gifts, Master," Matt said mockingly and tossed a small package onto the bed, as did Kiseki.
"You guys didn't have to do that," Daisuke said as he tore into them.
"Oh yes we did," Kiseki replied and snickered as the paper was removed. Daisuke's eyes widened and he blushed lightly, holding up a box of condoms and a pair of silver silk boxers.
"Okay, whose idea was this?" he demanded.
"Kiseki bought you the condoms," Matt said.
"And Matt bought the boxers," Kiseki finished with a cheesy grin.
"Thanks?" Daisuke shrugged and threw both things into his pile of presents. "Can we go somewhere?"
"Like where?" Tai asked, standing up and stretching his limbs.
"Just go walk around the halls, give us something to do?" Daisuke suggested, already climbing off of the bed.
"Sounds like a great idea!" Kiseki agreed enthusiastically.
'Almost too enthusiastically…'Tai narrowed his eyes. Kiseki gave Matt a side-ways glance and Matt nodded quickly, almost quick enough that Tai didn't catch it.
"Let's roll then," Matt said and the four boys walked out the door, heading up the stairs to wander around the third floor where no one could disturb them. Kiseki pulled Daisuke ahead of Tai and Matt and looked back, making sure they were out of hearing distance.
"Okay, so here's the thing. I figured out the second part of this plan/bet thing," he whispered.
"What?" Daisuke questioned.
"Basically, Matt just has to talk to Tai about how he's feeling and shit, now that they're back on the level of friendship." Kiseki nodded in self-assurance.
"Okay then," Daisuke replied with a shrug. Kiseki tilted his head slightly and looked at Daisuke.
"You're acting weird…are you okay?"
"Yes," Daisuke answered a little too fast for Kiseki's liking. He rolled his eyes and slipped his hands into his pockets.
"You know I can read minds, so it's just easier if you tell me what's bothering you," Kiseki reminded him. Daisuke sighed deeply and looked at the ceiling.
"I'm just…confused."
"About Wednesday? What we were talking about and stuff?" Kiseki guessed. Daisuke nodded hesitantly.
"I just…I don't know. I mean, I like you, but I don't like you like that, y'know?" he said quietly. Kiseki stared silently, a smile threatening to overtake his lips and he laughed out loud.
"Is that what you were worried about?" Kiseki asked. "Oh come on, Dais, I don't care."
"You don't?" Daisuke asked, puzzled to say the least.
"Nope. If it helps matter, I'm not even gay, or bi for that matter."
'Liar.' Kiseki pushed down his negative thoughts and forced a smile to stay on his face.
"Then what the hell did you kiss me for?" Daisuke hissed, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and shaking him around. Kiseki calmly reached up and removed Daisuke's hands.
"I did it in hopes to help you figure out your sexuality. Is that a crime?" he inquired as they continued walking aimlessly.
"Well…no, but weren't you afraid of somebody seeing you kiss a boy?"
"Why would I be? I never said I was straight either. I'm just…open-minded? I go with whatever catches my attention I suppose. And besides, it's like I keep telling you people, screw what everybody else thinks." Kiseki shrugged.
"I suppose you're right…"
"Yep. So did you figure things out?"
"No."
"Oops."
"Yeah oops, you dolt," Daisuke muttered and began ascending the stairs leading to the fourth floor.
"Sorry, I really thought it would help," Kiseki apologized.
"Meh, don't worry about it." Daisuke brushed it off. Kiseki nodded and followed him up the stairs.
Meanwhile behind them, Matt and Tai were walking side by side, following behind the younger boys at a slower pace.
"So, is Daisuke driving you nuts yet?" Matt asked, scanning the hallway with his blue eyes.
"Oh god, you wouldn't believe it. He's not too bad yet, but just give it time, dude, give it time," Tai replied as they began to wander up the stairs after their friends.
"Hmm I see," Matt said for lack of anything else to say. His eyes swept over the left side of the hall and he finally saw his chance. Without warning, he covered Tai's mouth with one hand and grabbed his arm with the other, dragging him into a closet and shutting the door behind them. Once inside, he released the tanned boy.
"Matt! What the hell are we doing in a freakin' closet?" Tai shouted. Matt pressed a finger to his lips to silence Tai, barely able to make out his outline in the dark.
"We need to talk," Matt spoke in a low voice, squirming around to get a broom handle out of his back and his foot out of a bucket.
'Typical, I just had to pick a broom closet.' He thought grudgingly and swept his hair out of his eyes.
"Well, couldn't we have talked out in the hall, where it was light?" Tai asked, slightly annoyed by how dark and cramped the closet was.
"No because this is important and I don't want anybody interrupting me, okay?"
"Fine," Tai sighed. "What is it?" Matt looked skyward at the roof of the closet and sighed as well.
"Okay, here's the thing…so I've been thinking about things."
"What sort of things?" Tai questioned, raising his eyebrow even though Matt couldn't see it.
"You, me, us," Matt replied, using the same wording Tai had used the week before.
"Oh," Tai squeaked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "What about you, me, and us?" Matt scratched his head and licked his lips, preparing himself for a long interrogation session.
"You've changed me so much, in ways that I never even thought were possible. I am truly amazed. You are one of the most incredible people I have ever met and I don't know how I lived my life without knowing you, or even someone like you for that matter. Those are the things about you and me." Matt absently toyed with a dustpan hanging on the wall next to him.
"Okay…so what about us?" Tai prodded him to continue.
"Gimme a minute, okay? This is kinda hard," Matt snapped back.
'Whoa, here we go again.' Tai inwardly groaned, not really wanting to deal with another hormonal boy twice in one week.
"If this sounds stupid, don't blame me, I'm just trying to get it out before I back down."
"Got it."
"Okay," Matt breathed in deeply and launched into his explanation. "I like the way you look at me. I like the way you talk to me in a tone of voice that's different then how you talk to everybody else. I like the way you comfort me when shit hits the fan. I like the way you hold me when I'm sad and even the way you hold me to restrain me when I'm mad. I like the way you understand me without me even needing to open my mouth. And…" he stopped talking suddenly.
"And?" Tai repeated, on the verge of ripping at the seams with suspense.
"And I like the way you kiss me. Christmas, New Year's Valentine's Day? I want you to kiss me on days other then holidays!" Tai started to open his mouth to object. "And don't even try to lie about Christmas. I know for a fact that you kissed me and that it was real…but I wasn't sure how I felt about it back then."
"Well if you like it when I kiss you, why the hell did you freak out about New Year's Eve?" Tai questioned, leaning against the wall behind him with his arms folded over his stomach.
"Because it felt like you were taking advantage of me when I was drunk on champagne! But at Christmas, it was just you being…well, you, that's why I didn't say anything."
"Whoa, wait a second! I took advantage of you? Hello! You're the one who totally threw himself at me!" Tai argued back.
"I know, that's why I'm saying this now. I don't care anymore, Tai. Who cares who kissed who or who said what? The point is, we both liked it." Matt stared at him through hard eyes, almost challenging Tai to argue again. Not like Tai could see that though, it was dark.
"I'm glad you finally admit to that," Tai snorted.
"What do you mean finally?" Matt squawked, flailing his arms in the air in an outrage. Tai rolled his eyes and lowered his eyelids.
"Oh please, Matt. The only reason I keep kissing you is because I know you like it. You just had to admit that to yourself," he said in plain and simple words, reaching out to poke Matt in the nose.
"Ow! Tai, that was my eye!"
"Oops, sorry."
"Jerk."
"Oh, don't start that again."
Matt smirked and nodded. "Fine."
Tai stared at his feet and scuffed the toe of his shoe along the floor. "So…what does that make us?" he asked softly, looking back at what he assumed to be Matt's face.
"Well, I was hoping you would tell me that," Matt said truthfully. Tai let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Believe it or not, I'm not better at this kind of stuff then you are," he told the blond boy.
"Figures," Matt shot back.
"Shut up," Tai ordered. Matt nodded and stood still, allowing the wheels in his head to do the turning of thoughts for him.
"Hey Tai?"
"Yeah?" Matt leaned forward and pressed his lip onto Tai's face.
"Ack, Matt, that's my ear!" Tai squealed and wriggled away from the hot breath. Matt paid no heed to Tai's discomfort and began planting kisses down the side of his face, being close enough to him now to see where he was going. He smirked into his kisses as he heard a small whimper escape from Tai's mouth. Finally reaching his mouth, he attacked Tai's lips, savoring the taste that he had grown to love. Tai immediately indulged himself in the kiss, licking the corner of Matt's lips. Matt parted his lips and allowed his hands to slip down and under Tai's shirt, brushing cold fingers against the firm abdomen. Tai moaned in the back of his throat and grabbed the back of Matt's neck, pulling him closer and inserting his tongue into Matt's mouth. Slowly and sensually, he became running his tongue along Matt's gums and intertwining his tongue with Matt's, experimenting with all possible angles and pressures.
After all, his goal was to see how many new sounds he could make the blond produce.
Outside in the hall, Kiseki and Daisuke had backtracked, having suddenly realized that they lost the other two boys.
"Where do you think they went?" Daisuke asked. Kiseki shrugged and continued walking down the hall. Suddenly both boys heard a loud thump from inside the wall. They stopped in front of a door. Both of them exchanged skeptical glances and pressed their ears to the door.
"What do you think they're doing in there?" Kiseki questioned. Daisuke raised both eyebrows and snickered.
"I think I have an idea…" Kiseki gave him a confused look before he finally caught on.
"Oh!"
Daisuke nodded and smiled widely. "Great plan dude. I didn't think you would tell Matt to make-out with him." Kiseki stared at him and shook his head.
"Uh, Dais? That wasn't part of the plan…" Kiseki trailed off. Both boys stared at the door with wide eyes and began to walk away.
"Well whatever, I like that plan better," Daisuke concurred and headed down the stairs, Kiseki right on his tail.
GOD YES! WOOHOO! Okay, review replies!
CartoonHeroes: Hey Emu! Glad you liked that update and hope you liked this one just as much. I will update for your birthday, promise. I like bagels!
DarkMetalAngel of Destruction: Yeah, it was long, sorry, but glad you liked it. Hope you liked this one too.
Trance Yagami: Glad you liked it. And if that were possible, yes I would download my brain. I'm glad you totally enjoy it and TRY DOING SOMETHING EVIL! I dare you. Heh, hope you liked this one!
YugiYamiforever: Yep, another chapter! I think they pretty much worked out their difference, lol. And yes, poor Tai. Hope this chapter was just as good as the last one.
BreatheMeDeep: Holy shiz BMD, you type a LOT! Anyway, I dunno how I write so much, I just do. Angst is always good, I love Kari in this story. And I don't like Avril. The end. Lol. Haru, true story. Exchange Tai for Tyson and Haru for Chris and you have almost a totally true story. Anyway, no the paper wasn't Tai's. I love the teachers, I want some like that. Hope you had fun in Hawaii!
Neo: Nope, they're 15 dude! Oh well, think what you want, lol. Anyway, yes, Kiseki is so pretty. Glad you love everything and I would go into detail but I really just wanna get this done, ha. O.o Glompness…yay!
Kaiya5: Swordfighting looks so fun and I wana do it! Yes, Yama was being a bad boy, but he made up for it, now didn't he? Hope you liked this chapter!
Tsuki no Lomelinde: Really now? I don't know whether to be flattered or ashamed, lol. And yes, neo still sells pitchforks but I don't wanna die yet! Let me finish the story first! Hee.
SnakeMistress: Glad you liked the last chapter, and yes stupid Yamato. Bob will be back in two chappies! Hopefully you like this chapter too!
ryuu-takahashi: I said no just because I didn't feel like explaining everything that would happen in the story and it was easier then saying this will happen and this will change, y'know? Sorry if I offended you. Glad you liked the story anyway.
The Kaizeress: Glad you liked that chapter and I hope you liked this chapter just as much.
Yamato's Tiger Lily: Glad you liked it! And sexual tension is fun (when it doesn't involve you, haha). Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and yes, in fact, the next one will be updated around the 27th (my birthday's on the 24th). Hope this tides you over until then.
Sovereign of Silence3: Thanks, glad you liked the swordfight. I wish I coulda learned it too…that woulda been fun! Anyway, glad you like the long chapters and such. Ah, "Mom" will be revealed next chapter and as you can see, Tai and Yama overcame their issues. Hope you liked this chapter!
JohnneyAntonelli: Yep, I updated and no not exactly. I use the name, but they're not the same people. The only real anime characters I use are characters from all four seasons of Digimon. Yep, Matt's dad got married to Bitchlady, which is gross. And I'm glad you liked Kiseki cause as you can see, he was in this chapter a lot. And yep, this is going to be a novel (I hope). It's nice to know somebody would buy it! Hope you liked this chapter.
minnermon: Complications are fun though. Glad you loved it either way and yeah, I hate Takeru's side of things, but he'll slowly change, I promise. Yep, Hikari knows where she stands…I'm proud of her for that. And no, you shouldn't being similarities between Fruits Basket Haru and Kyo and these guys but I went and looked and they DO look like them. Oops. I hate Toushi too, but as you can see, he got what he deserved. Hope you liked this chapter!
Redvind: Ah, I'm sorry! Yama stopped being a jerk, see! I'm not hooking up Tai and Kiseki, haha. Tai's happy, see? Hope you're happy with this chapter too!
Kawaii Kyo And Totchi-Sama: Yes, we all hate homophobic Takeru, but he's fixed! Anyway, yes, Eyes will come eventually, promise! Glad you love me, hope you loved this chapter.
puppy-eyes58: Glad you liked it, I hope that this chapter lived up to your expectations.
regretfully-yours-Cassy-chan: Haha, I love Koushy too. Here's the update, hope you liked it!
Largo-sensei: Ah! No torture Ty! Haha, here's the next one so hope you enjoy it.
Dreamcrafter: Yep, I felt like he did have a lot to deal with. And yeah, I think we all wanted to smack him just a bit. Glad you like all of the little quirks in this story. And FYI, I don't like my Sorato, lol. Hope you liked this chapter!
Sen-Tay: TAY! I love your amazingly long reviews but I can't take time to reply to everything about it because some people want me to update now, but I love you!
Kari Morgana Black: Well, thanks anyway.
Zeto: Yes! I updated, hope you like it.
Octavo: Again, I love your long reviews, but I can't take the time to review right at this moment, so I love you!
Bonnie Mizuhara Asakura: Yes, she will and yes, TK was getting on my nerves too dude. I hate Toushi, you can kill him if you want. I have a problem with homophobes! Anyway, hope you like this chapter.
SelenaWheeler: Because he is. But hopefully he's not an idiot anymore. And yes, Tai was being stupid too but hopefully this whole chapter makes up for it!
Keiran: Because I am! Lol, yeah, glad somebody understands. Anyway well, hope you like this chapter Joshy.
cute-little-Yugi: Glad you liked that last chapter, and hope you like this one!
Kaizan: Yep, a month, but hopefully this chapter was worth the wait! Glad you liked the last one and thanks for the good luck wishes.
Lugga: Glad you loved the last chapter and yeah, who wasn't mad at Matt, right? Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!
kal-kal: Glad you liked the last chapter, hope this one is just as good!
xSwtLilAngel666x: We're just assuming that the people were far enough away not to hear them, lol. Yeah I know I switch between them, it's because at the beginning of the story I didn't know and then I learned, so I have to go back and edit. Thank you! A carrot huh? Wow…hope you liked this chapter!
Shinobi KazeKage: Yes, Tai won! Anyway…wow, I love your long review and I agree with what you said, but I can't reply to all of it right now cause I have 6 minutes until I get booted off. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!
Dark Willow aka Admiral2: Thanks a lot, and yes, Bob is cool. Hope you liked this chapter!
Twilight o0o Princess: Hi! Thanks for reading and I'm glad you liked the fic. Hope you liked this chapter.
tya: Hi, thanks for the review! And yes, you are correct but Yamato's choosing to ignore it. Hope you liked this chapter.
silverkaze013: Glad you love it! Sorry for the wait, hope you like this chapter!
Moppy: Hi, thanks for reading and I will throw in a sex scene in the sequel, totally promise. Hope you liked this chapter! Talk to you later.
CrimsonAnjel: GOD JURI! HI! I'm not gonna bother cause you know everything and blah, hope you like the chapter goodbye!
HOLY DAMN! 40! Thanks guys, I'm totally overwhelmed. Anyway, look in my bio if you wanna see the next update! Also, I don't own Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, any of Daisuke's b-day presents and yeah.
FYI, Kari and Daisuke did have email addresses but kept eating them. If you care, Hika's was libraslight at hotmail dot com and Daisuke's was videodragon at hotmail dot com. Bye!