Black Rose

by Tyson FoxFlame

[AU][Taito] Rough around the edges: a pure description of Yamato. After his 3rd expulsion, he's shipped off to a special school in Japan in hopes that he'll change. Things seem hopeless and unfair then he met Taichi, the roommate who taught him everything

14. Bond

Hating is easy but love takes courage.

-Hikari Yagami.

---

"Hmm, too bad you're not my mother," Matt replied.

"Yamato, please don't play this game with me. TK told me that he did the same thing to you when you confronted him about being brothers. Trust me on this one," Naku retorted easily.

"…then I have some questions for you, Mom," the blond boy said, albeit sardonically.

"Fire away, son," Naku spoke in the same mocking tone, keeping her eyes level with those of the boy. Matt leaned on the desk top and watched Naku closely.

"Why don't you go by Natsuko Takaishi?"

"Seguchi is my ex's last name. As for Naku, it's a nickname, so why not?"

"Naku out of Natsuko?" the teenaged boy raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"Matt out of Yamato," Naku countered back.

"So should I call you Naku or Natsuko?" Matt spoke again. Naku paused, thinking over the question carefully.

"I suppose I should start going by Natsuko again," she stated slowly, tilting her head in thought and letting her chin rest in the palm of her hand. "But you, mister, can just call me Mom."

"Only if you can prove to be so." Matt refused to give in just yet. Natsuko saw this and sighed.

"You always were rather stubborn," she commented lightly. Matt nodded and continued his interrogation.

"Why were your eyes green before just now?"

"Kiseki's not the only one with contacts."

"And your hair?"

"Hair-dye, what else?"

"Why though? Why would you want to change your identity?" Matt pondered aloud. Naku shrugged and drummed her fingers on her own desk top.

"Why did you change yours?" she questioned coolly. Matt blinked in surprise at this response.

"…technically, I didn't change my identity, Tai did," he started off.

"Stop stalling, Matt. Why did you change your identity?" Natsuko repeated. Matt sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Because I didn't like who I was," he mumbled quietly.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you."

"Because I didn't like who I was!" he shouted suddenly, getting rather agitated with his mother.

"Precisely my point," Natsuko said with a smug smile. Matt growled in frustration and frowned.

"But still, you're…old! Why wouldn't you like who you were?"

"Who are you calling old?" Natsuko raised an eyebrow and frowned right back.

"Well, older than all of us at least," Matt backed up his point.

"I should hope so," Natsuko replied. "Point being, everyone has a point in their life where they dislike themselves and change."

"So you mean like a midlife crisis," Matt summarized. Natsuko reached out and swatted her son behind the head.

"I'm not old enough for a midlife crisis! After all, I had you when I was 17," she informed her son, ruffling his hair gently.

"Ew, Mom, please! I totally did not need to hear that!" Matt whined, darting away from his mother's touch. Natsuko dropped her hand suddenly and stared at the boy. "What?" Matt prodded her, staring back just as intensely.

"You called me Mom," Natsuko stated.

"…yeah, I guess I did," Matt agreed. Natsuko nodded and smiled softly again.

"So you do believe me."

"Not exactly, but ever since I came to this whacked-out country, lots of crazy shit has happened. Might as well believe it while I'm sitting here, right?"

"I suppose. What proof do you want exactly? A DNA test?"

"Nah, we're not in Kukachi."

"What?" Natsuko gave her son a quizzical look.

"Uh, never mind," Matt retorted, shifting his eyes from side to side. "But I mean, I don't know what proof I want…it's just so much to take in all at once." Natsuko nodded and rested her chin in her palm again.

"Date of birth: July 17th, 1988. Place of birth: Central Hospital, White Hills, New York. You weighed six pounds, seven ounces and were 20 inches long. Five hours of labor, mind you."

"Okay stop! I believe you, I believe you!" Matt cried, covering his ears with his hands. "Gah I really didn't need to hear that either!"

"That's the answer I was looking for," Natsuko smirked triumphantly.

"Well that's not cool…wait, 17? I don't remember that part of the story," Matt said suddenly. Natsuko fell silent and a serious expression took over her face.

"Well, your father and I got married at 16."

"…why?"

"I was pregnant with you, actually."

"…what?" Matt felt his good mood slowly die down, sinking back into his chair slightly.

"Your father never told you this story?" Natsuko sighed, giving Matt a look of disbelief. When the American boy shook his head, Natsuko cursed Hiroaki under her breath and launched into the story.

"Basically, your father and I met our first year of high school, him a 10th year and me a 9th year. We fell in love, I suppose. Dated for about two years before we decided to sleep together."

"So in other words, you two fucked and I was an accident." Matt finished for her, his voice sounding rather hollow.

"First of all, don't use that type of language. Second of all, yes, that's about what happened. We wouldn't call you an accident, per say, just a little unexpected. Because I was pregnant, our parents forced us to get married right after I turned 17. 'If you're old enough to have sex, you're old enough to get married and support yourselves.' That was their reasoning. Either way, we got married and about two months after that, you were born. Then a year and a half later, Takeru was born."

"And then you guys divorced." Matt felt his eyes narrow at the word.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"We were so young…we fought a lot…we were married young and it was so much pressure, we decided it would be easier just to go our separate ways. I've been living with another man for the past 13 years…a man Takeru thought to be his father, up until you showed up. And it seems that your father got married again?"

"And divorced again because she was a bitch," Matt muttered.

"So I've heard. Either way, that's the story."

"So…what's going on? How did you and Dad get in contact again?"

"I managed to get his contact information from Kirei and things just kind of went from there."

"That still doesn't answer the first part of the question," Matt pointed out instantly.

"Which is?"

"What's going on? Are you guys like, virtually dating?" Natsuko's eyes widened in surprise and she laughed out loud.

"Now why would you think such a silly thing like that?" Matt rolled his eyes and buried his face in his arms.

"You are, aren't you?"

"…well all right, so maybe we are," Natsuko answered sheepishly.

"Nghh, why? What's the point of that?" the blue-eyed male groaned, still confused by the whole scenario.

"Well, if I can't see him for real, then it's better than nothing, right?"

"Why can't you see him for real?" Matt lifted his head off of the desk,

"Duh, 'Mato, different countries? It's not like he can just randomly leave New York and fly here to see me."

"Yeah but still." Matt pouted, pulling on his bottom lip slightly.

"Still what?"

"Are you guys in love again?" he questioned her, looking up from the desktop and back into her eyes. Natsuko breathed in sharply, narrowing her eyes in thought.

"Love is a strong word, Yamato," she started out.

"In other words, you are, he's not?"

"Will you let me talk, please?" Natsuko shot back, glaring at her son. Matt fell silent and waited. "Anyway, no that's not it."

"So…what is it?" Matt questioned tentatively. Natsuko gave him a half-smile and shrugged.

"I think we're falling back in love," she said, confirming Matt's hopes and dreams.

---

The blue-eyed boy made his way up the stairs, taking a right to go down the correct hallway. He opened the door to his room and stepped inside, shutting it behind him. He was greeted by the sight of his boyfriend sprawled out on his bed, wearing nothing but a towel and reading his World History book.

"You're gonna make yourself sick if you don't put some clothes on," Matt commented. Tai jolted a bit and looked up from his book, smiling at his boyfriend warmly.

"Well you could just become a human blanket for me," he replied, shutting the book all together. Matt rolled his eyes and strode over to the bed, laying down next to the tanned boy. Tai wrapped his arms around the thinner boy loosely and snuggled closer.

"So, what did Naku have to say to you?" he questioned, nuzzling his nose into Matt's cheek. The blond thought for a moment, and began to laugh.

"I don't think you're ready to handle that knowledge," he said truthfully.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tai blinked at the statement.

"It means, lots of crazy shit was said and all of it is true."

"Oh come on, Yama, just tell me already!" Tai whined, throwing himself completely on top of the blue-eyed boy.

"What's there to say?" Matt smiled teasingly, knowing very well that his boyfriend was getting annoyed.

"Tell me!"

"What's the magic word?"

"Fuck me?"

"…wrong magic words, Taichi." Matt rolled his eyes. The brunet grinned widely and curled up closer to Matt.

"Tell me, pleeeeeeeeeease?" he begged, staring at Matt pitifully.

"You are a freak, have I ever told you that?"

"Probably," Tai replied, shivering slightly. "It's cold."

"You're naked," Matt replied.

"Not yet," Tai pointed out, gesturing to his towel.

"Close enough," Matt said and grabbed Tai's blanket from the foot of the bed, wrapping both of them up tightly. A tiny sigh of content escaped Tai's lips, leading Matt to believe that the hyperactive Japanese boy had finally calmed down.

Fat chance.

"Tell me!" Tai demanded, poking Matt sharply in the chest.

"Ow, hey! I'm not gonna tell you if you can't be nice!"

"Sowwy."

"You better be."

"Are you gonna tell me or not?" Tai sighed heavily, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling.

"Yes, yes, yes, just be patient."

"I have been patient."

"By poking me?"

"Mmhmm."

"Freak."

"Just tell me or I am going to bite you," Tai threatened. Matt snickered and shook his head.

"Now, now, Tai. No need to resort to kinky-violence."

"I hope you know that I officially hate you right now."

"Nah, you can't hate me," Matt reminded him, twirling a strand of Tai's hair around his index finger.

"And why the hell not?"

"Do I really have to bring up the Yama-bet again?"

"…nergh."

"…what?"

"Nothing. Look, can you just tell me what Naku had to say and get this over with?"

"Basically, to sum things up, Naku's my mom and she and my dad are slowly getting back together," Matt said in one breath. Tai stared at him blankly for a few moments, unsure of what to say.

"Um, yay?" he finally said, scratching his head in confusion.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Matt asked flatly, staring into Tai's eyes.

"It's not that I don't believe you, but you were right: I wasn't ready to handle that knowledge," the brunet countered back, closing his eyes in concentration.

"Well then you should have listened to me the first time, shouldn't you?" Matt chided, poking his companion in the forehead.

"Whatever," Tai mumbled back. "So let me get this straight. Naku is really your mother and she's dating your father again?"

"Pretty much."

"…ookay…"

"Yeah that's what I said too, but think about it! That's exciting for me!"

"Why?"

"…are you retarded!"

"Probably."

"…never mind. But really, I haven't seen my mother for almost 14 years and she's here now in front of my face. My father's speaking to her and they're falling in love! Love, Taichi! They're going to get back together!" Matt practically squealed in excitement. Tai raised an eyebrow and gave the American boy a lopsided grin.

"Don't get your hopes up just yet, buddy. What if they decide not to get back together?" Matt simply stared at him in disbelief.

"What is so hard about being happy for me, just this once? Why do you have to be so negative about this whole thing?" he exploded. Tai leaned forward calmly and kissed his best friend on the cheek gently.

"I just don't want you getting hurt. You don't deserve that," he explained quietly, his expression suddenly becoming somber.

"How would I get hurt?" Matt questioned, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"Because, think of it this way: what if Naku and your father don't get back together again? Then all of your hopes will be crushed, you'll be depressed, you'll lock yourself in your room," Tai said, suddenly getting wound up again. "You'll refuse to talk to anybody or eat and you won't leave your room and finally you'll commit suicide by jumping out the window from the highest floor you can possibly find!" Matt took one look at Tai's face and burst into laughter.

"Oh please, Tai, that's not going to happen! Trust me, it wouldn't be the end of the world if they didn't get back together, it'd just be like living a normal life. Besides, suicide is for idiots who are too chicken to face life," he said without thinking. Tai's eyes widened and it was his turn to stare in disbelief.

"So I'm suddenly an idiot who's too chicken to face life?" he spoke lowly, glaring into Matt's eyes. Memories of his discussion with Daisuke months before suddenly flooded Matt's mind and his own eyes widened in shock.

"No, that's not what I meant!" he exclaimed, quickly trying to get himself out of trouble.

"So what did you mean exactly?" Tai continued to glare, suddenly lifting himself up and off of Matt.

"I just meant like…okay so I really don't know what I meant, but you know I didn't mean for it to apply to you at all," Matt explained hastily. Tai stared at him for a moment before shaking his head and climbing off of the bed all together.

"Look, I know you're trying, but please don't bother."

"Where are you going now?" Matt groaned slightly, rolling onto his side to watch as his lover shoved slippers onto his feet quickly.

"I don't think I can really talk to you right now. And as lame as this might sound, it's not you, it's me," was the reply given.

"Oh come on! I'm sorry!"

"Don't. Worry. About. It," Tai grounded out between his teeth before wrenching the door open and flouncing out into the hall. He slammed the door behind him and walked away, leaving Matt by himself on Tai's bed. He looked thoughtful for a moment, contemplating whether he should chase his boyfriend down or not. He flipped onto his back again and looked at the ceiling, as if all of the answers where inscribed upon it. He sighed again and shook his head, deciding he should let the hot-headed brunet be for the moment.

'Besides,' he thought with a smirk. 'I'm not the one who ran out of the room wearing nothing but a towel.'

---

After 20 minutes of sulking in the hall, Tai realized that 1.) it wasn't going to get him anywhere, and 2.) he was freezing cold again. He got up from his position on the floor and headed down the hall, stopping in front of Daisuke's room. He wasted no time in knocking on the door and opening it. Daisuke was laying on his bed watching TV when Tai entered the room. The younger boy looked up at his brother curiously and sat himself in an upright position.

"What's up?" he asked, eyeing the towel around his brother's waist suspiciously.

"Yama and I kind of got into a fight…" Tai mumbled, tightening his grip on the towel. Daisuke nodded sympathetically and got off of the bed, wandering over to his dresser. Opening the top drawer, he flung a shirt and pair of sweatpants at his oldest sibling and directed him towards the bathroom.

"Go get dressed because I'm not staying in here and you're going to come with me since you're not staying in my room by yourself," Daisuke explained in one breath. Tai blinked slowly and stumbled into the bathroom, not finding enough energy to even try and argue. He dressed quietly and stepped out of the bathroom, flinging his wet towel over his shoulder.

"So where are you going anyway?" he asked, following the shorter boy out into the hallway.

"Kiseki just said that he was going to be in the Domestics room. So therefore, I'm going to find him," Daisuke said, leading them both downstairs. Tai abruptly stopped in his path and shook his head.

"Oh no, I'm not going in to be a third wheel," he insisted, turning around to go back upstairs.

"Tai, you won't be a third wheel. Besides, what are you going to do? You're mad at Matt, so you can't go back to your room. I'm not letting you stay in my room."

"Why not?"

"Because you break things. Anyways, stop worrying about it, Kiseki's not going to care in the least bit," Daisuke reassured him and stopped in front of a classroom next to the dining hall area.

"All right, fine, if you say so," Tai said reluctantly and followed Daisuke into the room. The inside smelled sweet and several boys were bustling around, bowls and spoons in hand.

"What the?" the two brothers asked simultaneously and blinked, scanning the area around them.

"Hey, there you are!" Kiseki spoke from behind them as he made his way over to them. "I was wondering when you were gonna show up," he said and kissed Daisuke lightly on the cheek. Daisuke grinned back, slightly embarrassed at the display of affection.

"Sorry, somebody decided to drop by without warning," Daisuke explained, throwing Tai a mock-glare.

"Well, excuse me," Tai shot back, leaning against the counter behind him. "So what's goin' on, 'Seki?" he directed to the black-haired boy, shifting his gaze onto him.

"Not much, Tai. Just making cookies, actually," Kiseki said with a proud grin.

"…why are you making cookies?" Both brothers asked him. Kiseki's grin faltered and he rolled his eyes.

"Because apparently it's a project we have to do to pass the class," he snorted and led the two boys towards the back where he had a work station already set up.

"Why are you even taking this class?" Daisuke asked his boyfriend, looking at all of the ingredients on the table.

"Because, the sooner I know how to do all of this stuff, the sooner I can move out of the Niwas' house," Kiseki said matter-of-factly.

"You would actually move out?" Tai asked him, picking up the eggs and juggling them a bit. Kiseki scowled and reached forward, grabbing the eggs out of Tai's hands.

"Yeah, I plan on moving out this summer," he said and set the eggs back on the counter.

"Kiseki, can I ask you a question?" Daisuke asked, toying with the measuring spoons in his hand.

"You just did," Kiseki replied with a smirk. "But you can ask me another if you'd like."

"What happened to your parents?" Daisuke questioned him, watching his reaction closely. The smirk melted away quickly and magenta eyes averted to the ground. With a low sigh, Kiseki lifted his head and gestured to the materials on the counter.

"Wanna help me with these cookies?" he asked, not waiting for an answer before he turned around and grabbed a large mixing bowl. Daisuke reached for the canister of flour and Tai leaned against the counter, fiddling with the eggs once again. Daisuke and Kiseki started making the cookies as Kiseki began his tale.

"When I was eight years old, I was actually a happy child. An only child, really. I lived with my mother and father in a middle-class apartment in downtown Tokyo. So this one night they wanted to go out to dinner, so they left me at the Niwas' house and went out. They were at some fancy-ass restaurant I guess and they were having a good time." He stopped in his story to take the eggs from Tai, cracking them in the bowl. "Dai, can you add in the brown sugar?"

"Yeah, sure." Daisuke reached over and picked up the bag of brown sugar, measuring out the right amount and dumping it into the bowl.

"Thanks," Kiseki said and began stirring everything up. "Anyway, where was I?"

"Fancy restaurant," Tai informed him through a mouthful of chocolate chips.

"Right, thanks. And stop eating those!" Kiseki whacked Tai across the hand with his wooden spoon.

"Owie!"

"Anyway! Okay so, like I was saying, so they were sitting there eating dinner when suddenly flames burst out of the kitchen. The tablecloths and curtains caught on fire and people panicked. For whatever reason, the sprinklers in the ceiling weren't working so people were fighting to get out the door." He stopped stirring the cookie dough and began spooning it onto the cooking sheet.

"Your parents didn't make it out, did they?" Daisuke filled in the blanks as he began to help with the dough.

"Basically, yeah. They weren't the only ones, but still."

"That sucks, kid," Tai shared his sympathies and took a fingerful of cookie dough out of the bowl.

"I guess so."

"So why are you living with the Niwas? Don't you have any other family?" Daisuke inquired as he too took a fingerful of the remaining dough.

"Well…bottom line is this: my mom's parents were dead, my dad's parents couldn't afford to take care of me, most of my aunts and uncles didn't want me since they had their own kids to raise, and the only aunt and uncle that would take care of me couldn't be tracked down," Kiseki said in one breath and shoved the cookies in the oven. He took his own bite-size amount of dough and ate it.

"Why couldn't they be tracked down?" Tai grabbed a spoon off of the counter and scooped out some more dough.

"They're constantly moving around the world since my aunt's part of the military. Don't bother asking me what she does because hell if I know."

"It's been six years…they seriously can't find them?" Daisuke cut in, grabbing his own spoon and digging into the remaining dough. "And why is there so much dough left?"

"They seriously can't find them. And because I only needed to bake a dozen cookies, and I made enough dough for like, three dozen," Kiseki answered, finally giving in and grabbing his own spoon to eat with.

"So what are you going to do? Aren't you a little young to be moving out by yourself?" Tai asked, lazily eating spoon after spoonful of the dough.

"Nah, I turn 15 June 19th. School will be out by then, so I can try and find a job or something, get an apartment of my own, the whole works," Kiseki displayed his plan, helping himself to another spoonful.

"But, aren't apartments kind of pricey? Where are you going to get that kind of money?" Daisuke blinked at the mere thought.

"Uh, a job, duh."

"Kiseki, that won't work," Tai stated, staring at the other boy thoughtfully.

"And why not?" Magenta eyes flashed up to stare heatedly into brown.

"You're a kid. You won't be able to make that much money."

"Shut up, Tai!" Kiseki suddenly blew up, throwing his spoon into the bowl.

"What?" Tai glared right back.

"Don't freakin' tell me that things aren't going to work! Things will work out because I will make them work even if it kills me!" he yelled again, thankfully not gathering attention because all sorts of appliances were running at the same time.

"Kiseki look, just calm down-" Tai started to say before he was suddenly attacked with a whisk.

"Do you have any idea what it's like going through life having everyone tell you that your plans won't work?" Kiseki practically growled, clutching a spatula rather tightly. Tai looked over Kiseki's shoulder at his brother, sending him a look that clearly said 'help me!' Daisuke nodded and tentatively approached his boyfriend from behind, wrapping his arms loosely around Kiseki's waist.

"You're right, we don't have any idea…but we're just trying to show you things from all angles…just so you won't end up getting hurt," he whispered quietly. Kiseki loosened his grip on the utensil in his hand and looked back at Daisuke questioningly.

"Why would you care though?" he asked just as softly. Daisuke shrugged and rested his chin on Kiseki's shoulder, tightening his own grip on the boy's hips.

"Because I kinda love you?" he offered as an excuse. A small smile cracked Kiseki's lips.

"Kinda love me, huh?" he repeated. Daisuke nodded and grinned himself. Kiseki rolled his eyes and a bigger grin returned, lighting up his whole face once again.

"Well, maybe I kinda love you too, you dork," he joked and kissed Daisuke quickly on the forehead.

"Aww, young love," Tai cooed, snickering behind his hand.

"Shut up, Tai!" the young couple groaned simultaneously as the buzzer for the oven went off, announcing that Kiseki's cookies were ready. The black-haired boy grabbed an oven mitt and pulled the sheet out, setting it on the counter to cool off.

"So…I can make more cookies, or we can eat the rest of the dough. Which should we do?" he asked the brunet brothers.

"I like the idea of cookies," Daisuke voiced his opinion, leaving Tai to nod in agreement.

"Fine, cookies it is then. But you have to help me spoon the dough onto the trays," Kiseki warned them both.

"No issues," Tai replied and began scooping out large amounts of dough, separating them into smaller amounts. Daisuke pitched in and began forming cookies, chattering to Kiseki happily. Kiseki nodded and put the batch of cookies in the oven, starting on a new batch and talking to Daisuke just as animatedly. Tai suddenly stopped making cookies and leaned on the counter, observing his brother and his brother's boyfriend closely.

'Seems like Daisuke finally learned to trust Kiseki without busting a blood vessel. Either that, or he's toned down his paranoia. Either way, I'm really happy for him…he deserves it. But then again, what about me? Don't I deserve to be happy too? Oh gosh, Tai, don't be selfish…but still. I deserve to be happy. And actually…I'm happy with Yama. Technically, it wasn't his fault that his comment offended me. After all, it's not like he knew about Haru.'

"Tai?" Kiseki broke into his train of thoughts suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Can you take those out of the oven?" Kiseki pointed towards the baked cookies still in the oven.

"Yeah, sure," Tai replied as he grabbed the oven mitt and took out the pan, setting it down in its original spot on the counter. He looked up at Kiseki and grinned. "Now you can make mo-oh my gosh, what's with your face!" he suddenly shrieked, causing Daisuke to jump and drop the bag of sugar in his hands. Kiseki raised an eyebrow at Tai and stared down at him.

"What?"

"Your eyes…they're two different colors!" Tai exclaimed. Daisuke stepped forward and peered into his boyfriend's eyes.

"Your eyes are hazel?" he questioned curiously. Kiseki turned away from them and walked over to the sink area, looking at himself in the mirror. Somewhere along the way, one of his contacts had fallen out, leaving him with one magenta eye and one hazel eye.

"Yep, my eyes are naturally hazel," he answered Daisuke's question and returned to his work station, scanning the area for his contact. He found it underneath the counter and stooped down to pick it up, realizing that it was ripped in half.

"Well, that's the end of that," Tai commented lazily as he ate a cookie.

"True." Kiseki nodded and threw the contact away.

"So, aren't you going to take the other one out so it doesn't look so goofy?" Daisuke asked, watching Kiseki go back to work.

"Nah, otherwise I won't be able to see much."

"You can't see without them?"

"Well, I can, but things are a bit blurry. Whatever though." Kiseki shrugged.

"Sek, I love you, but you look like a freak with two-different colored eyes," Daisuke stated bluntly. Kiseki stared blankly at his boyfriend for a few moments before turning, reaching up, and taking out his other contact. Turning back to his companion, Kiseki stared at him again.

"You mean like this?" he spoke, waiting for Daisuke's reaction.

"…what the?" Daisuke blinked hard, but nothing changed. Kiseki's eyes were hazel, but the other was a bright blue.

"Whoa, is that your real eye?" Tai asked, dropping his cookie back onto the tray.

"Mmhmm, why do you think I wear contacts?"

"Wow…that's kind of strange…but cool-looking, y'know?" Daisuke rambled, grabbing Kiseki's chin for a closer look. The black-haired boy swatted Daisuke's hand away and nodded.

"I suppose. I'm a misfit really. Toushi says my eyes scare the shit outta him." Kiseki grinned proudly.

"Good, I hope he dies," Tai mumbled and picked up his cookie again.

"Tai, be nice."

"Sorry."

"Neh, don't be. Toushi's not exactly the best person, so it's not like he doesn't deserve it," Kiseki snorted.

"Damn, Kiseki, these cookies are so good!" Tai exclaimed and shoved another one into his mouth.

"Thanks," Kiseki replied. Daisuke took one off of the cooling tray and bit into it, making a noise of approval as well.

"They're delish, Seki," he commented and swallowed the cookie.

"Not so much as you are," Kiseki shot back with a wink.

"…um…thanks?"

"Oh, anytime."

"You two are sickening, you know that?" Tai mentioned off-handedly.

"Like you and Matt aren't," Kiseki pointed out, leaving Daisuke to nod in agreement.

"He's got a point, Tai."

"Oh shut up and eat your stupid cookies."

---

Matt was curled up on the couch watching TV when Tai returned to their room that night. The brunet boy dragged himself over to the couch and sat down, cuddling up in the blond's lap.

"Yama, I ate too much cookie dough and lots of cookies, so if you don't want me barfing on you, I suggest you hold me and snuggle me and cuddle with me, damnit," Tai groaned and buried his face in the crook of Matt's neck.

"…huh?" Matt raised an eyebrow and pet the top of Tai's head.

"Kiseki made cookies and we ate a bunch of them and the dough."

"And why did you do this?" Matt questioned him, his voice laced with amusement.

"Because it seemed like a good idea at the time." Tai shrugged.

"Okay…you weirdo."

"Of course…hey…"

"…hi?"

"No, not that kind of hey. This is the kind of hey like I have something important to say," Tai clarified.

"Ohhh. Okay, what exactly do you have to say?" Matt asked, turning Tai slightly so that he was facing him. Brown eyes lowered themselves to look at Matt's lap instead of his eyes.

"I'm sorry; y'know, for freaking out earlier. I know you didn't mean to make me mad or whatever," Tai explained. Matt frowned in concern and shifted Tai in his lap.

"So what happened?" he asked, stroking Tai's side gently.

"What do you mean what happened?"

"Why'd you flip on me then?"

"It's a long story…"the Japanese boy stalled, hoping that his boyfriend would drop the subject.

"Well, we have time," Matt retorted. Tai sighed and shook his head slowly.

"Basically, I don't really think I can talk about it right now."

"Why?" Matt prodded, hoping that Tai would keep talking. His best friend remained silent, staring at Matt's shoulder subconsciously. "Tai?" The tanned boy looked up then.

"…because it's too hard," he finally answered. Matt bit his lip thoughtfully and pulled Tai closer to him, trapping him in his arms.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" he questioned him, not moving in fear of disturbing the other boy on top of him.

"Yeah, I know, but seriously, this isn't that easy to talk about," Tai responded and returned the hug, giving Matt a chaste kiss on the lips. He suddenly untangled himself from Matt's lap and moved over towards the bed, opening his laptop and starting it up.

"What are you…" Matt trailed off, watching his lover intently.

"Just remember that I love you and I'm not talking to you about this because I don't want it hurting us," Tai said and looked up at Matt again. "I mean that, you know."

"…I know, but that doesn't explain what you're doing," Matt replied softly, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Checking my email."

"Oh." The blond turned back to the TV and turned up the volume. Tai sighed quietly under his breath and finished letting his laptop start up. The first thing he did was check his email. He saw nothing new there and silently closed the browser window.

'I haven't been on AIM in a long time…maybe I'll do that just for the hell of it…MSN too.' He thought to himself and clicked on both icons, watching as both messengers loaded. Nobody was on MSN at that moment, sadly, so he switched over to AIM. Signing on under the name of TaiTehMadNinja, he scanned over his buddy list quickly.

'Damnit, where is everyone?' he pouted, preparing himself to close down the messenger. Suddenly, he heard the high-pitched sound that alerted him someone just signed in.

LibrasLight has just signed in.

'Perfect.' Before he could even finish typing his greeting, a message popped up.

I've been wondering where you've been. You kinda stopped returning my emails. Tai grinned sheepishly and erased his message, beginning to type out a new reply.

Yeah, I know, I'm sorry. I think I just forgot about them. You know how it is.

Gee, thanks.

Oh come on, Kari, I said I was sorry.

I know. What's new? How're you and Dais holdin' up?

Pretty good. Did Dais tell you he has a boyfriend now?

…no! When did this happen?

Couple of weeks ago. Tai smirked, loving the fact that he knew something before his prying sister did.

Oh good grief! You guys never tell me anything!

Then how do you find out stuff!

Because you guys rat each other out.

…oh.

Anyway! So is it that guy that he was having issues with before?

Yep, his name's Kiseki, btw.

Ohh. Well, cuteness. How're you and Matt doing? Tai read her response and bit his lip, unsure of what to say to her. He cautiously typed out his own message and sent it, preparing himself for an onslaught of virtual pain.

I don't really know…we kind of hit a rough patch today.

Dear lord, what happened?

He made some wonky comment about suicide and I sorta flipped out on him.

Why?

Made me think of Haru, mostly.

…does Matt even know about Haru?

Nope. And I don't plan on telling him yet either. Tai decided that he wasn't going to go down without a fight, sister or not.

Why not!

He doesn't have to know yet…besides, I feel like it would just cause more problems.

Bullshit. I think it's causing more problems now than it would in the future! Tai growled and pounded out a reply.

Kari, think about it! If he knew half of the crap that me and Haru went through, he'd be furious!

I don't think furious is the right word…very concerned, definitely, but furious? I don't know…sure, he'd be hella mad, but still.

Well…it's not only that, but some other issues too.

Such as?

I don't want him thinking less of me at this point. He already seems to have this opinion about people that commit or try to commit suicide.

What would he possibly think of you that was so terrible after he heard about you and Haru?

Um, let me think. He could think that I'm a total freakin' pussy for not being able to really move on in my life. Tai frowned at the screen, watching as Kari came up with a snappy comeback.

I doubt that. So much for the witty remark.

What's that supposed to mean?

Think about this, Tai. You've managed to fall in love with Matt, haven't you?

…yes? What's your point?

I'll get there, don't get your boxers in a bunch. Anyway, you've managed to stop cutting yourself, haven't you?

Kari, I cut myself once. That doesn't count.

Shut up, it does for this case. Just answer yes or no.

Fine, yes.

Good. And you've managed to stop hating yourself enough to function like a normal human being, haven't you?

…can you just tell me what the hell you're trying to say? Tai rolled his eyes.

Look, my point is this. You've come so far since Haru. After all, hating is easy, but love takes courage.

Meaning what exactly?

It's super-easy for you to just be like 'OMG I HATE HARU!' but you're not. Instead, you're actually improving your life, taking chances with somebody new. With what you've been through, it's not easy. I'm proud of you for that, and if Matt knew what I know, he wouldn't be calling you a pussy, at all.

…Kar, I don't think that that's how things work.

Trust me, Tai. It takes bold bravery or sheer stupidity to do what you're doing right now. And frankly, I'm not sure which one applies to you. Point is, you're doing it. Tai groaned aloud and shook his head. He knew Kari was right: he just didn't want to admit it.

Look, if I just agree with you, will you stop?

Will you tell Matt?

Someday…it's still kind of painful to think about.

I think it would be better if you told him. That's what he's there for, Taichi. He's there to be your support.

True, but…never mind, I gotta go. Thanks for the talk, Hika.

Anytime, bro. Call me sometime okay? I miss you and Daisuke both, a lot.

We'll both call you. Promise.

All right. Love you and hope things work out.

You and me both, kid.

"You and me both," he said out loud, glancing over towards the couch. Matt had fallen asleep sprawled out on it with the TV still on some news channel. Quietly, Tai got to his feet and grabbed Matt's blanket off of the bed. Tiptoeing over to the couch, he laid down next to the blue-eyed boy and covered them both with the blanket. Tucking them both in, he turned towards Matt's thin frame and drew it closer, turning the sound on the TV down and changing the channel to something more appealing. He sat there calmly, holding his boyfriend closely and nodding off himself. He looked down at Matt's sleeping face and couldn't help but smile.

'Kari's right…it wasn't easy moving on…but I did it.' He reassured himself and shut the TV off all together, squirming around a bit until he was more comfortable. Closing his eyes, he kissed Matt's lips one last time.

"And I'm glad I did."

---

The rest of March flew by rather quickly, seeing how nothing drastic, much less exciting, took place. All of the boys in the school were slowly growing restless as springtime in Japan began arising. The sun was beginning to shine again, plants were blooming, and the sky was clearing up and becoming blue again. Everything was starting to look right in the world.

"So, I was thinking," Tai started off, intertwining his fingers with Matt's as they walked down the hallway.

"Well, that's a first," Matt joked. Tai sent him a mock-glare but grinned anyway.

"Would you like to know what I'm thinking about?"

"I'm afraid, but sure. What were you thinking, Tai?"

"Wellll," Tai drawled out before he bumped into somebody.

"Hey watch it!" the other person exclaimed. Tai looked up and spotted Toushi in his line of vision.

"Well, you were the one that was stopped in the middle of the hallway, moron," the brunet shot back.

"Oh, it's just you," Toushi sneered, rolling his eyes haughtily.

"Yep, big surprise huh," Tai remarked dryly, absently playing with Matt's fingers. Toushi looked down and took note of their clasped hands.

"So you became a fag after all, Ishida?" he spat out, eyeing Matt disapprovingly. Before Matt had to think of something to say in his defense, Tai stepped in.

"What's the matter, Toush? Jealous that you still have to use your right hand for some action?" he smirked. Toushi stared at Tai momentarily before he began to sputter as a response. Tai merely rolled his eyes in a similar fashion to what Toushi had just done and walked away, tugging Matt behind him.

"Wow…you always seem to have an insult prepared for Toushi," Matt said as they continued towards Natsuko's classroom.

"Nah, I just say what comes to my brain. Usually, it's an insult. I just can't help it," Tai stated innocently and shrugged. Matt laughed slightly and let go of Tai's hand briefly to shut off his CD player. They were in front of Natsuko's door by this point and Tai knocked loudly, not bothering to wait for a response.

"Hey, Naku!" he greeted her loudly as he bounced into the room, leaving Matt to follow in his wake.

"Taichi, what have I told you about waiting to be invited in?" Natsuko scolded him.

"Um…I don't remember." Tai grinned and sat on the corner of her desk. "So, whacha doin'?"

"Trying to have a conversation," Natsuko informed him, nodding towards the area in front of her. Tai turned his head and saw a man sitting at a desk in front of Natsuko. Matt finally came into the room and looked at Natsuko first.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hi, Yamato," she greeted him warmly, although she was nearly snickering.

"…what's so funny?"

"What? No big hello for me?" the male adult spoke up, fixating his eyes on Matt. Matt turned towards him and his eyes widened in shock.

"Dad!"

"Do you have another dad?" Hiroaki leaned back in his chair and studied his son.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Matt practically shrieked, leaving Tai to stare back and forward between the two.

"This is your father?" he asked the obvious question.

"Mmhmm," Matt hummed, never breaking the gaze with his father.

"Hiroaki Ishida," Hiroaki introduced himself. Tai stuck out his hand and allowed Hiroaki to shake it.

"Taichi Yagami," the brunet said in reply. Matt shook his head and broke up the introductions.

"No, seriously, Dad, what are you doing here?" he asked. Hiroaki smiled back at Natsuko and then back at Matt.

"Well, your mother and I have something to share with you," he began.

"Wait, so you two are Yama's parents?" Tai managed to interrupt once again.

"You got it!" Natsuko replied.

"…crazy."

"Anyway! Dad, as you were saying?" Matt urged him to continue.

"Anyway, your mother and I decided that we…well, why don't you tell him?" Hiroaki said to Natsuko, letting her take over.

"Matt, sweetie…basically what it is is that your father and I are moving back in together to see how things work out."

"…are you guys insane!" Matt yelled, not quite grasping the whole concept readily.

"What do you mean by that?" Hiroaki questioned his son. Matt narrowed his gaze at his father and threw his hands up into the air.

"Why would you come all the way across the world to see a woman you divorced about 14 years ago?" he shouted, beginning to feel rather confused beyond belief.

"Yama, isn't this what you wanted though?" Tai pointed out, resting his chin on Matt's shoulder. Matt looked back into the face of his best friend and stopped to think. Granted, Tai was absolutely right; this is exactly what he had wanted to happen for many years now. But, now that it was actually happening, the whole idea freaked him out.

"…yes."

"Then what's wrong?" Natsuko broke into the discussion. Matt heaved out a big sigh and shook his head, burying it in his hands.

"I don't know. Never mind. Forget it."

"It's only for a while, Yamato, just to see how things will work out," Hiroaki reminded him.

"When did you even get here?" Matt asked, looking up from his hands briefly.

"Yesterday evening. I was staying in a hotel until your mom invited me to just room here."

"They let you do that?" Tai butted in once more, only this time Matt was grateful. He seemed to be at a loss for words this time.

"Apparently so. They didn't seem to have an objection down in the office," Natsuko replied.

"Cool! So how long are you gonna be around, Mr. Ishida?" Tai asked eagerly, switching his focus back onto the older male in the room.

"Probably until the end of May, at least."

"Wow, that sounds fun."

"Of course. So…how exactly do you know my son?" Hiroaki took his gaze off of Tai for a bit to look at Matt questioningly. Matt swallowed and silently prayed that Tai wouldn't blow their cover.

'My mom already knows I'm gay…I don't feel like clueing my father in just yet.'

"Roommate, best friend, and…yeah, I was the only one brave enough to try and talk to him when he first came here," Tai laughed, sending Matt a look that seemed to say 'I've got us covered.'

That definitely made Matt happy.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," Hiroaki laughed. Matt pouted slightly at the comment.

"You're not supposed to be making fun of me, Dad," he protested, folding his arms across his chest.

"I'm not making fun of you, I'm agreeing with your friend," Hiroaki countered back.

"Yeah, Yama, he's not making fun of you," Tai snickered behind his hand. Matt narrowed his eyes and reached back, punching Tai in the cheek lightly.

"You hush up," he ordered and faced his parents again. "So, does TK know about this?"

"Not yet. We were thinking about going out to dinner this Friday and taking you and TK with us. That way, we could just spend family time together," Natsuko filled in, taking a sip from her coffee cup.

"You mean to make up for the family time we've been missing out on for the past decade and a half?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Hiroaki answered for the two adults. Matt seemed to think this over for a moment, allowing his eyes to dart between his parents once again. Finally, he sighed quietly in defeat and nodded.

"What time?"

"We were thinking eight o'clock. We were also thinking about letting TK bring Kari, just so that we can meet her," Natsuko took over again.

"You've never met my sister?" Tai asked, raising his eyebrow at Natsuko.

"Only a couple of times for a few minutes each. TK doesn't seem to want me to talk to her. And Hiro's never met her."

"Teeks probably doesn't want you guys embarrassing him," Matt suggested.

"Probably. Hey, I have an idea! Why don't you and Tai come to dinner with us? That way, TK will most likely bring Kari," Natsuko said, beaming at the mere idea.

"Uh, I don't know about that, Mom," Matt started to say before Tai elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"We would love to go, Naku. Or should I be calling you Natsuko now?"

"It doesn't really matter with you, Tai."

"Good to know. What's today, Wednesday?"

"Correct," Hiroaki answered after getting a glimpse at the calendar.

"Cool, so this Friday?" Tai continued getting details.

"That's right. So you'll both come?" Natsuko confirmed with the two teens.

"Most definitely!" Tai chirped and grabbed onto Matt's arm, leading him towards the door.

"Um, guess we'll see you Friday!" Matt managed to say before Tai shoved him out into the hall.

"Actually, I'll see you two tomorrow," Natsuko said from behind them as the door closed. Tai linked his arm with Matt and began walking away from the classroom. Matt stared at his boyfriend in disbelief as they headed up to their room, gapping at him openly.

"And you told my parents we would go to dinner with them why?" he suddenly exclaimed, breaking his arm free from Tai's.

"Why not, it'll be fun," Tai replied without skipping a beat, wrapping his arm around Matt's waist instead.

"Tai, I seriously didn't want to go. I wanted Mom and Dad to go on a date by themselves," Matt shot back, not bothering to try and remove Tai's arm.

"Well, think of it this way; now we can go on our first date," the brunet pointed out. Matt nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I didn't even think of it that way," the American boy admitted.

"I didn't think you would." Tai stopped in front of their room and grabbed his keys from his pocket, unlocking the door with ease.

"Are you sure you wanna go through with it though?" Matt questioned, walking into the room first.

"Of course, Yama. What could possibly go wrong?" Tai shrugged and shut the door, sitting on the couch with his friend and turning on the TV.

---

"Yama, where the hell is my tie?" Tai hollered, rifling through the closet hastily.

"Fuck, I'm out of gel!" Matt shouted from inside the bathroom.

"Screw the gel, I need a tie!" Tai insisted, giving up on the closet and searching through the drawers.

"And I need gel!" Matt argued back. It was finally Friday, the big day. Both boys weren't getting off to a very good start though. Matt yanked the door open and stomped out into the main room, half of his hair gelled and the other half flat.

"What the hell do you need a damn tie for?" he questioned his boyfriend, watching as articles of clothing flew through the air.

"Your mom."

"…that's an old comeback, Tai. It's not funny anymore."

"No, no. Your mom said that we were going to some nice place and that we should look nice. And I want to make a good impression on your dad," Tai explained as he crouched down, looking underneath the beds.

"What for?"

"For when I ask him for your hand in marriage, duh." Tai crawled out from under Matt's bed, tie in his clutches and a smug grin on his face.

"Marriage huh?" Matt repeated, giving his boyfriend a skeptical look.

"Yep. Someday."

"You think so?"

"Nah, who knows. I do know that we're going to be late though," Tai said as he quickly put on the tie.

"What about my hair?" Matt replied, pointing at the half-created masterpiece. Tai reached forward and ruffled the blond mess, creating a totally new look. He stepped away to examine his boyfriend. Nodding in approval at Matt's choice of a white dress shirt and nice slacks, he turned around to cram his feet into his shoes.

"There, done, put your shoes on and let's go!" Tai ordered, throwing shoes at Matt and pegging him in the face with one.

"Ow, okay! No need to be violent!" Matt squawked, dodging the other shoe and letting them both hit the floor. Tying them onto his feet, he stood up and followed Tai out the door, locking it up behind them. The two boys raced down the stairs, entering the main hall and looking around. Spotting Natsuko standing by the front doors, the pair clambered over to her as fast as they could.

"Naku, it's your son's fault, he was whining about his hair and-"

"Mom, Tai threw shoes at me and hit me!"

"Boys, I don't want excuses. Your father, TK, and Kari are already in the car," Natsuko cut in, not bother to hide the smile on her face.

"They're already here?" Tai's ears perked up at the news of his sister being outside.

"Mmhmm, that's what I said. Let's go!" Natsuko ushered both boys out of the school and towards the car. She sat up front next to Hiroaki, who was behind the wheel. TK was sitting between them and Kari sat by herself in the back. Not for long though, since Tai and Matt climbed into the car as well, each one sitting on either side of Kari. Tai clung to his sister and hugged her tightly.

"Kari!" he chirped, smiling widely at her.

"Hey, Tai!" she replied and hugged him back. She looked to her right and smiled at Matt as well.

"Hey, Mato, how's life?"

"…you wouldn't believe it if I told you," he said with his own grin. He leaned closer to her, whispering into her ear. "But, I did fix things."

"So I've noticed," the female brunet whispered back. "I'm so happy for you two."

"Me too, but keep quiet…does TK know yet?"

"Yeah…I didn't think you would mind?"

"No, not really. And my mom knows…but my dad is another story," Matt finished up with a guilty look. Tai looked over at them questioningly, struggling to piece together the conversation.

"What are you two whispering about? Hmm?"

"Nothing, Tai," Kari said and pushed her brother's face away from her own.

"Are we all ready to go?" Hiroaki asked, turning slightly to look at the three teens in the backseat of the vehicle.

"Yep, drive, Dad," Matt answered for everyone. Just as he was told, Hiroaki put the car into gear and began descending down the long driveway that led to Odaiba Academy. Pulling out onto the road, he drove straight into town, making quiet conversation with Natsuko along the way. TK turned around to face his friends in the back.

"Hey, bro," he greeted the older blond boy.

"Hi, Takes. You look so different without the goofy hat," Matt commented, smirking at his brother playfully. TK stuck out his tongue and rolled his eyes.

"Mom made me take it off," he said.

"That's because a hat wouldn't be appropriate in this kind of restaurant and you know it," Natsuko chided her son, swatting him behind the head lightly.

"Mom, my hair!" TK yelped, running his hands through it to fix it.

"Wow, Yama, a mini-you," Tai snorted with laughter.

"Yeah, he's always been that way," Kari informed them, smiling sweetly at her glaring boyfriend.

"And here we are!" Hiroaki announced, parking the car in front of a modern Italian place.

"Ooh, I've always wanted to eat here," Kari said as she climbed over Tai's lap, getting out of the car first. Everyone else followed in suit and walked into the restaurant. Hiroaki informed the host that he had a reservation for six and the group was soon taken to their tables.

"Okay kids, here's what we figured out. Hiro and I are going to sit in the booth by ourselves, and you four can share the table. Sound fair?" Natsuko asked them, gesturing towards the table that was across the way from the booth Hiroaki was already sitting in.

"Yeah, we can handle that," Tai replied for everyone.

"Great!" Natsuko turned and sat down in the booth across from Hiroaki. Tai turned back to his sister, her boyfriend, and his own boyfriend and nodded.

"Guess we can sit down and see what's on the menu," he suggested. TK nodded and pulled out Kari's chair for her, waiting patiently as she walked towards him.

"Such a gentleman," she giggled and sat in the chair, allowing TK to push it in a bit for her.

"But of course," he replied and sat across from her. This gave Tai an idea, although he wasn't so sure how it would. He caught Matt's eye and gestured for the blond to come to him. Matt made his way over to the side of the table Tai was on. Tai pulled the chair out with his foot, hoping to look not-so-obvious about what he was doing. Matt smiled at him and shook his head, preparing himself to sit down. However, it seemed as though Tai pulled the chair out just a bit too far as Matt crashed onto the ground.

"Matt, are you all right?" Natsuko called out to him, looking over from her place in the booth. Tai had managed to get over to his side of the table so not to look suspicious, leaving Matt to growl under his breath and nod.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he assured his mother and got off of the floor, sitting down next to TK. Tai gave him a sheepish grin and sat next to Kari, grabbing a menu from the center of the table.

"So, what sounds good?" he asked his friends, scanning over the contents quickly.

"Kar, wanna split a plate of spaghetti?" TK asked his girlfriend, peering at her over the top of his menu.

"Yeah, sure, that sounds great," Kari said back and set down her own menu. Tai glanced at Matt and then back at his menu.

"Think we should split something too?" he asked. "Strictly for the sake of saving your dad a bit of cash," he added quickly as Hiroaki eyed him suspiciously.

"Um…sure. Do you really think we can decide on one thing though?" he asked the brunet, reading over each description in the menu.

"I was thinking three cheese ravioli?"

"Hmm, I like the sounds of that. 'Kay, we'll go with that."

"Are you ready to order?" A waiter suddenly appeared behind Kari.

"I think we are?" she said uncertainly, looking at the three males for confirmation.

"Yeah, we are," Tai said. Kari nodded and let TK order theirs. Tai then ordered his and Matt's food.

"Anything to drink with your meals tonight?"

"I'll just have water, thanks," Kari said instantly, leaning back in her chair and watching TK.

"I'll take a Coke please," he said to the waiter.

"Coke for me too, thanks," Tai ordered as he began gathering the menus into a pile.

"And a Sprite for me, please," Matt finished up the orders. The waiter nodded and collected the menus.

"I'll bring some fresh bread sticks out to you in a moment," he said as he walked away, leaving the four teens to themselves. TK stared at Kari lovingly, a soft smile resting on his lips.

"Have I mentioned that you look very nice tonight, Hika?" Kari looked down to remind herself of what outfit she had chosen for the date. She had on a black mini-skirt teamed with a silky pink top, diamond stud earrings, and a pink and white necklace.

"Thanks, TK. You don't look so bad yourself." She grinned right back, liking the way her boyfriend looked in his dark blue dress shirt and khaki pants. Tai turned his attention back to Matt and snickered.

"You know, I would say the same about you, Yama, but your hair's kinda wonky. Oh, and is that a footprint I see on your cheek?" Matt stared at his boyfriend coolly and smirked.

"Your tie's on backwards and your shirt's buttoned up wrong," he pointed out. Tai looked down and groaned at the state he was in.

"How did I not notice this?"

"Hell if I know," Matt replied with a shrug. Tai sighed and began to work on fixing himself up. The waiter came back with their drinks and set them on the table along with the breadsticks, walking away just as quickly as he came. By this point, Tai was set straight and grabbed his Coke. Taking a sip from it, he looked at the two younger teens at the table.

"So, what's going on back at home? How're Meems and Kou and everybody doing?"

"Pretty good for the most part," Kari answered.

"Yeah, we're all excited because we start high school next week," TK added.

"Oh yeah! I forgot about that!" Tai realized.

"Yep. Another big milestone you're going to miss," Kari spoke again. Tai frowned slightly and rubbed Kari's shoulder.

"Sorry, kid. I hate doing that to you."

"Nah, it's fine. Mom's still home, so it's all good." Kari rested her head on Tai's hand for a few moments.

"What about you, Teeks? Who are you even living with since Mom stopped seeing that one guy?" Matt joined into the conversation.

"I'm living with a neighbor. She said it would be fine until Mom came home for the summer," TK said, toying with the straw in his glass. Matt nodded absently and drank his Sprite, glancing over at his parents. Both adults were laughing and chatting away, almost as though they had never gotten a divorce to begin with.

'I don't understand it! How can they be so…happy? Okay, so maybe that's not the right question to be asking. How can they be so…in love? Is that what I'm trying to ask? It's so complicated. They divorced for a reason. Why are they trying to cover it up and go back to normal?' The blue-eyed boy got lost in his own thoughts, tuning out everything else around him.

'I mean, it's not like I'm mad or anything, but it all just seems so sudden. Something's going on…I just can't put my finger on what it is.' He felt his eyebrows furrow together in thought and rested his chin in his palm, staring blankly in front of him.

Meanwhile, Tai was talking to TK and Kari about life back home. He reached in front of him to take a drink of his soda only to realize that his cup was not moving. Giving the glass his full attention, he tried moving it again. Still, the glass would not budge. Not being one to give up easily, Tai tried one last time and pulled on the glass roughly. It lifted up from the tabletop with a pop and tipped over, splashing his spaced-out boyfriend with Coke.

"Ah!" Matt let out a startled cry and pushed his chair away from the table, allowing the ice cubes and stray liquid to drip onto the floor slowly.

"Shoot, Matt, I'm so sorry!" Tai profusely apologized. Matt didn't say a word as he stood up, moving out of the way as the waiter suddenly appeared again to clean up the table.

"I am going to the bathroom to try and save my shirt, if anybody cares," he informed his friends and turned away, heading towards the back of the restaurant. Kari followed him with his eyes and looked back at TK.

"Why don't you go with him?" she suggested. TK shook his head and chewed on his straw.

"Nah, he's a big boy. He'll be all right."

"Go with him!" Kari hissed, kicking TK lightly with her high heels.

"Ack, okay, I'm going!" he insisted and got out of his chair, chasing after his brother. Kari turned to face her own brother, who had his head buried in his hands.

"Tai?"

"Don't say it."

"What was I going to say?" Kari blinked in surprise.

"I dunno. Probably something bad."

"…all I was going to ask is if you were nervous about tonight."

"Well, the sad thing is, no, I'm not." Tai looked up from his hands. "It's more like, I'm trying to do everything right and somebody hates me upstairs."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Kari agreed. Tai sent her a look that wasn't exactly thrilled. "I was kidding, relax," she assured him, glancing back at the bathroom. "I'm kind of glad you did it though, even if it was accidental."

"Why?" Tai's curiosity perked up and he turned his body to face his sister.

"This way, we can talk. Have you told him yet?"

"…about?"

"Haru!" Kari whispered frantically, making sure that Hiroaki and Natsuko couldn't hear her.

"Oh. No, not at all." Tai shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Kari, there are other things he needs to be thinking about besides my past relationships!"

"Such as?"

"…hello!" Tai gestured towards Hiroaki and Natsuko secretly.

"Oh…yeah. Forgot about them," Kari replied.

"Y'know, it's comments like those that remind me that you're related to me by blood, otherwise I'd swear you were adopted," Tai mumbled mostly to himself. Kari rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, regaining Tai's focus.

"Look, you're going to half to tell him sooner or later."

"Kari, it doesn't matter at this point. I promise I will tell him. Just not now," Tai stated firmly, not showing any signs of changing his mind. Kari sighed and drank a swallow of her water, shaking her head in defeat.

"Fine, you win. I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Well, for the most part, I know what to do."

"Oh, goody."

"Shut up."

Meanwhile in the bathroom, Matt profusely scrubbed at the soda stain on his white shirt. With an aggravated sigh, he threw the soaked paper towel into the trash and stared at his brother.

"We need to talk," he started out.

"Whatever happened, it wasn't my fault, swear it!" TK denied instantly.

"No, nothing like that. It's about Mom and Dad," the older blond said, leaning against the sinks behind him.

"Oh, okay. What about them?" TK asked, standing in front of his brother patiently.

"What do you think is going on with them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look at them! They're flirting with each other, being happy, being civil! Why are they so calm and happy, damnit!"

"Well, don't you think they deserve to be happy?" TK raised an eyebrow, unsure of where his brother was going with his speech.

"Of course they do, but they're hiding something from us. How do you not notice it?" Matt asked. TK looked down at his feet and scuffed his toe along the ground.

"Actually, I was just hoping I was imagining things," he said truthfully. Matt nodded and thought about his next statement carefully.

"I'm not sure if it's a good thing that they're hiding though. Good news, I mean."

"Would they hide it if it was good news?" TK asked doubtfully, peering up at Matt through his bangs.

"They could, if they wanted to surprise us," Matt brought up another point.

"What would they surprise us with?" TK frowned thoughtfully.

"Hell if I know…but it's gotta be something big if they're acting this weird about everything." Matt frowned as well, staring at his shirt again. Sighing, he dried it off and walked toward the bathroom door. "C'mon, let's go." TK tailed after him as they both made their way back to their table.

"Hey guys, food's here," Kari announced, motioning towards the steamy plates in front of her and her brother.

"Yeah, they brought us empty plates for you two," Tai said and pointed to said plate. Both blond brothers sat down again and took their food from the plates in front of them.

"How long has it been out here?" TK asked.

"Not very long, don't worry," Kari replied and twirled her spaghetti onto her fork, slipping it into her mouth. Tai nodded and chewed on a piece of ravioli.

"Hey, Matt, sorry about the shirt," he began, setting his fork down for the moment.

"Look, it's not a big deal, Tai," Matt replied, glancing back at his parents again. Tai noticed where his boyfriend's gaze had landed and followed it, looking at the sight before him. Hiroaki was feeding Natsuko pasta, both of them laughing at how ridiculous it seemed but enjoying themselves nonetheless. Tai snapped his eyes back to Matt and tapped him on the hand. Blue eyes slowly looked at him.

"Yama, what's wrong?" Tai asked him, staring deeply into his eyes. Matt sniffed and poked at the ravioli, picking up a piece and taking a bite.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking," he replied truthfully, eating the rest of the piece on his fork. Tai nodded and picked up his own fork, smiling down at the dish.

"You know, I could attempt to feed you like your dad's doing to your mom…but knowing us, it would just end up being messy," he laughed, looking back up at the American boy. Matt fought back his laughter and nodded as well.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Of course I'm right; I'm Tai."

"Okay, easy ego," Matt snorted and chewed on another piece of ravioli.

"Hey, I'm allowed to be egotistical sometimes, aren't I?" Tai replied, cutting a piece of his food in half.

"Ngh."

"…all right, I'll bite. What exactly are you thinking about?" Tai asked and set his fork down once again.

"…My parents are up to something. I don't know what, but they are," the blond informed Tai of his thoughts.

"And?"

"…what the hell do you mean and!"

"Just that. So what?"

"Well, I mean…we don't know if this something is good or not," Matt added warily. Tai raised an eyebrow and looked over to Hiroaki and Natsuko.

"Okay, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that it's something good. They look too happy for it to be bad news," the brown-eyed boy shared his opinion, looking back at his boyfriend.

"But like what though? That's the thing I can't think of!" Matt pouted, sipping his soda as he waited for Tai's answer.

"It's not your business right now, Matt. Just wait," Tai remarked, taking a drink of his own soda.

"But, but-"

"No, no buts, Matt. Just be patient," the Japanese boy repeated firmly.

"Oh, this coming from the boy who's never patient with anything!"

"…what's your point?"

"Oh forget it." Matt went back to eating his dinner in silence. Tai shrugged his shoulders and mimicked his boyfriend's actions. TK and Kari talked quietly amongst themselves, eating their own pasta in otherwise silence. The rest of the meal went that way. Soon, the check arrived to Hiroaki and he examined it. With a satisfactory smile, he set it down with his credit card, handing it to the waiter and turning to the four teens.

"Well, how was everything?" he asked them.

"Excellent, thanks for dinner, Mr. Ishida," Tai said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, thanks for letting us come along," Kari chipped in, looking at the adults from around Tai.

"It wasn't a problem, Kari. We were glad to bring you," Natsuko smiled at the petite brunette.

"We thought it would be nice if you joined us for our celebration," Hiroaki joined in the conversation again.

"Celebration?" TK repeated questioningly, raising an eyebrow at his father. Matt's eyes widened and he looked at his father accusingly.

"I knew something was going on! Spill, now!" he demanded, banging both hands flat on the table.

"Matt!" Tai hissed, sending the blue-eyed boy a reprimanding look.

"No, I want to know what's going on!" Matt replied, not taking his eyes off of his parents. Natsuko sighed and shook her head.

"You never were one for surprises," she mentioned, still smiling away. She glanced back at Hiroaki then. "Should we tell them now?"

"I don't see why not," Hiroaki answered, placing his hand on top of Natsuko's and squeezing it gently.

"Tell us what?" TK inquired, choosing not to comment on their hands. Hiroaki smiled again and stroked the top of Natsuko's hand with his thumb.

"We're getting married," he announced.

"Again," Natsuko corrected him.

"Yes, again." Both blond brothers felt their jaws drop and began sputtering out questions at the same time.

"Why now?"

"Don't you think it's a bit soon?"

"Are you sure about this!"

"Boys, boys, calm down," Natsuko spoke out above their infinite questions. "One question at a time please."

"Okay, first of all, why are you deciding this now?" TK asked the first inquiry.

"Why not? We decided that we miss being together." Hiroaki shrugged.

"After 14 years of separation?" Matt stared at them in shock.

"So it took us a bit of time to realize it. Besides, it wasn't like we could contact each other even if we wanted to," Natsuko pointed out.

"Well, at least, not until you went to the school, Matt," Hiroaki added.

"So what you're saying is that it's Matt fault that you guys are getting re-hitched?" TK clarified what he was hearing.

"I wouldn't say fault, but yes." Natsuko nodded. Matt blinked and bit his lip, unsure of what to say now.

"When's the wedding?" Kari stepped in, stars twinkling in her eyes at the mere thought.

"We were thinking at the end of May. School gets out in the middle of the month, so then we would have more time to prepare for it," Natsuko answered, her own excitement suddenly building up.

"Oh yeah! We only have a month of school left!" Tai cut in.

"What if you guys decide that you don't really like each other like that anymore?" Matt brought up an interesting point, making sure that he hit everything before getting excited as well.

"That's why we're making it a month from now. We're going to try the living together thing, and then we'll get married if it's successful. Trust us, we have this whole thing planned out," Hiroaki replied.

"…apparently so," Matt mumbled under his breath.

"Congratulations?" TK said unsurely.

"TK, you could be a little more excited you know," Kari teased him, poking her boyfriend in the arm. A wide grin split TK's face and he cheered.

"Woohoo, go Mom and Dad!"

"Thank you, Takeru." Natsuko beamed happily and reached over the table, kissing her fiancé on the cheek. The two Yagami siblings said their congratulations and began bombarding the happy couple with questions about their relationship and about their wedding, all of which Hiroaki and Natsuko were pleased to answer. TK soon joined in the interrogation, getting just as wound up about the wedding as everyone else. Matt watched them all through un-seeing eyes, allowing his mind to mull over everything. Granted, he was pleased with the news; at least it wasn't something horrible. But it was still unexpected and uncertain. Shaking his head, he forced a smile onto his face and turned to his parents.

"I'm so happy for you guys," he finally said, his own voice sounding hollow to his ears.

"We were going to tell you sooner, but we thought tonight would be better," Hiroaki said, studying his son analytically.

"Yeah, well, you were right. I'm so thrilled now," Matt replied, allowing his smile to get bigger.

If only he meant it as much as he seemed to.

---

"What was up with you tonight?" Tai asked him as soon as he closed the door to their room.

"What do you mean?" Matt stalled, hoping that Tai wasn't implying what he thought he was.

"Dude, it's almost like you don't even care that your parents are getting back together! What happened? When you first learned that your mom and dad were dating online or whatever, you were completely ecstatic. Now you're so…apathetic?" Tai ranted on as he undid his tie, throwing it onto his bed and kicking off his shoes.

"When did you start using a lot of big words?"

"Don't change the subject! Tell me what's going on." Tai stared at Matt harshly, unbuttoning his shirt slowly.

"You know, it's kind of hard to concentrate when you're stripping like that. I mean, it's kind of a major turn-on," Matt said, sashaying over to Tai and straddling him on the bed, wrapping his legs around Tai's waist. The brunet didn't get a chance to protest before the American boy's lips crashed onto his. Tai wasted no time in returning the affection, licking Matt's lips slowly.

The blond parted his lips, allowing Tai's tongue to slip in and roam its familiar terrain. Matt reached down and began unbuttoning Tai's shirt again, successfully taking off the piece of clothing. Tai broke the kiss and began a trail down his lover's neck. Matt let out a murmur of pleasure, fiddling with Tai's belt buckle in the meantime. Suddenly, Tai pulled away and looked into Matt's eyes, much to the blue-eyed boy's disappointment.

"So, tell me what's so terrible about your parents' engagement," Tai jumped right back into their previous discussion. Matt groaned loudly and rolled onto his back, lying next to Tai rather than on top of him.

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes. Like I said, you were happy before they announced it." Matt sighed and shook his head, averting his gaze to the ceiling.

"Don't you think it's a little soon for them to be doing this?" he asked, half-rhetorically, half-seriously.

"Maybe, but you have to give them credit. Weren't they together like, four years before they divorced?"

"Ye-how did you know that?" Matt gawked at his boyfriend, turning slightly to face him better.

"TK told Kari, Kari told me."

"…oh."

"Anyway, then there you go. If they were together for that long, and they've been talking and dating again for about six months, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Let them figure it out; they're adults. They should have control over their lives and be responsible for their actions."

"But still. What if they marry and get divorced again?" Matt revealed his biggest concern. Tai raised both eyebrows in understanding and pulled Matt closer, holding him so his back was against his chest.

"Is that what's wrong with you?"

"I guess…" Matt answered reluctantly, feeling strangely foolish now that the thought was out in the open.

"Well…all I can say to you is this: it might happen, it might not. You just gotta roll with the punches. If they get divorced again, hey no biggie, it'll be like going back to your normal life."

"Yeah…but I mean, what if we get used to being a family and then they decide to split up again? It won't be as easy to go back to being a divorced family, y'know?"

"I suppose you have a point," Tai agreed, twirling strands of blond hair idly. "But, you've just got to enjoy it to the fullest while you can. That's all I'm saying. I mean, if I had known my father was going to get killed, I would have been even closer to him than I already was," Tai trailed off, leaning over Matt's shoulder to see his face. "Does that make sense?"

"…sadly, it does." Matt nodded and turned so that he was facing Tai rather than be away from him. "I'm being pretty selfish, aren't I?"

"I wouldn't say selfish, but you're not looking at it from all angles like you think you are."

"How did you know…?" Matt stopped talking, although Tai seemed to get what he was trying to ask.

"I know you, Yama. Probably better than you know yourself at this point. I knew that's what you were trying to do when we were at dinner."

"So why didn't you tell me all of this sooner?"

"Because I was hoping you would see it yourself. But apparently not. It's okay though, I enjoy enlightening you with my wisdom," Tai said with a cheesy grin. Matt shook his head and leaned forward, pecking Tai's forehead lightly.

"Have I ever said that you're one of the most amazing, wonderful people I've ever met?"

"Hmm, maybe," Tai hummed, thinking back to all of the compliments Matt had ever given him. "Oh well, I don't mind hearing you say it again." Matt giggled slightly and grinned.

"Okay then. Taichi, you're one of the most amazing, wonderful people I've ever met," the blond repeated himself, snuggling even closer to his best friend.

"Glad to hear it. So…you gonna be okay about this whole marriage thing now?" the mud-eyed boy asked the smaller teen.

"Yeah…now that I think about it, I'm pretty excited too. And it's like you said, I just have to make the best out of whatever happens."

"Yeah, exactly. Besides, you're forgetting something else?"

"Which is?" Matt perked up, watching Tai curiously. Tai grinned and brought his face closer, touching his nose to Matt's.

"You're going to have me by your side no matter what, good or bad." He closed the gap between them, placing a gentle kiss onto Matt's lips. The blond sighed, a bit happier this time, and nodded his head.

"True."

"Just remember that. I'm not going to abandon you any time soon." Tai lay down again, resting his head on Matt's shoulder and closing his eyes. Matt smiled softly and cuddled into Tai's chest, closing his eyes as well.

"Thanks, Tai."

"That's what friends, of any kind, are for."

---

The two boys didn't have much time to think about the Ishida-Takaishi wedding as the month of April went on and bled into May. Final exams were rapidly approaching and they, not to mention every other boy in the student body, spent many of their evenings studying. However, they still had their moments.

"Tai, Tai, Tai!" Matt shouted, bursting into the room and tackling Tai unexpectedly. The brunet managed to catch the hyperactive blond and held him close, not objecting to the onslaught of kisses he was being subjected to. Matt wrapped his arms around Tai's neck and his legs around Tai's waist, pulling back and looking at him with sparkling blue eyes.

"Wow, what was that all about?" Tai teased his boyfriend, shifting him slightly to hold his weight better.

"Guess what my mom just told me?" Matt grinned even wider, although it didn't seem possible.

"Hmm?"

"I'm not going back to America!" he burst out, followed by a round of joyous giggles. Tai's eyes widened and his own grin grew, letting out a whoop of glee and spinning them both around in circles.

"That's fantastic! So what's going to happen?" he asked, dropping both of their bodies onto the couch so that he was sitting with Matt on his lap.

"Mom said that Dad's going back to America to quit his job, pack his things, and move back here because Mom doesn't think she can leave Japan behind. So in other words, I don't have to go back! We can stay together!" the pale-skinned boy rambled on.

"I think your parents just became my second and third favorite people on the planet," Tai said, playing with Matt's fingers.

"Who's your first?"

"You just want to hear me say it don't you?"

"…maybe," Matt said, shifting his eyes from side to side.

"Fine. My favorite person in the whole wide world is my little Yama-chan."

"Yay!"

"…did you just say yay?" Tai stared at him dumbly.

"Mmhmm."

"Yama…you never say yay. To anything."

"Well, this isn't just anything. This is the rest of our lives!" Matt pointed out.

"Yeah, this is very true. So I'm going to say it with you. Yay!"

"Yay!" Both boys fell over laughing, holding onto each other tightly.

"Does TK know yet?" Tai questioned, turning on the TV for the sake of background sound.

"I think so. Last time I heard, he knew before I did." Matt shrugged and took the remote from Tai, flipping through the channels.

"Well, that's good. Man, I needed some good news. I felt like I was going to die."

"Why?"

"Because, finals are killer. I seriously think my brain is going to explode if I study one more time."

"What brain?" Matt stuck out his tongue playfully. Tai growled and bit down on Matt's tongue carefully.

"Hey!" Matt squeaked, wiggling his tongue in an attempt to make Tai release it.

"Hey, it's like I always said, use it or lose it!" Tai stated confidently and initiated a passionate kiss. They didn't get very far into it before three loud bangs were rapped out on their door. With an irritated sigh, Tai got up and headed for the door, mumbling under his breath about "people and their crappy timing." Matt got up as well, following Tai gradually. Tai grabbed the doorknob and twisted, pulling the door open.

"What do you want?" he said before it registered just who was outside of the door. There stood Daisuke, shaking slightly and with tears in his eyes. He wasted no time in throwing himself into Tai's arms and started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Whoa, hey, Dais, what's the matter?" Tai asked, almost dropping Daisuke in alarm. The rust-haired boy continued to cry but attempted to make coherent sentences.

"He…I…don't know why…didn't think it was worth it," the youngest boy babbled, sniffling and trying to regain control of his tears. Tai carried his younger brother over to the couch and sat down, pulling Daisuke down with him.

"What happened?" Tai asked again, waiting as patiently as he could. Daisuke sniffed loudly again and hiccupped, taking in a deep breath to calm down slightly.

"Kiseki dumped me," he managed to say in an unstable voice before he broke down again, curling up into Tai's side as his shoulders shook with his sobs.

"What?" Matt spoke up in surprise, not believing what Daisuke had just said. Tai on the other hand remained quiet, his lips drawing together in a thin line and his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Did he bother to say why?" Tai questioned in a low voice, tightening his grip on his youngest sibling.

"He said something like our relationship would have to be put on hold for about three or four months because of his, or rather Toushi's, family being so damn homophobic. So he said there was no point in continuing since it would be such a long break," Daisuke said as his sobbing went down to just quiet tears.

"Did he say anything else?" Matt wondered, sitting on the arm of the couch next to Tai's head. Daisuke bowed his head and sniffled.

"Dai?" Tai shook his brother's shoulder carefully.

"He flat-out said he didn't like me anymore. At least, not like I like him," Daisuke responded after some time.

"Well then what does he like you as?" Matt inquired.

"He said a little brother," Daisuke said as he scrubbed at his eyes fiercely, hoping to stop his tears in their tracks.

"…bullshit." Tai suddenly pushed Daisuke off to the side, standing up and stalking towards the door.

"Tai?" Matt called after his boyfriend, not liking the murderous look in his eyes.

"I'll be back later," he said over his shoulder, yanking the door open roughly. Daisuke then came to the realization of what was going to happen.

"Tai, don't!" he shouted to his brother. Tai ignored Daisuke's pleads and walked out into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind him. He knew exactly where the black and green-haired boy would be and he was hellbent on finding him. He turned into the library, giving a quick scan of the room before he spotted his prey. He stormed over to the younger boy and politely tapped him on the shoulder. He waited until Kiseki turned to acknowledged him and he struck, connecting his fist with the odd-eyed boy's jaw. Kiseki didn't seem that fazed; he merely shut his book and looked back up at Tai.

"I'm going to guess that Daisuke told you."

"What kind of crap are you trying to pull?" Tai growled, staring down at the other boy.

"What do you mean?"

"I know that that excuse you gave Daisuke was complete and utter crap."

"…really now," Kiseki replied, standing up and facing Tai, crossing his arms over his abdomen.

"Yep. So spill; why did you dump my brother?" Tai demanded an answer, refusing to blink until Kiseki looked away. Magenta eyes drifted toward the carpeted floor, being greeted with the sight of scuffed-up high tops.

"Because Daisuke's right: I can't be trusted. It was easier to break up with him now than to keep up this caricature of intimacy."

"Easier? Easier?" Tai shouted, flailing his arms up into the air. "You thought it would be easier to rip his heart out and stomp on it rather than try to explain what you just said to me?"

"I didn't think he was going to react that badly…" Kiseki replied truthfully, peering back up at Tai through his bangs.

"What, did you think he was just going to say 'Oh, okay, thanks for telling me!' and skip off happily? Come on! You were his first boyfriend…he trusted you. Isn't that what you wanted from him from the beginning? His trust?" Tai continued on, growing agitated quickly.

"Well yeah, but I mean, I really do only see him as a brother now. It's so fucked up, I know, but it's the truth." Kiseki shrugged, unsure of what else to say.

"I can't believe you…you're being so…I don't know, but I don't like it," Tai announced flatly. Kiseki glared at him sharply, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You think I actually wanted to break up with him?"

"Apparently, 'cause you did."

"Look, I don't expect you to understand…but just know I still care about Daisuke. A lot."

"That's not going to matter to him now! You corrupted him and now he's going to have the memories of these past two months forever."

"Corrupted? You call what we did corruption?"

"You were his first boyfriend. I should say so."

"Like you're so much better! You're bisexual and you and Matt are all over each other every chance you can get! It's not like Daisuke doesn't have any other influence," Kiseki pointed out, grabbing his messenger bag from under his chair.

"Yeah but-"

"I think this discussion is over, Taichi." Kiseki turned on his heel and began to walk away.

"Hey! I'm not done with you yet!" Tai yelled at Kiseki's retreating form.

"See how much I care? Oh, that's right, I don't!" Kiseki shouted back.

"My god, what did he ever see in you?" Tai shot back. It was with that comment that Kiseki turned around, looking at Tai from the corner of his eye.

"You know what? I'd like to know the same thing." He turned around again and continued walking, disappearing through the doors and out of Tai's eyesight. The brunet sighed heavily, rubbing his throbbing temples.

'Neh, maybe Yama will be nice and give me a massage.' He thought to himself as he wandered up the stairs. He entered his room and shut the door, taking note that there was only one person in the room.

"Where's Dai?" Tai asked, joining Matt back on the couch.

"He went to his room. He said he just wanted to be alone for a while to think some things through. He also said that next time you need to not butt in. He was only here for comfort, not for you to fix everything for him," Matt relayed all of the information Daisuke had given him.

"But that's my job! I'm supposed to protect him an-" Matt cut his boyfriend off with a soft kiss. Tai instantly went silent.

"You're right, you're supposed to protect him when it's needed. He needed to fight this struggle on his own."

"…I guess so," Tai replied reluctantly. Matt rubbed Tai's shoulders reassuringly and smiled at him.

"He'll be all right."

"You think?"

"I do. Besides, he just went to call your sister."

"Oh. Yeah, that'll fix him up," Tai said sincerely, thinking about Kari's skills to make anyone feel better.

"I thought so," Matt replied, leaning over and taking his Chemistry book out of his bag. "But for now, back to studying."

"My gosh, I'll be glad when school's over," Tai grumbled as he got off of the couch to retrieve his own books and notes.

"You and me both." The two boys went quiet, each one getting lost in their own thoughts and studying their material intently.

---

The final bell rang, signaling the end of the last class of the year. All of the doors flew open and boys poured out into the hall, fleeing to different areas of the school. Tai waited outside of Matt's class, occasionally waving to somebody who walked past him. A flash of blond soon came before him and Matt seemingly materialized right then and there.

"Hey, are you all packed?" he asked his boyfriend, grabbing his hand as they headed upstairs with everyone else.

"Yeah, pretty much. I just need to throw a few extra small things into my bag. So how's this going to work?" Tai opened the door with his free hand and the two of them walked into their surprisingly clean and empty room.

"Well, you're going to your house, and I'm going with my mom to stay at my dad's hotel room. Then on Saturday, we'll pick you and Kari and Daisuke, if he wants to come, up at your place and head out to the wedding."

"Oh. Okay, that's fair." Tai shrugged and went into the bathroom, grabbing his toothbrush, towel, and hair stuff he never used, cramming everything into his bag. "Oh yeah hey, then you can pick up your guitar too."

"Yes! I almost forgot about her."

"…idiot."

"Maybe," Matt agreed and did a quick overlook of the room, making sure that he didn't leave anything unpacked. In the end, he had his two large suitcases, his backpack and his duffel bag, just like he had started out with.

"All right, are we ready?" Tai asked, picking up his own duffel and suitcase combination.

"Think so," Matt replied. Tai grabbed him tightly, hugging him lovingly and refusing to let go.

"I'm going to miss you," he said sadly, donning a pout and a pair of puppy-dog eyes. Despite how pathetic he looked, Matt laughed at his boyfriend.

"Oh please, we'll be apart for what, three days? It'll be fine," he said, but returned the hug anyway. Tai let go of him finally and nodded.

"That's true. But still, I'll miss you."

"How did you get along with your life before you met me?"

"I can't even remember."

"…well, there goes that plan."

"Which was?" Tai tilted his head to the side.

"To go back to the lifestyle for three days. Obviously that's not going to happen, but it was a nice thought."

"Hmm, oh well." Tai picked up his bags and opened the door, ushering Matt out quickly. They walked to Natsuko's classroom in serene silence, stopping in front of her door.

"Okay, see ya soon, beautiful," Tai bid him goodbye.

"Yeah, very soon," Matt said and kissed him one last time.

"Ooh, we should say goodbye to each other more often if I get free kisses," Tai joked, opening the classroom door and dropping Matt's stuff inside.

"Oh, I know," Matt kidded right back. The two boys hugged once more and finally went their separate ways. Natsuko soon entered the classroom and beamed down at her son.

"How did you do on your finals?" she asked him as a greeting.

"Pretty well I imagine."

"Good to hear. Listen, your father's picking you up out front," Natsuko said to her son, packing up her paperwork as she talked to him.

"What? I thought we were going to his hotel together?" Matt said more as a question.

"I know, sweetie, but I have to go take care of some things at the house. Plus, it's my understanding that he has Takeru with him."

"Oh. Okay then, that's fine. Should I go down there now?"

"Yep."

"All right, see you there, Mom," he said and waved over his shoulder, bounding out of the classroom and going out the front doors. He soon spotted his father's rental car and made his way towards it. Hiroaki got out and hugged his son briefly before loading the luggage into the back. TK was already in the backseat of the car. Instead of crawling into the passenger seat, Matt opted to sit in the back with his brother.

"Hey, Takes," he said and buckled himself in.

"Hey. It's getting closer to the big day," TK reminded his older brother.

"I know…excited yet?"

"Very. Dad even more-so."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Not sure." TK shrugged. Matt laughed and Hiroaki got into the car, starting it up and driving off.

"So, Matt, how'd you do on your final exams?" he asked his oldest boy, driving down the street at a leisurely pace.

"Like I told Mom, I think I did pretty good."

"You've always been smart though."

"And I haven't?" TK jumped in, looking slightly offended.

"I'm sure you're smart too, TK," Matt replied with a roll of his eyes. "So what does Mom have to do at her house?" Hiroaki remained quiet for a bit, almost as though he were trying to find an excuse.

"She's packing up some stuff," he said after a while.

"What for?" both brothers questioned simultaneously.

"So that we have room for our stuff when we move in," Hiroaki answered them again and pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. "Here we are."

"Sweet!" TK shot out of the car. Matt followed him and walked around back to the trunk. Hiroaki popped it open and helped his son take out his luggage. The three males headed up to the fifth floor. Matt unpacked the few things he would need for that night and flopped down on one of the beds, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully. A chuckle erupted in his throat and he began to laugh for no apparently reason at all. He smiled and closed his eyes, suddenly feeling lighter than air.

'Three more days. Then life will be absolutely perfect.'

---

Those three days passed by rather quickly. Matt rarely saw his mother or his brother, one being at the house packing up things to be put into storage and the other being at school because, well, he had to be. But it was finally Saturday, which meant one thing.

"Matt, are you ready yet?" TK hollered from the main room. Matt stepped out of the bathroom in his black tux, adjusting his tie as he hunted for his shoes.

"Yeah, where's Dad?"

"He's already down in the car. Come on, we have to go get the Yagamis," TK said and practically pushed his brother out the door. The two brothers raced down the stairs, not wanting to waste time waiting for the elevator. Matt quickly stuffed his feet into his shoes that he had been carrying and they both hopped into the car.

"Nervous for the big day, Dad?" Matt asked.

"Nah, I've already done it once," Hiroaki replied as he turned in the direction of the Yagamis neighborhood.

"He's got a good point," TK reasoned, giving his father directions to the house. Hiroaki soon pulled up in from of the Yagamis house. Matt reached forward and held his hand down on the horn, letting it honk loudly for a short period of time.

"Yamato!" Hiroaki scolded, slapping his son's hand away. Matt stuck his head out the window and listened closely. Suddenly he heard a shout followed by, "Yama's here!"

"Well, it got the point across," TK said. "Are you sitting up front with Dad so that Tai and Kari can sit back here?"

"Yeah, I should," Matt retorted and got out of the car, walking two feet and opening the passenger door. The Yagamis came charging out of the house, clambering into the car and began talking animatedly simultaneously.

"It's nice to see you guys, too!" TK laughed and hugged his girlfriend.

"So Daisuke decided not to come?" Matt asked. Tai nodded and leaned forward, whispering into Matt's ear.

"He said that a wedding would remind him too much of Kiseki."

"Poor kid." Matt shook his head sadly.

"Yeah, but he's a lot better than he was."

"Good." The rest of the ride was spent with random conversations. Hiroaki pulled up in front of the church and got everybody out of the car.

"Take your places, guys," he said to them before he took off to find other people. The four teens looked at each other and shrugged.

"So, Kari's my mom's bridesmaid, Matt's Dad's best man, and me and Tai are groomsmen. Everybody got that?" TK asked them.

"Suppose so," Tai replied and shrugged, draping an arm around Matt's shoulder. "How you doing, gorgeous?"

"Wonderful. Even better now that you're here." Matt smiled flirtatiously and kissed Tai quickly before his dad came back.

"Good. Let's get this wedding started!" Tai grabbed Matt's hand and led him further into the church just as the last members of the wedding party got in place.

The wedding itself went on without a hitch. Natsuko appeared absolutely stunning in her strapless white wedding dress and Hiroaki seemed to approve of it very much. Before they all knew it, the minister said "You may kiss the bride" and it was over. The newly weds kissed and the congregation clapped and cheered. Hiroaki and Natsuko walked down the aisle with linked arms and their children (and childrens' significant others) trailing after them.

Everyone headed back to the hotel for the reception. The hired DJ began playing music and the food was brought out. Matt was standing next to the food table, eyeing the bottles of champagne warily. Tai sauntered up to him and rested his hands on Matt's hips.

"You know, I would ask you to dance, but I think your father might kill me," he started out.

"Maybe, but oh well. I'm not really in the mood for dancing anyway."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I'm too wound up to do much other than think about what just happened."

"Good excuse."

"Yamato!" Natsuko called out to him, waving him over.

"Uh-oh…she doesn't look too happy," Tai observed.

"Yeah, but she'll be even madder if I don't get over there. Be right back," Matt told his boyfriend and left him, making his way over to his mother. On the way, TK showed up at his side.

"Mom wanted to talk to you too?" the younger blue-eyed boy asked.

"Mmhmm. Do you know what about?"

"No idea." The two teens stepped out into the main hall of the hotel, just outside of the ballroom. Hiroaki and Natsuko both stood before them, both still dressed in their wedding attire and not looking happy.

"What's going on?" Matt asked them, staring at them expectantly.

"Yeah, what's so important that you had to tell us now?" TK joined in. Natsuko shook her head and looked at Hiroaki.

"You wanna tell them, or should I?" she asked her husband. It was then Matt knew it wasn't good news this time. Hiroaki sighed and squeezed his wife's shoulders supportively.

"I will."

"…what's going on?" TK repeated Matt's earlier question. Hiroaki bowed his head and frowned.

"We have to go back," he said. Matt felt his heart plummet down to his stomach and blinked.

"…what?" he managed to croak out, fighting to keep his composure.

"They won't let me leave my job in New York, but your mother can leave hers."

"We've been packing up for the past week. I'm so sorry boys," she said. TK shook his head and stared at her blankly.

"You can't be serious," he stated, shaking his head even harder. "You can't be serious!"

"TK, I know it's hard, but it has to be done," Natsuko explained. Matt swallowed hard and glanced back at his father.

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," Hiroaki answered. Matt bit down on his lower lip to keep it from quivering and nodded.

"Okay then," he choked out and turned, running from his family up the stairs towards the hotel room. None of them tried to stop him and none of them tried to follow him, seeing how they understood his motives. However, as soon as the rest of the Ishida clan went back into the reception, a blur of brown darted up the stairs as well.

Tai stopped in front of Matt's hotel room and knocked on it.

"Screw off!" Matt yelled from the inside.

"Matt, it's me," Tai called out gently. He heard the door click open and took that as a sign to enter. He opened and closed the door, joining his boyfriend on the bed. He wrapped his arms around the thin boy and held him closely.

"So what happened down there?" he whispered, tracing Matt's jaw line with his fingers. Matt sniffed and forced himself not to cry.

"We have to go back," he said quietly, not looking at Tai because he knew it would send him over the edge. Tai stared down at the mass of blond hair and almost stopped breathing.

"…to America?"

"To America," Matt repeated.

"You've got to be kidding!" Tai exclaimed.

"Nope. They won't let my dad quit his job, so Mom quit hers…we're leaving tomorrow."

"…tomorrow?" Tai repeated.

"Yeah. They just now told us," Matt filled him in, curling up into an even tighter ball.

"…no. You can't leave. I know that sounds so dramatic but you seriously can't leave me," Tai said and pulled Matt into his lap, rocking them both back and forward slowly.

"You think I want to leave?"

"Well no…but…" Matt shook his head and eventually looked Tai in the eye.

"I freakin' love you. And now they're tearing us apart. You really think that makes me happy?" he asked in a hoarse voice, watching Tai through bloodshot eyes.

"No. But…I don't know what to say," Tai replied.

"If I could find a way around it to stay here with you, I would."

"I know…"

"…"

"Well, if you're not going to talk, I will," Tai announced and turned Matt's body to face him.

"So talk."

"Okay. First of all, I love you, so much. It's going to hurt so much to let you go, and I know Kari's going to feel it too, since TK's leaving her. Second of all, even if we're not together, you're my best friend. I know that sounds strange since we've only known each other for seven months, but you are. You're closer to me than almost everyone. You and Sora come in for a close tie. Thirdly, we need to find a way to make this work."

"To make what work, exactly?" Matt made Tai pause for a moment. Tai brushed a kiss across Matt's lips and pulled away, smiling sadly but never loosening his grip.

"Our relationship." Matt jerked back in surprise and stared at his boyfriend with wide eyes.

"You really want to try a long-distance relationship?"

"I don't know…" Tai answered truthfully. "Any other time I would say yeah, definitely. But I have a feeling it would hurt us more than help us."

"Maybe…but I don't want to lose you," Matt put in, resting his head on Tai's chest.

"That goes double for me. But how can we do this?"

"You have email. I have email. End of story."

"We're going to email each other forever?" Tai raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Well okay, we might come back to Japan to visit you know."

"We hope."

"We hope…but that's the best we can do for now. Trying to keep a relationship an ocean apart isn't easy." Matt sighed. "I wish it was though."

"I'll still love you just as much though. You know that, right?" Tai looked at Matt, his own muddy eyes softened and on the brink of tears.

"Of course I do," Matt smiled and captured Tai's lips into what would most likely be their last kiss. Tai returned the favor and attempted to pull his boyfriend closer.

"Good. And don't you ever forget it," he nodded firmly, watching as Matt closed his eyes and fell asleep, completely drained from the entire day. Tai reluctantly untangled himself from Matt's limbs, kissing his forehead and running a hand through the golden hair.

"I'll be at the airport tomorrow…just to see you one last time."

"9:30am," Matt muttered softly.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"The scalp massage woke me up a bit."

"Go back to sleep."

"On it," Matt mumbled. Tai nodded in a satisfied manner and walked towards the door, sending one more smile Matt's way.

"I'll see you tomorrow, beautiful," he whispered and with that, closed the door soundlessly.

---

The next morning came all too quickly. The early hours went by in a blur and Matt remained lifeless, void of any emotion at all. It was 8:30am when the family of four headed out for the airport, luggage in tow. Hiroaki returned his rental car and they checked their bags, got their tickets, and headed for the right gate.

Tai and Kari were already there, along with Daisuke and Mimi. TK was the first one to notice, leaving his parents and brother behind as he joined his group of friends. Hiroaki and Natsuko sat down in the chairs by the gate, leaving Matt by himself. TK came back to him and grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him over to the others.

"Matt, we're going to miss you!" Mimi wailed first, latching herself onto Matt's arm.

"Hey, no hanging on my boyfriend. That's my job," Tai cut in. Mimi let go and sighed.

"Right, right. I forget that you're possessive."

"But Mimi's right, we're going to miss you guys," Kari said from her place in TK's arms.

"Well, we'll miss you more," TK said back, trying to be as cheerful as possible. Tai noticed that Matt wasn't speaking at all and took him away from the others, standing over by the gate itself.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked first, watching Matt closely for any signs of life.

"…yeah." The blond nodded. Tai sighed and continued.

"I'm going to miss you more than you'll ever know," he offered.

"I know…you and me both."

"Flight 107 now boarding for take-off," the intercom sounded off. Matt glanced over at his brother who was hugging Kari and Mimi, saying his final goodbye. His parents picked up their carry-on bags and headed for the gate.

"Wrap it up, boys," Natsuko called out to them before disappearing through the tunnel. Matt looked back at Tai and gave off a feeble smile.

"So, I guess this is it," he said, looking down at his shoes.

"Yeah…it is," Tai agreed. He looked over his shoulder for any signs of Hiroaki. Not seeing the older man anywhere, he grabbed Matt into a bone-crushing hug. "I love you," Tai whispered. Matt blinked and looked away.

"Not for much longer though," he said quietly. Tai's head snapped towards his boyfriend's direction.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded sharply. Matt looked back and stared at Tai with his cold eyes.

"It means that as soon as I'm gone for long enough, you'll forget about me and move on. That's what that means." Tai shook his head sadly and reached into his jacket pocket.

"You're wrong."

"Am I?" Matt asked, getting his sarcastic bite back into his voice. Tai nodded and grabbed Matt's face.

"You listen to me and you listen to me good," he said sternly and removed his hand from his jacket, revealing a red rose in between his fingers. Matt felt his breath catch in his throat as Tai pressed it into his hand, letting go of his face in the process.

"The day that this red rose turns black is the day I'll stop loving you. The day that this red rose turns black is the day I turn my back and walk away from you. The day that this red rose turns black is the day I'll stop caring about you." He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss onto Matt's cheek.

"The day that this red rose turns black is the day I'll be out of your life forever," he spoke in a hushed tone, pulling away slowly. "I hope you understand that." And with that he walked away, disappearing into the crowd. Matt's eyes followed his lover closely until he could see him no more. Swallowing thickly, he grabbed his carry-on bag and walked through the tunnel, taking his seat on the plane. He looked out the window quietly and looked into the airport. Standing at the window once again was Tai, staring out just as lost as he was, arms folded over his chest insecurely. Matt blinked and looked down at the flower in his hand.

It was only then the blue-eyed boy dared to examine the red rose, reaching out with slender fingers to caress the fine petals. Upon touching the rose, he came to the discovery that it was not a real rose, but one made of satin. And it was then he understood.

A real rose would wither and die…but one of satin would last forever.

"And so will Tai," Matt whispered, a sad smile crossing his lips as he sank down into his seat and leaned his head against the window. He barely took notice of his parents sitting down in front of him or his younger brother sitting on his left side. He barely took notice of the flight attendant speaking of the safety regulations or the captain's announcements on the intercom. He barely took notice of the plane's soft motions as it began to back up, positioning itself to glide down the runway. He barely took notice of the plane ascending into the air, rising higher and higher into the clouds.

All he took notice of was the dull ache in his chest where his heart should be; instead, his heart remained on the ground, watching the best thing that ever happened to it disappear beyond the horizon.

---

And that's the end of Black Rose. But don't worry, I'll have an epilogue up soonish.

Thanks to everybody who read the last chapter: CartoonHeroes, Kaiya5, diema, neo, Dreamcrafter, yoshi-iso-cute, CrimsonAnjel, Kloudy Reignfall, Tifa-sama, Keiran, Reki, lyla, Moppy, Darkshipping, the vindictive seeker, The Kaizeress, Selphie1234, SelenaWheeler, Sen-Tay, Largo-sensei, Crazy bitch from Texas, Demolition Lovers, JohnneyAntonelli, BreatheMeDeep, anne-rice-fan, Queen of the Paperclips, Sovereign of Silence3, Lugga, Salior Epyon, a random reader, Bluesv20, Octavo, regretfully-yours-Cassy-chan, tya, TaintedWolf, Tallynne Of The Dragons, dimonyo-anghel, Clinton, Puffgirl117, and Rikke Leonhart.

Bittersweet ending, doncha think? Sorry if you didn't like it, it's what came to my head…all 55 pages. Don't forget, the sequel, Frozen Flame, will be out shortly after the new year. Merry belated Christmas and thanks for reading!