OMG my reviewers are gods. You are wonderous! What wonderfully wonderous wonders you are!

In any case, here's the usual disclaimer: I don't own digimon. Still.

Tragic I know.

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running in circles

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This was, by far, the stupidest thing Matt had ever done. He was sure of it. The blonde sat in the far back corner, desperately trying to pretend that he wasn't there. He absently picked at the fraying holes in his worn jeans, spending a few seconds to wonder at the pale mark around his thumb. His little brother T.K. had given him a thumb ring the last time they saw each other. He'd never taken it off before, but the stupid nurse he'd first met had forced him to hand over all of his jewelry.

The boy didn't see a point in that either. Honestly, what was he going to do with his bracelets? Try to choke on them? It was ridiculous.

Almost as ridiculous as this 'group therapy' crap.

He had been one of the last to arrive, but other patients were slowing filtering in. A pink-haired girl walked over and sat between him and a boy who looked suspiciously like his roommate. Soon after, a rather effeminate looking boy with purplish, chin-length hair, entered and took the seat closest to the spiky haired-boy. The two exchanged a meaningful look before the last member of their group arrived; a slender, disheveled brunette girl. Matt watched them out of the corner of his eye.

They seemed to be friends, all of them chattering happily, as if they were in school, not a psych ward. Yamato rolled his eyes. Seeing this, the pink-haired girl looked over, smiling brightly.

"Hey there!" she said cheerily, a little too happy for Matt's liking. "You must be new. I'm Mimi, what's your name?" The blond arched an eyebrow. "Yamato," He answered bluntly, before the girl next to Mimi coughed obviously. "Oh!" The girl exclaimed, looking slightly sheepish. "I'm sorry, how could I forget. This here is Sora," The other girl smiled, "Nice to meet you." Matt nodded and Mimi continued. "This is Ken" The purple-haired boy smiled softly, eyes vaguely distant. "And lastly-" The boy at Mimi's side lunged forward beaming exuberantly. "I'm Daisuke!" He announced, nearly leaping out of the chair in his enthusiasm. "But you can just call me Dai, everyone else does."

"Yeah, that or 'idiot'" A new voice interrupted.

Matt looked up to see Tai smiling down at them. "I see you've met the gang?" Matt put on his 'disinterested face' but couldn't help the pang of jealousy that shot through him when Tai plopped down on Mimi's lap. "And gang, that's my new roomie."

The brown-eyed boy played with a lock of Mimi's hair before pulling up a chair. Sora laughed, tipping her head back to look at Tai. "Just try not to scare this one off ok? He's kinda cute," she added with a wink. The brunette felt a surge of possessiveness at the comment. But she did have a point; Yamato was like a breath of fresh air. A golden god in ripped jeans and a tattered white shirt with warm bronze skin, honey colored hair and sharp blue eyes. Beautiful, even when he was pouting. Tai looked back at Sora and frowned indignantly, glaring and sticking his tongue out childishly.

"Anyone know who's leading group today?" Ken asked softly.

He was so frail looking; Matt was surprised he could speak at all. Daisuke smiled gently, his previous demeanor vanishing in an instant, seamlessly replaced by a strange sort of tenderness. "Yeah, Miyako's coming in today." Looking at the two boys, Yamato could tell something was going on between them. He turned to Tai, mouth open to ask, when a young woman with glasses swept into the room.

The room automatically fell silent. "Good afternoon everyone. I'm Inoue-san, but for those of you who don't know, I prefer Miyako." The woman spoke with confidence, and it occurred to Matt that she'd probably been working here for a few years. "Now since the nurses said they'll be giving you guys ice cream after this, we should hurry up and get started." At the mention of ice cream, most of the teens in the room perked up immediately.

Tai shot up straight as a bolt, hand raised. "Yes Tai?" "Any chocolate per chance?" He smiled, all wide eyes and innocent features. Miyako rolled her eyes, answering yes with a resigned sigh and crossing her legs. "Score." Tai grinned; shifting in the chair so he sat with his legs spread and hands in his lap, leaning forward slightly with an impish expression on his face.

Yamato wondered what exactly Tai was in here for.

Miyako looked around the room, taking in both the new and familiar faces. "Well," she said simply, scribbling something on her clipboard. "I see some new faces, but we're also missing one. Does anyone know where Jyou is?"

"Ah," Daisuke began, successfully gaining everyone's attention. "He's visiting Dr. Koushirou. He had an anxiety attack again." The therapist nodded, scribbling on the paper again. "He was doing a lot better though," The boy continued. "He only washed his hands 8 times in the whole day."

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "Impressive." The group that had so recently adopted Matt all exchanged smiles. The blond was left trying to figure out why washing your hands 'only' 8 times a day was an achievement.

"In any case," The woman announced, placing the clipboard in her lap. "We might as well get on with it. The ice cream's waiting."

All of the heads in the room nodded in unison.

-

So all in all, group therapy wasn't quite as hellish as the blond had been anticipating. Today's topic was "why is it easier to talk to your friends than your family?" and only a few patients actually commented. Simple as it had been, Yamato was still happy it was over, he hated being around people for long periods of time. The blond headed back to his room, having finished his ice cream, and waited to have his vitals taken. As it turned out, Tai was right. No sooner had he stepped through the door, than Yamato found his belongings neatly stacked on his desk.

Speaking of which, Tai was up talking to the nurse at the desk about god only knows what, and while the rest of the group had invited Matt to join them in the rec. room, the blond declined. According to Daisuke, he had an hour to unpack before individual therapy, and then they'd head to the day room for dinner. Blue eyes scanned over his new home.

God what a mess.

From the look of things, Yamato had no doubt that he'd need the entire hour to clear out Tai's belongings and move in his own.

Over all, the boy really didn't mind the work. The repetition gave his wandering mind something to focus on. While his first day wasn't unbearable, Matt couldn't explain the sudden emptiness inside of him. He'd finished cleaning up his half of the room and had just started unpacking when a nurse came in to take his vitals and asked for a blood sample.

Remembering Tai's words of wisdom from earlier, he refused to be stuck with the needle, but sat still while the woman stuffed a thermometer in his mouth and took his blood pressure. "Well then," she began tersely. I guess she isn't used to patients getting the better of her. "Since I've finished, you have individual now. The doctor's waiting for you in the first room on the left."

Matt rolled his eyes. Wonderful.

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Yamato Ishida had never liked doctors. It wasn't that he was afraid of them. No, instead Yamato thought they were arrogant and pompous, and just too 'medical' about everything. Granted this Dr. Koushirou he was being forced to see wasn't too bad, he was still a doctor. Regardless of whether he asked to be called by his first name.

It was a simple meeting in his opinion. Just the routine questions about why he was there, how he slept, his appetite, and his family. Near the end of the questioning, Matt's stomach let out a growl and the doctor, laughing lightly, had let him leave.

The blond boy had never been more grateful of anything in his entire life.

He headed back to his room, ignoring the clamor of the other patients. Once inside, he shut the door quietly and leaned against the wall, enjoying the silence, not bothering to turn on the light. It was nearly dusk, but because of the rainy weather everything felt darker. The sky was darker, the room was darker, he was darker.

Matt suddenly felt very alone.

It was then that it dawned on him. He had been abandoned. His father and his new girlfriend had just dumped him here.

They don't want me back. I'm just excess baggage, getting in the way of their new life together. They're not coming back for me.

Anger shot through him like a bolt of lightning and without warning he turned and punched the wall as hard as he could. He could nearly scream in frustration. It wasn't fair. Life had been just fine before she came, winning his dad over. She was horrible; constantly disapproving of anything and everything Matt enjoyed. She even disliked T.K., a feat the blond had thought impossible.

The boy way so absorbed in his fury that he hadn't noticed the door open and shut, nor did he notice the boy who stood in stunned silence at his side.

"Yamato?" He asked softly, concern evident in his voice. The blond looked over, eyes nearly violet in anger. "What?" He asked harshly. He didn't want pity or sympathy; he wanted to be left alone.

"You ok?" Matt's eyes narrowed. Do I look fucking ok? Instead he replied with a growl. God, who the hell does he think he is? Pretending we're friends and all that, it's bullshit. "I'm fine. Now leave me the hell alone." He snapped. The brunette's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in anger.

"Like hell I will!" Tai yelled, shoving the blond backwards. "I'm trying to help, so tell me what's going on!" Yamato was furious, pushing the boy away from him. "You want to help?" He bellowed, slamming the other boy into the wall. "You want to help? You're in a fucking psych ward and you want to help me?" That's when Tai snapped, balling his hand into a fist and smashing it against the blond's jaw. Knocked to the ground, Yamato was outraged, leg jerking out and connecting with the back of Tai's knees. Tai felt his legs give way beneath him and he collapsed with a yell, the blond boy climbing on top of him and showering him with blows. It was all Tai could do to shield his face with his arms. All of this anger, and all of this rage, and he's just taking it out on the nearest person. Tai couldn't help it, the whole situation was so ridiculous; and he started laughing.

Hearing the laugh beneath him, Yamato's punches slowed, then stopped, and he was left watching the boy, still seething. "What are you laughing at?" he asked, voice cold. The brown-haired boy dropped his hands, meeting blue eyes with a bemused smile. "I get it." He said softly, voice almost a whisper, and Matt knew that in some way, he'd been defeated.

The blond rose slowly, walking over to the window, trying to put some distance between them. The brunette continued to lay on the floor, looking up at the ceiling with a distant smile on his face. "And what do you think you 'get'?" Yamato asked, voice barely audible, but the bitterness in it was undeniable.

Tai stood, watching the other boy in silence. It was something quiet, secret and unspoken. The fear, and the isolation that Yamato felt was so painfully similar to his own. But this was something fragile. The boy was so closed off, it was as if he honestly wasn't used to anyone giving a damn.

And he wasn't.

Yamato had spent so much time building up his defenses, his wall, keeping everyone away, that he really didn't know how to react to someone like Tai.

His roommate walked over, standing beside him and resting his hands on the windowsill. For awhile, neither boy spoke, the only sound in the dark room, a mixture of breathing and rain against the windowpane. It was strangely comforting.

"There's no sense of time in here. Everything just works like clockwork, the same thing everyday; therapy, meds, food, therapy, food, therapy, meds, sleep. And you get so lost in it, you're not even a person anymore." Brown eyes were fixed on the window, looking out, but not at any one particular thing. In those eyes, Yamato saw a pain and longing that most people had never known.

"It a lonely feeling, knowing that out there, the world is going on just fine, even though you're not in it."

The boy took a breath, eyes sliding shut before he turned, looking at the blond and smiling softly. All traces of sorrow having vanished, and Matt was at a loss. "In any case," Tai continued, heading back towards the door, "Dinner's in a few minutes. We should head to the day room."

The blond opened his mouth to speak, confusion evident on his face, but Tai cut him off. "Yeah yeah, I know I'm a level three." He raked a hand through his hair. "But I asked if I could eat up here with you today. I figured you'd feel awkward if I left you up here alone with my friends."

Matt felt a swell of gratitude towards the dark-haired boy, but instead merely shrugged. It was a good enough answer for Tai. "I'll be right in. I have to see my therapist first, so feel free to start without me."

The blue-eyed boy nodded, watching as Tai waved his goodbye and jogged down the hall like nothing had happened. He stood there for a minute, half in awe of Tai's hidden depth, and half in curiosity as to why he cared. Deciding that he was spending all together too much time thinking about his new 'roomie,' the blond heaved a sigh and headed into the day room.

A nurse he hadn't seen before was handing out meals in styrofoam boxes. Grabbing the box with his name on it, Yamato headed over to join Tai's friends. He snagged the corner seat, crossing his legs and setting the tray in his lap. To his left was Sora, then Mimi pulling up a chair, a blue-haired boy he didn't remember from earlier sat at the table nearest them, then on his right sat Ken, and on the floor beside him, Daisuke.

He noticed, with an inward smile, that the group had left an empty place for Tai. Turning his attention to the new face, blue eyes looked at Mimi for an answer. "Oh," The pink-haired girl began. "Sorry. That's Jyou, he wasn't at group this morning. Jyou, this is Yamato, Tai's new roommate."

Jyou looked up at him, smiling and sliding his glasses back up his nose. "Hello," He said calmly. Matt nodded in response.

The blue haired boy continued to watch the blond, taking everything in. Annoyed by the scrutiny, Matt looked up at him, irritated. "What!"

Jyou blinked, not looking the slightest bit flustered by the outburst.

"I was just looking at your arms. You've got a lot of scars."

Yamato looked down at the pale marks criss-crossing over his forearms. He hadn't really given them much thought before. He wasn't ashamed of them or anything; they were just, part of his body now.

Dai's eyes widened. "Holy crap! You've got almost as many as Tai. How many do you have?" Yamato shrugged. "I dunno, a few hundred?" Daisuke continued staring until Ken smacked him. "Cut it out Dai." The brunette grinned sheepishly, ruffling his hair.

"Eh, sorry." At this, Sora piped in. "So that's why you're here? You're a cutter?" Yamato looked confused. "Uh. I guess." He said casually. "But mostly for running away. Why, what're you in here for?"

Sora took a bite of her salad, twirling the fork between her fingers. "I'm a pathological liar." She smiled, looking over at Mimi. The pink-haired girl crossed her legs, tray still closed beside her. "I'm anorexic." Jyou laughed lightly, "Obsessive-compulsive." So that's why he washed his hands 8 times a day. Ken raised a tentative hand, "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." Daisuke beamed, leaning forward on the floor. "And I'm Bipolar."

The blond blinked, taking it all in. Well. That explained a lot.

Ken looked at the spiky-haired boy, voice soft. "Where's Tai?" Daisuke leaned back, reclining against the other boy's legs. "Oh, he's still in individual. Yagami, you know. Last name on the list." Ken nodded, poking at his food.

"What about Tai?" Matt asked, looking at Mimi. The girl took a sip of water before answering. "What about him?"

"You said he cut. Is that what he's in here for?" Jyou laughed. "Oh god no. Well, I mean, that too, but no, Tai's-"

"Really hungry that's what." A new voice interrupted. Everyone knew who it was, but they all turned to look anyway. "Oh, hey Tai." Dai smiled, scooting over so the other boy could join him on the floor. "How was the good doctor?" "Meh, same old, same old." Tai waved it off, looking up at Yamato with a private smile. "So Yama, how's your first day been? Not that bad eh?"

Yamato shrugged carelessly, keeping his air of apathy.

Nah, his first day didn't seem all that bad.

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review? Cause…..they taste good?

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TE-Bag – thanks :D will do

x1-TaKeN-oVeR – soon enough for ya? I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, and I hope the second chapter lives up to the first.

greytempest – thank you, I appreciate it.

The Naja – huzzah! glad you like it.

Nolah – w00t. I'm so happy you like my writing. I was wondering how people would react to my sticking them in a mental institution. I'm surprised that people like it thus far. :D

DarkMetalAngel of Destruction – thank you, hope you like the new chapter.

AbunaixBaka– thanks. : ) It's been loads of fun to write, so I'm glad to hear you like it.

foxy-comic-death - : D thank you, I'm stoked that you like it thus far, hope you don't mind the semi-cliff-hanger.

some chick – my first review! Yay! Glad you like it, hope you enjoy the update!