Taishiro Week Day 4: One Week [Our War Game]

Chapter 4 deals mildly with sexual themes between young adults, in a non-graphic way.

Anniversary

Happy 'We Stopped a Nuclear Missile' Day!

Koushirou drew a third explanation mark in chocolate frosting and smiled proudly at his handiwork. It was the first time he had baked a cake by himself. He had emailed his mother for recipe ideas, and she gave him several. The French opera cake recipe was by far the most complicated, but Koushirou still leapt at the opportunity. He remembered that Taichi kept talking about opera cakes for weeks after he visited France with Takeru in 2002. So this would surely impress him!

Koushirou had also accidentally set off the smoke alarm in the process of making his cake, which had caused their college dormitory to evacuate…but Taichi had been out all day and he didn't have to know that detail. Anyway, what was a March 4 anniversary without a few hectic surprises? The important takeaway was that Koushirou had successfully made a layered sponge cake with coffee and ganache and chocolate, and he had somehow lived to tell the tale. And it actually tasted delicious, if he did say so himself. If not as good as Michel Takaishi's cakes, at least more edible than Yuuko Yagami's.

Koushirou carried the cake to his and Taichi's dorm room, where Tentomon was putting up decorations. Koushirou had printed out copies of the encouraging emails they had received from children all over the world on that day, and Tentomon messily taped them to the walls.

"Mmmm! That smells good, Koushirou!"

"Thank you. You did a great job with decorating." Koushirou carefully set the cake on his desk. Then he brought out a large sheet of construction paper and wrote "HAPPY MARCH 4" on it. He borrowed the tape roll from Tentomon and they both hung the banner on the bunkbed.

Koushirou stepped back to make sure the banner wasn't lopsided. "Close enough," he said. He walked in a circle to admire the emails around the room, and he couldn't stop smiling.

"Taichi will be so surprised when he comes home!" Tentomon noted.

"Yes!" Koushirou agreed. In the past, both he and Taichi had always gotten together to celebrate March 4. This usually meant a sleepover with videogames. But now they were college roommates, so a 'sleepover' was hardly special. Koushirou impulsively decided that he wanted to try something new. After all, March 4 was their special day.

"When will he be back?" Tentomon asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"On Tuesdays, Taichi volunteers at the local elementary school's soccer club. He'll be here before dinner time," Koushirou answered, a hint of admiration in his voice.

"You used to play soccer! You could help him with that!" Tentomon noted.

Koushirou just laughed. "Right." He sat back at his desk. "I'm going to work on my coding assignment. You can rest."

But Tentomon sat by the window instead, watching for when Taichi would return.

Tentomon's wings hummed a calming buzz as Koushirou typed. The sun sank lower in the sky, until finally Tentomon turned on the lamp for his partner. Then Koushirou's stomach growled, and he realized that Taichi was running late. He picked up his cell phone and called him.

"Hey Koushirou!"

Koushirou grinned at the familiar greeting. "Hi Taichi. Happy March 4."

"Shit. March 4 was today?"

"Yep!"

"I thought it was on Sunday?"

"That was last year. This year March 4 is a Tuesday."

"Really?"

"Yes, Taichi. I'm looking at my calendar right now. It's definitely today!"

"Haha, sorry, that was a stupid question…"

"So when are you coming home?"

"Uh, about that…"

Koushirou froze.

"I'm at Hibiki's apartment. I told him I'd come over to his place after soccer practice, since he lives right there. I completely forgot that Tuesday was March 4."

"Oh…" Koushirou clutched his phone tighter. "Did I interrupt your hot date?"

Taichi laughed. "Don't worry about it. He's in the middle of cooking dinner for me."

Koushirou made an unintelligible noise.

"He's a really good cook. You've had his ramen, right?" Taichi asked.

"I don't remember."

"I'll have to bring you over next time!"

Koushirou laughed in a high tone of voice. "I wouldn't want to get in the way of you two!"

"You wouldn't get in the—um—well…" Taichi stammered. "I'm really sorry about this. I don't have an excuse."

"It's okay," Koushirou said automatically. "The anniversary is not as special now that we're roommates and we see each other every day. I understand why you forgot."

"No, no, it's still special…"

Koushirou smiled a little at that. "So when are you coming home?"

Taichi dropped his voice to a whisper. "That depends."

"Depends on what?"

"If I get lucky."

"Oh." Koushirou's stomach dropped. He felt lightheaded. "…Good luck," he whispered.

"Thanks! Haha, I don't know if we'll get that far tonight—"

Koushirou grunted.

"I honestly don't know what will happen. This was all sudden. I'll call you before I come home, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'm really, really sorry. I promise that I'll make it up to you."

"Taichi, don't worry about me. We can play videogames any day. I want you to have a romantic evening with Hibiki."

Taichi sighed in relief. A soothing sound. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Koushirou's voice was squeaky. "Bye!" He immediately ended the call.

Tentomon pulled on his pant leg. "Koushirou, are you okay?"

Koushirou shook his head. "Yes! I'm fine."

The robot ladybug buzzed his wings and fluttered higher so that he was eye-level with his friend. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Koushirou felt dizzy. "It's not a big deal. We were playing video games yesterday."

"You should have told him about your cake!"

"I didn't want to distract him. We'll eat it tomorrow."

Tentomon grunted, thinking loudly. "Hmm... Why don't you invite another friend over?"

Koushirou snorted. "Invite another friend to my and Taichi's anniversary of stopping a nuclear missile? Ridiculous. Anyway, we all live far apart now."

"That's not true! Sora's here!"

"Sora..." Koushirou squirmed in his seat. It was true that Sora attended the same university as Taichi and Koushirou. She lived in a separate dormitory. "But Sora feels awful about March 4. She hates that she didn't answer our calls for help in time. Last time I mentioned it to her, I think she started crying?"

"If I remember correctly, that was in eighth grade."

"Naturally I haven't mentioned it to her since!"

"But she's probably more mature now."

"Um..."

"Also! March 4 isn't just the first time you defeated Diaboromon. It's also the first time we witnessed a jogress evolution! So that's a perfect reason for you to celebrate with Sora! Any excuse for cake!"

A smile tugged on Koushirou's lips. He and Sora had been the last two in their group to become jogress partners, right after Jou and Mimi. The first time he experienced that kind of bonding—after years of explaining the process to the younger Chosen Children, but never knowing how it felt—was one of his happiest memories. Especially since it was clear to him that Sora had the biggest heart of everyone. (And, he had to admit, seeing Taichi and Yamato's reactions was priceless.) Feeling Sora's heartbeat, her grand symphony of emotions, was still overwhelming to Koushirou. In contrast, she seemed to have an easier time understanding him.

But then, Koushirou didn't think of himself as a particularly complicated person. He wasn't emotional.

"I think that's a fair reason for Taichi and Yamato to celebrate, but not Sora and me," Koushirou countered. "I don't want to bother her today."

Tentomon grumbled in defeat. Then his antennae zipped up when he got a new idea. "Speaking of Yamato! You should call him! And Takeru!"

"What? They're both out of town," Koushirou whined. He hated calling people on the phone. It was so stressful.

"Just to wish them a Happy March 4! Since they both helped."

"I mean, technically."

"Talking to people is good for you!" Tentomon affirmed, in the same tone of voice that Koushirou's mother used when she told him that eating lima beans was good for you.

"Hmm..." Koushirou's gaze trailed up the wall and lingered on a three-foot long poster of Yamato with his bandmates in the background. Taichi had hung up the poster as a joke the day before Yamato visited. He knew it would embarrass him. However, Taichi still kept the poster up after Yamato left. Koushirou didn't ask, but he suspected that Taichi simply liked looking at his handsome jogress partner. Tentomon had taped an email over his bass guitar, but Yamato still watched over the room with his sea-blue eyes. His blond hair fell perfectly into place. His lips were slightly parted even as he scowled.

Somehow, in spite of being just as standoffish as Koushirou, Yamato managed to be the most desirable person in every room. It probably helped that Yamato gave the appearance of being a tortured sensitive artist, while Koushirou gave the appearance of being a short, somewhat overweight eccentric.

Koushirou decided to call the less intimidating brother first.

"Helloooo!" Patamon's high voice answered the phone. "You reached the voice mail of…"

It dropped an octave to Angemon's voice. "Of Takeru Takaishi! My partner is not available…"

It dropped another octave to HolyAngemon's voice. "Please leave your message at the sound of the beep."

"Yes! Good job!" Takeru chimed in the background, before being interrupted by the beep.

BEEEEP

Koushirou ended the call. No need to exert himself. He took a deep breath and called Yamato. Yamato answered on the second ring.

"Koushirou?"

"Hello Yamato."

"Hi."

There was a stiff pause between the two most awkward Chosen Children.

"What's up?" Yamato asked.

"Happy March 4!" Koushirou blurted.

"Right! Happy March 4 to you too. Ah, I always get my hair cut on this day."

"Fascinating." Koushirou was completely uninterested in Yamato's hair.

"Is that the only reason you called?"

"Yes…" Koushirou said sheepishly.

"Thanks. I'm glad you thought of me."

"You're welcome."

"I've been rehearsing all day. Not much of a celebration, heh."

"I see. I've been…doing homework."

"Good. Practical. What's Taichi doing?"

"I think he's having sex."

"What?!"

"Gaah! I mean—not in this room!" Koushirou flew into a panic.

"Ah…Well. He…certainly gets around."

"Yes, he does." Koushirou's face felt hot. He sunk into his seat, wishing his molecules could shrink and vanish. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that out loud. I don't—I don't even know—I shouldn't gossip—"

"Hey, don't worry. I bet Taichi would drive me crazy if he were my roommate."

"Yeah, he does…"

"Don't let him bother you. Make sure you do something to celebrate, right? You deserve it."

Koushirou nodded. Then he realized that Yamato was waiting for him. "Thank you, Yamato. You deserve it too." Koushirou wondered what 'it' was even supposed to mean.

"Thanks."

Another pause.

"Bye Yamato." Koushirou ended the call. He sighed and dropped the phone in the trash can. "I'm not calling anyone else."

Tentomon rescued the phone, knowing Koushirou would want it later. His antennae drooped in defeat.

"Don't worry, Tentomon. I'm fine. Actually, there's a chance that Taichi won't get lucky. Then he'll call back. And he'll spend the night with me instead." Koushirou felt strange as he rationalized that. He knew that he was acting uncommonly selfish to want Taichi to be unlucky.

"Koushirou…"

"Right. Anyway! We can still have fun!" Koushirou set his phone carefully on his desk, and then he buckled over his laptop. He loaded the games he had been looking forward to play all day. Tentomon sat on a chair next to him so that he could watch his partner blow up virtual villains onscreen. Koushirou grinned and patted the digimon's head.

Koushirou moved through video game levels slower without his player two. Taichi was bolder and took riskier moves, while Koushirou's strategies were more cautious. But Koushirou grew more reckless as the hours progressed and evening turned to nightfall. His avatar character ran through hordes of zombies armed with a flamethrower and bombs, and she died repeatedly in the attempt. Tentomon nudged Koushirou's elbow to remind him that he needed to eat eventually, but his human didn't react.

Koushirou's character died again in a fiery explosion. He grumbled and slammed his laptop shut. Then he pulled his opera cake towards him and grabbed a spoon from his desk drawer. He dug out a large spoonful and started chomping.

"I don't need Taichi anyway," he said between bites. Koushirou tossed another spoon at Tentomon. "I was the real hero of March 4."

"Here here!" Tentomon agreed. The bug digimon nervously watched his partner gobble down the cake. He had lost his appetite to help him eat.

"I was the one who discovered the egg. I figured out it was a virus. I realized what it was doing to the Internet. I read all the emails—" Koushirou gagged but kept eating. "I ran all the way to his apartment! And for what? What did Taichi accomplish? Just the flashy showy bits! He got to have his big satisfying fight scene with Yamato. After he nearly broke the computer. But—" He wolfed down a large bite. "He wouldn't have won if I hadn't had the idea all by myself to forward the emails to Diaboromon! Taichi would be dead a thousand times over if it weren't for me!"

"That's right!" Tentomon said. "Uh, Taichi did help by calling everyone on the phone."

"Yeah…" Koushirou slowed down eating. Then he frowned again. "But he still made me call Sora, even though she's his best friend!"

Tentomon made a worried sounding buzz. Koushirou paused, his spoon in his mouth. His cake didn't taste that delicious after all. He swallowed and shoved the remainder of the messy dessert away from him. "I'm sorry. I'm being unfair… Also it's…really nice to have a friend who will talk on the phone for you. He still does that for me…" Koushirou wiped his eyes. He glanced at his watch; it was past midnight.

"You're tired. Let's go to sleep," Tentomon suggested.

Koushirou nodded and walked to the bunk bed. He tried to not let his imagination run wild as he undressed and pulled on his pajamas. I'm being selfish. Stop it, he thought to himself. I want Taichi to be happy. He's brave to be out of the closet and he deserves it. He crawled into the bottom bunk and tried to get comfortable. But there was something hard underneath his back. Koushirou shifted his position and pulled out a heart-shaped box from beneath him. He recognized it as a box of chocolates that Hibiki had given Taichi for Valentine's Day. Taichi had been nibbling the chocolates in the top bed for the past two weeks; he must have dropped it into Koushirou's bed by accident. It was empty now.

Koushirou gripped the box furiously. "Taichi! Clean up your trash!" he shouted at no one. Then he raised his arm to throw the Valentine at the door—

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Somebody was pounding on the door. Koushirou froze. Then he leapt to his feet, the Valentine still in his hand. Did Taichi forget his keys again?

Koushirou forgave him immediately. None of his whiny complaints about Taichi mattered. He would open the door, and Taichi would enter—and he would grab Koushirou's waist, sweeping him off his feet—pushing him back on the bed, their lips locked—his hands under Koushirou's shirt, Koushirou's hands tangled in Taichi's hair—Koushirou's hands caressing Taichi's bare back, memorizing his muscles—God, he wanted him so badly—

Koushirou swung open the door.

It was Sora.

"Sora?"

She was panting. She leaned one arm against the wall, and her red hair was windswept. She wore a sweatshirt hastily pulled over her pajamas, and sneakers on her feet. She had clearly run all the way across campus to see him.

"What's wrong?" Koushirou asked, baffled. He tried to hide his disappointment. What a stupid fantasy…

"Koushirou…your heart…" Sora heaved.

"Eh?" Koushirou blinked. He looked down at the heart-shaped Valentine still in his hand.

"No, not that heart! Your heart!" Sora stood up straight. She pointed at his chest.

"My heart?" Something in Koushirou's brain clicked. He suddenly smiled. "Incredible! You felt my heartbeat all the way from your dormitory! Has anyone else felt their jogress partner's heart from such a distance? Exactly how far is your dormitory from here? Two kilometers? Three? This calls for a scientific experiment! I have a meter stick in here. We can use it to measure—"

"Stop it!" Sora interrupted her friend's hysterical babbling. She clutched her hand to her chest. "You're in pain," she said.

Koushirou stared at her. Sora's eyes were misty. "Did I make you hurt?" he whispered.

"No. It's not your fault. I could have stopped the connection if I wanted. But I was so worried about you… What's wrong?"

Koushirou felt tears prick at his eyes. "I…" His whole body was shaking now. "I can't…I can't say…"

Words failed him. He was an awful, selfish friend. He wanted Taichi to be unlucky and unhappy. That's all Taichi would feel around him. Koushirou was a coward who couldn't even carry an honest phone conversation. Taichi deserved better. Sora deserved better too. Now he could feel her heart beating rapidly out of worry for him.

Everyone was better off when Koushirou wasn't so emotional. He wasn't supposed to be a complicated problem. He was supposed to be a solver of complicated problems. A human extension of his laptop. He was useful that way. Nobody would object to him if he just shut up and fixed things. Certainly Taichi would not object to his presence, as long as he was useful…

He swayed on his feet and dropped the Valentine. Sora stepped inside and wrapped her arms tight around him. He leaned his head on her shoulder.

He finally started crying.