Wow, it's been more than 2 weeks since I updated this story. Thanks to everyone who read it, and of course those who reviewed. Well, this should be the second last chapter so enjoy :)

Update: Sorry, I just realized I forgot to take away the Romaji in italics at the later part. Er I wrote it down 'cause it helps me imagine the scene better and the characters' speaking and all. So, yeah...I've removed it now. If you didn't see it- well, ignore this note.

"T-Taichi…"

Yamato looked so confused and lost at his confession that Taichi suddenly wished he could take it all back. But he found himself doing the opposite, "I'm sorry for putting you in such an embarrassing situation," he said quickly. His gaze turned guilty, "It's just…I was being a coward and I didn't want to tell you my feelings. But trying to ignore them didn't work, so I thought I would feel better if I got you to form a heart because I was hoping I would finally get the chance to confess to you…" he babbled, then shut up as Yamato was still staring at him.

"Sorry, I'm such a selfish idiot…" Taichi mumbled. He slid his hand away from Yamato's cheek, moving to get off the blond. "I just…had to tell you."

Taichi felt his heart sink even further as Yamato remained silent. He inhaled, then spoke, "If…it makes you feel bad, you can just ignore my feelings," he managed, "We can pretend this never happened."

"Even if I don't want that," the brunette thought miserably. He glanced back at Yamato. "But, if it will make him feel better…"

"How do you know you…love me?" Yamato finally spoke as he raised his gaze towards Taichi.

"I just…know." Taichi said. Realizing it wasn't a satisfactory answer, he plunged on, "Because, in all our battles, you're the one I worry about the most. Because I've realized I care about you more than a best friend, more than I care about Sora. Despite all our arguments, I could never hate you," Taichi inhaled for some air before continuing, "Because I would protect you, even if it costs me my life," he swallowed as he remembered how him and Yamato had been on the verge of death when he had been clinging on to a single branch from the snowy cliff, his other hand clutching on tightly to Yamato. "If you ever left me, I don't know what I'd do. Even if you don't return my feelings, I'll still love you. If I had never told you I loved you, I still would have," Taichi said as he looked into Yamato's blue eyes, "It's not a feeling I can get rid of. I just…" he clenched his fist. "Love you, Yamato."

"I…" Yamato started hesitantly. He seemed to swallow, avoiding Taichi's gaze, "I don't know love."

"I didn't either." Taichi said softly.

Yamato shook his head. "I don't know love- I don't want to know love," he said forlornly, and Taichi felt his heart break a little, "I can't even accept friendship, how can I accept love?"

"I've never had friends before I met you guys, and I've never felt love," Yamato was saying, his voice choked. He rested his chin on his knees, staring down at the ground. "I've never wanted to fall in love. Having friends…is more than enough."

"Why?" Taichi asked quietly "Love…isn't a bad thing."

"Because I don't want to get hurt," Yamato confessed. He buried his face in his knees, releasing the tears in his eyes. "I don't want to be alone…but I don't want to be hurt again."

"Yamato…" this was a side of Yamato he had never seen. Yamato had never revealed so much to him before. But Taichi could feel his love for Yamato grow as he wrapped an arm around the trembling blond's shoulders, "It's okay. I'll take care of you."

"I'm not a person you should love, Taichi," Yamato whispered, voice thick with repressed emotion, "I'll only hurt you in the end. You should just…leave me alone."

"I can't, I love you too much," Taichi smiled wryly at how suddenly easy it was to say he loved Yamato. He ran his fingers through the blond's spiky, soft hair, murmuring, "I'll rather be hurt than not have you by my side, Yamato. I'm used to that."

"Taichi…" Yamato said, and there was a hint of dry, sardonic laughter in his choked voice. "You really are an idiot."

Taichi grinned. "Yeah well," he said as he pulled Yamato closer to him. "It's just part of my charm."

"Idiot." Yamato said half-heartedly, and Taichi smiled.

"Only for you, Yamato." He said cheesily and Yamato couldn't help but smile.

"Whatever, Taichi."

Taichi just smiled. They descended into a peaceful silence and he relished in the feeling of holding Yamato close to him, giving him time to get over himself emotionally.

"Taichi."

Taichi smiled as he stroked Yamato's soft hair. "Yeah, Yamato?"

The blond lifted his face from his knees, his clear, blue eyes slightly red, "I need time," he said slowly. He flushed slightly, "I…like you too, Taichi, but…I need time to decide if I want our relationship to change."

Yamato liked him. Yamato liked him back! Taichi grinned widely, resisting the urge to hug Yamato and further embarrass the already embarrassed blond. "Sure!" He declared optimistically, "We're still young, we have all the time in the world!"

Yamato looked like he was restraining himself from calling Taichi an idiot, but it was just another part of him that Taichi loved. He huffed, crossing his arms. "Don't get disappointed in the end." He said. "Can you stop touching my hair now?"

Taichi blinked, and reluctantly brought his hand away from Yamato's unexpectedly soft, fluffy hair. Well, it was another thing to love about Yamato. "I won't!" He reassured the blond, "I'll be happy as long as I have you by my side!"

"Stop saying such embarrassing things," Yamato said, face red as he got up from the ground. "Why are you always so optimistic?" He muttered.

"Well, why not?" Taichi asked, as he rose to his feet as well. He was still smiling as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Even if I've never fallen in love before you, I'm sure I'll get the hang of it!" Yamato stared at him and his face split into a grin, "Hey, we didn't know how to fight all those digibattles either when we first came to this world, did we?" He winked, "Love's just a new, exciting adventure for me to explore!"

"You think everything is an adventure," Yamato said dryly, and turned away so Taichi couldn't see his blush. He sighed, beginning to walk back. "Come on…let's head back."

Taichi grinned and looped an arm around Yamato's shoulders as they walked back together, "If I'm with you~" he sang cheerfully, "I'm sure we'll be all right!"

"What are you singing." Yamato deadpanned.

"My feelings for you!" Taichi replied with a wide grin, "Let's start from here Yamato~even if I have to do it 100 times, I'll get it right!"

"Your off-key singing is killing my ears," Yamato grimaced, "And what makes you think I'll let you make 100 mistakes?"

"Because you love me!" Taichi proclaimed with a bright smile, "You should sing about your feelings too, Yamato!"

"I don't love you, I just like you!" Yamato countered, glaring at Taichi. "And if I have to sing about my feelings for you, it'll be something like this!"

The blond inhaled, then started to sing in a smooth voice as he stared at Taichi, "Well, if you want to, I can't stop you," he added sarcasm into the stacatto tune, "Just cause you're passionate about it, doesn't make it right."

Taichi blinked at the familiar tune, then beamed at him, "Yamato!" He exclaimed happily, "You never told me you're such a good singer! Where did you get the tune from?"

Yamato twitched as he realized Taichi hadn't been listening to his words at all, "I composed it on my harmonica," he said dryly. "It would be wasted on a song about you."

Taichi just smiled. "Well, I would be able to die happy if you sang a song about me!"

Yamato felt his other eyebrow twitching, "You've used that excuse already!" He shouted, scowling, "Didn't you say you would be able to die happy if I formed a heart with you?"

Taichi blinked. "Oh yeah." He said. "I would be able to die happier then?"

Yamato had to seriously resist the urge to facepalm. Why did he have to fall for such an idiot?

"You know what the last line of such a song would be?"

"What?" Taichi asked curiously. "Is it about me?"

"I'm all right on my own." Yamato said to Taichi. He seemed to be contemplating a little, before he said, "I'll even…walk on the edge."

Taichi stared at him for a while, and Yamato thought he had finally gotten his point, when he said, "Well Yamato, if you fall off the edge I'll be there to catch you!" He smiled, brown eyes filled with something Yamato felt he should recognize. "I did catch you when we fell off that cliff, remember?"

Yamato twitched. Why did Taichi have to…twist everything he said to his advantage? But Taichi was smiling sincerely at him and he felt his heart beat faster. He swallowed, averting his gaze. Perhaps liking Taichi wasn't so bad after all, since Taichi did like him back…

"You could have died back then." He found himself saying to break the silence that had descended between them. "Because you were holding onto me- if that branch had broken before Yukidarumon was there-" he inhaled shakily, not even wanting to think of the prospect, "If you hadn't been holding on to me, if you had just let go, you would have been able to climb up by yourself."

"And lose you?" Taichi's voice had turned serious, low in frustration. He reached out to grab Yamato's arm tightly. "Didn't I tell you, Yamato? Even if we ended up dying, I wouldn't let go! If I lost you, I'd lose my reason for living!"

"Don't say that!" Yamato exclaimed, as he whirled around, blinking back the tears in his eyes, "I'm not all you have! You have so many people who care about you, you don't need me!"

Taichi stared at him. "Is that it, Yamato?" He asked softly. "Is that why you're so insecure about our relationship?"

"I'm not insecure!" Yamato denied wildly, "And we don't have a relationship!"

"…Hey, that hurt, you know," Taichi said, his voice low as he stared at Yamato.

Yamato flinched as if he was the one who had been hurt. And maybe he was, for his heart hurt, and he didn't know why.

"Weren't you listening to me? I told you I'd only hurt you!" The blond spat, turning quickly away as he scowled. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?!"

"I may be an idiot," Taichi said as he stared at Yamato's back. "But I refuse to believe my love for you is stupid." He spoke in an unusually solemn voice, feeling tears prick his eyes. "It isn't, even if you think it is."

Yamato remained silent, and Taichi didn't hesitate in wrapping his arms around him from behind. "I love you, Yamato." He whispered into the blond's ear. "If you want me to say it everyday, I will. Even if you don't return my feelings, I want to let you know that there's someone who cares about you in this world." He exhaled. "You're no longer alone, Yamato. I'm here for you."

It was always like this with Taichi. One minute they could be joking, and the next they would be arguing, and suddenly Taichi would be looking at him with that sympathy, care and concern in his eyes. It made his head spin and his heart pound, and he didn't know what this feeling was.

Now they had progressed to another stage. They had reached the stage- or at least Taichi had reached the stage where he felt it was right and alright to comfort him physically with intimate actions and emotionally with sincere words, and Yamato wasn't quite sure how to respond.

Part of Yamato wanted to turn around and release all his insecurities to Taichi, to someone who would hold him and comfort him. But he had his pride to keep, and Yamato gathered the painful shards, piecing his shattered pride back together as he tried not to think of the way Taichi believed his love for him was a certainty in their every changing world and not just a notion or feeling.

He felt Taichi remove his arms from him, and tried to brush away the suddenly empty feeling in his heart. Taichi placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and the simple action filled up the emptiness in Yamato's heart a little.

"Let's go back, okay? Everyone's waiting."

"Yeah." Yamato said softly.

They started forward, the silence between them more awkward than the last. Yamato bit his lip, and forced himself to put his pride aside to say the words he needed to say. "I'm sorry," the blond admitted, his voice quiet. "I am grateful to you for saving my life."

"I understand," Taichi's voice was reassuring, accepting. Taichi was always accepting of him. "Thank you, Yamato. That's enough for me."

Taichi spoke in a way that Yamato didn't have to look at him to know what he was feeling. It was one of the things he had noticed about Taichi. He didn't only wear his heart on his sleeve, he filled his voice with his feelings as well.

Yamato knew he didn't deserve Taichi- as a friend or a lover. He definitely didn't deserve Taichi's love for him, when he couldn't even tell Taichi he returned his feelings. But he couldn't resist leaning a little towards the brunette, and as Taichi removed his hand from his shoulder and wrapped it around him instead, he felt content for the first time in his life; as if he could just relax and live in the moment instead of looking back to the past or thinking of the dreadful future.

Taichi had that effect on people. His optimism and passion in life, even as subtle as it was now, was contagious. Yamato smiled slightly to himself at Taichi's wordless gesture of encouragement and trust in him.

Perhaps being understood wasn't so bad after all.