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Glittering Wind
Chapter One
Recall when you were innocent
The time when you ran without knowing fear
Antic Café- "Maple Gunman"
"Yamato!"
Seven months pregnant, Ishida Natsuko shuffled through her small apartment in house-slippers that did little to soothe her aching feet. Goodness… the baby in her belly now was certainly a lot more active than her first son had ever been. Yamato had scarcely budged, which had been worrisome at first. However, Natsuko soon learned that Yamato really didn't move… ever.
At least it gave her a pretty good idea where he was now.
"Yamato," she hollered, turning a corner to find her son in his favorite spot. There was a small space between the sofa and the big, potted plant that had been a wedding gift from Natsuko's cousin, and it was an ideal hiding spot for a child as thin and quiet as Yamato. The sullen boy was crouched with his knees pulled to his chest, scowling up at his mother as per usual.
With some difficulty, Natsuko managed to squat down to her son's level and fix him with a bemused look. "What are we hiding from today?"
Yamato did not answer, but she hadn't really expected him to. He was a boy of few words and fewer emotions. It was irritating at times, but Natsuko was slowly getting used to it. (Though for the life of her she couldn't figure out which parent he got this odd nature from…)
"The new family in 306 is moving in today," she informed him with a smile. "They have a son who looks your age. Would you like to go and say hello?"
She may as well have asked the sofa. With a sigh, Natsuko gripped her son's scrawny forearm and yanked him up, though he protested mightily.
Natsuko turned a deaf ear to Yamato's cries and forced his shoes on as they stepped out the door. He eventually stopped complaining, though he glared at the concrete like it had just called him a horrible name.
They took the rickety elevator down to the second floor of their apartment complex, where the Yagami family was unloading their furniture from a moving van. The mother, a very petite young woman with large eyes the color of hazelnuts, was playing with her son and laughing. She stood up to greet the newcomers.
"Hajimemashite," Natsuko said with a short bow. "We live a few floors up. My name is Ishida Natsuko, and this is my son Yamato."
"Oh, hajimemashite!" the younger woman chirped. "I'm Yagami Yuuko. We just moved here from Toshima."
Yuuko's fluffy-haired son stood up on strong little legs, and flashed Natsuko the biggest, toothiest grin she could have imagined on a boy so small.
"I'm Taichi! I'm five and half years old, and my favorite midfielder is Nakamura Shunsuke, even if he didn't go all the way this year." He shrugged loosely.
Natsuko blinked, very unused to a boy as talkative as this one. She could feel Yamato tense and clutch at her leg.
Yuuko looked down at Natsuko's tummy, and her pretty eyes sparkled. "How many months along are you?"
"Seven," Natsuko answered with a blush. "It's going to be another boy, Takeru. I've always wanted to have two sons and name them for Yamatotakeru. It was my favorite story when I was a little girl."
Yuuko clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, I remember that one!" She patted her own stomach, now a little shy. "I know I won't show for a while, but I just found out last week that I'm pregnant with another little squirt. I'm hoping for a girl this time. You know, one of each."
Natsuko nodded. "Of course. Ah… is your husband around, Yagami-san? I would love to meet him."
The younger woman tensed, and her face fell a little. "… N-no, he's not here right now. He… might… be back later this week, though…"
"Oh, is he away on business?" Natsuko asked innocently.
"… Yes. He is."
Natsuko let the subject drop. "Well, in any case, I hope our children can be friends, Yagami-san."
"So do I!" Yuuko breathed, obviously relieved at the change in topic.
This whole time, neither mother had been paying much attention to their boys.
Yamato eyed the other child distrustfully. Something about him was simply not right, in Yamato's mind. He was too tan, and too loud, and too… warm.
Yes, warm was the best word to describe him. His eyes were more brown than black, and they shone with pure, uncomplicated friendliness. He was wearing shorts and a soccer jersey that was a very bright red- too bright.
Taichi turned his big smile on Yamato, who recoiled a little. That smile made him feel very uncomfortable. He wasn't used to people who were so… different from himself. It was like meeting his polar opposite.
"Hi," Taichi said. "Do you like soccer?"
Yamato shook his head. Taichi looked aghast.
"You don't?" Yamato shook his head again. "Then… what the heck do you do for fun?"
The pale boy shrugged. Usually he just watched television. He liked watching the music shows with his mother, and listening to her commentary.
"Well…" Taichi scratched at his mess of soft, fluffy hair. "Do you play any video games? I just got the new Digimon World. It's okay. I already beat it."
He looked very proud. Yamato couldn't help but mutter a quiet "That's cool." Taichi seemed happy with this, and moved a little closer.
"D-do you wanna play with me?" Taichi looked back at his mother. "Mama, is it okay if I play with Yamato?"
Yuuko beamed. "If it's alright with his mother."
Frankly, Natsuko was shocked that Yamato had spoken a word to another human being, let alone two words… and it was praise he had given the other boy! This was definitely a vast improvement.
"It's more than fine with me," she said. "Yamato, can you be back before it gets dark? And just play around the apartments, okay? Don't go out the gate."
Yamato nodded, and Taichi pulled him away. "We won't, Ishida-san!" the mini-athlete hollered. "Sankyuu!"
Natsuko shook her head in amazement, watching the two boys hurry away. She turned to Yuuko.
"I've never seen Yamato accept anyone that quickly," she murmured.
Yuuko laughed. "My Taichi is a little… exuberant, I suppose. He loves making new friends. Does Yamato-kun go to kindergarten?"
"Yes, at Satsuki."
"Oh, good," Yuuko said. "That's where I was thinking of enrolling Taichi. One of my friends is a teacher there- do you know Nagano Masami?"
The two women continued to chat, eventually going inside for a cup of tea.
Taichi, it turned out, was very fast. By the time Yamato reached the top of the hill near the edge of the apartment complex, panting hard, Taichi was already up and over.
"S-slow down!" Yamato gasped.
The darker boy looked over his shoulder and suddenly realized that the other had been left behind.
"Sorry," Taichi apologized sheepishly after Yamato had caught up. "I like running."
"Well, I don't," Yamato snapped. He plopped down onto the fresh grass, picking at it moodily. Taichi quietly sat beside him.
After they caught their breath, Taichi was yammering again.
"So, I guess we're both gonna be big brothers soon, huh? I'm really excited. I hope my little sister is fun. At least, I think it's gonna be a sister. Mama wants to have a girl and a boy. You're getting a baby brother, right?"
Yamato nodded. He began threading strands of grass together, never saying a word. Taichi talked more than enough for the both of them anyway.
"Ne, ne, Yamato! I wanna be the best soccer player ever! That's why I run so much, y'know? I hafta be fast if I wanna be the best! I'm gonna play for Celtic someday, just like Nakamura-sama. Mama says that I'm really good, and that as soon as I turn six, I can join a team here in Odaiba! You wanna be on a team with me?"
"I don't play soccer," Yamato mumbled. He braided another piece of grass into the slender rope he was making. "I told you that, dummy."
Taichi scowled terrifically. "Don't call me a dummy. At least I'm not white like a girl ghost!"
Yamato nearly dropped the chain. "What?!"
"Yeah!" Taichi nearly yelled. "Like Sadako-san from Ringu! She was all pale and stuff too! Do you come out of a TV like Sadako-san?!"
Utterly baffled, Yamato shook his head. "What're you talking about?"
"It's… she… never mind." Taichi sighed and slumped. "You're so weird. You don't like soccer and you don't watch scary movies. I guess it's good you have a cool friend like me now, huh?"
Yamato scoffed. "We're not friends. I don't have any friends. I don't like people."
The tan boy frowned. "Really? But… you are a people. I mean, a person."
"I don't… like myself, either," Yamato said so quietly that Taichi had to strain to hear it.
"Well, I like you," Taichi said. "In fact, you're my friend now, and I don't care if you don't wanna be. I'm making you."
"You're making me be your friend?" Yamato asked skeptically.
"Mm-hm, yep."
Taichi stood up, and stretched his arms high. "Sun's goin' down. We should go back before my mom yells at me. Does your mom yell at you too, Yamato?"
He shrugged. "Sometimes."
They walked back in silence. Well, Yamato did. Taichi was having an intense, one-sided discussion about airplanes and how they could fly.
"I wanna fly too," Taichi said. "It'd be like… byoooooom! And I'd be all awesome and made of metal and stuff."
The strange pair reached Taichi's apartment, to find that the movers had finished up and left. Taichi turned to his friend with another large grin.
"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
Yamato nodded shortly. In his pocket, he fingered the braided loop of grass he had woven. As Taichi turned to go, he could not help but stop him.
"H-hold on…"
Taichi raised his eyebrows. Flushing a berry shade of red, Yamato pulled the grass loop out and pressed it into the other boy's hand.
"Take it," he muttered. "It's stupid, and girly, but I made it, and… ah…"
Taichi's head was cocked to the side for a moment, and then he split into the biggest smile yet.
"Hey, thanks!" He slipped it over his hand, observing the pale green-brown against his caramel-colored skin.
Yamato hurried to the elevator before Taichi could say anything else.
"Taidama," the pale boy called out quietly, stepping into his house.
His father, a large, strong man named Hiroaki, was reclining on the sofa with the day's newspaper opened to the sports section. "Okaeri, Yamato," he replied cheerily. "Your mother tells me you made a friend today."
Yamato raised and lowered one shoulder. He went to his room and lay down on his bed, facing the wall.
Slowly, miraculously, a tiny smile found its way to his lips. Someone liked him, and not because they were in his family. Someone… wanted to be his…
… friend.
Hiroko's pen scribbled away busily. "So… you grew up in Hikarigaoka?"
"Until my parents divorced," Ishida replied evenly. "I lived there until I was about seven."
"You said that it was there that you first met Whitehawks striker Yagami Taichi? When you were… five years old?"
Ishida nodded. "Yeah. He asked me if I came out of the television like Sadako from Ringu. And I made him a bracelet out of dead grass."
"… I'm sorry, what?"
As Natsuko raised her fist to knock upon Yamato's bedroom door, she braced herself for the same ritualistic defiance she experienced every weekday morning.
"Yamato…" Knock, knock. "It's time to get ready for scho--"
WHAM. The door flew open with such force that Natsuko stumbled back as few steps. Much to her surprise, Yamato stood there, his black randoseru backpack already fastened and slung over his shoulder. The scowl was definitely still there, but today it was… not quite as venomous.
"Yamato?" Natsuko reached out to touch his hair, as if this boy was an illusion. "Are you… feeling alright, honey?"
"Yeah," the boy mumbled, and walked right past her into the kitchen. He set his backpack down and took his seat, then began nibbling on eggs and rice after a quiet "Itadakimasu."
Natsuko watched this in awe. Who was this child, and what had he done with her son? Yamato never got ready for school by himself. Usually Natsuko had to call Hiroaki in to hold the boy down while she forced pants and a shirt on the enraged, flailing little miscreant. And even then, he would sometimes change right back into his pajamas and attempt to hide under his bed. He was just about as antisocial as a kid could get.
Slowly, Natsuko sat in the chair across from her son, and watched him drink his juice. He didn't… look any different, except maybe… wait…
"Did you comb your hair?" Natsuko asked blankly.
Yamato froze. He put his glass down and fixed her with a look that was too calm to be appropriate for a five-year-old boy. "Maybe."
"Ah…" Honestly, she didn't know how much more of this her heart could take. "And… you washed your face."
"… Maybe. So?"
Natsuko shook her head in amazement. She was about to reach for a bowl, when Yamato blurted out a sentence so fast and jumbled it was impossible to decipher.
"I'm sorry, dear. What was that?"
Yamato glared at his chopsticks resolutely, before he took a deep breath and ground out, "I asked… if Ta—I mean, that kid… y'know, the one who just moved here… I was just wondering… if he's gonna go to my kindergarten. 'Cuz he said he might, and… it's not like I really care or anything… but…"
Oh. Oh. Natsuko could not resist indulging in a small grin. "I see. Is that why you got up early?"
"No. I just--"
"And you fixed yourself up to look nice for your new friend?"
"He's not my friend. I don't have friends."
Natsuko beamed at her son. "Yamato, I'm so proud of you. And, yes, Taichi-kun is enrolled at your kindergarten."
Yamato's small body relaxed visibly at this news, and he ate a little more quickly. "Does… does he take the train?"
"No, his mother drives him, like I drive you." His shoulders slumped again, so Natsuko quickly added, "But Yagami-san mentioned carpooling when we spoke yesterday. Since she works in the morning, I offered to take Taichi-kun to school when I drive you. Would you like that?"
The boy's mouth opened, then immediately snapped shut again. He looked away. "I don't know. It doesn't matter to me."
It obviously did. Natsuko didn't quite understand what it was about Taichi that made Yamato perform this huge jump out of character, but whatever it was, she appreciated it.
"Ohayou, Yamato-kun!" Nagano-sensei greeted her quietest student as he entered. As usual, she was ignored, but this time it was because Yamato was in a hurry.
The kindergarten teacher blinked. Odd.
The pale boy darted right by her and removed his backpack and shoes with lightning speed. In his haste, he nearly put on another boy's indoor shoes, but realized his mistake before anyone could correct him.
And then he was still, scanning over the room with his sharp little eyes. He took his normal seat, and continued his strange, silent observation.
Nagano-sensei shrugged off this behavior. That Ishida kid was a weird one, after all. He had once punched another student in the nose for "looking at him funny." Most five-year-olds liked puppet shows and cartoons. Yamato? He enjoyed Beethoven.
"Everyone!" Nagano-sensei addressed her class as soon as the bell rang. A few late arrivals scrambled into their chairs, and the chatter died down. "I have an announcement! Today we have a new student joining us, so please make him feel welcome."
She went to open the door and usher young Taichi in. The fluffy-haired boy entered almost jauntily, in a new but similar soccer jersey and the same giant, goofy smile that made Yamato experience a pleasant sort of nervousness.
"I'm Yagami Taichi," he introduced with a short, clumsy bow. "This morning, I was eating breakfast, and I found a bug in my miso soup. Isn't that weird? I told Mama, but she said that it was okay if I just threw it away. But what if it had laid eggs in my soup? I don't like eggs, especially not from a yucky fly. But I ate the soup anyway, and now I might have bug eggs in my stomach!" He paused, as if remembering something. "Oh, yeah. Yoroshiku."
The class was silent. Taichi noticed his quiet friend and waved cheerily. "Hi, Yamato! Sensei, can I go sit by Yamato? Please?"
"Um…" Nagano-sensei scratched the back of her head. "Yes, that's fine."
Taichi dropped into the chair next to his friend and graced him with his smile, nudging him lightly. "Ne, ne, isn't this awesome? I toldja I would be here."
Yamato nodded. He felt so confused and out of his element. Didn't he hate people? They were loud and stupid. This boy was certainly loud and stupid, too… but he was just so warm. Yamato could feel the heat radiating from his body, and his brown eyes were bright with joy.
Subconsciously, Yamato scooted a little closer. He pulled out his construction paper and crayons as Nagano-sensei began the day's instruction. They would be drawing their favorite animal as a part of the lesson.
Yamato frowned. His favorite animal? He didn't really like animals all that much. Apparently, Taichi did, if his enthusiastic, orange scribbling was anything to go by.
"It's a dinosaur," he told his friend excitedly. "See? It's like… gaaaaaoooo! I love dinosaurs. I wish I was a dinosaur."
In all frankness, the so-called dinosaur looked more like a bowl of orange spaghetti, but Yamato was in no position to critique others' artistic skills, seeing as his own paper was blank.
"C'mon, Yamato," Taichi urged. "You hafta like one animal."
Still frowning, Yamato tapped his cobalt-blue crayon against the desk. "I dunno."
"A wolf."
Yamato glanced up in surprise. "What?"
The darker boy nodded solemnly. "I think you should draw a wolf. You kinda remind me of one, y'know. Because you're all growly and bitey, but you're also really cool. Plus," he ruffled Yamato's hair before the other boy could protest, "you have soft hair, like a wolf's fur. So you should draw a wolf. The end."
Yamato smoothed his hair back down, slightly pink in the face. Only his mom was allowed to touch his hair, and then only when he allowed it.
"'Kay," he muttered.
Within five minutes, he had drawn a wolf, and it wasn't half bad.
"Whoo," Taichi whistled. "You're a good drawer, Yamato. Can I keep it?"
"Can you keep what?" Yamato asked faintly. He had grown rather fond of the wolf on the paper.
"Your drawing. You can have mine."
Taichi thrust his own work of art at Yamato, who sneered. "Who says I want your drawing? It's not as good as mine."
In the lull that followed, Taichi lowered his hand, and the smile fell a few watts. "Oh." And then the smile was gone. "Oh, okay. That's fine. Sorry."
Unexplained terror gripped Yamato for a moment. No, no, don't stop smiling. Please don't stop smiling, Taichi.
"Here," he grunted. He switched their papers without another word, and then felt relief wash over him as Taichi's smile returned full-force. It was his smile, Yamato decided. He only wanted that smile directed at him.
So, when Taichi smiled at the little girl in the seat in front of them, and she blushed and giggled, Yamato felt no remorse in kicking her chair roughly. She yelped, but didn't turn around again after that.
For the next few hours, they sang songs and watched a video about train safety. Taichi participated in every activity, eagerly volunteering to dress up like the "stranger" when Nagano-sensei had them perform a short, audience-participation skit. Yamato watched from the back row, hunched over, arms crossed.
I don't like people, Yamato decided then and there, except Mom, and Dad… and… Taichi. Three people is enough.
But then, three weeks later, another person entered Yamato's inner circle, and he had absolutely no say in the matter.
He waited in the hospital lobby with his anxious father for too many hours, listening to classical music on his mother's CD player and staring at the carpet. Finally, a doctor came to get them after offering sincere congratulations.
Baby Takeru wasn't very pretty. He was kind of wrinkly and red, and he wouldn't stop crying. Yamato didn't understand what the big deal was. Why were all the nurses cooing and fussing over something so unattractive? Yamato was just a kid, and he could think of a thousand things that were nicer. The orchestra on TV. Apple juice. Taichi's smile. My favorite black shirt.
Natsuko was weary, but she mustered up a gentle look and gestured for Yamato to shuffle a little closer. She held out the newborn for him to examine more closely.
No, Takeru was just as ugly up close. Yamato's upper lip curled a little. Why wouldn't the baby stop crying? You're out, already, he wanted to snap. So be quiet. You're overreacting. I bet I didn't cry this much.
Then… Takeru quieted. He opened his big, watery eyes and observed his older brother. Yamato stared right back. The adults in the room began whispering as Takeru reached out with his chubby little hands, taking Yamato's index finger in a viselike grip.
The older boy raised an eyebrow.
"Takeru," Natsuko whispered, "this is your very own oniichan. His name is Yamato. He'll take care of you."
Yamato looked to his mother in shock. Him, take care of another person? But he didn't. like. people. Why didn't anyone understand that?
A nurse took Takeru away to be cleaned, and Natsuko fell into a deep sleep. Her husband sat by her side with pride evident on his face. He grinned and patted Yamato on the head, then turned back to Natsuko with a sigh. "Good job, sweetie. He's beautiful."
Again, Yamato called up a myriad of things he thought were 'beautiful,' and wailing, slobbering babies were definitely not one of them.
But Takeru was… okay. As far as ugly babies went. Maybe liking four people still wasn't pushing it, he figured.
Yamato retreated into a corner of the room. It wasn't as secure as his corner at home, but it would do. He put his earphones back on and relaxed, narrowing his eyes.
So… he was a big brother now. Soon Taichi would be a big brother too. It would probably be the first thing had in common.
Why…? He could not stop thinking about the other boy. Taichi was so obnoxious. He could yammer on forever about something as insignificant as what had been on television the previous evening (since Yamato didn't watch anime), and he was so… open. He laughed uproariously at jokes that weren't that funny, and Yamato once witnessed him burst into tears over a cat that had been hit by a car.
"It's just a cat," Yamato had muttered.
"Yeah, but he might have had a family," Taichi wept in reply. "I'll bet he had people who loved him, and now they're out looking for him. What if Miko was hit by a car? I'd be so sad."
Miko was Taichi's stupid cat. In the few times Yamato had been to Taichi's much smaller, humbler apartment, the cat would not leave him alone. It would purr and rub its soft head against Yamato's knees until he acknowledged it, usually with a short "Go away, baka neko."
The cat loved unconditionally, just like its owners. Maybe that was why Taichi loved the dumb animal so much. He fed it food from his own plate, for crying out loud.
Yamato turned the volume down on his CD player enough that he could hear his parents murmuring to each other in low voices. They looked so peaceful, cradling their new little bundle of joy.
Good, Yamato decided. Now you guys can pay attention to Takeru, and I can finally be by myself.
They arrived back home the next day, their house filled with presents from Natsuko's baby shower. Yamato practically had to wade through a sea of diapers and baby formula to reach his bedroom. Once there, he shut the door and turned around.
"Hey, Yamato!"
"KYAA!"
Yamato nearly had a heart attack. Taichi sat crisscross on his bed, rocking back and forth and looking for all the world like he belonged there. He grinned that silly grin and leaned forward.
"Yowch, you okay? Sorry. My mom's out front, talkin' to your mom. She wanted to see the new baby. Mama's a sucker for babies."
Yamato nodded, still a little dizzy. One did not usually expect to come home to a Taichi on one's bed.
"Your room's really clean," Taichi said suddenly. He was gazing around in awe. The walls in Yamato's bedroom were painted navy blue, and all of the boy's belongings were neatly organized.
"So?" Yamato grumbled. He shook his head to clear it, and then moved to sit beside his friend. He was about to open his mouth and speak again, when Taichi's mother called for him.
"Taichi…" she hollered. "C'mon- I need to get started on dinner! I'm making curry tonight!"
Taichi made a face.
"You don't like curry?" Yamato inquired.
"Nah… I like it…" Taichi rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. (Yamato was beginning to learn that it was a habit of his.) "It's just that Mama's a terrible cook."
Seeing as Natsuko could whip up a meal that would put a five-star restaurant to shame in twenty minutes, Yamato couldn't really sympathize.
"Well… ja ne, Yamato!" Taichi chirped.
"Ja," Yamato murmured.
His face felt hot again. That was really getting irritating.
"Ironically enough," Ishida mused, leaning back in his chair, "it was Taichi who had an abusive home life, not me. My parents were actually fairly stable."
Hiroko was startled. "Yagami-san… was abused?"
"Yeah… I guess you could call it that. Stupid moron would never have breathed a word of it, though, because it would 'inconvenience' others… but I always knew."
"You need HELP, Susumu!"
Yamato jolted awake at the echoing scream, eyes dilated in the pitch blackness of his room. His digital alarm clock informed him that it was half an hour after midnight, and yet there was something going on downstairs.
The quiet boy slipped out of bed and snuck past his parents' room, where both were still sound asleep with the baby nestled between them. Probably savoring the small amount of time Takeru would be sleeping peacefully…
Yamato crept to the window that gave him a view of the parking lot, and silently cracked a space between the blinds for him to peek through.
From four stories up, Yamato could still make out the figure of Yagami Yuuko, and she was struggling madly to break away from the grip of a large man in a brown coat. He was swaying where he stood, looking about ready to topple over.
He was saying something, and Yuuko let out another disgusted scream. Yamato couldn't help but notice that she was in her nightgown, her long hair tousled from sleep. She had obviously just woken up.
"Get the hell out of here!" the woman wailed, thrashing more violently than ever.
The man bellowed something about "my son" and a few other bad words that made Yamato raise an eyebrow. Who was this man, and why was he hurting Taichi's mom?
"He's barely your son anymore!" Yuuko shrieked. He cries bounced and echoed off the walls of Hikarigaoka.
The man pulled back his free hand, and Yamato clenched his teeth as Yuuko was smacked across the mouth.
And then there was a knock on the door, so quiet Yamato almost missed it. He pulled himself away from the window, shocked and very afraid.
The knocking persisted, weak and growing weaker.
"Ya… Yamato?" a very familiar voice called out.
"Taichi?" Yamato croaked. He rushed to the door and stood on tiptoe to unlock it pull it open. He stood faced with his only friend, but it was a disturbing sight.
Yagami Taichi was not smiling. His eyes were darker than usual, defeated. He was looking a little peaky, dressed in mismatched pajamas and clutching… his cat. His stupid cat.
"I'm sorry," the darker boy said immediately. "Can… can I please stay here, just for tonight? We don't have to go to kindergarten tomorrow…"
"We don't?" Yamato asked faintly.
Taichi shook his head. "It's Greenery Day."
"Oh…"
The boys were silent, and Miko let out a small 'Nyaan?" of inquiry.
Suddenly, Yamato's father slunk out of his own bedroom, rubbing at his tired eyes.
"Ya—yawn—mato, what the heck are you doing? Your mother needs her sleep, and you've got the front door… open…" He blinked, suddenly awake. "Taichi-kun?"
"I'm so sorry," Taichi stammered again, throwing a bow that almost made him lose his cat. "Dad came home, a-a-an' Mama told me to come here…"
Understanding washed over Hiroaki's chiseled features, immediately followed by horror. "Oh, God… Taichi-kun, you're welcome to stay here."
"I brought Miko," the boy mumbled. "Is that okay, Ishida-san? She doesn't shed, an' I can't sleep without her…"
"That's fine," the man said. "Just keep her away from Natsuko. She's allergic to cats."
"I will," Taichi assured him hastily, and mad a mad dash for Yamato's room.
Hiroaki looked to his oldest son, very concerned. "Yamato… is Taichi-kun's father…?" His sentence trailed off.
Yamato didn't answer; he just followed Taichi into his room, where the fluffy-haired boy was already making himself a bed on the floor with a few pillows and a quilt Yamato's grandmother had given him.
"You can sleep in the bed with me," Yamato mumbled, looking resolutely at the ground. "I don't care."
Taichi looked at the other boy in shock. "R-really?"
Soon enough, the two friends lay facing each other, the cream-colored ball of fur that was Miko curled between them. Taichi stroked the cat's back absently, and bit his lip.
"I saw your dad hit your mom," Yamato whispered. In the other room, he could hear his parents conversing in low voices, and he didn't want them to know he and Taichi were still awake.
Taichi winced.
"Why?" Yamato pushed.
"He…" Taichi closed his eyes and turned over on his back, pulling Miko up onto his stomach. "I dunno. Dad used to be real nice. He took me to soccer games all the time. But then he turned mean and shout-y, and Mama and I had to leave. Mama says that he has to get help, and it's not good for him to be with us until he's better." He furrowed his brow. "I didn't know my dad was sick, but I trust Mama, and I want my dad back soon."
Yamato nodded, even though he didn't understand.
They drifted asleep soon, lulled by the sounds of barking dogs and approaching police sirens.
I don't want Taichi to be sad, Yamato thought blearily during his last waking moments. I always want him to be happy. Even if it hurts me, I will always make Taichi happy first.
He gently touched his friend's messy hair, and Taichi shifted a little. Miko meowed again.
Because… I like Taichi more than anyone else.
Author's Notes
(-frown-) That last line probably would have sounded better in Japanese.
-Do you guys know how impossible it is to write five-year-olds realistically? I mean, Yamato is an unusually smart and intuitive child, and Taichi's just a freaking spazz, but their dialogue still strikes me as a little too advanced for kindergartners. I'm also a little concerned about the rapid pace this fic is moving at… It's necessary, though, because most of the major events in Yamato's life will occur in junior high and high school, so I'm trying to hurry along to that point. The early years are really just exposition. (Oh, and for those who don't know- in Japan it's not mandatory for kids to attend kindergarten, but if they do it's from ages three to six.)
-As for this story's title… well, I hope you would've figured out it's from the original Japanese opening. Y'know- "Mugendai na yume no ato no… nani mo nai yo naka ja…" The one about the butterfly. And… courage… and dreams and stuff. (I totally just sang that verse out loud, and I'm in the computer lab right now. It was very awkward. There's a freshman girl staring at me. Yeah, you turn back around. Go back to checking your MySpace, noob. I have Digimon fanfiction to write.)
Replies to Reviewers
Taichi-Yamato4ever: (-receives the glomp quite merrily-) Yaaaaay, you remember me! I promise I'll eventually update ITR, but like I said, it may be awhile. In response to your daughter-related wonderings… all in good time. I'll tell you now that it's not m-preg (unfortunately?), but Yuuki's entrance into the world still wasn't exactly… normal. Love ya, girlie! Keep reviewing! Don't lose faith in me now!
DIGI-GIRL 4 12 20 24!!: I'll sure as peas try! XD Thanks for the review!
KoumiLoccness: OH MY GOD, IT'S JYOURAKOUMI. (-dies-) Judging by your new name, I'm guessing you were reported and banned? Eh, probably wasn't your first time. I wish I had words of condolence for you, my strange, silly friend. If it helps, you are still an endless source of amusement to me. No matter how hilariously deranged your reviews are, they still count, and that makes me so happy. Oh, and guess what! This story is not going to be Kou/Mimi! Like… at all! Isn't that GREAT? Ahahahaha! (-wipes tear-) Whoo… I swear, this will never get old, man…
Much Love,
Tisbee