SageoWind: I thought I was missing someone! Glad to see you're back! I hope you like this chapter/wink/

DarkNekoGirl: I couldn't very well leave Mimi-san a villian! I may not like her very much, that doesn't stop her from being a Chosen Child! You guys are making it difficult for me to choose what couples end up together in the end!

CoolHanyou: You have no idea how hard it is for me to keep Daikari from happening in two seconds flat! I feel so sad for them! I don't know yet if they'll eventually end up back together or not. They're still twelve, though, and they'll be eighteen when this story ends, so there's time! You know, I really like Yamami, but I always make Jyoumi...and Sorato...well...besides when I screwed Sora over in 'Life Prophecy'...

Mystical: I actually forgot to put Jun back in this chapter...but then again...she's trying to track Tai-kun down... LOL. I can't wait until the next day of school! I really like the Kenkari couple and have been trying to put it in a story...only problem is Daikari is so achingly sad in this story that I want to make it Daikari! I'll have to let the characters decide /sigh/. Problem is, they're so damn ornery.

Rokutagrl: It's so hard to hold back the steamy bits, but there'll definitely be some more. Poor Tai-kun, the steam's going to get him in trouble.

IronReaver: Ah, Dragonball Z, such memories...like Goku obsession...so long ago... ANYWAY! Do I see a Daiyako fan? I've never done it before...so it's probably going to be the hardest couple. I don't have any experience of a couple like them and I don't know if I'll be able to pull it off. Daiyako may not happen. Hmmmm. /shrug/ We'll see, I guess. If you've got pointers, it'll be great. I'll need them if Daiyako does, indeed, happen. Kenkari, however, is a couple I've been curious about ever since the Dark Ocean thing.

Lord Pata: Your praise is so effing awesome! I'm sooooo glad you review me! I felt so bigheaded after reading your review I showed it off to my stepmom. I had to explain the story, though...and I don't think she's really impressed. She's a stereotypical Baptist from Nowhere, Mississippi... She doesn't really appreciate cute, gay-boy love... The love mess, unfortunately, is starting to unravel. It was getting funny. Though...they did cry a lot...hmmm.

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

Edit: 04/26/12 Sorry it took me so long to get to this chapter, darling, you know who. Forgive your Kitty!

Chocolate Covered

Chapter Twelve

Chocolate Covered Realization

"Can you believe it? I can't believe we didn't know!"

"A whole year! Nobody knew for a whole year!"

Iori rolled his eyes. Once again, he felt like he was in a class of children. Once again, he realized he was, in fact, in a class of children. He sighed in annoyance. They were all whispering about the news about their third grade teacher from last year coming out as gay. Haruma-sensei was a great teacher and a really good guy. Iori had figured out he was gay last year during class, but it never changed his opinion of the man himself. Some people…children, however, did not know how to separate the personal from the professional, or how to keep their manners intact. Luckily, it was the end of day and he could escape at long last.

"Hida-san, what about you?"

"Sumimasen?" Iori looked up at his fellow classmate with his books in his hands.

"About Haruma-sensei, about him being gay. Aren't you angry or surprised or anything?"

"Not really. I already knew he was homosexual. I figured it out last year." Iori shrugged and put his books into his knapsack. He looked up to see their incredulous stares. "He was a good teacher and a nice person; his sexual preferences meant nothing to me unless it interfered with teaching. All of you loved him last year, why should your opinions change? Because he didn't tell a class of nine year olds he had a boyfriend? It's nobody's business but his own," he chided them barely keeping back his anger.

"I-I'm sorry," stammered the young boy who had pulled Iori into the discussion.

Iori bowed to them and drew the single strap of his pack over his head. He adjusted the pack more comfortably on his hip and began to leave the classroom.

"Hida-san, may you come here for a second?" a soft, adult voice called out.

Iori wandered up to the teacher's desk. "Hai, Asumi-sensei?"

"I was wondering…how old you were?" the man asked curiously, his brown eyes gazing at him strangely.

"I'll be ten in January," Iori answered with a sigh. It's that question again…

"Oh, really?" Asumi-sensei asked with surprised.

"Hai."

"Why don't you ask your parents to come by tomorrow after school?" Asumi-sensei suggested after a moment's pause.

"I don't think it'll be a problem." He nodded and began to turn away. "Oh, Asumi-sensei?" He looked over his shoulder as he spoke.

"Yes?"

"My dad's dead. I live with my mother and grandfather. Sometimes it becomes awkward if my teachers don't know that ahead of time."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"No problem, Asumi-sensei." He turned back around and left the room.

Iori shrugged up the strap of his knapsack and pushed open the door to the outside. He was still seething quietly in his mind at the narrow-mindedness of children his age. Adults go on and on about how children are so guileless, but when they grow up listening to the stupid things their parents say, then the children can't be guileless. They're even more judgmental than adults sometimes, and crueler.

"Hida-san!"

Iori turned around towards the school as a young girl's voice called out his name. She ran up to him and started breathing harshly. Behind her, Iori's sharp eyes saw three more girls whispering and giggling behind their hands.

"Yes?"

"I-I wanted to apologize!"

"Pardon me?" Iori blinked as she wheezed desperately. She quickly straightened and blushed. She clenched her hands tightly and stared at his shirt.

"I wanted to apologize if you thought we were being offensive. I…I didn't mean to act so… childish. You're so much more mature than all of us and a lot of the other kids think you're scary or stuck up, but I don't!" the girl exclaimed earnestly.

"Eh…"

"I…I really like you…Hida-san."

"R-Really?"

"Hai!" Her fists came up to cover her mouth, her face blushing bright tomato-red. "I'M SORRY!" she screamed. She spun around and fled back to her friends. She disappeared into the huddle leaving Iori blinking dazedly.

"Iori-chan!"

Iori immediately felt his hackles rise at the name, and then…he calmed immediately and blushed vividly when he recognized the voice. A hand fell on his shoulder and he felt his skin burn under his shirt. He looked up slowly to meet angel blue eyes.

"K-K-K-Konnichi wa!" Iori barely managed to force out.

Takeshi-san smiled pleasantly.

"Konnichi wa. I was wondering if you were busy. I know a really good tea shop you might like."

"O-O-k-k-kay."

"Well, c'mon. Why are you just standing there?" Takashi-san teased with twinkling blue eyes. Iori gulped and moved up to his new, older friend's side and began to walk with him away from school.

.

Hikari kept her face hidden against Ken's shoulder. She couldn't bear to let anyone see her tears, her weakness. Ken might be able to feel the wetness, the evidence of her feebleness, but he couldn't see them. She didn't want him to see them again. She hated falling apart!

"What happened?"

"N-nothing." Hikari shook her head and forced a laugh. "He…he just told the truth."

"What do you mean?"

"I was up at the board…when I heard another student ask him if I was his girlfriend." A low sob caught in her throat. "For two years…for two years he said 'yeah, isn't she so perfect?' This time…this time he just…he just said no."

"I'm sorry."

"It must sound so stupid to you. Of course he was going to say…say no." Hikari pushed away and swiped at her eyes angrily.

"No! I don't think it sounds stupid at all," Ken protested quickly. He touched her shoulder and gently nudged her around to face him.

Her amber eyes were veined red and her eyelids were puffy. Tear tracks marred her smooth face and her lips were red and swollen from biting away the sobbing noise in her throat. He gently brushed thick, velvety hair away from her face where it was stuck to her skin. Her thick black lashes fluttered. Small drops fell from her lashes to her cheeks.

"I-I… I don't think you're stupid at all, Yagami-san…" Ken whispered. Hikari felt herself lean towards him and those dark, lovely eyes that gazed at her so intently.

"Thank you," Hikari whispered back. She pulled herself away from him and looked down to her dark brown loafers. "We should get back to my house. I have some homework in math and Japanese Classics."

"Hai." Ken placed a hand on her shoulder briefly, and then walked past her towards her apartment complex.

Hikari looked up towards the sky. Her fists clenched tightly by her thighs and her eyes squeezed shut. Dai-kun…I miss you…so much…

She turned on her heel and quickly caught up to her tutor.

.

"Fairy! Can you believe that? He called Tai-kun a fairy!" Mimi laughed uproariously. Jyou began to chuckle behind his hand.

"What happened next?" Jyou asked genuinely interested as he leaned forward. He took a bite of ice cream sundae.

"Well-AIYA!" Almost everyone in the tea shop jumped at her loud squeal.

"What?" Jyou dropped the spoon and spun in his seat, expecting a burglar or something. The spoon hit the glass dish, bounced off unto the table, and splattered ice cream and hot fudge everywhere. And no burglar was in sight.

"Quick, to the bathroom!" Mimi hissed. She grabbed his hand and yanked him towards the bathroom. After throwing open the door, she pushed Jyou in, right on his heels, before she spun around. She left the door just barely open and peered through the crack.

"What's going on?" Jyou shrieked. Mimi's slim, little hand covered his mouth. She turned towards him, her pursed lips covered with a single finger.

"Shhhhhh," she hissed. She quickly turned back to the door as her hand slid off of his mouth. The palm of her hand lightly brushed his lips leaving behind a slight tickling feeling. He felt a blush heat his cheeks and he completely forgot he was hiding in an unlit bathroom with a person of the opposite gender. "Look, Jyou-kun!"

Jyou shook his head at her urgent tone and peeked out into the shop over her head. "What am I looking for?"

"Them. It's Ishiida-sama's little brother and another little boy."

"Oh? I see them." Jyou blinked and squinted. "I know that boy. It's Hida-kun. Koushirou-san knows him."

"He's so kawaii!"

"Really?" Jyou's glasses slipped down his nose as his eyebrow rose.

"HAI! I wonder if they're on a date?" Mimi squealed excitedly, her face flushed.

"I wouldn't know. Why are you hiding in a public restroom spying on them?"

"Because! I don't want them to see us and get flustered. I wanna see what happens!"

"Just because Tai-san and Koushirou-san are gay, doesn't mean every other pairing of boys is."

"Shhhhh!"

Jyou sighed and pushed his glasses back up.

.

Tai leaned his head back against the wet brick. Soccer practice had been hell. A few idiots –notably, older students- refused to hear his plays. A few kicked the ball at him more than necessary and a few blocked him more than necessary. Especially that one time when three blocked him when he didn't have the ball. He had stuck it out, though, and managed to make it through with some scratches, a bruise or two, and a lot of grass stains. A few of the kids his age were loyal to a fault, however, and had helped out a bit.

He had a feeling it would take a while before everyone accepted him, though.

He turned the steaming water off and pushed open the curtain. Captains had a few privileges, one of which being a separate shower from the communal. It helped a lot more than he thought that he was a first-year captain. No crude marks about 'bending over' and 'dropping the soap'. He grabbed his towel, dried off, and rubbed down his hair vigorously. When his arms got tired, he dropped the towel and began to dress in his school uniform.

"Yagami-san!"

Tai looked around the wall towards the locker room and pulled his white shirt on. "Hai?"

"Your boyfriend going to come pick you up?"

"I sure as hell hope not! Three blockheads might think he's dribbling a soccer ball." Tai gave them a big, shit-eating grin and grabbed the rest of his stuff. "You guys better get better or I'm holding tryouts again." He left the locker room without a glance back.

"Yagami-san! You don't have a manager yet, so picking up is your duty!" shouted his loud-mouthed coach's voice.

"Oh, damn," Tai muttered. "All right, Coach! I'm on it."

His coach gave him a silent nod of approval- something Tai realized meant more than just his willingness to pick up the slack. His coach didn't mind he was gay unless it interfered with soccer. He set his book bag and duffel bag on the ground, and then laid his tie and blazer on top. He rolled up his sleeves and set out with the large net bag to chase down all the soccer balls used during practice. After thirty minutes of working, Tai finally went into the supply shed for the last time.

"Thank god!" Tai wiped his forehead and looked down at himself with a frown. "I'm going to have to take a shower again." He gave a defeated sigh and pushed the cones on their shelf more securely.

"Oi, Yagami-san."

"What now?" Tai turned a bit exasperated. He blinked and then grinned. "That's bit different from usual." He joked to the large group of second years blocking the door.

"It's time we wipe that smug grin off your face."

"I really wouldn't say I'm smug…just stupid." Tai settled back on his heels and curled his fingers into fists.

"Stupid is right. You should be lucky the coach likes you enough to let you stay captain. We can't beat you up too much."

"Exactly what I thought," Tai agreed. Without letting them think, he dashed forward and managed to punch one guy in the nose and another in the stomach. Both fell with groans…with three more left. "Oh yeah…fun times."

.

Iori stirred his hot tea silently as Takashi-san set a small plate of cake in front of him.

"Thank you! I didn't realize you would be paying." Iori blushed, tapping his spoon against the pretty, flower-patterned, china cup.

"I wanted to." Takashi-san propped his elbows up on the table and laid his chin on his interlaced fingers. He tilted his head and smiled pleasantly at the younger blushing boy. "I have the feeling you are embarrassed."

"I am! I mean… a lot of things happened to me today."

"Besides your classmate's confession?" Takashi-san teased his blue eyes twinkling.

Iori glanced up shocked. "You heard that?"

"I had been waiting a while. I forgot when elementary school closed."

"It gets out before middle school," Iori reminded him slowly.

"Which is why I was confused as to why it took you so long to leave."

"I have cleaning duty this week."

"Oh. That explains it then." He smiled fondly at Iori and took a bite of strawberry shortcake.

"Why weren't you in school?" Iori forced himself to ask after swallowing his own mouthful of strawberry shortcake.

"My school starts a bit later. I go to school on the other side of the island, in Yamamoto."

"Oh. What year are you starting?" Iori asked, hoping his voice didn't sound too eager.

"My first year of junior high! It's so weird…I'm growing up too fast." Takashi-san laughed and took a gulp of tea.

"Everybody thinks I'm growing too slow," Iori murmured. Takashi-san's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Everybody asks me the same questions…how old are you? Or, for variation, are you really nine?" Iori frowned into the almost transparent green liquid that was his tea. "They all think I'm so much older than I really am. Sometimes I wish I were older…so people stop asking…so I can be normal. I hate being a child." He tightened his grip on the hot porcelain. Two larger hands than his wrapped around his fingers and pressed lightly.

"It's all right. You aren't a child. I'm sorry to repeat what they say, but you are definitely older than nine. It's in your eyes…" Iori's olive green eyes flew upwards and met those beautiful angel eyes.

"R-Really? You…you don't think of me as a child?"

"I don't think anybody does when they meet you." The smile was so soft and those smooth hands pressed against Iori's just a bit more.

"I'm…just so jaded," Iori muttered. Those eyes were pulling the truth out of him. "I've always been so different…so much older. It's like I know everything…and nothing at all."

"It must be hard."

"It is. It's hard to be different." Are you? Are you different like me, Tenshii? Do you like boys, too? Do you like…me?

"People who keep secrets about themselves are cowards. They lock up their hearts so tight…they forget they have one. I'm glad…I'm glad you could tell us your secret, Iori-chan. It makes me think I could tell mine soon. At least…at least, I could tell you."

"Takashi-san…"

"Please, call me Takeru-kun." He smiled mischievously. "Or Takeru-chan."

Iori chuckled and closed his eyes. In the darkness…he could pretend nobody else was around him…only his tenshii's voice could be heard. He hadn't been able to forget what Takashi-san had told him at Miyako's birthday. It seemed it was always there, lurking the back of his mind and leaping at him when he least expected it.

"Takeru-kun…what…what secret…what secret makes you forget your heart?" He thought maybe he spoke it too low for Takeru to hear.

Then…his beautiful hands drew away. In panic, Iori opened his eyes, one hand reaching out to grasp Takeru's before quickly retreating. Their eyes met for instant. That instant sizzled between them until Iori's sharp gaze caught Takeru's lips beginning to move.

.

Daisuke barely heard Miyako's chatter. Hikari's flight into yet another boy's arms couldn't leave his mind. He followed Miyako through the park, the pebbles crunching under his sneakers.

"Dai-kun?"

"Don't call that!" Daisuke spat savagely. Miyako took a surprised step backward.

"S-Sorry," she automatically apologized. She blinked and then her mouth began to twitch. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM? YOU'VE BEEN IGNORING ME FOR THE PAST HOUR! THEN YOU SNAP AT ME!"

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS, YOU NOSY BUSYBODY!"

"I'M TRYING TO BE YOUR FRIEND!"

"BACK OFF!" Daisuke screamed.

"Just tell me what's wrong!" Miyako's hand grasped his sleeve and stopped his forward momentum. "I…I want to know what's hurting you, Daisuke-kun. I…I really like you. I can't help but think of you when you're not with me. And when you are…you make me so frustrated and happy!" Tears slipped down her cheeks. "Can't you trust me? Can't you love me?"

"Miyako-chan…"

"Did you know I loved a boy once? I asked him to marry me when I was eight and he was five. He told me loved an angel and could never love me. He told me he loved another boy…a boy he'd never met besides for a picture in a book. He told me he'd spend the rest of his life trying to find his tenshii…and I could never be in his heart like his angel was."

"Miyako-chan…sorr-"

"DON'T SAY YOU'RE SORRY!" she shouted at him. She stepped up to him and raised her tear-stained face. "Just let me love you and say…say nothing at all." Her toes raised her from the ground and she tilted her head to side.

Daisuke's eyes widened as soft, wet lips pressed timidly against his own. Hikari's gorgeous amber eyes burned into his mind, but he pushed them away angrily. With eyes closing, he raised his hands and grasped Miyako's shoulders firmly. He pulled her up against him and pressed back against her mouth. A small whimpering noise met his ears and Miyako's hands gripped the cotton material of his shirt. As they drew away, their eyes fluttered open. Dark brown met hazel, both filled with surprise…and identical need.

Their lips met again fiercer then before. His arms wrapped around her waist and their bodies were pressed so tightly together that they seemed to be melded together.

.

"I…I have the same kind of secret you had, Iori-chan." Serious blue eyes met his. "I've…I've been stupid…and hurt a dear friend of mine because I couldn't…because I wouldn't let her tell anyone else. I don't want to make the same mistake again."

"Takeru-kun?"

"I…I'm gay, Iori-chan and I want you. I don't care how different you are, old or young, I'll wait until you're ready. I'll be waiting for you…but I'd rather…you'd tell me now whether I need to." Those blue eyes cut into Iori deeply.

"Yes."

"What?" exhaled Takeru in surprise.

"I love you, Tenshii. I've been looking for you…forever…ever since I was a child. You're the angel I've been looking for." Iori's eyes glowed softly, determinedly.

"You…You think I'm an angel?"

"Or at least…like one…" Iori trailed away and covered his green eyes with dark lashes.

"Hey, don't get all shy, now!" Takeru leaned over the table and cupped Iori's cheek. He brought Iori's face around until their gazes met again. Takeru grinned. "I'll be your angel, I promise."

"Thank you." Iori's smile seemed to make his whole face shine.

"No problem, xiao lang."

"What does that mean?" Iori's dark brows contracted as Takeru sat back down.

"That's a secret that won't make me forget my heart," he joked.

"Is that Chinese?"

"It might be." Takeru shrugged and waved towards Iori's plate of cake with his spoon. "You should probably eat that. It'd be a shame to waste it."

"What does it mean?" Iori demanded, frowning slightly. Takeru only continued to eat his cake with an enigmatic smile.

.

"How kawaii! Did you see that?" Mimi gushed happily.

"Hai. We don't know what they said, however, so we don't know exactly what was going on," Jyou pointed out, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

"How could you be so cold?" Mimi whirled around and flung herself at him, fists raised. The door closed behind her enveloping them in darkness.

She didn't seem to notice.

"They were obviously spilling their hearts out! It's young, pure love! And you just go on and sigh and push up your stupid glasses! Where's your romantic side?" Mimi argued, pouting and fists flailing.

"My practicality holds a stronger sway."

"What?"

"I would rather know than guess," he explained.

"ARRRGGGHHH!"

Suddenly, light flooded the room and they looked towards the door blinking away spots. An amused, yet irritated-looking employee was in the doorway, her hand still on the switch.

"Would you kindly fight outside? People need to piss."

They blinked again and then flushed up to their hairlines.

"We're sorry!" They bowed and hurried away with their heads lowered.

Fortunately for the two amateur spies, their quarries were too busy to notice them.

.

Tai limped up the staircase. He wiped at the blood on his chin, wincing as he touched the cut on his lip. He dusted off his white shirt, pulled his green blazer on to cover up the bruises and sighed. At least his hair was always crazy. He pushed open the door filled with apprehension.

"Taichi, dinner is almost done! I didn't think you'd be so late!" Koushirou said as he peeked around the kitchen doorjamb.

Tai sniffed the air with appreciation. He was abruptly glad he had decided on coming here instead of home. Plus…his mom always gets so screechy. He tugged his feet out of his shoes and stepped into the waiting slippers.

"Yamato-kun is going to angry. He doesn't want you to be late for practice this close to the concert," Koushirou continued on, disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah." Tai shrugged and walked into the kitchen. Koushirou was fiddling with food on the stove and he turned to the bathroom quickly. "I'm going to go wash up. I ended up having to pick up the supplies after I'd already taken a shower, so I'm dirty again."

"Just clean up a little bit, don't take a shower now!" Koushirou called after him.

Minutes later, Tai walked in with another sigh. He had cleaned up most of everything, but the cut on his lip was suspicious enough without the black eye and the band-aid on one eyebrow. I should've picked mom's screeching. Izzy's going to be worse.

"Beef stir-fry and- What happened!" Koushirou ran to the table and dropped the plates onto the wooden surface. In moments, he had darted around the table, cupping Tai's face in his small hands. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything, really!" Black eyes narrowed.

"Who did it to you?"

Tai grinned edgily. "Nobody important."

"The soccer players on your team did this to you," Koushioru deduced within one breath and the next. His pale face flushed red with anger, the points of his ears burning.

"Izzy…"

"I can't believe this! You said nothing like that would happen if you were allowed to remained captain!" Koushirou reminded him, seething.

"Nah, I just said they wouldn't beat me senseless if I stayed the captain," Tai demurred, grinning.

"How dare you joke about this!"

"Whoa, Izzy!" Tai stepped back, hands high, eyes wide, grin gone.

"Those Neanderthals! Those narrow-minded imbeciles. How dare they do this to you!" Koushirou was literally shaking with rage. His hands were clenching and unclenching, knuckles bloodless as he squeezed.

"Izzy, they'll get over it, I promise," Tai tried to soothe, placing his hands on Koushirou's shoulders to hold him steady, half-fearing his little redhead would start exploding things.

"In the meantime you'll just let them beat you into a bloody pulp?" Koushirou hissed at him.

"Oi! I ain't that bad! I managed to knock two out before the other three could even blink. I think I came out pretty good."

"There were five of them?"

"Well, three, really, I took out two, remember?" Tai chuckled weakly.

Koushirou sunk into a chair and dropped his head into his hands. Tai blinked, surprised at the sudden mood swing. His surprise evaporated when he noticed Koushirou's shoulders shake.

"Izzy, please don't cry!" Tai begged, dropping to his knees. Koushirou shook his head.

"She was right, wasn't she? I'm only going to make your life worse," his quiet voice brokenly murmured.

"Sora-chan was wrong, Izzy." Izzy glanced up at the tone in which Tai spoke. Brown eyes were utterly serious and boring into Koushirou's. "You make me the happiest I've ever been. Just being near you, or even thinking about you, makes me feel better about myself. Knowing how long you've loved me and how long you've wanted to come back for me, knowing how much you'd sacrifice to make me happy, that makes me the happiest, luckiest sixteen-year-old who's ever lived. I don't care if I get beat up for being a fairy and I don't care if I get kicked off the team, even. I love you, Izzy. I have since I was thirteen…I might have even loved you when I was five, I don't know, but I definitely love you now. Don't leave me again. I don't ever want to feel like that again."

"Feel like what?"

"Lonely and… and abandoned, like I did something wrong." Tai grasped Izzy's chin and pulled him forward. His lips hovered over Izzy's, their eyes both just barely open. "Aishiteru."

"Aishiteru…" Koushirou whispered.

Their lips finally met and Koushirou took handfuls of Tai's blazer to pull him closer. Tai's large hand moved to cup the back of Koushirou's head and his other arm snaked around his waist. Koushirou was soon half-off the chair and half-on Tai's thigh with his arms wrapped around Tai's neck. Tai rose, lifting Koushirou up with him. Tai shrugged out of his blazer, not caring where it fell, and then pulled Koushirou back into his arms. Koushirou's toes lifted off the floor, but the boy even seem to notice. Somewhere in the back of Tai's mind bed was being shouted.

The front door crashed open with a loud screech. The 'loud screech' was really Mimi yelling at Jyou, but it was cut off abruptly as chestnut-brown eyes fell on the two heavily making-out gay boys.

"AAAAAIIIIIYYYEEEEE! GAY BOYS ARE FORNICATING IN THE HALLWAY! KAWAAAAIIIII!"

The two flew apart and fell against opposite walls clutching their chests and gasping.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Tai roared as soon as he caught his breath.

"Sorry, we didn't realize-" Jyou began to placate, blushing brightly.

"I'm so bringing a camera next time," Mimi-san gushed.

"Ano…aren't you…um…upset?" Koushirou timidly put forth.

"Oh, I so got over it-"

"And became obsessed with yaoi instead," Tai muttered darkly, glaring at her.

"OI! Boy love is soooo cute! If I hadn't been on the receiving of being dumped, I so would've pushed these two together. Aren't they just kawaii?" Her eyes sparkled.

"Ah…."

"Er…."

"Mimi-san…" Jyou-sempai took her shoulders and pushed her towards the kitchen. "Dinner is ready, why don't we have some."

"I am hungry…"

The two 'kawaii gay boys' glanced at each other and began to chuckle behind their hands, blushing slightly. They followed the pinkette and bluette into the kitchen.

What…what was that? I…I've never had that reaction before. It went straight to my gut. There's…there's something inside my head I can't reach. I…I want to know what it is. Tai glanced at his petite boyfriend and felt that stirring in his belly. I think…I think…I want to have sex with him… Tai blushed heavily and quickly began to shovel food into his mouth. What am I thinking! He's only fourteen! And I'm sixteen! We're both too young for that.

Is that all I've been feeling this whole time?

Tai set his plate down and stared down at it.

I've always said only Izzy's been able to affect me, maybe it's because I want to do him. No, that doesn't make sense…he did the same thing to me when I was five years old and we kissed. I couldn't have been wanting to have sex with him when I was five. He nodded at his silent rice and began to shovel in food with more vigor. He slammed it back down. That doesn't change the fact I want to do him now. Gawd…what am I going to do?

He didn't notice everyone's eyes on him. He scratched his head with both hands in aggravation and then grabbed his plate.

"I'm just going to eat," he announced out loud, though he seemed to have directed it inward.

"I'm glad you decided that. I did make it for the intention of you doing so." Koushirou raised an eyebrow. Tai promptly blushed brighter, looked away, gulped down his food in a disgustingly record time, and jumped up.

"BAND PRACTICE!"

Everyone stared at him with chopsticks halfway to their mouths and wide eyes. He was running out the door, red from his neck to his hairline, before they could even say good-bye.

"What's wrong with him?" Koushirou muttered as the door slammed.

"What were you doing when we walked in?" Mimi-san questioned with a gleam in her eye.

"…" Koushirou blushed as red as his hair. "Kissing…"

"And where was he taking you?"

"Ano…the bedroom, I guess," Koushirou said pensively. "It must have been the room. There is more privacy there," he stated, eyeing Mimi pointedly. Which she ignored easily.

"INCORRECT! He's a sixteen year old boy. What do all sixteen year old boys do when they make out?" Mimi asked in her very-best-teacherish voice.

"Ah…I do not know…" Koushirou glanced at Jyou at a complete loss… but he was looking away and blushing.

Mimi smirked and adjusted glass that weren't there. "They get horny, Kou-dear."

"EH?"

"Yup. Poor little Tai-kun just got really horny for the first time and got confused. Mr. I'm-so-in-tune-with-all-my-emotions-I'm-almost-a-girl Yagami, Taichi has never got it up for anybody. I mean, wet-dreams when you go through puberty are one thing, but when you start dating for real and get intimate, it's completely different. Sora-chan complained a bunch of times about Tai-kun total lack of interest. They barely ever kissed. You just confused the crap out of him, Koushirou-san. Good job!"

"EH?" Koushiriou repeated, still dumbstruck.

"She's right, Koushirou-san. Sixteen is when a guy's libido starts working overdrive. It was only a matter of time, I'm afraid," Jyou agreed, sighing.

"But I'm only fourteen!" Koushirou protested.

"Tai-kun isn't, Koushirou-san." Mimi-san was suddenly very serious. "I've dated a few high school guys, and sex is almost constantly on their minds. A lot of them are 'give them an inch, they take a mile' guys. You got to make sure you and Tai-kun have boundaries before it gets too serious."

"So…I shouldn't kiss him anymore?" There a definite sadness in Koushirou's voice as he spoke.

"NO!" Mimi-san laughed. "You don't have to go that far! Just…make out and stuff, but when he starts moving faster than you, make sure he hears 'no'. All the blood just kinda rushes to their head. You don't want to knee him in the groin to make him pay attention, do you?"

"Iie!" Koushirou cried out, horrified, as Jyou winced and crossed his legs.

"Good, then make sure you don't just lay back and whimper. You have to make sure he realizes you mean 'no', or else he'll do something that will hurt him more than it hurts you. Tai-kun loves you enough, I'm sure, that hurting you will kill him. But he won't know he's hurting you until it's too late if you don't pluck up and say something," Mimi-san warned.

"You're absolutely right. Thank you." He smiled at her. "I am glad you noticed. I would have been very confused and probably afraid if you hadn't warned me. I hypothesize that such emotions in that situation would have led to an unhealthy overreaction."

"Why would you be afraid of Tai-san?" Jyou-sempai asked incredulously.

"I wouldn't be afraid of him…just afraid of disappointing him or hurting his feelings." Koushirou smiled sadly. "He's gone through so much to be with me, the least I can do is be the best boyfriend I can be and make the struggle worth it."

"How sweet," Mimi-san murmured.

.

Miyako hung up her phone with a little sigh. A huge weight fell off her heart as she turned her eyes towards her brand-spanking-new boyfriend. He kissed me back! She thought joyfully.

"Who called?" Daisuke asked looking up from his math workbook. She had been helping him with it just minutes before. She wasn't very patient or very good at explaining in lay-man's terms, but she knew what she was talking about and could draw it out slowly for him until he understood.

"Iori-chan. Apparently he found his angel at long last." Her smile was bitter for second and then brightened. "I'm really glad! A little bit of me is angry and rejected, but I'll get over it." She smiled at him widely. Because of you.

"Iori-chan…that name sounds familiar."

"Well, I did mention him to you as my best friend since we were babies," Miyako teased. Daisuke stuck his tongue out at her.

"So, he's got a boyfriend. That makes three gay guys I know. Do I know his boyfriend?"

"You might…he goes to my school, though, and plays basketball, not soccer. His name is Takashi, Takeru. He's Ishiida, Yamato's brother, Ishiida-sama from Teenage Wolves," she added on, just to make sure he got it, her hazel eyes bright with fangirlism.

Daisuke dropped his workbook and his eyes grew wide. Miyako began to fuzz out like a bad picture, as well as her bedroom.

"He's gay?" Daisuke asked hoarsely, his voice sounding as if it were coming from a tunnel.

"Um, yeah…he's dating Iori-chan as of today," Miyako replied, puzzlement growing.

Then, everything odd, everything weird, that Hikari-chan refused to answer clicked into place.

He was never competition! He's gay! She couldn't tell me because he trusted his secret to her until he could tell others. She…she never cheated on me.

Did she ever stop loving me either?

"Daisuke-kun?"

Daisuke felt his cheeks and was amazed when his fingers came away wet. "What have I done?" he whispered.

"Daisuke-kun?" Miyako's voice was slightly panicky. "What are you talking about?"

He merely hid his face in his hands and tried not to cry again. It was all his own damn fault.