Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
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A/N: This will be the last chapter. I thank all of you that have stuck with this story and been patient with my sporadic updates. I started this fic for TaiYama week 2016 and I'm completing it for TaiYama week 2017. Oh, if only the contents of this fic were as brilliant as the timing… Kidding, the timing means that it took me over a year. Anyway, will probably eventually someday go back and edit this fic, but this is it for now!
NOTE: Check that you've read the previous chapter! FFN gave me an error when I uploaded it, so everyone might not have gotten a notification about it.
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The week that Yamato and I stayed at my old home was nothing short of bittersweet. Mimi was trying her best to keep a cheerful attitude. Sora was playing along, hiding how she really felt. Koushiro was coming up with increasingly obscure plans that would enable us to stay. Jyou had taken Yamato under his wing, and was teaching him all kinds of first-aid skills, in case we'd need them on our travels.
The others didn't really know what to do with themselves.
After what felt like forever—but was really just a blink of an eye—it was time for us to leave.
We knew that the first few weeks of our escape, we would have to lay low and avoid people as much as possible. We packed enough food to last us those weeks, as well as bedrolls, clothes, fishing equipment, and other necessities. Yamato was carrying the first-aid kit, which he and Jyou had assembled.
Koushiro gave me a small telescope.
Sora gave Yamato her father's old harmonica (Yamato had proven himself quite musical the past week; something he had learned from the other entertainers at the Count's castle, apparently).
Mimi had spent the entire week baking goods, which Meiko had gone to sell at the market. They gave all the money they made to us.
Until we got far away enough, we couldn't work any jobs. We might be able to live off the land for a while, but eventually we would need money. Yamato and I had decided that we couldn't do what his father did and work as a travelling merchant; their names tended to spread—it was good publicity. No, we would just have to work odd jobs here and there. Do what we could, when we could.
The actual moment we left, long after the sun had set and long before it was coming back up again, was a blur of tears and faked smiles.
I didn't know what to say to Yamato. I didn't even know what to think about the whole situation; it had all been so confusing and everything had seemed to happen so fast. I didn't know what to feel. Part of me was happy that I would get to spend so much time alone with Yamato, but part of me wanted to stay at home within the comfort of all I'd ever known.
Everything seemed unnaturally quiet as we walked through town.
Koushiro had mapped out the layout of the town. There were only a few gates that worked as exits, but those were out of the question, as they would most likely be guarded. Koushiro had chosen our exist point as one of the water inlets. These were located on the far side of town, where all the fields were.
Not a word had been said as we crossed town. We reached the first of the fields. Potatoes. The inlet was at the back of the third field. They grew beans there.
"Are you scared?" Yamato asked me, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.
I wanted to lie, but: "Yes."
"Me too." He reached out and grabbed my hand with his. "Hold on to me so that we can run away."
The rest of our escape was a bit of a blur for me; we made it to the correct field and through the gap in the wall. Once past the wall, we broke into a run, and ran, and ran, and ran. We ran until our lungs were ready to burst. Even when we slowed to a walk, our pace was so fast it took us ages to regain our breath. I had developed a stitch in my side. I didn't know how Yamato was faring.
Yamato had not released my hand since we left, and it did not it seem he would be letting go any time soon. I wasn't really complaining, but our pace was quite fast. Don't get me wrong; I wanted as far from the Count as possible, but Yamato seemed to want even further. I fully understood, but we hadn't even eaten yet.
The sun had climbed quite high into the sky by the time one of Yamato's legs gave out. I caught him before he hit the ground.
"Maybe we should stop for a bit…"
I didn't think he would take me up on that offer, but—to my surprise—he nodded.
We had come up to a river a short while ago, and had been following it. We settled down under a large tree close to said river.
"Do you think there are fish in that river?"
"Huh?" I asked, looking up from digging into my bag. "Fish? We brought food."
Yamato looked from the glistening river to me. "Yeah, but it will keep for a long time. We should save it for a time when we won't be able to get anything else."
"True." I agreed, starting to dig in another pocket, this time for the fishing hook and line we had packed. Yamato already had his out and was heading for the river.
Our catch was quite measly, but it would still save us a tin of food.
I kept a close eye on Yamato as we ate. He kept looking around discreetly, and starting at the smallest sounds. He fully jolted when I reached over to touch his hand.
"Yamato." Our eyes met; his slightly panicked, mine calming. "It'll be fine. We'll start moving again in a minute. We've already made good progress."
He nodded. There was no accompanying smile.
Moments later, we were back on our feet and moving along the river. I continued to keep an eye on Yamato, to make sure his legs were fine. I was surprised at how far he had managed to come; he probably hadn't had much of a chance to exercise at the castle. Not that he wasn't fit, but endurance-wise there probably hadn't been much on offer. Though, we were running—walking—for our lives, so I guess the fear or adrenaline was playing a big part in our physical achievements.
-o-
"Yamato, we really should stop for the night."
"Just a bit longer."
"Yamato…"
Pleading blue eyes turned to me. "Please, Taichi, just a bit further; we need a more secluded place to stop."
I sighed, complying with his wishes.
A few minutes later, we came to a dense patch of forest, with low, thick bushes, and toweringly tall trees. We settled down here, under a thorny bush. I would probably wake up with millions of scratches…
The river had narrowed to a smaller stream a few hours ago, but we still made an effort to fish in it. It was a wasted effort, though, so we just settled for eating canned foods in relative darkness. Yamato had forbidden me from making a fire.
We started eating in silence, Yamato again jumping at the smallest sound. I was nervous about being caught, too, but this was getting ridiculous.
At Yamato's next twitch, I snapped. "Would you just sit still?!"
His eyes snapped to me, glistening in the near-darkness.
"Sorry." He mumbled, returning to his cold food.
We finished our dinner in uncomfortable silence. This time I was fidgeting.
We pulled out our bedrolls before it got too dark to see what we were doing. I crawled onto mine, hearing Yamato do the same about a metre from me.
"I'm sorry, Taichi."
Though I couldn't see much, I looked at him, surprised that he had been the first to speak. It had gotten even darker and, due to the dense forest we were in, what little light the quarter moon provided couldn't reach us.
"I know I'm annoying with my constant worrying and fear, but I can't help it. I've escaped so many times and been caught just as I got my hopes up. It's a horrible feeling, but this time it's worse: you'll be killed if we get caught."
My eyes couldn't find his in the darkness, but I tried searching for them anyway.
"I really couldn't live with myself if he killed you. I can't imagine how I'd feel or what I'd do if that happened."
"Yamato." I inched closer to him, reaching out, needing to touch any part of him that I could find. I found his hand reaching for mine.
"I'm sorry, but please understand."
I nodded, though he couldn't see me.
"I just can't lose you. You're the only good thing that's happened to me, ever, and I don't want to be the cause of your death. I'm already tearing you away from your friends, and feel bad enough about that. I can live with it, though, since we have each other, but if I lose you I'll have nothing. Now I also know that I can have a better life than just being a concubine, and I don't want to go back to that. I'm just so scared of being caught."
I let him talk his feelings out, not even knowing what I should say to him. I understood where his nervousness was coming from. I had known even before he said it, but it didn't actually occur to me. I had treated our escape as something that would work out without a hitch. In my mind, the danger was there, but it was like it couldn't affect us. It was slowly dawning on me that I was wrong.
There was nothing I could say or do other than squeeze his hand.
In the silence, I fell into a fitful sleep. The danger was pressing in, seemingly closer than before. I thought I kept hearing footsteps, though I don't know whether dreaming or awake. The smallest of sounds could mean 'game over' for us. It would mean both our deaths; my physical body's, his mind's. I didn't want the rest of his existence to consist of him being am empty shell. A sex doll.
I awoke at the crack of dawn, seeing Yamato's eyes fluttering open. He looked as tired as I felt, but we didn't have time to dwell on that. We packed our bedrolls, deciding to skip breakfast for the time being.
Again we were off.
-o-
By the time evening rolled around, Yamato and I had both calmed down considerably. We had passed a few towns already, meaning we were very far away from our old home. We hadn't run into anyone, so if the Count's guards were looking for us out this way, they wouldn't have any leads.
We had stopped briefly for brunch at a lake we had run into, and caught enough fish to last us until breakfast tomorrow. We had cooked them, to avoid having to make a fire.
I was feeling quite confident that we hadn't left any traces of our presence behind.
As we were settling onto our bedrolls, I threw a smile Yamato's way. He smiled back, looking away quickly, probably to hide the larger smile he was spouting, which I noticed anyway.
It was probably only an hour later that we both started at steady footsteps. This time I know that I hadn't dreamt it. I looked at Yamato through the darkness. It was cloudier than last night, but the clouds reflected more light, which made it easier to see. And I saw fear.
We both sat up, ears perked, listening for the footsteps that were getting closer.
Our chosen sleeping spot was more in the open than it had been last night. The forest wasn't as dense out this way. If someone wandered close enough, they could easily see us.
The heavy steps told me it was a man. Just one though. Had the guards split up? Would one be enough to catch us both?
The steps were getting closer. Closer still.
Yamato and I were holding our breath, willing the guard to walk past us.
A loud noise from the man made us jump, and Yamato had to physically cover his mouth with both hands, to stop himself from yelping. It had only been a sneeze.
The steps were moving away from us. Further still.
Only when we could no longer hear the footsteps did we let out our breaths. We looked at each other, panting from holding our breath and the fear-induced adrenaline.
We stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. Then Yamato moved his bedroll right next to mine. We wrapped our arms around each other the best we could, falling into a restful sleep.
-o-
We continued to avoid towns and people for a week. Eventually, though, we ran into other travellers. Most didn't ask questions. They didn't want to know our story; we didn't want to know theirs. We would just chat about mundane things with them, like the weather or where the best fishing spots were. It was nice to be interacting with other people again. Yamato was quite quiet for most of the time, but I could tell that even he enjoyed the friendly atmosphere.
From a lone traveller, we heard of a farm a few miles up the road that needed stablehands for a week or two. Thus, Yamato and I spent two weeks caring for five horses. The pay wasn't great, but the owner of the farm let us stay at his house and fed us, so it evened out in the end.
After that, we continued on our way, finally confident that the Count could no longer find us. We avoided giving anyone our names, or made up fake ones, whilst flitting from town to town.
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The sound of Yamato's harmonica flitted around, as I lay on my bedroll. Yamato was sitting a bit further off, leaning against a tree trunk. We had chosen the edge of a field to settle down for the night. Yamato had long ago abandoned his need for sleeping under the protective cover of trees, bushes, or caves. He now seemed to choose open spaces, probably enjoying his newfound freedom.
The music stopped.
"Taichi?" Yamato asked me, staring up at the night sky.
"Yeah?" I asked, looking over at him from my lying position.
"How do you think everyone's doing?"
I paused to think about that for a moment. How were Sora and the others?
We had been on the run for about half a year now, though it was feeling more like an adventure than an escape. It was exciting to travel the world with Yamato at my side. We still had a ways to go before we'd even seen half of the world, but we were in no hurry; the Count was not old, so it would take a few decades yet for him to die of old age or some other ailment.
"I'm sure they're fine. The Count probably didn't bother them too much, after searching the house. We all lived in that town before we met you, and had no problems, so I'm sure they've gone back to how things were." I chuckled. "They probably have it easier now, since I'm not there to make a mess or cause trouble."
He chuckled, too, knowing through my stories what a troublemaker I'd been at home. I probably had too much energy to sit still. Moving around, as we currently were doing, seemed to suit me more than being cooped up in one place, even if I loved that place dearly.
Yamato stashed his harmonica into one of the pockets of his bag and joined me on the bedroll. He snuggled into my side, and I buried my face into his hair.
We had taken to sleeping together, one bedroll under us, the other could be used as a duvet, if needed. Yamato had been the one to suggest it two months into our travels. He said we would feel safer and be warmer. Of course, it also facilitated intercourse, but I had chosen not to comment on that at the time.
True to my word, I had waited for Yamato to be ready and actually want sex. When he asked me if we could do it, I hadn't agreed at first. When he pushed me down and attacked me, though, I relented. Not that I had initially wanted to refuse him, anyway.
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We've been 'on the run' for four years now. As planned, we had done odd jobs here and there, sometimes selling the meat we caught on the way from one town to the next. Sometimes Yamato performed on the streets with his harmonica, and that earned us some extra coins.
It was during one of Yamato's performances that I heard news of the Count's death.
Whist Yamato was playing, I usually wandered around town, buying things we needed. I stopped at a spice stall, inspecting the spices on offer. That's when I heard two men behind me say my old hometown's name. I tuned into their conversation:
"Apparently, it was that travelling merchant, Hiroaki."
"But why would he do something like that? He's always been so nice, and, at the very least, he should know rumours like that are bad for business."
"Yeah, but it's also really bad for business to be double-crossed. That Count has cheated him before, and seems this time was the last straw."
The other man scoffed, starting to move away. "If that rich bastard was so cheap as to cheat someone with prices like Hiroaki's, then he deserves what he got."
"Yeah, I've heard other bad things about him, too. Like, there was this architect…"
I turned and ran towards the sound of Yamato's harmonica, intent on delivering Yamato the news as soon as possible. Though, once I got to the spot, I paused. How did I know it was the absolute truth? I looked around the small crowd that had gathered to listen to Yamato.
"Excuse me," I asked, turning to a middle-aged woman on my right. "Have you happened to hear rumours about a Count being killed?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yamato throw a curious glance my way. He didn't pause in his playing, but kept his eye on me as I listened to the woman gossip.
I thanked the woman as Yamato finished his piece, and clapped with the others. Yamato thanked the crowd, gathering the last of their offerings.
He walked over to me and I grabbed his arm, pulling him into a narrow alleyway. We stood there, facing each other. I got a weird sense of déjà vu, remembering our second encounter in the alley.
"Well?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"He's dead." I blurted out.
Yamato blinked at me, clearly not sure whom I meant—not that I blamed him.
"The Count." I clarified, and his eyes widened, mouth agape. I hesitated for a fraction of a second, before adding: "We can go back, now."
His shocked appearance fell back and he eyed me carefully, before his face split into a wide grin.
"Why, though? We're young and we have the rest of the world to see!" His eyes were alight with joy. "We'll send them a letter. Tell them that we're fine, but continuing our travelling. I want to see more and spend more time with you. I want to keep travelling. I mean, we can go back, too, if you want to…"
I was overjoyed. Truthfully, I hadn't wanted to go back just yet. I loved travelling the world with Yamato at my side, and I didn't want it to end just yet.
My grin was the only reply he needed. He reached out, our hands meeting each others in the middle. I was really looking forward to the beginning of our new journey together.
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