Evenings

Chapter Two: Graduation

A/N: So, after my wife and I developed our headcanon further, most of the original draft was highly inaccurate, so I rewrote it. Enjoy.

Yamato was still holding his diploma in his hand, in a bit of a shock. If anyone had told him that four years ago he would be here he would've given them a simple, "Fuck off." and found the closest thing to make him feel better. Now, it felt like old times as he was surrounded by his friends- even Mimi had flown in from America.

"Congratulations, Yamato," Taichi said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Yamato couldn't help but blush a little as he looked at Taichi and Koushiro- the two had grown into quite the couple. "T-Thank you," the blonde replied.

"Niisan," Takeru greeted, rushing up to his brother. With a hug he gave his congrats and then turned back to Hikari, who he had dragged over. She gave a polite bow, looking between them.

"Ahh! Yamato! I'm so PROUD of you! ...especially since I wasn't able to finish." One would think his mother was crying such things, but it was Mimi, shoving her way through the throng of other graduates. She elbowed someone in the side as she rushed forward and then stopped just short of Yamato, jumping in place. "I KNEW you could do it!"

"U-Um, thanks," Yamato replied, trying not to blush worse. "It's no big deal, guys."

"For you it is," Taichi snorted.

Yamato glared playfully and then scoured the room. The younger kids hadn't made it and he still wasn't sure if Sora would show- they hadn't talked since Middle School. That only left Jyou. The blonde frowned at his absence. He's probably busy with all those premed courses...

"Yamato."

The blonde turned behind him. There was Sora, smiling weakly. She held out a gift, almost like a peace offering. He hadn't seen her up close since that night and was relieved she looked well- much better than he had.

"I... I can't accept this," he started, but Sora shoved it in his hands angrily.

"Please, I know we both said and did some bad things, but that's in the past, isn't it?"

"...yeah," Yamato replied, a bit bewildered by the box in his hands. "S-Sora... I never got to explain or say I was sorry-"

"Don't worry about it," she said, waving him off.

Yamato noticed her clothes which were quite expensive. They weren't very revealing, but her mother had long-since cracked down on giving her daughter any form of expression. She was wearing light make up and a headband, too. Yamato was speechless. He had outright attacked her a year to the day after they had been dating and she was just here out of the blue, forgiving him. Noise escaped his throat and she giggled at him, then took his hand and they turned back to the group.

"I guess Mr. Ishida didn't make it?" she asked, leaning into Yamato's arm.

The blonde tried to shrug her off, but she must have took his action as a simple adjustment of her weight and stayed put. What are you doing, hanging on me like we're still dating, Sora?

"I saw him," Yamato said simply. In the crowd when I was shifting my tassle. Takeru made a somewhat surprised noise and Yamato nodded. Yes, that means I saw her, too. I shouldn't have expected anything less, though.

"So... you two are still together?" Sora questioned, motioning her hand awkwardly towards Taichi and Koushiro.

"Unfortunetly," Takeru sighed as the boys glared at him. "I really wish you would reconsider your choices."

"What right do you have to judge them, Takeru?" Yamato snapped.

"I'm just expressing my opinion, Niisan," Takeru added, his hand still closely interlinked with Hikari's. She was nodding meekly at her brother who was puffing his cheeks. Koushiro looked to Yamato, as if thanking him.

"You know what?" Mimi asked, clasping her hands together, "We should all go get some punch as Yamato regales us with his plans for the future."

"Plans?" Sora questioned as the group started heading for the buffet table.

"Ah, space," Yamato replied.

"We need to look into colonizing other planets," Koushiro agreed. "I think you'll be a valuable asset to humanity's future, Yamato."

The blonde chuckled, unsure if his future profession would be THAT marvelous.

"Sounds boring," Taichi snorted. "Being out in all that darkness with a few co-workers for God knows how long."

"Indeed," Takeru replied, although Taichi was unaware that Takeru was only agreeing about the 'God' part of his statement.

"I'll be repairing satellites and shit," Yamato argued. "Besides, I'm not there yet. Worse comes to worse, I guess I can repair planes."

"...what happened to persuing music?" Sora had to ask.

Yamato groaned a little and finally shrugged her from his shoulder as he reached for a plastic cup for the punch. "I don't want all that attention." He wasn't going to mention that she had pretty much ruined that for him and that was why his band had broken up. Or at least, that was what he told himself.

"...astronauts are famous, aren't they?"

"Actually, it seems there is a diminishing popularity for space related pasttimes," Koushiro noted, "I must reiterate my earlier point. Yamato will be an asset."

"What makes me so great?" Yamato snorted.

About then the group started waving and Yamato glanced through his bangs as his father approached. He had managed a tux, at least, but he still looked ragged. He gave a grand smile, though, that lit up the room. "You're my son, that's what," Hiroaki said, putting his hands in his pockets.

Sora made another glass of punch and offered it to him. She had picked up the habit from her mother in her day-to-day training of future housewifedom. He thanked her and eyed her a moment, "Takenouchi, right?"

"Er, Dad," Yamato whisper-hissed. "I'm glad you made it."

"I may be a lousy father at a lot of things but I'm not missing this after you worked so hard. Thank you, Izumi, for helping my son. Where is that other young man that helped you, Yamato?"

"He's busy," Yamato said with a bit of disdain. For the person I shared my first real sexual experience with and who helped me get to this graduation ceremony in the first place, you think he would be here, Yamato thought.

"Ah, it can't be helped," Hiroaki replied. "So, how have the rest of you been?"

The group all gave their variation of 'fine'. "We'll let you two catch up," Taichi replied with a grin. He took Koushiro and Hikari with him. Sora eventually noticed her fifth wheel status and headed after the others.

This left Takeru to ask without causing a scene, "Have any of you seen Mom?"

"Not since the stage," Yamato muttered through punch.

"I talked to her on the way in... she said she's very proud of you, Yamato," Hiroaki lectured. Yamato continued narrowing his eyes at an empty spot on the wall.

"I'll go get her so you can tell her yourself," Takeru said somewhat angrily.

"Don't," Yamato warned, stopping his brother's advancement.

"...why not?"

"Because."

Takeru cracked his neck in frustration, "Because, because, because... that's all I ever hear out of you is because!"

"If I felt you should know I would tell you!" Yamato barked, setting down the gift Sora had given him on the table. They got a few quick glances from some surrounding classmates- luckily, most he hadn't known, ever.

"Yamato. This is your High School graduation... Takeru isn't a child anymore. If you don't tell him, I will."

"You said you respected my decision," Yamato hissed.

"Yes, when you were a child, but you're both nearly adults now. Takeru has a right to know what's bothering his older brother, don't you think?"

Takeru tapped his foot and crossed his arms, "Come on, Yamato. I can't fathom why you would disrespect Mom, but you're not going to disrespect our father, are you?"

Yamato growled, "I didn't want to do this here."

"Then go to the balcony. I'll be just inside," Hiroaki replied.

Takeru started outside and Yamato looked back worriedly as he followed. The two found a quiet, lonely space outside to talk. They stood in silence for a few minutes. Yamato turned to make sure his father wasn't watching them and removed a crumpled cigarette from his pocket and lit it with a lighter from his other pocket. Takeru said nothing, just waving the smoke away.

"...how do I even tell you?" Yamato mused to himself.

Jyou was a punctual person and so being late was an annoyance in itself. Being late for his true love's high school graduation was the end of the world as he rushed into the convention center and looked around. He couldn't find the boy, but he did see Sora, mulling over a small black box at the buffet table.

They weren't the best of friends, but they had their share of experiences together in the Digital World and he figured she would know where Yamato was. "Sora."

She looked up at him and tried to hide her embarassment and took the box from the table, hiding it behind her back, "Jyou-kun..."

"I'm a little late, ha ha..." Jyou said, "Have you... seen Yamato?"

"Uh-Um, no, I haven't. I was actually hoping to give him this gift. I think I saw his father around, maybe..."

"Hmm... alright. Well, good seeing you, Sora," Jyou replied, then headed off. Sora started squeezing the box in her hands, crushing the object inside. She held back tears and rushed off towards the bathroom in a huff, shoving past Mimi who went calling after her.

Jyou wandered still until he found Hiroaki by the balcony doors, talking with his ex-wife. He approached slowly, not wanting to impede on their conversation.

"I think Takeru should know, too," Natsuko sighed. Jyou noted her unusually tired appearance. Maybe she had put in too many hours at work, too. The parents nearly shared mirrored expressions.

"I'm sorry," Hiroaki said. "I wish Yamato..."

"Don't worry about it. I've thought a long time about this and there's no changing what's been done," Natsuko whispered. "I'll continue to pray for Yamato's forgiveness..."

Hiroaki noted the cross about her neck when he heard a light cough from his side. He turned to see Jyou Kido.

"Excuse me," the blue-haired boy replied. "I was looking for Yamato...?"

Natsuko smiled weakly at the young man. Jyou hadn't spend much time near the woman, but knowing what she had done and Yamato's feelings about her did anger a part of him, too. He hid this under an equally as weak smile and a nod. "He's outside," she whispered.

"Give them a minute," Hiroaki said, stopping his son's friend before he could head out.

"W-What?" Takeru breathed, clutching the rosary in his pocket. His eyes darted along the concrete railing as he tried to replay what his brother had told him. "No."

"...I should have told you sooner, but I didn't want to make you unhappy."

"...you're... you're lying," Takeru said, looking up at his older sibling. He cracked a smile and chuckled. "How far can you go, Yamato, really?"

"...sorry?" Yamato spat, tossing away his half-burned cigarette.

"Making up lies just because you're bitter with Mom about the divorce, really?" Takeru asked, bundling his fists. Yamato eyed them and shook his head in disbelief.

"What are you talking about?"

"...Mom could never do anything like that. I knew you were always mad at her for not staying with Dad, but this is insane. Absolutely insane!"

"What?!" Yamato barked. "Why would I make that up, Takeru?!"

"I just said it didn't I?!"

Jyou and Hiroaki turned at the raised voices and Jyou's eyes widened as the two boys began to scuffle on the balcony. He rushed out the doors, followed by the two parents, and started to break up the quarreling brothers, to no avail.

"How can you accuse me of lying?!" Yamato screamed, throwing himself at Takeru and forcing the boy to the concrete floor.

Takeru felt the air leave his lungs as it was knocked out of him and he punched Yamato in the cheek. When that barely phased him, Takeru kicked Yamato from him and then gave him a second kick for good measure. "Mom would have told me!" Takeru yelled.

"Enough," Jyou intervened.

"He's right, both of you stop it. Takeru-"

"Dad, he's lying!" Takeru insisted, then noticed his mother's expression. "Mom?"

Natsuko couldn't say anything and this only reinforced Takeru's opinion as he turned back to his brother with a bloody nose. Yamato's lip was busted open and he held it as he stood and stepped back, trying to cool off. Jyou held him and started to lead him back inside when Yamato passed his mother.

Natsuko backed away to let him pass, trying to be spared from his icy stare, but she could still hear him hiss at her, "It's all your fault."

Takeru shoved past Hiroaki, hearing the words himself, and shoved Yamato again.

"That's it-" Yamato growled, turning and elbowing Jyou away, grabbing Takeru by the collar and throwing him against the large window. Hiroaki grabbed Yamato and pulled him away as the crowd gathered nearby.

"Stop. Takeru, go take your mother home. We'll talk about this later," Hiroaki ordered.

"Heathen," Takeru spat, rushing to his mother's side.

"Your nose," Natsuko doted, raising a hand to her youngest son's face, pulling away with blood on her fingertips. "Takeru..."

"I'm fine. Let's get out of here before he makes up more outrageous lies," Takeru snorted, escorting his mother from the building.

Hiroaki grabbed Yamato by the arm and pulled at him as Jyou dispersed the crowd quickly, save their friends who had just arrived on the scene, including a teary-eyed Sora being comforted by Mimi.

"What the Hell happened?" Hiroaki snapped. "I said talk to him not kill him."

"Tch," Yamato snapped, jerking away. His eyes scanned his friends and he wondered how much they had heard. Probably everything. Embarassment- no, greater than that. Shame burned in his cheeks and he hid the redness with anger and ran the opposite direction his brother and mother had gone, shoving past not only Jyou, but tearing through Taichi and Koushiro as well.

"...Yamato?" Taichi whispered.

Koushiro eyed Jyou a moment, as if the two had some secret understanding. "Will he be alright?"

"...he'll be fine," Hiroaki reassured. "Please, let him be for now."

Jyou followed the trail of blood outside and into the fresh air with a heavy sigh. And I was worried about what to say to Yamato... looks like I won't even get the chance. Figures.