One-in-Two Secrets
Broken Connections

… Three Years, Ten Months After Event …

A small figure waited in the entrance of the Yagami apartment. Tai tucked his knees to his chest and rocked back and forth. Every so often the toddlers brown eyes would look up at the door to his parents room. When nobody came out he would look down at his feet and let out a sigh. The door to the room opened and the toddler stood up while his hands gripped the straps of the backpack he was wearing. "Late!"

A chuckle left Sasumu's mouth as a grin spread across his face. One hand reached down to grab the boy's small hand. "We're not late, so don't worry."

The child still pulled forward and his free hand reached for the doorknob as he pushed forward. "I want to see Ryo."

"Slow down. They'll still be there when we get there." The man opened the door, and Tai took off tugging the man after him. When they got onto the elevator the boy began to fidget and the man placed a hand on the top of the boy's head in order to calm him down. When they got onto the train the boy kicked out his feet until they got to their destination. The man kept a tight grip on the boy's hand until they got to the family restaurant.

Tai managed to slip his hand lose as soon they entered, and he hurried forward to greet Ryo and the man who brought him. A resounding smack was heard as the two boy's collided causing both to fall onto their bottoms. Both boy's reached up to grab the top of their heads as they glared at each other. Sasumu walked over and scooped Tai up while Ryoichi came to retreave the other twin.

"I hope you don't mind Yagami, but I already placed an order for you two."

Sasumu gave the man a weak smile as he sat Tai down into his lap. Ryo sat next to Ryoichi and his small head rested against the cold table top while the other twin held onto the top of his head and frowned. "You knew what we wanted?"

"You always order the same thing. That's something you have in common with him. As for Taichi... even though he's always changing his mind about what he wants to eat he always wants the same thing as Ryo."

Ryo's head came up, and the toddler twisted around to pick up something. He then turned around and pushed a wrapped package towards his brother. "Here. Tai likes soccer. Happy birthday."

Tai stopped holding his head, and instead took off his backpack. He pulled out his package. "Ryo likes..."

Sasumu quickly covered the boy's mouth. "If you say that he'll know what it is."

A frown spread across Tai's face as he pushed the package he brought with him forward, and he then took the package Ryo brought and pulled it into his lap to unwrap. In the package was a pair of goggles. A frown spread across the boy's face which in turn caused a frown to spread across Ryo's face. "Not like?"

Tai pointed to his forehead. "My head hurts."

A chuckle left Sasumu's mouth. "Tai likes it. He just can't wear them right now like he wants because his head hurts."

"Oh." Ryo grabbed the package his brother brought. A smile spread across his face as he opened the package and held up the figurine. "Kamen Rider!"

Ryoichi shook his head as he leaned on one arm. "It's amazing how these two know each other so well despite being separated from each other like they are."

"Yes." Sasumu took a deep breath. "She didn't come? I thought she would want to see Tai?"

A frown quickly appeared on Ryoichi's face. The man leaned back as he crossed his arms. "She's letting other feelings get in the way. Plus... the last time she saw Tai he didn't exactly react well to her. He did after all call her the lady, and then the lady that takes care of Ryo."

"I think Tai blames her. Truth be told..."

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault all of this happened."

"And that doesn't help their perception of her."

"When the baby comes can we bring her along?" Tai's comment caused Ryo's eyes to go wide with excitement. The color though left the faces of the two men.

Sasumu looked away. "Tai. We've talked about this."

"But why? She's Ryo's baby too."

"It's your mother's decision." Ryoichi blurted out causing both men to look at each other.

Sasumu reached a hand up to rub the back of his head. "Yes. It's your mother's decision. No matter what way you look at it."

Ryo's eyes clamped shut and he pulled his figurine tight as the corners of his mouth pushed together. He then opened them, but a smile didn't come. "That's all right. I've got Tai-chan."

… Five Years After the Event …

"Kari's gotten to be this big now."

"I wish I could get to see her."

Tai's finger tapped on the bench. He then leaned back to let his head bang against the wall. He absentmindedly pulled the goggles down over his eyes."I don't get it. Why can't Kari not know you're her brother to. Adults are weird."

"They're letting us go and see each other on our own."

"Momma doesn't like it."

Ryo blinked a couple of times. "Ka-chan's fine."

"Not the lady. Kari's mom. I'm supposed to call her momma to." Tai looked over to see his brother closing his eyes. "Are you crying?"

"No. This stinks. Ka-chan says we won't be able to go to the same elementary school because we live in different areas."

Tai blinked a couple of times before leaning over and pulling the goggles back up. "What do you mean?"

"As I said. We live in different areas. We're allowed to meet up here because this is where dad and Akiyama-san work, and they trust the adults here. What's going to happen when Kari's able to start visiting dad at work. I'm not allowed to see her, and you say she's already following you around whenever she can."

Tai sighed before pulling the goggles over his eyes again. "She's just a half-sister. Half-sisters aren't as good as full sisters."

"Isn't the reason she's a half-sister because we each get half? We're still supposed to protect her."

The goggles came back up, and Tai pointed his thumb at his chest. "Don't worry Ryo. I'll just protect her twice as much because you can't. Keep in mind I still too that I can't ride a bike and you can." Two brown eyes watched as a matching pair suddenly closed. "Hey... you aren't crying."

"Boy's don't cry Tai."

… In the Present …

The fourteen year old couldn't help but feel Akiyama Ryoichi was purposefully avoiding discussion of a particular subject, but he also couldn't help but acknowledge the man was right about getting out of the wet clothes and taking a hot bath. Reluctantly he went into the bathroom only for his entire body to tense up.

There on the counter were the things belonging to that woman and their step-father, but Ryo's things were still on the counter as if waiting for Ryo to come back. Tai felt his facial features fall as one hand reached out for the toothbrush with the kids show theme only to stop short. "Would Ryo actually still be into this kind of thing?" Tai's eyes snapped shut. "Scratch that. He's still be into Kamen Rider and all of that. He'd also be a chuunibyou, and I'd go along with it."

A groan left Tai's mouth as he leaned against the counter as the palms of his hands stung. "Really? I would have been a chuunibyou if Ryo was still around? I think I would have broken him of the habit instead."

He set down the dry clothes, started up the bath water and pulled off the wet clothes. He tossed them onto the counter and for awhile tried to forget about everything as he soaked in the tub. Eventually he needed to get out, and he got dressed in the over sized clothes which obviously belonged to his step father. Without thinking he reached out for the toothbrush with the kids show theme and placed toothpaste on the brush and bushed his teeth as per his normal routine.

After putting the toothbrush back he headed to the kitchen where his step-father had prepared something simple to eat. Agumon was helping to set the table, and things felt overly calm. The man looked up. "Did you enjoy your bath?"

"Don't worry. I washed behind my ears and brushed my teeth."

"You what?"

"If your asking why I brushed my teeth before eating it's because I always take a bath sometime after eating dinner."

"That's not... what toothbrush did you use?"

"Ryo's. What other toothbrush would I use." Tai couldn't help but notice the rather green look on the man's face. "What?"

"You used another persons toothbrush?"

"It was Ryo's toothbrush. It isn't as if I used Kari's, or yours, or theirs or hers. I used Ryo's."

"Since when?"

"I always used Ryo's toothbrush when I spent the night."

"You don't pack a toothbrush when you spend the night at another persons home?"

"No. Just when I'm staying the night here. Before Kari was born and Ryo was allowed to come over he did the same thing."

"That..." The man shook his head. "What kind of logic makes that all right?"

"We have the same DNA?"

"You wouldn't have known something like that when you were younger."

"It's still a logical explanation."

"In what..." The man closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Never mind. I really should learn not to ask such questions of the two... of you. Let's just go ahead and eat." Tai went and sat down at the table so the palms of his hands were facing up. The man paused before speaking again. "On second thought I'll be right back."

Tai felt the corners of his mouth twist up. "Hey! Stop trying to avoid the subject?" A flash of yellow caused the fourteen year old to turn around. "Not yet Agumon. Have some patience."

The yellow Digimon looked up at Tai before blinking a couple of times. "Taichi... what does having the same DNA mean?"

"It's just another way of saying someone is a twin. That's all."

"I still don't understand this twin concept."

"Don't worry about it." Tai turned his head when something was set down on the table. He noted the man had brought a first aid kit. "Please. Could you stop avoiding the subject."

"What subject?"

"I just found out from her that Kari isn't my half-sister like I've always thought. I just found out that the man whose been raising me is not my father." Tai winced as the man grabbed one his hands and applied medicine to the scrapes on his palm. "On top of this I find out that she... the woman whose supposed to be my mother... decided to give me up. Why? Because she couldn't handle two of us? Or because you didn't want kids and it was a compromise."

"The reason we choose to give you up had nothing to do with not thinking we could handle two kids. It didn't have to do with us not wanting both of you either."