The savannah stretched out far below the boy’s feet, an unsurpassed green ocean of grassy plain. He brushed his hand across his bare chest, and turned when he heard the scuttle of small feet.
“Niisan, why did you leave so suddenly?”, Takeru asked.
“I...no reason”, Yamato said, staring up at the sky, a silent blue eternity, spanning out far beyond reach.
“Are you thinking about Taichi again?”, the small boy asked.
Yamato whirled around, taken aback from his little brother’s comment, “Where the hell did you get that from?”
Takeru slinked back a little, “I, um, heard you talking about him in your sleep. I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to listen, I couldn’t-”
“Takeru...just go away”, Yamato said softly.
The little boy hung his head and walked off. back at the treehouse, he heard a little flutter of wings, and a small weight on his head.
“Uiisu Patamon”, he said glumly.
“Oh Takeru, what’s the matter?”, the tiny flying digimon asked.
“Niisan’s upset. I accidentally overheard him talking about Taichi in his sleep”.
“Taichi? Why would he be talking about him?”, Patamon wondered aloud.
“I don’t know”, Takeru said, “But Yamato got very angry when I mentioned it...”
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Taichi got that empty feeling again, the same one he got when he thought about Yamato. ‘Why did he leave? This is all my fault!’, he constantly berated himself. ‘If only I hadn’t been such a jerk...he'd still be here and we'd be all happy again.’
Taichi could still remember the scenario, as if it had taken place only a moment ago. Yamato and himself had gotten into another fight. Taichi’s involvement in their still-secret relationship was affecting his leadership skills, and Yamato was still new in the area of love, so things went a little awkward. The last fight had set it off, though, and Yamato had gotten so upset he just left, taking Takeru with him.
Neither Taichi, nor Sora, Jyou, Mimi, Koushiro, or Hikari had heard from them again. It was a shame, but the group went on without them.
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“Garurumon!”, Yamato called, and in a moment the blue-grey wolf appeared. He rode him back to the treehouse, where Takeru was sleeping on the floor. Yamato scrambled up the ladder he had built, and past the grass curtain.
Takeru woke immediately, “Niisan, you’re back”.
“Yeah, I’m, uh...sorry I yelled at you before”, Yamato said, looking down at the floor.
“It’s alright, I’ll forgive you!”, he said, brightening.
The brothers hugged close , and for a moment, Yamato forgot all of his problems. having to protect Takeru, to keep them self-sufficient, and his own mixed-up emotions, they all flew out of his mind for that breif second. But damned reality comes back to haunt everyone, and Yamato too was not safe.
“Are you hungry too?”, he asked the little boy whose arms were still around his legs, looking up at him.
“Mmmhuh”, Takeru answered, “Can I come fishing with you?”
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“We’re never going to find them, Taichi, so why keep looking? If they wanted to come back they would’ve”, Jyou said, always the voice of reason.
“Who said I was still looking for him?”, Taichi asked back.
“It’s a little obvious . Why else would we be doing all of this gratuitous walking?”, Koushiro answered, joining the conversation.
“Well maybe I...you know...we’re uh...be quiet, all of you!”, Taichi yelled, and the group fell silent.
Sora was slinking in the background, quietly fuming, “Chikuso! I can’t take this anymore!, “she blurted, “Taichi, Yamato acted like an ass and left--he’s gone! Gone! As in ‘not coming back’! Give it up! Personally I think we could all be better off without him”, she yelled.
“Sora-chan?”, Jyou gulped in disbelief.
“Uhh...gomen?”, Taichi said, almost questioningly.
“Now let’s just forget about him”, Sora said finally, and that was it.
---------------------------------------------------
Night fell, as black paint being thrown over an empty canvas. Yamato and Takeru were safe up in the treehouse, as the stars fell into place, awaiting the grand appearance of the moon. A tiny breeze wafted through the wooden abode, it’s warmness caressing Yamato into sleep. He had deprived himself of sleep almost entirely since leaving the others; he had felt it was his job to stay up and protect Takeru. He had to admit it felt nice to rest his eyes, to allow himself the naivete of peace with himself.
That night, an array of thoughts echoed through Yamato’s mind, he settled into sleep, as his subconscious took over...
He suddenly found himself in a strange place, a white room, and he was standing all alone, naked and wet, with a black band around his neck. He tugged at it, but it wouldn’t come loose. He heard footsteps coming nearer, then appearing out of thin air was Taichi, with the same black band on, although with many more around his body, to match. Chains bound his self too, shiny silver chains. He carried a long black stick, and his heels clacked as he walked.
“Yamato, funny meeting you again”, he said in a cool voice.
“Taichi...”, he started, but he was at a loss of words.
Taichi smacked the stick against the hard white floor. The ground shattered away, and both boys were instantly at the cliffside, by the treehouse. Taichi’s clothes had shed, but Yamato’s neck band remained.
“Oh, don’t think you’re losing *that*. It’ll be there forever to remind you of what you left behind”, Taichi hissed.Yamato looked down the cliff, it was the familiar lake that he and Takeru bathed in. “Come Yamato, bathe with me”, Taichi said, “Just like you always imagined we would”.
“What?...I...how did...”, Yamato stuttered.
“I don’t really know, but this is your dream...isn’t it?”, Taichi said, wrapping his arms around Yamato’s body, his warm hands caressing the boy’s flesh. Taichi grabbed Yamato’s hand, and they both jumped down into the water. The cool, clear water...
Taichi’s leg moved up Yamato’s, and before he knew it, he was straddling him, their naked bodies in total contact with each other.
Yamato couldn’t help but moan, as Taichi’s wet hands stroked him in places no one ever had. “You’re...not really...Taichi”.
“You don’t really care, do you?”, Taichi said, in an overly sweet voice.
Taichi’s mouth covered him, his tongue lashed about his naked body, his personal being. Yamato cried out, all of the wanting and needing finally coming to a close...
Yamato woke up in a sweat, sometime around 3:00 am. He breathed heavily, and, making sure that his pants were on, and that he was dry, he laid back down, realizing that what he had thought had happened, really didn’t.
“Why...Why did it feel so real?”, he whispered to himself, as he tried to close his eyes again.