Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Bed of Lies (v. 2.1) ❯ Another Empty Moment, Another Hollow Smile ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: Wewt, chapter 2 is finished. ^_^ Not a lot is happening here, but it's a big set up chapter. This is where the real story begins. The last chapter was sort of a prologue, but not really, since it was technically the beginning of this tale. But this chapter lets you know where our protagonist's lives have taken them. And it isn't as happy as it ought to be..

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[Don't think that I can take another empty moment

Don't think that I can fake another

hollow smile]

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"Dinner's almost ready."

"Okay," Sora's voice sounded from somewhere on the other side of the partition between the kitchen and dining room.

Yamato sighed, looking down at the food he was cooking, but not really seeing anything. I know I should be happy. He turned the stove off, and began arranging the dish on a plate. I have the kind of life most people only dream about. He scooped a generous amount of rice from the rice cooker into a large bowl, and turned his head to where the partition ended.

"Food's ready," he picked up the plate, along with the rice, and walked out into the dining room.

"Smells good," Sora smiled, while struggling with their three year old. "Mika, settle down!"

"Don' wanna!"

Yamato chuckled half-heartedly, and set the food down in the middle of the small table. "She's three, dear. She doesn't know the meaning of 'settle down'."

Sora sighed, slightly rumpled, but not actually upset. "I know, I know.."

Mika giggled and continued squirming. "C'mon, stop talking already, I'm hungry!"

Sora sighed in defeat and sat down at one side of Mika, while Yamato sat at the other. They ate in what would have been silence if Mika hadn't been there. Yamato tuned most of Mika's noise out though, losing himself to his thoughts again.

Why am I not happy?

Taichi closed the door a bit louder than he had meant to, which meant he had woken Daisuke and now had to deal with an annoyed roommate.

"Look, I didn't mean to slam it, okay?"

"In case you haven't noticed," Daisuke glared at him. "You aren't the only person living in this apartment."

"Daisuke," Taichi raised his eyebrows. "I'd have to be deaf, blind, and incredibly stupid to not notice that you live here too."

Daisuke grumbled something incoherently. "Whatever. Just be more careful next time, okay?"

Taichi walked past him and into their small living room, landing himself heavily on the couch. Daisuke nearly glared at him, but stopped himself, his expression softening a little. He followed Taichi into the living room, sitting down in a chair opposite of the couch.

"Bad day?"

"Bad mood," Taichi glanced over at Daisuke, a sardonic look on his face.

"What's the look for?" Daisuke raised an eyebrow, but remained serious.

"I-" Taichi began, but bit his lip before he said more. "It just feels like my life is lacking recently."

"Lacking?"

"Its-" Taichi turned away from Daisuke. "Its hard to explain. I really don't feel like talking about this."

Daisuke sighed, feeling a little defeated, but let the subject drop all the same. He glanced to the side, then back at Taichi before standing up. "I think I'm going to go finish my nap.."

Taichi looked up, a bit startled. "Ah..thanks.."

Daisuke gave him an odd look, then left the room. Taichi sighed to himself, and stretched himself out on the couch. If only you knew how screwed up and stupid I felt right now. You'd probably laugh at me. And I probably wouldn't blame you, regardless of how offended I get. I don't even know where this feeling came from all of a sudden. And right when my life was starting to fall into order.

Oh, who am I kidding? My life has never been 'in order'. And it certainly isn't 'in order' now.

"Yamato?"

"Ah-huh?" Yamato blinked, looking up at his wife. "Mmm, sorry. Just..thinking."

"Mmmm," she looked at him evenly, but not was not able to keep her eyebrows from knitting themselves together a little. "Is everything okay?"

"Ah, yeah," he nodded slowly, trying his best to seem confident (which was certainly not how he felt right then). "Just...thinking.."

"Hm, well you seem to be thinking a lot recently."

"Do I?" He caught her gaze, and matched it. "I guess I have."

"If there's anything you want to talk about-"

"I know," he smiled at her, though he wasn't entirely sure it wasn't just an involuntary movement of his lips. "Don't worry about it."

She bit her lip. "Well, if you say so.."

"And I do," he stood up, breaking their eye contact. "Just please don't worry about me..its just something I need to work out with myself."

"Okay," she didn't really look convinced, but she let the subject drop nonetheless.

He moved around the table, picking up the dishes. He stopped suddenly, setting what he had gathered down, the dishes clinking from the force. Sora look up from where she was still sitting, somewhat startled.

"Yamato?"

"I-" he shook his head a little, and then turned to face her. "I'm going..to go take a walk."

"A walk?"

"I-yeah," he took a deep breather, steadying himself. "I don't know when I'll be back, so..so don't bother staying awake."

She looked at him, this time the worry making itself much more evident. "Well...I guess I can't stop you."

He turned and began walking from the room, then turned his head back to look at her. "Sora, it really isn't worth worrying about, I promise."

She looked down, but followed him when he left the room. "Well-"

"I'll..I'll see you later," he bent his neck a little to kiss her lightly. "I'll leave my phone on if that'll make you feel a little better."

She nodded stiffly. "Yeah..thanks."

"Goodnight," the door made a soft clicked as it closed behind him.

What time is it? Taichi turned over to look at the clock across the room from where he was sprawled. Nearly Ten. God.

"Taichi? You still out her?"

Taichi turned over again to face his roommate. "Yeah, what do you want?"

"Just trying to figure out where you went," Daisuke narrowed his eyes a bit, slightly annoyed. "Geez."

"Sorry," Taichi turned to face the back of the couch again. "Just go away, alright?"

"Are you still in a bad mood?"

"What does it look like?"

"Sorry I asked," Daisuke's eyes narrowed a bit more as his annoyance increased.

"You should be."

Daisuke brought a fist down on Taichi's shoulder. "Just a bad mood my foot."

"Ow," Taichi glared up at him. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Please tell me you aren't pining for that which you'll never have again.."

"Please tell me you'll go away some time in the next year..."

"For God's sake, Taichi," Daisuke gave his friend an exasperated look. "Get over it already."

"Easy for you to say," Taichi gave him a surly look and sat up.

"Maybe it is," Daisuke sat down next to him. "But I do mean it."

"You wouldn't say that if you actually understood."

"Taichi," Daisuke looked at him evenly, suddenly very sober. "I know how you feel, maybe not to the same degree, but I can still relate."

"No," Taichi sent him a very hurt look. "You can't know how I feel. Not at all."

"You could at least give me credit for trying," Daisuke looked away.

Taichi sighed. "You have no idea what I've gone through, Daisuke."

"You mean what you put yourself through," Daisuke looked at him again, somewhat calculating, but at the same time understanding.

"What I-?" Taichi gaped at him, a bit taken aback. "As if I could do anything to help feeling this way?"

"You could have made your feelings a little more clear," the understanding in Daisuke's expression faded. "You never did anything about it."

"What could I have done?"

"You could have told him," Daisuke said matter of factly.

Taichi sighed. "I'm a coward, okay?"

Daisuke's expression softened a little. "I know."

Taichi looked away, then stood up.

"Hmm?"

"I think I'm going to go take a walk.."

"That's probably not a bad idea," Daisuke stood up to match him. "I won't bother staying up to wait for you to get home, either."

"You know me too well," Taichi glanced at him, a playful smile crossing his features. "I'll..see you tomorrow."

"Kay," Daisuke followed him to the door, leaning against the frame while Taichi put his shoes on. "Just, er..be careful and stuff. And leave your phone on."

"Of course," Taichi stood up. "'Night."

The frame of the door rattled as the door crashed into it as it closed in Taichi's wake. Taichi didn't notice; he was running as quickly as he could down the stairs and into the night.