Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Flash ❯ 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Notes: yay for people who review this and like it and read it and all that happy stuff. You all rock my world. And I'm aware that in my profile it says I'll probably shoot you an email if you review, however let it be noted that the people over at www.com don't seem to like me and my account keeps getting screwy. I shall have to do something about that soon…

Warnings: words that are so not appropriate for children ahead (the 4-letter kind you know, bad stuff I hear), Daisuke knows a lot about drugs death and rock & roll (maybe not so much with the rock part), Ken knows a lot about hanging out in closets and looking girly (good on all counts), Jun knows how to use words that would make truckers turn purple (get your minds out of the gutter!), Miyako just generally knows how to be a big ol' bitch (like you would expect anything different in a Daiken fic)

Disclaimers: sorry about the long warning section. Seemed like a good idea at the time. I don't own them. As groovy as that would be.

Flash- 4

"Yamato," I say slowly, "and Taichi. Taichi and Yamato. Yamato and Taichi. Taichi and…" This is quite possibly the most surreal moment of my life. Mimi and I were so paranoid all that time about being gay and it turns out not only is my idol gay as well but he's in love with his best friend. Said best friend is married, though returns this affection. Said best friend's wife is screwing around on her husband. And have I mentioned that she entertains both men and women? Yeah, Sora's an equal opportunity slut. All of this, plus the fact that MY best friend and long time love is actually in love with me. Though as previously stated he is married, he has children, but his wife is a bitch so I guess nothing's perfect after all. I'm lost in thought, but I can see the looks I'm getting from Takeru and Mimi.

"I think he blew a fuse," the blond says. There's this overly satisfied smirk on his face. Now that really makes me want to hit him.

"What the fuck are you grinning at blondie?" It's practically a snarl when I say it but I really don't care. This has been the most hardcore homecoming ever. Fuck etiquette.

Mimi giggles- no really, she giggles. "You're so funny Daisuke," she tells me. "Honestly, I was so eager to tell you about the two of them but I didn't find out until after you were gone. By then, well, it was kind of difficult to get in touch with you." She sighs and fiddles with her water glass.

The tension is back again. I know they're angry with me, but I'm not going to apologize for anything. Something just seems so off about all of this and it's making me nuts. If I knew what they were thinking it might help. That's when I get an idea. Fishing in my pocket I find my wallet. They look shocked as all hell when I slap a few thousand yen on the table- not in the low thousands either. We're talking big money here.

"I hate doing this," I tell them. "For your thoughts?" My smile is lopsided and goofy looking. It's meant to be though, so it's okay. Instead of answering though they each give me this blank look that makes my skin crawl. Rolling my eyes I can't help pinching the bridge of my nose. I read somewhere that it relieves stress. Personally, I think that will only happen if you pinch hard enough to kill yourself, but whatever. "Or not," I add casually. Sighing, I sit back in my chair, content to play the waiting game.

It's Mimi that breaks the silence first, which isn't surprising. "Why can't you tell us where you were, Daisuke?" She looks up at me, tossing her hair back and revealing glassy, all too real amber eyes. Shit. I know I'm in trouble. "Where did you go? What did you do?" She bites her lip. "Why did you leave?"

Takeru coughs a bit and adds his two cents worth. "Yeah, Dai, I've been wondering that for seven years now. Why did you leave?" Glancing around quickly he moves nearly too fast for me to catch. Then there's a flash of fire and he's smoking another cigarette.

"Do you have any idea how weird it is that you smoke?" I wrinkle my nose. Something about seeing the Child of Hope light one up is disquieting.

He snorts. "What? Not pure enough for you? Wouldn't sully your perfect little lungs with some nice home grown cancer?" Waving his cigarette in my face, his voice drips with sarcasm and outright bitchiness.

Slapping at his hand I shake my head. "Fuck off, Takeru. You can be the biggest bitch ever sometimes." My mood is rapidly turning sour. If the blond wasn't here I'd have no problem answering Mimi. And I would tell her everything too. But, he is here. And he's not going anywhere anytime soon. Guess I have no choice… "I left because they got engaged," I finally supply, voice hushed. "Graduation day she came in all excited with that fucking ring on her finger and I just couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't watch him be happy with her and create this perfect little life for himself…" Throat closing over the words, my jaw clenches trying to stop the lingering pain that has been my constant companion for seven years.

Mimi's breath hitches. I know this is difficult for her to hear. "So, you knew when you ran into me as I was going in? Why didn't you warn me at least? Jesus, Dai…" She rubs her nose and sniffles. Boy do I feel like a buzzkill.

"It wasn't like that, Mimi. She just came in and then he was there and he… he… he just stood there waiting for me to say something. And I couldn't because how was I supposed to tell him he had just broken my heart? You shouldn't throw stones anyway, it's not like you've told Miyako yet either." This time I can't stop them. Tears are flowing from my eyes and my face is contorted from hurt. So many years worth of grief locked up inside. Grabbing a napkin I dry my nose and eyes hoping I don't look too retarded.

"How would you know about that?" She snaps at me, all indignant. Then she remembers. "Oh, yeah… right. Forgot about how you've been checking up on all of us. How did you get all your information, anyway?"

I freeze. No. Not here. Not now. I want to tell her. I need to tell her. But not in this place. There's too many people, and too many innocents. Plus with the blond son of a bitch leering at me I'm feeling more than a little homicidal. "That's a little complicated." Using my eyes I'm trying to plead with her. Please not here. Please not now. I think I know that scary motherfucker over in the corner. This isn't a good time for discussion, Mimi. She watches as my eyes dart to the corner, over to the intimidating, quite obviously yakuza men sitting at the table. Half hidden in shadows…

Amber eyes widen just a fraction. Seems like Miss Mimi's gotten quite good at covert ops while I've been away. Interesting. Very interesting indeed. "Dai," she whispers quickly. "you want to get going?"

"But we just got here!" Takeru is still clueless, which is good. He should remain that way. I'm not a big fan of the Child of Hope but I know what could happen to him. And that shit's just not fair. Sad to say though, but I think it might be too late for me. Looks like my number has finally come up. Damn. Just when things were starting to get good too.

I grab the blond's arm. "Come on, Takeru," I'm pulling him out of his seat before he can even begin to whine about it. "Let's go pay the others a visit, shall we?" My eyes are begging, pleading. Then the universe clicks into place and it looks like he understands. We are go for launch.

As we depart I notice Takeru opening his mouth to ask questions but I just shake my head at him. He nods and quite promptly shuts up. Maybe we've all changed a lot more than we realized. However, at the moment my only thought is to get back to Chibimon and get him and the rest of my stuff the hell out of Jun's apartment. She will not get pulled into my mess. I turn to my "friends".

"Look, guys, I hate to go all James Bond on you but I've got to go. There's some shit that needs to get done. I'll meet up with you all later, okay?" Please for the love of all the gods everywhere just smile, nod, and tell me it's okay…

Of course, they don't do that. "What the hell is going on Daisuke?" Mimi looks pissed off and that's never good. Cute as she may be, she can get up in person's face like no other and that's rough because the woman is relentless. "How did you know them? I mean they were… and you… and oh my god." Oh son of a bitch! She figured it out. "What did you do?" Her voice wavers a bit. "Daisuke," she grips my shoulder, "what did you freaking DO?!"

"What the shit are you two talking about?" Takeru stands there, arms folded and this little pout on his face. "You don't mean those creepy yakuza guys that were sitting in the corner do you? They looked like a bunch of tough bastards to me and…" He plays connect the dots for a few seconds and his aqua eyes begin to bug. "Oh shit. Damn. I mean that's… whoa."

"Fuck," my eyes are squeezed shut. And, indeed, that is the word of the moment: FUCK. "You weren't supposed to know. I was hoping you wouldn't figure it all out." Glancing around, I rub a hand over my face trying to see if I'm dreaming or if I'm really as awake as I feel. If it were only a dream that would make things so much better. Nope. But this goes back to that whole feeling the pain thing from this morning. I sigh because at this point I have to admit absolute defeat. "We need to talk about this, but not here. There are ears everywhere- more than you could imagine."

Aqua eyes blink at me as the blond nods. "I know a place we can go. No one would look for us there." Motioning for Mimi and I to follow he begins to walk swiftly, traveling across the city.

As we stalk the sidewalks my thoughts wander. Why does all of this have to come to a head now? After seven years? What could I have done that makes me such a loose end? And in the name of all things good and pure… where the fuck is Takeru taking us? I feel like I'm in Scooby Doo and I should be saying "I've got a bad feeling about this".

"TK," Mimi's voice is a little shaky. "Where are we going?"

Pointing to a building, that looks pretty much like all the surrounding buildings he says, "Industrial Park for Eye Spy Incorporated."

I stop dead in my tracks. "No," I'm shaking my head. "I don't fucking think so. It wasn't fair for me to drag the two of you into my mess and I won't drag him into it either. It's a bad fucking idea and I'm not going with you. We'll find somewhere else. As much as I want-"

"Dai, they'll never find you there," Mimi cuts me off. "The building is secure. And you know how he is about things, how careful he is. Nothing and no one that he doesn't approve of gets into the building."

My jaw just clenches automatically at the thought of all this. As much as I don't want to admit it, she's right. "Fine. Just make sure he isn't there. I'm not up for seeing him yet." Even though my eyes have fallen to the ground I can see the look they give one another.

"If he's there you're going in anyway," Takeru states firmly. "Seven years, Daisuke. That's a long damn time. You have no idea how much it hurts him to know that you aren't here."

Scowling I raise my head and fix the blond with a glare. "Yeah? Well who's fault is it that he thinks I'm dead, huh?" When he bites his lip and glances away, guilt plain on his face I reset my jaw. "That's what I thought you said."

Mimi lets out an exasperated sound. "Just get your ass in gear and get in the building!"

We both fix her with a glare and I stick out my tongue. "Fine. But I want to call Jun. I need to get Chibi and pick up some of my stuff. I can't stay at Jun's place anymore."

They nod and we head for our ultimate destination and go inside. There it is, the giant eye logo for Eye Spy Inc. Damn, I was really hoping to avoid confrontation with him today. All these new revelations in such a tiny amount of time, plus I find out my past is apparently coming back to haunt me. Shit. Maybe I never should have left in the first place. That stinging pain pulls at my eyes again and I have to close them so that Takeru and Mimi won't see. We're outside the main office door and I hear them go in and have a very hushed conversation with someone inside. It's a female and she sounds like she has no idea what they're talking about, but at least she seems to know who they are. The more I think about my past the more I regret what I've done. But at the same time, I know if I had stayed I would probably be dead now- by my own hand.

"Dai," Mimi's calling me. "Come on in. We're waiting and he's letting us use the conference room."

"Are there a lot of windows in there?" Automatic response, can't help it. I had forgotten how paranoid I could be on this routine.

"Yeah, I guess… Why?"

I shake my head. "No good. The fewer windows the better. I don't know if I'm all that welcome in the greater Tokyo Bay area right now and I'm not about to take any chances. You know, I'm sure his office has very few windows, if any at all." I know how he likes his privacy. Shifting, I wait for Mimi to respond, but as she thinks things over I lose patience and push past her into the office.

The young woman at the front desk is pretty, but not memorable. She looks at me and blinks large brown eyes behind cat-eye glasses. "Can I help you?"

Time to turn on the charm. "Oh sure," my voice is smooth, velvet. I give her the best Motomiya smile I've got. "Can you tell me where Ichijouji Ken's office is located?"

Blinking again she replies, "You've been told to use the conference room." Way to be helpful.

"I know that. However, I would like to see him in person. I haven't seen him in seven years and, well, despite what his wife-"

"Daisuke!" Both Takeru and Mimi scold me, so I cover my mouth with my hand and give a discreet blush. Oh silly me! It's been a long time since I've played this particular game. Innocent little me, I can get anything I want.

The receptionist sighs and picks up her phone. After intercoming him she sighs and points over her shoulder. "Straight back, big door, can't miss it." Her sudden display of cynicism makes me like her that much more.

"Thanks," I say softly. "Sorry I'm a pain in the ass, but if it weren't an emergency I wouldn't bother." Following the others I head back towards the big doors still wondering if he even knows I'm here. The girl at the desk never mentioned me directly. We find the big doors open and go in, no sign of him. While Mimi and Takeru meander around I spot a most interesting table in the darkened corner. Seems Ken keeps up with Jun on the decoration scheme. As scary as it is, there's something that resembles a small shrine in the corner. To me. Wow. My eyes are watering. Dammit, why does he have to be so wonderful? He has that same picture, the one I threw out…

There's a shift in the air current and I hear the soft click of the door being closed at my back. The office is fairly dark for mid-afternoon and I realize that I was right in my assumption about the lack of windows. I turn around and there he is again. My dark haired, fair skinned vision. He's so beautiful I have to give a mental sigh and clear my head. But I have to smile a bit, because he sees Takeru and Mimi waiting for him and doesn't see me. Of course, I'm hiding in the shadows, avoiding all light when possible.

He speaks, and it's perfection. God, I missed the sound of that voice. The airport was too loud to really appreciate it, but in the small confines of this office I can hear him clearly. Giving them a warm smile, with small traces of concern he greets them. "Hey Mimi, Takeru- what can I do for you? You said it was an emergency and I don't mind, but why all the secrecy?"

"Um…" Mimi sort of looks off into the ceiling somewhere and begins to fidget a lot.

Takeru laughs in that nervous, nearly fake way. "Well you see… it's, uh, it's kinda complicated, Ken."

Such stunning linguistic skills they display! But then again, to their credit, they are the keepers of Hope and Purity not Grammar and Language. Clearing my throat I have to smile when his head whips in my direction. Wouldn't want to let anyone ruin his precious shrine, right? "Hey Ken," the words are soft. "As you might have guessed, you weren't hallucinating at the airport yesterday." Stepping out of the shadows I let him see that I'm there, that I still exist.

Jaw quivering, I can see tears gathering in his eyes. Stepping closer he reaches out one pale, shaking hand. "Dai… Daisuke?"

The hand hovers near my face and I take it in mine. "Yeah, Ken. It's me." Trying to be as gentle as possible I smile at him. But his beautiful face makes me cry. "Hey," my voice is hushed, "don't cry. It's me; I'm still here. See?" I wipe tears off his cheek, watching as he leans into my hand and closes his eyes. Then something occurs to me. "You're not gonna hit me are you?"

Ken's eyes snap open- twin pools of indigo light. "As much as part of me wants to… No, I'm not going to hit you, Daisuke." He throws his arms around me and holds on for dear life. "I missed you so much. I thought you were dead. And with all the things Miyako kept telling me I was so sure of it. Oh god, Daisuke…"

My arms automatically go around him, and it feels like a homecoming should. Comfort, peace, soothing, and I love him so much it hurts. Ken is crying into my hair, still taller than I am. I try to make him stop but he can't, or won't. "Hush, Ken. It's okay. I don't think I'm going anywhere this time." Now that's probably a lie.

Takeru snorts and Mimi pouts and says, "Liar."

The beautiful man in my arms pulls away. "Dai?" His eyebrows go up, they furrow together and the pain on his face is palpable. "Leaving…?"

Gently prying him away, though I don't want to, I have to nod. "It's a long story."

"Start talking," Ken cuts in. "Tell me everything. We'll find a way around this and maybe this time," his voice breaks and he gives me a hopeful smile. "Maybe this time I could go with you."

Jesus, this isn't fair. Touching his face I can feel myself blinking quickly. "Oh, Ken, you can't. You have a family here. A wife and children."

"I don't care about them," he whispers fiercely. "Daisuke, I lost you once already. I can't lose you again. It killed me before, I don't want to die like that again." One long fingered hand closes over mine, cupping it to his face. Eyes shining with unshed tears he looks at me so openly, all emotions plain on his naked face.

"Ken, I love you. And I can't let anything happen to you. You don't know what I'm dealing with and I don't want you to ever have to either. I mean, Ken, I just… I love you so much." Then I do what the one thing I've been dreaming of doing for longer than I really care to think about. I kiss him with all the passion that I have burning inside. I kiss him hoping he'll feel how much I love him, and hoping he'll understand why I have to walk away…

The world fades around us as our kiss deepens. And I learn that kissing him is just like I always imagined it would be- liquid, smooth, perfection. When we part there are two people clapping on the other side of the room, cheering.

"Holy shit, I never thought you guys had it in you! 'Bout fucking time!" Takeru is genuinely smiling, the way he used to in years past.

Mimi is squealing. "You're so cute together! It's about time this happened!"

Somehow, even with all my effort at being a badass, I'm blushing and ducking into Ken's shoulder. He smiles and I can feel it through a bond that I was sure had been destroyed years ago. A shiver runs down my spine and I cling to him, just wanting to be with him and wanting to forget that I have so many problems waiting outside this office. Swimming in emotion, wrapped up in his arms, I feel his lips so close to my ear, his voice a murmur.

"I love you, Daisuke. And now that I have you back I'm never letting go. You'll have to kill me first."

And I let out a watery laugh. "Funny you should say that," I pull out of his arms. "Those seven years I was gone? The short version- I was drug running for the yakuza for a little while, some crazy shit happened but they let me go. I owe some favors because that's the deal that was made. I met up with these two today and we went out for a late lunch and well… there were a couple guys I knew there. And they spotted me, and I think they're ready to cash in on that favor." Pausing I rub the back of my neck, it's a nervous habit. "If I complete whatever task they give me, I'll probably have to give up my identity and never talk to any of you ever again. If I refuse they'll probably kill me. But, that's just the short version."

The three of them stare at me. Takeru breaks the silence with a nervous laugh. "You were drug running? You?"

"Yeah," I say quietly. Natural posture resumes and I'm immediately on the defense. The way my arms flex slides my shirt sleeves up a bit which, since I removed my jacket, reveals small edges of my tattoos.

The blond gapes at me. "You're inked too?" He steps forward to inspect my arms. "How many do you have?"

"Seven," my voice is bland, just as it was when I informed Jun earlier. Pulling away I frown. "Look, it was five years ago, all right?"

Mimi is uncharacteristically quiet. "That was one of Tai's theories, but he could never prove it. And every time we tried to talk to someone about you, they'd immediately clam up. You sure you were only pushing? Nothing else?"

I shrug, trying to be nonchalant. So far, Ken still hasn't spoken. "Well yeah, I'm sure. Some of my customers were some pretty high rollers- big money and I got a huge cut of it." Shrugging again, I glance at Ken. He's being way to silent for my liking. "Ken?"

Indigo eyes blink, he looks up at me. "Yeah?"

"You with us?"

Mimi and Takeru send some worried looks his way, then back to me.

"Drug running," he says softly. "I thought a lot of things, but not drug running. For the yakuza. And you have tattoos- seven of them. And… you… you love me." Ken bites his lip.

I nod. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Oh," very quietly. Then, "Fuck."

*************

you have no idea how much fun this was to write. But, hey- Dai and Ken… getting together… next up: problem solving with Yamato & Taichi, and I'll try to bring Jun and Chibimon back, plus a meeting with Miyako! Review or criticize as you like… any feedback is welcome as always.