Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ ONLY TIME ❯ Chapter 2

HOPE HAS A PLACE

By: cjtokage

 

SEQUEL TO: ONLY TIME

 

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon period.

Warning: Yaoi, lemon(s), Daikeru/Takesuke, nice Miyako, nice Hikari (gasp), angst (though nothing to major, you know I can't write angst really well).

 

A/N: This story will read sort of like a journal and may ramble at certain points but will always come back to the main direction that the story is moving towards.

 

HOPE HAS A PLACE/ ENYA: THE MEMORY OF TREES

 

One look at love and you may see, it weaves a web over mystery,

All raveled threads can rend apart, for hope has a place in the lover's heart.

Hope has a place in a lover's heart.

 

Whispering world, a sigh of sighs, the ebb and the flow of the ocean tide,

One breath, one word, may end or may start a hope in a place in a lover's heart

Hope has a place in a lover's heart.

 

Look to love and you may dream, and if it should leave then give it wings.

But if such a love is meant to be; hope is home, and the heart is free.

 

Under the heavens we journey far, on roads of life we're the wanderers,

So let love rise, so let love depart, let hope have a place in a lover's heart.

Hope has a place in a lover's heart.

 

Hope is home, and the heart is free.

 

 

PART 1

 

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I was really nervous that night, heck I barely got any sleep at all, I could only lie there in bed and worry myself sick over Yamato finding out about me and Take-kun. We had finally admitted that we had feelings for each other and discovered that we made each other happy and now our families were on the verge of making our lives miserable all because TK's older brother had to be a nosy pest. I think I finally passed out around four or five o'clock in the morning. The next thing I knew my dad was shaking my shoulder and telling me to wake up and get dressed. It took me about five minutes to wake up enough to crawl out of bed and into the shower.

 

It wasn't until I was almost done bathing that I realized that I didn't know what my father had woken me up for. I quickly ended my shower and pulled on underwear, socks, shorts, and shirt before heading to the kitchen to find out what exactly my father wanted and then I had to call Take-kun and tell him about what ever it was my dad wanted to do. I paused in the doorway and watched as my dad sat lost in thought while staring into his coffee cup. He was so caught up in what ever he was thinking about that he didn't even notice me until I was right beside him. He jumped a little bit even as I spoke “Takeru and I had plans to do something today so I need to call him and tell him how long I'm going to be do what ever it is that you woke me up for.” I wasn't being sarcastic or mean or anything by talking to my dad like this; it was simply an offering of information and a request for information back.

 

“Don't worry we're going over to the Ishida's place and Takeru is suppose to meet us there. There's something that all of us have to talk about.”

 

I think I paled at his comment. I know I choked. Oh shit, not only was Take-kun's dad going to be there but now mine was going to be in on our, more than likely to be unsettling, discussion about mine and Take-kun's orientation. My dad gave me a curious look at my reaction but chose to ignore it as he walked to the front door and slipped on his shoes. I followed suit and soon we were silently making our way towards the apartment buildings parking garage.

 

~Takeru's POV~

 

I locked the front door and began what I was sure would be one of the few times that I didn't want to go over to Yama's and dad's apartment. Dad had called and told me to start walking over and not to wait for Dai-chan because he was getting a lift from his father. My knees gave out on me and I collapsed to the floor. Daisuke's dad, one of the biggest homophobes that we know is going to be there when Yamato and dad confronted us about being gay and in love with each other. I trudged along in misery as my mind provided continuous images of what our fathers would do to us when the truth was finally out in the open. I heard a car horn sound from nearby but ignored it until I noticed a car pulling up on the curb beside me. It was Dai-chan and his dad. Dai got out and ran over to me and I thought for a second that he was going to throw himself at me in a glomp, but he restrained himself and instead asked me if I wanted a ride over to Yamato's house. I don't think you could say that Daisuke ever looks scared but the expression on his face is probably the closest that he will ever come to it. I hesitated in answering, thinking that if I walked I could delay the inevitable that much longer, but on the other hand I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Dai-chan before our parents decided to ship us off to the opposite ends of the earth or something else just as drastic. I nodded my head and we both climbed into the back seat and we all three were silent for the rest of the five minute drive.

 

After the tense car ride and the silent elevator ride I decided that my dad had not informed Dai's dad about us being a couple yet, because he looked puzzled and nervous, not angry or resolute. Reaching my dad's door Motomiya-sama took a deep breath and knocked rapidly, as if that action could get this over faster. I was curious now; it seemed that Dai-chan's dad really didn't want to see my dad. Dad opened the door and nodded to Dai's dad, he gave both me and Dai-chan searching looks but still said nothing to any of us, instead in waved his hand for us to enter. In a tight, quiet, controlled voice my dad told me and Dai-chan to sit on the couch while he and Motomiya-san talked. Yamato sat in the chair closest to the door in a blatant warning not to run. Yama stood up from the chair and walked over to where we were sitting and to both my and Dai-chan's utter amazement he wrapped his arms around the both of us in a hug before kissing us both on top of our heads. As he sat back in his chair he gave us gave us a small but genuine smile and said “everything is going to be alright, difficult to hear, but alright.” When we tried to question him he merely shook his head and clammed up. With the adults in the kitchen me and Dai-chan scooted closer together and wrapped our arms around each other's waist, more for comfort that anything intimate. Nii-san looked like he didn't know whether to be amused at our display or something else. I could tell from his shifting expressions that despite his assurances that he had no problem with our being gay, Oni-san was stretching the truth; it did bother him at least somewhat.

 

The sound of a chair scraping across linoleum and a shout from the kitchen distracted me from my thoughts. That was Dai-chan's dad's voice so I guess that my dad just told him about Daisuke and I being gay. There was a muffled but harsh reprimand from my father that I didn't catch and then the sound of something hitting something else. I was afraid that they might be about to fight in there but when no other sound was heard for several minutes all three of us in the living room relaxed just a little. More hushed whispers were heard from the kitchen, followed by more silence, and then more words, and then the sound of two chairs being pushed away from the table. Motomiya-sama walked out first followed by my dad. Both men had tense, serious expressions on their faces. Yama jumped up and offered his chair to Motomiya-sama while dad sat easily in his favorite chair. Both men turned their chairs slightly to better face us and Yama walked around to stand behind us and dropped a reassuring hand on our shoulders and giving us faint squeezes. As they sat there facing us I suddenly knew what a criminal on trial felt like despite the comfort of my Oni-chan's hand on my shoulder.

 

My dad was the one to break the silence, and boy did he waste no time in going for the jugular.

 

“Yamato has told me what he knows, but I want to hear it from the two of you. Are the both of you homosexual?” He received twin nods and sighed out quietly “and the two of you are dating but haven't yet gotten very physical yet?”

 

There was a longer pause before Takeru finally answered since he was the more eloquent of the two. “Yes, Dai-chan and I are dating. We love each other, and yes we've… fooled around some because that's what couples do.” Takeru leaned back into Daisuke's embrace and the two of them looked at the adults fiercely.

 

This time both adults sighed at seeing the expressions on their son's faces and glanced at each other; despite their obvious uneasiness around each other they seemed to be united in this one thing. Takeru's dad once again took up their side of the discussion “we realize that the two of you care a great deal for each other but there is more going on here than what you're aware of.” My dad looked reluctant to keep going and Dai's dad looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. What did they know that could cause them to react this way around each other? My thoughts were interrupted for a second time when dad started talking once more. “TK… how much do you remember about the divorce?”

 

Dai-chan and I give each other confused looks at this strange change of topic but I go ahead and answer the question. “Not a whole lot, I remember missing Yama, and you and mom yelling a lot, and then you wouldn't talk to her, I also remember staying with the elderly lady next door while you were both at court.”

 

“So you don't remember why we separated?”

 

“No, not really, I think it had something to do with mom, but beyond that I really don't know.”

 

“Takeru, your mother and I separated because fifteen years ago she had an affair with Motomiya-san over their. You Takeru were the result of that night. You Daisuke were conceived shortly thereafter due to your father's guilt at having slept with another women, he can explain more about that later. I did not find out about your not being my son until years later when you had a severe cold and I took you to go see our family doctor. He left your chart in the examination room and I happened to pick it up and read over some of the things that I could understand and I noticed that your blood type matched neither your mother's nor mine. I ask the doctor if that was possible and he told me that I was highly unlikely. I went home and that night I confronted your mother, and she admitted outright to having slept with someone else. Things might have gone differently, we might have stayed together if she had shown the slightest bit of remorse for her betrayal, but she is a stubborn, prideful woman and hates to admit when she's wrong. That night I slept on the couch and the next day when she still refused to repent I rented this apartment and filed for divorce.”

 

I glanced over at Dai-chan and he had tears in his eyes. I may have been crying too but I don't know because I was so numb. I shake Yama's hand off my shoulder and quickly stand up. I hear myself saying “I've got to go… I've got to think about this…” but my voice sounds strange even to my ears. I grab Daisuke by the wrist and hastily pull him towards the door were we slip our shoes on. “I… we'll be back later” I say and I move my grip to my Dai-chan's hand and entwine my fingers with his as I open the door and walk out. I don't make it three meters before I began to shake, and my Dai-chan is pulling me into a hug. I suppress the sobs that I can feel trying to work their way out of me; I need to be further away from the source of my misery before I break down totally. Pulling myself together somewhat we make our way out of the apartment and head towards Odaiba's Seaside Park.

 

Reaching the white sandy beaches I collapse onto my bottom and let the tears, the heartache and the betrayal out. I feel my Dai-chan settle in behind me as he wraps his arms around my upper body and pulls me back into his embrace which I gratefully accept. I can feel it as he to trembles and his hot tears are soaking into my shoulder. Both of us have been betrayed by those that are supposed to love us most. I shift around until I'm facing Daisuke and I wrap my arms around him as well. Sometime later the tears stopped but our embrace didn't. I know we probably looked strange sitting in this position in the middle of a public beach but at this moment I don't care, I need the comfort of my lover in my arms.

 

We had yet to speak to each other but soon we would have to talk about this. I love Daisuke; I have for a long time. It grew out of our friendship into something deeper, more meaningful, and even now when I had just learned that we may share the same blood I don't want to let go of this. I want to hold on to it for the rest of my life. One day in the future, if technology can make it happen I want to have kids with him, and if that fails there is always adoption. I want to grow old with him and one day, in the very distant future I want to die with him so our souls can go on together into eternity. All this passes through my mind as I sit there holding onto my most precious possession and I open my mouth, but Daisuke speaks before I can. “I love you Takeru, and I don't want this to change that, if our being brothers, well half-brothers creeps you out and you want to end it I will understand; I'll walk away but I won't be happy about it. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you; ai shiteru Take-chan.” I was a bit shocked when he used that particular phrase, I mean we had told each other we liked each other before but we always used the phrase `…ga suki da' or `daisuki'; Daisuke was now telling me that he loved me just as deeply as I loved him. I pull him into an even tighter hug and say “ai shiteru too, Dai-chan.”

 

Our happy moment is ended by a loud, almost angry yell. I lift my head to see if we need to be worried or not only to see Taichi running towards us followed by Hikari-chan. Instead of stopping like I expect him too he charges right up to us, grabs us by the front of the shirts, pulls us up to our feet, and gets right up in our faces. Hikari-chan looks worried at her brother reaction to the way we were cuddled up together. “What in the hell do you think you're doing” he screams. Man, Taichi-sempai needs to learn to chill out I think to myself. Then thinking that might be a good idea I say it out loud. Taichi reacts predictably by giving me a hard shake to which Dai-chan reacts predictably by getting violent. My fiery little red-head brings his arms up to break Taichi's hold on his shirt then he goes for Taichi's other arm which is attached to me while at the same time he gives the older man a hard shove backwards. It works and Taichi is forced to release me to maintain his balance. My Dai-chan wraps an arm around me to steady me then he places himself in front of me in an effort to shield me from Taichi's next attack which never comes because Hikari is standing between us now too and she's screaming at her brother. “Taichi you big oaf what do you think you're doing, you just attacked Take-kun, and Dai-kun for no reason whatsoever. You big imbecile if you had looked closer you would have noticed that they have been crying. Damnit Taichi, they're best friends, they're entitled to be a little close don't you think?”

 

Taichi has stopped growling and appears to be searching our faces. I stare at him in open defiance, letting him see the drying tear tracks that I know are running down my face. I guess that Taichi finally decides that things are the way his sister says they are because he finally hangs his head and almost appears to collapse in on himself. “I'm sorry guys I just thought…”

 

“I know what you thought” I scathingly cut him off “but would you really hate us that much if we were?”

 

Daisuke picks up where I left off “we've had a really bad day today and we really need to talk to Hikari-chan for a few minutes so Taichi if you'll go on doing whatever it was you were doing before we'd appreciate it.” Wow since when have I become the hot tempered one and Daisuke acts like the mediator.

 

“I'm sorry, I just think of you two as little brothers so I get overprotective sometimes; I just don't want to see either of you getting hurt and if people see the two of you in the position that we found you in it could starts rumors, and that could be a bad thing here in Odaiba” Taichi sort of stutters out.

 

I can't help it, my crappy day has destroyed my mood controller and Taichi has made himself a convenient target. “So it's okay for you to hurt us so long as no one else does” I say to him.

 

Taichi looks crushed and I can't help but regret saying that to him, but still it was something he needs to hear because someday; maybe someday soon; Dai-chan and I will tell the rest of our group about our relationship and we don't want to loss any of our friends because of it. Taichi turns to leave and I feel the need to take at least some of the sting away from my words. “Taichi” I call to him “I too think of you as a brother and brothers sometimes hurt each other but I hope that in the future you will stop to think before rushing into a situation half cocked again. I don't want you to get hurt either.”

 

Taichi looks a little better as he gives us a nod and turns to walk back towards town. Hikari gives us a sympathetic look before hugging us both and pulling us back down to sit in the sand. Hikari launches straight into us with the questions “you two look horrible what's wrong?”

 

I give Daisuke a look even as he gives me a look and we both silently agree. I ask Hikari-chan “do you want the short version or the long one?”

 

She is looking at us funny and it takes me a few seconds to figure out that she just witnessed us having a silent conversation. I blush deeply at this and Hikari-chan gets a predatory gleam in her eyes. “Oh I think I'd like to hear ALL the little details of this story if you don't mind.”

 

Dai-chan finally figures out that Hikari has figured out that we're a couple now and he to blushes, which is something I never thought I'd live to see.

 

We take turns telling her an abbreviated version of Friday night, our shopping trip Saturday, Yama's discovery of our relationship, our sleepless night last night, and finally our meeting this morning. “…and so even though we apparently share the same father we've decided to continue dating. We love each other to much to give up now on our relationship now and beside nobody else knows that we're brothers except our immediate families and you. Hopefully they will all continue to keep this a secret though even if it does get out we really don't care. Our more immediate concern is how the rest of the digidestined will react to having a gay couple in the group, and if your brother's reaction was any indication then we're in trouble.”

 

“Don't worry about my brother I've been working on him for the past few years, softening him up so to speak, and after he makes it home and has time to think about what exactly it was he did he'll be hunting you two down in order to give you both a real apology, not that half ass thing he tried to get away with earlier.”

 

“Getting back to the other digidestined” I continued “do you think we should tell them as a group or individually?”

 

“Oh definitely as a group, that way everybody hears about it at the same time so nobody has a chance to spread the story around and give out wrong information. As for how the others will react, that I cannot predict. We've never really talked openly about homosexuality so I don't rightly know what their opinions are on the matter. Just remember you'll always have my support, and Yamato says that he has no real problem with the two of you being gay, he's just worried about you two being in love with each other. Taichi just needs time to get his head out of his ass and figure out that the two of you really care for each other and that so long as you have the support of your friends then trouble won't be so eager to come hunting for you.”

 

My Dai-koi seems to consider this for a moment then say's “so we call a group meeting one night this week when we can all get together and Take-chan and I come out of the closet by announcing our coupledom. We try to placate anybodies ruffled sense of propriety by appealing to their friendship and our group unity. Hopefully that will mollify anyone who doesn't agree with our being gay.”

 

I'm pretty sure my jaw was hanging open; I know Kari-chan's was. Daisuke noticed the two of us staring at him and he immediately began to whine. “What?” he inquired.

 

“Dai-chan” Kari began “not to sound mean or anything but do you know what half of those big words you just spoke mean?'

 

“Humph” Daisuke began to pout “this shows just how much faith you two really have in me. For your information Ken has been tutoring me in Language and History. He says that those are the two areas that I need the most help in. according to Ken I'm only slightly below average in my math skills and a little hard work will pull me right up so he's helping me in other areas that I'm having trouble in.”

 

Hikari and I both look at each other and then fall back onto the sand laughing at the wounded tone of voice that my Dai-koi is trying to fake and the enthusiastically proud one that he can't quite cover up. It feels good to laugh again. I thought that after today's revelations that I wouldn't be smiling again for a while. I guess that life really does go on even when we feel like it ought to be stopping and mourning with us. I turn to Daisuke who is now back to his normally exuberant self and ask the other think that has been bothering me for a little while. “So Dai-koi, knowing what you know now, are you going home or would you like to see if Yama will put us up for a while?”

 

“I think that for now I'm still to upset to face my…our father right now. I still love him and care for him, which I wasn't to sure about earlier, but for now I need time to come to grips with this new information. What about you are you ready to confront your mother yet?”

 

“No I'm not that's why I was asking you if you were ready. I'm still mad about the fact that she was so stubborn when dad confronted her about the affair and then instead of working it out with my dad she had to go and let her pride get in the way.” I pause and give the two of them puzzled looks. “God this is so confusing, is he still really my father, I mean after all the only son he sired was Yamato. My biological father is Motomiya-san not the man I grow up calling father.” After this outburst I drop my head down onto my knee's and did my best to hold the tears in.

 

Dai-koi moved in on one side of me and gave me a hug while Kari-chan did the same on the other. Hikari-chan was the first to speak “listen to me both of you I know they say that blood is thicker than water but sometimes blood relations aren't everything. I mean look at you two, you share blood yet you're carrying on with your relationship because you love each other to much to give up on the wonderful thing you both have. The same is true with your legal father Takeru, it's his name on your birth certificate and according to my limited understanding of the law that make him your legal father, but beyond that he's the one that you have the closest emotional bonds with. Just because you've been made aware of something that you have no control over don't let that destroy all those happy memories that you have of the man you have always called your father.”

 

“Wow” Daisuke says looking stunned “that's deep.”

 

And once again Hikari and I are thrown into another laughing fit even as my tears continue to fall.

 

~Daisuke's POV~

 

Okay so Yama's dad had no problem with us crashing at his place. My dad was also understanding and told me to take all the time I needed to sort myself out. Takeru's mom was less understanding until Takeru told her exactly why he needed to stay away from her for a short while, and then she was only slightly more sympathetic. All the adults (including Yamato) have some lingering reservations about our continuing relationship but their not trying to put a stop to it. I think that they realize that it's better to allow us to continue seeing each other somewhat openly so they can keep some control over what we do instead of them forbidding us to see each other and us pulling a Romeo and Juliet on them (or in our case a Romeo and Romeo, ha, ha). Also I think the whole guilt thing is playing a part in our parents' easy acceptance of us as well.

 

Staying with Yama and his dad is great because we're able to spend even more time together. I know that Takeru and I can't stay there forever and that we're going to have to return to our separate homes sooner rather than later but its heavenly having him close by all the time. And the sharing a bed is awesome too, even if we do have to leave the door open at night.

 

Right now Yama, Keru-chan, and I are walking over to the Yagami's place for mine and Keru-chan's big coming out surprise party only the surprise will be on everyone else not us, I think, or something like that. We're about five minute's late but that's okay because we already planned on being the last one's to show up therefore giving the other's less time to try and interrogate us about why we called the meeting in the first place. Yama, Kari-chan, Keru-chan, and I spent a lot of time this week discussing whether to tell the others about our convoluted parentage and in the end we all decided that it would be in our best interest to tell no one else about our secret.

 

We all walked into Kari-chan's apartment building and rode the elevator up to her floor. Yamato was the one to knock when we finally reached the right apartment. Mrs. Yagami greeted us and after the normal pleasantries she informed us that the others had gathered in Taichi's room. We hadn't seen Tai seen the incident at the beach and I was kinda nervous about facing him again. As soon as we walked through the door and saw him smiling at us and looking nervous I knew we had nothing to worry about, from him anyway, the others I wasn't so sure about.

 

“Finally the stragglers arrive” Miyako said as she punched me in the arm, after she'd given both me and Take-chan a hug. “You've got some nerve calling a meeting and then arriving late.” I could tell she wasn't seriously angry about our late arrival because she had already returned to her position of reclining on the bed next to Mimi (who had arrived via the digital world) and Sora, her two mentors.

 

I glanced around and noticed that everyone else was already here. Take-chan must have noticed this too because he began speaking. “Okay everyone this isn't a critical meeting so after Dai-kun and I tell you what we called you all here for why don't we go out for pizza.” Several affirmative noises were made to indicate everyone's agreement. “Well” Take-chan started then paused. I sensed his hesitation and decided to get this over with. “Take-chan and I are gay and we're dating.” My announcement was meet by silence. Okay I really could have said that in a more diplomatic manner.

 

We should have been able to predict their reactions when they finally came but sometimes even the most optimistic person has to be a little pessimistic, and vice versa. There were several groans of protest and two distinct `Yes's'. Take-chan and I glanced around in confusion until we noticed money changing hands. “You were betting on us!” I exclaimed. Miyako was too busy collecting money from Sora and Mimi to answer my question, while our innocent little Iori was being handed several large bills from Ken, Koushiro, and Jyou.

 

~Takeru's POV~

 

After several minutes I was able to drag a still grumbling and pacing Daisuke down into a sitting position in front of me on the floor. As he settled himself down into a comfortable position between my outstretched legs and my arms wrapped around him he finally calmed down, at least until all the awes of admiration sounded followed by one wolf whistle from Miyako. “Is this what we have to look forward to every time we're together in front of them from now on” my Dai-koi asked no one in particular as he tried to hide his slight blush. Kari-chan was the one to answer with a simple “yep.”

 

Jyou being the practical one brought everyone's attention back to the situation at hand. “Okay now that Takeru and Daisuke have decided to be open about their relationship what do we as a group do to keep them safe and free from harm?”

 

Yama was the first to speak up “well first off anyone who hurts my little brothers' will have to answer to me.” Taichi also finally spoke up “I'm in agreement with Yama-kun, anyone hurting you two will find themselves getting up close and personal with my fist, and about the other day… I'm sorry about that outburst it was uncalled for under any circumstances but especially those, so I'm sorry.”

 

Koushiro looked questioningly at Taichi during his apology but said nothing about it. “I have some ideas about how to handle those people that don't go for physical violence against you two but who instead try to bring you down verbally and/or emotionally. I have several ways of getting revenge and sending warnings online without much risk of being traced.”

 

Daisuke jumped up dragging me with him “well now that all that's decided its pizza time!” I laughed because I could hear him under his breath muttering “pizza, pizza, pizza…”

 

“Okay, okay Daisuke we know better than to get between you and food, and since you two were the one's to call this meeting I think that you should be the one's to buy our first pizza pie.”

 

As we walked out of the Yagamis' front door I was to busy laughing at my Dai-koi's crestfallen expression to worry to much about what tomorrow might bring, but I knew that with friends like the ones we have we'd be able to face anything that life threw at us.

 

 

FIN

 

A/N: I'm having computer trouble so my infrequent updates may be coming even more infrequently, at least until I can save up enough money to get a new laptop, my apologies in advance.

 

Word count: 5,691