Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Double-Sided Mirror ❯ + fire + ( Chapter 1 )

This is a VERY screwed up story... takes place between Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02; around Christmas, 2000. >< This is a REALLY screwed up story... I was listening to the Angel Sanctuary ending theme when writing some of it... ^^; It'll eventually have eight chapters, this being the first; I'll try to get one out every two weeks or so - but, knowing me, this will probably not be so. -.- ^^; So... e-mail moi at ShadowKitty909@msn.com with any questions, rants, flames, comments, etc. (Oh, yes - flames greatly accepted. ^^ Oh, how I DOES love getting these... >< though I've never gotten one. Poo. MUST DO BADLY AT THINGS!!!) ^^; There will be NO romance in this story, though there will be hints of pretty much everything. ::winces:: Okay, maybe some Taishirou... I HAVE BECOME A HOPELESS FANATIC. ^_^ I'm also using the North American form of telling time and measuring degrees and stuff, for the benefit of the readers and myself. ^^; ::clears throat:: Enough babbling, just attempt to enjoy the ficcie. ^_^

Oh - and, to differentiate Shuu from Shin (when Jou is talking about them), I will refer to Shin as 'oniichan' and Shuu as 'oniisan' (because of the ages). ^_^

Oh, and ONE MORE THING - I'm guessing on the Chosen Children's religions. As Hikari and Takeru have angels for Digimon, and Hikari's image song is 'Holy Light', I'm assuming they're Christian. And Jou's crest is 'Faith', along with it being a cross... so I guessed he was Christian, too. Even though he knew a Buddhist chant in that one episode... LUR!! ^^; It doesn't really matter either way, though: even though most of the Japanese population isn't Christian, they celebrate Christmas anyway. ^_^ It's more of a commercial thing, however. >< That's it... sorry for all the notes, I'll leave you to read on now... ^^;

Oh, yeah, one more thing: I don't own Digimon. ^_~

+fire+

The young boy sat on the windowsill, enveloped in a sweatshirt proclaiming "Odaiba Elementary School" far too big for him. A pair of sports goggles, usually strapped to his head to semi-tame his unruly hair, hung around his neck in the image of an unusual necklace. He sighed, and pressed his forehead against the window, made cold by the flurries of snow that passed outside.

It was nearing Christmas - the time of year when children were perpetually happy, wrapped up in dreams of the time when they would be free to rip the binding paper from their presents, waiting under the tree to tease them with every passing day. Of the enormous Christmas dinners, when a family would gather around the table and stuff their faces, the parents listening to their children tell of what they would do with their new items through mouthfuls of turkey. A time of family, when grandparents would tell stories of past Christmases to the younger generations as they warmed themselves by the fire. He was not an unusual boy - athletic and rather high-strung, he had an eternally optimistic view of the world, even at the lowest points of his life. He had always been the one who would lay in bed on Christmas Eve, not a bit tired, excitedly informing his younger sister of his plans for the rest of the night - ("I'm going to stay up late, and see if Santa Claus really exists!"). She, wise beyond her years, would tell him quite sternly to shut up and go to sleep - and he did, though not without throwing a few well-placed insults back at her. He was always the first to fall asleep, and always the first to wake up in the morning (which, on Christmas Day, qualified as about 5 o' clock).

Maybe it was his coming of age - he was 12 this year, and beginning (though very slowly) to mature. But somehow... he wasn't quite as enthusiastic as he usually was.

"Onii-chan?" He turned at the sound of the nickname, and saw his younger sister, now nine, standing in the doorway. Concern was etched into her face. The cat, Miiko, in her arms, she crossed the room and joined him. "Thinking deep thoughts?" she whispered, joining him at the windowsill.

He shrugged, scratching Miiko behind the ear. "I'm fine."

"Oh, come on, Taichi," the girl said sternly. "I know you far better than that. You're acting like you were last year, right after -"

"It's not that," the boy named Taichi said harshly, twisting slightly to face her. "There's nothing wrong with me, Hikari."

She said nothing, though her eyes flickered with something like sorrow. There was a strange silence, until Miiko meowed loudly, wishing to be put down. The girl obliged, and stood up. She wouldn't met her brother's eyes. "Well, you'll be ready for the Christmas party, then. And if you haven't cheered up by then, they'll notice, too." She then left, leaving him to stare out the window.

What is reality, really? Is it simply what is, with no question, or how one percepts things? For these two children, and their group of friends, reality has been tested before, but never as severely as it is about to be.

What is real, and what isn't? Is it within the limits of one's mind... or can it go further?

* * * * *

The party was really two things merged into one, one part a lot more pleasant than the other. Tachikawa Mimi, a rather precocious girl of eleven, was moving away - to New York City, no less. When showed the distance between this city and Tokyo during school, she had burst into tears of frustration.

"It's so far AWAY!" She wailed between choked sobs, with a finger on each city. "All the way across the map!"

Izumi Koushirou, her classmate and friend, attempted to explain. "The Earth is ROUND, Mimi-san," he said kindly, feeling rather awkward. He had made her cry once before and hadn't really planned on doing it again. "Japan and America are really much closer together. Do you want to see the globe ... ?"

"Oh, KOUSHIROU!" She wailed, "I'm going to miss you SO much!" She had then commenced in throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing into his chest.

Koushirou hadn't been greatly flattered by the whole experience. When he met up with Taichi in the hall later, glaring at anyone who happened to make eye contact with him, he was apoplectic with rage. The older boy could even make out a tic going in his forehead. "I can't STAND her! She started crying and hugging me in the middle of class, and now everyone thinks I'm her BOYFRIEND!"

Taichi grinned at him. "Aren't you?"

"NO!" Koushirou yelled, and attracted quite a few stares.

He really couldn't stay angry at Mimi for long, though; besides it being impossible, Christmas was catching up with him, as well as the rest of the Chosen Children. When the date of the aforementioned party came, he was the first to arrive, looking strangely cut off without his Pineapple laptop slung over his back.

Hikari answered the door, Miiko trailing along at her feet. "You're here early," she observed, as the eleven-year-old boy closed the door behind himself and slipped off his shoes. He shrugged his narrow shoulders, and gave her a rare smile. "I decided to help you and Taichi-san with the party - and I thought I would get here early anyway," he added.

Hikari said nothing to this; she didn't need to. She motioned for him to follow her, then shuffled down the hall and swung open the door to her brother's room.

Taichi was seated on the windowsill again, his knees hugged to his chest. He chewed absently on his goggles strap, eyes distant and unfocused. Hikari's eyes, however, were not on her onii-chan, but on Koushirou; he was difficult to read at the best of times, and now it was nearly impossible. She suddenly realized she was glad it was he who had come first - Takenouchi Sora and Ishida Yamato were the only others that would really have any idea of what was going on in Taichi's head, and neither of them would be as much help as Koushirou: Sora would simply worry, and Yamato, though he would know exactly what Taichi was thinking, probably wouldn't know how to deal with it; he wasn't big on emotions. Koushirou wasn't, either, but he seemed to know more about Taichi in general, and how he reacted to things. Hikari had a feeling, however odd it may be, that Koushirou would be able to find out why her brother was acting so strange.

Koushirou crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. "Hikari-chan," he said softly, "How long has he been like this?"

Hikari bit her lip. "I'm not really sure... I mean, most of the time - like around otousan and okaasan - he's fine, but... sometimes, when they're not here..." She shrugged, feeling generally hopeless.

Koushirou's onyx eyes flickered, and he crossed the room, placing a hand gently on Taichi's shoulder. "Taichi-san...?"

Taichi tensed, and slowly averted his head to glance over his shoulder. "Koushirou..." Taichi managed a shaky smile. "You're..."

"Early, I know," Koushirou said evenly, taking a seat across from his friend on the windowsill. "And a good thing I was, too." He stared at Taichi, his face calm, and said, "Well? Aren't you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Taichi hesitated, and opened his mouth to speak - but was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. He jumped to his feet, obviously relieved at a chance to get away, and ran out the door, yelling, "Coming!"

Koushirou shrugged, and shifted his gaze to Hikari. She said nothing, just regarded him thoughtfully, then said, slowly, "What do you think?"

Koushirou shook his head. "I don't know... it's not like Taichi-san to be so enigmatic. There's obviously something going on in his head..."

"He almost told you," Hikari said attempting at a smile and failing. "You got closer than I did."

Koushirou frowned. "Hikari-chan..."

"He can talk to you," Hikari said bitterly, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. "He never talks to me anymore. Not about anything important, anyway." She laughed softly to herself. There was no mirth in her voice. "I knew we'd grow apart someday... I thought it'd be later, at least. You know, the whole teenage thing..." She shook her head despairingly. "What am I telling all this to you for, anyway?"

"You should probably tell someone, anyway," Koushirou said softly. "It's not good for you to keep everything locked up inside."

"Isn't that what you do?" Hikari snapped, completely uncharacteristically.

Koushirou, taken aback, stared at her. Yet said nothing.

"Hikari? Koushirou?" Taichi slipped back into the room, and looked from one child to the other. "What's the matter with you guys? Mimi-chan's here."

"Haaa-aaii!" Mimi followed him, smiling. "I came here EXTRA early, so I could spend extra time with my friends! Before..." She trailed off, her eyes misting over.

Taichi sweatdropped. "Mimi-chan... don't start again..."

"Come on, Mimi-san," Hikari said softly, smiling at her. "You'd rather spend time with us than cry, right?"

Mimi sniffed, but her tears dried up quickly enough. "You're RIGHT, Hikari-chan! This is going to be the best party ever, right?"

"Sure," Taichi said, grinning. "As soon as everyone gets here." He turned to Koushirou. "Koushirou, do you want to..." he trailed off, realizing that Koushirou wasn't paying any attention to him. The eleven-year-old boy, instead, was staring out the window. Taichi frowned, and walked over to stand beside him. "Ne, Koushirou. What's the matter?"

Koushirou pointed out the window. "It's snowing."

Taichi's eyes widened. "Wow... and a LOT, too!" He pressed his forehead against the glass, grinning. "Hey, I wonder if we'll get off school?"

"Oniichan, we've only got a few more days," Hikari said, sighing.

"So?"

Mimi frowned. "That's really weird... it wasn't snowing at all when I walked over here."

"Huh. Must be one of those freak snowstorms." Taichi straightened, and grabbed Koushirou's hand. "Come on, Koushirou, you're being kind of weird. Come and help me with the tree; otousan and okaasan aren't home yet, and I need help putting it up..."

The two of them left: Koushirou looking a bit dazed, but grateful at being included. Hikari and Mimi glanced at each other, and Hikari called, "Oniichan! Mimi-san and I will be in the kitchen, okay?"

"Oh, are we going to make the food?" Mimi smiled. "That'll be fun!"

"Well, it's mostly already made... but there are still some things to do."

"Oh... well, I guess that's a good thing. I'd probably mess it up, anyway - I'm not the best cook. Okaasan does it all."

Hikari giggled. "My okaasan can't cook at all - that's why my otousan did it all."

"Oh. Well, that makes sense."

* * * * *

Takaishi Takeru, aged nine, sat in a chair in his father's house and twiddled his thumbs. He hadn't been here for a while - his parents were divorced - so he felt slightly out-of-place. He pulled his knees to his chest, and turned to the tall boy standing by the closed door to his twelve-year-old brother's room. "Ne, Jou-san... is oniisan done yet?"

Thirteen-year-old Kido Jou shrugged. "I guess so... I think he's just looking for his jacket."

Takeru cocked his head. " Is that what he said?"

"Yeah." Jou crossed his arms over his chest, staring thoughtfully at the clock across the room and said nothing more.

Takeru swept his blonde hair out of his eyes (he refused to spike it like his brother did). "Will you be able to come closer to Christmas?" Unlike the rest of the Chosen Children, he and Jou didn't live in Odaiba, and had to take a long bus ride to get there. They had actually been on the same bus today, and were making a short stop at the Ishida's before going on to the Yagami's.

Jou winced. "I dunno... ever since my last birthday, my parents have been making me pay for EVERYTHING... they say I have to 'be ready for the real world'. And oniichan keeps getting all my money off me..."

Takeru's eyes rounded. "He steals from you?"

Jou rolled his eyes. "Oh, of course not. Oniichan wouldn't sink that low. He just SOMEHOW gets me into all these absurd bets, and ALWAYS wins..." Jou sighed. "I think high school has twisted his brain. I can't WAIT until I go..."

Takeru was about to reply - something along the lines of 'neither can I' - but didn't, on hearing his older brother's voice from inside his room. "A-HA!!"

Jou shrugged at Takeru, and the older boy knocked on the door. "Found it?"

"Yeah." The door swung open, and Ishida Yamato stepped out, a thin-looking jacket pulled over his shoulders. He glanced at it disapprovingly. "It better be enough, after all I went through..."

Jou glanced briefly into Yamato's room before the younger boy slammed the door shut. "Yamato, your room is a toxic waste dump!"

"Call it an experiment," Yamato said dryly. " I was sick last week... so I was going to see if otousan would do it if I didn't..."

Takeru gave him a weird look.

Yamato glared defiantly back. "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time! Come on, stop looking at me like I'm an idiot -"

Jou sighed, and shook his head. "Come on, we should go - before that snow gets worse."

"Snow?" Takeru looked out the window curiously. "Weird... I didn't even notice..." He stood up, and made his way over to the door and opened it. It was still inside, an apartment building hallway, but Takeru still thought it felt colder. He glanced over his shoulder. "Are you two coming?"

"Yeah. Of course." Yamato joined him, followed by Jou, and the three of them left the apartment.

* * * * *

The doorbell rang, causing Koushirou to fall over.

Taichi glanced at him curiously. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," Koushirou muttered, pulling himself to his feet. "Your doorbell is LOUD."

"Or maybe you're just jumpy," Taichi observed. He heard the door open, and Hikari's voice. "Sora-san!"

"Good afternoon, Hikari-chan," A sweet voice, much in tone like Hikari's, answered. "I'm not late, am I?"

"Oh, no, of course not," Hikari said cheerfully. "Only Koushirou-san and Mimi-san are here so far..."

Koushirou listened to this intently, his curiosity about Hikari increasing. How was it she was able to act completely normal, and socialize with other people so easily, when she was obviously struggling with something so serious inside?

Of course...

His eyes turned to Taichi, who stared back, his eyebrows raised slightly. He's doing the same thing, isn't he?

Koushirou shook his head, and looked away. The Yagamis were a weird family.

It was then that twelve-year-old Takenouchi Sora entered the room, a winter hat pulled over her red hair. "Hey, Taichi. Koushirou-kun." Both boys said their 'hellos', and the girl joined them. "What're you doing?"

"We just finished putting up the tree," Koushirou said, smirking. It was huge, and brushed the top of the already high apartment ceiling. He, Sora, Mimi, and Yamato weren't actually Christian (Yamato and Takeru's mother had been, so she converted his religion along with his last name when their parents divorced), but everyone celebrated Christmas in Japan, anyway. It was more of a commercial thing than in other countries, but Koushirou enjoyed it, anyway. An excuse to get off school, anyway. He may like computers, but he reacted to school and homework like a normal eleven-year-old boy. Also, he had been getting tired of people snickering at him in the halls, anyway. He smirked again, and decided to act distant around Mimi until she broke down and started apologizing. It was rather cruel, but sufficient payback. Besides, it would probably take about five minutes. At the most. Mimi was rather... emotional.

Sora raised an eyebrow. " It took you that long?"

Taichi glared at her. "Oh, come on. It's... HUGE! I'd like YOU to try!"

"Sure." She paused. "I would have made you two help me, though."

"That kind of defeats the point, Sora-san," Koushirou commented.

Sora shrugged, and glanced at the doorway. "Oh, whatever... what are Mimi-chan and Hikari-chan doing?"

Taichi scratched his head. "Doing something in the kitchen, I think. They should be done by now." He ran out into the hall. "HIKARI! MIMI-CHAN! Are you done yet?"

"Yeah." Hikari entered the room, followed by Mimi. "We were done a while ago, actually."

Taichi stared at her. "What have you been doing, then? When you COULD HAVE BEEN helping Koushirou and I put up this STUPID TREE?"

"We were ACTUALLY playing cards." The younger Yagami sibling held up a deck of playing cards. "And we would have been glad to help you, had you so much as asked."

Taichi glared at her, but couldn't come up with a stunning comeback. So he simply kicked the tree.

It wobbled dangerously. Koushirou raised his eyebrows, and said, "Taichi-san... you really shouldn't do that."

Taichi glared at him. "Why not?"

"Because it would be rather unfortunate if it fell over and killed you."

Taichi sighed, and collapsed to his knees. "The world is against me."

Mimi giggled, and the doorbell rang again. She and Hikari both yelled, "I'LL GET IT!" at the same time, and ran out into the hall.

"Oh, stop moping," Sora said, pulling Taichi to his feet. "It's Christmas, Taichi."

"I know, I know," Taichi said, rolling his eyes, but he couldn't help but grin.

* * * * *

It was Mimi who answered the door. She stared at the three of them cluelessly: Yamato, leaning against the wall, seemingly disinterested; Jou who had rung the doorbell, cleaning off his fogged glasses with his scarf; and Takeru, standing next to him, shivering in the cold. The girl noticed that all three were covered in snow (which was still falling -- it looked like it was over a foot already), so she opened the door wider and ushered them all in. Hikari, who was standing off to the side, smiled at them. "Hello, everyone. I guess we're all here now... I'll go tell oniichan." She ran out of them room.

Jou sighed. "Sorry if we got here a little late..."

"I had to take precautions so I wouldn't freeze to death," Yamato said calmly.

Mimi laughed. "You still look pretty cold to me... I made some hot chocolate; want some to warm you up?"

"YES," Takeru said forcefully, and Jou chuckled, while Yamato rolled his eyes. "You should have let okaasan turn you into a walking snow gear advertisement, like she wanted to."

"NO," Takeru protested. "I can hardly walk! Besides, it's embarrassing..."

The three boys followed Mimi into the kitchen, and found Sora sitting barefoot in one of the chairs at the table, sipping her own hot chocolate. "Hey, everyone," She said cheerfully. "You look... cold."

"Why must everyone rub it in?" Jou muttered, exasperated.

* * * * *

"I," Yamato, who was sitting in a lumpy armchair, announced, "am completely stuffed."

"Join the club," Jou muttered. The thirteen-year-old boy was currently slumped against the wall, ready to dash to the bathroom if he felt the need to puke.

"I'm going to explode," Mimi moaned. She was flat on her back on the floor, staring at the ceiling with a glazed expression on her face. "Hikari-chan, why did your okaasan make so MUCH?"

"It's your own fault for eating too much," Hikari, who had hardly eaten anything, said sensibly. She was sitting by Mimi's head on the rug, watching her with an amused expression on her face. "You didn't have to eat it ALL, you know."

"We didn't," Takeru said, sighing. "There's still more..." He was sitting with his back against the side of the chair his older brother was in.

"You should all take responsibility for your own health," Taichi said righteously, taking another bite of a cookie. He and Koushirou were sitting by the fire, the elder boy's plate still filled with delicious and, to most of the children, nauseating food.

"Oh, shut up, Taichi," Yamato snapped. "You ate more than all of the rest of us!"

"Well, I didn't over-stuff myself," Taichi said cheerfully.

"Shut up, Taichi," Jou muttered. "And stop eating; I swear I'm going to throw up if I see anything edible for the next twenty-four hours."

"Or maybe longer," Koushirou added, and grinned, rather uncharacteristically. He, of course, had hardly eaten anything either. "Still... it was funny seeing all of you eating like that..."

"I'm going to gain SO MUCH WEIGHT!!" Mimi wailed. "And I wanted to have a good first impression when I got to America!"

Sora, who was stretched out on the floor on the other side of Mimi, rolled her eyes. "Mimi-chan..."

Hikari frowned. "Oniichan... what time is it?"

Taichi glanced at a clock. "Uh... almost nine. Why?"

Hikari shrugged. "Well... don't you think okaasan and otousan would have gotten home by now?"

Everyone considered this for a moment, and Taichi got to his feet. "You're right..." He crossed to the window, took a look outside, and paled considerably. Without another word, he ran down the hall and into his room.

Sora frowned, and sat up. "Taichi?"

Taichi ran back into, looking mildly unsettled. "Uh... everyone?"

"What, Taichi?" Yamato asked, sitting up. "Do you see Godzilla?"

"Very funny." Taichi scratched his head. "Would it be bad if I said the snow was, say, four feet high?"

Everyone stared at him. "You're KIDDING," Yamato finally said.

"How can you tell, anyway?" Takeru asked from his spot on the floor. "We're several floors up, aren't we?"

"He's got a point, Taichi," Jou said.

"That's why I went into my room." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I've got access to the balcony."

Hikari got to her feet, troubled. "That's right... oh, this is bad. No wonder okaasan and otousan aren't home yet."

Koushirou shrugged. "They probably won't get home until morning..." He paused a moment. "And if that's the case, neither will we..."

Jou hugged his knees to his chest. "So... we're staying the night?"

"I guess so." Koushirou glanced at Taichi. "You won't kick us out, will you?"

The idea was so absurd that Taichi burst out laughing. "No, of course not! Especially not you, Koushirou, now that you've asked such a stupid question."

Hikari giggled. "Sora-san, Mimi-san, come with me: we'll get you two set up in my room..." The three girls exited, though Mimi needed some help being dragged from the floor.

Taichi sighed. "Okay... now we have to figure out a way to squeeze the five of us into my bedroom..."

"Ah, it's possible, Taichi-san," Koushirou said, smirking. "Your bedroom isn't THAT small..."

"And I could stay here for the rest of the night," Jou said weakly.

"You weakling," Yamato teased him.

Jou glared at him. "I noticed you haven't moved yet either, Yamato!"

Yamato shrugged. "I'm just... comfortable."

Takeru rolled his eyes, then stood up and yanked his older brother out of his chair. Yamato hit the floor in a tangle of appendages, a twisted look on his face. "OW... my stomach..."

Taichi snickered, then burst out laughing. Yamato glared at him. "SHUT UP, Taichi! Takeru, that was... uncalled for."

Takeru laughed, and pulled Yamato to his feet. "You're welcome, niisan."

* * * * *

"I think I shrunk."

Koushirou stared at Takeru. "I think you did, too." He looked down at himself. "Come to think of it, so did I. Taichi-san, why are all your clothes so BIG?"

Taichi shrugged. "I don't know... they're big on me, too, actually. Okaasan always buys my clothes big."

Takeru sighed. "MY okaasan doesn't. They're all too small..."

Yamato grinned at him. "That's because she's used to you being a shrimp. You grew about a foot in the last year."

Takeru threw a pillow at his head. "NIISAN!!"

Yamato caught it, and threw it back, grinning. "It's true, though!"

Takeru glared at him. "... So?"

Jou laughed. "Don't be so sensitive, Takeru-kun."

"I'm not!"

The five boys were in Taichi's room, about a half hour after the "Yamato-falling-out-of-his-chair" incident. Their own clothes were stashed with their winter clothing by the door -- they had all borrowed from Taichi, so they wouldn't have to sleep in their clothes.

Yamato glanced out the window, and sighed. "It's still snowing... how will we ever get out of here?"

"It's like those heavy snowstorms in really cold countries," Jou said thoughtfully, pushing his glasses up his nose. "They get trapped in their own homes, and are eventually forced to eat each other..."

"That's DISGUSTING," Takeru said, his eyes wide. Yamato stared at Jou accusingly, and said, "Jou... it's times like this that I really don't want to hear about stuff like that."

Jou blushed. "I'm sorry... I guess I'm kind of nervous..."

"Don't be," Taichi said cheerfully. "Okaasan just went on a huge grocery shopping spree yesterday."

Jou facefaulted. "Taichi..."

Takeru leaned forward, his eyes even wider, and whispered, "Do they REALLY eat each other?"

Koushirou sighed heavily.

There was a loud knock on the door, and everyone jumped. "Yes?" Taichi called nervously.

"Can we come in?" came Mimi's voice from behind the door.

"Unless you boys are doing something manly that we shouldn't be a part of," Sora added dryly.

Taichi rolled his eyes, and said, "Yeah, you can come in."

The door swung open, and Sora, Mimi, and Hikari spilled in, each making herself at home. They were each wearing different clothes, which must have been Hikari's (though how Mimi and Sora managed to fit into them was unknown). Hikari pulled her knees to her chest, and smiled. "Have we missed anything?"

"Besides Jou grossing us all out, no," Yamato said, smirking at Jou.

Jou glared back at him. "Oh, shut up! I was making an innocent comment!"

Sora shook her head, sighing. "I won't ask..."

They talked for a while longer, about things at school, home, and anything else anyone could think of to keep their minds off of the falling snow outside. It was almost ten when Hikari fell asleep.

Takeru yawned loudly, and buried his face in his pillow. "Sleep doesn't seem like such a bad idea..."

Sora picked Hikari up, being careful not to wake her, and Mimi opened the door. "We'll see you guys in the morning," she whispered before she exited.

"Maybe the snow will have gone down by then," Sora added, and followed her, shutting the door behind her.

Yamato yawned, and curled into a ball. "I doubt it."

Jou, who was closest to the window, glanced out briefly. "It's still snowing... just barely, but it's still going." He sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I wonder what caused it?"

"It must have been like Taichi-san said," Koushirou said, more to himself than the others. He leaned against the wall, lost in thought. "A freak snowstorm..."

"Mmm." Taichi was only about half awake. "Could someone turn out the light?"

"Okay..." Jou pulled himself to his feet, and crossed the room to flick the switch on the wall, plunging them into instant darkness.

* * * * *

Midnight.

Koushirou listened to a distant bell, a far-off reminder of a world that had very soon grown dim in his memory, toll twelve. He was, as far as he knew, the only one still awake. He had been tired enough, but his brain simply wouldn't turn off -- which, oddly enough, wasn't usually a problem. He sighed, and held his head in his hands. I'm so exhausted...

"Koushirou?"

Koushirou blinked. "Taichi-san... I thought you were asleep..."

Taichi pulled himself up onto the bed, where Koushirou had been sitting for hours. Takeru, on the other side, shifted in his sleep, but didn't awaken. "Same to you." Taichi flicked him in the side of the head. "Are you all right?"

Koushirou, startled by the question, turned to look at him. He could see the whites of Taichi's eyes. "What do you mean...?"

"Like I said earlier, you've been acting weird lately." Taichi smiled bitterly, though Koushirou couldn't see him. "Though... I guess I have been, too."

"And why's that?" Koushirou asked delicately. He wouldn't look at the older boy.

Taichi shrugged. "Nothing, I guess. There's no reason for it, anyway." He sighed, and hugged his pillow. "You're tired..."

Koushirou smirked. "How could you tell?"

"The sound of your voice," Taichi said softly. "You sound exhausted..."

Koushirou said nothing.

"Koushirou?" The other boy whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "I... I'm sorry..."

"For what?"

"For everything." Taichi bit his lip, then decided to carry on. "I - I mean, I've pushed you around a lot in the past, and... and..."

"It's okay." Koushirou couldn't bring himself to look at his friend. He had seen him like this before -- on the verge of tears; about to fall apart --, but this time it had nothing to do with Hikari. Taichi was acting like this because of him, and the feeling was an odd one. "I forgive you, Taichi-san. You're not a bad person, you know... even though you seem to think you are."

Taichi smiled weakly, grateful, though Koushirou had a feeling he didn't believe him. "At least I didn't punch you this time."

Koushirou smiled, despite himself. "Is that what you were... acting weird about?"

Taichi hesitated. "Not exactly..."

Koushirou sighed, and massaged his temples. "You don't know?"

"No. But..." He shrugged, unsettled. "I'm sure it's nothing..." He smiled at Koushirou, a rare smile completely devoid of the cocky arrogance the younger boy knew so well. "Listen... we're both tired; neither of us can think straight. We'll talk in the morning... okay?"

Koushirou smiled back. "Okay." He turned his back to Taichi, grabbing one of the pillows that lay unused near Takeru and replacing the blanket that the nine-year-old had kicked off. "Good night, Taichi-san."

Taichi slipped off of his bed, yanking a blanket from Yamato's possession and curling up in it. "Good night, Koushirou."

* * * * *

The walls were on fire.

The flames engulfed the sleeping children, spreading like disease from one to the other. They slept on, indifferent to the pain as their minds cried out with silent screams...

END OF PART ONE

~

OKAY, people!! ::glares at you all:: DO YOU KNOW how long it took me to finish this?! MONTHS!!! I started in December (hence the Christmas theme... actually, it might have even been November... -.-), and now it is the LAST DAY OF MARCH!!!!! ::laughs maniacally:: BUT I DID FINISH IT!!!! BWA HA HA HA HA!!!!!! ::realizes there are seven more to go:: ... Okay. Yeah. BUT THE REST ARE MORE EXCITING!!!! ^^;; Right. ::sighs:: Okay... next chapter, coming up...