These Fine Things of Heaven and Earth

By: Vain 10/16/2001-

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I only own Tanuki-kun, Hanamura-sensei, and the plot-everything else belongs to Toei, Bandai, and / or *shudder* Fox Kids.

This story has yoai, shounen-ai, and mature themes including self-mutilation, psychological and emotional abuse, general angst, and one lemon scene-meaning that the rating will go up.

Special thank you's are extended to Herongale for beta-ing and letting me bounce ideas off her and Raptor-kun, Jekka-chan, and PeaceKeeper A for listening to me fuss with plot at 2 am on a weeknight.

This all takes place one year after the episode "The Crest of Kindness," and while Ken does have Wormmon, he did not go looking for his heart, nor has he had any contact with the Digidestined since his defeat. Please keep in mind that Taichi -is- OOC at times; there's was just no real way around it, though. Consider it artistic license.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PLEASE REVIEW :::::::::::::::::::::::::::

And keep in mind that all homophobic flamers who think that I'm gonna burn in hell for this will be laughed at and probably sent a particularly nasty response that will be published on various ml's, regular flamers will be ignored, and all reviewers will be cherished for the wonderful people that you truly are.

Enjoy the fic.

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"Though we share this humble path, alone
How fragile is the heart?
Oh, give these clay feet wings to fly
To touch the face of the stars.

Breathe life into this feeble heart.
Lift this mortal veil of fear.
Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears;
We'll rise above these earthly cares.

Cast your eyes on the ocean;
Cast your soul to the sea;
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me."

~Loreena McKennitt

Dante's Prayer

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Chapter Eight:

These Fine Things of Heaven and Earth

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"How long?"

"A little bit over a month now. After the soccer game against Odaiba."

It was January. There had been no snows this year and the tattered festivities of the New Year were still clinging desperately to the doorframes and windows of the neat shops that lined the clean-swept streets. It was surprisingly warm for January, but the chill that had fallen over the two teens in the café was more than enough to make up for it. Low-hanging, ominously black clouds blanketed the sky thickly and cast weird shadows over the boys' faces as they stared out the window.

Tanuki tore his gaze from the dreary scenery and raked his blue eyes over Ken's impassive face coldly before he turning to his peach tea. "What's his name?"

Ken took a sip of his cappuccino and turned to look out the window again. He stared past his transparent reflection to the busy streets outside. A woman dressed in a leopard print faux fur coat passed. Her bright red lipstick was slightly smeared, like blood on the edges of her mouth. "Yagami Taichi."

"Yagami," the Coon repeated, tasting the name with great displeasure. "Odaiba High. An average idiot from a school of average idiots."

Ken nodded, not the least bit upset by the disgust in his friend's voice.

Tanuki emptied a packet of Sugar in the Raw into his teacup and stirred it with a slender wooden stick that had been so graciously provided for him at the counter. A muscle in his jaw twitched. "You can do better, mon Capitan-kun."

Ken turned way from the window and lifted his cappuccino to his lips, eying his friend over rim of the mug with something close to amusement. "Perhaps."

"So why are you telling me?" the other teen demanded irritably. "He doesn't seem to be causing you any problem." He swallowed his tea and grimaced. It still wasn't sweet enough.

"Mmmmm . . . I want you to meet him."

Tanuki choked on his tea.

Ken blinked, slightly startled as the other boy slammed his cup down on the table and started coughing and gasping. He cocked his head to the side and watched Tanuki's face turn bright red. "You alright?"

When the coughing fit had passed, the American wiped his eyes and launched a volley of curses in English at Ken, Starbuck, westernization, globalization, and the world in general, only half of which Ken understood. "Dandy," the boy snarled as he tried to regain his composure.

Ken took a sip of his cappuccino. "People are staring, Rat."

The boy huffed and twisted slightly in the booth so that he could glare at anyone who dared so much as blink in his general direction. Several heads quickly turned the other way. Somewhat mollified, he turned back around and began to fuss with his clothes, ignoring the decidedly amused glint in Ken's eyes.

Tanuki grabbed a napkin and began to sop up the spilled tea. "Why the hell do you want me to meet him?"

Ken shrugged, a casual roll of his shoulders. "It seemed appropriate. Besides, he's coming in from Odaiba today. I figured that it would be easier for me to just drop you off at the train station and pick him up at the same time."

The Coon balled up the wet napkin and dropped it on the table with a splat. "You never walk me to the train station."

"So? I am today. Isn't that enough?"

Tanuki scowled and stared down at his cup. "Yah, Ken-kun. It's enough."

And Ken smiled at him.

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Taichi stepped off the train and peered into the crowd, eyes scanning for a now-familiar mop of ink-indigo hair. A low whistle sounded and an overly-loud voice boomed out of the speakers incomprehensibly, informing the jostling patrons that the train was about to depart. The brunet fought his way through the crush of people, still scanning for Ken in the gray pre-storm light.

Things were moving predictably slow for the brunet. Even after several sit ins with Sora (she had been thrilled that Taichi had taken it upon himself to extend an "olive branch" to the fallen Kaiser) and arguments with Yamato, Tai had made little progress with the caustic Tamachi boy emotionally, but physically, the older teen was on a roll. While Ken still shied back, it took less and less effort to get those impressive shields of his to crack. it wouldn't be long before they collapsed entirely. In fact, Taichi was almost sad that their little game was drawing to a close-he found that he enjoyed teasing the moody and taciturn Kaiser.

A flash of blue caught Tai's eye and he stood up on his tip toes to try and see over the crowd. It was not, however, the sleek hair of his Ken-chan that attracted his attention; it was a vaguely familiar mop of gleaming white hair which crowned a slender looking boy with large blue eyes. Taichi stopped and frowned darkly as the two boys came closer.

"Fucking ridiculous," the white-haired teen declared, sounding extremely put out.

Ken, his attention absorbed by his companion, shook his head and sighed. "Rat . . ."

"I don't like it-consorting with their type, I mean," the boy labeled "Rat" continued as though he hadn't heard. "I don't trust it."

Ken shrugged, a slight smile curving his lips upward. "They're all worthless. Every one of them. So I hardly see how it matters."

"It matters, Ken-kun. Nothing good will come of this. You wait and see."

Abruptly Ken stopped and Taichi narrowed his eyes to see the young genius reach towards the other boy in a surprisingly intimate gesture. Tai pushed his way through the crowd. "Ken!"

The indigo-haired boy turned, slender eyebrows lifting slightly as he caught sight of Taichi coming towards them. It was all Tai could do to stop himself from reaching out and yanking Ken away from the blue-eyed boy who was currently eyeing him the way someone looks at a particularly unpleasant insect that they're debating on crushing.

Ken seemed oblivious to the tension and gestured to the boy with a faint sneer to Taichi. "This is Tanuki Minokichi. He's a friend of mine."

The white-haired boy smiled, a tight, unpleasant expression. "I believe we met at that last soccer game."

Taichi's eyes narrowed at the memory and he frowned.

"You can call me Coon though," the boy continued, his smile growing with Tai's frown. "Ken-kun here just calls me Rat."

Ken frowned and Tai turned to the boy curiously. "Why do you call him Rat?"

Tanuki smirked and Ken scowled slightly, an almost invisible lowering of his brows.

The American teen waggled a finger at Taichi. "He can't pronounce the word 'raccoon' properly. Go ahead and ask him. He'll say 'rat-coon' every time."

Tai looked amused and eyed the pair curiously. Ken glared up at him before turning back to his friend. "You'll miss your train. Rat."

"Mmmm . . ." Tanuki remained staring intently at Taichi, that cruel, unpleasant smile fixed on his flower bud lips. "I don't mind."

A muscle in Tai's jaw twitched. "Ahhh, but you have had my dear Ken-chan all day Tanuki-kun." Taichi smiled his own hard smile. "It's hardly fair of you to take up my time with him like this, now is it?"

The glare that Tanuki gave the Taichi was so forceful that for a moment the brunet thought that he had been hit. Then, Ken surprised them both by stepping between the two of them and leveling a look at the Coon that put the taller Tamachi boy's expression to shame.

"Go home, Rat."

The dismissal was clear and the boy momentarily bristled, his crystalline eyes flickering to Taichi's face in an obvious statement of distrust. Ken watched him evenly, his expression unchanging, and Tanuki suddenly grinned and bowed to gracefully before him.

"As you wish . . . Ken-kun."

Still smiling, the boy called "Rat" sidestepped his friend and stalked past Taichi, deliberately slamming his shoulder hard into the older boy. Tai stumbled and looped an arm around Ken's shoulder to keep his balance. Tanuki smiled at him sweetly, almost baring his teeth at the brunet before he turned away.

Without another word to his friend Ken slipped out of Taichi's loose embrace and began to walk away from the platform. After casting one last uncertain glance back at the glaring American, Taichi turned and followed suit, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the strange twinge between his shoulder blades where Tanuki's startlingly blue eyes bore into him. Tanuki watched the Odaiba teen until he and Ken were out of sight, his eyes fixed on the point where they had vanished until his train pulled up with a hum and a whoosh. After a few seconds of contemplation, he allowed the surging crowd to carry him forward onto the train, but he couldn't help but wish that he were in Tamachi right now and by his Captain's side.

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It had begun drizzling softly outside.

"So?"

Taichi plopped down on the couch and made himself comfortable. "So what?"

Ken frowned as he entered the living room, a small line of irritation marring the smooth skin of his forehead. "You're the one who wanted to come over, Yagami. Wasn't there a reason?"

"What?" Large brown eyes blinked up at him innocently. "I need a reason to hang out with my boyfriend?"

A muscle in Ken's jaw twitched and he turned his face away sharply from the smiling brunet. "I am not your boyfriend, Yagami!"

The older teen laughed gently. "You're blushing!"

"I am not blushing." The former Kaiser hunched his shoulders slightly to hide his burning cheeks and crossed his arms, stubbornly keeping his back to the brunet. "And I am not your boyfriend."

"You are too blushing! And if you're not mine, then who's are you? That rat kid's?" Even thinking of the boy in jest made a small muscle in Taichi's jaw twitch. He pushed himself off the couch and over so that he could see Ken's face.

Enough with the damn Tanuki kid. He wasn't Taichi's concern.

As he approached the other boy Taichi saw that, if anything, Ken's already flushed face had gone even redder. "You're so stupid, you know-"

Strong arms suddenly wound around his narrow waist, startling the smaller teen as he was pulled back into a warm embrace. Ken shuddered. How did he move so fast? I didn't even hear him get up.

A warm whisper slipped into his right ear, making the boy bend away from the invasion of his personal space and shiver again. "Look at you," Taichi murmured in tender amazement. "You are blushing . . ."

"Sh-shut u-"

Taichi's arms tightened. "I like it."

Ken leaned back and closed his eyes in surrender as slow, gentle kisses descended upon his exposed neck. "Yagami-"

The Digidestined's lips brushed against his skin as he spoke through the kisses, forcing up goosebumps all over his lover's body. "When do your parents get home?"

"I-" A small gasp left his lips as one of Taichi's hands wandered down to the inside of his left thigh. "I don't know."

Tai smiled. "Where's your room?"

Ken groaned and shifted restlessly as the older teen captured the skin of his neck between his teeth and began to suck on it. "We shouldn't be doing this . . ."

"Why not?"

Ken only moaned in response as Taichi's hand slid up to tenderly cup the growing warmth pooled between his legs.

"Are you telling me you don't want this?" The former goggle-boy laughed quietly in the back of his throat and gave Ken a gentle squeeze. "That's certainly not what this is telling me . . ."

"Nu-no . . ."

Tai reluctantly released him and turned Ken around so that he could look him in the eyes. The lily-skinned boy was pale except for a deep, deep red flush liberally sprinkled across his cheeks and dainty nose. His vivid eyes were a startling shade of blue and had acquired that glazed look that made Taichi's blood pulse hungrily in his veins and told him that at that moment he could get Ken to do almost anything. He smiled at his lover's dazed expression and softly ran his knuckles over Ken's cheeks. The boy flinched almost imperceptibly.

"Ken . . ." He smiled as the indigo-haired teen's already enormous pupils dilated further. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." He gently kissed Ken's forehead. "I'd never hurt you. You're precious to me."

Ken quivered violently in his arms for a moment and closed his eyes, turning his face away. ". . . This way . . ."

A wild surge of triumph and something close to glee went through Taichi as he took Ken's small hand within his own and followed him down the narrow hall to the very last door. He barely waited until it had closed behind him before he launched himself at the pale creature he'd finally managed to capture.

Ken cried out in surprise as Taichi pulled him close and kissed him savagely. He gave himself over utterly, too tired to feel weak for surrendering and too drunk on the taste of his attacker to care that his jacket was almost being ripped off him and his body was being crushed against the door he couldn't move to lock. He whimpered pathetically when the top buttons of his undershirt were tugged roughly from their holes and his shirt was untucked as Tai's eager hands slid up his stomach and kisses slid down his neck . . . Down, down, down, to the fragile bow of his collar bone . . . A wicked tongue and skilled, cruel fingers playing over the thin, thin lines of his-

Taichi jerked up suddenly and Ken instantly went cold. His eyes widened in horrified realization and he jerked back, hitting his head on the door in a vain attempt to escape.

His scars. His goddamned scars.

His marks, his release, his control-utterly revealed.

He thrashed in Tai's grip, exposed and desperately trying to avoid the blank look of bewilderment in the other boy's face. Taichi grabbed Ken's arm and jerked it forward so that he could see the youth's exposed chest and shoulders better. His face contorted slightly at the sight of the thin, smooth scars that marred the younger teen's flesh.

Ken tugged his arm, but couldn't break Taichi's grip. "Let me go, Yagami," he whispered in a dry, desperate voice.

"No." Tai pulled Ken closer and gripped his other wrist, holding him fast. His brown eyes crinkled at the edge and he felt strangely hollow as he looked at the marks that marred the pale flesh. "You . . . You do this to yourself? You hurt yourself like this?"

Ken looked away from him. "It's not your concern."

Tai jerked Ken's hands to his chest, forcing the smaller boy to lurch forward. "It is my concern, Ken! You are my concern!"

The indigo-eyed boy wrenched his arms free and tried to turn, but Tai gripped his arm and spun him back around. Before the teen could protest, he gripped the lapels of Ken's thin, half-undone undershirt and tore it all the way open. Buttons flew in every direction.

Ken froze, exposed, and Taichi inhaled sharply at what he saw.

Scars. Dozens of pretty little scars carved into Ken's thin chest, into his stomach, and vanishing with his slender hips beneath the waist of his pants. It was as though someone had taken a piece of chalk and carelessly etched all the world's pain in thin, neat lines across the former Kaiser's skin.

Ken's shoulders slumped and he looked fixedly at the ground. "Let me go, Taichi."

Tai slowly drew Ken close to him again, suddenly aware of how tiny the bones in his wrist were and exactly how little effort it took to bring the boy into his embrace. He released Ken's wrist and the hand dropped to the boy's side, long fingers dangling limp and lifeless.

He leaned down and slowly kissed Ken's neck, sucking lightly on the flesh for a moment. The shorter teen made a small mewing sound in his throat and tilted his head back for easier access. Taichi wound an arm around his waist and put the other one behind Ken's back for support, tilting the boy back and trailing kisses down his collar bone to his chest.

Ken gasped, his dark blue eyes fluttering shut when his lover's tongue flicked over one of his nipples and he instinctively wrapped his arms around Taichi's shoulders. Tai repeated the motion, making the slender body in his arms jerk slightly.

"Taichi . . . Stop."

Tai ignored him and turned his attention to the other nipple. Ken moaned.

The hand that had been supporting his back suddenly vanished, forcing him to clutch at Tai's shoulders. He felt fingers begin to gently work at the zipper of his pants and shuddered.

Tai moved back to kissing his neck. "You're a lie, aren't you, Ken-chan? My Ken-chan . . ."

The boy began to struggle half-heartedly, distracted by the feel of Taichi's wandering fingers and the way his tongue felt against his skin. "Don't call me that, Yagami." He groaned as his zipper slid down and Tai slipped his hand into his pants, teasing his half-formed erection. "Stop it. Let me go." He was panting by now, but his partner didn't seem to be the least bit affected.

The older teen pulled back suddenly and stared hard into Ken's eyes. "You. Are. A. Lie. And I can see right through you."

Ken jerked away from him then, feeling frightened without really knowing why. He glared at the teen for a moment and his hands clenched into fists.

Tai looked away. ". . . I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Ken spun around and fumbled with his zipper, his movements shaky and uncoordinated.

Tai shifted uncomfortably behind him. "Ken . . ."

"What do you want, Yagami?" the younger teen whispered. His voice sounded dusty and faint.

"Just Taichi, Ken."

The pale boy turned around, his face contorted with an expression that could have been pain, but looked closer to anger. He opened his mouth, but Taichi continued before he could speak. "And I want you. All of you."

". . . What . . .?"

Tai blinked and smiled a slightly goofy smile that infuriated Ken for some reason.

"I said I want you. I want all of you. I want your anger. I want your hate. I want your joy. I want to see you laugh. I want all of it. Always."

Violet eyes blinked rapidly in disbelief and Ken stepped towards him with such aggression that for a moment Taichi thought the smaller boy was going to smack him. "For the love of God, WHY?!"

"You're important to me, Ken-chan." All the blood drained from the indigo-haired youth's face and Tai impulsively reached up and cupped his chin in one hand. "You're an important person to me."

A violent shudder moved through Ken as though he had been doused with cold water and all the tension drained from his body. "Oniichan? . . . Am I important?"

"I . . . Taichi . . ." Ken tried to pull away from him, his delicate features twisting slightly.

It was so quiet that the only thing that could be heard was the quiet noises of their breathing and Taichi stepped closer to him. For the first time since their relationship had begun, Ken didn't flinch or shiver. Tai gently wrapped his arms around Ken's narrow waist and pulled him closer until the shorter teen was resting his head against Tai's chest. A pair of slender arms rose and wrapped around Tai's neck and Ken began to shake slightly in his arms.

"Taichi . . ." Ken looked up at him and the wild-haired teen was amazed to see tears sliding down his cheeks. "I . . . There aren't words . . ."

Tai tightened his grip around Ken's waist with one arm and moved the other hand up catch a single crystal drop on one finger. He marveled at its clarity for a moment and then gently lifted up Ken's chin so that they were staring into each others' eyes.

Ken sighed and a chill seemed to go through him. "I think I love you, Tai."

Tai froze. He knew that he should say something. He knew he should feel triumphant-this was what he had been waiting for. He should take advantage of this situation. He should-

He had no idea what he should do, but Ken's eyes were so very blue in that instant and the feeling of him pressed against his body was making it hard to think and his head seemed to be spinning ever so slightly.

Ken's earnest expression cut into him painfully and his soft, inviting lips parted slightly. A slow, strange warmth filled Taichi's mind as he leaned down and gently grazed the pale teen's lips, silently asking permission for more. Asking . . . Ken's eyes fluttered shut in acceptance and his arms tightened as he parted his lips and tilted his head back to deepen the kiss. Tai cupped his cheek in his hand, vaguely aware of the wetness of Ken's tears, and slipped his tongue into his lover's mouth. He ran his tongue along the edges of Ken sharp white teeth and then moved on to stroking the soft, velvety insides of Ken's cheeks. Ken moaned deep in his throat and almost timidly slid his tongue into Taichi's mouth before retreating once more, content instead to gently suck on the tip of Taichi's tongue.

This was not a sexual kiss and they both knew it. This kiss held something much more powerful than lust and something very subtle and indefinable changed in that moment for both of them. If they had had more time, they may have been able to discover what it was. If they had had more time, they might have been able to change the course of their destinies. But they did not have more time because at that exact moment the door opened and Ken's parents walked into the room.

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Chapter Nine:

The Taste of a Double Bladed Sword

What does the snow become when it melts?

A flood.

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