Hope in Despair (aka Hope gets some KFC)
Part 3 - We'll Be Here...
by Ashna
Okay
this is just chapters three, four and five put into one. AKA the original
chapter format. It ends at a good place so I've decided to keep it that way.
There's only one more chapter coming up and an epilogue. I should, SHOULD be
done with the next chapter within the week I hope. As long as nothing comes
up... Shouldn't cuz most of my classes are just wrapping things up for the
year. Well that's all. Enjoy and R&R!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~PART
THREE YEAH!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ken
sighed as he watched the restless blonde sleeping on the couch. He was sitting
beside Daisuke almost in his lap in a large arm chair by the gas fireplace,
which was turned on full blast to warm their frozen limbs. He sat with his head
resting on Daisuke's shoulder, his arm around Ken's shoulders.
They'd
both been frozen with more then cold as Takeru had started to cry in the snow.
It hurt Ken more then he could say to hear the pain in those sobs. Daisuke who was
always good for when action was needed snapped out of his shock first. He'd
half lifted, half supported a still sobbing Takeru onto his feet. Ken had
jumped forward and with Takeru supported between the two of them they had
managed to bring him to Ken's apartment. Daisuke had managed to get all his
winter stuff off while Ken turned on the fireplace. Then they sat in front of
the fire for at least two hours while Takeru had cried. He never stopped, never
faltered and Ken suspected he barely knew they'd been there. He was still
locked up in his own world but at least Daisuke had managed to find where he
was. Takeru had fallen asleep still crying and Daisuke had put him on the couch
to rest. He'd been asleep now for about three hours. Ken and Daisuke had eaten
lunch and had curled up on the chair to wait for him to wake up.
*Now
all we have to do is bring him out. Wonderful we're back where we started.*
He
sighed again and Daisuke gave his shoulders a squeeze.
"What's
wrong now Koibito." He asked quietly.
Ken
shrugged and turned more towards the brunette snaking an arm around his waist,
his other hand holding Daisuke's and intertwining their fingers. He liked just
sitting with Daisuke especially because it was rare to find him in such a calm
mood. Or in a less excited state. Ken swore up and down that kissing was
Daisuke's favorite sport next to soccer.
"I'm
just worried that's all. It just seems like he really hasn't gotten better.
More like we're back to where we were before he slit his wrists and that seems
more dangerous then before. He might try something like that again now."
Ken hoped Daisuke understood what he was talking about.
His
koi would on occasion understand something fully and be able to act on it like
with Takeru's depression. He'd managed to figure out the right thing to do but
it took him awhile. Daisuke rested his head atop of Ken's and frowned.
"I
guess you're right. The only reason he's sleeping now is because he was too
exhausted to stay awake any longer." Daisuke murmured.
"I
know but I know this time around we won't let him down. We're not going to let
him do this to himself again." He said completely determined not to make
the same mistakes twice.
Daisuke
hugged him to him tighter and they sat there next to the fire waiting for their
friend to wake up. Soon lulled by the heat they fell asleep in each other's
arms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Take-chan
Takeru
opened dry sore eyes slowly unsure of where he was. Memories came flooding back
as he remembered the events of the morning. His mom had had to go to work so
she'd phoned up Ken. They'd worked their way to his place Daisuke joining up
with them half way then... Daisuke had gotten really pissed off at him for
falling.
*No
not just for falling.*
Takeru
corrected his thoughts.
*For
falling and not caring. I didn't care and he got mad. Trust Daisuke to get mad
over something so trivial.*
He
had been sleeping with his back to the room and he turned around to see where
the other two were. Both had fallen asleep themselves on a large arm chair by
the fireplace. They were curled up together like a pair of kittens. Normally
this would have made him smile but he still didn't feel right. Not like the
cold uncaring of before but lost, confused and numb. The numbness was back with
all the aces it came with. He supposed it wasn't really like being numb at all,
his thoughts and feelings felt slow and heavy like an arm that's fallen asleep
while you slept. Cold, clumsy and a little frightening. A dead limb appearing
in your bed your fogged mind to irrational to see it for what it was. Your own.
He
stayed where he was lost in his own morbid thoughts for an hour or more when
Daisuke woke up. The leader of the second generation digidestined opened his
eyes and yawned. Takeru watched as he blinked at Ken who was molded into his
side then tried (Unsuccessfully) to get up without waking the other boy. Ken
glared at Daisuke as he stood to get up. Daisuke's attempt at movement causing
him to be suddenly deposited on the floor in front of the chair.
"Sorry
Ken. I was trying not to wake you up." He said extending a hand to his
boyfriend.
"Yeah...
oh you're awake." Ken said as he stood up and saw Takeru watching them
from the couch.
They
stood there awkwardly then Daisuke shifted and moved towards the kitchen planting
a smile on his face. Ken looked away from Takeru and glanced at Daisuke.
"What
are you doing?" he asked.
Daisuke
grinned from the kitchen's entrance.
"I
am going to cook some food. If you two didn't notice it's now five thirty.
Supper should be eaten around six so I cook!" He said looking smug and
disappeared into the kitchen.
Ken
looked as if he wanted to drag Daisuke out of the kitchen. Takeru idly wondered
why. It wasn't as if he would burn the house down.
"And
don't you worry Ken. I've been learning from Yamato. This time I won't set the
stove on fire or break the microwave." Daisuke's voice sounded from the
other room.
The
indigo haired digidestined didn't look convinced but didn't say anything. He
turned to Takeru and looked at him with sad eyes. Ken almost always had sad
eyes. The group of digidestined had gotten used to it after a while. Of course
around Daisuke he was always happy and most of the time around Takeru. He was
Ken's best friend after all.
"So
how are you feeling?" Ken asked.
Takeru
shrugged and sat up looking away from Ken's steady gaze. He didn't want the
other boy to question him too much. He didn't want the others getting too close
to him. It was uncomfortable this ability to get past the barriers that had
surrounded his soul. Of course he still had the self imposed barrier. One he
hadn't realized he'd put up until Daisuke had slapped him. Somehow the spiky
haired digidestined had broken those too.
*I
don't want them to get close I don't want to feel again.*
It
had been addictive the coldness and isolation. There he hadn't felt, hadn't
cared. The numb feeling wasn't enough to stop the dull ache in his heart. He
didn't want to feel it. Like before it would grow a black pit gaping below him
ready to drag him away from the gray landscape where nothing was raw or jagged.
Takeru
shuddered away from the thought bringing up his knees and wrapping his arms
around them. He didn't want to think at all or feel. He leaned against the
couch's back and rested his head against it. He stared blankly at a table with
pictures on it forgetting Ken's presence as he tried to forget the darkness.
~~~~~~~~~
A/N
Oh yeah writers block is GONE! I am on a roll. Dang it I won't be able to
finish this today. That is my only reservation. Thank you Leth (everyone thank
Leth) Cuz she gave me the fuel I needed to write And got me going today! For
one measly strawberry I promised I'd get this chapter done in two days! So I
better shut up and start typing ne?
~~~~~~~~
Daisuke
*So
maybe I need more cooking lessons.*
Daisuke
thought as he realized Ken didn't have the ingredients for the things he knew
how to cook. Grilled Cheese, Macaroni and Cheese, Nachos with Cheese and
Crackers and Cheese.
*Are
Ken's parents lactose intolerant or something?*
He
decided he could make spaghetti. After digging around a bit he had found a jar
of instant sauce. He could boil noodles. That was easy. Besides he loved
noodles of any kind. Ramen, Udon, Bow Tie, the cure spirally kind.
He
put on the noodles and went to pick the sauce. There was garlic and onion,
Classic Italian, Sundried Tomato and Spinach. He picked the third and twisted
the lid. Tried to twist the lid that is. It was stuck on hard. He pulled and
pulled but it wouldn't come off. He pulled harder biting his lip. Finally the
lid popped off and Daisuke's elbow went flying back into the pot of noddles.
They tipped over and some landed on the burner. They caught fire. Daisuke
dropped the jar as he freaked out over the fire. The jar broke. Then he forgot
about the fire and freaked out over all the sauce and glass on the floor. Then
the fire alarm went off as smoke filled the room.
~~~~~~~~
Ken
The
way Takeru avoided his question worried him. He didn't look like he wanted to
talk but Ken was determined not to let his friend drift off or push him away.
He was about to sit by the boy who was now curled up about himself looking
rather lonely and lost when a crash came from the kitchen. Then a shattering
sound and several curses coming from no one other then Daisuke.
"Oh
no... not again." Ken muttered as the smoke alarm went off and smoke
drifted out of the kitchen.
He
ran to the kitchen and saw a fire on the stove, red sauce all over the kitchen
floor and broken glass. Daisuke was of course in the middle looking slightly panicked.
Coughing from the smoke Ken grabbed a fire extinguisher from the corner (Bought
after the last time Daisuke had almost burned down the apartment) and put out
the fire.
Takeru
had followed and blinked into the smoky kitchen. Daisuke looked from him to Ken
and tried to explain what happened.
"First
I couldn't find any cheese..."
*Cheese?
What does that have to do with anything.*
"So
I figured I could just make spaghetti."
*Mistake
number one.*
"Then
the lid just popped off and the pot overturned.*
*One
would think Daisuke could handle opening a jar and cooking noodles.*
"Then
I dropped the jar."
*...kami-sama...*
"You
know the rest... I'm sorry Ken this time was just an accident! Honest!"
Daisuke finished looking at Ken.
Ken
just looked back then started laughing. Daisuke was covered in sauce, soot and
even a few noodles. Plus he couldn't move away from the stove without stepping
on the glass. Combine that with the pathetic look on his face...
He
gave Ken a dirty look as he grabbed the table to keep from falling over while
he laughed. Takeru just watched not seeing the humor in the situation. Ken
finally calmed down and managed to help Daisuke clean up.
~~~~~~~
Take-chan
Takeru
went back to the living room and sat down on the couch. Daisuke's little
accident had come at a good time. He now could ignore the other two. They had
forgotten about him now anyway. This was what he wanted. He didn't want them
hovering over him, worrying and trying to get him to open up. He just didn't
want to feel anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Daisuke
Ken's
mom and his dad, who had managed to get to work, came home around six and
helped with the clean up. By then the snow had stopped falling and some of the
streets had been cleared. They took both Takeru and Daisuke home but not before
getting a promise out of Daisuke that he would never ever touch the kitchen
again. Ever.
*It
was an accident. It's not like I did that on purpose. Ken didn't have to laugh
so much ether.*
Daisuke
grumbled as he jumped into bed that night. He was about to drift off when a
thought popped into his mind.
*We
forgot about Takeru.*
Well
they didn't really forget but cleaning up the kitchen then being carted off by
Ken's parents almost immediately after had made him and Ken... forget about
Takeru. Daisuke was sure Ken was going into little mini fits of guilt now.
*Now
I'll have Takeru And Ken to cheer up tomorrow if school opens again.*
He
flipped over and stared at the cracks in his ceiling. Takeru's recovery was now
top on his list of things to do. He knew Ken would freak if Takeru tried to
kill himself again. He would never let anything hurt Ken like that ever again.
Besides Takeru was his friend. Daisuke would always help a friend no matter
what.
One
problem. While he was Takeru's friend their friendship had never been that
close. Sure Takeru always bugged him and he bugged him back but they'd never
talked or just hung out together. Always in a group.
*Ken
was his best friend. Not me. Yeah well Ken's way too wrapped up in this to be
able to handle anything well. He'll get as upset as Takeru if no one stops
him.*
Daisuke
thought about this for a moment and came to one conclusion.
*I'll
just have to get to know Takeru better. Even if he's just getting to know
himself again. Even if there's not much there right now. Even if he doesn't
want me to. I owe it to Ken to try.*
~~~~~~
Three days later at school. Same POV
The
weather has warmed up after the last big storm and the snow was quickly
melting. It was hard getting around in the flooded streets but school had
reopened. Daisuke was walking Takeru to school by himself. His mother had been
beside herself with joy that her son had started talking again. This was the
only difference in his behavior. That and he actually did stuff without being forced
physically to do it.
"So
Takeru..." Daisuke started trying to find a way to talk to the blonde
haired boy.
Takeru
glanced at him his gray-blue eyes unreadable, at least to Daisuke.
"Are
you going to join the basketball team again this year?" He asked.
"No."
Was the short reply.
"Why
not? You love basketball." Daisuke asked confused.
"I
don't care."
Daisuke
gave him a look of pure exasperation while Takeru just walked on. He couldn't
believe he hadn't noticed his friend's odd behavior before. They'd been good if
not terrific friends before this. Daisuke shook his head a little to clear it.
He'd gone over this already and had formed a plan. Be Takeru's friend. A better
friend than before.
*Besides
I do have the Digiegg of Friendship. This should be a walk in the park.*
He
gave Takeru a sideways glance. He noted that while he wasn't totally out of it
like before there was something lurking below the surface of his eyes that made
Daisuke's heart sink.
*Or
maybe not...*
~~~~~~~~~
A/N
Okay I'm going to be skipping days even weeks here okay? It would take way too
long to go over the slooow recovery of Takeru right? So yeah... you'll get the
point... now I'll shut up before I give too much away. Still got a few chapters
left... This is sooo much longer then my intended two maybe, maybe three
chapters fic.
~~~~~~~~~Few
days later Yamato POV
Yamato
sat at the kitchen/living room/dinning room table and watched his little
brother who was doing homework. He was recovering from his depression slowly
and seemed yet again to be at a stand still. He wasn't getting any better but
then he wasn't getting any worse. At least that was what he, his parents and
the other digidestined thought. Ken and Hikari weren't so sure though. They
worried almost too much.
*Ken's
really been bent out of shape by all this from what I've seen. He's a good
friend to Takeru same with Daisuke. Never thought I'd see the day when Daisuke
went out of his way to be nice, supportive and just plain there for anyone
before. Physically yes, emotionally no. Guess he's finally growing up. Hmmm,
about the same age as my Taichi when he decided to grow up.*
Takeru's
blonde head lifted from his books and stared back at Yamato a question in his
eyes. There was the strange thing. His eyes were what told everyone he wasn't
quite out of the woods yet. They were a dull gray-blue that tended to creep
others out if he looked at you too long.
"Sorry
Takeru I was just thinking. If I'm bugging you I could go do something
else." he said.
Takeru
shook his head in a negative and stood up closing his books. Yamato looked at
him in surprise.
"Done
already?" he asked.
"No
but I don't feel like doing homework right now. I'll get it done later."
Takeru said flatly moving to one of the windows and looking outside.
He
was in another mood to do nothing and say nothing, Yamato could tell. There
wasn't much anyone could do for him during these except make sure he didn't
wander into the kitchen again. The bandages from before still adorned his
wrists protecting the stitches. A constant reminder of how everyone had failed
him.
Suddenly
the phone rang making Yamato jump about ten feet in surprise. Takeru didn't
even flinch. Giving his brother one last worried look he walked over to the
phone and picked it up.
"Moshi,
Moshi Yamato here."
..........
"Oh
hey Sora."
..........
"No
I didn't forget. I've just been busy lately."
...........
"Sorry
I can't that night. Promised Taichi I'd go to his soccer game."
............
"Yeah...
sure... *sigh* Yeah, yeah that's okay."
...........
"All
right I'll meet you at six."
...........
"Yeah,
love you too."
Yamato
hung up and turned back towards the room. He didn't want to go on a date with
Sora tonight be she'd been pushy lately and he needed to keep things going.
Then he remembered Takeru. He was supposed to be taking care of him today.
*Damn
he's so quiet it's easy to forget he's even here.*
The
blonde thought for a moment and turned back to phone.
~~~~~~~~~
Take-chan
The
door bell rang and Yamato stood up to answer it. He'd phoned Daisuke to cover
for him while he went on his date with Sora. Takeru hadn't paid attention to
any of this. He didn't care what his brother did or who came over.
He
could hear his brother talking to the hyperactive teenager then leaving several
minutes later. As he continued to stare out the window at nothing footsteps
approached. Daisuke suddenly popped into view beside him.
"Hey
Take-chan! What's up? What ya wanna do?" He said his brown eyes wide with
energy.
*Great
Yamato calls Daisuke over when he's in a hyperactive mood. Like I need this.*
"Nothing."
He answered flatly to both questions.
Daisuke
merely folded his arms over his chest and gave Takeru a half hearted glare.
"We
are doing something. Now either you pick or be dragged to where I want to
go." He said.
Takeru
knew the threat was genuine. Daisuke would never back down on a threat. Still
he couldn't think of anything because he didn't care to do anything. He looked
away from Daisuke's animated face and shrugged.
"Okay
then I know exactly what we can do!" Daisuke said cheerfully not missing a
beat.
He
forced Takeru to put on his shoes and a jacket, then grabbing his arm dragged
the other boy outside. They went to the mall where Daisuke got a new pair of
cargo shorts and a new vest. Not to mention freaking out over a vest that was a
black, blue and purple replica of his Digiworld jacket. Then it was across town
to some bookstore to pick up something for Ken. Daisuke calmed down for about
five seconds in there with all the books and soothing music. Then was back to
himself as he spent the better part of an hour looking through CD's and forcing
Takeru to listen to the sample booths.
All
in all it was quite exhausting. Takeru had never been the sole focus of
Daisuke's boundless energy before this. The auburn haired youth had always
ignored him when he'd been chasing Hikari then had been too involved with Ken
to hang out much. That and they hung out with a different crowd at school.
*He
just doesn't stop...*
He
though through his indifferent fog as Daisuke dragged him into one of those
huge mega mart stores. He blinked as he realized where they were and gave
Daisuke a look. Daisuke grinned back at him and grabbing a sleeve dragged him
towards the food section.
"I
am starving and I don't have enough money to buy us both lunch so sample tables
here we come!" He said with a grin.
Takeru
just stared at the back of Daisuke's head as the boy approached the first
table. He couldn't believe they were going to systematically go searching for
free samples, it was just so... so... so Daisuke. Sighing he resigned himself
to his fate and followed along.
They
filled up on weenie roasts, crackers with cream cheese, microwave Udon, chicken
strips, stir fry and an energy bar for desert. At one table Daisuke managed to
convince the elderly lady at the table to give him and Takeru five samples
each.
They
walked out of the mega store with Daisuke looking extremely please with
himself.
"Man
this was a good day to come here! That lady at the chicken strips booth was
nice giving us three pieces each!" Daisuke said.
Takeru
grinned shaking his head. The lady had given the chicken to Daisuke in pity.
Somehow he'd managed to look three years younger and like he never got a full
meal. When he'd started to pull the waterworks she'd caved and had donated food
to both of them.
*Daisuke
should go into acting. He'd probably have the time of his life too.*
~~~~~~~~~~~
Dai-chan's POV
Daisuke
noticed the smile and was practically jumping for joy around his skull. Takeru
hadn't smiled in who knows how long. He knew he just had to keep Takeru in a
good mood. Even though he didn't know why he was in a good mood. He spun around
and grabbed Takeru's arm again as an idea occurred to him.
"Hey
look! It's a poster for that weird movie from America let's go see it! It's
supposed to be hilarious!" he said dragging Takeru behind him.
He
pulled Takeru into the movie theatre not stopping to see whether he wanted to
see the movie or not. Takeru gave him a strange look as he paid for the
tickets.
"I
thought you didn't have any money left?" he asked.
"No
money for food baka." He explained.
He
did another jig for joy as Takeru smiled again. He was on a roll and this movie
was sure to cheer him up even more. He bought popcorn, a huge bag of sour keys,
a large root beer and three candy bars.
"Hey
Take-chan," he said turning to the other boy.
"Do
you want anything?"
Takeru
stared at him, then at the junk in his arms then back up again. He chuckled and
shook his head.
"No
I think you're glutton enough for the both of us." he said.
*WHOA!
He even made a joke! This is so cool! All right, Ken's gonna freak when he
hears about this!*
He
sat down and watched the movie laughing his head off at the weird crack addled
antics of some guy named Tom Green.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Take-chan again.
Takeru
laughed as Daisuke once again started singing 'Daddy would you like some
sausage?' on the train ride home. He was starting to scare this older couple
sitting across from them.
He
was definitely feeling strange. Hanging around the energetic Daisuke seemed to
be having a good effect on him. The other boy never stopped and never walked on
eggshells around him. Eventually the constant barrage of insanity got to him.
He'd smiled, then grinned then laughed as Daisuke made an idiot out of himself
repeatedly.
He
was starting to understand Ken's relationship with him better too. He'd never
understood how the two got together in the first place. Ken was quiet,
composed, extremely intelligent Daisuke was... none of those things. Ken's
answer when asked why he liked him the answer was always 'how could I not like
someone who wears goggles?'.
*Now
I know what he meant. How could one feel lonely or depressed with mister
insanity himself constantly there. He doesn't overwhelm you he takes you along
for the ride.*
They
finally reached Yamato's apartment and he went inside. Yamato was back from his
date and since it was a school night Daisuke went straight home.
To
Takeru's surprise he still felt better after Daisuke left. Not as good as he'd
felt around Daisuke himself but.., more alive than he had in weeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ken
listened on the phone as Daisuke blabbed about Takeru. It certainly was
something exciting. Since he was going to go visit Takeru on the weekend he now
couldn't wait to see this miraculous change. Of course it probably wasn't too
pronounced but... it was exciting.
After
letting Daisuke babble on for another twenty minutes he hung up on him (the
only way to cut off the constant flow of words). He then turned back to the
homework he was working on for one of his college courses. He couldn't
concentrate. His mind kept on slipping towards Takeru.
*It'll
be great to see him more alive again. These past few weeks haven't been much of
an improvement from before.*
He
sighed and resting his chin on his arms looked at a picture taken of the
younger digidestined while they'd still been fighting Arukenimon. He'd just
joined the group and had still been depressed over what he'd done. Looking at
the picture though you could tell what the others had thought of him.
It
didn't have Hikari because she'd taken the picture. If she had been Ken
suspected it might have looked slightly different. Both Takeru and Daisuke would
have stood beside her. As it was Iori was sanding beside Miyako who'd sat down
cross-legged on the ground. Ken was standing slightly behind Iori. Takeru had
stood beside Ken. You couldn't see it but he'd placed one hand on Ken's elbow
to keep him from ducking out of the picture like he'd done twice already.
Daisuke had stood on Ken's other side and was leaning slightly into him. He'd
been reaching behind Ken to place 'bunny ears' above Takeru's head.
Ken
smiled as he remembered. He'd been very embarrassed by the whole thing. At that
time he'd had a crush on both the boys. He was just glad he wasn't inclined to
blush. If he had been this picture would have had one red tomato in it. With
both Takeru and Daisuke standing so close, both touching him. It definitely had
been a heart wracking experience. But even then he'd known that those two at
least had forgiven him.
*Daisuke
had made it clear from the start that he was my friend. Takeru was no different
he was just quiet about it.*
Takeru
had always been there for him. Someone he could talk to and lean on when he
needed it. After the digital world they'd become quick best friends. They'd
often message each other on their D3 terminal late at night and talk for hours.
Well it was mostly Ken talking about his problems and Takeru offering advice
and support.
*He
was always there for me and the one time he needed me I let him down. Well not
anymore. Daisuke's great for bringing you out of a depression but not for
curing it. This time I'll be the one listening.*
Sighing
Ken put down the picture and got ready for bed. He had college courses for the
rest of the week and wouldn't see Takeru until then. He was telling himself to
relax and not think about things too hard until then when an idea struck him.
He
grabbed something then crawled into bed turning off the light. He opened his D3
terminal and typed out a message hoping he'd read it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Take-chan
It
was the day after his outing with Daisuke and he was still feeling better if
not by much. He couldn't seem to keep that alive feeling for long. The places
that had started to work again were back to their normal numb state. The world
was flat and boring once again. There was one tiny difference. He didn't want
it anymore. He didn't want to wander through his life without feeling, without
hope. Nor did he want to go back to the cold isolation that had surrounded him
after his suicide attempt. Daisuke had managed to give him just a bit of this
lust for life back. Not much but it was there.
*Only
I don't know how to feel again.*
The
gray was once again oppressive, clouding his feelings and spreading throughout
him like a dead weight. He was sinking back into the darkness and no matter how
much he wanted to he couldn't leave, couldn't stop.
A
light flashing on his desk startled him where he was lying on his bed. It was
past eleven and he'd been trying to sleep. He got up and grabbed his D3
Terminal bringing it back to bed with him.
"Who
would be messaging me this late?" he mused out loud flipping it open once
he was comfortable again.
/Hey
Takeru what's up?
Ken/
Takeru
blinked in surprise. Ken hadn't messaged him this late since they'd started to
go to school together.
/Nothing./
He
wondered why Ken would suddenly start this up again and chewed on a hang nail.
/Oh,
well I was just checking up on ya. That's all./
/Why?/
/I'm
your best friend right?/
/Yeah./
/Well
then I'm allowed to worry about you. Besides it's not like you're very
talkative on the phone or in person./
/I
guess./
/Whoa
two words. By the time this conversation is done I might work you up to a real
sentence./
/Maybe./
/You're
impossible!/
/:)/
/Another
smile and joking! You must be feeling better. What did Daisuke do give you a
brain transplant?/
/He's
your boyfriend, you tell me./
/Aha
a sentence!/
/Bravo.
So why did you message me again. Anything other then checking up?/
/Yeah./
/?/
/Did
I not say I'm your best friend. I'm worried! You haven't been talking, haven't
been smiling and did... what you did!/
/Yeah,
so?/
/I
want to know why. I want to know if I can help. I always told you my problems
over this thing. Maybe you can tell me yours this way too./
Takeru
stared at the screen unsure of what to say. He hadn't wanted to overburden Ken
with his problems before because Ken always seemed too vulnerable to handle
anyone else's.
*Maybe
I've been giving him too little credit. I know I've done that before with
Daisuke. Maybe I should... no.*
He
shut the terminal and shoved it under his bed so he couldn't see the light if
Ken messaged him again. There was no use talking about this to anyone. It's
wasn't even something to begin with. He would deal with it on his own and just
hope he could fight off this numbing grayness on his own.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Ken
stared at the empty screen and knew Takeru had ignored him. He must have pushed
him too much. Now he'd just have to try something else.
*But
how can I show him he needs to talk about this? Keeping things inside isn't
going to help him any. I know, I've tried and he was the one who showed me how
to open up in the first place.*
He
turned back to the terminal and left one last note for him to read when he was
ready.
/I'll
be here Take-chan. I can wait./
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yeah
it's just the last three chapters again. Now the new and improved third chapter
as it was originally supposed to be. I just got lazy. Heheh oh well. Anyway,
start looking for chapter four coming up soon. I hope... you guys hope...
Takeru hopes? We shall see... we shall see.