Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

A/N: Taito alert again! As well as angst alert, I guess... This ficcie was inspired by one line in a book called Number9dream:) A really good book^^

Mountains, Classic Songs and Real Friendship by ThatGirl

Another day was dawning, and another night was dying. The rising sun cast its glowing eye and shining beams over the tranquil landscape. Frail morning light gave everything a sort of newborn serenity; the innocence of a new day that had yet to know of the world's cruelties.

Gentle drops of rain fell softly onto my face.

No-one would have been able to imagine the horrible, fierce battle that had taken place here only a few hours ago. Not even I.

I didn't quite know where I was yet, and I kept my eyes shut. The dull pain in my forehead and the ache in my entire body told me I didn't want to know, so I played a game I sometimes used to play when I was younger: the "For how long could I lie here and NOT know where I was, why I was there, and what had happened to me that had caused me to be there?"-game.

I think I managed for about one minute or maybe two, but the memories were too persistent, too obtrusive, to be ignored. They banged on the door of my mind until I got a headache and I finally let them in.

Pictures of growling and howling beasts raging against each other flooded into my scull. Dragon-like, animal-like, giant…prepared to fight, to protect and to win… Our side against their side, the "good" against the "evil".

My head was killing me... it felt as if it was going to blow up any minute.

Pictures of my friends, boys and girls, my age, teenagers, some younger, kids. Sprawling blasts were fired, weapons were thrown, frightened screams, running, fleeing friends… Some beasts, Digimon… our Digimon, ran towards us. Worry and apprehensiveness in their eyes, dread and fear and dread and dread. Cold dagger in my heart, blue eyes widened, lips parted in a silent scream, golden hair matted with dark, red blood…

Shock, then pain, then darkness, then…now.

My eyes shot open and I jerked up, drawing a sharp breath.

Where were Yamato and the others?, my mind wanted to know.

A feeling nagged at my back, and I looked around me, but saw no-one. My surroundings were calm and all that was heard was a weird chattering sound.

"Che-che-che-cheiirrrrrr!" A kittle lizard-like Digimon scurried over my hand. Surprised, and a little startled, I pulled it away and got on my feet. Lizard-thing disappeared under a shrub.

"Hello?" I yelled, not really expecting an answer.

I had to find the others, where could they be? Where was Agumon? Was anyone hurt?

…Yamato…

I clenched my jaw.

Lizard-thing poked its head out from under a couple of big leaves. It stuck out a split tongue, let it flutter a jiffy in the air before it withdrew it again, making that strange sound.

I reached out a hand distractedly to take the one berry of the shrub, I noticed that I was a little hungry, but Lizard-thing was quicker than me, and its tiny paws grabbed the berry.

"Hey!" Lizard-thing stared at me with black, unreflecting eyes and I sighed, defeated. It pressed the berry into the mouth with the paws, the cheeks bulging considerably. It looked ridiculous, but before I had time to think about that, it ran straight passed me, snatching my digivice that lay in the ground. It must have fallen out of my pocket or something, although for the moment I didn't care. Sure, I could tolerate Lizard-thing getting that berry, but not my digivice.

Lizard-thing ran swiftly into the forest, and I followed as fast as I could, though not as easily avoiding roots and leaves and branches on the ground as the little creature I was chasing did. Twigs scratched my skin when I tore through the labyrinth of trees, bushes, and other plants, both large and small. Sticks snapped and something caught my foot. I fell, landing hard on my chest and face. The air was almost knocked out of me, and I panted for oxygen. I hurried to get up again as quickly as possible.

A thought crossed my mind.
How would I be able to find Yamato and the others if I didn't have my digivice? And how would they be able to find me? If anything, they would find Lizard-thing!

I kept running and running and running, chasing the little thief-digimon until the trees suddenly started to grow fewer, and I came to a clearing. From here, I could see the mountains rising above everything; the ground, the woods, and even the clouds, just as the monuments of time they were… "Yama" means mountain. As in Yamato. Why couldn't I stop thinking about him?

In the grass before my feet I saw my digivice. Lizard-thing was nowhere to be seen. I crouched and picked up the precious object.

Still no trace of Lizard-thing.

I examined the digivice, and sadly, it didn't seem to be functioning. I prayed that Lizard-thing hadn't ruined it, however, then again digivices weren't exactly known to be the most reliable to inventions.
I shook it, and it hummed back into life. When the miniature screen flickered on, I saw not only the little dot that indicated my locations, but another one as well, pretty close to where I was. I got so exited, -maybe I would find Yamato and the others now!-, that I didn't really take any time to wonder why the dot was totally alone, or why it wavered slightly, almost as if its energy source, the one person it was charged to, was –

My digivice beeeeeeeped.

"Low battery? What the…-"

It beeeeeeeeped again. Then it stopped, the display went blank, and a small icon appeared in the corner of it, saying "Loading".

I frowned. Gennai must have been half asleep while putting these things together. Though I didn't bother to try to analyse the way Gennai had constructed digivices now. My mind was set on trying to find that one that I now knew was near. Inside me, a strange feeling of anxiousness was beginning to grow as well, blending with the previous enthusiasm.

I walked across the grass of the clearing, into the thinning forest, and my thoughts unconsciously drifted away to Yamato. Again. They seemed to do that much, and even though I found it weird, I didn't really mind it. I actually liked thinking about him… So I did, quite a lot too.

He always played the harmonica, Yamato… I had to admit that I used to lay awake sometimes at night, just to hear him play. He played many things, some songs I had never heard before, which maybe he had composed by himself, and some I did recognize, like "Let it be", by the Beatles. Many of the songs he played were of the kind that never dies. Often, all I wanted was to get up, sit down right by him, and hold him until he fell asleep, close, close to me in my arms.

…I'm not sure why I never did…

I could now see the terrain on the other side of the stems, leaves and bushes of the jungle. The trees ended abruptly, and in no-time, I stood with my back to the forest-line.

The large field I had come to was not formed purely by nature, that was easy to see. The grass there was either burnt black or a blue sort of green, crispy with strange, icy frost. The sky held the same colour as old cream, and not a single sound was heard. By the foot of the mountains, bulky tree stems laid thrown over on the ground.

I at last realized where I was.

This was the field where the battle had taken place.

I looked to the right and to the left, my eyes fretfully searching the area. I opened my mouth to call, and found that my throat was too dry to make any sound at all right now. My heart beat harshly inside of my chest.

Was there anyone here? Anyone at all?

A feeling inside of me said there was. Yet not anyone. This person was special… Special to me. Who…?

I don't know how, but I suddenly spotted something by the fallen tree stems, and in a matter of seconds, I had made my way over there in a dash. My inside was a chaos of emotions by now. I almost felt sick and my eyes were burning hot.

I crawled over one of the stems, and when I landed, I finally discovered the one I had been searching for. And my worst expectations turned out to be true.  

A terrible stab hit my heart, and I agitatedly bent down by the motionless body.

Blue eyes widened, lips parted in a silent scream, golden hair matted with dark, red blood…

No…

"Yamato! Yamato, come on", I whispered desperately, dragging his limp form into my lap, where I slowly rocked him back and forth. "Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay…"

I kept my brown stare locked on his face all the time, as if pleading him to stir. And finally, his eyelids began to flutter slightly.

I tried to steady him a little in my arms, so that he would lie more comfortable. I wanted to protect him from all harm and hide him away from all pain, even though I deep in my mind knew that that was impossible.

It seemed as if though merely opening his eyes required much effort for him, and I swallowed away my fear from showing the best I could.

"Hey", I said, creaking a little. I attempted to smile, but I don't know if it looked any reassuring.

"Hey", Yamato breathed. His eyes were glassy, resembling the way eyes use to look like when someone has a fever, but Yamato's brow was not hot. He even looked paler than normal.

I didn't know what to say, and Yamato didn't look well enough to talk too much for the moment. I diverted my gaze from him, unable to look at his delicate, but now more or less weary features. When I turned my head again, I saw that his eyes were drooping shut once more.

"How are you feeling?" I blurted, just to say something to keep him from sliding into unconsciousness. It was quite easy to see how he was doing, but I hadn't been able to find any better question.

"A little tired…" he answered. His eyes softened and he smiled a little, gazing at me. It felt as if he was looking straight into my soul, and that smile... So pure, and just… so Yamato. I had to turn my face away for a second time just to keep myself from blubbering.
He was always able to light up the world for me, yet I had never told him that. Such a beautiful being… So utterly beautiful, and so utterly perfect to me…

"Taichi…?"

"Y-yeah?"

He didn't answer.

"Yama?" A pang of worry hit me, and I turned my entire focus to him. He came across so light and frail there in my arms.

"I don't think you've ever called me Yama before", he said faintly.

"I guess I haven't, ne?" I wanted to have him nearer to me, to make him secure and well again, and I began stroking his hair gently, leaning closer. "You'll be okay, alright? I promise you will"

"That's a… pretty big promise…"

"Shh…" My eyebrows scrunched up. "It's not that bad, I think… Once the others find us, we'll take care of you… Jyou knows these things. He'll treat the wounds and keep them from festering, and I'll help him, just as the others will as well."

Yamato was silent for a while, as if concentrating on breathing only, and then he began t speak again.

"It sort of takes the magic away, don't you think? I mean, scientific talk and such…"

I hushed at him, a lump forming in my throat. I wondered where he was getting at.

"Yamato…" But he kept on talking.

"Like once, I saw this documentary…" he swallowed, obviously having difficulties with talking. I cradled him more tightly, though making sure I was not putting any pressure on any sore spot or bruise, and supported his head in one hand, the other one stroking his cheek caringly. He leaned into the touch, tilting his head against my chest. "…about love… And they… were talking about that how they thought it was only a chemical mix of some natural chemicals and… and substances in our bodies… Believing that…" he took a breath, " Believing that there is no such thing as a spirit, or even a soul… I…" he trailed off, his voice, that he had managed to at least keep relatively steady, wavered weakly. I remembered him at some time saying that he hated being the weak one. Though he never was…

And I never told him that either.

"Please, Yama… You shouldn't really talk right now", I said.

"You know what I mean?" he asked me, and I nodded quietly, even though I was not entirely sure. He drew a shaky breath, tears brimming up in his eyes, giving the azure orbs the impression of being clearer than crystals.

His azure, wonderful eyes… Always sparkling like stars every time he smiled… But he wasn't smiling now, no matter how much I had wished he would, and then get on his feet and say that he was fine.

"I'm so sorry…" I began, burning tears starting to prick my sight as well.

"Don't be", Yamato murmured, his voice barely audible. He gazed up on me with those beautiful, blue crystal eyes.

The moments after felt like eternities and eternities over and over again. Then, I carefully leaned down, closing my eyes. The gap between us disappeared bit by bit, and our lips finally met, brushing against each other ever so lightly, and ever so slowly. I tenderly wiped the few tears that had trickled down his cheeks away.

My heart had never felt such joy… It was as if it somehow swelled with emotion, grew bigger, so that my chest almost was too small, its walls pressing strongly, almost hugging it.

I opened my eyes, only to see that Yamato's still were shut. I waited patiently while watching his peaceful face.

But the eyes did not open. No matter how long I waited.

I realized that I could feel no warm breath tickling my lips, and that even though we only were a few centimetres apart.

The eyes did not open…

No…no, no, no, no, please, no…

My tears finally came, falling like salty raindrops onto the tranquil, lifeless face beneath my own. I whimpered, clasped the body tightly, forgetting all about being careful now, and using all off my strength to hold him.

"No, no, no, no, no…" I cried, sobs racking through my entire being.

The eyes would not open…

"Please, no…"

The distant shouts of our friends searching for us were heard from somewhere, but I no longer cared.
Yama…

So little lasted…

I nuzzled Yamato's face, burning tears spilling on it, unable to let go of him.

Except for mountains, classic songs, and real friendship… Even though my feelings for the bearer of it had gone much, much deeper than that...

A/N: Ack, I killed him, didn't I… Sorry about that… But please tell me what you think about it! Was it incredibly bad or maybe… good? *looks hopeful*