[8]

A/N: This chapter wasn't my best, but it's done! I hope those of you that stuck through this enjoy the ending. It's sweeter than 99% of my fics. xoxo

Warnings: Incest, mentions of alcohol, implied abuse

Pairings: Yamakeru (with a humorous cross-dressing Takeru..) Also, implied YutakaxSora, implied Yamasuke/Daikeru

When Takeru awoke the next day, he felt like he hadn't slept a day in his life. This was the time, the moment. He would tell Yamato that not only was Takara this stupid figment of their imaginations, but that Takeru, his little brother, was completely, totally in love with him.

Takeru dressed the best he could and found his brother on the balcony, smoking. Takeru studied his brother a moment, shirtless and hungover. Something about it was so sickenly beautiful. It took awhile for Yamato to notice him. When the older blonde finally did, he smiled, "Takeru... you're awake."

"Yes, Oniichan," Takeru replied. "I, uh-"

"I can't wait for you to meet Takara," Yamato replied. "She... she kinda reminds me of you. I didn't think I could ever find someone who understood me so completely."

"...o-oh?" Takeru stammered. "What if she's... you know, just playing you?"

"She's not like the other girls, Takeru. You sound just like Dad," Yamato replied with a snort. "Come on, let's play some Killer Instinct and eat some leftovers."

"Alright," Takeru replied. He decided to not bother Yamato with the truth just yet. This was probably going to be the last day the spent as brothers or even aquaintences after what Takeru had to say. He just wanted one, good day, to remember his brother by.

So, they played video games for awhile. Watched a movie. Takeru even managed to fall asleep near Yamato's side until he stood and went for a cigarette. Takeru watched uneasily and when Yamato returned, Takeru could see that the lingering question on Yamato's mind had been distracting him and wearing him thin all day.

"Where is she...?" Yamato whispered.

After some time, Yamato seemed to give up and just watched TV. When that could no longer serve as a distraction for the paranoid thoughts filling his head, he tried calling her. (Luckily, Takeru had planned for that and the phone was off in the bag in the bedroom.) Takeru watched his brother start to pace. A sound like an injured animal escaped him as he rushed towards the kitchen. Takeru could put enough together.

"Are you really going to do that again?" Takeru asked, watching his brother carry a bottle of liqour from the fridge. "Maybe something came up."

"...or maybe she realized how fucked up I am," Yamato said in a hoarse voice, sitting down at the couch. Takeru hurried over and grabbed the bottle, returning it to the cabinet. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Forget about her," Takeru snapped. "She must not care about you if she didn't show today."

"...Takeru, you just don't fucking understand, you'll never understand."

"Understand what?" Takeru hissed, hoping his brother would say now what he had apparently told their father and "Takara". "Tell me so I can understand."

Yamato laughed, "You can't possibly."

"Try me, damn it."

"Takeru, stop badgering me. I've told you a hundred times that I can't tell you."

"So, you'll tell Takara but you won't tell me that you were raped!" Takeru screamed, unable to hold in his tears anymore. "Why can't you trust me?! I'm your brother! I love you!"

"...Takeru? How the Hell... did Dad tell you? He didn't tell you anything else, did he?"

"Why, is there more or something?" Takeru snapped.

"...well, you may as well know..." Yamato breathed. He hesitated for a long time and Takeru's growls from lack of patience finally tipped the scale, "Mom."

"...Mom?" Takeru said, his body stiffening. "N-No... Mom? You're joking. Come on, tell me the truth. I deserve to know-"

"It's the motherfucking God damn truth, alright?" Yamato yelled. "Now, just... just go home. Go somewhere. Go anywhere but here."

"No, because, you know what, I'm tired of lying. I'm tired of this," Takeru said, throwing down the wig. His bushy blonde hair was reflected back into Yamato's eyes as a fading hazelnut color. "I'm Takara."

"What?" Yamato breathed. "...but, but Takeru... you're..."

"Everything she's ever said to you, done to you... it was all me. How she feels... how I feel. It was me. I love you."

"Stop it."

"Yamato-kun."

"Fuck you, Takeru. Fuck you."

Yamato stood, then stormed towards the door. He shoved past Takeru and started for his shoes.

"No, Oniichan-"

"Shut up."

"No, wait!" Takeru sobbed, grabbing his brother's arm, nearly pulling off the jacket he had just applied.

Yamato didn't bother with his shoes, he just picked them up and stormed out, nearly catching Takeru's grasping fingers in the door. Takeru tucked his hands close to his body and began sobbing, the sound of his own crying making him feel sick. He fell to the floor near the doorway, unsure of where to go from here. With Yamato. With everyone. With himself.

"Okay... so do you think he'll tell me what's wrong or just keep stealing from my father's beer stash?" Taichi questioned, standing with his arms crossed in the middle of his living room. Hikari was nearby, too, watching with her hands tucked to her chest.

"Taichi, you know Takeru had to tell him."

"Yeah... so, he fucked up another serious relationship... no surprise there," Taichi chuckled, trying to joke his way out of the pain he was already feeling in his chest- the pain his best friend was going through.

"...it's more than that," Hikari pressed. "Yamato feels betrayed and confused."

"And just how do you know, sister of mine?" Taichi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can hear you two..." Yamato mumbled.

Hikari took a breath and met Yamato's angry stare. She hadn't seen anything like it since the Digital World. "Takeru confessed his feelings to all of us. We didn't care that it was wrong. Hell, I think some of us may have even expected it. We helped him pull off the charade of "Takara" and helped him get to know you better, maybe give Takeru the courage to confess to you, too, but things spiraled out of control and I don't even know the full details..."

"Let me tell you," Yamato breathed from the couch. He stood and walked towards them, barely inebriated. "I told her things I never would have told him. Now, he'll only see the same thing that the rest of the world sees: this fucked up, damaged kid that no one wanted."

Hikari glanced at Taichi.

Taichi gave a sigh, "Yamato, you're not a kid anymore and none of us ever looked at you any different for any reason, even now. I don't know who you were when all that shit happened to you. I don't want to know that person. All I know is you, Yamato. That's all Takeru sees, too. Hell, he went through all this trouble because he was afraid of you doing what you're doing now. He just wants your happiness, but he couldn't hold back anymore."

Hikari gave a quick whisper, "Yamato... why is Takara any different from Takeru? Don't give me gender or blood or any of that. Love is from the soul, Yamato. You've said so yourself many times."

Yamato looked away. In an instant he had been put in place by some of his best friends and now he didn't know what to do. He had undoubtedly hurt Takeru, more than he had ever intended, by keeping secrets and keeping distance, and now... Yamato deserved everything he got. However, he showed a determined face and decided there was one last secret Yamato needed to tell him: the answer as to why he never told Takeru.

Yamato returned home and looked around. The apartment was dark, but he could hear the sniffling of his brother easily. He flipped on a light and saw Takeru huddled under the same blanket Yamato had been under earlier. Yamato slowly eased over to the couch, not seeing anything worriesome like he would suspect out of himself, and sat in the nearby recliner.

Takeru and Yamato's eyes met a moment before they both darted away. Niether said anything until Yamato decided he would come clean, too. "Takeru, you were right. I should have told you everything when you were old enough. Dad wanted me to, but I couldn't. To be fair, he respected my decision. He always has respected my decisions."

"...I can't believe what you said is true. I called Mom. She told me everything. She's better now, though, you know? Yamato, it was cancer-"

"I know. You'll never understand, like I said. Why I can't forgive her. But that doesn't matter right now. That's not what I came to tell you."

Takeru let out a sob that was the equivalent of, "What? Are you kidding me? What else is there?"

"Takeru... I've always loved you. More... than a brother should."

Takeru's eyes widened and he struggled to form words.

Yamato continued, his fingers enterlaced as he stared out the balcony. "I denied it for a long time, but your actions reminded me just how real those feelings still are. I fell in love with you, Takeru. Not some fake you. Those were your words and feelings and I love listening to you talk for hours on end and I love sitting around watching TV and doing nothing all day long. I love the way you listen to me and you don't judge me and I can trust you with anything, even the darkest part of me."

Takeru nodded. "You're not... just saying that?"

"Takeru... why do you think I went half crazy trying to protect you?!" Yamato barked, suddenly meeting his brother's gaze again. "It wasn't some stupid I-never-want-you-to-grow-up-and-leave-me shit. It was I didn't want you going back to Mom and live through what I did... but you know what? I'm the one that sent you to live with her. I was ready to take that burden a long time ago..." Yamato's eyes flashed quickly. "God, has she hurt you?!"

"What?" The rape, Takeru, you moron! "Oh, fuck no. You put words in my mouth. Mom's always been good to me, Yamato."

"Good. Because if I ever find that bitch hurt you, I'll kill her."

"...so you meant that, too?"

"Of course," Yamato replied, proudly.

"...you're a little scary, Oniichan."

"Big brothers have to be scary, Takeru. It's our job."

"...where do we go from here, Yamato?" Takeru questioned and the two stared at their feet a moment.

"Why don't we just start over from the beginning?" Yamato smiled, extending his hand. "Or are you afraid to make me fall in love with you a third time?"

"N-No," Takeru said, blushing and nodding. He reached out with both hands and took Yamato's, kissing it. "And no more secrets. No more lies."

"No, just us."

"Hey, Takeru..." Yamato started, a smirk on his face. Takeru inched over on the couch as Yamato forced his way near, then put his arm around his younger brother. "Now that you're officially one of my girlfriends... shouldn't we get down to it already?"

"What kind of little brother do you take me for?"

"I haven't taken anything yet."

"Yamato."

"What?"

"You're not getting laid, mister."

"Like you don't want me."

"I never said that..."

"Is that why you're climbing all over me, Takeru?"

"Maaaybe."

"Just shut up and get over here before I make you scream like a real woman."

"I'd like to see you try, Oniichan~!"

"Hey!" Yamato called, watching as Takeru rushed into the bedroom. The brother sighed and followed, closing the door behind him. "Do you really have to call me that?"

A/N: U-Um, oh yay! I know I don't usually put these at the end of the story, but I was just so proud that this ended cute. Or got done at all. I hope you enjoyed it. I will make a sequel in the future, so please keep an eye out. ^^ In the meantime, please enjoy my other works~