Stigma, Chapter 1
[rewrite] [WIP] Yamato stumbles across something he was never meant to see... and now it seems someone may be determined to end his life, at any cost.
Digimon - PG-13 - English - Angst/Suspense - Words: 1785 - Updated: 11-25-05 - Published: 05-07-04
prologue
Disclaimer: Toei's.
stig·ma
n. pl. stig·ma·ta (stg-mät, -mt, stgm-) or stig·mas
8. Archaic. A mark burned into the skin of a criminal or slave; a brand.
Stigma
by: butterflie
chapter one
[Friday]
It wasn't in the newspaper. He hadn't really expected it to be. Even if she'd been found last night, which was unlikely, it would have been too late to get into the paper.
Still, Yamato held onto the faint hope that she was alive. That maybe the man had allowed her to live.
He sighed, setting the paper down. That girl was dead, and all because he'd been too afraid to try and get her help last night. She was most likely still lying there in that alley, as yet undiscovered. Not many people went there.
The question was, should he say anything? He was afraid to. He'd barely seen the man last night, but the man had clearly seen him, he'd stupidly been standing under the light. What if the man... came after him or something? What if that man thought he knew more than he really did?
No. He wouldn't say anything. He should, but he wouldn't. He didn't want to die.
"You should hurry, or you'll be late, Yamato," Mr. Ishida remarked, head buried behind the paper Yamato had abandoned.
"Mmm," Yamato murmured, thinking. His dad worked at the television station... he'd know if there'd been any murders lately. It would look awfully suspicious if he asked and then a murder was reported, though. It'd be better not to say anything and wait for tomorrow's paper.
After all, he could have been wrong about what he saw. It might have been his mind playing tricks on him. It was late, and it was dark. Maybe there hadn't been anyone there at all, neither girl nor man. Maybe the sounds he'd heard had just been some cat.
Yamato desperately wanted to convince himself of that. He'd never been very good at lying though.
He shook his head slightly, grabbing his bookbag and slipping on his shoes before heading out the door. He was slightly nervous about going back outside, but he couldn't blow off school. Once the day was over though, he fully intended to hide out for the weekend in his room.
School was not the distraction he'd hoped it would be. He found it near impossible to concentrate on his lessons, worrying instead about what he might or not might find in the next day's paper. He wanted to find something, but then at the same time, he didn't.
A paper was set down on the desk in front of him, and he looked down at it, absently noting it was a test he'd taken a week ago. The low grade marked in red didn't really register with him. It only served to make him think of blood.
Would there be a lot of blood in that alley, if that girl had been killed? Had she been found yet? Would she be found? Eventually, yes. She'd have to be. The smell... it would attract people. Probably other things too. That thought made him feel sick.
"Hey," Taichi hissed from the seat next to him.
He looked over. "Huh?"
"Are you okay? You don't look too great. And you haven't been paying attention at all."
Yamato shrugged, and looked up at the teacher. "I'm fine," he mumbled out of the side of his mouth. He glanced at the blackboard, realizing he had no clue how to do the math equations on the board. Oh well, he thought, and wrote them down anyways. He could figure them out later.
Then he promptly spaced out again, only coming to when Taichi poked him. "Yamato."
"I'm fine," he said, annoyed.
"It's not that. Math is over," Taichi said helpfully, grinning.
Yamato blinked. Their math teacher had left, and their English teacher had come in. He'd never even noticed. Reddening slightly, he hastily put away his math and got out his English, trying to pay more attention to this teacher than he had the previous one.
But all too soon he found his mind drifting off to other things. The study of a language that made absolutely no sense was boring, and he didn't feel like trying to concentrate on it.
Maybe he'd been too hasty in his decision not to tell anyone what he'd seen. Why wouldn't he?
...Because he'd been a coward last night, and ran, when he should have gotten help. Because he didn't know who had hurt that girl, and he didn't want to end up inadvertently being next. That was why.
"'The girl gave a defiant glare. The girl glared defiantly.' In the first sentence, the word defiant is an adjective, while in the second..."
Yes, the English language made no sense whatsoever. He was tired of learning it.
"What was up with you, Yamato? You were spacing out all day!"
"Mmm. I'm fine," Yamato said automatically. It'd only been about the hundredth time he'd said it, trying to placate Taichi, who just refused to let things go.
"I bet you didn't even notice the grade you got on your math test from last week!"
He blinked, and stopped walking. "We got our tests back?"
Taichi snorted, and even Koushiro looked amused.
"Of course," Taichi said, grinning at him. "Mr. Genius over here made a perfect score, I bet. I made a passing grade. I saw you look down at your test earlier, I can't believe you didn't even realize it!"
"Hmm." Yamato shrugged, and started walking again. The other two followed. "Oh well, I'll look at it later. You guys wanna catch a movie?" Maybe a movie would provide a distraction school had not.
"I'm for it!" Taichi exclaimed happily. They both looked at Koushiro.
"I've got a lot of studying to do."
Taichi groaned. "Oh come on! You don't have cram school today. And you're always doing work! You've got the whole weekend, surely you can waste a few hours with us! It'll be fun," he whined. "Please?"
Koushiro sighed. "Fine."
He watches as the blond boy walks into the theater with two other kids about the same age. One has huge spiky brown hair, and is following the blond closely, chatting away happily. The other kid, a redhead, is a bit behind the two, looking slightly put-out about something. The blond himself looks as if he isn't completely aware of his surroundings.
He's lucked out. It is the kid he saw last night, in the alleyway. What are the chances that kid would come to the place where he works the very next day, during his hours? It is fate.
Dammit, what had that kid been doing out so late last night anyways? And going down that alley? No one ever used it, it had been his killing grounds for months now, and he'd never once gotten interrupted.
He needs to find out the blond kid's name. He edges closer to the trio, mopping an area of the floor he'd just mopped thirty minutes ago. It is enough to hear what they are saying.
"Taichi, you know this movie is three hours long, right?"
"So?"
"So? So why are you getting so much junk? You'll just have to leave halfway through the movie."
"But I need food! You know I hungry I get, Koushiro."
"Just leave him be, Koushiro. There's no stopping him when he's in front of food. Just let him get whatever he wants; it's his money anyways."
"Thank you! See, at least Yamato's on my side!"
"Actually, I think you're a bottomless pit that could stand to eat less. You're going to get fat."
He watches as the redhead laughs, and the one called Taichi scowls.
"Shut up, Ishida. At least I don't spend three hours obsessing over my hair!"
The blond one narrowed his eyes. "You're going to pay for that remark, Yagami. You know I don't spend three hours on my hair!"
"Hmph. Not the way I see it."
"Guys, forget it. The movie's starting soon. Let's go."
He's heard enough. He puts the mop back in the bucket and drags it away, off to mop some other part of the theater.
"Ishida Yamato," he murmurs. "Where do I know that name from?"
Chapter 1 fin
chapter two
Digimon - PG-13 - English - Angst/Suspense - Words: 1785 - Updated: 11-25-05 - Published: 05-07-04
prologue
Disclaimer: Toei's.
stig·ma
n. pl. stig·ma·ta (stg-mät, -mt, stgm-) or stig·mas
8. Archaic. A mark burned into the skin of a criminal or slave; a brand.
Stigma
by: butterflie
chapter one
[Friday]
It wasn't in the newspaper. He hadn't really expected it to be. Even if she'd been found last night, which was unlikely, it would have been too late to get into the paper.
Still, Yamato held onto the faint hope that she was alive. That maybe the man had allowed her to live.
He sighed, setting the paper down. That girl was dead, and all because he'd been too afraid to try and get her help last night. She was most likely still lying there in that alley, as yet undiscovered. Not many people went there.
The question was, should he say anything? He was afraid to. He'd barely seen the man last night, but the man had clearly seen him, he'd stupidly been standing under the light. What if the man... came after him or something? What if that man thought he knew more than he really did?
No. He wouldn't say anything. He should, but he wouldn't. He didn't want to die.
"You should hurry, or you'll be late, Yamato," Mr. Ishida remarked, head buried behind the paper Yamato had abandoned.
"Mmm," Yamato murmured, thinking. His dad worked at the television station... he'd know if there'd been any murders lately. It would look awfully suspicious if he asked and then a murder was reported, though. It'd be better not to say anything and wait for tomorrow's paper.
After all, he could have been wrong about what he saw. It might have been his mind playing tricks on him. It was late, and it was dark. Maybe there hadn't been anyone there at all, neither girl nor man. Maybe the sounds he'd heard had just been some cat.
Yamato desperately wanted to convince himself of that. He'd never been very good at lying though.
He shook his head slightly, grabbing his bookbag and slipping on his shoes before heading out the door. He was slightly nervous about going back outside, but he couldn't blow off school. Once the day was over though, he fully intended to hide out for the weekend in his room.
School was not the distraction he'd hoped it would be. He found it near impossible to concentrate on his lessons, worrying instead about what he might or not might find in the next day's paper. He wanted to find something, but then at the same time, he didn't.
A paper was set down on the desk in front of him, and he looked down at it, absently noting it was a test he'd taken a week ago. The low grade marked in red didn't really register with him. It only served to make him think of blood.
Would there be a lot of blood in that alley, if that girl had been killed? Had she been found yet? Would she be found? Eventually, yes. She'd have to be. The smell... it would attract people. Probably other things too. That thought made him feel sick.
"Hey," Taichi hissed from the seat next to him.
He looked over. "Huh?"
"Are you okay? You don't look too great. And you haven't been paying attention at all."
Yamato shrugged, and looked up at the teacher. "I'm fine," he mumbled out of the side of his mouth. He glanced at the blackboard, realizing he had no clue how to do the math equations on the board. Oh well, he thought, and wrote them down anyways. He could figure them out later.
Then he promptly spaced out again, only coming to when Taichi poked him. "Yamato."
"I'm fine," he said, annoyed.
"It's not that. Math is over," Taichi said helpfully, grinning.
Yamato blinked. Their math teacher had left, and their English teacher had come in. He'd never even noticed. Reddening slightly, he hastily put away his math and got out his English, trying to pay more attention to this teacher than he had the previous one.
But all too soon he found his mind drifting off to other things. The study of a language that made absolutely no sense was boring, and he didn't feel like trying to concentrate on it.
Maybe he'd been too hasty in his decision not to tell anyone what he'd seen. Why wouldn't he?
...Because he'd been a coward last night, and ran, when he should have gotten help. Because he didn't know who had hurt that girl, and he didn't want to end up inadvertently being next. That was why.
"'The girl gave a defiant glare. The girl glared defiantly.' In the first sentence, the word defiant is an adjective, while in the second..."
Yes, the English language made no sense whatsoever. He was tired of learning it.
"What was up with you, Yamato? You were spacing out all day!"
"Mmm. I'm fine," Yamato said automatically. It'd only been about the hundredth time he'd said it, trying to placate Taichi, who just refused to let things go.
"I bet you didn't even notice the grade you got on your math test from last week!"
He blinked, and stopped walking. "We got our tests back?"
Taichi snorted, and even Koushiro looked amused.
"Of course," Taichi said, grinning at him. "Mr. Genius over here made a perfect score, I bet. I made a passing grade. I saw you look down at your test earlier, I can't believe you didn't even realize it!"
"Hmm." Yamato shrugged, and started walking again. The other two followed. "Oh well, I'll look at it later. You guys wanna catch a movie?" Maybe a movie would provide a distraction school had not.
"I'm for it!" Taichi exclaimed happily. They both looked at Koushiro.
"I've got a lot of studying to do."
Taichi groaned. "Oh come on! You don't have cram school today. And you're always doing work! You've got the whole weekend, surely you can waste a few hours with us! It'll be fun," he whined. "Please?"
Koushiro sighed. "Fine."
He watches as the blond boy walks into the theater with two other kids about the same age. One has huge spiky brown hair, and is following the blond closely, chatting away happily. The other kid, a redhead, is a bit behind the two, looking slightly put-out about something. The blond himself looks as if he isn't completely aware of his surroundings.
He's lucked out. It is the kid he saw last night, in the alleyway. What are the chances that kid would come to the place where he works the very next day, during his hours? It is fate.
Dammit, what had that kid been doing out so late last night anyways? And going down that alley? No one ever used it, it had been his killing grounds for months now, and he'd never once gotten interrupted.
He needs to find out the blond kid's name. He edges closer to the trio, mopping an area of the floor he'd just mopped thirty minutes ago. It is enough to hear what they are saying.
"Taichi, you know this movie is three hours long, right?"
"So?"
"So? So why are you getting so much junk? You'll just have to leave halfway through the movie."
"But I need food! You know I hungry I get, Koushiro."
"Just leave him be, Koushiro. There's no stopping him when he's in front of food. Just let him get whatever he wants; it's his money anyways."
"Thank you! See, at least Yamato's on my side!"
"Actually, I think you're a bottomless pit that could stand to eat less. You're going to get fat."
He watches as the redhead laughs, and the one called Taichi scowls.
"Shut up, Ishida. At least I don't spend three hours obsessing over my hair!"
The blond one narrowed his eyes. "You're going to pay for that remark, Yagami. You know I don't spend three hours on my hair!"
"Hmph. Not the way I see it."
"Guys, forget it. The movie's starting soon. Let's go."
He's heard enough. He puts the mop back in the bucket and drags it away, off to mop some other part of the theater.
"Ishida Yamato," he murmurs. "Where do I know that name from?"
Chapter 1 fin
chapter two