"He Said What?"
«Takari»
A/N: I once posted this not that many years ago and stupidly deleted it without saving it. So, here it is reposting from memory. I will say all the characters will, again, have the same jobs as the animators assigned to them. Not all will appear. I swear, one day I will write a fic with Matt ending up to be a musician instead. Also, there is a reason why I'll switch from Japanese to English names. You'll evenutally find out why. So, please, no reviews pointing out what is meant.
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Chapter 1
"Confession"
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"Teeks! You're here!" Matt greeted his brother at the doorway with a bear hug slapping him on the back several times before separating. "I said to call me when your plane arrived no matter what time. There was no need for a taxi."
Takeru turned with a sheepish grin to watch the taxi speed off into the night. He readjusted his bucket hat. "I'm always up for surprises. Besides, it's three o'clock in the morning. I didn't want to wake Sora and my niece."
"Lame excuse, lil' bro; just like why you started wearing your hat again because of Houston's humid air." To further his point Matt snatched Takeru's hat away smirking at what he saw: a mass of bushy hair. "Thought I wouldn't find out, huh?"
The younger one reacted in good will doing his best to snatch back his hat as the other laughed. When all games subsided, Matt took hold of the two large suitcases inviting the other in. "Come in! Come in! With just one swipe of my hair gel your hair won't be as affected."
Takeru chuckled refitting his bucket hat. "No thanks. I think I'll stick it out. After turning twenty-five, returning to my childhood doesn't seem like a bad idea," he referred to his hat. "But how come Houston, TX? Why couldn't it be somewhere nice and hot like Florida?"
Matt grinned showing the way to the guestroom. "Because, Teeks, Houston is where the big boys in NASA play. America's a pretty cool place if you give it a chance. I'll move back home in another year or two to their space program. But, hey, listen, it was either this or Russia. Take your pick."
"Don't call me Teeks," Takeru chuckled giving a playful slug to Matt's shoulder. "Call me by my real name."
"Okay, TK."
Takeru sighed in defeat. He had been trying to get Matt to stop calling him that since Matt moved to America, but it seemed the more that Takeru resisted it, the more Matt enjoyed it. "How's Sora? I saw a line of her designs in the mall the other day," he asked pushing his suitcase under the guest bed.
"Yeah, she's doing awesome! She's in the works of branching her business to over here in the states." Matt grinned mischievously. He walked out of the room, flipping off the light switch in the process leaving Takeru in the dark, and went to sit at the dining room table. "She's been kind of moody lately. I tried to give her a goodnight kiss yesterday but she gave me a good-sized bruise on my arm. Told me not to touch her again. Must be the moon affecting her personality or something."
Takeru followed his brother intrigued, sitting at the table next to him. "Sora? Moody? That's not like her. What did you do?"
Matt did a double take and with an innocent look he responded with, "Me? Why is it automatically assumed it's my fault? Besides, on the account that she's pregnant again." He flashed a proud, wide grin as he leaned back in his chair.
Takeru's jaw dropped in shock. He was speechless.
"Coffee?" Matt offered. That mischievous grin was threatening to grow into a smile. He always loved shocking his brother like that. He took this time to reach from his seated position at the table to the kitchen counter top on his left for two coffee cups and the pot.
Takeru nodded to himself. "I'm going to be an uncle."
"You are an uncle," Matt reminded him of his niece.
"Right, right…Geez, Onii-san, when was I going to find out? On a postcard several months later?" His shock quickly melted away to his natural happy self. "How many months is she? Is it a boy or a girl?"
"Four months," Sora spoke tiredly with a yawn waddling into bathroom. She was holding the bottom of her bulging stomach. "Twins, boy and girl."
"Four months? Twins?" The upcoming Writer repeated a little louder than he wanted to.
Matt hushed him in hopes that his daughter wasn't woken. God help them all if she heard her uncle. Oh, the blessed nightmares of putting an excited three year old to sleep. He spoke again when he was certain all was quiet. "Yep, TK," Matt sighed in content folding his arms behind his neck, slouching in his seat. "It's' great to be a family man. I'm still waiting to be invited to your wedding. I already have my best man's speech written out."
"Ha-ha," Takeru responded dryly. He couldn't help but smile. "As a matter of fact, I did ask her out. We've been dating for three weeks."
"No way!" Matt's posture straightened. "It's about time! What took so long?"
"Yeah, well– "
"Everyone could see the two of you were meant to be."
"You really think so?" Takeru blinked in shocked.
"What? Are you blind?" Matt poured the coffee and handed his brother a mug.
"I'm so happy you came," Sora said with a weak smile waddling out of the bathroom and over to her brother-in-law.
Takeru chuckled standing up hugging her. "Do you want help sitting down?"
Sora waved him off letting out a tired chuckle. "No thanks. I've got it."
"Babe!" Matt called out to his wife. "They're going out!"
"You're kidding," Sora's eye's widened.
"Wow," Takeru scratched his neck, "I didn't think you'd be this excited."
Sora laid her hands on her stomach resting her feet on another chair that was nearby. "We all know it would happen sooner or later, hon. You guys just took the later route, that's all."
"So, how'd you ask her out?" Matt asked.
Takeru tilted his head to the side reminiscing the event. He laughed. "It's funny. Actually, she asked me."
"Get out!" Matt laughed and took a sip of his coffee.
"Yeah, yeah. The thought was running through my mind to ask her out for some time in college, but I didn't know how. Not to mention her sister being way too overprotective– "
"Her sister?" Matt nearly choked on his coffee. "Did the time difference snap your mind? Taichi's a guy, unless there's something I need to know."
Takeru blinked. "Why wouldn't he be a guy?"
Sora eyed both males realizing what took place. "Matt, he's not talking about Hikari."
"Hikari?" The younger blonde groaned wiping his face. "Not again. Listen, Hikari's my best friend. It won't go any further than that. Don't you remember me talking about Tea? Sora, you met her a few times."
"Who?" Matt and Sora asked.
"Tea," Takeru took a picture of the woman out of his shirt pocket and passed it to Sora. Matt huddled near to take a look. "See?"
"I remember her," Sora commented tucking a strand of hair behind her left ear taking the photo in her hand. "Hon," she turned to her husband, "It's Tea. She gave TK a ride home when he was in that car jam."
Takeru interjected. His right index finger stood upright in the air. "Um, it's Takeru."
Matt answered nonchalantly taking a better look at the photo. "Sure, TK."
Takeru gave a defeated groan again.
"The 'Look-a-like' Tea," Matt spoke when memory came to surface. "She still looks the same like Kari. It makes sense, doesn't it Sora?"
"Who?" Takeru asked becoming slightly peeved. It didn't make sense to him on why would they speak their native tongue but use English names. Why do that? Why? "Can we stop the English? For the last time; I'm not fluent."
"Hikari," Sora offered. "But I don't understand. Didn't you tell us one time that you loved her? What about that time in the park? When you love someone you'd do anything just to see a smile on their face. You'd wake them up before sunrise because you'd burst if you had to wait another second to talk to them. You'd–"
She stopped short placing a hand on her stomach. There was a strong calling, an urge if you will. "Yamato, I need pineapple ice cream and spam."
Matt nearly choked again on his coffee. Looking at the living room clock, then on his wrist watch, he asked in near astonishment. "It's nearly three o'eight in the morning."
"I need pineapple ice cream and spam," she insisted.
"But spam? Of all things at this time in the night?"
"Spam!" Sora's face was contorted in anger with her sudden demand.
Matt jumped to his feet grabbing his car keys of the coffee table to rush to his car. There was always something scary about a hormonal pregnant woman. "See, TK?," he explained as he rushed out. "Because I love her, I'll drive to the nearest store at this unholy hour in the night to look for pineapple ice cream and spam."
"And look for those sour pickles too! We're all out of them." she called out as he rushed out the door. The child bearing fashion designer sighed in content staring at the ceiling; that is, until the water works came on.
Poor Takeru didn't know what to do as he watched his sister-in-law sob speaking in between in a high pitch tone. "Ah, Sora?" Takeru scooted over putting an arm around her shoulder. Before he could ask what was wrong all poured out.
"I miss Mimi! We used to eat pickles together!"
"…Is that right?" Weird. The things you find out about girls.
"She'd call from New York and we'd eat them over the phone. Why did she stop?" Before he could react, he found himself in a hug as she took deep breaths to calm her hormones down. At least now she was calmer. That was quick! Talk about hormones alright.
"Thanks," she said. "I almost lost it there."
Takeru nervously placed a hand behind his neck. He was glad whatever he did fixed it. "Sure! Any time."
She took his hand in hers and patted it. "Listen, we know you like Tea. But you love Hikari."
Takeru shook his head disagreeing. It was the same ongoing disagreement the three of them always had. "No, no. We're best friends. I will not jeopardize that in anyway. I think I'll turn in for the night. You should too."
"Wait. Let me ask you something," Sora begged holding on to his arm. "If when you're in a bind and you needed help, which would you go to?"
"Tea," he answered automatically. "She's my girlfriend."
"For just this moment, forget about Tea. Forget that she's your girlfriend and that you know of her existence. If when you wake up in the morning and you have to tell someone about a dream you just had, who'd it be?"
He thought then halfway smiled. "Hikari."
"To get you out of writer's block?"
"…Hikari."
"All you 'd have to do was look at her and your heart would race?"
"Hikari." This time his answer was softer.
"Listen, Takeru," Sora said, "Love is a strange and funny thing. Don't argue with your heart. Just follow it before time runs out. What happened at the park can happen again. Now, who do you love?" she asked determined to see a breakthrough.
Takeru looked her in the eye for a few minutes; the mind fighting with his heart. Out flowed the sacred, soft name he had the pleasure of knowing since childhood. "Hikari."
"Then do something about it."