I hear your voice

And I start to tremble

Brings back the child that

I resemble

~Backstreet Boys


The dim glow of the television was the only light splashing across the dark room. The credits of the movie were rolling up the screen. Yet, neither of the two people on the couch moved to turn it off. Takeru reached up his hand to brush Hikari's hair back behind her ear. Hikari's eyes remained closed and she didn't so much as stir. At some point before the climax of the movie, she had slumped over onto his shoulder fast asleep.

He'd had no desire to wake her up.

He was pretty much one hundred percent totally screwed.

Takeru placed his elbow onto the arm of the couch. Leaning his head into his hand, he looked down at her. In her sleep, the words he never said while she was awake found their place. "Hikari, remember when we never needed each other? We understood we'd never be alone," he whispered. When they were younger, he could go days, even years, without seeing her. He knew even if they were apart they had the bond of the Digidestined. Now, it was like he still knew they had that bond, but he needed to see her. "We are the best of friends, like sister and brother. Or we were," he added. His lips turned down in thought.

With a sigh, he flopped his head onto the back of the couch. "Those days are gone," he stated. "Now I want you so much." He placed his hand over his eyes. "I don't know what to say. I never meant to feel this way." He dropped his hand back into his lap.

When he felt Hikari shift, he froze. A part of him felt terrified that she was awake and heard him. The other part was hopeful that she was awake and heard him. But she wasn't; she had moved to bury herself further into his shoulder. Takeru released his held breath.

Gently, he moved her off his shoulder and onto the couch. Hikari curled up but stayed asleep as he stood up. The house was quiet and empty. The room went completely dark once he shut off the TV. He and Hikari were alone in the apartment. His mother was gone for the weekend on a business trip. After a few seconds, his eyes adjusted to the dark and he looked around for the clock. When he saw what time it was, he frowned.

It was late, but it was Friday. They didn't have school in the morning. He considered his options. Takeru could wake her up and walk her home. But maybe it would be better if her mom or Taichi came to get her.

He walked over to the phone and dialed the number etched into his heart. It rang a few times before someone picked it up. He recognized the voice that said, "Hello?"

He felt his smile grow at the familiar tone. "Hi, Mrs. Yagami. It's Takeru Takaishi."

"Oh!" she exclaimed in realization. "What can I do for you, Takeru, dear?"

Takeru looked over at the couch where Hikari slept as he explained. "Well, Hikari fell asleep on the couch while we were watching the movie. I can wake her up and bring her home, but I was wondering if you wanted to come and get her instead?"

"Hmm…well, it is Friday, right? Why don't you just leave her be?"

His heart stopped in his chest. There was no way he could have possibly heard her right. "What?"

"Yeah," she reiterated. "Just let her sleep. Taichi is here for the weekend, so I'll send him with clothes for her in the morning, alright?"

"Okay," Takeru found himself agreeing. His mind was still blank, unable to process what had happened.

Still in her normal chipper tone, Yuuko Yagami said, "Thanks, Takeru. Take care."

"Goodbye." Takeru set the phone back down on the cradle and stared at it. His best friend's mother just told him to let her daughter sleep at his house. His female best friend was going to sleep at his home. Alone. With him. A member of the opposite gender. And her mom was okay with it. Suggested it even.

It didn't get much more friend-zoned than that.

He walked back over to the couch. He was pretty sure her mom meant to throw a blanket over her and leave her on the couch. But he couldn't do that. Hikari was probably going to be appalled in the morning when she woke up that he made her take his bed.

Inch by inch, he slid his hands and arms underneath her. With careful movements, he lifted her up into his arms. Hikari's only response was to snuggle deeper into his arms again. She didn't wake up. Takeru nudged open his bedroom door with his foot. He moved over to his bed and kicked the covers back. He laid Hikari down on the bed. Quirking his lip in thought, he wished he had the gall to change her into something more comfortable. Lucky enough, she was in casual clothes already. Her sweatshirt and leggings didn't seem too uncomfortable. He pulled her socks off, set them on the dresser, and covered her with his blanket.

Takeru couldn't stop himself from sinking down onto the bed beside her. He found her hair clip and slipped it off, causing her hair to fall over her face. His fingers brushed it back. "What can I do to make you mine?" he breathed. Takeru was no stranger to infatuation. But this was different. He was falling so hard, so fast, this time. He wasn't even sure when it happened. It was like one day everything was business as usual, him and Hikari, the best of friends. Then the next day it was like a bolt of lightning hit him, and he realized his feelings. "What did I say?" he mused. "What did you do?" His lips curled into a sad smile. "How did I fall in love with you?"

He spent another moment watching her sleep before he stood again. He pulled out sleepwear from his drawers. Then, he slipped from the room, drawing the door shut behind him with a soft click.


The next morning, something poking him in the shoulder woke him up. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and squinted to see what it was. Hikari stood above him with her hands on her hips. Even with rumpled clothes and her hair tangled into bedhead, she made the glare she had trained on him intimidating. Takeru gave her a lopsided grin. "Morning, Hikari."

"Do you want to explain to me why I was in your bed this morning?" she demanded.

Takeru pushed himself up. "When I called your mom last night, she told me to just let you sleep," he explained. He hoped she would leave it at that. He didn't want to explain his thought process to her.

She waved her hand and rolled her eyes at that. "Well, I figured that," she dismissed.

It got worse. Not only was his best friend's mother okay with her spending the night. No, his best friend knew her mom would be okay with it. She was okay with it. So much that it was dismissible.

Apparently, it did get more friend-zoned than he had thought.

Hikari continued, "I meant why didn't you leave me on the couch? I could have slept there just fine."

Takeru chuckled as he came to his feet. "I couldn't do that, Hikari." He started toward the kitchen to get some breakfast ready.

A petite hand gripped his arm, stopping him. He turned halfway back to her to see a bemused expression on her face. "But why not?" she asked.

His throat seized up. Takeru could read in her eyes that she genuinely couldn't think of a reason why he would do that. And since his mind couldn't think of a response that wasn't somewhere in the realm of "because I love you", he was grateful when the doorbell rang. "I need to get the door," he answered instead. This time when he walked away, her hand dropped away.

When he opened the door, Taichi was there with a small duffle bag over his shoulder. "Taichi!" Hikari exclaimed from behind him. Takeru stepped back to let the older man in.

Taichi walked by and held out the bag to his sister. "Mom packed it so don't blame me if something is missing," he said.

She smiled brightly. "Thanks, Taichi," Hikari said as she took the bag. She skipped into Takeru's bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Takeru closed the front door and looked at Taichi. He stood with his hands shoved into his coat pockets. A calm soft smile graced his expression. Takeru had no idea what to say. Even with Mrs. Yagami's attitude, he had not expected Taichi to be this calm about this. He had known Taichi now for the majority of the years of his life. But right now, he could only see the older brother of the girl who slept at his house. What did you say to the older brother of the girl who slept at your house last night?

Without losing his smile, Taichi's face pinched in confusion after a long moment of silence. Taichi quirked an eyebrow at him. Without removing his hands from his pockets, he pointed toward the living area. "You gonna invite me to sit or what?"

This jump-started Takeru's brain again. "Of course," he answered. Moving forward, he tried a smile and was happy that it came out more natural than he was expecting. Normal. He could do this. He could be normal.

Even if he had no idea what normal was after you fall in love with your best friend and were talking to her older brother who also happened to have been one of your mentors for the past ten-ish years.

He needed a moment to breathe.

"Do you want anything?" he asked. Takeru hoped that would give him a second away from them to mentally beat himself into normality.

Taichi shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine."

Takeru deflated for a moment until another idea struck him. "Well, go ahead and sit. I'm getting some water." Then, he escaped into the kitchen. He got a glass out of the cupboard, filled it full of water, and chugged the whole thing at once. His mind raced as he set the glass by the sink. He could talk to Taichi. He could do this.

It didn't matter that this was the first time he had seen Taichi since realizing he had fallen in love with his sister.

But he wasn't that eight-year-old crybaby anymore, he admonished himself. In a few short months, he would be graduating high school. He was almost an adult and had proven that he was competent on numerous occasions. He walked back into the living room and sat on the couch kiddy corner to where Taichi was sitting. "So…" he drawled. His mind drew a blank on what to say. All of the sudden, he couldn't think of a single thing. What did he normally talk to Taichi about? "How's life?" he blurted.

Well, so much for normal. He just took normal by the collar, shoved it out the door, kicked it down the stairs, and spit on its back for good measure.

Taichi blinked at him for a moment. Then, his hand came up to cover his mouth as he started to chuckle. "I'm not going to bite your head off, Takeru. Relax."

Trust Taichi to put him at ease. Takeru found the next smile he gave wasn't forced at all. "I guess I just didn't think you would be okay with this," he admitted. He rubbed the back of his head as he shrugged at his friend.

"With what? Hikari staying here? Why wouldn't I be fine with it?" Taichi eyed him. "Why? Were you planning on assaulting my sister in the middle of the night?"

"No!" Takeru snapped. He was appalled at the very notion of it. He could never hurt Hikari like that. He could never intentionally hurt Hikari at all.

Taichi laughed at him. "See, that reaction right there is why I trust you," he said.

A crash and a yelp came from Takeru's room. His heart stopped. Takeru was half out of his seat until Hikari's voice stopped him. "It's fine! I'm fine. I just tripped. Nothing to worry about. Stay where you are!" Takeru sat back down and stared at the door, debating the pros and cons of listening to her.

"Oh."

Takeru snapped his gaze back to Taichi. The light of realization was in his eyes. Oh, no. No, no, no. Taichi was the last person he wanted to know about his feelings for Hikari. Maybe even more than Hikari herself. "I…Taichi, I…I don't…" He scrambled for an explanation. In the midst of his seething anger at himself (because dang it, he was usually more composed than this), his bedroom door opened. Hikari appeared, dressed in her new outfit with the duffel bag over one shoulder. And her mom had picked out an adorable sundress that flattered her perfectly and his heart betrayed him by seizing at the sight of her and her smile and it was not supposed to be like this! He had seen pretty girls before. He had seen Hikari dressed like this.

His mind, the traitor, reminded him that he hadn't though. Not really. Because all those times had been before. Before he realized how much he loved her.

"Taichi, I'm ready to go," she announced. Takeru stood when Taichi did. His mind was not quite fully functioning yet. But he was polite and had been taught well. He was the host and should see his guests to the door. Hikari bounced over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thanks for looking after me, Takeru."

He swallowed thickly. "Always," he said, glad that she couldn't see him. Takeur could feel the endearing, love sick expression he was positive he sported.

A cough reminded him that they were not alone. "Let's go, sis," Taichi said.

"Alright, Taichi," she said, rolling her eyes. She slipped out from his arms and headed for the door. "See you at school, Takeru!" she called behind her.

This left him alone with Taichi again. Takeru tensed as Taichi paused at his side. He didn't even dare to look at him. He felt Taichi's hand pat on his shoulder. Takeru's whole body became rigid as he waited for the famous "leave my sister alone or I'll castrate you" speech.

"I'm pulling for you, buddy."

Wait, what?

His head whipped to Taichi. Was that…was that a knowing smirk on his face? Where were the threats and promises of eternal suffering if he laid a hand on his little sister? He knew Taichi, and Taichi did not react to boys around his sister like this.

With one last gentle pat on his shoulder, Taichi stepped toward the door. "See you later, Takeru," he said. He lifted his hand and waved without looking back at him.

Takeru was left in stupefied silence.


As Hikari observed her best friend from across the classroom, it finally clicked. For the past few weeks, she had noticed something was different about him. But she had never managed to puzzle out exactly what it was. As she watched the scene unfold in front of her, she figured it out.

Takeru pulled his arm out from the girl holding it. He did it in such a gentle smooth manner that she probably had no idea she'd been rebuffed. Even at this distance, she knew his smile didn't reach his eyes. There was no suggestive curl to his lips. The girl giggled at something he said, but the triumphant gleam didn't appear.

"Hey, Hikari? Hikari?"

She started and turned. A flush of embarrassment burned her cheeks as she realized she had zoned out on the conversation. "Sorry, what?"

"What were you looking at?" her friend asked. Then she laughed. "Is Takaishi flirting up a storm again?"

Hikari hummed in agreement and quickly changed the subject. But she knew she was lying.

Because Takeru wasn't flirting. Not at all.

Her feet pressed against the ground to stand up. She stopped when the teacher entered again, signaling the end of the break. As the lesson went on, she rolled over in her mind, wondering what was wrong. She'd felt something was off for weeks. Did it make her a bad friend that she ignored it and didn't ask him about it? But she knew Takeru, and she knew how he put walls around his problems and how he always wanted to figure them out on his own and didn't like others to pry.

When the last bell of the day rang, she noticed Takeru lingered in the classroom. Usually, he would head out with everyone else, chatting with those around him. So, she lingered behind with him, observing him again. Wondering what would be the best way to approach the topic. As he stood up to leave, she scrambled to her feet and caught up with him as he entered the hallways. A few other students milled in the hall, but the vast majority had already left. "Takeru!" He stopped and turned to her.

And he looked so normal that she almost dismissed her reservations. However, Hikari trusted her feelings. "What's wrong, Takeru?"

His head tilted to the side and then he cocked his eyebrow. "Nothing," he dismissed. "Why do you ask?"

She glanced down for a second. "Okay. This is going to sound stupid, but I haven't seen you flirt with a girl in weeks." Even as the words left her lips she could hear how ridiculous this sounded. But she was sure in what she was saying. Even if he was dating someone, that wouldn't have been an excuse. She'd seen him dating, and he would still friendly flirt with girls. He may tone it down a bit, but he never stopped. Or worse rejected a girl. Because the girl may not have known that was what he did, but Hikari had. She read the 'don't touch me' in his actions. "And just something feels…off. Are you sure everything is okay?"

If she had been anyone else, she may have missed the way his fist tightened around the handle of his bag. But she wasn't somebody else. And she saw it. He chuckled and suddenly Hikari was one hundred percent sure that something was wrong. Because that was what Takeru did. Instead of having people confront and deal with his problems, he deflected and joked and made light of the situation. Then, no one would know how serious his problems were or how affected he was. And it worked. But not on her.

"So, I don't flirt with girls and something has to be wrong?"

Hikari make a frustrated sound in her throat. "That's not what I meant! This is why—"

"Hey, guys!"

She gasped when an arm flung around her shoulders. Hikari looked to see Daisuke next to her. His other arm was around Takeru's shoulders. A broad grin was on his face, and Hikari could tell he had no idea what he interrupted. "Are you guys stoked or what?"

"For what?" Takeru asked.

"Digidestined Karaoke Night, man. Don't tell me you forgot!"

"Of course not," Takeru jumped on the topic. She glared at him. Hikari could tell he was ecstatic about this interruption. She cursed Daisuke in her mind. Now, she knew Takeru would avoid her until she forgot about this and stopped bringing it up to him. Hikari had no choice but to follow when Takeru started guiding Daisuke down the hall and away from their previous conversation.

She would find a way to talk to him.

She had to.