Ralphie: Hello and welcome to Hikari Twilight. This fic is not, I repeat NOT, a Takari. I don't own Digimon. And in case you were wondering, I'm a girl. I know the name is a little misleading.
Hirokazu: SILENCE, BLASPHEMER!
Ralphie: . . . Kazu, I'm sorry I haven't finished my Hirota fic yet. It's sitting in my archives. But not to worry; All of my unfinished Takori, Mira, and Yamajyou fics are keeping it company. I'll finish it as soon as I can.
Hirokazu: NOT GOOD ENOUGH! BEGONE FROM MY PRESENCE AT ONCE!
Ralphie: This is MY fic so I can do whatever I want! And I choose to write about Hikari! So HA!
Hirokazu: Well, you were stupid and accidentally taped over your Digimon tape! You'll never get to see me and Kenta taking a bath together ever again. Nor will you ever be able to see Takeru spinning Iori around in a circle again! Nor will you ever see Mimi and Sora running around in towels together again! So HA right back at you!
Ralphie: That was harsh! I don't know why you're my favorite. *turns to whoever might be reading* Pardon me while I sit in the corner and cry. Enjoy the fic. *grabs Impmon plushie and sulks in corner*
The wind blew violently against Hikari's door as she curled herself defensively into a ball. She hated the sound of the wind during the pitch black nights of the Digital World. And although these brutal gusts had become very common over the past several years Hikari had never gotten used to them. In fact, she could barely stand them. She coiled her shivering body even more tightly in the corner of her small room. When was it going to be over? She couldn't stand it any longer!
"Come on, Hikari," she gasped desperately to herself. "It's only Takeru and Sora! They'll be gone soon. Just stay calm!" This was a conversation she had had with herself every night for the past two years. But she had yet to persuade herself that everything was actually going to be okay. Everything wasn't going to be okay! It all seemed so hopeless! The wind continued to mercilessly pound against the walls around her. Hikari harshly wrapped her hands over her ears in a feeble attempt to drown out the bluster. But it was no use. No matter how hard she tried she simply couldn't calm herself. It seemed as if she would have to endure another terrifying, sleepless night clutching herself on the cold floor.
Suddenly another howling blow pounded against the door and forced it asunder. Hikari's frightened form trembled violently as she continued to sit on the ground, staring wide-eyed at the doorway. After several minutes of simply gawking she finally gathered up enough resolve to stand up and close it. As her trembling hand reached out for the knob she stared out into the murky abyss of what she would have recognized to be the Digital World. But it was completely dark; She couldn't see anything. She gazed up at where the sky should be. But that too was pitch black. There wasn't the faint twinkle of stars nor the eery glow of the moon. There was just darkness . . . miles and miles of darkness.
The wind blew wildly in her face as she tried to pull the door shut. But it seemed an impossible feat. The gusts were just too strong and the door flailed back and forth on the hinges, creaking along with the wind. She didn't know how much longer she could take it. This really was unbearable no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise. But still she wrestled with the door and was determined to get it shut. But the wind refused to settle and it continued to pound through the doorway. "How in the hell am I supposed to get this damn door shut," she screamed. Several tears threatened to slide down her cheeks. The past two years had been so frustrating! Nothing seemed to go her way! She didn't know that she could be so scared, so sad, and so angry all at the same time. All she wanted was to get the damn door shut and go to sleep! But the wind refused to settle and the door continued to creak and rattle.
She stood in the doorway for a few more minutes waiting for the wind to let down. When it finally did she let out a sigh of relief. Sora and Takeru had finally flown off somewhere else. "Maybe they finally won," she thought to herself hopefully. But the thought quickly wandered away as more dismal ones filled her mind instead. "Probably not," she whispered while shutting the door. Sora and Takeru had tried their hardest to win back the Digital World every night for the past two years. But despite all their efforts they hadn't even come close. "It must be so hard for them," she thought. "Especially for Garudamon and Pegasusmon. They must be so exhausted." She gloomily stalked back into the room and collapsed onto the bed.
The entire situation seemed so hopeless. The Digital World was going to be destroyed. It was inevitable and there was nothing that any of them could do to stop it. The only one who seemed to do any good was Taichi. He was probably the strongest of all the Digidestined, but even he hadn't been able to save the Digital World. Jyou and Mimi, even with their new powers, didn't seem to help much either. "This really is hopeless," she yawned. Her exhaustion finally took over her body and her eyes fluttered shut and didn't open again until late the next morning.
Hikari had become very bitter over the past two years. She barely talked to any of the other digidestined. And she always felt so frustrated. Just about everything irritated her. Whether it be the sweet chirping of birds threatening to wake her from her dismal dreams or the golden sun rays slipping through the windows and from under the cracks of the doors. But nothing was as irritating as the harsh poking sensation her left cheek was experiencing at the moment. With a start Hikari opened her eyes and when her groggy vision finally cleared she let out a surprised gasp. For what she saw in front of her was the last thing she was expecting to see.
"Hello Kari! Rise and shine! It's a beautiful day!" Hikari simply gawked at the figure standing over her. She closed her eyes again and let out an annoyed groan. She almost didn't believe what she was seeing. Was it so much to ask to be left alone?
"Miyako, you are unbelievable! What the hell are you doing here?" Hikari muttered, blatantly not trying to hide her aggravation.
"And a 'Good morning' to you too," Miyako replied sarcastically, trying her best to ignore Hikari's cynicism.
Again Hikari repeated her question. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Miyako, determined not to get upset, simply smiled. "It's a beautiful day. The birds are chirping. The sun is shining. And Hawkmon and I decided that today was the perfect day to pay our good friend, Kari, a visit."
"You have got to be kidding me," Hikari whined. "And what's up with all this 'Kari' crap? My name is Hikari!"
"Yes, I know," Miyako stated, refusing to wipe away her smile. "But you're one of my best friends. And friends sometimes have nicknames for one another. And mine for you is 'Kari.'"
"Listen, Miyako. I don't need a nickname. What I need is for you to leave me alone. And how can we be best friends when we've barely spoken to each other in so long?"
"And whose fault is that? I've tried to stay in touch with you ever since you decided to leave. So today we're going to make up for lost time. Now put this on," she ordered, throwing a bathing suit onto Hikari's lap. "We're going swimming!" Miyako clapped her hands in excitement. Today was going to be a great day. And she wasn't going to let Hikari ruin it.
Hikari glanced down ruefully at the bathing suit in her lap. "Why should I go swimming? Miyako, just leave me alone."
"Why shouldn't you go swimming?" Miyako retorted in disbelief. "It's absolutely beautiful outside. The temperature is perfect. It'll be fun; you'll see. Besides, you're looking freakishly pale. Some fresh air and sun shine will do you some good, I'm sure. Now hurry up and change! I'll be waiting outside."
"First of all, this is too big for me," Hikari spat, throwing the skimpy bikini back at Miyako. "And second of all, I'm not going swimming!"
Miyako disappointed, stared down at the swim suit and let out a disgruntled sigh. "I was afraid it was going to be too big." She closed her eyes for a moment and caressed her chin with her fingers, as if she was in deep thought. Suddenly a devilish smirk crept it's way across her cheeks and she stared at Hikari with a gleam in her eyes. "All well! The swimsuit might be too big but we can still go swimming. You'll just have to go in the nude!"
Hikari blushed furiously. That was definitely the last thing she had expected to hear. All she could do was stare disbelievingly at Miyako. Finally she was able to stutter out, "You have got to be kidding me!"
Miyako, quite amused, was sent into a fit of giggles. "Of course I'm kidding! Give me a second; I have one of my old swimsuits in my backpack. It should fit you perfectly." She rummaged through her pack for a few moments and tossed Hikari another suit. "Now hurry up and quit stalling! We're wasting valuable swim time!"
"Miyako, I told you I'm not going swimming!" Hikari shouted, quite frustrated. "Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do. But give it up! Our friendship isn't salvageable. Now will you please leave me alone?"
"On the contrary, Kari! Our friendship is quite salvageable! In fact, right now it's better than ever. I've forgiven you for leaving without even saying goodbye to me. And I've forgotten all about the mean and hurtful things, not worth repeating, that you said to me before you left. Now hurry up and change!"
Hikari plopped down on her bed and let out another heavy groan. "I told you I'm not going swimming. I've gone on sabbatical. I just need to be away from everything; from you guys, from my family, and from everyone. At least until I figure everything out. I just need to be left alone for a while. Everyone else seems to understand that; Why can't you?"
"Listen, I know you feel like you need some more time alone. Takeru told me all about your deranged notions of finding yourself by living like a bitter old hermit and blocking out any contact with any of your friends. I know that you've gone on sabbatical. And I'm here to tell you that you were horribly mistaken in doing so and that you're full of shit. You obviously haven't been able to solve your problems all by yourself. So I'm here to help! And the best way to help a friend in need is to go swimming with them. So without further adieu, get that god damned swimsuit on!"
"For the last time: I'm not going swimming!" Hikari shouted at the top of her lungs.
"As a matter of fact, you are," Miyako spat right back. "And if you don't like it, you can remember that I'm bigger than you, I'm stronger than you, and I could easily drag your ass down to the lake and throw you into the water without your consent! So get over yourself, Ms. Bitch, because you're going swimming whether you like it or not! And after that we're going to clean up this dump you call a house. I mean, I like Digitamamon's diner as much as anyone. But it's kind of creepy when it's abandoned. And it hardly seems a suitable place to live. I've never seen so much dust. There must be inches of it caked up on the ceiling!" Miyako then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, as if trying to calm herself. After a moment she smiled and said, "You have two minutes. I'll be waiting outside." She turned around and walked out the door, thinking to herself, "Today is going to be a great day!"
Hikari halfheartedly stalked over to the bed where she had dropped the bathing suit and began to put it on. The last thing she needed right now was to go swimming. But alas, there was no getting through to Miyako. "Jesus, she can be so pushy sometimes," she whispered to herself. The sooner this was over, the better.
Interesting? A pain in the ass? Agonizing? Hikari wasn't quite sure. But, if nothing else, this day was definitely going to be long and exhausting. Miyako would make sure of that. So with another aggravated groan, Hikari made her way out the door, preparing herself as best she could for her interesting, pain in the ass, agonizing, long, exhausting day with Miyako. With any luck she'd make it out alive.
Iori: Hope you enjoyed the fic. Ralphie's still sulking in the corner. But I'm sure she would appreciate some reviews. Izzy plushies will be handed out to any reviewers. Don't worry; That girl's got plenty to spare. And if you mention anything about how great Iori is, she'll throw in a Daisuke plushie as well. *sigh* I love being the second favorite!