Detention and Silence
(Iori)
She walks in, unaware of his focused gaze. As she sits across the row from his seat, she finally notices his small brown eyes bearing into her.
She looks away, fearing for her privacy. She isn't ready to speak. She isn't ready to pour herself out to the person beside her. Yet.
He opens his mouth to speak, but when she throws him a piercing look, he closes it, but not before frowning deeply. She ignores it.
The teacher, a gruff, burly man of forty, walks in, a sour look on his face. It's obvious he doesn't want to be here. He glances at them briefly before rolling his eyes.
"Be quiet. Don't talk. As long as you look like your not passing notes, go ahead. Just…don't have fun." He sinks into his chair, and hides behind a massive newspaper.
She directs herself to have her back facing him. She pulls out her homework, and silently and diligently, she works.
She pauses ever so briefly, and hears nothing but silence and the occasional grunt from the teacher. Bravely, she turns only her eyes in his direction.
He is clam and peaceful, his eyes closed. He looks as if he is meditating, and Hikari, knowing him, knows he is.
She takes a deep breath, and gathering her stuff, and spins around. Hesitantly, she reaches for a sheet of paper.
Carefully, she scrawls down a quick note. She reaches over and cautiously places it on his desk.
He stirs, and catches her eye. He nods in understanding, and picks up the note, reading.
Iori looks at her, his eyes searching. She knows, and she feels compelled to shut her eyes tightly. She resists, and forces her eyes to smile.
He picks up a pen.
When she is handed the response, she sighs deeply. She throws him a sympathetic look. He recognizes it, but gives no recognition. Her hand shakes as she writes.
He notices that she hesitates. Iori tries to lean over to read what she has written so far, but can't, in fear of losing his balance. Instead, he sighs, attracting her attention. And for a moment, their eyes meet, and Hikari knows she needs to tell him everything.
As she writes with vigor, Iori sits confused.
When she hands him the note, Iori braces himself for something big. He can tell by the way her hand is unsteady when she reaches over. He can tell that she's nervous about his reaction.
He reads the note. He closes his eyes. It's not big. It's so trivial. It's a small problem. She knows this. He knows this. But life wanted them to blow it out of proportion.
He writes, but slowly, choosing his words warily.
She is reassured with his calm poise, and decides to answer any questions as truthfully as she humanly could. When she is handed the note, she smiled feebly.
Iori glances up at the clock while Hikari replies. The minutes have ticked away, leaving only fifteen left. The seconds slow, however, and Iori grows more anxious to leave.
He skims the answer and shakes his head. Hikari is too fragile. He knows that. And he is too forgiving. He knows that too.
As he responds, Hikari picks up her homework. She surfs through the problems and passages, trying to concentrate and answer them. She finds herself distracted.
Iori is so young. And yet, he's been pushed into a world of darkness and deceit. Hikari knows that she was younger than him when she became Chosen. She decides to push that away.
As she answers, she puts all emotion into her words. They are small and feeble, but hold so much meaning. She knows this. She knows that Iori knows this.
This is reinforced when he stares into her eyes, questioningly. She shakes her head. His eyes ask a question. Hikari search them, realizes he doesn't know how to respond. Kindly, she smiles, and shakes her head again. His eyes melt in relief and he beams in thanks.
She looks up at the clock, and finds that the minutes have ticked away into seconds, As the late bell prepares to ring, she gathers her stuff, and senses Iori doing the same.
And when they both leave, leaving the disgruntled teacher behind, they reach the unspoken and silent agreement never to speak of the conversation, however trivial and unimportant it may be, ever again.
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-Have you heard from Takeru or Miyako yet?
-No. Daisuke told me he ran off though. I'm so sorry.
-Don't be. It wasn't your fault. I should have told you sooner. Iori, Ken left because he was afraid to face you. He confided in me the fact that he didn't know if you trusted you, and I let it slip that you weren't sure. You were so entangled with Takeru and being Jogress partners. I didn't know what to do.
-It's okay. Next time, let me do it. I need to find him. Did he go to the Digital World or his he still here?
-Iori…I'm sorry. Please forgive me. As for Ken, I don't know. Daisuke said he'd look with Takeru and Miyako since we're stuck here. I'm sorry about acting up and getting you involved, by the way.
-Again, it's fine. The bully was after me anyway. You were just sticking up for me. You shouldn't be here.
-It's okay. I don't mind. The silence is nice. You never think of silence when you think of detention, but hey, I like it.
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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon
Timeline: After 'The Destiny Stones' Arc
Characters: Iori, Hikari, Takeru, Miyako, Daisuke
Couples: None. Iori/Hikari friendship implied.
Beta-Read: None
Notes: Yeah, I know, I shouldn't be starting another story. But this idea was nagging me, and since I'm on spring break, I should finish this fic in this month. The idea was inspired by the "Five Things That Never Happened" challenge/exercise in the Power Rangers fandom. I have an idea for another one too, but for right now I'll stick to this, Be Yourself, and Possibilities.
Since I've got limited time for many stories, now instead of three reviews, I would like four before I post the next chapter.
So please, review and give feedback about this idea.