Alright… so it has been awhile. A very long, long, while with nothing but school filling it. I am now doing another joint story, this time with one of my favorites, SRH the Hedgehog! Unlike last time, I will have it all in one piece. Hey, cookies for you who can tell where one writer stopped and the other began! Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy.
Hikari busied herself throwing pots and pans throughout the kitchen. It was almost time for one of her three favorite holidays, Thanksgiving, of course the other two being Christmas and Easter. Hikari just loved all the holidays that brought about happiness, joy, and togetherness. This year she had personally volunteered to make the family turkey. Her mom had been making it for years, but this time Hikari decided that she was old enough today, and explained to her mom how she wanted to do something nice like this for her this year. Unfortunately, Hikari didn't realize that this meant shopping for her on ingredients as well. Hikari threw the huge roasting pan onto the counter and sighed. This was going to be harder than she expected. She finally drew her cell phone from her pocket and began to dial her friend's number.
"Hello?" the voice answered. Hikari sighed in relief before answering.
"Hey, Nozomi, I need your help," she explained. Just as she stood, the messy array of pots and pans that she threw back into the cupboard came crashing back down onto the tile kitchen floor. "Gwaahh!" Hikari shrieked.
"Hikari, are you ok? Do you need me to come over there for something?" she questioned. Hikari groaned and Nozomi laughed. "Oh, wait, is this about that turkey again? Why don't you just tell your mom that you are busy and can't do it yourself? She does realize you go to school, you know?" Nozomi reminded her.
"No, I won't ask her. I want to make this myself," Hikari explained. This time she slammed the cupboard door shut and jammed the whisk broom in between the two handles. She smiled triumphantly when it stayed. "Nozomi, all I need to know is what size turkey can fit into this pan," Hikari explained.
"Why don't you try… I don't know, measuring it?" Nozomi questioned. Dawn made a sound that sounded remarkably like 'ah ha' and then Nozomi heard more stuff hitting the floor. "Hikari? Are you sure I don't need to come over there?" she questioned.
"Nope, I am just measuring this pot. You can meet me at the store and help me shop if you want to, though. I am leaving in about 15 minutes; what do you say?" Hikari questioned.
"Sure thing, but actually, can you leave in 20?" Nozomi replied. Hikari nodded subconsciously while answering.
"Of course, no need to worry," she replied. With that she snapped the phone shut and headed up to her room to change. She put on a pair of faded blue jeans and a red tee with stars on it. She then grabbed her red Converse and jacket and headed back downstairs to the mess that she had left in the kitchen. After a little cleaning and creating a quick shopping list she headed towards the door. "Hey, mom, I am on my way to the store," Hikari called.
"You are going by yourself?" she questioned. Hikari shook her head and opened the door to welcome in the cool, crisp, morning air.
"Nope, Nozomi will be with me," she replied. She then slammed the door shut and locked it behind her. She happily skipped to the corner in front of the bus sign and waited a whole four minutes to get on.
"That will be $1.25," the bus driver chimed. Hikari nodded and happily handed over the change she then looked and noticed that the bus was pretty full for it to be morning. Actually, pretty full was an understatement. There was exactly one seat left or she would be standing.
"Is this seat taken?" she asked politely to the other young girl sitting there. The girl shook her head and smiled.
"No, but you should sit on the inside, I get off at the next stop." Hikari nodded and waited for the girl to more to the aisle seat and sat by the window, staring out towards all the trees and other scenery that they passed. Soon she noticed the seat next to her was empty. She checked her watch and realized she had another thirty minutes to go before making it to the store. She used to complain about the time, but now she was starting to get used to it. The bus stopped again and more people filed on, each handing the driver the money and finding an empty seat. It was weird; although there were a few seats open there were still a lot of people standing at the hanger in front of the second door. This was a really busy day for everyone. Hikari went back into her normal daze as she looked out the window…that was, until someone plopped down in the seat beside her. Hikari quickly glanced over to see a very familiar purple haired boy.
"Shinji?" Hikari half questioned. The young boy looked over at her and groaned. "Well, hello to you, too," Hikari replied. She then moodily folded her arms in front of her chest and faced the window. When he didn't reply she turned back to him angrily. "Oh, so you're going to just ignore me or something?" she asked. Shinji rolled his eyes and took out his iPod and shoved the ear buds into his ears and began to listen. "I know you can still hear me," Hikari venomously spat. Shinji arched an eyebrow at her and he turned the volume all the way up. Hikari huffed but then turned back to the window. Finally the bus slowed to her stop. She stood and pushed past Shinji, while stomping on his shoe "accidentally".
"Wow, you took five minutes longer than normal," Nozomi greeted as she walked up to her friend. Hikari sighed and forced a smile.
"Yeah, the bus was pretty full this morning!" she exclaimed. She then led her friend into the store and headed for the baskets.
"Well, maybe that would explain the crappy mood you are in," Nozomi commented. Hikari looked back and glared at her, making Nozomi laugh.
"No, a stupid purple haired jerk rode the bus this morning… and guess who he sat by," Hikari sneered. This made Nozomi laugh even harder. "I swear, he just comes around to annoy me," she finished. She then threw a few spices into the basket which she carried and headed towards the turkeys. Nozomi rolled her eyes at her friend's last comment.
"You know, you two should just get over yourselves," she responded. Hikari glared at her once again, and reached for the whole turkey that sat inside the refrigerated section. Unfortunately someone grabbed it at the same time she did. Hikari's eyes quickly examined the area and noticed it was the only turkey left the size that she needed. On the other hand, Nozomi quickly examined the area and laughed when she saw who the other person was.
Hikari quickly put on her best smile and turned to the person holding the other end of the piece of poultry. "I'm sorry, but do you mind if I have this turkey?" she questioned. She then looked up to see none other than Shinji glaring back down at her. Hikari's smile all but melted off of her face and dripped onto the floor. "Hey, this is mine, let go," she snapped. Shinji raised an eyebrow and studied her.
"What happened to the whole nice act?" he questioned. Hikari began to turn red but instead replied and pulled the turkey more towards her.
"You ruined it this morning, you jerk," she replied. Both of them now stood glaring at each other. Finally Nozomi came over and stood between them.
"I have the perfect idea. You both want this turkey, right?" she asked. Hikari nodded but Shinji just looked at her. Nozomi's face soon broke out into a smile. "Well then, you should just have dinner together and share it!" she exclaimed. She then fell back into her fit of laughter as Shinji and Hikari both looked at her incredulously. Shinji then rudely snatched the turkey from Hikari's hands as she stared at her friend.
"Give it back!" Hikari practically yelled. She then reached for the meat that Shinji had lifted over her head. "Shinji, I don't have the time or energy to play with you… I need that, I promised my mom I would make the turkey," she explained.
"Well, just get another one," he replied nonchalantly. Hikari let out a sound that resembled a growl.
"That is the only one that will fit in my pan, and if I could have gotten another one, I wouldn't waste time talking to you," she snapped.
Shinji glared at her. "What possessed you to get a turkey at the last minute, anyway?"
"What about you?" Hikari said, turning the conversation around.
"My brother suddenly decided that it would be cool to forget that he never measured his pan and the turkey he had was too big." Hikari snickered at Shinji's wording. "So, I'm here trying to fix his stupid mistake."
"You guys!" Nozomi said, pushing herself back into the conversation. "Don't you see? This was fate! You were meant to have Thanksgiving dinner together!"
"You're. Not. Helping," Hikari snapped to her friend in a hushed voice. Nozomi didn't seem to hear her, however, for the sound of her own laughter rang across the store. "Hey! Wait a minute!"
Shinji was walking towards the counter at a rapid pace with the turkey tucked securely under his arm. Hikari dashed after him, tackling him to the ground in the process. Shinji groaned from underneath her.
"Ugh…stupid, clumsy girl…get off of me!" Shinji shoved the bluenette onto the floor next to him before working his way to his feet. He stepped closer to the counter, turning away from Hikari who was still sitting in a slump on the floor.
"Hikari…" Nozomi said sympathetically, seeing tears start to fill Hikari's eyes. She sobbed softly.
"All I wanted was to do something nice for my mom…I never would have guessed that something like this would happen," she murmured, trying to hide her tears from the purple-haired trainer behind her. Shinji stopped and slowly turned around, looking at the girl quizzically.
"What do you mean you were doing this for your mom?" he said calmly.
She sniffed. "I promised my mom that I would make Thanksgiving dinner this year. I told her that I could do it and that she didn't need to worry about a thing. But now…" Hikari's eyes started to well up again, causing her to throw her hands over her face in embarrassment. "You jerk! You just had to make me cry in public, didn't you!?"
"…Get up. You can have the stupid turkey." Hikari's head snapped up. Her eyes shone through the tears with a mix of excitement and confusion.
"What do you mean? I-I thought you needed it for you and your brother…"
"That'll be your way of repaying us. You can have the turkey, but you're inviting us over." Shinji glared at the floor a few feet away, obviously unhappy at the whole prospect.
"WHAT!?" Nozomi shrieked. "A-are you sure that you're okay? I mean, this is like something out of a horror movie or something!"
"Shinji…" Hikari looked at Shinji, trying to figure out if he really was sincere. "You…are you sure?"
"Just hurry up and accept the stupid bird before I change my mind." He shoved the turkey into Hikari's outstretched arms after Nozomi having helped her up.
"Thank you…"
"Whatever. Just be ready by noon in a few days." He smirked. "We prefer to have Thanksgiving around midday."
Hikari shot a glare at him. Her mother usually served dinner in the evening, but she knew she couldn't say anything. After all, Shinji was doing something hugely generous for her. How could she ruin that over something stupid?
She forced a smile and nod and Shinji turned around and walked off, smirk still plastered on his face. Hikari sighed. "What have I gotten myself into…?"
Nozomi shook her head. "Let's just finish the shopping…"
The doorbell rang as Hikari scrambled to do some last minute cooking.
"Augh! No! The mashed potatoes aren't done yet! Where's the cranberry sauce? Mom, have you seen the—"
"It's right here, Hikari," Ayako said, dumping the bowl of gravy into Hikari's outstretched arms. "Calm down! You're going to break something if you don't stop panicking."
"But they're already here! And I still have to finish setting the table, get the drinks, fill the—"
"I'll get the door. By the time I come back, everything should be done." Ayako winked. Hikari knew that look. It meant that her mother was going to stall for her. Good ole' Ayako.
"Thanks, Mom," Hikari sighed. She placed the main dishes on the table, leaving a large space in the middle for the main course. She began to fill all the glasses with water as Ayako walked out of the dining room and toward the door. She heard the front door open and voices ring through the house.
"Ah, Shinji-kun! Reiji-kun! So glad that you could make it!" Ayako chirped from the doorway.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Ma'am," Reiji's voice answered. Shinji grunted a small thanks as well. Hikari quickly carved the perfectly cooked turkey. She felt sort of bad; her mother had basically cooked it herself in an effort to teach the poor girl how to do it properly. But, she knew that in the end it didn't matter so much as the turkey would still be delicious. The meat fell off the bone, so tender Hikari couldn't even cut it accurately. She smiled. If anyone could cook, it was her mother. She grabbed the platter of beautifully cooked turkey and placed it in the middle of the table.
"Right in here, boys," Ayako called on her way back into the dining room. She grinned as she watched her daughter place perfectly folded napkins onto the four plates encircling the large table. Shinji smirked as he sat down.
"Not finished yet?" Hikari glared at him.
"Now, now, Shinji, that's not very polite. Hikari-kun prepared this meal for us and we should be very grateful." Reiji beamed at Hikari. "It's not often we get to spend Thanksgiving with someone other than just the two of us." He gestured toward his younger brother as he sat down.
Dinner started off with a bang. Ayako and Reiji really seemed to hit it off and it seemed that even Shinji and Hikari were having conversations. Hikari got Shinji to talk a bit about his battles and the leagues he had been in.
"Really? You've really been to all the same places that Satoshi's been to?" Shinji nodded.
"Anybody can enter one of those leagues. It takes a real pro to win one." He stared at his mashed potatoes meaningfully.
"So then I told him, 'That's not a Snorlax, that's my Raichu!'" Ayako laughed at Reiji's joke. Hikari smiled. She was glad that everyone was enjoying themselves so much.
Hikari and Shinji walked out on the porch after dinner, Shinji getting ready to go home. It was quiet for a moment before Hikari hesitantly spoke.
"So…why did you do this for me?" She looked questioningly at the purple-haired boy beside her.
"Che." He turned away, staring intently at the pavement on the road leading out of town. "You were annoying me with your whining, so I thought I'd end it already."
"Oh, so that was it?" Hikari said, irritated. "Thanks for proving to me once again that you don't have a generous bone in your body. I swear, Nozomi was ri—"
Hikari suddenly stopped her ramblings when she felt a hot, coarse hand roughly grab hers. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. He made no eye contact with her. "Shinji…"
Continuing to look away from her, he spoke. "You didn't have to cry about it, you troublesome girl."
She blushed lightly at his words. "Shinji…I…" His eyes quickly darted to her and away again. She thought she spied a hint of pink on his cheeks before he let go of her hand and turned completely away. "Shinji?"
"Go away, Aniki." Reiji's soft curse could be heard from behind the front door.
"But it was so romantic! I never knew you had a soft spot, Shinji." Reiji's head popped out as he grinned at them. "I didn't even know that and I'm your favorite brother!"
"You're my only brother. In fact, you're going to quickly become my only dead brother if you don't get back in the freaking house." Shinji turned to face his brother. Hikari held back a giggle at his flushed face paired with the menacing death glare shot from it.
"Okay, okay, fine." Reiji shut the door. Hikari swore she heard her mother ask if they had kissed yet, but she shook her head, deciding to completely disregard that thought, even if it was true. The last thing she needed was a fangirl for a mother.
Shinji cleared his throat. "Anyway," he said, wiping his slowly paling face with his hand, "just be grateful. I didn't have to do that."
Hikari smiled. She was grateful. So grateful that she wasn't sure how to tell him. She threw her arms around his torso.
"H-hey! Get off of me!" Shinji made weak attempts to pry the girl off him but soon quit after realizing that it was a lost cause. "Just hurry up and let go so I can go home and kill myself," he muttered. He sighed, hearing Reiji and Ayako's giggles from inside the house behind him.