Summary: As a mute person, fourteen-year-old Yagami Hikari only wanted to experience a normal school life like everybody else. She didn't expect to fall in love, and she only wished she could vocalize her feelings for him. AU Takari.

Genre: Romance (Takari), Friendship (Takeru-Hikari-Daisuke-Ken), Family (Taichi-Hikari), Drama (it's junior high, after all), Humour (occasionally)

Characters: Basically, all the Chosen Children from 01 and 02 will (eventually) appear, but not all of them will play a major role in the story.

Point to note: firstly, this is an AU fic, so no digimons will appear in the story. Secondly, this is a Takari-centric story. There will also be minor Taiora and possibly Kenyako and Mimato, but they won't be a focus of the story. Thirdly, I don't really know a lot about mute people, so if I describe them wrongly and you know the correct way of doing so, please let me know and I will fix it. I will be glad to know if there's any way to make my description more realistic.

In Japan, a new academic year starts in March/April, so in this story when Hikari got transferred into Odaiba Junior High in May, it was just a month after the term began.

For convenience purpose, all or Hikari's nonverbal 'words' and 'conversation' will be in italics.

Disclaimer: This story is partly inspired by KnightAngel765's wonderful story in this fandom, 'Blind', and partly by a one-shot manga about a deaf girl and her school life, 'Koe no Katachi' (The Shape of Sound). The Digimon characters are not mine, but I simply like to toy with them.

As usual, I recommend readers to read in ½ page size to get the feeling of reading a book.

Chapter One: The transfer student

The morning sun of Odaiba was rising prominently to the sky as Takaishi Takeru gave a yawn. He was on his way to school, riding on his bicycle that his father had bought for him last year. As the warm wind made contact with his face, he couldn't help but already hope for the day to end soon.

After school today he had basketball practice, and he dreaded at that thought. It wasn't like he did not like the sport: he loved it, and he was glad that the team this year had a good chance of winning the regional tournament, something that he had looked forward to since he entered Odaiba Junior High two years ago. However, their coach was much more enthusiastic about it than any of the team members that the young sensei had added many practice sessions for the team. While Takeru enjoyed playing on the court and practicing with his teammates, he was starting to get tired of it, and he was already the most patient person in the team.

Letting out a sigh, followed by another yawn, he found that he had reached Odaiba Junior High already. Putting his bicycle on the rack, the fourteen-year-old walked towards the school building, when he was greeted by a sudden slap on the back.

'Hey Daisuke, that hurts!' Without looking at his assaulter, he yelled at the boy with mahogany hair who slapped him playfully.

'As if the basketball star of Odaiba will get hurt from a soft slap like that,' the boy named Daisuke grinned and put his arm around the blond's shoulder. Takeru just stared at him, trying to play an angry face in response, but sighed when seeing that flashy grin on his face. Really, sometimes he wondered why whenever he saw that childlike grin on his friend's face, he just could not stay mad at him, even though he wasn't really bothered by the slap that much.

'It's easy to just say "good morning", you know.'

'But then he won't be Daisuke, will he?' The two boys turned to face a blue-haired boy walking towards them, wearing a small smile on his face. 'Good morning to you two.'

Takeru shook his head in defeat as Motomiya Daisuke now put his free arm around the said boy's shoulder. 'That's our Ken! He knows me better than you do, Takeru!'

Ichijouji Ken just gave a weak smile as Takeru did not bother to make a comeback comment. This was just their usual way of greeting each other in the morning, and frankly he didn't mind it that much, even though he could still feel the heat on his back that originated from Daisuke's slap. The three of them casually walked inside the school building to get to their respective lockers, when people around them, mostly girls, began to whisper agitatedly upon their arrival.

'It's those three, the most popular boys in the school!'

'I wonder if Takeru-kun will say yes if I confess to him today…'

'It's Ken-sama! It's Ken-sama! He's looking at my direction!'

'Daisuke-kun looks gorgeous today! He looks even cuter than yesterday!'

'Those three again…always causing trouble among the girls in the morning…'

The trio shared a knowing look and made their way towards their lockers. Daisuke, being the outgoing one of the three, quickly engaged in some conversation with some of the whispering and giggling girls, while Ken and Takeru tried to stay out of the spotlight and greeted some of their friends on their way. It was another morning routine that Takeru had gotten used to but still felt uncomfortable about. It didn't help that he was in the basketball team while the other two were star players in the football team. Sports seemed to have a respected status in Odaiba, and their handsome appearance made them the eye-candies of the school's female population. While Takeru was good friends with many of the girls, he just did not see any of them romantically, and he wasn't particularly anxious about dating anyone either. He was busy enough with his commitments that he did not really have time to date anyone.

After he had changed his shoes, he met up with his best friends again and they walked together to the classroom, ignoring the glances people sent them. 'Hey did you hear?' Daisuke began. As always, he was the talker of the group. 'We have a transfer student in our class today, and I heard that she's a cutie.'

Takeru was startled by the news of a transfer student. 'But isn't it May already? Why will someone change school at this time?'

'That's a good…' Daisuke cut in before Ken could continue. 'Who cares why? As long as she's a cutie, then I don't care what the reason is.' Takeru looked at Ken for help, but the blue-haired boy just smiled weakly and shook his head, as if saying 'that's the Daisuke we know'. Takeru decided it's better to let Daisuke keep talking than interjecting on his logic.

The three got into their classroom and took their seats, as the school bell rang and the teacher entered the crowded room shortly afterwards. As expected, a girl in the green school uniform was following him as Nagakawa-sensei put his stuff on the teacher's desk. The girl immediately attracted the attention of the whole class. She had short brown hair that barely reached her shoulder, and she had a red hair clip on the left side of her hair. Her developing breasts clung to the green school uniform, showing a decent curve of her body, and the green skirt showed off her long and skinny legs that attracted the males' attention. Her crimson eyes looked around the room curiously and excitedly as she gave a small smile at whoever she made eye contact with. The male population of class 3-A, with the exception of a few calm ones, began to wolf-whistle at the cute transfer student, resulting in annoyed glances sent by the girls. The new student blushed slightly, but she quickly turned to face the blackboard as Nagakawa instructed her to write her name on it. Takeru and Ken were probably the only two people who noticed that she was holding a white sketchbook in her arm.

'Settle down now!' Nagakawa was a middle-aged teacher that the students generally respected, so he did not have to yell before his students quieted down. 'Even though it's unusual for someone to transfer to another school in May, I want you all to treat our new student nicely.' He pointed at the blackboard where the new student had written down the three kanji of her name. 'This is Yagami Hikari.' The girl named Hikari bowed deeply to the class with a smile on her face. 'I expect you all to get along well.'

After that, the more outspoken boys in the class began to yell out questions regarding her status. Where was she from? Why did she transfer a month after school started? What did she see in boys? Did she have a boyfriend? All these questions made Nagakawa let out a sigh as he took a glance at Hikari, who looked startled at the questions directed at her. With a nervous smile, she calmly opened the sketchbook and revealed a page with neatly-written characters that instantly silenced the whole class.

'I am mute. I cannot talk.'

Ken raised an eyebrow and Takeru widened his eyes. That was why the girl was carrying a sketchbook with her when she entered the classroom, and why she looked flustered when the boys looked at her expectantly after throwing out their questions at her. Hikari seemed fazed by the silence of the classroom, and she quickly flipped over to the other page to reveal another phrase that she had prepared ahead of time, and had an almost apologetic smile on her face.

'I hope we get along well for the rest of the year.'

'As you can see, Yagami is a special student here. She has been studying in a special institution for a while, so treat her nicely and let her have a good time here.' Nagakawa used his index finger to lift his glasses, observing his students' reaction to this news. Most looked shocked still, and only a few more mature ones seemed to accept it right away with an understanding nod. Nagakawa mentally sighed. He knew that it would be hard for some teenagers to accept studying with a transfer student who couldn't express herself well, and it would be difficult for teachers as well. Yet then, everyone deserved an equal opportunity for education, right? He had 'talked' to Hikari several times before today, and he knew the girl was determined to live a normal life like people of her age. He couldn't really upset the girl.

'Yagami, you can take a seat next to Takaishi over there.' He directed the brown-haired girl's glance towards the back of the classroom, where a blond was sitting by the window. There was an empty seat next to him, and she assumed that the teenager with blond hair was the one Nagakawa was referring to. She wondered if dyeing one's hair blond was even allowed in junior high, but she decided to keep that to herself. She bowed to Nagakawa politely and began to move towards the blond. She grabbed her sketchbook and bag, and began to proceed towards the back of the classroom.

Takeru had been watching the transfer student carefully, noticing each of her subtle changes in expression as she was being introduced to the class. He had to admit she was rather attractive, a 'cutie', as Daisuke had said before class. Her petite figure and the sincere smile on her face made her look even more adorable, but there was something that bothered Takeru the moment the girl walked into the classroom. She was holding a white sketchbook, and he could see a glint of fear and worry in her crimson eyes. While the fourteen-year-old reckoned that it was understandable to get nervous on the first day of class in a new environment, as he could tell from his own experience, he found it weird that her tiny fingers were grabbing the white sketchbook and tapping on it nervously. He only realized why when she showed the class the page with her handwriting on it, along with Nagakawa's explanation later on.

So she was mute. She couldn't talk. She wouldn't be able to talk. Takeru couldn't imagine what that would be like. While he didn't speak as much as Daisuke did, he could still vocalize his opinions when he had to. Being unable to explain yourself was a terrible thing, he thought, and he immediately pitied the girl named Yagami Hikari. It didn't help that the whole class turned silent as Hikari showed them what she wanted to say. She looked startled by the quietness that was partly created by her, and he could see her fingers began to nervously tap in the sketchbook again.

When Nagakawa announced that she was to sit next to him, he mentally prepared himself to greet the girl who was trying to avoid the curious and suspicious glances sent by his classmates. He did not really blame them, but he also thought they didn't realize they were building the pressure on her shoulders. So when Yagami arrived at her seat, to the right of his desk, he swallowed the liquid in his mouth cavity and smiled gently at the girl.

'I'm Takaishi Takeru,' he said as he extended his right arm towards the brown-haired girl, 'nice to meet you, Yagami-san.'

He immediately felt stupid as the girl stared at his arm. Having grown up in Europe, he was used to the customary Western practice of shaking hands with people you first met. He always seemed to forget that it was not the case in Japan, as he noticed everyone was looking at him oddly. Daisuke was trying to suppress his laughter at the awkward moment his friend had created, and Ken looked at him with understanding sympathy in his eyes.

Takeru wished he could dig a hole and hide himself in the ground now.

He felt the heat growing in his cheeks, and he was about to retreat his hand when Hikari reached for it and shook it softly, silently giggling and covering her mouth with her free, left hand. The faint blush on her cheeks was visible to him. Although he couldn't hear any mocking laughter from her, as she could not make any sound, he could feel the warmth in her smile. It was not a teasing one, but a sincere and honest smile that showed she really appreciated his effort.

She quickly let go of his hand and turned over her sketchbook to a blank page, taking out her mechanical pencil in the meantime and quickly scribbled something on the white paper. She then pushed the sketchbook towards Takeru's desk, and gestured for him to read the content.

'Nice to meet you too! Please just call me Hikari.'

Takeru, no longer feeling awkward, let out a sigh of relief and returned her favour with a smile and a reassuring nod. Their first class started soon afterwards, and everyone turned their attention to Nagakawa, who began a lecture on the problems of algebra they had learnt yesterday. Takeru's mind, however, did not dwell on which equation should be used to solve the equation, but on what he could do to make his new companion have a fruitful school life, and to keep that small, warm smile on her pretty, lovable face.

End of Chapter One

I'll slowly provide more background information of each character as the story goes on, with particular emphasis on Takeru and Hikari's background. Please kindly review and stay tuned for the next chapter!