Hi guys and gals! It's been a while since I've written fanfic. It's been sooo long already! Well, nevertheless, here's the new version of Jealousy.
Some might ask why I decided to rewrite Jealousy. Well, first off, it was kinda messy. The pacing was off, and a lot of things were a bit... well, wrong. A lot of other factors contributed to me not wanting to continue that version but we'll leave out those details.
Well, here's chapter 1 of the rewrite! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Digimon and all of its characters and so on and so forth.
Chapter 1: Break-ups, Troubles and Pandora's Box
"I don't want to do this anymore, Naomi..." he told her, his eyes showing a great deal of regret and grief. He had her corned, and there was no escape for her. She looked at him through her ebony black eyes, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She tried to hold it in, but the impact of it all was getting to her. The deafening silence was too much for her to bear. Even her heart started pounding more audibly.
"Takeru... I-I don't understand," she tried to tell him in between gasps. Tears were falling from her eyes now, gently caressing her pink cheeks. The classroom was empty and the windows all closed. The door was slightly ajar, but the hallway would provide no solace as they were empty. The room was barely lit, only by the sun's rays passing through the window panes. Leaves were already starting to fall from the trees.
"Listen Naomi, I don't know what's going on anymore. It's like you've become a whole different person. There's no point in continuing this relationship if you won't let me in. There's absolutely no point... if you don't include me in your life," said Takeru, his words laced with bitter regret. He looked away from her, unable to face her and look her in the eyes.
"Takeru..." she muttered, her voice cracking. She was about to burst into tears.
"I'm sorry Naomi," he says quietly. Takeru walked briskly towards the door, pushing it so that it was now fully open and leaving it as it was. She was unable to take it anymore and fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands. And as if on cue, two slender arms wrap around Naomi. These arms where not Takeru's but Naomi gladly accepted them. The person helped her up and tried to comfort her with as much ability as she could. The deafening silence was drowned out as the bell rang across the hall and students started pouring out from their classrooms.
"Ta-ke-ru!" exclaimed Hikari, her voice practically filling the whole cafeteria. A few of the students looked in her direction as the voice piqued their interest.
"What is it Hikari?" asked Takeru innocently. His expression matched perfectly with the tone of his voice, further infuriating his close friend.
"Don't you dare give me that tone! That's another girl this month! Are you on some kind of break-up spree?" she exclaimed, the intensity akin to that of a kettle blowing steam as the water reached boiling point.
"It's not my fault! It's been very difficult for me too! It's not always the guy's fault!" he retorted. "And besides, I told you what happened. Her friend told me she was dating that idiot quarterback behind my back. It was still nice of me to have let her down gently".
"Ugh! Then why go out with her in the first place? C'mon Takeru, you know what she's like. I keep telling you that she's a horrible friend and probably a far worse girlfriend. And I was right," rebutted Hikari, her arms flailing around in an attempt to emphasis the point she was making.
It was lunch time and the two always ate together. Friends would join them, but they'd go as quickly as they had come. The only constant thing was them and the biohazard the school called food.
"I'm sorry Ms. Know-it-all. All I wanted was to prove to everyone that she wasn't like that. She was very nice when we met, practically an angel if you ask me," he countered, taking a bite out of the meat that had a green hue to it after speaking. But after the first bite, he decided to just leave the meat to be disposed later. It was burning his taste buds, and it certainly wasn't because of the delicious taste.
"Well, that's what you get when you let your heart win!" Hikari proudly points out. Takeru couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"So you did listen to that Paramore CD I got you," he coyly replied. Since he had given up on the food, he was now drinking the not-so-tasteless water he got from the water dispenser. In his opinion, it was diarrhea in a glass with a bit of seasoning.
"Yes, fine, whatever. But the point is, you got into a relationship that you weren't ready to stick to until the end. And so this is what you get, a broken heart, lunch vomit and a nagging best friend."
But before Takeru could say another word, he lost the attention of his best friend to the incoming Ken Ichijouji. Nothing could distract her more than this guy.
"H-h-h-hi Ken!" stuttered Hikari, as she turned pink from embarrassment. Though the two have spoken on numerous occasions, Hikari would always whenever she greeted Ken.
"Smooth," whispers Takeru, snickering beside her. As a response, she forcefully nudges the blond by the ribs, causing him to coil up in agony.
"Hi Hikari, Takeru," greets Ken brightly. Though rare, there are circumstances where he has enough time to join the two for lunch.
"Uhmmm... Takeru, are you alright?" he asks, peering over Takeru's coiled up position.
"Of course I am, this is nothing," he answers sarcastically, his voice barely a whisper as a side effect of the pain. It takes three more seconds of quiet yelping before he is able to get up and join the two at the table.
"So, what brings you by Ken?" Hikari asks, trying hard not to stutter and not to embarrass herself further. Ken smiles at her instinctively, which causes butterflies to soar in Hikari's unfed stomach.
"Well, I had spare time so I decided to eat with you guys. I hope that isn't a problem with you?" he asks them, looking at Hikari then at Takeru. Without skipping a beat, Hikari answers him enthusiastically.
"It's not a problem Ken! I love... err... We love eating with you!" she exclaims, her tone practically bursting with glee. This, however, does not, in the least, bother nor surprise Ken. Takeru, on the other hand, raises his eye brow and showcases an expression that would probably be the cross of bewilderment and pity. Despite that, Hikari continues to shine with glee, ignoring Takeru entirely.
"Have you guys seen Daisuke by any chance?" Ken suddenly asks. Takeru shakes his head whereas Hikari asks why.
"He's got my calculator and I need it for the next class. We've got midterms and I can't afford to let this one pull down my grades," he explains, and, soon after, takes a bite out of his tuna sandwich.
"Would you like to borrow mine?" Hikari offers gladly, her eyes shining joyfully.
"I'd love to, thanks Hikari," he gratefully replies, earning more glee and joy from the love-struck teenager. "I'll give it back to you after class".
After Hikari pulls out the calculator from her bag, Takeru spots Daisuke from a distance, frantically scanning the place. And it was immediately noticeable that he wasn't holding anything.
"If I were you, I'd not let Ken look to the right," Takeru whispered to Hikari as she handed him her calculator. She curiously looked to her right and saw Daisuke, panicking and looking around for something. It didn't take her long to figure out that Daisuke was going to be in deep trouble. Again.
"He lost Ken's calculator, didn't he?" she asked expectantly and with a sigh, returning her gaze back to the table. Ken was too busy eating his lunch to notice Daisuke. But Daisuke had spotted Ken and was now fleeing the cafeteria.
"He probably did. And by the looks of it, he's done a lot more than that," whispered Takeru back. They both sighed and let things unravel as they would. Though it was clear that neither of the two would touch their lunch, it was also certain that neither would leave just yet in case they bumped into Daisuke, possibly getting them into another thrilling Daisuke catastrophe.
"Hey Takeru, do you mind if I ask you something?" Ken suddenly asks, wiping his lips using his handkerchief. Hikari had just finished zipping her bag and was now looking at Ken.
"You already are Ken," Takeru points out in an amused tone. "But other than that, sure, what is it?"
"Well... uhmmm... have you talked to... errr... Yolei... recently?" he wonders, pretending to be nonchalant but failing. Hikari's demeanor suddenly shifts, her ears intently listening on the conversation but her eyes fixated on something totally different.
"Apart from the usual hello? Nope. Why'd you ask?" Takeru answers back. His gaze shifted from Ken to Hikari, observing the rising panic and shock Ken was instilling in Hikari. Of this, though, he was unaware of.
"Ohh... uhmm... it's nothing really," Ken replies, albeit a bit too quickly. He averts his gaze towards the far end of the room. Takeru suddenly chuckles as he envisions how this is turning out for Hikari. Needless to say, he'd need earphones in order to survive the vicious tirade his best friend would soon be having.
"Well, would you like me to pass a message?" he offers kindly, causing a surprised reaction from Ken.
"A-a-a message?" he stutters, causing Hikari to flare up and Takeru to chuckle once again. "Yes, a message. There's probably a reason why you wanted to see Yolei". At that, Ken shakes his head fiercely, as if trying to cast out some evil spirit.
"Don't be ridiculous Takeru, I don't have the time to date," he points out. "With all the stuff I have to do, there's no time for that. And, I'll have to bid you adieu, it's almost time for class".
"But I didn't say anything about that..." says Takeru, surprised at Ken's reaction. His words were unable to reach Ken though as he was gone in a flash. This left Takeru confused and Hikari fumed. It wasn't long before the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch break.
"I need to talk to you after class," she tells Takeru and takes off, almost as fast as Ken did.
"Oh boy... Better get those donuts she likes..."
"Yolei? Honestly? Why would Ken choose Yolei over me?" exclaims Hikari, earning the stares of several people around her. The park was usually quiet on a day like this. The weather was perfect for a stroll in the park. But it would've been better if Hikari was in a better mood.
"Calm down Hikari. There's no need to get so worked up about it. C'mon, sit down and have a bite of this delicious honey glazed," Takeru reassures her, motioning the girl pacing in front of him to sit down. Hikari follows, though the burning intensity of finding out about Ken's probable crush still has yet to die down.
"I'm only sitting down because of the donut, okay?" she tells Takeru as she grumpily takes a bite of the donut.
"Whatever you say Hikari," he replies, amused by the childish front his best friend is showing. There was silence between the two as they ate the honey glazed donuts Takeru bought prior to their meeting. The wind gently swept the leaves that had fallen to the ground near the bench the two were sitting at. After taking the last bite of her donut, Hikari stands up in front of Takeru.
"I am going to make Ken fall in love with me, even if it's the last thing I do," she resolutely tells Takeru. The blond best friend simply smirks.
"How do you plan on doing that, my darling Hikari?" he asks her, a playful tone dancing around his words. Hikari quickly sits back down again.
"I don't know... I'll tie him up and tell him that I like him and not let him go until he's fallen in love with me?"
"Hikari, that's illegal and just plain wrong," Takeru tells her, shifting his body to face her. Hikari remained still, looking at the huge tree a few yards from their location. She could see three children playing happily with the pile of orange leaves near the tree while the people she assumed to be their parents sat on the bench near the lake. She felt a level of curiosity sweep over her just by watching the children play.
"Hikari? Are you listening to me?" Takeru asks her, his face practically a few millimetres away. The loudness of his voice suddenly makes her jump up. Takeru quickly backs away from her to avoid being hit by the startled Hikari.
"Now that I have your attention, I want you to answer me these three things," he says matter-of-factly. Hikari, who was now facing Takeru, nodded.
"First, are you serious about him? Second, will you be willing to tough it out? And lastly, will you buy me another donut?"
"Yes, yes, and no," she answers quickly. Takeru's smile suddenly fades as he loses the chance to get a free donut.
"And I so wanted another donut," he complains to her, closing his eyes to contemplate.
"So, what now?" she asks him, carefully taking in his contemplative look.
"Well, first off, you should just say yes to buying me a donut. Second, are you sure he's interested in you?"
"Maybe? How do you even tell?" she asks him, completely ignoring Takeru's first statement. The teen scratches his head at the failure of his attempt to get a free donut.
"Fine. Well, first off, he's got to be the one initiating. It's not necessarily a requirement, but if a guy is interested, he's bound to talk to you at some point or offer to do something for you. So, has that happened before?"
"Well, do school related stuff count?" she asks him. "It depends," was Takeru's quick reply.
"Well, there was this one time after math class. My teacher asked me to bring the notebooks to her office. I thought I could do it alone, but it turned out that I couldn't. Though Ken had to be elsewhere, he stopped by and offered to help me," she explains to Takeru, recalling the instances that would satisfy his question.
"Okay, go on..."
"There was this time when I forgot my report on a reading assignment. Ken offered to lend me his notes so that I could make one before I had to pass it."
"Anything else?" he asks her. Hikari shakes her head.
"Well, he's certainly a great friend..."
"Friend? I'm stuck at the friends for life zone?" she responds exasperatedly. Takeru puts his arm on her shoulders, trying to comfort the worried Hikari.
"Well, there's really nothing I can deduce from what you've told me. But listen, I'll help you get Ken. We'll do so 'til the very last leaf falls from that tree!"
"Yeah!" Hikari shouts in intense affirmation.
"We will keep trying until he has nothing in his mind but the thought of Hikari Yagami!" exclaims Takeru.
"Yeah!" she loudly exclaims.
"And, after this, you, Hikari Yagami, will be Ken's girl and you will treat me to a donut right now!"
"Nice try Takaishi," she replies. She coyly smiles at him and playfully hits his shoulder. "Fine, let's go. But you owe me!"
"Yes! I get a free treat!" Takeru jovially shouts, skipping towards Silver Bell, the café shop on the other side of the park.
"Just because you're helping..." she tells him and runs towards the café. "But if I get to Silver Bell before you do, you're not getting the donut!" she laughingly shouts at him. She had already run past Takeru and was already a part of the way there. The blond stood there momentarily, waiting for his body to catch up with his thought process.
"W-wait! Hikari!" he shouts as he runs after her. "I'm the one going to have to think of the plan! Doesn't that entitle me to a little donut treat?"
"Just hurry up Takaishi!" she playfully taunts him. They run towards the café shop, with Hikari seemingly forgetting about her previous outburst regarding Ken's crush.
Autumn was already showing signs of its arrival. Tree leaves of different shades of orange where starting to fall. The chilly breeze was becoming apparent all around the city. All in all, this could very well be one of those sinister plots that make or break relationships. But then again, it could just be a string of humorous events that would lead to a crazy ending of sorts.
Okay, this chapter was really short. I wanted to make things unfold slowly and not try to cram everything all at once.
Like it? Hate it? Well, tell me what you think! But please be kind, okay?
Thanks guys and gals! :D