SaliorStar9: Well, another new fic coming from me after re-watching Digimon Adventures and Digimon 02. I was also inspired by FortressMaximus' 'Of Crests and Planets' fic and hopefully me starting this will encourage him to continue his please be a dear and review.
Summary: Ever wondered how Yamato got his harmonica? Ishida Yamato and Mizuno Ami; two inseparable children, bonded over a similar background and a shared interest in music. But things changed after that summer camp, leaving Ami feeling betrayed and abandoned. Mostly a flashback fic that happens before Digimon Adventures started; the prologue starts somewhere during episode 38 of Digimon 02.
Disclaimers: I do not own the animes. But I do own the pairing, I hope.
Prologue
"Can't believe I'm back here." Mizuno Ami sighed, stepping out of the Odaiba Station. "Oh well." She shrugged, remembering the reason she had returned. "Time to get this over with, I guess."
"Come on, Sora." Piyomon chided her partner, Sora standing outside 'Teenage Wolves' band wagon. "Why are you stopping here?"
"Because…" Sora started.
"Sora, what are you doing?" Taichi inquired, Agumon by his side.
"I smell something delicious." Gabumon opened the door.
"Is that for Yamato?" Taichi guessed.
"Sora's been hesitating for a while out here." Piyomon supplied.
"Hurry up and give it to him." Taichi urged. "Hurry up!" he pushed Sora in.
"Sora, Taichi." Yamato greeted his two friends at the door. "Sorry, I've got to run."
"Yamato?" Sora blinked, the blond taking off.
"What's with that?" even Taichi was confused.
"Yamato received a present earlier." Gabumon explained. "And then, he went pale when he took out the snow globe from the gift box."
"One last time." Ami whispered, entering the playground she used to play in when she still lived in Odaiba. "That's right." She sat on the swing. "One last time."
Yamato had finally found the person he was looking for at the old playground. It's all my fault. He cursed himself, his ears picking up the soft humming of Britney Spear's 'Lucky'. I should've protected her.
Hashiguchi Youko: the typical bully all schools were plagued with, and was under a lot of pressure from her creditor father to do well in school but could never accomplish even half was what was expected of her.
In the beginning, she had no real target, and was more of a nuisance to everyone. But it was part of the scenario. She was looking for a prey. The ideal victim, someone she could project all her angst, anger and self-hate onto. And eventually, she did find one; the top student in class.
But Youko stalled her plan since Yamato acted as a buffer for Ami, a shield of sorts. Then, her opportunity came after that fateful 'summer camp' when Ami returned to school without Yamato by her side. Without Yamato protecting Ami, Youko set her plan into action.
"It's amazing!" the students gather around the results announcement on the bulletin board.
"It must be nice for Mizuno-san to be number one all the time." Risa remarked snidely.
"After all, she studies really hard, right?" Mira added.
"She should be careful." Megumi commented. "So people won't call her a nerd."
"I found this cheat sheet in Mizuno's desk." Shin reported, a slip of paper in his hand.
"Mizuno cheated on this round of tests." Shuu peered at the slip. "That's horrible."
"The reason why she's been number one all this time is probably that she's been cheating." Shin concluded.
"You cynical, sadistic creep!" Risa spat out, completely forgetting to mask the brutality of her true character.
"You spoiled little goody-two-shoes," Mira said in her cold and elegant manner.
"Stupid snob!" Megumi added, imitating her classmates like she always did, yet always coming out as plump and inferior.
Yamato could only look one as the insults hit the unfortunate girl like lashes from a whip. He was about to step out to pull the quivering Ami away and shield her from every word they shot at her, when Sora pulled him back, her eyes pleading for him to stay.
Unable to look into their hateful eyes anymore, Ami glanced up to look for her protector, only to see Yamato looking at the ground as more and more of the children joined in the public humiliation.
Aside, Youko grinnedtriumphantly, like she had finally succeeded. At last, she had turned her arch nemesis into something that was worse than her. She had pulled the teacher's pet down to her level and was now free to trample her in the face. Now she could finally experience the pleasure only someone who has been trampled on her whole life feels.
Yamato could only look on, helpless, as Ami was made into the enemy of the whole class. The bullying of the top student now became something widely accepted. While most of the class still did not do anything actively, they all accepted what happened, and they all felt she deserved it.
I should've been at her side. Yamato scolded himself. I should've known something was wrong.
It was at the second half of the last semester in sixth grade. Final exams were coming up, and the stress and tension in school were enormous. Youko had no chance of passing them, and everyone knew this. Her desperation and vanity made her abuse grow to extreme proportions.
The final straw came when one day, the entire school was shocked by the sudden announcement; Mizuno Ami was hospitalized when she attempted suicide the previous night. All accusations, from the rest of the student body to the teachers, were directed at the top student's classmates and not even Yamato could escape coming under the fire.
Investigations then uncovered the bullying and the immense stress Ami had been put under for the last year and a half. Youko, the instigator herself, was then expelled, blacklisted and dragged off to Social Services. Everyone else who had participated in the bullying were given a stern warning and their parents notified. The PTA had also laid down the ultimatum: every single one of them was to give Ami a formal apology when she returned.
But that chance never came when Mizuno Saeko pulled her daughter out of the school, moved to Juuban and hired a private tutor for the rest of the semester.
"It's my fault." Yamato muttered, his feet having unconsciously led him before the brooding teenage girl. "I should've been there. I'm sorry."
"That's enough." Ami cut in. "From now on, I want to keep our relationship strictly professional; no personal strings attached." Strolling past him, she walked towards the entrance. "Congratulations, Takenouchi." She remarked, pausing at Sora's side. "He's all yours."
His heart was never mine to begin with. Sora realized. I knew it was foolish to listen Hashiguchi, but…
"Takenouchi…" Hashiguchi snarled, cornering Sora in the empty hallway, the Keeper of the Love Crest having witnessed Youko plant the cheat sheet under Ami's desk. "If you know what's good for you, you'll keep quiet about this. Besides," she smirked. "I know you hate that teacher's pet as much as I do; once we remove her, Ishida's all yours."
Her resolve weakened, Sora could only watch as the drama unfolded, Youko turning the entire class against Ami.
"Sora…" Yamato blinked, noticing Sora.
"It's me…" Sora muttered. "It's I who is to blame. I saw Hashiguchi put the cheat sheet under Mizuno's desk…"
"And yet you kept silent about it?" Yamato echoed. "Why, Sora?"
"Because…" Sora looked away.
"I see…" Yamato frowned, seeing the wrapped present in Sora's hands. "How long?"
"3 years ago, ever since we came back from the Digital World." Sora looked away. "But now I know how stupid I was. You never stopped loving her, did you?"
SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.