Chapter Three
I hold up the gun and aim it at Daisuke's chest. He holds up his hands as if it would do any good. "I told you that you and Kari wouldn't get together. Goodbye Daisuke."
The gun makes little sound as the bullet shoots out of the barrel. Before I can even be sure that it had gone off, Daisuke is holding his hand over his heart.
I didn't miss.
Daisuke falls to his knees, still looking up at me. "Takeru," he whispers.
I walk closer and watch as his eyes begin to dim. The bullet has pierced through just right of his heart. His lungs are filling up with blood quickly and the red liquid rises into his throat and mouth. As he attempts to speak, blood pours out over his lips and down his chin. I revel in his vanquished appearance.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of Hikari," I say softly.
"You're crazy," he sputters.
I shrug. "Perhaps, but you should be grateful that I ended our rivalry. Now I can be with Kari without her worrying about upsetting you."
Assuming that that's the reason she and I aren't already dating.
Daisuke falls sideways. I glance over, his eyes are still open but they no longer hold the optimistic glow that Daisuke represented. They hold only death now.
Hikari's POV
"Hikari, get up, you have a phone call!"
I groan into my pillow, desperately trying to ignore my brother's voice. Being so rudely awakened by my older brother at such an early hour as seven is a crime I just can't forgive. I'll make sure to glare at him past the cereal box later this morning.
I reluctantly push back the warm covers and my body is exposed to the cool air around me. Silently I curse the coolness around me, as well as Miyako for forcing me to wear a tank top in a movie theater in the fall. Sulking to the door, I pull on a sweater, which I vaguely identify as one belonging to Takeru, and open the door in as brusque a manner as I can muster this early.
Taichi is standing outside of my door, his hand raised and ready to knock. I take the phone from him and he flashes me a sympathetic smile.
"It's Daisuke's mom," he explains quietly, "she doesn't sound too good."
"Hello?" I ask, hearing the tiredness in my own voice. I'll have to remember not to let Miyako keep me up until four in the morning the next time we hang out. She literally spent five hours on the computer telling me how much she likes Kyile.
"Kari, dear?" a sobbing voice asks, snapping me out of my reverie.
"Yes, it's me, Mrs. Motomiya. Are you all right? You sound upset." I realize that I've just stated the obvious, but really, I'm too tired to care.
"It's about Daisuke…he's, he's," she pauses and breaks into a fresh wave of tears.
Suddenly I'm wide-awake and worried, I've never heard Mrs. Motomiya get so upset. "He's what?" I prompt.
"Daisuke is dead!" she blurts out between sobs.
The color drains from my face as I sink down to the floor. I must have heard wrong, I must have. My chest heaves and I gasp for air; Mrs. Motomiya's wretched sounds coming from the receiver give me the impression that I've heard correctly.
Taichi knees beside me and places his hands on my shoulders, turning me to face him. "What is it?" he questions worriedly.
I ignore him, instead turning my attention back to Mrs. Motomiya. "Where are you now?"
"We're on our way to the hospital. My husband had a heart attack after we heard and the ambulance just took him over. Jun is driving us there now."
"I'll meet you there," I whisper, my voice shaky and unconfident. I hang up without saying a good bye.
Taichi is still staring at me, trying to find out what has happened. I don't look at him, but rather shut my eyes and let a tear fall silently down my face.
Takeru's POV
My eyes twitch with desperation to stay closed, by my phone is going off right in my ear. Why did I leave my cell phone on my bed and not somewhere on the other side of the room where it could be easily ignored? Who'd be calling before eight on a Saturday morning, anyway?
Hikari's Cell.
Instantly I'm wide-awake and alert. She couldn't have found out already! She always sleeps in on Saturdays…. Something must be up.
"Hello?" I answer, sounding as groggy as my voice will allow.
"Takeru, I'm sorry, did I wake you?"
Crying is evident in her weary voice. Guilt rushes through me as I realize that it's my fault that she's crying. Well, it's only fitting that I be the one to dry her tears. "It's fine, I was actually about to get up," a lie, but only a small one.
"Something has happened to Daisuke…"
I smirk; glad that she can't see my reaction to her statement. "Did he fall off his bike again?"
"He's dead." He voice is so deathly low that I can barely catch her words.
I force a gasp as she breaks down further. "Oh my God… what happened?"
"I don't know; I haven't really spoken to anyone yet. I just needed to hear your voice. Will you meet me at the hospital?"
"Of course. I can be there in twenty."
Miyako's POV
A few years back, sometime before the elder of the digidestined went to college, except maybe for Jyou, Daisuke hurt his ankle during a football match. After his dramatics caught everyone's attention, and half of us were convinced that he'd need his leg amputated the way he was going on about the pain, an ambulance arrived and Daisuke was taken to the hospital. After extensive testing and long grueling hours of putting up with his whining about his career ending before it even began, we found out that it was just a light sprain and Daisuke would be back on the field in a few weeks.
The one thing I can remember vividly about the entire ordeal is how our little group managed to take up an entire waiting room at the hospital. I know that something as insignificant as that really shouldn't be my strongest memory, what with Daisuke ranting about his lost chances and how if he didn't survive because of infection or the attacker showed up to finish the job, he wanted Hikari to understand his affections for her would live on. Or maybe the fact that Taichi spilled a cup of steaming coffee all over Iori should the first thing that comes to mind.
But as I walk into the hospital, imagining our little group once again overtaking the small waiting area, I can't help but remember that little tidbit first and foremost.
God, it's all so surreal.
Is it sad that I'm more likely to believe that this is all some sick, twisted, elaborate joke on Daisuke's behalf, then that he's actually dead? Dai is invincible, our fearless leader. As much as I love pretending to hate his guts, Dai really means a lot to me.
There is a seat between Ken and Iori, which I quickly claim as my own. Hikari is sitting across from us, in the center section, with a few empty seats on her one side. She's drawn into the seat, her legs pulled up and her head resting on her knees. Only her hand is sticking out past the confines of the small chair, loosely grasped by Jun's shaky fingers.
She doesn't seem to notice me; her eyes remain fixed on the ground. I look over at Ken. He's flexing and curling his fingers, like he does when he desperately wants to do something. Sometimes he does it when he'd rather be punching Daisuke.
His gaze is hard and focused, staring at Hikari as she remains in her own little world. And then it hits me. He's waiting for her to snap out of it and look over to him, to ask for him to comfort her.
"Not a chance; you know her and as soon as I so much as utter her name, you will run off and tell her."
Admittedly, I have bigger things to do than congratulate myself for figuring out who Ken secretly likes. So I sit still, waiting for the fact to finally hit home and for me to understand that I'll never see Daisuke again.
I really don't want to do that. I don't want to understand, it will all just be too painful. I glance over at Iori for a second; he's watching Koushiro as the poor computer genius buries himself in his laptop.
I crawl into Ken's lap, the need for physical comfort overriding all other thoughts. He adjusts, leaning back a bit and wrapping an arm around my waist as I lace my arms around his neck.
He looks so solemn, so sad. I can't help but become more miserable from the look in his dark eyes. He grants me a soft, sad smile, as means of comfort and I bury my face into the crook of his neck, releasing a sob I didn't know I'd been holding.
Hikari still hasn't looked up and I think I know what she's doing. I was in Hikari's head once, as scary as that sounds. It was when we first jogress digivolved together and our minds synchronized. It was nothing like I had expected. I really believed that Hikari's heart would be filled with beautiful things like rainbows and unicorns. But instead I found so much darkness and sadness and sacrifice. Everything in her head and her heart was blocked off by these walls that she's built over the years. I knew that she kept everything inside, but I didn't know how she accomplished it.
She usually seems so happy on the outside. She refuses to show anyone all that pain and darkness or to get rid of it. That's not to say that she's all darkness. There were these beautiful orbs of light that pulled me away from the labyrinth of dark emotions and insecurities. So beautiful and warm that they made me happy just gazing at them, like the way Hikari presents herself.
I guess that it only makes sense; someone who is blessed with such Light must be burdened to cast a great shadow.
"How's dad?"
I lift my head and find Taichi and Sora carrying several cups of coffee.
"Jyou checked on him for me. He's stable and there wasn't any major damage, but he's getting some much needed rest right now."
"What happened?" I ask.
"Dad had a heart attack," Jun whispers.
I snuggle closer to Ken as Taichi starts handing out the cups of coffee. I was wondering why we met up here. If Daisuke was dead then he'd be in a morgue or something and we'd meet up at someone's house. But Hikari went to the hospital to see the Motomiya's, and since she made the phone calls (or rather two of the calls; Taichi had to take over when she started losing her voice) we just met up where the Yagami's were.
"Coffee?" Taichi offers.
I take a cup and thank him. Ken takes a small sip from his Styrofoam cup and I follow suit. It's as good as hospital coffee can be expected to be.
"Hika, I got some hot chocolate for you," Taichi says as he takes his seat beside her.
She just nods, acknowledging his voice, but doesn't move. Taichi releases a tired sigh and sets it down on the table behind him.
Sora wraps her arms around Taichi's neck and touches him tenderly. She's trying to be strong on his behalf. Daisuke was like a little brother to Taichi. He was his successor as leader of the digidestined and as the keeper of Courage. He once called Dai the flame of his courage–we all teased him about being in love with Dai for that one. At least he has Sora to help him now.
Hikari won't find comfort in anyone. She'll build a wall and lock away all of her grief and then try to find a way to comfort the rest of us. I wonder how much she can take though, it almost seems like Daisuke's death is slowly killing her. I know that she really loved him–she wasn't in love with him–but he was like a brother to her.
Yamato–er, Matt–walks in with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Taichi and him exchange manly head nods. I guess that they're in this together; Daisuke was Matt's successor as well. Although they didn't see each other often, they still had a connection that went deeper than words.
Ken always tells me I overanalyze things.
I check to see if Hikari has noticed Matt yet, but she's still staring blankly at the ground. I don't think that she even acknowledges Jun letting her hand drop and leaving the room.
Matt takes the now empty seat, placing a hand on Hikari's shoulder. She actually jumps, like he just suddenly appeared beside her. She gives in to her need for comfort, or maybe she's blocked off enough of her feelings to respond to the people around her, either way, she throws herself into Matt. He responds affectionately, hiding his surprise that she had received him so well.
Taichi looks torn between being grateful that Hikari isn't acting so numb, and annoyed that she chose to respond to Matt rather than him.
She breaks into tears suddenly and Matt pulls her closer to him. She falls against him limply, as if she's passed out. But her body is still racked with sobs, so she must be conscious.
Matt tilts her chin up to him.
"You're going to make yourself sick this way," he reprimands softly. "Try to calm down."
"Calm down?" she repeats fiercely, pain flaring up from within her shattered heart. "How can I calm down when Daisuke is dead?"
Her fury rises further, and it's a welcome change from the agonizing pain of loss that she must be feeling otherwise. Matt doesn't seem too affected by her lashing out; however, he actually takes it like he was expecting it. Maybe he knows that no words can calm the storm raging within Hikari, a storm of pain, misery, and heartache.
Gee, I don't know whether to major in poetry or psychology after I graduate.
Pulling her back in close to him, Matt rests his chin atop Hikari's head. She relaxes against him and they almost look like a couple. She sighs in exhaustion and I remember just how tired I am. We did stay up until after four this morning talking online, and I was forced out of bed at eight. I doubt that she or I will fall asleep, though, at least not until someone tells us exactly what happened to Daisuke.
She doesn't even notice Takeru enter the room, which is about time if you ask me. He could have gotten through to Hikari much sooner.
Takeru's POV
I am not surprised to find that everyone had beaten me here. I did spent fifteen minutes with my mother down by where they are keeping Mr. Motomiya. Hikari's parents are both down there, as well as Jun.
I am surprised, however, to find that Matt has beaten me here. Not to the crowded little room, but to Hikari's side. I thought that I'd find her in Taichi's arms, and then I'd get here and take over.
She looks beautiful; she's one of those rare pretty weepers who don't get all red and splotchy when crying. There's an aura of sadness around her, though, which makes my heart beat increase. She shouldn't be crying–she wouldn't be crying if it weren't for me.
Maybe it's my imagination but I can almost feel Hikari's emotions seeping out of her and into my awareness. And amongst all the misery there's just a pinch of anger.
Deep down, she's angry with Daisuke for dying.
She looks up at me, finally noticing me standing in the doorway.
"Takeru," she breathes softly as she pulls away from Matt and stands up. I hold out my arms as she collapses against me and I embrace her warmly.
Jyou walks in with a police officer beside him.
"Hey guys, this is Officer Higashiru," he explains.
The way Hikari looks at him–it's as if she has been waiting for him her entire life. She forces her exhausted body out of my arms and stands weakly, waiting for an explanation.
Officer Higashiru offers a sympathetic smile to the group before addressing us. "I'm sorry to have kept you in the dark for so long, but we don't have much to go on ourselves. Hopefully what I can tell you will help a little; I know you all must be going through a rough time. We know for sure that Daisuke was shot sometime between eleven and two in the morning. He was found by a jogger around six. He only lived for a few moments after the bullet went through his chest, so he didn't suffer for long. We have no weapons, witnesses, nor motives as of now. If it would be all right with all of you, I have a few questions to ask–."
"Perhaps you should wait until everyone has a chance to absorb all of this," Jyou suggests.
Officer Higashiru rubs a hand over his balding head. "Um, yeah, I guess." He looks at Hikari; she's obviously in no condition to be interrogated. "If I could just get everyone's name and address so I can find you later."
"Who would want to kill Dai," Hikari sobs, unsatisfied with what the officer provided.
"There has been some increased violence in the area, due to fights for gang control. My guess is that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We due intend to follow that lead, as well as any other possibilities."
Lead?
That was a grasp at a straw at best. Oh well, so long as they don't suspect me. Not that they ever would, I am the sweet and wholesome Takeru Takaishi. As for the weapon? The gun is buried by a stream near Mickey's shack.
"I should have gone out on that stupid date with him," Hikari mumbles, suddenly. "Maybe he'd still be alive if I'd been out with him last night."
She turned him down for a date? That lying bastard told me that they were getting together! He deserved to die.
Okay, so I had known that Daisuke was bullshitting when he told me that Hikari liked him, but it felt good to justify my making Hikari cry.
"You can't think like that," I scold, "this couldn't have had anything to do with you."
Her arms glide up around my neck and she hugs me again. Her touch is ecstasy and my passion for her burns anew. Wrapping my arms around her, I embrace her tightly. I will make her forget about Daisuke, no matter what.
I faintly hear Officer Higashiru leaving the room with Jyou. I guess Jyou is going to give him our addresses, since he leaves without asking for them.
Matt stands up and stretches his hands above his head. He stands awkwardly, not knowing what to do. "You should take Hikari home," he says softly, yet not leaving room for argument.
She relinquishes her hold on me in order to turn and face him. "I need to be here for Jun and her parents."
"Your parents are here. You can come back tomorrow and check up on them."
"No," Hikari whispers. Her voice is failing, I notice.
"Hikari," Taichi interrupts, "we're going home."
She looks at her brother with a pained expression, not willing to openly defy him but unwilling to consent. "Fine," she grumbles after a moment.
We all give our awkward goodbyes as the Yagami siblings exit the room. There's really nothing binding us here any longer so we slowly separate, promising to call and see each other soon.
I leave without a word.
I'm not sure why, but I was fairly surprised when Matt showed up for dinner. He was over at seven, dressed nicely in a button up dark blue shirt and blue jeans. He was trying to show my mother that he'd grown up, I realized. Last time they had seen each other in person my brother still went by Yamato and didn't give a damn about the woman he rarely ever saw. Now, he wished to make amends for his childish behavior, beginning by surprising the woman with a tender hug. She looked at me afterwards as if to ask: "why don't you ever do that?"
"Takeru," my mother asks, sitting down at the head of the table. "Did you hear me?"
I look up, locking eyes on my mother, having no idea what she said to me. Matt had been filling her in on what the police officer had told us, I remember, and I went off into my own little world. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I asked if you planned to go down to see Daisuke's father tomorrow. I'm sure it would mean a lot to him, being his son's best friend and all."
"As much as the Motomiya's must be hurting, it's Hikari that I'm worried about," Matt says.
My eyes fly across the table to where Matt is sitting. Since when are you concerned about anything, Matt? You barely know Hikari, anyway. "Hikari is stronger than you give her credit for."
"It takes more than just strength to get over losing one of your best friends," he countered.
"She has me," I growl. I need to calm down before I lose my temper. Taking a deep breath, I continue. "I have every intention on helping her, so does Tai and Miya."
"We all do," he replies, taking in my sudden outburst. "But you saw her today. She was a lot worse than the rest of us."
I stand up, unable to control myself in front of my aggravating brother. It isn't so much what he had said, but the truth behind his words. I hadn't been enough to comfort her today.
I'm just going to have to try harder.
"I'm going to bed; it's been a long day. Goodnight, Yamato."
When I originally typed this chapter up, it was in third person when Takeru wasn't around. After retyping it, I'm cutting out the next two and a half pages and saving them for next chapter since I've already passed the length of the original copy.
I'm almost ready to post the next chapter of Adeliea, I'm on page nine. Revenge of the Kaiser chapter five has been started and Too Young chapter six is a few pages in. I have a few pages done for the next chapter of this, but they have to be retyped to first person present tense.
For the main coupling, it's going to look like one, and then something will happen. It's going to switch to another, but something happens there too. You really won't know the final coupling until the final chapter. Don't think you know because of what happens in the chapter. There will be several twists.
The rating will go up eventually, and I'll warn you before that happens.