Destiny and Fate Ch 4
The day has come. It was now a bright Friday morning and Hikari was getting up from her bed, stretching her still sleeping body. Today was the party date for this month and Hikari took a warm shower to start the day. In the shower, she imagined and predicted what events would take place at the party. She thought of it as she cleansed her body with water. However, thinking proved to be futile since anything was possible to occur. She came out of the shower, drying herself with a large towel. After drying herself completely, she put on her attire and marched to Takeru's room to wake him up. She turned the knob and entered. As usual, he was lying in his bed helplessly. His arms were sticking off to the side, his blanket was kicked away, and his blades of hair scattered independently, leaving a messy hair style.
"Ishida, get up."
"…"
Hikari gave a sigh and shook him awake. He groaned and rose up, scratching his head.
"There's a better way of waking people up, you know."
"Like what?"
"Giving me a good morning kiss."
"How about a bullet?"
"Mmm…I still want your lips more."
"Oh really?"
She, then, cocked her gun and shot the wall which his bed was against.
"I don't miss twice, Ishida."
"Of course…"
Afraid of the bullet piercing his body, Takeru rose from the bed as he stretched his body lazily.
"We're gonna have to be at the party by 1 P.M., so get ready."
"Geez, party is pretty early."
He complained as he got off the bed and went into the shower to wake himself up. He stayed in the shower, drenching himself for a good 10 minute before finally washing himself. Washing didn't take long and Takeru came out of the bathroom, covering his lower body with a large towel. Hikari was not seen in the room. He assumed that she got bored of waiting and went out. Regardless, he put on his formal attire for the party he was soon going to attend. After a minute or two, he was finished with the dress up and went out of his room.
"It took you a while."
"Fell asleep in the shower. Sorry."
"Whatever. Let's get going."
"No worrying in the slightest? I could've drowned, you know?"
"It's a shower, not a bath. Come on."
"Fine."
Small argument took place and the two were heading down to the garage where numerous cars were parked. Upon arrival, Hikari spoke to Takeru.
"You're driving today."
"When else did I not?"
He got into the driver's seat as he threw a rhetorical sentence. Today, Takeru picked a black color since he was told that this party is particularly formal.
"Where to?"
"To the Yagami Corporation building."
"You guys have parties in a business building?"
"We have sky terrace in the building. We use that."
"Sky terrace, huh. That sounds nice."
"Hurry up and start driving."
"Yeah, I would, but…Where is this building that I have to drive to?"
"Use the GPS right there. Type Yagami and it will show you the way."
"As expected of a rich person's car."
Takeru let out a comment as he inputted the destination in the GPS and drove as instructed. It was only after he drove for a good 30 minutes when he realized that they were not even half way there. The GPS indicated that they still had an hour and 30 minutes more to go before they arrive at their destination. Getting bored, Takeru complained to the icy princess next to him.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me that I have to drive for 2 whole hours."
"Why do you think we got up so early?"
The blonde driver let out a heavy sigh and resumed speaking.
"You might not know it, but driving long distance without taking a break is tiring thing."
"Hmm~. You sound as if you did this kind of thing before."
Hikari spoke with a slight hint of interest in her elegant, soft voice. After hearing curiosity in her voice, Takeru decided to joke around before properly answering her.
"I drove many girls to many places."
"How nice. Now what's the real reason?"
She demanded him to reveal the truth.
"That is my real reason."
Takeru still joked around with the passenger and the owner of the car.
"There's no way that you drove any girls around."
"Hey. Lots of girls fall for me. I'm pretty popular among girls, you know."
"Of course you are."
She spoke in a sarcastic tone and Takeru protested at her statement.
"Come on, Hikari. You gotta admit I am pretty hot."
"As much as the North Pole."
"Ow…That hurt."
"Whatever. Now, what's the real reason?"
Takeru chuckled a little bit and finally answered her.
"I used to drive some people back a while ago."
"How old were you then?"
"Hmm…I think I was around 13 years old."
Then, Hikari responded with a small shock in her tone.
"So you never had rights to talk about me buying guns and ignoring the law."
"I guess, but it's not attractive when a girl is a delinquent."
Takeru said it with a smirk on his handsome face.
"I never tried to be attractive."
"Yeah. You didn't have to. You're attractive enough anyway."
"…"
He managed to silence her with a flattering compliment once again. That was one of his fortes other than driving a vehicle. Hikari couldn't counter him with a proper comeback since he spoke about a positive trait of hers. All she could do at that point was to look out the window in the shame of defeat. Takeru saw her struggle to appear strong in front of him and decided to help her feel better.
"Could it be that you're blushing, Hikari?"
Takeru playfully spoke to the brown haired girl. Then, she turned back to him and responded with her usual, emotionless expression.
"As if. Why would I be?"
She said sharply with absolutely no hesitation in her voice. Takeru, then smiled, glad that he managed to improve her feeling. After knowing that her mood has improved slightly, he suggested Hikari to sleep until they arrived at the Yagami Corp's building.
"I'll wake you up when we get there. You can sleep."
"I don't need you to worry about me, Ishida."
"Well, if you say so. But sleep when you feel tired."
"You're just too considerate of others."
"That's why a lot of girls fell for me."
Hikari scoffed at his bragging.
"I bet you were manipulated all the time."
"Nope. Not a single time."
"That's quite a shocker, Ishida."
"I'm not that innocent and pure minded even though I look like it."
Hikari sighed and responded to his words.
"I'm just awed at the girls who fell for such defiled soul."
"Can you be awed at me?"
He asked in a playful manner.
"What part of you should I be awed about?"
"My looks, body, personality, and…Well, everything."
"I'm awed at your infinite confidence and lack of modesty."
She said in a cunning voice. Takeru chuckled after hearing her.
"Finally some recognition."
"It's not something you should be proud about."
"I'm just happy that you pay attention to me."
"Whatever. Just drive."
"Yes, your majesty."
He spoke in a jokeful voice as he concentrated on the road. Hikari, on the other hand, looked out the window and saw the world flash by. It was tiresome and boring to continue driving with no conversation of any forms of interaction, but Takeru pulled it off spectacularly. He successfully drove Hikari and himself to the Yagami Corporation's main building after two long hours. Being a first timer to enter the Yagami Corp's building, Takeru was amazed at the size and the structure of it. Once in a while, Hikari pulled him close to her, so that he doesn't wander away and get lost. Takeru purposely wandered away from time to time to have Hikari touch him and drag him closer to her. After repeating that for several minutes, Hikari whispered to the playful, tall blonde boy.
"Do that one more time, and I'll shoot you."
"Then, you won't have a date anymore."
"…"
Takeru chuckled quietly and reassured her that he won't wander away anymore. Hikari didn't respond and continued walking until they finally reached an elevator. The elevator rose up significantly and finally arrived at the sky terrace after passing 40 floors. Once more, Takeru was surprised to see the vastness of the sky terrace and the size degree of the party. Just about anyone rich and famous were there. The place was crowded with rough number of about a thousand, but it still looked like it could fill three times the people that are here right now. As the two walked out of the elevator, numerous numbers of news reporter, journalists, and media related personnel approached Hikari. At that point, she was assaulted with heavy amount of questions.
"Miss Yagami, what have you been doing until today?"
"Could you give us your opinion about the current industry situation?"
"What do you think about the other rivaling companies?"
"Can you voice for the next upcoming product by Yagami Corp?"
Much more were heard. These were just fraction of fractions that were asked. She only answered a handful and made her way out of the attention of the media group. Takeru followed her out as well. After moving out of the crowd of people, another encounter occurred. This time, by a single man. He was a somewhat of a tall figure like Takeru, coming just close enough to match the eyes. His hair was brown and messy and his eyes were hazel just like Hikari's, except darker. In an instant glance, a thought passed through his head.
'He's that man in the picture I saw.'
He greeted Hikari in a welcoming tone.
"Hi, Hikari. It's so nice to see you."
"Yeah…Hi, Taichi…"
Hikari greeted him with nervousness in her voice. Her face was reddening and the cold aura that she always had vanished. She couldn't look him in the eyes properly. She was blushing. The man called as Taichi, then looked at Takeru and made a puzzled expression. He examined Takeru for a while, but his question seemed unanswered since he asked Hikari for the identity of him.
"Hikari, who is he?"
"Ishida. Takeru Ishida…"
Then, Takeru intervened in the conversation and added in an extra info.
"My first name is Takeru. She calls me by my last name."
He spoke as he offered a handshake with the brown haired man. Taichi shook his hand and asked who he was.
"Where are you from, Takeru? Are you a company owner, businessman, or a celebrity?"
"Actually, I am…"
"He's my boyfriend."
Hikari strongly said it, interfering the two's conversation. This gave a considerable shock to Taichi. His facial expression showed nothing other than pure surprise and shock. Takeru, too, was surprised to hear her say that so strongly. It was true that his role was to pretend to be her boyfriend in the party, but her voice sounded convincing and truthful. After few moments of shock, Taichi recovered and began speaking.
"That's…great, Hikari…"
Hikari said nothing and just nodded her head, looking away. Then, he asked yet another question.
"So… how did you two meet each other…?"
"We…"
Takeru intended to answer, but Hikari interfered again.
"I met him in the streets."
"Streets…?"
Taichi made a perplexed face. Curious to see what that means, he asked Takeru of his social status.
"Takeru, just out of curiosity, what is your social status?"
Takeru sighed and revealed his background.
"I'm nobody. I'm just some guy that lived homelessly until Hikari found me."
This was the sentence that gave Taichi the greatest shock. At the moment, he became speechless. The silence followed and gave the situation more awkwardness. After much quietness had taken place, Taichi spoke to the blushing ice princess.
"Hikari, what are you thinking?"
"…I'm doing what I want to do…This shouldn't have anything to do with you…"
"Yes, it does. It's because I'm…"
"NO!"
Hikari yelled out loud. Now, the red shades on her face were gone. Her fists were clenched and were trembling. The party paused and everyone's attentions were focused on the three. The people approached them in a worry, but the crowd subsided as an orange haired girl told them it was nothing and drove them away. She calmed the crowd and approached the three by herself. Hikari's face turned around and looked at the girl who drove the crowd away. Then, Takeru immediately felt the deadly aura of Hikari come back, stronger than he ever felt. Was it an animal-like instinct or was it a sixth sense? Regardless, Takeru can feel Hikari's raw anger and hatred being poured onto the orange haired girl that was walking up to them. Despite receiving Hikari's unforgiving death glare, she came up to them and greeted them quietly. She said hi to Hikari, then, Taichi, then finally, Takeru.
"Hi, Sora…"
Taichi greeted back, but Hikari did not. Takeru, being someone foreign to her, remained silent, waiting until the proper moment to introduce himself.
"Thanks for calming everybody down."
"It was nothing, Taichi."
Then, she went and stood by Taichi and looked at Hikari, who looked away from the two. Sora spoke softly to the cold girl who spewed out intents to kill.
"Hikari…I'm sorry…"
Takeru was confused. He didn't understand why she apologized. Either way, Hikari didn't reply back. She still had her angry expression. The heavy silence sunk in. No words came out or in. This uncomfortable environment stayed until Taichi finally spoke.
"Uh, Sora. This is Takeru Ishida. He's…Hikari's boyfriend…"
"Oh...hi. I'm Sora Takenouchi. It's nice to meet you."
She said as she held her hand out to him.
"It's nice to see you too."
Takeru raised his arm and stretched it forward to shake her hand, but was stopped abruptly. His arm was restrained by an outside force. Hikari had grabbed onto his arm, forbidding him to shake Sora's hand. Takeru looked at her, but she didn't look at him. She looked at the orange haired woman and spoke.
"I guess you like to steal boyfriends at every opportunity, huh?"
"Hikari…I…"
"Shut up. I don't want to hear it."
"…"
Sora put on a very saddened, depressed expression. Then, Hikari continued.
"I'm gonna go away now, don't you dare show up in front of me again."
After that, she repositioned her grip from Takeru's arm to his hand, then, began walking away from that place. He was forced to move around wherever Hikari dragged him. They didn't stop walking until they found a remote part of the sky terrace. She looked out the view and remained silent and still. Her anger did not subside and Takeru found it difficult to improve her mood. It took time, but he finally picked up the courage to talk to her.
"Hikari, are you okay?"
Of course, she didn't respond.
"I don't know what is going on, but if you want to talk about it…"
"It's nothing, Ishida."
She interrupted him, not allowing him to finish his sentence. Then, he walked up to her who still did not face him. After going closer to her, he began speaking again.
"Obviously it's not nothing. Talk to me."
"It's nothing! You don't need to worry."
"You don't make it convincing enough."
"I just feel bad today. That's all."
"Then, don't take it out on others."
"I didn't!"
She yelled loudly with anger and irritation in her voice. Still, Takeru did not stop talking to her.
"You were about to kill somebody."
"I never was!"
"Not the way I looked at it."
Then, finally, Hikari turned around to face him. At the same time when she turned around, she already reached for the gun in her leg holster and pointed to Takeru's head.
"What is your problem? Why are you doing this?"
After a sigh, Takeru spoke, with calm in his voice.
"Why, you ask? I guess because my own girlfriend doesn't want to talk to me."
She fell silent.
"I'm angry too. Someone I hold dear and close doesn't even want to talk to me."
"I only called you my boyfriend because…"
Before she can finish, Takeru cut her off and resumed speaking.
"I know I'm just a fake boyfriend."
Then, he took a step closer to her, closing the gaps between them. Hikari was forced to look upward since Takeru was vastly taller than her.
"I know I'm only pretending to be your boyfriend. Then, let me pretend well at the least."
After finishing what he wanted to say, Takeru wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. At this sudden approach and physical contact, Hikari became startled.
"L…let go of me…"
She pleaded, but Takeru did not comply. Seeing how he had no intention of letting her go, Hikari struggled to break free from him. However, strength difference between the two was clear. She couldn't pull herself away from Takeru's hug. She still had the pistol in her hand, but the bold move that her supposedly fake boyfriend surprised her too much for her to remember. Hikari constantly struggled, but eventually stopped and relaxed her muscle and let him hold her. Even though, she gave up on breaking free, she did not hug him back. Her arms stayed straight and pointed towards the ground. Her emotions and mind were confused and unbalanced. He started as a complete stranger who she wanted to make use of. Now, he was holding her affectionately with his truest of feelings. They stayed in that position for more than 10 minutes until Takeru finally let go of her. The two took a step back and looked at each other's face. Then, Takeru let out a comment as he smiled brightly.
"You look so pretty right now. Do you know that?"
She couldn't see her own face, but her facial expression was not the normal cold emotionless expression. Her face reddened completely and it couldn't be helped. That was the first time she was ever hugged by a man. The fact that Takeru complimented her worked as a catalyst which quickened Hikari's blushing.
"You don't have to tell me right now. It's supposed to be a party. It's not the time to be sad or sharing sad memories."
No words came out and she couldn't properly look in the eyes. All she could do was look at his feet coming closer to her again. Then, he grabbed her soft, delicate, pale hand and spoke.
"Let's enjoy a little, Hikari."
Silence followed shortly. Then, a word was heard.
"…Yeah…"
The two walked back to the place where the party was taking place, holding each other's hand firmly.
Lots of dialogue and problems started appearing. Much will be explained in the next chapter. Until then~