"Hah Hah Hah!!"
Daisuke was not happy.
"Hah Hah Hah!! Wake up, you lazy pile of Nihonjin trash! Hah Hah Hah!!"
Daisuke was not in the slightest bit pleased.
"Hah Hah Hah!! It's time to face the day, silly snoozer! Hah Hah Hah!!"
Daisuke was nearing the point where he would temporarily lose his grip. On reality.
"Hah Hah Hah!! Get up, lazy bones! Hah Hah Hah!!"
Daisuke's hand flew out and smacked the alarm clock that continued its unending glee. After a pause, Daisuke's hand drooped back down, and Daisuke's eyes closed contently.
"...Hah Hah Hah!! My snooze button is broken! Hah Hah Hah!!"
Daisuke's eyes snapped open. That did it. He reached over to where his soccer ball rested (on the bedside table; it was never far away), and flung it at the source of the aggravating laughter, knocking it off the desk with a crash. Daisuke resumed his slumber after a recess of the noise.
"Hah Hah Hah!! You didn't honestly think that would work, did you? Hah Hah Hah!!"
Daisuke's eyes reopened instantly, now fully bloodshot. He jolted up from the bed, lifted the comforter from its position, and wrapped it around the annoying, pink "Happy Cat" alarm clock he had received for his birthday a few months before. Complete with demonically happy smile, it was probably the worst thing he had received. Why he still had it? Well, Hikari had given it to him, and he would never get rid of it, no mater how annoying it was.
"Hah Hah Hah!! Try again, child of Courage! Hah Hah Hah!!"
Not even muffling the damned thing had worked. Held in by three layers of thick covering, somehow it had turned its own volume up to be heard. Daisuke wrapped the mass within his pillowcase, and shoved it in his closet, finally lying back down on his bare pillow.
"Hah Hah Hah!! You FAIL, Child of Friendship! Hah Hah Hah!!"
Daisuke moaned in agony. It was only 6:45! He shouldn't be awake for another hour, at least! Well, in retrospect, that ideology had probably been the reason why this thing had been given to him. Honestly, he could use an alarm clock, but he could do without the "Hah Hah Hah!!" every two seconds.
"Daisuke!! Turn that bleeping thing OFF!!!" his mother screeched from her room.
"I'm TRYING, Kaasan!!"
"Hah Hah Hah!! Maybe so, but you can't even come close!! Hah Hah Hah!!"
Daisuke glared at his closet door. He opened it, grabbed his pillowcase and unloaded it, and he unwrapped the feline alarm clock from the folds of his blanket. Setting on his desk before his window, he stared hard at it. Unfortunately, the volume had still been turned up, so…
"HAH HAH HAH!! SO, GIVE UP YET, BOY? HAH HAH HAH!!"
Daisuke fell over. Plugging his ears, he only slightly managed to drown out the cacophony of both the alarm clock's and his mom's high pitched screeching. He dove for his bedside table, where he fumbled around with his elbows until he found the device he had been searching for. An oblong device. He grinned triumphantly at the cat, which had stopped its tirade for a moment, as if it was curious.
"See this, clock? This is what's gonna be your end!!"
Daisuke dove for the clock, turning down the volume to its former amplitude.
"Hah Hah Hah!! What 'cha gonna do with that? Hit me with it? Hah Hah Hah!!"
The spiky haired teenager smiled happily, and shouted, "V-mon! Digimental UP!!"
V-mon, who had been watching from the sidelines, laughed heartily as he felt the changes begin.
"Moegaru Yuuki… Fladramon!!" Now, larger, lither, and far more lethal, the dragon toward over the grinning clock.
"Hah Hah Hah!! What, do you think I'm scared of YOU?! Hah Hah Hah!!"
Fladramon clasped his gauntlets together, and they began to glow at the tip.
"Fire Rocket!!!"
Residents of Odaiba, startled at the sound of an explosion, looked around wildly for its source. When they realized that it had come from the nearby apartment complex, and the smoke it was issuing, they relaxed visibly. It was just Daisuke.
Inside, Daisuke and Fladramon watched patiently as smoke billowed out the window. As the smog cleared, Daisuke groaned audibly at the sight of the wreckage of his desk.
"Hah Hah Hah!! I'm fire retardant, you asinine lizard!! Hah Hah Hah!!"
Fladramon cried out in exasperation. Executing a complex martial arts technique, he flung the beastly machine into the air, and then plowed his claws into it.
"Claw Express!!"
The alarm clock hurtled through the air, out the window, and out of sight.
"Hah Hah Hah!! I'm not done with you yet, boy! Hah Hah Hah!!"
Daisuke smiled victoriously, shooting a rude hand sign out the window. He curled up in his bed, smiling happily.
"Daisuke, time to get up!"
Well, that was short lived. Daisuke hopped out of bed, and trudged to the bathroom, splashing his face with water.
"Daisuke, where are you?!"
"Washing!!"
"Well, hurry it up! Hikari-san's here!"
Instantly, Daisuke finished cleaning up, and began to hurtle around his room.
"Daisuke!!"
"Let me get my pants on, at least!"
Finally, sufficiently dressed, Daisuke jumped over to the kitchen, where he chugged a glass of orange juice, and shoved a slice of toast in his mouth. He walked to the front door, and glared at his laughing mother. He turned to the front door and smiled warmly at the brown haired, blushing girl before him.
It took Daisuke a few moments to remember that his ideas of being sufficiently dressed for interaction with other humans did not quite meet the standards of his friend. He grinned sheepishly, running back to his room to throw on a dark green turtleneck.
"Ack! V-mon!! Come back with my shoes, you little…" Daisuke began to chase the little blue dragon around.
"Gotcha!! I'm taking this out of your chocolate allowance!"
"Huh?! No fair!"
Daisuke snorted, and slipped his shoes on. He stood up, and walked to the front door, where Hikari was waiting, very patiently, for him.
"Sorry, 'bout that, 'Kari-chan!" he grinned and kissed her cheek.
"Daisuke!" She blushed. "You promised!"
The spiky haired teenager grinned as he shut the front door with his foot, and walked along beside Hikari. "I know, I know! Can I help it if you're so cute?"
"…Yes!"
"You're no fun…" Daisuke pouted. Hikari grinned at his expression, and pressed her lips against his cheek softly.
"Oh, yes I am!" she giggled as Daisuke's face became one of confusion.
"…Hey!" Too late. Hikari was already on the opposite end of the hallway, laughing happily as Daisuke chased after her. She led him down the stairway (the elevator was out of order ever since V-mon had introduced Frimon to the concept of riding up and down in a metal box) and out the door, laughing happily.
Her escape was in vain, however, for Daisuke had managed to catch her not all that later after she had crossed the street and entered the park. Well, catch is a bit of an understatement; tackled to the ground and tickled mercilessly is more like it.
"Daisuke! Stop!!" she wailed. He relented, and rolled over in the 2 foot deep snow (there had been a generous snowfall last night), and sunk to the ground. Sadly, although the snow was fluffy, it was not very well bonded, and immediately collapsed atop the boy.
Hikari blinked at the sudden disappearance of her friend. Suddenly, there was an explosion of snow beside her, and a sudden mass appeared, thrashing about wildly. The girl screamed wildly. The loud noise continued, but it began to take on a more repetitive quality. It was a moment before Daisuke realized that Hikari was indeed screaming… in mirth.
The girl keeled over, her laughter preventing her from balancing herself. Daisuke blinked confusedly. Was this the same girl who had been so shy around him not two days ago? Maybe… maybe now, in the snow…
"Hikari-chan?" he whispered softly. The girl paused in her delight, at slowly sat up. Her face was red, but only partially from the cold.
"S-sorry," she mumbled. She quickly regained her composure, and sat up straight.
"I'm sorry, Daisuke-kun." Hikari sat very still, but the effort was becoming more and more difficult, considering the snow was seeping through her outfit, and chilling her already-soon-to-be numb bottom.
"Not a problem, Hikari-chan," Daisuke chuckled. He noticed she was shivering slightly, and wrapped his arms around her midsection. She squealed as he hoisted her into his lap.
"D-d-d-Daisuke-k-kun!!" she shivered. Oh, how she wished she had worn another layer, she was so cold! Suddenly disregarding formality, she pressed up against the soccer player, blushing slightly at their proximity.
"S-sorry… it's j-j-just s-so…"
Daisuke shushed her. "Don't worry. C'mon, let's go hit the café, grab some hot chocolate, seize the day, carpe diem and all that." He lifted her out of the snow, refusing to let her free, trudged through the snow, and set her down on the slick sidewalk.
"Shall we?" he chuckled, offering her his arm. She took it, laughing happily.
They arrived at the local coffee shop after a decent five minutes of slip-sliding around. Panting heavily, faces red, and leaning against one another for support, the pair stumbled into the café and made it over to the counter, where a mildly harassed-looking waitress escorted them to an empty table.
"Let me guess… I'm sure you want two hot chocolates, right?"
Daisuke nodded happily with a laugh, while Hikari brushed some excess snow off of her jacket.
"That'll do, thank you." And with that, the waitress disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Daisuke and Hikari in silence.
"Yo, Hikari-chan?"
"Yes?"
"I was wondering… Would you mind very much if I asked you…"
"Hmm?"
Hikari blinked. Daisuke wasn't usually like this; his confidence must've been somewhere else today, which was strange.
Before he got any further, though, the waitress had reappeared, and placed two steaming mugs of cocoa between them. She straightened up for a moment, tilting her head to the side.
"I don't suppose you've looked up yet?"
With a small smile, the waitress disappeared again. Daisuke blinked, looked up, and saw why Hikari had buried her head in her arms. Mistletoe. Oh, Joy.
"That waitress must be enjoying herself immensely, don't you think so?"
Hikari nodded slowly, peeking at Daisuke a little. He had finished maybe half of his drink, and now sported a unique mustache of brown liquid. Despite her best efforts, she burst into a fit of giggles. The spiky-haired boy rolled his eyes at her, and took another sip of his drink, which tasted mildly of mint. When the giggles had subsided, Daisuke let the silence settle in for a moment. And then…
"So… do you want to… uh, well…"
Hikari blushed hotly, and shrugged. Daisuke scratched the back of his head sheepishly, and stood up. He walked over to Hikari, and lifted her out of the chair.
"Well…?"
Hikari sighed, and looked up at Daisuke. Normally, she would just shrug it off as something platonic, but… Well, recently, things with Daisuke had been confused. It wasn't like she didn't want to kiss the boy, but she… She just… oh, screw it.
Daisuke was caught off guard by Hikari's sudden movement. It took him a few moments to realize that he was being kissed by his childhood crush. But that was all it took, and he gave her an equal return.
Soon, though, they broke apart, partially, due to lack of oxygen, and partially due to the catcalls. Daisuke chuckled sheepishly, and placed enough yen for both the bill, and a noticeably generous tip for the waitress on the table. He led Hikari out the door, and into the snow.
Eventually, after a few hours of walking and playing in the snow, they found themselves at Hikari's doorstep. The sun was setting, and both were sporting a few pounds of snow in their hair, shoulders, and pockets.
The silence soon became unbearable.
"So, I'll be seeing you, okay?"
"Yeah…"
Daisuke sighed, and turned away, beginning to walk down the hallway.
"Ah! Matte, Daisuke-kun!"
The boy paused, and Hikari blushed.
"You don't have to go. Really! You can stay… It's okay…"
"Uh, well, I wouldn't want to impose…"
Hikari rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on. Get over here, you."
Daisuke blinked, and approached Hikari slowly, as he would V-mon on a sugar rush.
"Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Just a little let down."
"Um… why?"
Hikari stared at him accusingly.
"Well, I just hoped you wouldn't mind spending a little more time with me."
Daisuke blinked again. Was he missing something?
"Usually, you'll do anything to get rid of me. Now you don't want me to go?"
"Is that a problem?"
Daisuke chuckled. "Not at all, my dear!"
Suddenly, he'd embraced her in a hug, and began to laugh. He hoisted her off the ground and spun her around in a circle. She managed to get the door open, which allowed them to spill inside.
Hikari, still laughing, shut the door, and turned back to Daisuke. He wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a small Eskimo kiss. She nuzzled him in return, and they plopped onto the couch.
"Hey, Hikari-chan?"
"Yes, Daisuke-kun?"
"Tell me, did you let Miyako help you decorate this year?"
"Yes. Why?"
Daisuke was looking up at the ceiling, with an odd expression on his face. Hikari followed his gaze, and sighed. She turned to Daisuke, who had faced her again.
He blinked at the expectant expression on her face, and chuckled.
"You want one that badly, huh?"
"Well, it is tradition."
"True enough, Hikari-chan!"
And with that, Daisuke lent over, and kissed the girl in his arms. She shivered (not from the cold), and gripped his arms softly. She pressed against him, and suddenly, he found himself pinned between Hikari and the arm of the sofa.
Eventually, they finished, and Hikari reached over to a basket by the sofa. She drew out a blanket, and covered them both. She sighed happily, and nuzzled Daisuke warmly.
"A little bit much for just 'Tradition', ne?"
He couple turned, and found themselves face to face with a very smug Tailmon.