Chapter 07: Just For A Minute

Takeru sprinted down the hallway, weaving between students and hurdling over bookbags scattered across the ground.
There was no way he would let Daisuke beat him to Hikari.

The day after the party at Yamato's, Daisuke appeared on the Yagamis' doorstep, his head bowed as he hastily expelled a sincere apology for his behavior the previous night. With a sigh of relief, Taichi let him off the hook and, with some hesitation, explained "Takeru's" rationalization for the fictional romance.
The Chosen were collectively shocked when the younger goggle-head not only accepted this explanation calmly, but called his blonde teammate immediately after departing from the Yagamis' apartment.

"Hey, I get it; I can sympathize with the great lengths a fellow ladies' man will go for some peace and quiet," Daisuke encouraged a dumbfounded Takeru. "I'll even help you out! Whenever Hikari's with you in public, I'll play along that you two are dating."

"But when you're not with Hikari, Takeru," the second generation's leader warned, "I'm taking every chance I get to win her over."

Now Takeru was shooting apologies over his shoulder as he sped past his schoolmates, narrowly avoiding trampling an underclassman. Following his conversation with Daisuke, the young Takaishi phoned his "girlfriend" to update her, but her only response was a cheerful "Well I guess we'll just have to meet up after class as soon as possible!"

Why does she have to have class across campus on Thursdays?

Takeru rounded a corner, his heart racing alongside his feet. His heartbeat accelerated as he rounded the final corner and heard, "So can I take you to Ryu's party, Hikari?"

The basketball star stumbled into the hallway, landing onto some lockers that he used to prop himself up as he caught his breath. From the opposite wall, a relieved Hikari exclaimed gleefully, "Takeru!" before grabbing his arm and pulling him towards Miyako, Ken, and Hikari's suitor.
To his surprise, however, Daisuke wasn't the one asking Hikari, but rather his teammate Lee.

"Hey, Takeru," Lee said with a friendly smile. After acknowledging his captain, the teenager's attention returned to Hikari for an answer, "So will you go with me, Hikari?"
"Sorry, but if I end up going, it'll be with my 'boyfriend'," the brunette girl beamed.
"Hikari, you don't have to do Takeru any favors," Lee reassured her. "In fact, pretending to be his girlfriend isn't really fair to the nice guys who actually want to date you."

Both Hikari and Takeru stared back at Lee bewildered. As far as either of them knew, no one outside the Chosen was aware of the true nature of their "relationship".
Anxiously, Takeru fumbled out a "W-where did you hear tha—"

"TAKERU, YOU JERK!"

The entire hallway swiveled its collective head towards a storming Noriko. Before Takeru could register her call for him, the hallway echoed with the ghost of a slap.

"If you don't want girls hitting on you, you don't have to lie to the whole school to turn them all down at the same time!" Noriko barked, holding back tears filled with rage.

"Where is everyone hearing that Hikari and Takeru aren't a real couple?" Miyako asked incredulously, although her disbelief was more-so because it wasn't herself who accidentally informed the school of the pair's deception.
Beside her, Ken shifted uncomfortably.
He knew.

When soccer practice ended Tuesday afternoon, the team dogged Daisuke for chasing Hikari whenever Takeru wasn't around, feeling that the Chosen was disrespecting his friends by ignoring their "relationship". As tensions mounted and verbal harassment threatened to turn physical, Ken blurted, "They're just faking their relationship so girls will leave Takeru alone!"

Sorry, Takeru, Hikari, but I couldn't let Daisuke get hurt for your decisions. . . .

To Daisuke's relief, the explanation saved his hide but not without regrets. Word had spread around school within the last forty-eight hours and now neither Takeru nor Hikari was safe from being hit on, both figuratively and now literally.

"Does it matter?" Noriko spat back. "At least someone had the guts to call this creep out!"
"Hey, don't say things like that about Takeru!" Hikaru shouted. It was such a rarity to see the youngest Yagami so confrontational that most people would have been cowed into an awed silence.
Noriko, however, demanded, "Why are you defending him? You're not even his girlfriend!"

"Don't yell at Hikari," Takeru sternly reprimanded. His left cheek was still glowing from the impact of their accuser's palm. "Maybe someone misspoke. Maybe someone created a rumor to try to break us up. But don't start screaming at an innocent girl for something you randomly heard."

"Then kiss her, Takeru," a kind voice suggested from behind them.

Ken stepped forward with a gentle smile.
This is my fault; hopefully I can fix this up. Maybe I can fix them up.

His girlfriend was as caught just as off-guard as everyone else but she broke out in a Cheshire cat grin at the idea.

"Prove to them you really want to be together," Ken encouraged.

"K-kiss?" Hikari stammered, her cheeks matching the same shade of red as Takeru's albeit from embarrassment.
Ken, what are you doing?!

Lee grinned. "I can accept that," he agreed. "If Hikari's really your girlfriend, I'll step aside with my deepest apologies."
Beside them, Noriko fidgeted and bit her lip. With a nod, she confirmed a kiss would be sufficient.

Hikari felt her heartbeat threatening to shatter her sternum. In the five weeks they had been "dating", they had never attempted anything physical beyond hugs and holding hands, not even to maintain appearances.

But he might've kissed me goodnight a few nights ago.

Unfortunately for the brunette, Gatomon had refused to confirm or deny whether such a tender moment occurred. It was Hikari's punishment for bringing "that thing" into their home. Wondering if his human partner had bought a "lucky pig" charm, Patamon was too caught up in his own musings to be of much help to Hikari.

But even if he did, it doesn't necessarily mean Takeru likes me as more than a best friend, does it? It wouldn't be too weird if a best friend kissed his girl best friend on the cheek as a sign of affection, right?

Hikari was beet red and losing nerve by the second when a hand gingerly rested on her cheek, slowly guiding her face to meet his gaze.

"Ta—"

Her words were cut short but the kiss spoke volumes.

Their lips only joined for a minute, but in those 60 seconds, Hikari felt every emotion tearing through her "boyfriend" over the last month and change.
Euphoria. Hesitation. Frustration. Confusion. Yearning.

One she could not describe yet felt warmly familiar.

Their lips broke apart.
Peace.

Silence consumed the hall.

Like Lee, Ken beamed despite Miyako fainting beside him. His goggle-headed teammate shook in place, a building internal fury restrained solely by the sheer force of willpower. Sorting through her emotions, Noriko simply stared blankly at the "couple" until she could find an appropriate response.

The remaining students stood vigilant, eager for further confirmation or a matching imprint on Takeru's other cheek.

And to everyone's surprise, including Hikari's, she kissed him back.