Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.
Thanks for the reviews and readings everybody! You are very nice to give this little tale a chance (add an extra nice to yourself if you also took a look at or read the whole first story) : ).
Flashbulbs were on full force as the group tried to fight their way into the restaurant. Hikari's eyes widened as the reporters tried to step into their path and ask questions that were, frankly, none of their business. A quick tug on her sleeve alerted her to the fact that the smallest member of the group was a little unnerved by the attention. She took Takato's hand and watched the boy grab his father's hand as well. One glance behind their hand holding group, and she realized that the tallest member of their group was just as psyched out by the flashes and noise. It was like he kept expecting something to fall from the sky.
Inside the restaurant, she was pleasantly surprised to find out the photographers were not allowed to follow them. Takeru was famous in his own right, but he was less public about things. Her own parents hadn't realized he was a multi-published author when she first introduced him. In her own mind, Hikari had always assumed his private nature had come from the fact his first novel had been published around the time his wife was diagnosed with cancer. With a new baby and a sick spouse it seemed natural that he would want some space to handle the issues out of the public's view. When his superstar brother had settled into his house, that privacy had shifted and everyone next to him felt the effects.
"They are always loud, Gram Gram." Takato complained to Natsuko and attempted to tear off his clip-on tie.
"They shouldn't do that to a child," Natsuko chastised the paparazzi and tried to keep Takato from ripping off her present to him. "It isn't right to scare a child like that. Don't they have rule-"
"I wasn't scared Gram Gram!" The child in question spoke up a little too loudly for the restaurant environment and brought the attention of the owner.
"Excuse me, Gram Gram?"
The name wasn't the average title for a Japanese grandmother. Hikari had seen many people question the name when she and Natsuko had ventured to the various shops in town. When the maternal grandparents were dead-set on retaining proper terms, customs, and such, there weren't many other choices left for the paternal side. Personally, she found the labels Gram Gram and Pop Pop to be quite adorable when spoken in a childish voice.
"Hello," Takeru stepped in front of the group and smiled at the owner, "We have a reservation for Takashi."
Once his attention was brought back to the task at hand, the man busied himself with his host duties. In no time at all he had their group situated around a large rectangular table. Hikari and her unsteady body were extremely grateful she and Takeru had settled on a modernized restaurant that used chairs instead of more traditional seating. The price had been a bit off-putting to her, but Takeru had practically begged for this restaurant. The guilt of leaving his mother out of the loop seemed to be eating at the boy, since he was going rather out of his way to make telling her, Hiroaki, and Takato special. She couldn't fault him for working so hard, but she hoped he would let himself off the hook soon.
"This place is nice." Sora broke the silence surrounding their table and offered Hikari a small smile to raise her spirits. "I have heard a lot of good things about this resterau-"
"I knew you wouldn't quit!"
The shout from the table a few feet away forced Yamato and Hikari to jump in their seats. She could see a young couple attempting to have a discussion about something that obviously upset them both, but she wasn't sure what the subject was about. The man attempted to signal that she needed to lower her voice, but his counterpart grumbled something and seemed against giving in to silence.
"Why did we have to come here? I like the place coach takes me to better." Takato played with the chopsticks on the table and seemed impatient for the 'good news' his father had mentioned would come during dinner.
"Well," Takeru smiled happily and took Hikari's hand in his own. "We were going to wait until after dinner to talk about it, but there isn't any harm in saying something now. Right, Kari?"
"Right." She answered in a slightly louder voice, since the couple behind them was starting to increase their argument.
"If this is about the wedding…" A haggard looking Hiroaki spoke up and seemed to be fumbling for something in his inside coat pocket. He hadn't been able to spend as much time with his sons and future daughter-in-law as his ex-wife, but he wanted to do his part to give them a nice wedding. Takeru deserved a lovely celebration after finding someone who complimented him so well. Ever since he had seen Hikari try to comfort his son on the anniversary of Hatsumi's death, by talking about what a great woman she was instead of the idea that he should forget her, he was sold. There was a very loving spark inside Hikari and his son and grandson needed that in their lives.
"I wanted to give you a late shower present." He handed the envelope to Hikari and watched as she and Takeru looked into the paper holder. They smiled as they read the store-bought card and seemed very grateful for the monetary gift.
"Is this about the wedding?" Natsuko questioned from her position across from Hiroaki, "Because, I have been meaning to tell you that we might be better off with a different baker. I heard some rather bad reviews about the one we looked at last week."
"I know a wonderful bakery in Tokyo. Maybe they could come in and create the food?" Sora tried to help the conversation along from the other side of Yamato and blushed slightly when she noticed how happily Natsuko stared at them. There was a glint in the woman's eyes that Sora couldn't place, but the way she seemed to be sending a silent signal to Hiroaki unnerved Sora more.
"This isn't about the wedding really," Hikari tried to bring order to the group and noticed a few of the members were starting to lean in closer to hear the conversation over the other patrons' argument. The only one who seemed against leaning in towards her was Yamato. He seemed to be staring at the walls of the restaurant as if he had lost sight of something. "Yamato?"
"Yamato?" She asked again when he completely ignored her and started to tap his hand nervously on the table.
"Hey Oji!" Takato shouted loudly and frowned when the adults hushed him. A small grumble escaped his lips when the others turned their attention away from him, "At least I got him to look…"
"What?" The blond's voice was a little edgy and inspired Sora to take hold of his good hand.
"Are you okay?" Takeru watched him suspiciously and noted the boy was having trouble keeping his focus on anything in particular. His eyes bounced around so quickly that the younger brother was beginning to feel a little dizzy.
"Sure… Yeah. Just listening to your announcement about the addition."
"Addition?" Natsuko pounced on the word and slowly let a smile creep onto her face. With one grandchild under her belt already, she knew what that word could very well entail. "A new addition to the family, perhaps?"
"Thanks oniisan…" Takeru blushed slightly and held Hikari's hand a little tighter. If his brother hadn't been sweating rather profusely and tapping a fast beat on the table, he would have sent him an annoyed look for dropping the ball a little quickly. "Yes, there is going to be a new addition to the family."
"A dog? We are gonna get another dog?!" No one hushed the child since his voice was one of the few audible over the angry couple that was growing far more verbal.
"Actually," Hikari smiled happily and felt her cheeks glow with a welcomed warmth, "You are going to have a baby brother or sister, Takato. You are going to be an oniisan, just like your Oji."
"A baby?!" Natsuko asked with a joy filled voice as she reached out and took Hikari's other hand, "That is so wonderful. I know it will be adorable."
"That is great, Takeru." Hiroaki smiled softly and chuckled when he noticed Takato was a little disappointed. "Don't you want to have a sibling Tak?"
"I'd rather have a puppy." He admitted honestly and tried to detach his tie again. "Does this mean we don't get cake at the marry party?"
"It's called a wedding, Takato." Natsuko smiled at him and gently pushed some of the hair out of his face, "I'm sure there is still going to be a wedding. Who knows, we might have another one in the near future."
"The wedding is definitely still in the plan," His mother's tone was not lost on Takeru and he quickly assured her that he still planned to officially commit to his fiancée, "It might be a smaller and quicker affair then we originally planned."
"We didn't see the need to have a large, expensive one anymore. Instead, we were planning on putting the money we had set aside for the wedding to a baby fund."
Hikari's explanation seemed to appease Natsuko and Hiroaki. Sora, who had been sitting farther away from the couple of the hour, hadn't needed anything to convince her this was a nice event. She smiled widely at both of them and tried her hardest to voice a heartfelt congratulation. But Takeru placed a hand next to his ear and mouthed that he couldn't hear her words, so Sora once again tried to pass on her message by speaking a little louder. It took her a moment to get her face past the fidgeting Yamato, but she managed to make eye contact with them and open her mouth.
"I KNEW YOU WERE THERE LAST NIGHT!"
The angry couples' words thundered over the restaurant seconds before a loud crash sounded from the back of the building. Everything happened in such a quick flash that Hikari wasn't able to figure out who had yelled or what had made such a horrible noise. All she knew was that the water glasses on the table had all fallen over, leaving a wonderful mess for a poor busboy, and the table itself had shaken so violently that it hit her stomach rather hard.
XXX
How was it that a person could know in his very soul what a place was going to be like, and still be completely shocked when the premonition came true? It wasn't like he hadn't been through the paparazzi lineup before. The flashing bulbs, random 'look at me' calls, and constant invasions of personal space were almost comforting in a sick way. It was like coming back home. An unstable, unpredictable, constantly looking for a way to demoralize you home, but a home nonetheless. Honestly, he didn't think it was the camera crews that he missed, it was the fact they had been so involved in his old life. His old, crazy emotion free, life.
The inside of the restaurant had been understandably nice. Takeru had never been the type to make big announcements casually, and Yamato had to give the boy credit for taking the stylish approach. When his brother had wanted to forgo higher education, he had taken each of their parents out for a lunch by Rainbow Bridge and discussed the idea with them for hours. When Yamato had avoided higher education in favor of a career in the music industry, he had left a post-it note and ran off to Tokyo. In the back of his mind, he wondered where he would have ended up if Sora hadn't spotted him years ago and brought him to Miyako's attention. Speaking of Sora…
"You ready?" Her smile was playful and lighthearted, bringing his worry down a peg or two. "They have a table set up for us. Come on, Yama."
There was nothing bizarre about the main dining room of the place, whose name he couldn't recall even though Takeru had said it at least a hundred times. Their table was large and gave each member of the group ample arm and leg room. Although the waiter had tried to take his crutches away, Yamato stopped him quickly and explained that they were going to stay right by his chair come hell or high water.
"It's okay." His best friend leaned her shoulder into his and winked at him, "I'll chase anyone who dares to touch them. Ok?"
He laughed softly and began to realize what a calming effect Sora had on people. She had always been one of the first to offer him a playful taunt or good kick in the pants when the situation called for it. The shimmer in her eyes reminded him of another firecracker he cared a lot about. Maybe that was why she and Taichi butted heads so often? You couldn't put fire and explosions together without getting a spark, and the same could be said for his crazy friends.
Sora turned her attention back to Hikari and mentioned something about food, at least he thought it was food. His attention was taken away from his guests and refocused on the multiple sets of eyes staring at their group. He couldn't see it, but he was willing to bet that at least someone had already taken a picture. Half of the paparazzi shots in the less reputable magazines were sent in by common people hoping to make a quick buck by invading another person's privacy. Surely, he figured, they had to know how unnerving and awkward it felt to be photographed at random times?
"I knew you wouldn't quit!"
The shout was loud enough to shoot through his mind and force him to literally jump in his seat. Instinctively, his head whirled around at lightning speed to find the source of the noise. How could he have missed a possible problem? He had spent so much time examining the room and something had still snuck past him?! Damn it! How could he have missed something so obvious?
A waiter walked over to the shouter in question, and forced Yamato to stare at their table with greater scrutiny. He judged the woman to be around her late thirties to early forties, while the man was most likely under thirty-five. Despite their fancy dress clothes the pair shared a complete lack of table etiquette. Even their waiter appeared at a loss for how to handle the rowdy duo. Although he was going to keep part of his attention span on them, he was going to label them as a low threat for now.
His eyes followed the waiter as the man carried the bickering couple's over-used wine glasses to the back of the restaurant. The man was silently mouthing a few particular words and Yama couldn't fault him for being so put out over the horrible patrons. During the awkward span of being a nobody in Tokyo, Yamato had put in his fair share of working odd jobs. Waiter-ing had always been the worst of the jobs since a growing number of older women didn't understand his rear end was not something they could touch. If it was possible, he thought, it would only be fair to leave the guy an extra tip on the table when the couple lef-
What was that?!
A large blur moved past the employees' only door in the back of the room and forced a shiver to spread down Yamato's spine. He knew that body shape. How had that particular body gotten here? A quick glance across the table reminded him that he was not the only person in danger if this very probable situation proved true. There had to be a way to get them out without letting them know that the most vicious monster and backstabber was in the kitchen a few feet away. For a brief second, he looked away from the door and tried to reëxamine the room around them. Why couldn't he recall any of the past exit strategies he had planned only a few minutes earlier?!
"What?" The question tumbled out of his mouth bizarrely as Takato screamed at him. He had no idea what was going on in their conversation but offered a quick statement, "Sure… Yeah. Just listening to your announcement about the addition."
That would keep them all occupied while he tried to gauge the danger of the situation. As long as he kept everyone else from panicking it would be okay. He just needed to see the face of that demon and he could sound the alarm. What the right plan of action was, he didn't really know, but he wasn't going to just sit still and let himself be overtaken again. And heaven help anyone who thought they were going to drag the people he loved into a similar nightmarish existence!
As the adrenaline began to pump through his veins with record speed, images began to flood his mind. Unlike the previous months of only horrendous visions he was now experiencing a mix of victim and aggressor pictures. He disliked the way his heart was threatening to break out of his chest and the fact his forehead was quickly becoming dampened by beads of sweat. But there was still something different about this moment that his animalistic side adored. The chance to finally get a shot at standing up for himself and his family was fueling a newfound and newly embraced bloodthirsty rage.
Within ten seconds of his mental decision to jump what he just knew was Maro, the tall figure exited the kitchen back first. His dark hair was still long and pulled back into a medium length ponytail. The only thing that seemed different, from the back at least, was the fact his skin was a few shades paler. It made sense due to the fact he had probably been living in secrecy since escaping jail. In the back of his mind, he made a mental note to tell Takeru to call the cops after he jumped the hulk. All he had to do now was watch as the man started to turn around…
The next three minutes flashed by in such a blur that Yamato's senses could barely register the forces surrounding his hyped up brain. All he knew was there was an ear-piercing scream, a heart stopping noise, and suddenly his brain lost control of everything. A yell escaped his lungs, as his limbs flailed in desperation to hide from what he assumed had to be some type of explosion. After living through one bomb, he was more than happy to avoid going back down that path. As his body awkwardly threw itself under the table, he reached out and grabbed hold of the two people on either side of him; Hikari and Sora. The girl's lurched forward into the table and Yamato slipped haphazardly under the table.
"Ow," Hikari winced in pain and rubbed her stomach softly, forcing the table to break the frozen scene and take account of the damage.
"Hikari?" Takeru's voice was coated in a panic that the Ishida men and Natsuko had not heard in many years. He jumped from his seat and knelt beside her chair within seconds, "Are you okay?"
"It is okay." The normally frail girl tried her hardest to remain calm as Takeru's large blue eyes watched her for any sign of pain. "My stomach just hurts a little. I must have slid on my seat and hit the table edge or something."
Under the table, Yamato's mind and heart were frozen. The bloodthirsty rage had left his body as quickly as it had come, and now he was left with a new feeling of numbness. It took all the mental power he possessed to turn and look at his hand still resting on Hikari's dress. The fabric was clutched tightly in his fist, reminding him that he had been the reason for her pain. She had to know. Why would she lie to Takeru?
"Yamato," Takeru's voice was firm and held an emotion Yamato couldn't detect. He wasn't sure if it was due to a lack of information or a lack of free mind space. "Let go, please."
"I…" The blond mumbled feeling stupid and childish as he silently nodded and took his hand off of Hikari and Sora's dresses.
"It really is okay." Hikari spoke up for the boy once again and laid the hand not holding her stomach on Takeru's shoulder. "I think it is just going to be a small bruise if anything."
"We need to get you checked out. We can't risk it being something, more… serious." Takeru's voice was caring but slightly commanding. He had seen what could happen when simple things were not addressed early on and was not, repeat not, going to let that happen ever again.
"Is everything alright here?"
Yamato peeked out from the table and found himself face to face with the man his twisted brain had been so certain was a demon. Now that he could see the waiter's face, it was plain to see that Maro had not snuck into the restaurant to capture bloody vengeance. Instead of his nightmare, a tall, strikingly large, woman with grey eyes was staring at their group with concern and mild annoyance. The annoyance faded away when she spotted Hikari's hand continuously rubbing her stomach.
"We need to get out of here. Can you have them bring the Takashi car to the front?" Unlike his normal self, this Takeru had no time for politeness or pleasantries. His mind was whirling with a thousand of possibilities as he kept an eye on his fiancé. He couldn't let anything happen to her. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. Knowing Hikari, she would call even a broken leg a simple sprain if it would keep those around her happy.
As the waitress flung into action and began alerting the other staff to the possible emergency, Yamato looked around the room slowly. The fighting couple had stopped their screams and was now trying to leave the restaurant in a silent huff. Following them out of the main dining area was a disgruntled looking owner. Near the notorious back of the restaurant, he could spot multiple staff members trying to clean up whatever had made the loud noise. There was a complete lack of ash or explosive residue and a huge amount of glass pieces and food.
"Come on Yamato." Sora's voice forced him to look up at the only person from their group still standing at the table. "The others are already in the car."
"I… I didn't… I…"
Okay, end of another chapter! I hope it was good for you guys and gals. I figured it would be interesting to see the same scene through the eyes of a normally functioning person and a person hyped up on stress and emotional instability. Special shout out thank you to Krikanalo and Together Again for answering the question!
