(May 10th, 2010)
Ok so here's the next chapter! Hope you guys like it! PLEASE REVIEW

Disclamier: I don't own Digimon or any of its characters. As well as any other brand name (such as Apple, Mac etc), magazine name, people, celebrities etc. So please don't sue.

THE DOMINO EFFECT

FunkyMonkey713

CHAPTER 10: Scars

~KPOV~

When Hikari had gotten home that night, she walked into her room to see five dozen pink roses in five glass vases; her mother stood behind as she had entered her room watching Hikari's reaction.

"That Daisuke is such a sweet boy, so polite and handsome too. He was so kind to send those over after school today." She smiled like she understood her daughter's life perfectly; she reached out and pointed to a sealed envelope perched on one of the bouquets. "He was also adamant that you got that" Hikari grimaced and thanked her mother closing the door so she could read the letter in private. The envelope and parchment was silk-based and expensive looking, but inside was Dai's recognizable scrawl.

Babe,

I'm sorry about what I said earlier, I didn't mean it.

Please don't stay mad at me.

I'm so so sorry!

Love,

Dai

She sighed, pondering about what she should do; she decided to sleep on it; let him sweat a bit. But when she went to bed that night, it wasn't Daisuke she dreamt of; instead a blonde haired angel starred, protecting her from an evil dark man she didn't recognize.

A few weeks pasted by and soon the exhibition game against Hiroshima High was only a couple days away. Hikari had forgiven Daisuke, but hadn't forgotten the way he'd treated her; although she still spent more of her evenings with Takeru. Takeru and her had become joined at the hip, almost inseparable except when Dai demanded to have some "alone time" with Hikari. When such demands were made it was hard for Takeru not to show his disgust; in his mind Daisuke still had her wrapped around his finger. He would still make inappropriate and much-too-intimate passes at Hikari at school even when she had asked him dozens of times to stop. Every time Takeru was around he would make an extra effort to show him who Hikari's boyfriend was and when he talked about her with his friends, he was so graphic, so intimately personal that he wanted to rip out his jugular and feed it to a cage of lions for being so disrespectful. He talked about her like a prostitute as appose to the loving girlfriend she was; but Takeru remained his calm composure on the outside keeping his comments to himself, promising not to interfere with their relationship.

Of course the hazing on Takeru didn't get any better either, in fact it got a lot worse; one time they threw his entire backpack in the swimming pool, ruining all his textbooks and notes beyond usable and it was not usual for the entire basketball team to faze him out completely, pretending he wasn't on the court. The latter was making coach Hounsou's life very difficult because Takeru being one of their star players needed to be including for the exhibition game to go well. In Hounsou's mind Takeru was the best on the team, but couldn't understand by everyone (except for Hudson, who remained fiercely loyal) shut him out. Since this was happening it had gotten to the point that when Hudson and Takeru were on the court together, they were unstoppable, like the other three players didn't exist. Flawless agile, they seemed to read each other's thoughts before they even moved. He had labelled them the "Dynamic Duo" and planned to use them as his secret weapon for the game.

Outside of practices Hudson and Takeru became great friends, same with Iori and Takeru. Miyako was still bubbling about the upcoming dance in a few weeks and Catherine had gone through another three boyfriends (and still shamelessly hit on Takeru at the same time). Tai and Hikari's relationship hadn't gotten any better, it had probably gotten worse; every time Takeru came over for dinner or a homework session he would glare at him and make more rude comments. Thankfully Takeru hadn't gotten any more black eyes since that first night at Hikari's, but had continued to get threats from Daisuke almost daily.

Hikari had also found that Daisuke was rougher with her then before, almost forceful; when they were together we caused her pain on more then one occasion, even when she had asked him to stop; it had gotten to the point where after those evenings she would have nightmares, waking up in a cold sweat. But other times he was a perfect gentleman, it was driving her crazy not knowing what to expect. The one constant was Takeru and for that she was unfailingly grateful; they still had fights about her relationship with Daisuke but she was firm with him telling him that she could take care of herself; of course she didn't mention Dai's hearing problem when it came to the word "no" but she knew that if she brought it up he would take off and beat Dai to a pulp and end up getting hurt himself. Hikari still found herself light-headed and flirty when they were together, but she dismissed it each time as just how they interacted normally.

Now it was a couple nights before the big game, Takeru and Hikari had walked home late after a graduation meeting in the bucketing rain absolutely drenched to the skin; Hikari's family had gone to Yokohama where her grandmother had just taken ill and she was looking forward to having a parent-free house for a few days. They reached Takeru's apartment looking like drowned rats; he took their coats and scarves to throw them in the dryer; like every other night she had been there neither his mother or his brother was home. He walked into his bedroom to grab her the usual long blue jersey she wore when her clothing was too soaked to spend the evening doing homework in. While he also changed she slipped into the bathroom to change her shirt; thirty seconds later she remerged and walked to his room to give to Takeru since she had no idea how to work their dryer.

She strolled into his room, where she saw Takeru and stopped in the doorframe, her mouth hanging open. His shirtless back was facing her; she guessed he didn't know she was there. As her eyes travelled from the top of his left shoulder blade she saw an angry scar trailed between his blades and ended below his right one; she would have guessed it was no more than 2 months old. Another long scar that looked maybe a year old started from the top of his right shoulder and chased down to his right shoulder blade. Along with these were a bunch of smaller scars ranging from months to years, as some were just a different colour skin pigment.

"TK? What happened?" He jumped at the sound of her voice and hurriedly pulled on his shirt.

"What do you mean?" He turned around to scrutinize her face.

"Your back… TK…" She trailed off, different thoughts whizzed around in her head as she tried to put the puzzle together.

"It's nothing, I don't know what you're talking about" His voice was non-chalant, but there was a strain in it.

"TK, I saw… Tell me. Please?" She spoke calmly; she knew that if she got hysterical he definitely wouldn't tell her.

"I told you, it's nothing. Now can we just leave it?" Anger started to creep into his calm composure as she pushed him to tell; but this was something she wasn't going to leave alone.

"No, we can't. Come on TK, we're better then this! Please? I thought we promised not to hide things from one another! Or did you just lie to me?" She her voice rose feeling hurt; how could her best friend hide such a prominent aspect of his life? She walked over to him, leaving a foot between them. He stared at her with a mixture of pain and confusion, fighting the struggle in his head. She grabbed the bottom of his shirt and tried to pull it up. Takeru yanked it back down and held her wrists.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He was definitely angry now, glaring at her; she knew she was pushing the line, but she couldn't let it go. She struggled against his hands; she looked him straight in the eye, demanding his full attention.

"TK! Please! I want you to tell me! I can't believe you would hide this from me! You're my best friend! What sort of friend does that?!" Angry tears brimmed at her eyes, but she didn't care.

"Come on Kari! This isn't exactly something you bring up easily! Besides I've never told anyone before! It's not exactly a story of bunnies and sunshine! Most people are repulsed when they see me!"

"WELL I'M NOT EXACTLY MOST PEOPLE!" She yelled into his face, she needed to calm down fast or she was going to lose it. She made her voice drop to its normal range; tears spilled over as she spoke. "Please TK? Please?" She stopped fighting his grasp and just stared at him, waiting. He sighed and let go of her, his face looked worn and tired. They stood there for a few minutes in utter silence, waiting for him to regain himself. He didn't look at her as he began to speak.

"When my mom went out of town, my dad would stay home with my brother and I. He would send Matt to his room and make me stay. He would drink… excessively… Then he would yell and scream at me, saying it was all my fault… Swearing at me, telling me I was the source of my parents' disastrous marriage. Most of the time he would hit me, then tell my mother later that I'd been in fights at school. When it got really bad sometimes, he would throw a glass at me or sometimes he would totally loose it and smash a plate… then hit me with it. He wouldn't let me leave… Normally I couldn't leave until he passed out. I don't know how much Matt heard or knew about it… but I don't think my mother ever found out the truth and I couldn't tell her because my dad would threaten to hurt her and Matt if I told anyone…" Takeru trailed off, his body tense and his mouth set in a grim line.

Hikari had no idea how to respond; it was one of those things you only heard about in newspapers or magazines. She closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He stiffened at her touch, then placed his arms around her too, rested his head on hers. She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that for, but she finally drew back from him and looked up at him, trying to read his face. He still didn't look at her, constantly avoiding her gaze. So she did the something she knew would get his attention; she took the hem of his shirt and tried to pull up again.

"Whoa what do you think you're doing?" Yup definitely got his attention now.

"Can I see….? He looked at her with pure shock, mouth open.

"You're not revolted by it?!" He couldn't believe she wanted to see them.

"No. Why would I be? Everyone has scars." She stated simply, "If it'd make you feel better I'll show you the largest one I have." She tugged again and this time he let her pull it over his head. The beauty of his torso was stunning; it formed the most perfect six-pack she's ever seen, including Dai's. As she looked closer, she could see a few discolourations of scars across his stomach, but not many. She trailed her hand along his abdomen as she walked behind him. Immediately he stiffened when she touched the most prominent scar. She drew back her hand afraid she'd caused him pain.

"I'm sorry. Does that hurt?" He shook his blonde head and tried to relax his frame.

"No, it's just… Most people don't want to go near them. The girls I've been with wouldn't touch them." She continued to trace the raised bumps, thinking about everything he'd told her.

"How did you explain it when you went swimming or played basketball shirtless?"

"I told people I had been in a car accident a few years back, and they didn't ask me any more questions."

"This one here" She fingered the most recent scar, "it's the newest one isn't it?" he nodded, his voice tensed again as he relived the moment.

"When my mom finally told my dad to get out, he took me to his office and questioned me. Demanding to know if I told my mother about what he'd been doing. I hadn't and I told him so, I guess for good measure he took… " His voice cut off as his fists shook with anger. "He took a letter opener and told me… he'd leave me a reminder… to make sure I never to talk about it." She couldn't believe what she was hearing; parents are suppose to protect their children from pain, not cause it. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she pressed her forehead against his back and placed her hands on his shaking fists. Her body trembled as she tried to contain the sobs building up in his chest; she hated to cry, especially in front of others, it made her feel weak. She went to take a deep breath and a whimper escaped her mouth startling Takeru.

~TPOV~

"Are you crying?" He turned around and brought up her head looking astounded as he saw that her face was wet. He brought her body closer and she nestled her face in his chest, hands still entwined. "Why are you crying?" She struggled to catch her breath between sobs she murmured into his chest, not wanting to look at him.

"It's just so… disgusting!" He recoiled from her slightly, "No! I don't mean you! I mean him." She practically spat the name; she didn't bother trying to conceal her anger. "I just can't even begin to imagine what you went though. All those years… I want to hurt him so badly! If I ever see him, he'll get a earful from me!" The thought of Hikari and his father in the same room made him feel queasy.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I will do everything to keep him from meeting you. But I'm sure you could kick his ass none-the-less." She hiccupped a laugh and he wiped below her eyes with his thumb. He bent his knees so they were eye level; she was so adorable when she was mad. "Are you ok now?" She scowled,

"Isn't it me that's suppose to be asking you that? God I'm so selfish!" She was appalled by herself; Takeru shook his head,

"No you're not. In fact you have got to be one of the most unselfish people I've met. You're the first person I've ever told this to. And, I mean, you're ready to go face-to-face with my dad and that, my dear, gives you balls." She couldn't help but laugh and he joined in, happy that she wasn't running in the opposite direction. Once they finally caught their breath again he remembered something she'd said earlier.

"You said you had a scar too. Can I see it?" She hesitated, he scoffed at her, "Hey, you did promise!" She sighed and grabbed the bottom of her shirt and started to take it off, he reached out his hand to stop her.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She looked at him like he was an idiot, "I'm showing you my scar you dolt." Then continued to strip off her shirt and he was completely speechless. Oh. My. God... Were the only thoughts that went through his head as he took in the sight of what could only be the most beautiful woman on earth. She was wearing a pink lace bra, her breasts straining out of their cups; a valley of cleavage formed between the two. She had a dark freckle just above her right breast and her stomach was smooth and toned.

Her brown curly hair swept her shoulders as she reached behind her to unclasp her bra. It took every nerve to keep him calm, taking in deep breaths and trying not to stare at her stunning chest. She pulled her left strap off her shoulder, still holding the front of the bra but shifting it to the right to she could expose the scar but still cover herself modestly. Lifting her arm up, she pointing to a long scar that ran from the outer rim of her breast down to the end of her ribcage.

"I got it last year when I was swimming; I went to pull myself out of the pool from the deep end and there was a sharp jagged tile on the side. Needless to say I didn't notice and put my whole weight on the wall to pull up. I had stitches but they say it'll never go away completely."

Instinctively, he reached out and touched it as she spoke, her skin was satin under his fingertips as her caressed the scar up and down its ridge. When she spoke again her voice was acidic,

"Dai hates it. He thinks it's repulsive and I should get a plastic surgeon to take care of it."

"Well he's obviously an moron. I think it's… beautiful" She giggled then gasped as his hand traced circles over it; his palm touching her partially exposed breast. His touch sent sparks through her and Hikari was glad there wasn't a lot of light otherwise he would have seen her turn red with pleasure. She shivered as his finger moved from the scar to underneath the curve of her breast, where clearly there was no scar and without thinking she arched her back, pushing her chest forward towards his hands. Her eyes closed and her nostrils flared slightly; her skin flushed and he felt his jeans tighten as he sensed the rush of heat move through her body. Using all his self-control he pulled his hand away, ignoring the screaming in his head and his pants. She hooked her bra back together and put her shirt back on, eyeing him with a strange look.

"What?" Does she know what I'm thinking? The small bulge in his pants had disappeared so he couldn't tell what the look was for. "Come on, Kari, what is it? You don't need to be ashamed about telling me."

"It's just… that's the first time anyone's said anything positive about it. Even my parents say the same thing as Dai, saying it was indecent for a girl to have such a hideous scar. Especially in such a… intimate place." She blushed and looked down, embarrassed.

"I don't think it's right for somebody to look flawless, although I guess I'm one to talk… I think that there should be more then cosmetic appearances to someone. I think it's sexy." The words came out before he could stop them; his mouth hung open hoping the words would fly back into it.

"Then you must be the damned sexiest guy alive." She smiled and stood on her tiptoes to give him a peck on the cheek. He could feel her lips were soft and full against his shaved cheek and he blushed in response. "Come on! Let's go get some ice cream!" She dragged him out of the room; he checked his watch.

"Uh Kari, it's nearly midnight. I don't think anything's open." She shook her head and replied in a singsong voice.

"You're wr-ong! There's a 24-hour grocery store down the block! What are you waiting for? Grab a shirt and let's go!" She was so hyper she was practically bouncing off the walls. He chuckled pulling on his Abercrombie shirt and leather jacket, she yanked him through the door and they made their way down the block for a pint of midnight ice cream.

Author's Note:

A little teaser hahaha So what do you guys think?? Dying to hear! (no reviews, no updates)

Thank you for all the readers who left reviews!