Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 12: Please, listen to me!
They hadn't talked yet since that day, as he still kept avoiding her without knowing that she had really missed him, really missed him. She had always looked, or at least glanced at him once in a day, but he looked away once he noticed it. She felt that… both of them were beside each other, but felt as if he were in another land, so was she. This fight… really made a distance between them…
Almost a week passed and Saturday came, the day when they had planned to play an ice-skate using Miyako's free coupons. To tell the truth, Hikari wasn't interested with today's plan, especially after she felt the headache this morning. But, she'd promised Miyako that she would teach her how to play ice-skate. So, she got up and prepared for today. She used her black blouse and white long-pants, to reduce the cold air from ice-skate's cold floor, and ready herself to go to Miyako's convenience store.
"Ohayo, Hikari-chan!" Miyako greeted cheerily like usual, then stopped when she saw Hikari's pale face. "Why do you look a bit paled?"
"No, I just got a little headache," Hikari answered her, smiling a little.
"Really?" she asked Hikari as she put her hand on Hikari's forehead. "You don't have a fever. Do you want a headache medicine?"
"No, thank you," Hikari answered as she shook my head.
"Ohayo Hikari-chan, Miyako!" it was Daisuke, who's just arrived, as the rest followed. "Hikari-chan? What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"
"I asked the same question, and I know that I wasn't wrong!" Miyako continued.
"No, I'm fine," Hikari answered, smiling a little.
"If Hikari-san were sick, maybe we could do the skating next week?" Iori suggested.
"No! I'm fine!"
"Really?" Ken asked once more.
Hikari nodded, as finally the last person opened his mouth. Unlike the others, he wasn't concerned about his condition. He wasn't cared about it.
"She said that she is fine, right? Only her who knows how well her body does. Just listen her, I'm sure she knows the best."
He rolled his eyes, which told her that he didn't care, and kept his words that he didn't want to care about her.
She missed him… so much.
"Takeru! How could you –" Daisuke yelled out.
"I'm just saying the truth, eh?"
"Enough!" Miyako said, trying her best not to let them fighting to each other. "Hikari-chan, are you sure that you are fine?"
She nodded, knowing that actually they just cared and worried about her health… Like the way he usually cared about her… But, she didn't want to make them worry, though the headache only got worse when he threw her his cruel words.
"Well if she said so," Ken said.
"We couldn't do anything, right?" Iori added.
"See?" Takeru said.
Hikari noticed that Takeru really didn't care about it at all. Without looking or glancing at him, she just bit her lip grumpily. "Let's go."
Soon, they arrived at ice-skate rink, and started to use their ice skating shoes.
"So, you need to tie –" Hikari stopped as she suddenly felt a little ache came from her stomach. She held her stomach, wondering if something wrong happened to her stomach.
"Hikari-chan? Are you okay?" Miyako asked.
"I'm okay..." she said as she continued to tie Miyako's shoes, and decided to forget about it.
'Maybe I just ate less last night.' Hikari thought, and only stopped it once she heard Takeru's calm voice to Iori.
"Iori-kun, could you tie the shoes? Or do you want me to tie it for you?"
"Iori! You couldn't tie ice-skate shoes?" Daisuke teased.
"Daisuke-kun! I also asked Hikari-chan to tie it for me!" Miyako yelled out as she blushed
Miyako couldn't tie her own shoes, and it was right. Hikari laughed with her statement, and when it happened, she felt a little aura that someone was eyeing at her. Though she noticed it, though she knew who he was, she didn't dare to see him in eyes. It was Takeru, that surprisingly didn't look angry, but he looked really sad.
Hikari glanced away, and continued to tie Miyako's ice-skate shoes. For her, it was just her imagination just because she wanted him to do it, and wanted him to care about her condition right now. After finished tying, she carefully brought Miyako and held her hand.
"Hi... Hikari... chan… make sure… you hold me… tightly... okay…?"
Miyako on the other hand, just stepped the rink carefully, afraid if she would fall down, that made her laugh. Hikari remembered that she could climb a mountain easily, but she was afraid of falling here.
"Don't be afraid! This is fun!"
"Whoaaa! TAKERU-SAN!" it was Iori's voice.
Both Hikari and Miyako looked at him and like Hikari had guessed, he was falling.
"Iori-kun! It's okay!" Takeru said, trying to help Iori to stand up.
Both Miyako and Hikari just laughed with Iori's funny scene, more to feel amused than to sorry to him.
"Oi! Iori! You still couldn't play ice-skate, eh?" Daisuke said as he stood on the rink, teasing him.
"Daisuke-san, don't tease on him," Ken sighed.
"Yeah… did you forget about how Ken-san and I taught you how to play on the rink and you fell several times?" Takeru shrugged.
"Don't talk about it anymore!" Daisuke said and blushed. Soon, he went far away, feeling defeated. Well, the rest knew that he felt shy with that. Both Ken and… Takeru ever told everyone about Daisuke's first time of playing ice-skate. He fell down more than twenty times.
"So, Miyako-san," Hikari said. "are you ready for the lesson?"
Miyako nodded as the lesson started. First, Hikari taught her how to stand up on the rink as she held her hand, but Miyako fell several times. This really reminded her of the day when Taichi taught her how to play ice-skate for the first time, and she fell down a lot as well.
"Hikari-chan! Don't try to release my hand! I'm still afraid!" Miyako said, tightening Hikari's hold.
"Okay, okay! Just hold my hand and follow me from behind, okay?" Hikari said.
Hikari-chan!"
Miyako's sudden yell only made Hikari surprised, that made her release her hold unconsciously, and Miyako fell down. "WHOA!"
"Ah! I'm sorry, Miyako-san!" Hikari said, helping her to stand. "You made me surprise! What's going on?"
Miyako on the other hand, didn't care with Hikari's fault. Her face was horror, just like she'd just seen a ghost in this ice-skate rink, that full with people.
"We need to go to toilet! Hurry!"
Hikari tilted her head, but she just nodded and helped her to walk. Soon, they arrived at the restroom as Hikari finally would get an answer about Miyako's weird act before.
"What's wrong, Miyako-san?"
Miyako gulped groggily, her voice was stammering. "Hikari-chan… your pant…"
Hikari still confused, tilting her head. "My pant? What's wrong with that?"
"There's 'blood' spot on your pant!" Miyako practically said. "Hikari-chan, are you –"
Even before Miyako could finish, Hikari had understood what did she mean, and widened her eyes panicky. Hikari, of course, immediately… got panicked as she blushed, her face now looked as scared as Miyako, perhaps more, especially when she noticed that it was…
It was… her… 'first period'...
Hikari looked speechless, as if her time had stopped. She tried to open her mouth, but felt really awkward with this. "What... what should I do… Miyako-san..?"
"Wait a moment! I have one in my handbag!" Miyako said before she ran. "Stay here, okay?"
She sat on the floor, feeling really hopeless. This was her 'first period', and she was really confused right now that made her scratch her brown hair. How could this happen in this condition and situation? She had prepared for this, but she never expected that this will happen like this. So, this period gave her an answer, why she got a little headache this morning, and a later stomachache.
While waiting for Miyako, she recalled about everything that happened today, and during these last days. Every problem blended altogether, her period, and her problem with Takeru, that she knew that it hadn't reached the last line.
"Do anything you want! I don't care about you!"
"Then why should I hear you now?! You didn't hear me before! Do you remember about how many times I asked you what's wrong?! But you just gave me a yell! You know how hurt it is?!"
He even didn't care if she were sick or not…
"She said that she is fine, right? Only her who knows how well her body does. Just listen her, I'm sure she knows the best."
"I'm just saying the truth, eh?"
"See?"
Hikari bit her lip. She wondered when would this end. Almost one week passed since their fight… she missed him, she missed the way he talked to her, the way he smiled and laughed at her. And the most important thing was, she missed the way he cared and worried about her, every time.
And now, Hikari was regretted with everything she did to him.
Soon, Miyako came back. For Hikari, she was fast, or… maybe too fast.
"Here! Use it!" Miyako said.
Perhaps a sudden Numemon came and pursued her so that she ran really fast. She panted heavily, giving Hikari something that was wrapped with a lavender handkerchief. Hikari accepted it as she went inside to use 'it'.
"So, Miyako-san. I guess… I couldn't teach you anymore…" Hikari said, coming out from the toilet. "I'm sorry,"
"It's okay, Hikari-chan. I know how you felt about this," Miyako cheered and encouraged, as she also followed Hikari from behind, to hide the danger spot.
Hikari just blushed and felt shy with this. Honestly, this period had really made her felt very uncomfortable, not only because she felt obligated with Miyako for helping her. Now, she knew why Miyako or some of her friends always complained every time they got their period, when at that time she hadn't got yet; she was a bit late compared to her classmates.
"Just sit here. I guess I could ask Ken-kun or Daisuke-kun to teach me," Miyako said. "I won't ask Takeru-kun, don't worry!"
Hikari just sweat-dropped with Miyako's last statement. Hikari was unsure if Miyako had noticed about them. Maybe it was just one of her 'usual' tease.
So that she could only sit, seeing people play on the rink, and later she could see a familiar figure that none other were Iori and Takeru, who came to her direction.
"I'm tired!"
"But now, you could play it, right?" Takeru asked.
"Yeah, but I'm tired –" Iori stopped as he saw Hikari. "Hikari-san? What's going on? Are you sick?"
"Just a little bit sick," Hikari said, giving him a small smile.
Still, Takeru didn't want to see her, that made her really sure that he didn't need to care. Iori, who noticed about this uncomfortable aura, trying to open some words as he took a seat next to Hikari. Iori looked at Hikari, then Takeru, before he finally opened his mouth so that this wouldn't be really awkward.
"Takeru-san, could you buy me a juice, please? I was too tired to walk…"
"Sure. What do you want?" Takeru asked.
"Orange juice, please." Iori said.
Takeru nodded and went to the vending machine, leaving Iori and Hikari alone. Both glanced at each other. Hikari wondered if Iori might know something. She wanted to ask, but afraid if Iori didn't know and he would end up asking her a lot of question.
"Hikari-san, what's going on between you and Takeru-san?"
Hikari blinked surprisingly with his question. It seemed that she didn't need to start before he had started first. But, she just kept silent, didn't know how to explain, or answer him. Because it was a bit complicated, for her.
"All I want to say is, I'm suggesting that both of you should make up as soon as you could…"
Hikari felt surprised with Iori's statement. "How did you –"
"Both of you acted weird since this week," he said. "I guess, the others also noticed it and didn't dare to say anything. But I was getting worried with both of you. When I asked Takeru-san if there were a problem between you and him before, he just shook, but also gave me a small smile that was full with regret… I guess, he regretted with everything he did to you."
"Oh." Hikari couldn't say any words… she'd really succeeded… to hurt him….
"I'll give you a time to talk after I finish my juice later. Use it carefully, okay?" he said.
"Thank you, Iori-kun…" she smiled kindly.
Takeru was coming back soon. There was a can of juice and he gave it to Iori. "Here, Iori-kun…"
"Thank you, Takeru-san. Didn't you buy anything?" Iori asked.
He just shook his head. "No, I'm not thirsty…"
Quickly, Iori opened the can and drank his orange juice quickly. Not only because he felt thirsty, but also because of his promise to Hikari.
"You are so thirsty, eh?" Takeru asked him, chuckling.
"So," Takeru didn't get an answer, and later asked Iori after he finished his orange juice. "do you want to continue your lesson?"
"Umm… Takeru-san," Iori said. "I've just remembered that Ken-san also offered himself to teach me. So, I guess you could take some rest,"
Hikari looked nervous. This…
"If that so…" Takeru said, heading to the rink. "then, I guess I could play a little bit –"
"YOU NEED TO REST!" Iori said, pulling his arm and urging Takeru to sit.
"But, I'm not tired at all!" Takeru took a seat next to her.
Hikari still looked away but she glanced at Takeru, who sat next to Iori. Iori on the other hand, tried to make an unreasonable reason to make him sit, or take a rest.
"Don't lie! Your mentally is getting tired because of taught me, right? Just take a rest!"
"Strange…" Takeru said with a curious tone.
Hikari didn't know if she should laugh because she heard Iori gulping, or she should thank to him for the opportunity that he had planned for her and Takeru. Iori immediately run away to the ice-skating rink. For sure, Takeru wasn't a stupid to be fooled with Iori's simple idea and so that he teased Iori about it.
Her stomach started aching again. Maybe because of her first 'period'? Some of her friends told her that, if she is unlucky, she could get a terrible stomachache for the first day of her period. She just hoped that this won't happen as she tried to talk later.
And now, Takeru was sitting next to her. He could just easily go away, but surprisingly he didn't, nor he wanted to see her. This was her chance. This time, she really needed to apologize to him, hopefully it would be okay.
'Please, forgive me this time…' Hikari thought as she bit her lip.
She didn't know where she should start because it was complicated and confusing. The awkward silent wrapped and they kept silent. Not until, finally, Takeru sighed. She wondered if he were about to complain. But not, he also opened his mouth, tone was still cold.
"I guess… someone asked Iori-kun to leave me here…" he sighed.
He looked away and from that, Hikari was sure that he actually felt very uncomfortable with this. To be honest, she felt hurt with his statement, especially when he called her as a 'someone'. But, she had already expected that he would know that this was planned.
"No… this was his plan… He looks really worry about you. About us…" Hikari said, staring at the floor and starting to hold her stomach tighter.
"Oh."
"Takeru-kun," Hikari bit her lips. "I…"
"Say it,"
She faced him. "Eh?"
"Just say it. Besides, I won't hear it. It must be something unimportant, right?" he didn't care at all and looked away.
Hikari on the other hand, felt boiled but she had already looked really paled and her lips looked really dry. "Takeru-kun! I want to apologize with you! But you always say like that!" she blurted out angrily, but he still looked away. 'No! I shouldn't do it anymore!' "You even didn't care if I were unhealthy, unlike the others! How could you do that to me?!"
She felt that all she did only made everything worse, especially when he started to look at her, his face really readable and obvious. Hikari could read from his expression that he was mad, very mad.
"Why should I care about your healthy?!"
Like previous days, he yelled out and louder his tone. An anger from his eyes hadn't changed and calmed yet. He still had the same look like previous days, like he did before. Hikari gasped with his statement, surely she looked scared and almost cried due to that. She gulped as her red crimson eyes met his blue one, that looked really angry at her.
"I..." Hikari's mouth tried to say something as her head also started to hurt again. She started to feel that cold sweats had come out from her body, and her body started trembling. Not only because she was afraid, but her 'period sickness' had hit her.
"You asked me why I didn't worry about you, right?. I guess, you could find the answer about it by 'yourself'?" he asked, raising his tone as he said 'yourself'.
Hearing all of his cruel statement only made her stomachache and headache got even worse. She held her stomach tighter, trying to resist the pain as he continued. "You ever said to me not to pretend to worry about you, right? Okay, I did my best for it. Are you happy?"
Still, she kept silent with his statement. For her, all of his statements were right... she was the one who asked him not to pretend to worry about her. But now, she was also the one who asked him why he did it. No wonder if he got angry like this.
"Or maybe you also want to ask me to pretend you as a stranger?"
Hikari widened her eyes, as if his statement had really jabbed her heart successfully. He was mad at her, really really mad…
'No! I don't want that! Please, understand it!'
"I… I…"
Hikari tried to say something, but all she can do was gritting her teeth due to the aches on both stomach and head. More cold sweats were coming out from her body. She could also feel another pain came out, not only from stomach and head. She felt that her body also starting to ache as well. Maybe the pain that he felt… was even worse than this…
"What do you want?" he asked coldly, once more.
Hikari gritted her teeth, knowing that he would easily yell at her pretty soon.
"I'm… just…"
She tried to say, at least one word to explain. But, the more she tried, the more her body trembled, the more her stomachache got worse and worse, so was her headache.
And finally…
"It… hurts…" she said as she cried in pain. She couldn't take it anymore and closed both of her eyes tightly, ignoring Takeru's question while laying her head on his shoulder, even though she already knew that he would swap it very soon, remembered that he still got mad. She bent down her body, holding her stomach very tightly. She felt like... there was someone who punched all of her body parts, starting from her head, stomach, even her heart. This was really hurt. She never felt a pain like this.
'What should I do? Someone, please help me… Takeru-kun, please… help me…'
Hikari, for sure, knew that he won't care about this. She ever told him that... he didn't need to pretend to worry about her, right?
But…
Very soon, things that she could hear from him was…
"Hikari-chan!"
His usual concerned voice… that she had really missed so much… to come out from his mouth…
"Hikari-chan?" Takeru asked, his voice sounded really concerned in her ears. "Hikari-chan! What's going on?!" he tried to call her once more. "Are you okay?!"
Hikari shook her head rudely. "It… hurts… help me…"
She started crying because of those stomachache and headache that attacked her, that she really soon felt a hand, that he put it on her forehead carefully. "Oh my… your sweats are really cold… you are really sick…"
He used the same concerned voice as he tried to wipe her sweats with his hand, carefully. Noticing all of his concern, Hikari tried to open both of her eyes, wondering if his expression were as concerned as his voice was. As their eyes met, she didn't see any hint of anger in his blue eyes anymore. Instead, it hinted her that he looked really worry, the same like when she was sick in Digital World, when they were eight.
"You look so paled… I will take you home, okay?" he said softly, to make sure it wouldn't scare her anymore. Hikari tried to nod as she held her stomach, once more. "I just need to send an email to the others. Wait a minute,"
Then, he took his D-Terminal and sent an email to the others, telling them that they went home first because she was sick. After that, he started to stand up, and offered his hand to help her. "Could you stand?" he asked as he offered his hand to help her to stand. His voice wasn't filling with angers anymore, which made her a bit relief. Slowly, Hikari started to accept his hand, only withdrew it once she remembered what happened with her pants.
'What should I do? Should I tell him that I couldn't stand due to that 'blood spots' on my pants? But that was one of my most embarrassing moment ever!'
Hikari felt awkward as she looked at him with her paled face, trying to give him a signal if something happened to her and she couldn't stand right now.
"Do you need something?"
Lucky that he got the signal, so that she tried to nod, though she had prepared the worst case already. "Could… Could you… Could you lend me… your jacket?"
Not like she'd expected, he let it off, and gave it to her. "Here, use it."
She accepted it and tied his jacket on her waist to cover her pants, before she took his hand and slowly, tried to stand up.
"Why did you…" he started asking, a bit wonder with her weird act, but quickly blushed. "never mind! You could use it as much as you want!"
From his awkward tone, she was really sure that he had already known her condition. Why not? Although in elementary school, when girls studied more about this, boys were playing soccer at field. But, most of the girls were pretty sure that the boys were talking about girls' secret to becoming an 'adult'. And that was the meaning of 'period'. He must have heard about it.
'This is... very embarrassing!'
"Could you walk?" he asked, his voice was really soft but concerned.
Hikari could feel how hurt her stomach and head were, that made her unsure that she could make it, so that she didn't give him a nod. As if receiving a signal, Takeru turned back and knelt with one of his leg, offering his back. He wanted to give her a… ride…?
"If you couldn't walk, I could carry you. That's just if you want and wouldn't mind…" he turned his head, as he gave her a small smile that told her that he would help her.
She nodded and climbed on his back, holding his shoulder with both of her arms tightly. "Don't let off your hand, or you will fall, okay?"
Hikari didn't know what she should say to him. After what she did and said to him, he was willing to this this for her. They kept silent during their way to her house, as she held his shoulder tightly, not wanting to let it off. Not only blushing, but her heart also started to racing. She was sure that Takeru could hear her heartbeat. Stomachache and headache could be felt, but she was focusing on his usual soft hair and scent, and how close they were right now.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled with a very soft voice, wrapping his shoulders with both of her arms tighter, burying her face into his back and trying to hold her tears. But when she tried, a drop of water only came out from her eyes, and she closed both of her eyes, and went to sleep. And she could hear his answer, even though it was a bit vague. The answer wasn't like she'd expected.
"So am I…"
one of my favourite moment in this story =p