A/N: Wow, please don't kill me for not updating in so long! I didn't mean it, I swear. I was having a major writer's block, and had a fire in my house, so I've been pretty busy! But, it's okay, I wrote a long chapter, and the next chapter should be out very soon :) So, I've gotten a few comments about the OOC-ness of Iori, and it's been bugging me for a while! I just finished re-watching the second season of digimon, so I realized how much I forgot Iori's characteristics. Then, I realized, that he was a pretty young boy in second season, and when people grow up, a lot of things change. So I tried to explain some of that in this chapter ;) hope it makes things a little better! Well, anyway, enough of this. Enjoy the chapter!
A typical morning in the Yagami-Izumi-Motimiya apartment was anything but calm these days. Ever since Daisuke started his job at the elementary school and registered for a few classes at the local university, he'd been up bright and early every single day. Today was no different.
Taichi was on the phone talking to his coworkers, pacing around the apartment instead of eating breakfast. There was a rumor going around that his boss was going to announce who got the promotion today. It was an understatement to say that Taichi was anxious.
Koushiro, on the other hand, was enjoying his breakfast slowly and reading the morning paper. Unlike Taichi and Daisuke, who woke up at the latest second they possibly could, Koushiro made a habit of giving himself enough time to relax and savor his mornings. Little did he know that a serene morning was not in store for him that day.
A knock made Taichi grunt and walk over to the door begrudgingly. Thinking that one of his friends was at the other end, he was ready to walk away, but the sight in front of him caused grin on his face, and made him hang up his phone.
"Oh, hey, Keiko, what brings you here?" he asked with a sly look. Keiko smiled up at him and shrugged her shoulders, walking into the apartment when Taichi stepped aside and give Daisuke a knowing look. Koushiro immediately noticed her presence and stood up clumsily from his chair.
"I'm here to go to work with Koushiro," she explained nonchalantly, "and I thought I'd surprise him."
Keiko was dressed in tweed dress pants and a black blouse with her hair combed neatly as it fell above her shoulders. She turned to smile at Koushiro and quickly went to place a kiss on his cheek. This caused Koushiro to blush and clear his throat as he heard Daisuke and Taichi snigger.
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise, Koushiro?" Daisuke asked with a grin, fixing his basketball shorts. Koushiro tried not to glare and ignored his taunting remark.
"Keiko, I'm completely out of your way. You didn't have to come all the way here just to go to work with me-"
"Don't worry about it! It was no trouble at all," she interjected, smiling sweetly.
Taichi and Daisuke swooned jokingly, trying not to laugh at their own actions. Koushiro ignored them, and turned to Keiko. Now that she was here, he wanted to leave as quickly as he could. Ever since he and Keiko had officially started dating, Koushiro hadn't heard the end of it from Taichi and Daisuke. They teased him to no end.
"Well, I'm ready to leave now," Koushiro quickly stated, "So, let's head out."
Keiko chuckled with a blush, realizing Koushiro's awkwardness about the whole situation.
"Just give me a couple of minutes, I have to use the restroom," Keiko explained, pushing some hair behind her ear gracefully, "Then we can go."
As she walked towards the bathroom, Daisuke grinned and walked over to Koushiro, patting him on the back.
"I'm impressed, Koushiro. Even I haven't been able to get a girl to come in the morning and walk me to work."
Koushiro glared, "Because, until recently, you didn't have a job to get escorted to."
"Hey, don't get so serious! I'm just teasing," Daisuke stated, putting his hands up, "No need to get so defensive."
Taichi chuckled and walked up to the duo, sitting down on a stool carefully, not wanting to wrinkle his suit.
"Look, Daisuke and I are just excited because it's usually us bringing back the girls. And before you say anything, I mean it in a good way. It's nice to see you have a girlfriend, especially one as cool as Keiko...she's better than other girls," Taichi stated, glancing at Daisuke when he stated the last part. Daisuke pouted.
"Come on, Bianca is not that bad!"
"Okay, Daisuke, whatever you say..."
"Alright, she's not a computer whiz, nor is she interested in video games like Koushiro's girl...but she's hot, okay!" Daisuke announced in his defense, hurt that the man he looked up to disapproved of his 'thing' with Bianca. She'd been visiting the apartment a lot, to the dismay of everyone else. Daisuke hadn't really noticed, nor did he really care. He was just loving the action.
"Yeah, but maybe you should try to look past the good looks-"
"Says the guy who brings back ditzy morons all the time!"
Before Taichi could retaliate, Koushiro cut in with a grin:
"I don't see why I let you guys tease me about Keiko all the time...obviously I should be the one taunting you two about you're poor choices in women."
Taichi shut his mouth, knowing that Koushiro was right. Daisuke, on the other hand, groaned.
"What is so wrong with Bianca?"
Taichi ignored Daisuke's comment and smiled at the red-head.
"In all seriousness, Kou, Keiko's an awesome girl. I know you're holding yourself back, probably because you don't know how to act in a relationship, but if you're going to move ahead with anyone," Taichi paused to point back at the bathroom door down the hall, "she's the one."
Koushiro blushed and stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
"And honestly," Taichi spoke again, "I just want you to sleep with her already. I mean, you guys have been together for three weeks now, and she obviously wants it."
Daisuke laughed and high-fived Taichi, who laughed obnoxiously. Koushiro rolled his eyes and tried to repress his blush as Keiko exited the bathroom and walked down the hallway, her hair now neatly clipped into a small bun.
"Ready?" He asked before she nodded meekly.
Koushiro quickly latched onto her arm and proceeded to exit his apartment. As hard as he tried to leave before Taichi and Daisuke could make witty remarks, he just couldn't rush out in time.
"Have fun at work today, love-birds!" Daisuke called in a sing-song voice.
"Make sure your boss doesn't catch you kids having too much fun, though!" Taichi announced.
With that, Koushiro sighed and shut the door.
Iori sighed and stared at the table in front of him. He was conflicted. He'd never considered himself someone who'd go against his principles, but that was all thrown out of the window once he started his affair with Akina. He had never felt guilty about it, though. He was just a victim of love...and to Iori, that was the best excuse to do something against your beliefs. However, he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince himself that love was a good excuse...or if it actually was.
Iori was brought up in a loving family. His father had died at a young age, but he was raised by his mother and grandfather. His grandfather had taught him everything, and molded him into the man that he is today. If there was one thing Iori remembered about his grandfather's teachings, it was to never lie and to stay true to your morals. Iori had lived his life that way to the best of his ability. It was actually quite ironic that he chose to go into the field of law; for what are lawyers except weasels and liars? Iori didn't look at it that way, though. He saw it as a way to bring justice, to fight for the truth, and to uphold the morals of society.
Unfortunately, Iori's grandfather passed away a couple of years ago...and Iori wondered if that was why he was acting this way. Losing his father was tough, but losing his grandfather was even tougher. It was Iori's job to uphold his grandfather's honor by following his teachings...but maybe Iori was rebelling because of his death; Iori had lost the one man who kept him in line.
That's where Akina Arai came into play. He suddenly was becoming aware of his naivety to believe that he could never lie and stay true to his morals. It took one girl to tear that all away from him. Iori shook his head, quickly realizing that he was spending too much time thinking about all this. Ever since Jyou found out about the affair, Iori had a deep feeling of guilt in his chest. Who had he turned into? What morals did he have now?
He chuckled to himself dryly and closed his green eyes. Life was so much easier when he was a young boy, thinking that he had it all figured out. How would his grandfather look at him if he knew? This made him chuckle again. His grandfather already knew...he was probably looking down at him from heaven and shaking his head in disappointment.
"Sorry I'm late! Mrs. Kara wouldn't let me go on my lunch break until I finished sending out some orders to Paris."
Iori looked up at Noriko Kawada and instantly sat up straighter in his seat.
"It's no problem, I've only been here for five minutes."
Iori had decided to dig up that piece of paper that Noriko gave him at the bar a few months ago. Jyou was right...he had to find another girl, and he had to wash away his guilt. Noriko was a cute young woman, and she was definitely single. So, what was the harm in trying it?
Noriko sat down gently and smiled at the law student. Iori decided to take her out on a date at an outdoor cafe by his campus. Since autumn was starting to take over, he thought that it would be nice to do something outside while it was still warm enough.
"So how were your classes so far?" She asked, glancing at the menu to order a cappuccino.
"Alright. I have a couple of case studies I still have to do before the end of the day."
Noriko sighed and nodded, "I understand. Mrs. Nakamura's got me and Sora working like crazy. She has a runway show coming up, and she's stressing out about it."
"That sounds pleasant," Iori stated sarcastically with a smile. She laughed and Iori quickly realized how sweet she was. Unlike Akina, she seemed very innocent; kind of like how Iori used to be before the affair...
A waitress came to take their orders before retreating into the cafe. Noriko smiled and glanced at him.
"So, what made you interested in law?"
Iori shrugged his shoulders, "I believe in justice."
Noriko nodded. She was used to Iori's short responses by now.
"What about you? What got you into fashion?"
"Well," she paused to chuckle, "I actually wanted to be a kindergarden teacher when I was younger. As I started growing older, my interests changed. I became more interested in fancy gowns and wedding dresses. From that, all I knew was that I wanted to design wedding gowns."
Iori smiled. She reminded him of his old innocence.
"That's interesting. One of my friends Hikari is actually an elementary school teacher."
"Yeah, Sora's told me about her! She's told me about almost all of you, actually," Noriko stated with a blush. Iori raised his brow.
"Is that so? So...has she told you anything about me?"
This caused the girl's face to redden even more.
"Nothing specific..."
"What did she say?" he asked curiously. It didn't take a future lawyer to know that the girl felt uncomfortable.
"Well...I was the one who asked specifically about you."
Iori tried to hold back a blush as she continued. She smiled and also tried to hide her flushed face.
"I wanted to know if you were involved with anyone...because you said you were that night at the bar."
Iori's stomach clenched, and he suddenly imagined Akina's face. He was slowly starting to despise that girl...
When Iori looked back up at Noriko, he gazed into her eyes. Was she his chance to make things better? Was she his chance to fix the dissonance inside his heart? As if a force in the universe wanted Iori to suffer, the object of his suffering made her way towards the cafe with a couple of her girlfriends.
Iori watched Akina as she laughed with some classmates. She was wearing a white tunic top with jeans, looking causal and beautiful with her brown bob-cut down. She still hadn't noticed that he was there. Iori had a quick urge to lift up his menu and hide his face, but he knew that wasn't the right thing to do. He had to get over Akina, and he had to show her that he was done with her.
No more lies. No more secrets. No more guilt.
He was going to be his old self again, and that was final.
Noriko looked at Iori with concern, "Are you alright?"
Iori quickly brought his eyes back to the girl in front of him. Iori never realized the slight resemblance that Akina and Noriko had. Noriko didn't have stark features like Akina, however. She was delicate and cute with her brown hair ending an inch above her shoulders. A shroud of side bangs swept across her forehead, which accented her dark eyes nicely.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine."
Just then, Iori looked back in Akina's direction and stopped breathing. She was staring back at him with her piercing cerulean eyes and a look of pain and anger on her face. Before Iori could do anything, Akina started making her way over to Iori and Noriko's table, leaving her friends behind. Before he knew it, she was standing in front of the table.
"Hello, Iori," she stated curtly, trying to smile as best as she could.
Iori nodded his head and cleared his throat, "How are you, Akina?"
"I could be better."
Iori glanced at Noriko and quickly noticed that she felt the tension between him and Akina. Akina watched as Iori looked at her, and, then, turned her attention to the girl at the table with pursed lips.
"How rude of me. My names Akina, I'm Iori's...classmate," she said forcefully to Noriko, trying to hold back a glare. Noriko smiled back cautiously.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Noriko."
There was an odd silence between the threesome, and Iori clenched his jaw. Why did she come over here? Was she trying to torture him?
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Akina asked slyly, grasping onto the purse hanging from her shoulder. That was the last straw. What kind of game was she playing?
"Actually, you are. Me and Noriko are on a date," Iori said abruptly. This caused Noriko to blush and look down at the table. Akina, however, glared slightly at Iori and chuckled, turning to Noriko.
"You should feel lucky. Iori's always wanted to take a girl out on a nice date. He just never got the chance until now, I guess."
Noriko was starting to get confused and slowly looked in Iori's direction. When she saw the anger sparking in Iori's eyes, she smiled and looked back at Akina.
"Yeah, I do feel lucky. Any girl would be crazy not to accept a date with him."
Akina quickly shut her mouth and gave Noriko a sour look.
"Well, I'll let you guys get back to your date then," Akina turned to Iori, "See you in class, Iori..."
With that, Akina Arai walked away from Iori once again. This time, however, the only thought running through his head was 'good riddance.' Noriko let out a long breath and raised a brow at Iori.
"Who was she? Some girl that's been trying to go on a date with you or something? She seemed kind of crazy."
Iori couldn't help but chuckle at Noriko's comment and smile.
"Oh, you have no idea."
Hikari looked up at the children sitting in their desks diligently taking their vocabulary exams. She was amused by watching their faces: some kids whizzed through the exam while others stared at the paper with a look of hopelessness. When one boy with short, spiky brown hair tried to stretch his neck to look at the paper of the girl next to him, Hikari sighed and called out his name.
"Keep your eyes on your own paper, Kiyoshi."
The young boy instantly looked up and blushed, only to glare down at his paper right after.
"Sorry, Ms. Yagami," he mumbled under his breath. Hikari couldn't help but smile. Even though a few students were mischievous, she sometimes favored them more. They reminded her of her brother. Especially Kiyoshi...that child practically had Taichi's toothy smile and wild hair.
"You all have five more minutes, start checking over your test," Hikari paused to smile at Kiyoshi, "or in some of your cases, start making final guesses."
Kiyoshi pouted and grumbled again as he stuck his head in his left hand, and feverishly wrote with his right. Hikari tried not to chuckle, and glanced at the clock hanging above the door. Boy, the school year was only a few months in, but it felt as if time was already flying by. Hikari figured it was probably because of everything that was going on at home.
Hikari recalled everything that had happened since the school year has been in session. Miyako started dating Ken, Yamato had made a guest appearance at the apartment, Jyou and Jun seemed to really be hitting it off, everyone had attended Yamato's wedding to the daughter of a wealthy manager, and she and Takeru had become public with their relationship.
She noticed her cell phone light up and instantly smiled when she realized who she received a text message from. Another thing that had happened during the school year: Daisuke Motomiya had became the school gym teacher.
'I'm going to be late for lunch, I promised a kid I'd help him with his soccer skills. Don't wait up for me!'
Hikari was proud of him. As of recently, he started complaining less and less about his job...he was starting to love it, even though he wouldn't admit it. It made her happy to know that Daisuke was finally finding a place where he felt content.
"Ms. Yagami?" Hikari instantly looked up at the young girl with pigtails smiling shyly at her, "I finished my test."
Hikari glanced at the clock before smiling warmly at the girl and taking her exam. When she scurried back to her seat, Hikari stood up from her desk and cleared her throat.
"Okay, kids, time's up! Come hand in your tests before you head to the cafeteria."
All the children stood and filed up in a line to hand in their exams. As each child handed in their test, Hikari counted them just to make sure everyone returned their papers. Last, but not least, was poor little Kiyoshi. He looked shamefully at his teacher.
"Ms. Yagami...this stuff is too hard. When am I ever going to use these words, anyway?"
Hikari laughed, "Kiyoshi, did you even study for this test?"
The young boy blushed and shook his head, trying to butter her up with his big eyes, "No..."
"Then of course this is going to seem hard. Why didn't you study?"
The boy shuffled his feet before ranting, "Well, you see, I was about to reach level ten on 'Donkey Madness', and couldn't just stop playing. And once I reached level ten, I was so excited that I kept playing till I reached level eleven...and then I got excited again-"
"I understand," Hikari stated with a laugh, "Well, Kiyoshi, if you fail this test, I'm going to have to send a letter home to your mother. Do you want that?"
His eyes glared at the table, "No..."
"Well, next time you want to play 'Donkey Madness' instead of studying, think twice."
The young boy groaned and turned on his heel to exit the classroom.
Hikari stood up, "You're a smart boy, Kiyoshi, I know you are. With a little bit of studying and hard work, I think you could be one of the smartest boys in class."
This caused the seven-year-old to turn his head and look up incredulously at his teacher.
"Y-You really think so, Ms. Yagami?"
"Yup. But it won't just happen over night. You have to work hard everyday, you understand?"
He grinned in that way that reminded Hikari of Taichi, "I understand. I'll see you later, Ms. Yagami!"
Hikari waved as he ran out of the classroom and towards the cafeteria. She chuckled to herself before exiting the room. Children really knew how to brighten up her day. Hikari walked over to the classroom next to hers and asked the teacher inside to watch over her room as she went to stop by the gym.
Hikari was excited to check up on Daisuke at the gymnasium. Hopefully he wasn't beating the child to death...
Hikari walked down the halls towards the gym. As she reached the door, she opened it and poked her head in through, smiling as she watched the pair. Daisuke was standing in the middle of the gym while a young boy stood in front of a portable goal on the other side.
"Now look, kid, the only way to stop the other team from scoring is if you give it your all. You're the goalie, you have the most important job. If you're scared of the ball, then you're going to let your team down!"
A timid boy with glasses looked up frighteningly at Daisuke.
"I know, Mr. Motomiya...b-but the ball moves so fast. I don't know how to block it."
Daisuke grinned, "It takes some practice, but you usually just have to just jump into it head-first."
The boy stared at him with confusion.
"What I mean is, you have to just throw your body towards the ball and give each dive one hundred percent effort."
"B-But what if I get hurt."
Daisuke scoffed, "Look, kid, there's no use fearing pain. Sometimes you're gonna get hurt, and sometimes your not. You have the most important job on the field. Do you want to let your team down?"
"No, sir..."
He smiled, "Then believe in yourself. I know you can do this. Now, get ready. I'm going to kick the ball really hard towards the other side of the net, and I want you to try to block it, okay?"
He nodded cautiously and pushed up his glasses.
Daisuke grinned, swinging his whistle behind his neck.
"I'll count to three, okay? One...two...three!"
With that, Daisuke pounded the ball with his foot and sent it flying towards the goal. The young boy jumped towards it, but didn't quite make it to the ball. The ball hit the net with a 'swish'. Daisuke smiled and ran up to the young child.
"Good job, buddy!"
He got up and stared at the floor, ashamed, "What do you mean? You scored the goal."
Daisuke knelt down in front of the little boy and put a hand on his shoulder.
"No one said that you were gonna get it on the first try. You know why I'm proud of you?"
He shook his head and tried not to let the tears spill from his eyes. Daisuke grinned and patted him on the back.
"I'm proud because you dove for the ball. That's the first step. Soon, you'll be blocking the ball like a pro!"
The boy looked up at him hopefully, wiping his tears.
"Do you mean it, Mr. Motomiya?"
"Of course I do! You have to practice, though, okay? And don't ever be afraid of the ball! The worst it'll ever do to you is bruise you up, but that's nothing a little man like you can't handle, right?"
The little boy smiled and jumped up, "Right!"
Daisuke laughed as his glasses became crooked on his nose. Daisuke fixed them and stood up.
"Alright, kid, I'll see you tomorrow. Go head off to lunch."
He smiled and said 'goodbye' as he ran off to the exit. It took Daisuke a couple seconds to realize Hikari was standing by one of the doors, beaming.
"How long have you been there? I told you not to wait up!" Daisuke called, scratching his head. Hikari walked over to him and laughed.
"You're getting great with these kids, Daisuke. I'm really proud of you."
"Aw, you mean it?" he asked with a grin, placing both hands behind his head. Hikari shook her head with a laugh, poking him playfully in the stomach.
"Yes, but don't let it make your head any bigger."
Daisuke pouted before speaking, "Yeah...these little rugrats are really growing on me. So how's your day so far?"
Hikari shrugged her shoulders, "It's alright. Mr. Kiyoshi was giving me a little trouble during his vocabulary exam today."
Daisuke laughed, "Hey, you leave Kiyoshi alone, he's my little soccer star."
Hikari rolled her eyes. She'd almost forgotten how similar Kiyoshi also was to Daisuke. Great. Another little bushy-haired, bad-tempered, out-spoken soccer star in the making. Before Hikari could reply, they were interrupted by a voice:
"Oh, Daisuke."
Both Hikari and Daisuke turned when the sing-songy voice of Bianca entered the gym. She was wearing skinny jeans with a tight designer sweater, and a pair of sunglasses stylishly placed on her head so that her raven hair was out of her eyes. Daisuke instantly grinned as she made her way over to the him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Hikari stood there awkwardly, not knowing where to look as Bianca placed her lips on top of Daisuke's. A sudden spark ignited in Hikari, and she tried not to let her face show any animosity.
"What're you doing here, Bee?" he asked incredulously. Hikari tried not to roll her eyes at the lame nickname.
"Nothing, I was in the area and thought I'd drop by to say hello," she explained with a sultry smile. Hikari coughed to get their attention and smiled genuinly at the girl in front of her.
"You're more than welcome to join me and Daisuke for lunch, if you'd like," Hikari offered politely. Daisuke's face lit up and he looked at the girl in his arms, again.
"Yeah! Come eat with us," he pleaded. Bianca smiled at Daisuke's puppy eyes before turning back to Hikari with a look of attitude on her face, which caused Hikari to furrow her brows.
"I was actually thinking of having lunch alone with Daisuke...if you know what I mean," she hinted with a wink. Hikari blushed and cleared her throat, understanding perfectly what Bianca meant. It made Hikari bite her lip.
"Aw, sorry Bee, but I've already made lunch plans with Hikari."
Bianca's head snapped back to Daisuke and she raised her brows.
"Is that so?"
It seemed that Bianca was waiting for Hikari to cancel her lunch plans with Daisuke just so Bianca could steal him...but to Hikari's surprise, she wouldn't let herself do such a thing. She wasn't about to let Daisuke waste his time with this girl. Something about Bianca made Hikari's skin crawl. Besides, Hikari wanted to have lunch with Daisuke. It was their daily routine.
"Maybe I can meet up with you for dinner?" Daisuke offered.
Bianca was not pleased. She pulled herself away from Daisuke's hold and crossed her arms, "I'm not free for dinner. I'm going to Hitomi and Yamato's apartment for their housewarming party."
"Wow, nice to know that we were invited," Daisuke grumbled sarcastically as he glanced at Hikari, which made the brunette the chuckle. Bianca noticed this exchange between the two friends and pursed her lips. She felt a weird connection between the two.
"So, are we having lunch or not, Daisuke," she asked, trying to get his attention, but Daisuke frowned and sighed.
"I already told you, Bianca, I have plans. And I can't really leave the school, right now, the next gym class starts in forty minutes."
Hikari tried not to smile triumphantly. It seemed as if poor, obnoxious Bianca would just have to leave the school empty-handed. Bianca noticed the small smile on Hikari's face and squinted her eyes as she pushed her sunglasses down, as if to make a statement.
Before any of them could say anything, another person entered the gym.
"Hikari?"
The Yagami girl turned at the sound of her name and scrunched her brows at the man walking towards the trio.
"Takeru? What're you doing here?"
He grinned as he walked up to her, pecking her on the cheek before putting an arm around her comfortably.
"Nothing, my editor gave me an extended lunch break, so I just came to say hi. One of the teachers said you were here so I figured you came to see Daisuke."
Takeru turned when he mentioned his other friend's name and greeted Daisuke warmly. Takeru then turned to Bianca and also greeted her. After that, all four people stood awkwardly in the gym, waiting for someone to say something. Takeru glanced at each of them and wondered why everyone seemed so tense.
"Did I miss something?"
Hikari blushed and looked at the ground. She was feeling uncomfortable because of the whole situation. Just moments before, she was secretly hoping that Daisuke would keep his plans to have lunch with her...and now Takeru was here, probably wanting to spend time with her, as well.
Daisuke became quiet as he glanced between Hikari and Takeru. He'd never really became comfortable around the couple...especially since Takeru didn't know about certain 'things' that had happened between him and Hikari in the past.
Bianca just glared at all of them through her sunglasses. All she'd wanted was to come spend lunch with Daisuke, but she was getting a weird feeling from Hikari; Bianca had quickly felt as if she was interrupting something between the two teachers...but, wasn't Hikari with Takeru? Then an idea came to Bianca's mind and she quickly grinned, clapping her hands together.
"Well, Daisuke, now that Takeru's here, he and Hikari can spend lunch together while me and you spend lunch together. Look how perfectly this works out!"
Daisuke sighed, "Yeah, I guess it does work out..."
"Perfect!" she exclaimed before latching onto Daisuke's arm and dragging him in the opposite direction.
"Bye, Takeru, it was nice seeing you!" she called, purposefully not acknowledging Hikari. Daisuke smiled and waved at both of them before letting Bianca take control.
Takeru raised a brow and turned to his girlfriend, "What was that all about?"
Hikari tried to ignore the churning in her stomach, and the deep feeling of guilt in her heart.
"I have no idea..."
"So, you've been sleeping over Ken's apartment a lot, nowadays, huh?"
Miyako coughed in fright as she turned to see Sora smirking from her room doorway. This only caused the red-head to grin and clasp her hands together.
"I knew it! You guys finally did 'it', didn't you? That night two weeks ago when you didn't come back home."
Miyako blushed and quickly searched her mind for something to say as she changed out of her business-casual attire.
"Sh! I don't want everyone knowing!"
Sora laughed, "Don't worry, Miyako, Mimi and Hikari aren't home yet. Besides, if you were trying to be slick about the whole thing, then you were terrible at it."
Miyako smiled before Sora spoke up again.
"Why didn't you tell any of us? I thought you'd jump at the chance to inform us of this," she asked with a sly smile. Miyako shrugged her shoulders and sat down on her bed, trying to hide a blush.
"Well, I told Hikari, only because we promised not to keep secrets from each other. I was going to tell you and Mimi one day, I swear, but I didn't know how to bring it up!"
Sora chuckled and leaned against the doorframe, "Miyako, you never have a problem bringing things up. You barely have a filter for what comes out of your mouth, anyway."
This caused the lavender-haired girl to redden even more. She should have known that Sora sensed something was off. If there was anyone more sensitive to matters of the heart, it was Sora.
"I-I just didn't want to jinx it..."
Sora scrunched her brows as Miyako continued.
"You see, everything with Ken is going so perfectly. I was scared that if I I told you guys and obsessed over everything...that something would go wrong, like it usually does."
Sora gazed at the girl sympathetically and sat down on Miyako's soft bed, right next to her, as Miyako continued to speak.
"I'm getting a lot better with my insecurities, trust me! But, no matter what, the insecurities will always be there...like a stained wall that you try to cover up with wallpaper: No matter how beautiful the wall looks afterwards, you know there's still that ugly spot behind the wallpaper."
Miyako had a nag for saying profound things when the time called for it. She wasn't always that ditzy geek she came off to be, and Sora knew that very well. Miyako had come from a large family with six siblings. The only way she ever gained attention from her parents was by speaking up. That was the birth of her fiery personality. But, Sora knew that there were deeper insecurities at work.
Pain can bring about beautiful things. For Miyako, the pain from her past 'relationships,' made her an avid dreamer and cautious lover. However, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that things were going to work out with Ken, she still kept her expectations of their relationship low...she didn't want to get hurt, again. Sora smiled gingerly and put a hand on Miyako's shoulder.
"Don't let your insecurities keep you from being happy. Trust me, Miyako, you deserve to be happy. You have a great guy who treats you like a princess, and you have a stable career. I know your past makes you hesitate from celebrating, but try to remember how giddy you were the first time you met Ken. You were sitting around all day waiting for his phone call," Sora paused to chuckle, "you were on cloud nine every time you came back from a date, hoping he was thinking about you just like you were thinking about him."
Miyako listened and pursed her lips.
"Just because your relationship is getting more serious and personal, don't lose that blissfulness. If any of us deserve it, Miyako, it's you. It's your turn to be happy, so don't keep yourself down."
Miyako instantly teared up and turned to Sora to crush her in an embrace.
"I'm so lucky to have a friend like you!" the younger girl sniffed and rubbed her eyes behind her glasses, "thanks for keeping me in check."
Sora laughed as she pulled away and shook her head.
"Don't thank me. I owe all of you after your support for Yamato's wedding."
Miyako scoffed as she dabbed her eyes again, "Shut up. You don't owe us anything. You're acting like it was a chore for us to care for you."
Sora sighed, looking at the floor.
"We all have some complicated lives, don't we?"
Miyako grinned, and her mood quickly changed. That was the best thing about Miyako. One second she'd be bawling in tears, and the next second she'd be beaming like the sun.
"Well, it sure keeps things interesting," she stated, before pushing up her glasses. Sora laughed again and got up, motioning for Miyako to follow her.
"Come on, I'll grab us a quick snack, and you can tell me all about your steamy relationship with Ken," Sora winked. Miyako laughed and stood up enthusiastically, finding herself excited to explain details to Sora.
The two of them walked out of Miyako and Hikari's room and headed for the kitchen where Sora quickly pulled out some junk food. Both girls gathered the contents in their hands and headed out the swinging door to the round dining table.
"So, how is Detective Ichijouji in bed?" Sora asked with a mischievous grin. Miyako laughed, ready to explain, until there was a knock on the door. Miyako groaned as she quickly went to open the door. When she looked through the peephole, she pouted and turned to Sora.
"Looks like details are gonna have to wait till later." With that Miyako opened the door and greeted Taichi on the other side. He returned the greeting and walked into the apartment, still wearing a scruffy suit because he'd just gotten back from work. Taichi's attention quickly turned when he noticed a particular object of affection on the round dining table:
"Are those chocolate covered pretzels? Damn, I haven't had those in a while!"
Sora rolled her eyes at the fact that food got Taichi's attention quicker than she did. The ruggedly dressed man made his way over to the dining table and sat down next to Sora, digging his hands into the container.
"Wow, you almost sound like Daisuke," Miyako explained with a snort, sitting back down on her chair and pulling the container away from Taichi. The bushy-haired man pouted.
"Come on, I won't finish them, I promise! I don't inhale food like Daisuke does."
"You could've fooled me!"
Sora decided to interrupt their small bicker and nudged Taichi.
"So, did you hear about your promotion yet?"
This caused his cheerful disposition to turn solemn, and he sank down in his chair, "No."
Miyako raised a brow, "Wow, how much longer is your boss going to keep torturing you? It's been four months!"
"I don't know, but it's really making me mad. He's got me working like a mad man, but won't do anything in return. Next week he wants me to stay at the office until 8 p.m. everyday," Taichi explained, crossing his arms. Sora sighed and shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm sure the rumors aren't completely false, Taichi. If there's talk around your office that your boss is picking someone for the promotion soon, then just wait patiently and do as he orders."
Taichi rolled his eyes, "So, you're telling me to work even more extra hours and not get paid sufficiently for it?"
"Yes, I am. It'll pay off one day, trust me."
Miyako nodded in agreement, "Just you wait. You'll be rolling around in money before you know it!"
This, however, didn't raise Taichi's spirits. He just stared at the table in front of him, deep in thought. Miyako pouted when her efforts to cheer Taichi up failed...so she did the one thing she knew would brighten his day.
"Pretzel?" she offered with a smile, holding out the container. Taichi looked up and grinned, greedily sticking his hand into the container and pulling out a few chocolate covered treats. Sora laughed and also grabbed a pretzel, and just as Miyako was about to say something, her phone started to ring. Her face instantly brightened as she saw Ken's name illuminate on the screen.
"Excuse me, guys, I'll be right back." With that she quickly rushed into her room and shut the door behind her.
There was silence. Except for the slight mumbling on the other side of the room door, the main room was quiet.
Taichi glanced at Sora and she cautiously stared back. They both, then, turned their heads slowly to the closed door of Miyako and Hikari's bedroom, trying to make sure it was indeed shut.
Within a few seconds, both bodies pushed back their chairs as they stood, and passionately kissed each other. Taichi's hands roamed Sora's back as she clasped her arms desperately around his neck.
"God, I missed you," Taichi muttered softly between kisses. Sora nodded and pressed her body closer to his, causing him to sigh.
"I missed you, too. I thought no one was going to be home, but Miyako got off early today."
They continued their session by the dining table, trying not to be too loud. Taichi's thumbs traced the skin under the hem of Sora's blouse as he held her hips, and Sora tried to repress a moan.
"This isn't a very good idea...Miyako could walk out any second," Sora explained softly, before pressing her lips against his again. Taichi to chuckled.
"You should've thought about that before you threw yourself at me."
This caused Sora to completely stop and push her head back as Taichi leaned forward again, "Me? You definitely threw yourself at me."
Taichi grinned, "Call it even?"
Sora rolled her eyes and smiled before placing her lips softly on his, following his rhythm. The kiss was slow, and they both pulled away after a couple of minutes, but Sora never unclasped herself from Taichi's neck, and he never let go of the hold on her waist.
"So, how was work?" he asked, pecking her lips again. Sora shrugged her shoulders.
"Nothing new. Kara's fall runway show is coming up, so she's got me and Noriko flying around like worker bees. On a bright note, though, she asked me for my opinion on a couple of her sketches. I think she's really starting to like me."
"Well, who wouldn't like you?" Taichi stated with a lop-sided grin.
Sora chuckled in suspicion, "Stop sucking up to me."
Taichi smiled, but then quickly looked down at the floor. Sora raised an eyebrow and nudged him. She knew by his last comment that something fishy was going on. Even though Sora and Taichi had taken their friendship to another level, they still talked to each other like they always have. They weren't the mushy type, and they were never going to be.
"What's wrong?" Sora asked with concern.
Taichi let out a deep breath and tried to give her puppy eyes. It was a waste of energy, though, because those eyes never worked on Sora. She'd become immune to them over the years.
"Well, don't get mad..." he mumbled.
Sora sighed, loving the direction this was going in.
"What did you do, Taichi?"
"Nothing! Well, not 'nothing, but, you see...since you haven't had the guts to say anything to-"
Before Taichi could finish, the front door nob started to jiggle and they both quickly glanced at each other with fear before separating themselves, sitting back down at the dining table. They'd both become professionals at acting as if nothing had happened.
Mimi walked through the door with a solemn look imprinted on her face. She was dressed in her waitress uniform with her honey hair held back in a ponytail, not noticing that Sora and Taichi were sitting a few feet from her. When she looked up and caught their gazes, she instantly blushed; especially at Taichis...
She greeted both of them timidly before walking to her shared room with Sora and closing the door behind her. Sora stared at the closed door with bewilderment before it all hit her...and the last words Taichi had said to her quickly boiled in her blood. She snapped her head back in Taichi's direction and glared at the sheepish grin on his face.
"I'm going to kill you."
"Well, gotta go!" With that, Taichi quickly ran for the door.
Sora groaned before whispering desperately, "I can't believe you told her!"
Taichi shut the door rather loudly and Sora turned anxiously to the closed door of her room. She couldn't believe that Taichi told Mimi about their recent escapades! What was Mimi going to say? Was she ever going to talk to Sora again? Sora clenched her fists: Taichi was going to pay for this. Sora had wanted to be the one to tell Mimi...Mimi probably hated her right about now.
Sora mustered up some courage and shakily walked towards her room. She slowly grasped the door nob and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. It was now or never. She turned the nob and pushed the door open.
Mimi had changed out of her uniform and was wearing a pair of yoga pants and a pink tank top, her hair still in a messy ponytail. She was gathering some stuff for her class at the local university in a couple of hours. Sora closed the door behind her, sweating uncomfortably in her business pants and blouse.
"Meems...a-are you okay?" she croaked, not knowing what to say as she stood by the door. Mimi sat down on her bed with her shoulders hunched as she stared at the floor.
"I can't believe it, Sora..."
Sora's heart pace quickened, "Mimi, I'm so sorry-"
Her head quickly snapped to Sora's direction and she raised a fine brow, "You knew?"
This caught Sora off guard, "...what? Mimi...o-of course I knew...I mean-"
"Why didn't you tell me, Sora!" Mimi groaned and shoved her face in her hands, "I completely embarrassed myself in front of Taichi."
Sora slowly walked to Mimi's bed, sat down, and put a hand on her shoulder cautiously.
"Mimi...I'm so sorry, I wanted to tell you, but..." Sora's throat tightened as tears pressed against her eyes. Mimi removed her hands from her face and looked at Sora sincerely.
"Aw, Sora, don't cry..." she stated, hugging her tightly, "I'm not mad at you...Taichi's your childhood best friend. I guess I understand."
"R-Really?" Sora asked incredulously as Mimi pulled away. Wow, Mimi was taking this a lot better than Sora thought she ever would. Mimi smiled solemnly and nodded.
"Taichi told me he wanted it to be a secret."
Sora shut her eyes tightly and bit her lip.
"Well, I wanted it to be a secret too..."
Mimi glanced at her with confusion and stood up, "What, why?"
"I didn't want you to be hurt."
Mimi rubbed her temples and shook her head, "Sora, I know you had good intentions, but I would've rather known so I wouldn't have looked like an idiot in front of Taichi!"
"I know, Mimi-"
"God, I'm so stupid! I should have known...no wonder Taichi was being weird with me these past three weeks. He's been dating someone from his work!"
Sora's head shot up and she gaped at Mimi, "...what?"
Mimi started pacing the room, "Sora, I'm so dumb! I called Taichi at work today, asking if he wanted to come eat lunch with me, and he blatantly told me that he was having lunch with this girl from his building. Some girl he's interested in," Mimi turned to Sora with an innocent sadness in her eyes, "But, since you knew about this...do you know the girl?"
Sora took a few seconds to soak everything in. Taichi didn't tell Mimi about their escapades...Taichi lied. He told her that he was seeing someone from his building. Wow, what an asshole, he could have gave Sora a better heads up!
"Sora?"
Sora cleared her throat, "I-I don't know her..."
"Taichi never told you who she was?"
"...No."
Mimi groaned and sat back down on her bed, "I swear, if it's that Catherine girl, I'll punch Taichi in the face."
Sora's stomach churned and she pursed her lips. Should she just tell Mimi the truth? She was angry as it was, anyway...and now was a perfect opportunity. Taichi had been pressing Sora to confess to Mimi, but Sora always chickened out. Sora guessed that Taichi was tired of trying to dodge Mimi's affection.
Sora's phone vibrated, and she quickly looked down to see that she'd received a text message from Taichi. Sora quickly opened her phone and read it as Mimi lied down on her bed with a groan.
"Look, I told Mimi I was dating someone from work. I couldn't take it, Sora, I felt terrible for her. I know you want to tell her the truth, but you're taking way too long. She's gonna be even more hurt the longer you wait. If you won't be mature about this, then I will. Next time, I'll really tell her the truth."
Sora bit her lip and stared at the message for a couple more seconds. She knew he was right...
"I'm so upset, Sora. You were right. I shouldn't have waited this long to tell him the truth...now I've lost him. Ugh, I'm so angry! I know it's my fault because I was a coward, but if I ever find out who this girl is, I'll knock her out!"
Mimi couldn't see her face, but Sora's eyes widened. Mimi was really resentful...why couldn't Sora just come right out and say it? Why couldn't Sora just say the truth? Her phone vibrated again, and she looked down to see that she'd received another text from Taichi.
"Sorry if that last message seemed harsh. I didn't mean it!"
Sora smirked. He was too scared of Sora to do anything against what she wanted. Sora turned to look at Mimi and bit her lip. For some reason...right now didn't seem like the right time to tell Mimi the truth. Sora wasn't ready...
Part of the reason was because she didn't want to break Mimi's heart...but Sora slowly started to realize that the other part of the reason was because she wasn't ready for everyone to publicly know about her and Taichi. She wasn't ready for that kind of relationship...Sora bit her lip. Like Miyako, Sora had many insecurities herself, ever since Yamato Ishida stomped on her heart.
'But, no matter what, the insecurities will always be there...like a stained wall that you try to cover up with wallpaper: No matter how beautiful the wall looks afterwards, you know there's still that ugly spot behind the wallpaper.'
Sora was scared the wallpaper would peel off...and that ugly spot would be out in the open once again.