I do not own digimon nor the rights to the song in this
fanfic. The credit for this song goes to Richard Marx and is entitled "Right
Here Waiting." I did modify the song a bit to go with this fanfic.
Couples in this story are as follows: Takeru & Hikari
(Main – Takari)
Taichi
& Sora (Taiora)
Yamato
& Mimi (Mimato)
Takeru
Takaishi watched as his best friend, Hikari Kamiya and her new boyfriend,
Daisuke Motomiya kissed each other on the park bench. He felt his heartbreak and everything started to go blurry as he
ran from the scene. It was nighttime and no one was on the streets except for
couples holding hands.
Takeru
ran as fast as he could back to his apartment where he lived with his mother.
Once he was inside, he ran to his room, slamming the door behind him. Jumping
onto his bed, he cried like the day when he had thought he had lost Angemon
forever. Heart-wrenching sobs came out and was muffled by the pillow his face
was stuffed into. He thought back to earlier that night, when everything was
normal…when his heart wasn't broken, but filled with love for the crimson-eyed
beauty…
~
FLASHBACK ~
'I'm
going to tell her, today. I'm going to tell Hikari Kamiya that I love her!' thought Takeru. Walking
towards the park, where she usually was that time of day. When the sun was
lowering from the sky, and the colors were swirling together creating works of
art.
He
entered the park and looked around. Hikari was around here somewhere, he knew,
but where exactly he wasn't sure…he turned and headed toward the right far-end
of the park. It was pretty secluded and would have a nice view of the sunset.
He passed couples and couldn't help thinking that maybe that would be Hikari
and him one day.
As
he was walking passed a slightly dense part of the park, he heard two voices.
He immediately recognized both of them. He heard the voices of Hikari and
Daisuke. Usually, he would have called out their names and walk straight up to
them, but something was holding him back. Instead he hid behind some bushes and
listened…
"So
when will we tell the others?" asked Daisuke.
'Tell
the others what?' thought Takeru, somehow knowing he wasn't going to like what was
coming next.
"We'll
tell them on this weekend, Dai-kun, at the party," answered Hikari.
Daisuke
pouted, "You mean I have to wait for 5 WHOLE days before I can kiss you…"
"No,
silly! You just can't kiss me in front of the others," Hikari replied with a
giggle.
"Good,
Kari-chan…I don't think I could wait that long," then he grabbed her and kissed
her right there. She wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him back.
Takeru watched this in shock. Tears of sorrow were pouring
down his face, the pain in his chest was overwhelming. He turned tail and ran
as fast as he could. His heart thudded in his chest and filled with a piercing
pain. He couldn't stop the images running through his mind…
Daisuke
pulling Hikari towards him…
Their
faces getting closer and closer…
Both
of their eyes closing in expectation…
The
meeting of their lips as they found each other…
The
look of contentment showing on Hikari's face…
Everything
showing in agonizing slowness and the taunting of each image was louder than
everything but the breaking of his heart.
~
END OF FLASHBACK ~
Takeru
cried himself to sleep that night. Moaning in his sleep, he woke up sweating
and panting heavily. The pain in his chest was reduced to a dull pain.
He
decided not to go to school today. Luckily, he didn't have to deal with his mom
because she was off at a journalist convention and wouldn't be back for another
2 weeks.
Takeru changed clothes and
walked to the living room couch in a daze. He lay there for a while, just
staring off into space. He thought about what he saw in a detached sort of
manner and decided to act as if he didn't know. He knew that he would have to
distance himself from the others, but that couldn't be helped.
Feeling
better after making his decision, he walked into his room and to his closet.
Reaching inside, he took out his keyboard. No one knew he could play the piano,
not his mom, not his brother, not Hikari, not anybody, except for Patamon. He
smiled a little at the thought of his digi-partner and wondered what he was
doing right now. Patamon was in the Digiworld to keep watch for any trouble
from the mad Digimon that seemed to pop up constantly. There was a meeting
early tomorrow morning, which he had to go to.
Sighing,
he plugged the keyboard up and took out his leather notebook of songs. Flipping
to a new page, he started writing:
We
are apart,
Day
after day,
And
I slowly go insane.
I
hear your voice,
On
the line,
And
there's just all this pain.
I
may have you never,
But
my love is forever.
He
worked well into the night and fell asleep where he was sitting. The next
morning, he woke up as the sun rose into the sky. Checking the time, he saw it
was 2 hours before school started. Takeru decided not to miss school today, he
would not run away from his problems. Hikari was happy and that was all that
mattered, right?
With
a groan, Takeru got up and stretched out his cramped up limbs. Heading into the
bathroom, he took a long hot shower and then changed into a pair of black
pants, a white undershirt, and a navy blue sweater. Foregoing his usual hat, he
settled for running his hand through his hair once.
Grabbing
the song he had been working on, he shoved it into his backpack and walked out
the door. Checking his watch, he saw he was running a little behind time and
moved into a smooth jog. Slowing down in front of the Odaiba High School gates,
he casually walked into the front courtyard.
The
girls of the school almost collapsed of shock, there stood the cutest guy in
the whole world! Whispers of shock were heard as they recognized Takeru
Takaishi. He definitely was better looking today for some reason. Usually he
wore beige pants, a sports jersey and his fisherman hat. Dressed like that back
then, the girls didn't give him much notice except for every once in awhile,
but now…he was a god. The blue sweater he wore empathized his blue eyes that
usually sparkled, but today glittered coldly. The black long pants gave his
long legs and smooth strides more substance. The dark colors of his clothes
made his golden hair shine brightly and stand out. Definitely, this was a
different Takeru Takaishi…this guy was a colder, cooler, and handsome.
Takeru
was surprised at how many girls were staring at him. He didn't like it one bit.
He didn't want their attention, he wanted his Hika-chan's. He walked in fluid
strides toward the computer room. He ignored all the whispers and giggles
directed his way.
He
saw the computer room door and opened it. Walking in, he saw all of the
Digidestined already there. Old and new Digidestined were gathered this morning
to talk about the new wave of mad Digimon. They all had turned automatically
when the door opened and saw Takeru. They all greeted him with happy voices
that he would have returned just as happily any other day.
Takeru
looked at them with his ice-blue eyes and said, "hey," in a monotone voice. One
hand on his backpack strap, the other in his pocket, he looked at them coolly.
Yamato
Ishida looked at his brother with worried warm-blue eyes, "Are you okay,
Takeru?"
"Of
course, why wouldn't I be?" Takeru replied, his face unmoving.
Everybody
exchanged worried glances, this wasn't the hopeful boy they all knew and loved.
Where was the other Takeru? The Takeru Takaishi who brought hope into the world
and you could always count on to be filled with positive thoughts and a bright
smile.
Taichi
Kamiya recovered first and decided to start the meeting, "Okay, now that we're
all here, let's get down to business. Koushiro, why don't you bring everyone up
to speed?"
'Good
old, Taichi,'
thought Takeru. 'The Courageous Leader of the Digidestined and brother to
the person who unknowingly broke my heart.' He still had the bushiest brown
hair you would ever see, though, he cut it every once in awhile. Somehow,
though, he managed to look good in it and not look like a human porcupine.
"Right,"
said Koushiro Izumi. He gave the group a glance to make sure they were all
paying attention and then turned back to the computer typing. "The current
problem that has arisen is the new rise of mad Digimon. Gennai sent me
information stating that one of the lakes to the north had been poisoned. The
poison used is called 'The Madness Potion.' It's basically a chemical that when
entering a digimon's system makes them go…what's the word? Crazy, mad, insane,
coo-coo, nutty, bizarre, weird, wac-"
"Koushiro!
Move along please," Taichi said with a slightly annoyed expression on his face.
"Sorry,
anyway, Gennai said that to make the water drinkable again, we have to find a
plant called the 'Moralla Penduras.'" Koushiro brought up a picture of a fern
looking plant with pink and yellow flowers dotting it. "We then have to boil it
along with water and then simply poor it in. The antidote will take place
immediately and that's about it. The Digimon who already drank the water,
though, will cause a problem. As long as we can get them back down a level,
they'll be okay, but until then their insane, mad, crazy, fanati-"
"KOUSHIRO!"
This time it was actually Jyou Kido who stopped the red-haired kid from going
further. Rather tall with blue hair and glasses, he was still reliable but more
out-going.
Koushiro
blushed and murmured, "Sorry…" before turning back to the computer.
"Okay,
here's what we're going to do! After school we'll head to the Digital World and
spend the afternoon looking for the plant and mad Digimon. Get it?" Taichi
spoke.
"Got
it!" replied the rest of the Digidestined. Everyone moved to get out of the
room. Takeru being the closest to the door walked out first and headed to the
east courtyard to think. He still had half an hour before his first class and
he wanted some along time.
The
east courtyard was filled with all kinds of trees. The sun shined on the
courtyard and the birds were chirping brightly. Bright green grass filled the
yard along with spaced out benches. In the center stood a fountain with a
statue of the founder of Odaiba on it. The courtyard was empty as usual because
most kids had classes on the other ends of the school.
Takeru
headed towards the far end of the courtyard and walked to the biggest tree
there. This tree was huge and covered a good part of the corner. He climbed up
the tree and rested on a sturdy limb. Looking up at the sky, Takeru let his
mind wander. He thought about things from school to Hikari and Daisuke. His
chest constricted at the thought of the latter and the former brought him out
of his daydreaming.
He
moaned as he realized that he only had 5 minutes to get to his first class.
Jumping down from the tree, Takeru sprinted towards his class. Running in
seconds before the bell, he saw everyone already in his or her seats. Hikari,
Daisuke, and Miyako Inouye all looked at him and gave him questioning glance,
which he ignored.
The
teacher said to him, "Mr. Takaishi, if you would head to your seat, I would be
eternally grateful. Or did you forget where your seat is?" The class waited for
the usual friendly smile and silly remark that usually came from Takeru.
Takeru,
though, was in no mood to be friendly. Under a mask of coldness, he gave the
teacher an indifferent glance and headed to his seat. Sitting down, he noticed
everyone exchanging surprised glances even the teacher looked startled. He
ignored them all and took out his things for class.
It
was lunchtime and Takeru was debating on what to do. Usually, he ate with the
other Digidestined, but today he didn't feel like the questioning he would get.
Getting his lunch, Takeru headed to a small table in the corner to be alone.
While eating, he didn't notice the looks across the lunchroom that his friends
gave him, the worried glances, or the topic of the conversation they were
having…
"Does
anyone know what's up with TK?" asked Mimi Tachikawa while putting up her long
brown hair. Her hazel eyes were worried as everyone else's. They all were
concerned about the way TK has been acting.
Hikari
answered, "I don't, but he's definitely been…different. Colder. Besides this
morning in the computer room, he's been acting distant and cold to all the
teachers and anybody who approaches him."
"Yeah,
definitely colder, but also…what's the word…hotter? All the girls on campus are
drooling all over our lone wolf over there," Miyako said, her violet eyes
sparkled with amusement and worry for her friend.
Yamato
gave a tiny smirk, "Well, what can I say? He is my brother and some of my
"Ishida" charm had to rub off on him sooner or later."
Everyone
gave a little snort or laugh at the egotistic comment.
"Seriously,
though, I'm worried. For all his life, Takeru has always been the cheerful and
hopeful kid we all know. Something big had to have happened for him to be this
down. I mean something like a fight with me, or my mom, or like a broken hea-"
Yamato stopped abruptly and exchanged quick glances with Taichi, Sora, and
Mimi. They all knew that Takeru was in love with Hikari after an incident six
months ago…
~
FLASHBACK ~
Yamato,
Taichi, Sora, and Mimi were in the Ishida's apartment. Takeru had just run out
to get some food from the market and wouldn't be back for an hour at least.
Taichi and Yamato were arguing while the girls watched in amusement. Suddenly,
Yamato turned around to trip backwards and push Takeru's backpack off the
table.
The
bag was open and things spilled out. Taichi came over to help and pulled Yamato
up. The girls got up from where they were sitting and started to help pick up
the mess.
Suddenly,
Sora gasped. Everyone turned to see her mouth open and reading a black leather
notebook.
"What's
wrong, Sora," Taichi asked.
"Read
this," Sora said and handed the book over to Taichi.
Taichi
read aloud, "The stars are shining, and I'm in love, with a brown-eyed beauty,
who has my heart. She's my friend, but also my crush, I wish on a star, that I
one day may be her love…" he continued reading and once he was finished, he
shut the notebook.
All
was staring in shock at the notebook, which Takeru just plainly wrote he was in
love with Hikari in song.
"He's
good…" Mimi said with sincerity.
"Yeah,
I think he really loves her. It was just so…beautiful…I didn't know he could
write like that," Sora agreed.
Taichi
and Yamato just nodded dumbly, both still too shocked to do anything else.
~
END OF FLASHBACK ~
"Or
what, Yamato?" Iori Hida asked. He had grown taller and was now in great shape.
His green eyes and reserved nature made the freshman girls go crazy over him.
"Nothing,
forget it, okay?" Yamato said with a quick 'please' glance thrown around the
group. "Come on, you four, we have to work on that project for class remember?"
He now addressed Mimi, Taichi, and Sora. They all looked confused for a moment
before getting the hint and got up. Saying their goodbyes, they left the
cafeteria.
"What
do you think happened, Taichi?" Sora asked. "Is Hikari dating anyone?"
Taichi looked around and then sighed, "I'm not supposed to tell. You're all
going to find out this weekend, though. I'm not sure how Takeru found out, I
mean she has been careful about it. I didn't even find out until I caught her
kissing the guy four days ago. I promised not tell who. I'm sorry…" He said the
last part to Yamato mostly.
"Takeru
must have found out about the same way then. He probably saw them and ran
before they knew he was there. That explains why he wasn't in school yesterday,
he must have found them the day before that or so…" Sora reasoned out and a sad
look came upon her face. "I feel so bad for him. Having your heartbroken is bad
enough, but finding out that way…"
The
other three just nodded unhappily in agreement and silence fell on the group.
Takeru
walked through the halls after school and was stopped several times by girls
looking to flirt with him. He coolly turned down each one and continued on his
way to the computer room. Opening the door, he found only Hikari there already.
Hikari
smiled warmly at him and said, "Hi Takeru!"
He
merely nodded in response.
She
frowned and stared at him worriedly, "Are you alright, Takeru? You seem…distant
today."
"I'm
fine, thank you," he answered shortly. Then heading to one of the computers, he
sat down and began to type things into it.
"Okay.
So what are you doing?" Hikari came up beside him and looked at the screen. A
map of the Digital World lay there. On the screen was the north section and
another window popped up to show the Moralla Penduras plant again along with
the information on it.
Takeru
gave her an unreadable glance and turned his attention back to the screen, "I'm
looking up the information on the plant and trying to narrow down the places
where we have to search. I don't want to waste my time on something that isn't
even there."
Hikari
bit her lip when hearing the coldness in her best friend's voice. Deciding not
to pry, she was about to ask another question when someone opened the door.
Daisuke,
Miyako, and Iori walked in together and right behind them were Koushiro and
Jyou. Koushiro came up to Takeru and looked over his shoulder, "I never thought
about doing that, thanks Takeru. This will help a lot, do you want me to take
over?"
Takeru
merely stood up without a word or glance and walked over to the window.
Koushiro gave him a concerned look and then turned his attention to the
computer screen.
All
the Digidestined was gathered in a meadow filled with flowers and knee-high
green grass. The sun was shining against the cloudless blue sky. When they had
gotten to the Digiworld, all the digimon had been waiting for them except for
Patamon and Gatomon.
"Hey,
Gabumon, do you know where Patamon is?" Takeru asked his brother's digimon.
The
fur-covered digimon thought for a moment and answered, "I think I saw him with
Gatomon, you should ask Agumon, though. He would know where for certain."
"Thanks." Takeru looked around the field and saw Agumon
with Taichi and Hikari. He walked over to them and found himself looking at
Hikari. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled, the sun shot rays of sunshine down
on her shoulder length brown hair, and her long slender body fit perfectly in
her long blue jeans and a simple sleeveless pink shirt. He yelled silently to
himself to stop staring at her and felt his heart constrict in response.
As
he walked up, Hikari was speaking to Agumon, "Do you know where Gatomon is?"
Just as Agumon was about to answer, Takeru addressed him, "Gabumon said you
would know where to find Patamon."
Agumon
looked him over and blinked in confusion, "Who are-? Takeru?" At the blond
boy's nod, he said, "Wow! You look different…did something happen? Oh! Wait!
You both want to know where you digimon are, right?" Takeru and Hikari both
nodded. "Well, I saw the two of them head into that part of the forest over
there." He pointed to the far end of the meadow, which was covered in trees.
Takeru
nodded his thanks and took off in a fast walk towards the tree-covered area. He
walked fast hoping that Hikari wouldn't try to catch up and talk with him…no
such luck.
Hikari
jogged up to him and pulled a little on his sweater, "Slow down a bit, please?"
Hearing
the slight pleading note in her voice, he automatically did as she asked. It
was an unconscious thing, he always did things before he thought when it came
to Hikari. Sighing inwardly, he looked up at the sky.
"Takeru?"
"Hmm," he responded to his name.
"Why
are you acting like this? You can tell me, right? I mean, we're best friends
remember?" Hikari looked at him with worried and pleading eyes.
'Those
beautiful brown eyes…I can never say no to. Arrgh! Why does she have to do this
to me? Why?'
thought Takeru. He thought about a way to answer her question and she waited in
silence for his answer.
They
were almost to the shadowy forest and he picked up a little. She kept pace
easily, just as in shape as he was.
It
was a little after they had entered the forest when he answered, "Something
happened. Something that hurt me a lot, Hikari. It hurt so much that I…it's
like…I can't explain it. It just hurts and I'm trying to handle the pain the
way I can. I don't want you guys to see it, so I…I don't know," Takeru sighed
while running his hand through his hair in frustration. Slowing down, he sat on
a toppled tree.
Hikari
walked over to where he was and sat down next to him. Placing his arm around
her shoulders, she leaned against his chest like they always sat when with each
other. "What happened, Takeru? What happened that hurt so much?" she asked
softly.
"My
heart happened, Hika-chan. My heart was broken in half by the one I loved…no I
still love. She doesn't even know it," he laughed a sad laugh.
"Why
don't you tell her?"
Takeru
looked down at Hikari and sapphire blue met chocolate brown eyes. He looked
away first and whispered back as quiet and softly as the breeze, "She's happy
and I don't want to cause her the pain of choosing. As long as she's happy,
Hika-chan, I'll be fine."
Hikari
looked at her best friend when hearing the love and sorrow in his voice. She
saw something she's never seen before, she saw him. The way his bangs hung over
his sea-blue eyes giving him a roguish look. The way the navy blue sweater
emphasized his built up body and made his eyes glow like a sapphire jewel. This
was her best friend…yet she felt something more.
Takeru
felt her gaze and wanted to grab her and kiss her. He wanted to run and make
the pain go away. He wanted to shout out loud his love and hug her tight. Yet,
no matter, he held himself back and just sat there.
"Who
is she, Keru-chan?" Hikari asked with a tone in her voice, he never heard
before. Dismissing it without thought, he looked at her in surprise and a
little apprehension.
Covering the look as fast as it had come, Takeru thought
before he spoke, "She's like a breeze…gentle and calm. Like the moon and the
sun, she graces us with her presence. Her eyes shine as much as her
personality. And she's filled with light and love, which she never
hesitates to give or share with others. She's…" Takeru blushed when he realized
he was babbling about the girl he loved, who was just sitting right next to
him.
Just
as Hikari was about to speak, they both heard a loud explosions rock through
the air. They exchanged looks and ran off towards the others in the meadow.
Reaching the edge of the meadow, where the forest ended, they saw their friends
fighting off four mad digimon. Running to the other Digidestined, they stood
watching, at the edge of the fight.
Suddenly,
a voice pierced the air, "HIKARI! WATCH OUT!" It was Gatomon with Patamon right
behind her.
Hikari
turned around and saw a mad digimon aiming an attack at her. She found herself
frozen to the stop and unable to move. The blast was heading straight towards
her and her feet felt glued to the ground. Unable to move her body, she let out
a piercing scream.
Takeru
had been watching the fight when he heard the warning shouted by Gatomon. He
had turned to Hikari to see her about five feet away. He watched in horror as
the mad digimon aimed his attack at Hikari and her stand in shock, not moving
at all. Before he knew it, Takeru was in a dead sprint to reach his most loved
one. As he spared a glance at the attack, he knew that he couldn't push her
away from the attack. In a split second, Takeru knew what he had to do.
Hikari
was terrified as she watched the attack speeding towards her. A pair of strong
arms wrapped themselves around her and then the person placed its body in front
of her. Her protector and her went flying to the air and she felt the person
twist and take the brunt of the fall, just as the person did with the attack.
Then she fell out of consciousness.
When
Hikari next opened her eyes, she saw a light pink room. She raised her head
gently and saw her brother reading by her side. "Taichi?"
Taichi's
head popped up immediately, "Hikari! Your awake!" He jumped to his sister's
side and grabbed her hand. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, he leaned over and
kissed his younger sister's forehead. "Are you feeling better?"
"I feel fine if a little tired…where am I?"
Taichi looked relieved at his sister's words, "Your in Gennai's house." Seeing
his sister's confused look, he continued, "After you and Takeru were hit by the
digimon's attack, we brought both of you here. Gennai treated your wounds and
told us that you needed some sleep."
Hikari
absorbed the new information and asked, "Takeru was hit, too?"
Taichi
nodded sadly, "When Gatomon yelled at you, he ran towards you…I've never seen
anyone run that fast before. Anyway, Takeru knew that he couldn't push you out
of the way in time and covered you with his body." He sighed and looked away
from his sister's gaze. "Hikari, he took the brunt of the attack…and the fall…"
"Is
he…okay?"
Taichi
was silent for a moment and then turned to meet his sister's troubled gaze. "He
was hurt badly and we weren't sure if he was going to make it. Yamato was going
crazy and Mimi could barely get stop him from trying to kill the mad digimon.
Gennai says we have to wait out the night until he can be sure that Takeru will
be better."
Hikari
swallowed hard and her eyes filled with tears for her best friend. Her brother
wrapped his arms around her and she cried into him.
Takeru
felt his heart beating in his chest, pounding hard. His whole body was in pain
and his vision was blurry. He felt hot and cold at the same time. The pain in
his body hurt so much and now he wished badly to fall back to sleep…but he
couldn't. He needed to know if Hikari was all right, but he could tell no one
was around to tell him. Then he heard the door open and soft footsteps come up
to his bed.
Takeru
opened his mouth and managed to get out, "Hi-ka-ri?" He opened his eyes as much
as he could, but his vision was still blurry.
A
warm voice, which he recognized as Yamato answered, "She's fine, Takeru…why did
you save her? I know that she was the reason why you've been acting
so…distant…why did you do it?"
Takeru
thought about and tried to get out the words, but his throat was too dry. He
whispered out, "Water," and felt something cool being poured into his mouth.
Feeling much better, he said, "Yama, I love her. I would die for her and the way
I feel right now, I probably will. It doesn't matter she doesn't love me back,
as long as she's happy and alive,"
Takeru
closed his eyes and envisioned his angel. "Her eyes shine with light, she has
all my hope, she carries my heart, and it's no joke. I love her more than
anything, anything in the world…she gives me the will to live, and the will to
carry on…the light of the world, the light in my life, she's all the matters,
even when I die. My heart may be in pain…but at least she's happy again…even with
him..." Takeru sang and fell silently into blissful darkness...
Yamato
closed the door to his brother's room softly. He sighed and shook his head,
"What are we going to do, you guys? He's better and all, but his heart…he loves
her…I think he loves her too much and I…I don't know!" Yamato slammed his fist
against the wall in frustration.
Mimi
wrapped her arms around him and drew him into a soft, reassuring hug. "He'll
get better, Yama-chan. I'm sure he will…and his heart will heal, maybe not
soon, but it will get better."
Taichi
and Sora watched them and decided to let Mimi handle this. Moving away
silently, they walked down the hallway to Gennai's living room.
Taichi
spoke first, "I think Takeru would be a better choice for my sister, Sora.
Daisuke…he's okay, I guess, but I don't think he would do what Takeru did for
Hikari. I don't think he loves her at all, but this is just a passing thing."
Sora
looked at him in surprise, "So Hikari and Daisuke, huh?"
Taichi
looked sheepish and rubbed the back of his head. "I wasn't supposed to tell you
that. Oh well, you would've found out about it sooner or later."
"I
think your right, Tai-kun. Takeru and Hikari were…"
Sora
was interrupted by another voice, "meant for each other, destined to be
together, fated to love each other…yes to all of those."
Both
teens turned around in surprise to see Gennai standing at the doorway
connecting the living room to the kitchen of his house. Gennai was not an old
man anymore, but wasn't young either. He stood to look around forty as a human,
but was much older in digimon years. His brown hair was tied in the back and a
now distinguished white streak graced it. His eyes held wisdom and a sense of
calm that made you blink in response.
"Those
two are Hope and Light. Light and Hope, which has been fated…destined to be
together forever. Hikari may not realize it now, but her love for Takeru does
lie deep within her heart and soul."
Taichi
spoke first, "Are you sure, Gennai? I mean, how can you know this?"
Gennai
smiled a mysterious smile and his eyes twinkled, "I know many things, the
bearer of Courage. I know that your heart does lie destined to belong to
another." He pointedly looked at Sora for a moment before turning his eyes back
to Taichi, "Tell her soon, Taichi, for you don't want to be in the same pain
that Takeru now is deep within. Don't make the same mistake that the holder of
Hope did…don't wait." And with a wink at Taichi, he turned and left the room.
Sora
looked at Taichi and spoke, "What was he talking about, Taichi?"
Taichi
blushed a deep crimson red and thought before he spoke. 'Should I tell her?
Should I tell her that I've been in love with her for years and I love her with
all my heart? Or should I live I live in a world full of pain and regret like
Takeru?' Sighing, he grabbed both of Sora's hands in his own and spoke in
low tones, "He was talking about the one I love, Sora. The girl of my dreams
and the woman who unknowingly holds my heart. Do you want to know who she is?"
Sora
nodded.
Taichi
took a deep breath and said one word, "You."
Sora
looked at him and tears sprung to her eyes. She looked at him in surprise and
wonder. Then she pulled her hands out of his and wrapped them tightly around
her neck, "I love you too, Taichi. I always will love you."
Taichi
smiled his lopsided grin and then took her lips in a passionate embrace. Their
hands wrapped tightly around each other and their lips meeting again and again.
Barely stopping for air, they showed their love and promised their hearts to
one another. When their breaths coming in gasps, they rested forehead to
forehead.
"I
love you, Taichi Kamiya."
"And
I love you, Sora Takenouchi."
'It's been two weeks since the incident at Digital
World…I'm a lot better now and my mom is back home from her convention. I guess
I should be happy that I'm alive and in good shape…but I'm not. Hikari and
Daisuke told everyone this weekend about them being together…'
~
FLASHBACK ~
"Dai-kun
and I are going out," Hikari announced to the stunned Digidestined. Daisuke at
her side was smiling widely and had an arm around her waist.
"As
in girlfriend, boyfriend thing?" Miyako looked shocked and sat down on the
nearest chair. Hikari nodded.
Takeru
saw everyone looking as shocked as Miyako except for Taichi and Sora. 'Interesting,
Taichi and Sora must've already known. Hmm…Taichi and Sora…I'm happy they got
together.' Yamato and Mimi were glancing from the new couple to Takeru and
back again.
Leaning
against the wall, Takeru kept on his face void of any emotions. Hikari started
to look nervous because no one had said anything yet.
With
a sigh, Takeru moved away from the wall and headed across the room to where the
couple sat together. His heart was hurting more than ever and he really wanted
to run home and cry, but he kept a tight grip on that part of him. Pulling
layers of walls over his heart, he hardened himself so as not to feel the pain.
Giving
both of them of wry look, Takeru said, "I guess since no one else will say it,
I will…"
Everyone
was looking at them waiting for what Takeru would say. Taichi and Yamato were
holding their breaths, while Sora and Mimi squeezed the boys' arms tight.
"Congratulations
to the both of you," Takeru gave them a fake smile and then turned and headed
out the door. Before he walked through, he turned around, "Oh! And Daisuke? If
you hurt her or make her cry…you're a dead man."
With
that, Takeru walked out the door and closed it gently behind him. 'Good
luck, Hika-chan. I will always love you and I wish you happiness…even if it's
with him.'
~
END OF FLASHBACK ~
'I guess, I handled that okay…well, if one thing came out
good in the last couple of weeks, it's definitely been the new relationship
between Taichi and Sora. Oh! And we can't forget Yamato and Mimi…how they got
together still makes me laugh…'
~
FLASHBACK ~
All
the Digidestined decided to go on a trip to the mall. Everyone was in the food
court now, thinking about what to eat. Yamato and Mimi decided to go back to
the music store to pick up something and after they left he decided to go after
them. Takeru found them in a very…interesting position.
In
the Odaiba Dragon Deluxe Mall, there was a huge fountain in the middle of the
mall. The fountain centerpiece was a huge pillar that was delicately carved
with plants and dragons. A two feet deep pool that had a diameter of around 10
feet surrounded the pillar.
The
pool now held to laughing and splashing teens. The young man and woman were
splashing each other in a full out water war with people watching in amusement.
Takeru walked towards the pool to get a better look at the pair, who looked
vaguely familiar. When he recognized them, he was shocked beyond belief.
The
two teens in the two feet pool were none other than Yamato Ishida and Mimi
Tachikawa. Takeru rushed over and yelled, "Yamato! Mimi!"
The
pair stopped splashing each other to see a very wide-eyed Takeru staring at
them. They both blushed a deep shade of red and climbed out of the fountain.
Both were soaked completely in their clothes and had sheepish expressions on
their faces.
"I
can't believe you…wow…I mean…oh gosh," stuttered Takeru. He couldn't grasp how
they got in the fountain in the first place, but grinned as a sudden thought
came to him. Grabbing both their arms, he pulled them back to where the others
were sitting.
Pushing
both of them forward in front of him, he called out for the other
Digidestined's attention. The group all looked up and saw two very red and very
wet teens looking at the ground. Everyone's jaw dropped down and eyes went
wide.
Takeru
had an evil glint in his eyes and smirked, "I found these two…swimming in the
fountain. I think I know why, so I thought I'd share my…hypothesis to the rest
of you." He paused as Yamato and Mimi started giving him glares and his smile
got an evil undertone to it. "These two," he pointed at the soaked pair, "were
probably walking to the music store. Then, Mimi dropped an earring in the
fountain and Yamato leaned over to get it, but tripped inside. When he came out
of the water he was wet and Mimi probably started giggling."
Yamato
was redder than ever and Mimi started to giggle at the memory.
"Then,
Yamato pulled Mimi into the fountain and she got wet. She came out very, very
mad and plotted a fair revenge. She grabbed his head and pulled him to her and
then…" Takeru paused dramatically. "Mimi kissed Yamato. They both proclaimed
their love for each other, which I must say 'finally' too! Of course, since
they are children at heart, they got into a water war like any other pair of
teens."
Yamato
blushed wildly, "Mimi did NOT kiss me!"
"Yeah!
Most of what you said was right except for that…" Mimi agreed with Yamato, also
red in the face.
Takeru's
face turned to mock graveness, "Then we must fix that problem, right everyone?"
And with that, he pushed the two teens heads together.
Lips
locked and eyes went wide…then closed again as they got caught up in a
passionate embrace. Takeru removed his hands from the back of their heads when
it was clear they wouldn't pull away from each other. They stayed like that for
a while before pulling apart.
Koushiro,
Miyako, Iori, Daisuke and Jyou were laughing outright; Taichi and Sora were
barely keeping from doing the same; Hikari was covering her mouth while
smiling.
Yamato
pulled Mimi close and whispered into her ear, "I do love you, Mimi-chan."
"I
love you too, Yama," Mimi whispered back and kissed him softly.
~
END OF FLASHBACK ~
'And
now, here I am…still in love with Hikari…still writing songs…still head deep in
heart break...' Takeru closed his mine firmly to anymore depressing thoughts. Sighing
deeply, he got up out of bed and stretched. Doing some morning exercises, he
checked the clock on his wall. It read 4:30 AM.
Deciding
to go for a morning job, he grabbed some jogging clothes and headed out. The
sky was lighting up, but no sun was to be seen. Takeru got into a steady pace
and started to even out his breathing, 'One, two. One, two. One, two. One,
two. Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth. One, two. One,
two.'
The
tall buildings of Odaiba stood strong and cast dark shadows. The lampposts were
still on since it was early in the morning. Deciding to sprint the rest of the
block home, he got their fast. Taking a quick shower and changing into
comfortable clothes, he checked the time again. 6:30 AM. Deciding to leave
early, Takeru ate a quick breakfast and wrote his mom a quick note.
Closing
the door behind him, he walked to Odaiba High School. When he got there it was
7:30 AM, still a good hour before school started. Walking into the school, he
went down the hallways to the music room. Recently, the man who taught him how
to play the piano and guitar started teaching here. He let Takeru into the
music room to play his songs uninterrupted.
Takeru
knocked on the door to the music room and the door opened, "Hi Takeru!" An
elderly man stood there holding a violin in one-hand and music sheets in the
other. " I have to go out, but you may stay and play. Lock the door when you
leave, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, he left the room and Takeru
behind.
Takeru
chuckled and walked over to the piano. Setting up his own music sheets, he did
some warm up exercises on the piano.
Yamato
was walking down the hallway along with his girlfriend, Mimi, and their two
friends, Taichi and Sora. Suddenly, piano music was heard through one of the
doors. They all exchanged awed looks and looked through the door's window, and
then froze.
There
sat Takeru playing the piano, pressing the keys as if his fingers were attached
to them, his eyes closed shut with concentration. They listened to the music
and heard the sadness and longing in the beautiful sounds that came out of the
piano.
Suddenly,
Yamato grinned an evil smirk, identical to the one that Takeru had wore at the
mall trip awhile back. Gathering the other three into a huddle, he whispered
his idea to them. They looked a little surprised at the plan, but agreed to it.
Static
filled the school as the intercom was turned on, sounds of paper moving around,
bumps, and voices could be heard. Then a voice came over, "Ladies and gentlemen
of Odaiba High School. Today, we have a little…performance…or entertainment for
you. Ladies, make sure you have plenty of tissue, and guys, hold onto your
girlfriends…" everyone recognized the popular senior, Yamato Ishida's voice on
the intercom.
"Yeah,
girls! We have a heartbreaking musician playing songs that will bring tears to
your souls. Might I add, single to the list of attributes to this young man,"
this time the voice was known as Mimi Tachikawa, a junior, but no less popular
than Yamato.
"So
listen closely…" Taichi Kamiya's voice was soft.
"…and
make sure to listen with your hearts," Sora added with a gentle tone to her
voice.
A
couple of minutes passed and only static came out of the intercom. All the
students of OHS stopped talking and waited curiously for whatever would come
next.
Music
could be heard softly and then whispers came, "Closer, Taichi! We're too far
away!"
"Hold your horses, Yamato!"
"Guys,
be quiet, the microphone is on!"
"Sorry,
Mimi…"
"Nice
one, Mimi."
"Thanks,
Sora."
Hikari
blinked and sighed, 'What in the world are they doing?'
Then the music was slowly getting louder and then filled
the school. Teachers, students, and everyone else that was in the school heard
the piano…they heard the longing…the pain…the loneliness in the music. Then the
song ended.
There was a shuffling of papers and a sigh. Slowly another
song played and this time a voice joined the piano,
"We are apart,
Day after day,
And I slowly go insane.
I hear your voice,
On the line,
And there's just all this
pain.
I may have you never,
But my love is
here forever…
Wherever you go,
Whatever you do,
I will be right
here waiting for you.
Whatever it
takes,
Or how my heart
breaks,
I will be right
here waiting for you.
I took for
granted,
All the times,
That I thought
would last somehow.
I hear the
laughter,
I taste the
tears,
But I can't get
near you now.
Oh, can't you
see it, baby,
You've got me
goin' crazy…
Wherever you go,
Whatever you do,
I will be right
here waiting for you.
Whatever it
takes,
Or how my heart
breaks,
I will be right
here waiting for you.
I wonder how we
can survive,
Without romance,
But in the end
if I'm with you,
I'll take the
chance…
Wherever you go,
Whatever you do,
I will be right
here waiting for you.
Whatever it
takes,
Or how my heart
breaks,
I will be right
here waiting for you.
Oh can't you
see…
Waiting for you…
I'll be right
here waiting for…you…"
"I'll be right here waiting for you," the voice whispered
softly, you could barely hear the person.
The school was silent, listening closely to the intercoms.
The teachers stopped from their work, the students stopped talking or playing
around, and anyone else on campus was silent. Respect and awe was clearly shown
on everyone's faces.
The intercom was silent for a moment, and then the voice
started talking softly to himself, "I will always be here, waiting, my love.
Maybe one day, I will be able to tell you that I love you. Till that
day…Hikari."
In the front courtyard of the school with her group of
friends, Hikari Kamiya's eyes went wide. All her friends watched her closely
and waited for some kind of reaction.
Then on the intercom, the voice could be heard again,
"What in the world? A microphone…the intercom…Hikari…oh no!" A click was
heard as the intercom was turned off.
Yamato's eyes went wide at his brother's confession, "Oh
no…he's going to kill me. I didn't expect him to say that!"
Mimi shook her head sadly, "I hope no one recognized his
voice."
Taichi and Sora just looked down at the ground feeling
guilty.
"I feel guilty, you guys. I mean, Takeru just announced
his feelings to the world. And if anyone recognized his voice, especially
Hikari…" Sora left what she said hanging in the air. They all fell silent and
then headed to class.
In the meanwhile, Takeru's face was pale and he was
staring at the microphone in his hand. 'Oh god. I just announced my feelings
to the whole entire campus and if Hikari heard…I don't want her to know yet. I
wonder who did this…'
"YAMATO!"
He headed out of the music room and ran down the halls in
search of his brother. His face was livid and his breathing was getting harsh.
Then Takeru saw him, along with Mimi, Sora, and Taichi. He headed to them at a
dead sprint and threw himself at his brother, tackling him to the ground. He
looked down at his brother with barely contained rage.
In a very tight voice filled with cold anger, Takeru spoke
to his brother, "Why? You just had to do that, didn't you? Do you know what
would happen if Hikari found out? Yamato! I don't want her to feel guilty…I
don't want her to have to choose…I just want her happy." The last part came out
in a sob and he suddenly collapsed against his brother in tears.
Yamato exchanged glances with the other three, who had
watched what had just occurred and then put his arms around his brother.
Rocking him, as he hadn't done in years, Yamato whispered soft words of comfort
to his younger sibling.
Taichi, Sora, and Mimi surround the brothers and tried to
help Takeru calm down.
Hikari was walking down the hallway with Miyako, both
talking in soft tones to each other. They both looked up at the sounds of
sobbing and watched in shock as Yamato was rocking a crying Takeru.
Hikari immediately rushed up to the group and asked,
"What's wrong with Takeru?"
Taichi looked at his sister for a second before turning
his head away sadly, "It's not our place to tell you, Hikari. Only Takeru has
the right to tell you…but no one else does."
Sora put a hand on Taichi's shoulder and gently pulled him
away. They both walked away from the scene and headed to their class leaving
Hikari, Miyako, Mimi, Yamato, and Takeru.
Mimi looked at the brothers and exchanged a look with
Yamato and then nodded. She grabbed Miyako's hand and whispered quickly in her
ear. Miyako's eyes widened and then she shook her head and walked off with
Mimi.
Yamato stared at the young lady who had stolen his
brother's heart and then unknowingly broke it. Then he looked down at his
brother who had stopped crying and was staring at the wall. He sighed and spoke
to his brother, "Tell her Takeru. She has a right to know…where you stand. She
deserves to know the truth, the whole truth. Don't hold back anymore, just tell
her." With that Yamato nodded to Hikari and walked off. He spared a last glance
back at the pair before turning a corner.
Takeru Takaishi and faced a lot of things in his life, but
none as hard as this. He was scared, worried, anxious, angry, sad, and every
probably ever other emotion that the human language allowed. All of these
feelings were because of one girl, the one standing right in front of him. Her
lithe body taunted him, her eyes stole his soul, her hair captivated him, her
hands made him feel comforted, and with all of her, she stole his heart.
Hikari Kamiya.
'What am I going to do? I can't tell her can I?'
Takeru sighed. He looked up and got caught in the most deadly trap that he
could be caught in. He was caught in the pools of brown, the eyes of Hikari
Kamiya.
The angel then spoke, "Why were you crying, Takeru?"
'Because of you.' "I…um…a girl," He barely got that out.
"The girl who broke your heart?"
Takeru sighed and looked at her hard, "Yes."
Hikari suddenly looked serious and determined, "Who is
she, Takeru?"
He looked at the girl he has known since childhood. He looked hard and then
decided what he was going to do. "Did you here the morning…announcements?"
Hikari frowned, but nodded.
"What do you think about the song?"
"It was…nice, but sad."
"And when he said he loved you?"
"I felt…I don't know…strange."
Takeru was surprised, but continued along with his line of
questioning. "Do you wonder who he was?"
"Yes. Takeru, where are you heading with this."
He looked straight into her eyes and then pulled down his walls. He let her see
everything he was feeling. Takeru let her see it all and then said, "It was
me." And with that, he sprinted away from the girl he loved.
He ran and ran and ran…
Hikari was shocked and stared that the spot Takeru had
been a moment before…before…he admitted he loved her.
Takeru Takaishi loved her, Hikari Kamiya.
Then her eyes went wide, 'I was the girl. I broke his
heart and I was causing his pain. All because of me, he went through this. Why
do I feel happy? Why do I feel this is right? I mean, I love Daisuke, right?'
At that moment, Daisuke Motomiya ran up to her. He grinned
at her and said, "Hey Kari!"
She nodded at him, her eyes blank.
Daisuke didn't notice, though, "Did you hear that loser on
the intercom? I mean, come on. That was the lamest song ever! And his voice was
horrible, plus to think he had a chance with you. Ha! What a idiot!"
Suddenly, Hikari snapped out of her daze. She looked at
Daisuke and then made a decision. She looked at Daisuke and said seriously, "We
need to talk."
Takeru was in his room resting on his bed. He just stared
at the ceiling, playing the scene with Hikari over and over again. He cursed
himself in his mind at telling her, especially after seeing her shocked
expression. Takeru sighed and walked to his keyboard, which was set up in the
corner of his room. His mom was off working on an assignment in Tokyo and
wouldn't be back anytime soon.
He let his mind wander and before he knew it, he was
playing the beginning of the song earlier. Deciding to just continue, he
started to sing.
"We are apart,
Day after day,
And I slowly go insane.
I hear your voice,
On the line,
And there's just all this
pain.
I may have you never,
But my love is
here forever…
Wherever you go,
Whatever you do,
I will be right
here waiting for you.
Whatever it
takes,
Or how my heart
breaks,
I will be right
here waiting for you.
I took for
granted,
All the times,
That I thought
would last somehow.
I hear the
laughter,
I taste the
tears,
But I can't get
near you now.
Oh, can't you
see it, baby,
You've got me
goin' crazy…
Wherever you go,
Whatever you do,
I will be right
here waiting for you.
Whatever it
takes,
Or how my heart
breaks,
I will be right
here waiting for you.
I wonder how we
can survive,
Without romance,
But in the end
if I'm with you,
I'll take the
chance…
Wherever you go,
Whatever you do,
I will be right
here waiting for you.
Whatever it
takes,
Or how my heart
breaks,
I will be right
here waiting for you.
Oh can't you
see…
Waiting for you…
I'll be right
here waiting for…you…"
Takeru ended the song only to hear clapping coming from
the door of his room. Spinning around he turned to whisper in shock,
"Hika-chan."
There stood Hikari, her eyes were unreadable and so was
her face, she just clapped. Her shoulder length, brown hair was taken out of
its usual clips. Her eyes were blocked as she gazed at him. Hikari then moved
away from the doorway of his room and walked slowly towards him, "Takeru
Takaishi…"
He gulped and shakily stood up. His face was pale and his
hands clammy. He was scared and waited for his heart to be broken again.
Closing his eyes, he answered her, "Yes, Hikari?"
"Keru-chan…" Then suddenly he felt her arms around his
neck and his face was pulled down hard…his face…okay, more like lips met its
destined mate. His eyes popped open and then glazed over as they closed again.
Takeru wrapped his arms around Hikari and pulled her closer.
Their bodies were tight together, their arms wrapped
tightly around the other in attempt to get even closer. Lips pulled apart for a
moment to breathe and then met again and again and again. Breathing became
labored as kisses became more passionate.
Takeru never felt this way before. He was fully aware of
his firm, well-muscled body against Hikari's lithe, supple one. Fire spread
throughout his body and his lips were fully involved in fiery embraces.
Hikari had to admit that kissing Takeru felt much better
than Daisuke's kisses. The fire and passion was there and so was the love. For
the first time in her life, she felt safe and comfortable within someone's arm,
who wasn't part of her immediate family or Sora. Takeru was rubbing his hands
in circles along her back and she moved her hands to play within his hair. His
lips were firm, yet gentle, his kisses filled with love, passion, and longing.
She melted kiss after kiss.
Finally, they pulled apart and rested forehead to
forehead. Takeru was looking adoringly confused yet happy. Hikari was smiling
in pure happiness as she gazed lovingly at her love.
Takeru spoke softly in slight confusion, "Hika, what was…I
mean…Daisuke…and…"
Hikari giggled and gave him a kiss, "I broke up with
Daisuke this morning, he wasn't happy, but it couldn't be helped. I don't think
he loved me anyway…at least not the way you do. And well, as for me and who I
love…I…I…" She took a deep breath and looked deep into his comforting blue
eyes, "I love you, Keru."
Takeru took a moment to take in all the information before lifting her up from
the ground and crushing her in a joyous hug. "I love you, too, Hika!"
Then pushing her lightly against one of his bedroom walls,
he smiled affectionately at his love. Leaning in slowly, he captured her lips
in a soft embrace. He wrapped one arm around her waist and supported himself
against the wall using the other. Kissing her honey-flavored lips, his heart
sang with joy.
Neither heard the ringing of the phone or noticed the
apartment fill with bright light. Nor did they notice their chests glowing and
their crests combing to form one. They only knew that their love was undying
and unmatched.
