Part 5: The Peculiar Predicament of Daisuke; Ken Lends an Ear!
Daisuke stood in the gym shooting baskets, missing each and every one of them.
"Stupid Takeru," the boy muttered. "I have to beat him."
Daisuke, just like Hikari, Ken, and Takeru, was 13 and in seventh grade now. He excelled in Soccer and his school grades were better now thanks to Ken, who just happened to be his best friend.
He took another shot and missed. He groaned in annoyance.
Ken noticed Daisuke in the gym. He had just finished on the phone with Takeru, who had told him that he was on his way to the school with their victory dinner.
"I wonder what's wrong with Daisuke," Ken wondered out aloud. "He's been in that gym an awfully long time." He then shrugged. "Oh well, I might as well go and talk to him, but I'll call Miyako-san first. I should've done that first instead wasting all of my time looking for her. But it's not like I mind or anything."
He dialed her cell number on his phone. Ken had Miyako's number
on speed dial.
******
"Hmm, I think this just may be right," Miyako said while typing on
the computer.
::A phone rings::
"Hey, Miyako-kun, I think your phone is ringing."
"So it is," Miyako said not really wanting to answer.
"Why don't you answer it?"
"Because I want to work more on this."
"We can get back to it later," Koushirou told her. "Go on and answer your call. It could be important."
"You're right. Now where did I put that thing."
She looked a bit and saw she had it sitting right by the computer she was working on.
"I wonder who it is."
"Got me," Miyako shrugged.
She answered it.
"Moshi-moshi," the girl answered.
"Hi there, Miyako-san," the voice on the other end responded.
"Ken-kun," Miyako responded excitedly. "How are you? I haven't talked to you in a while since I've been so busy."
"I know what you mean about being busy," Ken said, understanding Miyako completely. "My Soccer Coach kept me back for a conference to go over a new play, I just got from out of there."
"That coach of yours is going to wear you and the rest of the team out," Miyako said with concern.
"It's a living."
The boy was a bit quiet after that. It was like his mind had blanked out on what he wanted to talk with Miyako about.
"Ken-kun," the girl said, breaking the deafening silence.
"Sorry," Ken apologized nervously. He then gulped and spoke up. "So, um, Miyako-san, I was just wondering if you would like to join me for a bite to eat."
"Excuse me?" the girl asked, wondering if she had heard him right.
"Well, Takaishi, Hikari-san, Daisuke, and me are going to eat out at that outdoor pizza parlour that's just a little ways from here," the boy explained, his stomach tying itself in knots. He held it with his left hand to help ease that strange feeling.
"I would love to go," Miyako started.
"You would," Ken said, sounding very happy.
"But I have to finish up this stupid program by tomorrow and I keep running into glitch after glitch, problem after problem," Miyako finished. "I still can't figure out why I keep having so many."
"Oh," the boy said in a disappointed tone.
"I am really sorry," Miyako apologized.
"Silly me," Ken said, smacking his forehead.
"What?"
"I just remembered something," he said with a nervous laugh. "I meant to ask if you would like to join us down here in the gym."
"The gym?"
"Yeah; since Motomiya is so late, Takaishi and Hikari-san decided to bring all of the food back to school. They ordered the biggest pizza they sold!"
"That does sound inviting," Miyako said with a frown, "but I really have to finish this program, Ken-kun. I'm really sorry."
There was silence on the other end of the line. Miyako really hated to disappoint Ken so she decided to try and cheer him up some.
"I could come by later, though," she told him. "Hopefully, you all will still be there."
"Yeah, hopefully," Ken muttered gloomily.
"Strange how Daisuke is all late, especially if Hikari-chan is involved," Miyako said. "But then again, he's been acting pretty strange lately anyway I've noticed. It is like he has something against her. Last time I spoke with you we were talking about how Daisuke had been treating her strange lately."
"Well, I'll leave you alone then, so you can get back to your program," Ken said in a tone a bit gloomier than what it was earlier and his flip-flopping stomach finally calm. "Maybe we can get together some other time." Ken then sighed out in a disappointed manner. "I'll talk with you later."
"Sure thing," Miyako smiled. "By the way, I don't have to help out at my family's store tonight so I can talk to you then."
"Okay," Ken said plainly.
"Okay, I'll call you tonight."
*****
Ken hanged up the phone and frowned.
"She's always busy..."
******
"Ichijouji-kun, huh," Koushirou asked, as he saw Miyako putting her
phone away. "What's going on? Nothing bad I hope."
"Nothing much. He wanted me to eat with him, Hikari-chan, Daisuke, and Takeru-kun. I told him I'll join them later," Miyako told him. 'I really hate to disappoint Ken-kun. I really do! Every time he wants to get together or something, I'm always busy. I hope he's not mad or upset with me.'
"You could go now if you want," Koushirou offered.
"No way," Miyako told her companion. "I'm going to finish this computer game!"
"You are very persistent," Koushirou noted.
Miyako then sighed in annoyance.
"Why in the world did I promise something like this," the exasperated
girl sighed while lying her head face-down on the keyboard. "I have
only one day left!"
******
Daisuke took another shot and missed.
"Damnit!!"
Right at that moment, Ken realized that he really ought to go and talk to his friend. He seemed really stressed.
"Yo, Daisuke," the boy greeted.
Daisuke turned to see who it was that had called him.
"Oh, hi Ken," Daisuke replied dejectedly.
"So, what's happening," the boy asked, trying to make conversation.
"Nothing," Daisuke answered quickly.
"Are you sure?" Ken asked, unconvinced that Daisuke was okay. "You seem a bit stressed."
"I said that I was fine!" Daisuke snapped at Ken.
"If you say so," Ken said not really believing him.
"Why are you here?" Daisuke sighed.
"I came here to let you know that we are late."
"Late?" the boy asked in confusion. "Late for what?"
"We are late for our early, extra-high caloric celebration with Takaishi and Hikari-san," Ken reminded him. "Takaishi just called wondering where we were."
"Yeah...dinner," Daisuke trailed off, as if he could care less.
"Hikari-san was very worried about you," Ken said in a sly tone, knowing that would get Daisuke's attention.
All Daisuke could say was "so," as if he didn't care. He then took the basketball he was shooting with and started to dribble it.
Ken figured that something had to be wrong. For as long as he'd known Daisuke, he'd always had a crush on Hikari. Normally, something like that would've made Daisuke happy, knowing that Hikari was concerned about him.
"Okay Motomiya," Ken said sternly, grabbing the basketball from him, "spill it! I know how you like Hikari-san and I just said that she was worried about you! Your acting like you don't care just isn't like you! I've noticed that and so has Miyako-san! It seems as if you have something against Hikari-san!"
Daisuke frowned, he hadn't realized he had been so obvious.
"Well," Ken demanded.
"I don't hate Hikari-chan," Daisuke uttered quietly.
"I never said that you did. You just act as if you're holding some type of a grudge towards her and I don't understand why. Is there something you aren't telling me?"
"I don't have anything against her," Daisuke said, taking the basketball away from Ken.
He turned his back to Ken and started shooting baskets again.
"Daisuke..."
"You don't know what it's like to like someone who doesn't feel the same way back," Daisuke responded suddenly.
"Huh?"
"I didn't mean to make it seem as if I was holding a grudge against Hikari-chan," Daisuke said, his back still to Ken, "I just rather not be around her right now. I only did the study group thing because I knew it would be helpful and my parents, for once in their lives, are proud of me because of my grades and aren't thinking of me as 'their stupid son.'"
*Note: In the original ep where Daisuke introduced Ken to his folks, his father did pretty much say that Daisuke was "stupid," but in the sense of his schoolwork never being all that great. When they found out he knew Ken, his father said, "You can help my stupid son with his school work," or something along the lines of that.*
"I still don't understand why you don't want to be around Hikari-san," Ken said in a perplexed manner.
"Because it's obvious she has no interest in me what-so-ever!"
"That's all?" Ken asked in disbelief.
"It's starting to hurt, Ken," Daisuke said, as if he were about to cry. "Unless I was more like TZ, I would have a better chance with her."
"What do you mean? The two aren't together, you know! You can still get with her."
Daisuke stopped shooting baskets and turned towards Ken. He then said, "I lost her when he moved here!"
"Well, they are good friends," Ken reminded Daisuke. "Wasn't Takaishi friends with Hikari-san before you became friends with her?"
"You still don't get it," Daisuke said as if he were stressed out. "It really bothers me to see her with Takeru! She's always with him! It never really bothered me before, but it does now! Before he came back a few years ago, she used to always hang with me, but now she hardly associates with me because she's always with Takeru or she either hangs around me along with Takeru. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Takeru or anything like that, I just wish, I guess, I was more like him so that Hikari-chan could pay some attention to me and not think of me as 'just a friend!'"
"Is that why you are shooting hoops? To try and improve your game so that you can beat Takaishi?"
"Yeah," Daisuke nodded. "And to relieve some stress."
"You aren't Takeru" Ken told him. "You have to realize that."
"Tell me something I don't already know," Daisuke scoffed. "If I were him, I'd be happier right now."
"Hikari-san, or any girl for that matter, should like you for the way that you are," Ken explained. "You shouldn't have to change for anybody! If Hikari-san doesn't see that, then maybe she isn't the girl for you if you think she's interested in Takaishi."
Daisuke frowned. Ken had a feeling that Daisuke hadn't really taken in what he had just told him.
"You know," Ken started, "there are plenty of fish in the sea, or so the saying goes."
"I just need the right bait to hook that fish," Daisuke said while tossing the basketball up and down, "and the only fish that I'm after is Hikari-chan."
"You're one of the most popular guys in school and lots of girls admire you...probably," Ken said, in hopes of getting his mind off of Hikari.
"Who cares," Daisuke stubbornly responded. "It's the girl that I think I've fallen in love with that I want the attention from."
'He's worse off than I thought. The reason he has been avoiding Hikari-san is because his heart is broken. I bet she doesn't even realize it.'
"I hate to make everyone worry," Daisuke said, putting the basketball up. "I guess I'll go down there now."
"You don't have to," Ken informed him. "They are bringing it here."
Daisuke frowned.
"Look, I know how you feel, a little, but you can't just not associate with Hikari-san just because you feel as if you lost her to somebody else," Ken said, lots of concern in his voice. "The two are just really good friends."
"How could you know how I feel," Daisuke spat. "You've never had a thing for a girl like I have. I think my crush on her has turned to love."
"Well, I know how you feel about the being ignored by someone you admire part, somewhat," Ken muttered quickly.
"Excuse me," the boy asked. "I didn't catch what you said."
"Um, how did you and Hikari-san meet anyway for you to like her so much?"
The boy sat down on the gym floor. Seeing this, Ken followed suit and sat down as well. He figured that this story was going to be quite long. When Ken was comfortable, Daisuke nodded to him and started to tell the long story of how he and Hikari had first met.
"Well, I first met her when I was about nine years old. We were paired up for a school project and we got along pretty well. The two of us started talking about soccer and I told her that I was going to try out for the team. At the time, I was already in Odaiba Elementary's Soccer Club. She said that she was going to be at the tryouts too, but she was only planning on watching."
Daisuke paused a bit as he continued with the next part of his story, trying his best to remember every single detail so he wouldn't leave anything out.
"That afternoon I was trying out for our Elementary School's Soccer Team. I practiced and I practiced so that I could show the coach that I was ready for anything he threw at me. I wanted to play just as well as the great Yagami Taichi-senpai I had heard so much about, not to mention that I had seen him play. He was the best player I had ever seen! He was in the Soccer Club with me and he was always very nice to me. He was also the one who encouraged me to buy the goggles I wore before he gave me his. While at the try-outs, I saw Hikari-chan and she wished me good luck."
The boy trailed off a bit and started to frown at what happened to him next.
"Daisuke, is something wrong?"
The boy shook his head and continued on with his story.
"During the try-outs, these sixth grade boys started to bully me just because they were older. They kept telling me that I was worthless and that a runt like me didn't belong on their team. It wasn't my fault that I was small for my age."
"I will never understand the ways of bullies," Ken said, shaking his head in disgust. "What happened next?"
"Hikari-chan came up and defended me. She told them that I had just as much of a chance of making the team as they did. I got teased badly after that too, but I was happy because no one had ever come to my defense before."
"That was very nice of her."
Daisuke nodded and continued.
"After the try-outs, I got into a fight with one of the bullies. I lost, of course. I couldn't compare with a 12 year old. Hikari-chan and some other people surrounded us as we fought. I don't remember what happened too much after that, but the fight was broken up. Hikari-chan then helped me and said that I did a good job at the try-outs and we walked to our homes. Since we ended up at her apartment complex fist, she asked if I wanted to stay for a snack or a drink. I accepted the invitation."
"Even back then, Hikari-san was nice."
"Her mom made some lemonade and gave us some cookies. We talked for a while and felt that it was funny how we always had the same classes together. Even before I really associated with her when we were nine," Daisuke said with a laugh. "Apparently, we had always had the same classes together and just didn't know it. After the lemonade, I thanked her mother and left to go home."
Daisuke started to get a spaced out look on his face as he continued his story.
"After I got home, I couldn't get her off of my mind! I kept thinking about how she had stood up for me and how she was a good friend. Year in and year out, I started to admire her more and more. By the time fifth grade came around and I was 11, I was convinced that Hikari-chan was my girlfriend or either maybe one day she will be since she was the only other girl that I thought about constantly."
Ken continued to listen attentively. He found the entire story, so far, quite interesting.
"Thinking back now, I feel rather stupid since I would go around saying that she was 'my girl.' I know that wasn't the best impression in the world to make." Daisuke frowned at that and continued on. "Hikari-chan also helped to build up my confidence back when I tried out for the team. I just knew that I would flunk right out."
"What did she say to help build up your confidence?"
"She said that I was a good player, only not as good as her older brother. She convinced me to believe in myself and to keep trying. The funny thing is, is that I didn't realize that her family name was Yagami and that her older brother was none other than Taichi-senpai! He was the one who broke up the fight that day. I didn't notice, though, because I was trying not to think of the pain that I was in. When Hikari-chan and I left the soccer field, he had already gone off with Sora-san and other members from the Soccer Club and he wasn't home when we reached the Yagami home."
Ken laughed at that.
"Seems that you and Hikari-san were pretty good friends."
Daisuke then got a dark look about his face as he finished the last part of his story.
"Yes, we were until one of the worst things happened," Daisuke said in an annoyed tone. "Takeru shows up! After that, things changed. The way Hikari-chan laughs with him, is the way she used to laugh with me whenever we would hang out together. It's just a terrible feeling, being rejected."
*Note: I know, I know, he didn't meet Tai that way, well, he DID meet him in the Soccer club, but anyway I hate that Daisuke only likes Hikari because she's Tai's sister theory.*
"Wow, what a history," Ken whistled. "Hikari-san was the first girl to treat you nice. I guess something like that would have some sort of an impact."
"Ken, I don't know what to do," the boy sighed. "It's just that every time I see her, it hurts me because I just think of her with Takeru. It's like I have to force myself to say hello to her whenever I see her."
"I just don't know what to say to something like that," Ken said, feeling a bit useless.
"Don't," the goggle-headed boy said, cutting him off. "I know Takeru has a thing for Hikari-chan too. Maybe he didn't in the beginning, but it's obvious that he does now!"
Ken shuffled uneasily. He knew it was true, he just never said anything about it.
"You haven't noticed the way he would stare at her?!?" Daisuke asked in disbelief. "The way he's extra nice to her, always trying to comfort her when she's upset!! I can't compete with that!"
Ken just sat there, trying to think of something to tell his friend and to cheer him up.
'I'm glad that Ken is here. He's a really good friend and telling somebody about why I was feeling so rotten feels good because it's less stress on me. I'm glad Ken is my best friend.'
"I still think you're overreacting, but like you said, I can't compare what I'm going through with what you're going through," Ken said. "My problem is nothing like yours."
"I didn't say that."
"Um...well..er," Ken started to blush.
"What problems are you having," Daisuke asked, giving him a crafty look, standing up. "Girl problems?"
"What makes you say that," Ken asked nervously.
"Aha!" Daisuke exclaimed. "You are having a girl problem! C'mon, who's the girl and what's the problem!"
Before Ken could answer, he felt strange, like something was about to happen. Ken then felt wind.
"Did you feel that," Ken asked, getting alert, standing up.
"Uh-uh, Ichijouji, don't try to change the subject now," Daisuke smirked. "I spilled my guts, now it's your turn."
"No, seriously," Ken insisted.
The wind started to rise. This time Daisuke felt it too.
"Did someone leave the window open or something," Daisuke asked, trying to keep his long hair from out of his face.
"No," Ken said while looking up. "The windows are all closed!"
"Then where is that wind coming from?"
The two boys then noticed the basket Daisuke was using was starting to glow and a vortex was forming from the hoop.
"This doesn't look good," Ken said.
The vortex glowed and grew, which caused Ken and Daisuke to try and run and get out of there. Somehow, the gym doors closed by themselves and ended up locked.
"SINCE WHEN DO DOORS CLOSE ON THEIR OWN AND LOCK THEMSELVES!!" Daisuke screamed in panic.
"Who cares about that now, we have to get out of here!"
The vortex inched closer and closer to them and a bright light filled the room...
"Ahh, that light," Daisuke said while shielding his eyes.
"Where is it coming from," Ken shouted, also covering his eyes.
Before either one of them could make another statement about all that was happening, they were both sucked into the vortex...