Note: Hi! Sorry y'all for the long wait! I've been busy with school and all. Anyway, now that it has been revealed that Ken 'might' be leaving Miyako for Harvard, what happens now? Will he chose to leave Miyako to follow his dreams and lose his love forever? Or will he stay and lose his career, but still has his loved one? Find out on this chapter!
Chapter 10 - Willing
He was always alone, always wanting to be kept in the darkness where he could wish he would never come out. The darkness was the only thing he has grown used to. However, despite the abyss that surrounded him, she was there to guide his way out of the predicament. She was the light for him to follow so he would not get lost. She made him get used to the outside world, rather than the darkness that consumed him, to what he thought, he was going to get stuck in forever. He sighed, running a hand through his short, dark hair and put his arm back down at his side. He didn't know how long he's been staring at that particular paper now. He had lost count after an hour or so. With one deep sigh, Ken leaned back on the chair, his eyes trained towards the unfolded paper that lay on the dining room table before him. He shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment, before he heard the door open to bring him out of his reverie. Ken looked up and noticed a very tired looking Akira, yawning as she stepped out of her room. Once she noticed him there, the dark haired teen walked up to her cousin and on the table across from him. She fixed her eyes on the same paper Ken was entranced on.
"How did you do?" Akira spoke, looking at him.
Ken gently pushed the paper towards his cousin with one finger and sighed. "Take a look," he replied.
She picked up the paper and read through it quickly, before putting it back down again in front of her cousin. "You've been unconditionally accepted." She glanced at him and frowned, when she noticed his confused face. "Ken, you should start by telling her about this. If you want your relationship to work with her, you should start being truthful."
Ken nodded. "I know, I know. It's really hard to tell her. She lost her best friend and I'm afraid to find out how she would react if she lost her boyfriend too." He stood up and started to pace the room back and forth, from one end to the other side of the wall. Akira watched as he stopped in front of the couch, thought for a moment, then continued to pace once again.
"Ken, you should start acting like an adult and face the facts!" Angrily, Akira stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder to stop her cousin from pacing. The dark haired girl stood in front of him and stared into his eyes, placing her other hand on his other shoulder. "You have to tell her before you lose your chance."
The tall boy nodded. "Akira..." He looked down and sighed. "I tried telling her so many times, but the words could never come out right."
Akira took a deep breath, releasing her hands from his shoulders. "Whatever you tell her, Ken, I'll be here to support you. But, you have to tell her before her party tonight."
Ken nodded. "I will. Right now, I have to make one more call." He walked over to the telephone and picked it up from the receiver before sitting down on the couch beside the table. He dialed the first number that came into his mind. After pressing the last number, Ken sighed and waited for three rings, until he heard a voice on the other line.
"Hello?" a woman's familiar voice spoke.
"Hey you. Good thing I was able to call before you left for work," Ken spoke. He smiled, even though she wasn't going to see it.
"Actually, I'm off at work today. Is the party still on?" she asked.
Ken nodded. "Of course. So, I take it you're coming for sure?"
The girl laughed. Ken could just see her nod and smile. "Of course! Why would I miss Miyako-chan's birthday?"
Ken laughed as well. "All right. I'll see you tonight then?"
"Yeah! Say... Ken?"
"Hai?"
"Does she like cats?" the girl asked, pausing for a while, before Ken finally spoke. Sometimes he can never understand the girl and sometimes he can never understand how Miyako could be friends with someone so optimistic as her.
"Yes she does. Why?"
The girl shrugged. "Oh nothing. I guess you have to find out when I get there. See ya!" Ken heard the girl hang up. He put his own phone down on the receiver and glanced up at Akira.
"Is she coming for sure?" Akira questioned.
Ken nodded and smiled. "Most definitely!" Even though his smile was there, his heart was still beating so fast, feeling nervous and confused about his own situation with what to tell Miyako. He wasn't sure whether he should tell her before or after her party.
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It has been a year now. Her birthday was coming and she had the sweetest boyfriend. She rested her head on her upturned palm and sighed. When they were kids, during those months in the Digiworld, as she watched Ken, he has changed completely from a shy and sweet boy into an outgoing and positive thinking young man. "A handsome young man," Miyako added dreamily. A girl beside her glanced at her and giggled. Miyako blushed and looked down on her notes, from, what she could see, were writings and drawings of her Ken-kun. She looked at the same girl and grinned. "My boyfriend," she said, proudly.
The girl nodded. "I can see that," she replied, smiling.
Miyako smiled back, feeling relieved that this girl beside her wasn't thinking she was obsessed over Ken. Sighing, she looked back up at her sensei and finally took the time, for the very first time in that class, she let her ears listen to her speak. Her mind, however, was still thinking about Ken's kisses and his smile and....
"Hey, is that him?" a voice spoke, interrupting her thoughts. Miyako blinked, quickly glanced up at the girl and looked at her confusingly.
"Huh?" she asked. The girl pointed somewhere behind her. Miyako followed her finger and noticed Ken looking through the small glass window of the door and smiling at her. He waved and blew a kiss towards her. The lavender haired girl blushed and waved cautiously back at Ken, almost giggling loudly. She could hear the girl beside her sigh and another girl behind her deeply breathing and whispering, "Kawaii."
"You have such a sweet boyfriend! That's Ken Ichijouji, isn't it?" Miyako hadn't noticed that the person in front of her was a guy, with long brown hair that reached his shoulder. He seemed skinny, but she couldn't tell from his thick turtle necked sweater. Miyako smiled back and nodded, then glanced back at Ken still smiling at her.
"Oh, Miya-san! I want to meet Ken so much! I am such a huge fan of him!" the young man spoke, clasping his hands together and staring dreamily at the sky. For Miyako, despite the strangeness of the situation, smiled and offered a nod towards him.
"You want to meet him?" She watched him nod. "Well, I can introduce him to you once class is over." She had almost forgotten that Ken joined the college soccer team before they had officially started going out. He became popular with the girls and even though these girls were ready to offer him their virginity, she knew he didn't have the heart for them, but only for her. She had no idea that Ken was also attracting male at that time. Miyako almost giggled at that thought. Ken will probably freak out about it, but he couldn't blame them, since he was a cute guy!
The boy nodded. "OH! Could I, really?" He stared at her dreamily and when he noticed her nod, he almost jumped out of his seat, but it was a good thing he didn't. The sensei was already looking their way and it didn't look good.
Miyako looked away from the curious crowd and continued to pretend to listen to the professor.
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When class ended, Ken greeted his girl friend with a loving kiss on the lips. He was quite excited about the 'surprise' party and all the 'visitors' she was going to have. Miyako mentioned once or maybe twice how much she missed all her friends. Ken had actually thought about reuniting with their friends since before she mentioned it.
"How was class?" he whispered in her ear.
Miyako looked up and smiled. Without answering him, she turned her head towards a handsome young man, with shoulder length brown hair and walked over to him, taking his hand and pulling him towards Ken. Ken stared at the young man curiously, feeling quite jealous at the moment. He was ready to pounce at the boy, when he suddenly batted his eyes at him, making Ken nervous. He paused from where he stood and stared at the shorter boy.
"Ken, I'd like you to meet, Isamu Kamisaka, a friend of mine from my Lit class." Miyako pulled the young man closer towards her and smiled. Ken glanced at the boy named Isamu and nodded, smiling as he lifted up his hand for a shake. The shorter boy returned the shake, his grin never fading from his face. He sighed deeply in his throat, making Ken feeling awkward, but since he was too polite to pull his hand rudely from the shorter boy, he kept a smile on his face and nodded, acknowledging his presence.
To Ken's relief, Isamu was the first to pull his hand away from him. The boy must have realized that he was feeling uncomfortable. He turned towards Miyako and smiled. "Well, it was so nice of you to introduce me to the great Ken Ichijouji!" Isamu spoke, smiling. Ken noticed a shade of red on the boy's cheek, as Isamu waved towards them and left.
Miyako waved back, smiling. "No problem! I'm glad you were able to meet him! Bye, Isamu! I'll see you again tomorrow!"
Tomorrow? Ken thought. He glanced at Miyako and stared at her curiously. "Tomorrow? What's tomorrow?"
Miyako turned, that same smile still glued on her face. "Well, I promised Isamu that I would help him with his Lit homework. That reminds me. I might be late tomorrow. Looks like he needs A LOT of help for this assignment. Boy, that guy misses a lot of classes!"
Oh great! Ken frowned, feeling awkward. Miyako was going to be home late tomorrow. He had to find a way to get her out of the party early.
"Ken?" The blue haired boy blinked and looked at Miyako, her eyes with a sudden curiosity. "Don't worry about me! I'll be back before midnight!" She went on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. She was ready to leave somewhere, when Ken's voice stopped her.
"Miyako! Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the library. I have to study for my lit test too you know! Raikatuji-sensei's exams are REALLY hard so I want to catch up on what I missed a few days ago and then after that I'm going straight to Kamisaka-san's place, ne?" She turned and waved her hand towards her boyfriend. "Don't wait up for me, Ken-kun!"
Ken watched her go, feeling quite relieved, now that he had more time to prepare for the party tonight. The only problem was- how was he going to drag Miyako out of Kamisaka-san's place? He had to find a way. He had to find Kamisaka's number fast!
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A few rings and Ken would've hung up by now, but he was desperate. He wanted a birthday party perfect for his girlfriend. He had come home so quickly even before Akira finally came home from her classes. Ken decided to skip his last class, since he needed more time to prepare for the party. Miyako being away from the room was the best chance he had so far. He didn't have time to prepare anything and the only thing he had prepared was the cake, which he successfully hid inside Akira's own refrigerator in her room. The streamers and the balloons were somewhere hidden inside Akira's closet. To make it short, everything for the party were all inside Akira's room. Ken drove that train of thought away from his mind and focused his attention on the rings that seemed to last forever. It took him a lot of effort to get inside Miyako's purse so he could get her address book out from the bottom. He had to catch up to her in the library and, though, it seemed immoral for him, he gave her a hug and, like a thief, quickly fished through her purse with one swoop and literally stole her address book.
He was ready to hang up, when a voice finally came on the line.
"Hello, Kamisaka Isamu speaking!"
"Hello, Kamisaka-san?" Ken asked, twirling the chord of the phone nervously around his finger. "This is Ichijouji Ken."
He heard a pause on the other line and a second later; Kamisaka came on again, his voice, shaking a little bit. "Hai, Ichijouji-san? Is there something I can help you with?"
"Yes, is Miyako there?"
"Hai, she's in the bathroom right now. I'll-"
"No, wait!" Ken spoke, startling the unsuspecting boy. "Don't say anything that I called. I don't want her to know."
"About what?"
"About a surprise party for her that I'm throwing tonight for her birthday. Can you keep that secret?" Ken asked, feeling rather hopeless.
Isamu nodded. "Of course I can!"
"I'm actually calling to let you know that and since she's not coming home until midnight tonight to help you with homework, I need your help."
Isamu nodded. "I'm listening."
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Miyako walked home that night, feeling confused and annoyed by Isamu's sudden change in plans. She stayed up all night last night making up the questions for him to practice on and she took the effort to come to his house about thirty minutes walk from their college and instead of studying together, he literally kicked her out of his house. He had told her that he was getting 'sick' from the food he ate in the cafeteria and Miyako swore he didn't see his face change into a greenish colour to indicate he was ready to throw up. She crossed Sakura Hill and made a right towards Sasaki Boulevard. Miyako walked quietly straight through the quiet neighborhood and once she hit Third Avenue, she made a left turn until she reached the sign that said, Odaiba College. Her dorm room was only five minutes from where she stood. She walked across the lawn, not caring whether she could get in trouble for it, since she didn't read the sign that said, 'Don't Walk Across Lawn.' Miyako paused to yawn and stretch and that's when she finally knew that she was glad she was going home. She had no idea she was that tired.
By the time she reached the building of the duple dorms, which were separated dorms from the other regular campuses that consisted of divided campuses for girls and boys, she noticed some cars parked by the entrance. Some cars were American made and some were from Japan. She was curious, however, she shook her head, changing her mind about her curiosity. She didn't care right now. She was getting really tired for some reason. Miyako took her first step, making her way towards the first room, where Akira was staying, turned and climbed up the double steps, until she reached another door. This room was the room she and Ken shared. Even though people from campuses called this building the smallest room, the duple dorms were actually the largest dorm rooms than the rest of the rooms in the divided campuses or the Co-Ed ones. She opened the door, ready to plop on the couch or on the bed where she slept, or make a bath so she could soak in the warm water. Once she opened the door, the light flicked on automatically. Miyako was startled, as six pairs of heads and a few hairy ones, popped out from out of nowhere and greeted her with a 'Happy Birthday.' The lavender haired girl paused, her eyes widened in surprise. Ken approached her, wrapping his arms around her with an embrace and whispered 'surprise' in her ear. She was still shocked by the people present in the room. As she was being held, she studied the people there, holding streamers and throwing confetti in the air. Mimi and Yamato were there, Yamato's arms around Mimi and smiling at her. Sora and Taichi were there too, so were Takeru and Hikari, Jou, Izumo, Iori and Daisuke. Ken finally let her go, so Miyako could greet her friends she has not seen for the longest time.
"Miyako!" The lavender haired girl looked up and noticed Hawkmon flying in the air and landing on her shoulder to give the girl a hug. "Miyako! I missed you so much!"
Tears flooded her eyes. She embraced the small bird back with so much love and compassion. She missed Hawkmon most of all. Ever since she started going to college, she had lost touch to the ones she cared the most and that someone was finally wrapped around her long arms. "Hawkmon? Is this really you?" She buried her face into the creature's feather chest and tightly, yet, gently squeezed him against her chest. "It's really you!"
"Of course it's me, Miyako! I'm sorry I couldn't go to the other birthdays you had!"
Miyako pulled away and looked into the bird's eyes. "Why are you sorry? I should be the one who's sorry. I was the one who stopped responding. I was too busy with homework at school that I completely forgot about you. Please forgive me, Hawkmon?"
"Oh, Miyako!" Hawkmon hugged her tighter. "Of course I do!" Tears fell from his eyes.
All was silent. Everyone was silent, until a voice interrupted his or her air of serenity.
"Aww, come on, you guys! This is suppose to be a happy day for Miyako!" came Daisuke's voice. "She's turning eighteen! We should be celebrating, not crying!"
"Daisuke!" Hikari's voice came. "Don't be inconsiderate! Give them some time to reminisce!"
Daisuke closed his mouth shut.
Miyako wiped her tears with her arms and let Hawkmon go. She looked around at everyone, his or her eyes trained on her. "He's right, Hikari. We SHOULD be celebrating, not crying!" She turned around to face Ken, more tears flooding her eyes. "Oh, Ken-kun! You don't know how much I love you for this!" She wrapped her arms around his arms and kissed him on the lips. He blushed when he noticed everyone watching. "You have everyone here!"
"Not everyone!" Miyako and Ken turned to see where the voice came from and there, standing by the front door that they were blocking, appeared Hanako, two luggages in her hands. "Hi, Miya! I'm sorry I'm late! I had to pick up something!" She dropped her luggage beside her, disappeared for a while, and then appeared again, holding a small cage. Hanako opened the cage, revealing a small, gray and black kitten, its tail almost ready to fall off, but other than that, the kitten seemed healthy.
"What is that?!" Taichi commented from behind.
Sora nudged him in the arm, shushing him. Taichi grinned, sweat pouring nervously at the sides of his face.
Hanako glanced behind Miyako to find a tall boy with weird looking hair. "Uh...." She placed the kitten close to her heart and gently pets its thin fur. She glanced back at Miyako and smiled. "I found this poor thing almost dying in the street. I just had to pick her up. Don't worry, she's clean and all and has been given shots. That's why I took so long to get here, because I had to pick her up from the clinic." She handed the kitten towards her friend. "Take her. She's a sweetheart. This is my birthday present for you."
Miyako smiled. She took the kitten from Hanako and held it in her arms. "She's so cute, Hanako! What's her name?" Hawkmon appeared from behind her, landing on her shoulder and glancing at the odd looking creature in Miyako's arms.
"Well, it is your birthday! I'd rather you name her!" Hanako paused and glanced up at Miyako's shoulder, where she noticed a weird looking bird perched there. Suddenly, the red head screamed and pointed at Hawkmon. "AH! Miyako, there's something on your shoulder! It's attacking you! AHHHH!"
"Calm down, Hanako!" Miyako spoke, landing one hand on Hanako's shoulder. "Remember the Digimon I was telling you about?"
"You told her about them?!" came Taichi's panicked voice.
Sora nudged him again. "Why don't you be quiet, Tai-kun?"
Taichi frowned. "Well, she told Hanako about the Digimon!"
Miyako turned her head towards the tall boy. "There are no secrets between me and Hanako, Taichi. We tell everything about ourselves, ESPECIALLY Digimon. Akira knows too!"
"WHAT?!"
"That's it, Taichi! If you scream like that again, I'm not coming home with you!" Sora frowned, folding her arms across her chest. Taichi pouted, closing his mouth shut once again, who knows how long this time.
"Speaking of which... where is Akira?"
"I'm right here!" A voice spoke.
Startled, Miyako felt the lights flicker off. From the corner of her eye, small flickers of candle lights slowly made its way to her. She could see Akira holding a white chocolate cake with two candles that formed '19' on it. Then, from out of nowhere, everyone started to sing, "Happy Birthday!" Akira slowly made her way towards the nearby table of the dining room and put the cake there. By the time the song ended, Miyako was already beside the white cake. She blew on it quickly, doing the traditional styles of making wishes once she blew out all her candles and noticed the light flicker back on, with the courtesy of Jou standing by the door with the light switch. Everyone clapped at the celebration and Miyako looked around once more to make sure EVERYONE was here. She felt Ken's arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.
"Happy Birthday, Miyako," he whispered in her ear. Miyako turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. She passionately kissed him on the lips, all the worries and anger melting away. Ken's fear and worries also faded as their lips touched with so much love. Everyone watched in awe and amazement at the loving couple embraced in a warm glow that no one could penetrate. A love that bond them together for eternity. It seemed like forever that they were staring at the two like that, until Daisuke, not Taichi, finally interrupted their wonderful moment, with a little laugh.
"HAH! HAH! Ken's getting lucky!"
Ken and Miyako paused and glanced at Daisuke.
"Who's this guy?" Hanako whispered in Miyako's ear.
Miyako rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about him. He's a friend of mine and he always acts like that."
"Hm..." Hanako looked at Daisuke suspiciously. "Does he have a girlfriend?"
Miyako looked at her, surprised. "What?"
"Nothing... nevermind..." Hanako spoke, blushing.
"Uh... Miyako?" came Hawkmon's voice. "The kitten... where the kitten go?"
Miyako pulled away from Ken. "What?" She looked around. "Where did she go?" The girl glanced at Hawkmon. "Do you know where she went?"
"I wouldn't be asking you if I knew."
"Ah! I'm not allowed to have pets in here!" In panic, Miyako grabbed the first three people she could grab and demanded them to help her find the lost kitten somewhere in the apartment. Soon, everyone else began to search for the kitten. Ken decided he should look in his room, since it was open just a minute ago.
"Why didn't you say anything that you weren't allowed to have pets?!" Ken could hear Hanako's voice.
"Well, I never knew you were going to come and have a birthday surprise for me! How am I supposed to know that you were going to give me a kitten for my birthday!? Geez, that cat can move!"
Cautiously, Ken moved his way to his room, closing the door slowly behind him. He didn't know why he decided to come here, when the kitten could only walk for just a few seconds until it could find a good hiding place from all the people. Maybe he came inside just to check if the letter was still there. Walking over to the side table, he opened the drawer and took out a folded piece of paper, the same folded piece of paper that he unfolded that same morning. He opened it once more and stared at it. He didn't know why, but he stared at it, and then put it back inside without another word. Before he closed the drawer, however, he stared at another object lying inside. A velvet box gleamed underneath the lamp's light. With one slow movement, Ken picked it up and studied it for a while, before finally opening it to reveal a gold, diamond ring.
His heart ached. He was nervous. He wasn't sure whether this was the right time to ask her. Deciding on it, he put the ring back inside the drawer and closed it again before finally getting up from bed and leaving the room. He was startled to see Akira standing there with a curious look.
"Ken, you have to tell her," Akira spoke with a motherly concerned look.
Ken didn't look at her when he answered, "I will." He joined the group in the living room, where they gathered around Miyako, who was holding the kitten who was not found, leaving Akira speechless. She watched him. He just smiled and forgot all the pain he was feeling. He was willing to give up everything for her, she thought. Even his dream.
GoodGurl: Has Ken finally made his decision to stay? Well, it wasn't really said now was it? It just said what Akira... THOUGHT! Hah! LOL. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one! Sorry for making you guys wait! See ya again on the next chapter!
Chapter 10 - Willing
He was always alone, always wanting to be kept in the darkness where he could wish he would never come out. The darkness was the only thing he has grown used to. However, despite the abyss that surrounded him, she was there to guide his way out of the predicament. She was the light for him to follow so he would not get lost. She made him get used to the outside world, rather than the darkness that consumed him, to what he thought, he was going to get stuck in forever. He sighed, running a hand through his short, dark hair and put his arm back down at his side. He didn't know how long he's been staring at that particular paper now. He had lost count after an hour or so. With one deep sigh, Ken leaned back on the chair, his eyes trained towards the unfolded paper that lay on the dining room table before him. He shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment, before he heard the door open to bring him out of his reverie. Ken looked up and noticed a very tired looking Akira, yawning as she stepped out of her room. Once she noticed him there, the dark haired teen walked up to her cousin and on the table across from him. She fixed her eyes on the same paper Ken was entranced on.
"How did you do?" Akira spoke, looking at him.
Ken gently pushed the paper towards his cousin with one finger and sighed. "Take a look," he replied.
She picked up the paper and read through it quickly, before putting it back down again in front of her cousin. "You've been unconditionally accepted." She glanced at him and frowned, when she noticed his confused face. "Ken, you should start by telling her about this. If you want your relationship to work with her, you should start being truthful."
Ken nodded. "I know, I know. It's really hard to tell her. She lost her best friend and I'm afraid to find out how she would react if she lost her boyfriend too." He stood up and started to pace the room back and forth, from one end to the other side of the wall. Akira watched as he stopped in front of the couch, thought for a moment, then continued to pace once again.
"Ken, you should start acting like an adult and face the facts!" Angrily, Akira stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder to stop her cousin from pacing. The dark haired girl stood in front of him and stared into his eyes, placing her other hand on his other shoulder. "You have to tell her before you lose your chance."
The tall boy nodded. "Akira..." He looked down and sighed. "I tried telling her so many times, but the words could never come out right."
Akira took a deep breath, releasing her hands from his shoulders. "Whatever you tell her, Ken, I'll be here to support you. But, you have to tell her before her party tonight."
Ken nodded. "I will. Right now, I have to make one more call." He walked over to the telephone and picked it up from the receiver before sitting down on the couch beside the table. He dialed the first number that came into his mind. After pressing the last number, Ken sighed and waited for three rings, until he heard a voice on the other line.
"Hello?" a woman's familiar voice spoke.
"Hey you. Good thing I was able to call before you left for work," Ken spoke. He smiled, even though she wasn't going to see it.
"Actually, I'm off at work today. Is the party still on?" she asked.
Ken nodded. "Of course. So, I take it you're coming for sure?"
The girl laughed. Ken could just see her nod and smile. "Of course! Why would I miss Miyako-chan's birthday?"
Ken laughed as well. "All right. I'll see you tonight then?"
"Yeah! Say... Ken?"
"Hai?"
"Does she like cats?" the girl asked, pausing for a while, before Ken finally spoke. Sometimes he can never understand the girl and sometimes he can never understand how Miyako could be friends with someone so optimistic as her.
"Yes she does. Why?"
The girl shrugged. "Oh nothing. I guess you have to find out when I get there. See ya!" Ken heard the girl hang up. He put his own phone down on the receiver and glanced up at Akira.
"Is she coming for sure?" Akira questioned.
Ken nodded and smiled. "Most definitely!" Even though his smile was there, his heart was still beating so fast, feeling nervous and confused about his own situation with what to tell Miyako. He wasn't sure whether he should tell her before or after her party.
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It has been a year now. Her birthday was coming and she had the sweetest boyfriend. She rested her head on her upturned palm and sighed. When they were kids, during those months in the Digiworld, as she watched Ken, he has changed completely from a shy and sweet boy into an outgoing and positive thinking young man. "A handsome young man," Miyako added dreamily. A girl beside her glanced at her and giggled. Miyako blushed and looked down on her notes, from, what she could see, were writings and drawings of her Ken-kun. She looked at the same girl and grinned. "My boyfriend," she said, proudly.
The girl nodded. "I can see that," she replied, smiling.
Miyako smiled back, feeling relieved that this girl beside her wasn't thinking she was obsessed over Ken. Sighing, she looked back up at her sensei and finally took the time, for the very first time in that class, she let her ears listen to her speak. Her mind, however, was still thinking about Ken's kisses and his smile and....
"Hey, is that him?" a voice spoke, interrupting her thoughts. Miyako blinked, quickly glanced up at the girl and looked at her confusingly.
"Huh?" she asked. The girl pointed somewhere behind her. Miyako followed her finger and noticed Ken looking through the small glass window of the door and smiling at her. He waved and blew a kiss towards her. The lavender haired girl blushed and waved cautiously back at Ken, almost giggling loudly. She could hear the girl beside her sigh and another girl behind her deeply breathing and whispering, "Kawaii."
"You have such a sweet boyfriend! That's Ken Ichijouji, isn't it?" Miyako hadn't noticed that the person in front of her was a guy, with long brown hair that reached his shoulder. He seemed skinny, but she couldn't tell from his thick turtle necked sweater. Miyako smiled back and nodded, then glanced back at Ken still smiling at her.
"Oh, Miya-san! I want to meet Ken so much! I am such a huge fan of him!" the young man spoke, clasping his hands together and staring dreamily at the sky. For Miyako, despite the strangeness of the situation, smiled and offered a nod towards him.
"You want to meet him?" She watched him nod. "Well, I can introduce him to you once class is over." She had almost forgotten that Ken joined the college soccer team before they had officially started going out. He became popular with the girls and even though these girls were ready to offer him their virginity, she knew he didn't have the heart for them, but only for her. She had no idea that Ken was also attracting male at that time. Miyako almost giggled at that thought. Ken will probably freak out about it, but he couldn't blame them, since he was a cute guy!
The boy nodded. "OH! Could I, really?" He stared at her dreamily and when he noticed her nod, he almost jumped out of his seat, but it was a good thing he didn't. The sensei was already looking their way and it didn't look good.
Miyako looked away from the curious crowd and continued to pretend to listen to the professor.
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When class ended, Ken greeted his girl friend with a loving kiss on the lips. He was quite excited about the 'surprise' party and all the 'visitors' she was going to have. Miyako mentioned once or maybe twice how much she missed all her friends. Ken had actually thought about reuniting with their friends since before she mentioned it.
"How was class?" he whispered in her ear.
Miyako looked up and smiled. Without answering him, she turned her head towards a handsome young man, with shoulder length brown hair and walked over to him, taking his hand and pulling him towards Ken. Ken stared at the young man curiously, feeling quite jealous at the moment. He was ready to pounce at the boy, when he suddenly batted his eyes at him, making Ken nervous. He paused from where he stood and stared at the shorter boy.
"Ken, I'd like you to meet, Isamu Kamisaka, a friend of mine from my Lit class." Miyako pulled the young man closer towards her and smiled. Ken glanced at the boy named Isamu and nodded, smiling as he lifted up his hand for a shake. The shorter boy returned the shake, his grin never fading from his face. He sighed deeply in his throat, making Ken feeling awkward, but since he was too polite to pull his hand rudely from the shorter boy, he kept a smile on his face and nodded, acknowledging his presence.
To Ken's relief, Isamu was the first to pull his hand away from him. The boy must have realized that he was feeling uncomfortable. He turned towards Miyako and smiled. "Well, it was so nice of you to introduce me to the great Ken Ichijouji!" Isamu spoke, smiling. Ken noticed a shade of red on the boy's cheek, as Isamu waved towards them and left.
Miyako waved back, smiling. "No problem! I'm glad you were able to meet him! Bye, Isamu! I'll see you again tomorrow!"
Tomorrow? Ken thought. He glanced at Miyako and stared at her curiously. "Tomorrow? What's tomorrow?"
Miyako turned, that same smile still glued on her face. "Well, I promised Isamu that I would help him with his Lit homework. That reminds me. I might be late tomorrow. Looks like he needs A LOT of help for this assignment. Boy, that guy misses a lot of classes!"
Oh great! Ken frowned, feeling awkward. Miyako was going to be home late tomorrow. He had to find a way to get her out of the party early.
"Ken?" The blue haired boy blinked and looked at Miyako, her eyes with a sudden curiosity. "Don't worry about me! I'll be back before midnight!" She went on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. She was ready to leave somewhere, when Ken's voice stopped her.
"Miyako! Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the library. I have to study for my lit test too you know! Raikatuji-sensei's exams are REALLY hard so I want to catch up on what I missed a few days ago and then after that I'm going straight to Kamisaka-san's place, ne?" She turned and waved her hand towards her boyfriend. "Don't wait up for me, Ken-kun!"
Ken watched her go, feeling quite relieved, now that he had more time to prepare for the party tonight. The only problem was- how was he going to drag Miyako out of Kamisaka-san's place? He had to find a way. He had to find Kamisaka's number fast!
____________________
A few rings and Ken would've hung up by now, but he was desperate. He wanted a birthday party perfect for his girlfriend. He had come home so quickly even before Akira finally came home from her classes. Ken decided to skip his last class, since he needed more time to prepare for the party. Miyako being away from the room was the best chance he had so far. He didn't have time to prepare anything and the only thing he had prepared was the cake, which he successfully hid inside Akira's own refrigerator in her room. The streamers and the balloons were somewhere hidden inside Akira's closet. To make it short, everything for the party were all inside Akira's room. Ken drove that train of thought away from his mind and focused his attention on the rings that seemed to last forever. It took him a lot of effort to get inside Miyako's purse so he could get her address book out from the bottom. He had to catch up to her in the library and, though, it seemed immoral for him, he gave her a hug and, like a thief, quickly fished through her purse with one swoop and literally stole her address book.
He was ready to hang up, when a voice finally came on the line.
"Hello, Kamisaka Isamu speaking!"
"Hello, Kamisaka-san?" Ken asked, twirling the chord of the phone nervously around his finger. "This is Ichijouji Ken."
He heard a pause on the other line and a second later; Kamisaka came on again, his voice, shaking a little bit. "Hai, Ichijouji-san? Is there something I can help you with?"
"Yes, is Miyako there?"
"Hai, she's in the bathroom right now. I'll-"
"No, wait!" Ken spoke, startling the unsuspecting boy. "Don't say anything that I called. I don't want her to know."
"About what?"
"About a surprise party for her that I'm throwing tonight for her birthday. Can you keep that secret?" Ken asked, feeling rather hopeless.
Isamu nodded. "Of course I can!"
"I'm actually calling to let you know that and since she's not coming home until midnight tonight to help you with homework, I need your help."
Isamu nodded. "I'm listening."
_______________
Miyako walked home that night, feeling confused and annoyed by Isamu's sudden change in plans. She stayed up all night last night making up the questions for him to practice on and she took the effort to come to his house about thirty minutes walk from their college and instead of studying together, he literally kicked her out of his house. He had told her that he was getting 'sick' from the food he ate in the cafeteria and Miyako swore he didn't see his face change into a greenish colour to indicate he was ready to throw up. She crossed Sakura Hill and made a right towards Sasaki Boulevard. Miyako walked quietly straight through the quiet neighborhood and once she hit Third Avenue, she made a left turn until she reached the sign that said, Odaiba College. Her dorm room was only five minutes from where she stood. She walked across the lawn, not caring whether she could get in trouble for it, since she didn't read the sign that said, 'Don't Walk Across Lawn.' Miyako paused to yawn and stretch and that's when she finally knew that she was glad she was going home. She had no idea she was that tired.
By the time she reached the building of the duple dorms, which were separated dorms from the other regular campuses that consisted of divided campuses for girls and boys, she noticed some cars parked by the entrance. Some cars were American made and some were from Japan. She was curious, however, she shook her head, changing her mind about her curiosity. She didn't care right now. She was getting really tired for some reason. Miyako took her first step, making her way towards the first room, where Akira was staying, turned and climbed up the double steps, until she reached another door. This room was the room she and Ken shared. Even though people from campuses called this building the smallest room, the duple dorms were actually the largest dorm rooms than the rest of the rooms in the divided campuses or the Co-Ed ones. She opened the door, ready to plop on the couch or on the bed where she slept, or make a bath so she could soak in the warm water. Once she opened the door, the light flicked on automatically. Miyako was startled, as six pairs of heads and a few hairy ones, popped out from out of nowhere and greeted her with a 'Happy Birthday.' The lavender haired girl paused, her eyes widened in surprise. Ken approached her, wrapping his arms around her with an embrace and whispered 'surprise' in her ear. She was still shocked by the people present in the room. As she was being held, she studied the people there, holding streamers and throwing confetti in the air. Mimi and Yamato were there, Yamato's arms around Mimi and smiling at her. Sora and Taichi were there too, so were Takeru and Hikari, Jou, Izumo, Iori and Daisuke. Ken finally let her go, so Miyako could greet her friends she has not seen for the longest time.
"Miyako!" The lavender haired girl looked up and noticed Hawkmon flying in the air and landing on her shoulder to give the girl a hug. "Miyako! I missed you so much!"
Tears flooded her eyes. She embraced the small bird back with so much love and compassion. She missed Hawkmon most of all. Ever since she started going to college, she had lost touch to the ones she cared the most and that someone was finally wrapped around her long arms. "Hawkmon? Is this really you?" She buried her face into the creature's feather chest and tightly, yet, gently squeezed him against her chest. "It's really you!"
"Of course it's me, Miyako! I'm sorry I couldn't go to the other birthdays you had!"
Miyako pulled away and looked into the bird's eyes. "Why are you sorry? I should be the one who's sorry. I was the one who stopped responding. I was too busy with homework at school that I completely forgot about you. Please forgive me, Hawkmon?"
"Oh, Miyako!" Hawkmon hugged her tighter. "Of course I do!" Tears fell from his eyes.
All was silent. Everyone was silent, until a voice interrupted his or her air of serenity.
"Aww, come on, you guys! This is suppose to be a happy day for Miyako!" came Daisuke's voice. "She's turning eighteen! We should be celebrating, not crying!"
"Daisuke!" Hikari's voice came. "Don't be inconsiderate! Give them some time to reminisce!"
Daisuke closed his mouth shut.
Miyako wiped her tears with her arms and let Hawkmon go. She looked around at everyone, his or her eyes trained on her. "He's right, Hikari. We SHOULD be celebrating, not crying!" She turned around to face Ken, more tears flooding her eyes. "Oh, Ken-kun! You don't know how much I love you for this!" She wrapped her arms around his arms and kissed him on the lips. He blushed when he noticed everyone watching. "You have everyone here!"
"Not everyone!" Miyako and Ken turned to see where the voice came from and there, standing by the front door that they were blocking, appeared Hanako, two luggages in her hands. "Hi, Miya! I'm sorry I'm late! I had to pick up something!" She dropped her luggage beside her, disappeared for a while, and then appeared again, holding a small cage. Hanako opened the cage, revealing a small, gray and black kitten, its tail almost ready to fall off, but other than that, the kitten seemed healthy.
"What is that?!" Taichi commented from behind.
Sora nudged him in the arm, shushing him. Taichi grinned, sweat pouring nervously at the sides of his face.
Hanako glanced behind Miyako to find a tall boy with weird looking hair. "Uh...." She placed the kitten close to her heart and gently pets its thin fur. She glanced back at Miyako and smiled. "I found this poor thing almost dying in the street. I just had to pick her up. Don't worry, she's clean and all and has been given shots. That's why I took so long to get here, because I had to pick her up from the clinic." She handed the kitten towards her friend. "Take her. She's a sweetheart. This is my birthday present for you."
Miyako smiled. She took the kitten from Hanako and held it in her arms. "She's so cute, Hanako! What's her name?" Hawkmon appeared from behind her, landing on her shoulder and glancing at the odd looking creature in Miyako's arms.
"Well, it is your birthday! I'd rather you name her!" Hanako paused and glanced up at Miyako's shoulder, where she noticed a weird looking bird perched there. Suddenly, the red head screamed and pointed at Hawkmon. "AH! Miyako, there's something on your shoulder! It's attacking you! AHHHH!"
"Calm down, Hanako!" Miyako spoke, landing one hand on Hanako's shoulder. "Remember the Digimon I was telling you about?"
"You told her about them?!" came Taichi's panicked voice.
Sora nudged him again. "Why don't you be quiet, Tai-kun?"
Taichi frowned. "Well, she told Hanako about the Digimon!"
Miyako turned her head towards the tall boy. "There are no secrets between me and Hanako, Taichi. We tell everything about ourselves, ESPECIALLY Digimon. Akira knows too!"
"WHAT?!"
"That's it, Taichi! If you scream like that again, I'm not coming home with you!" Sora frowned, folding her arms across her chest. Taichi pouted, closing his mouth shut once again, who knows how long this time.
"Speaking of which... where is Akira?"
"I'm right here!" A voice spoke.
Startled, Miyako felt the lights flicker off. From the corner of her eye, small flickers of candle lights slowly made its way to her. She could see Akira holding a white chocolate cake with two candles that formed '19' on it. Then, from out of nowhere, everyone started to sing, "Happy Birthday!" Akira slowly made her way towards the nearby table of the dining room and put the cake there. By the time the song ended, Miyako was already beside the white cake. She blew on it quickly, doing the traditional styles of making wishes once she blew out all her candles and noticed the light flicker back on, with the courtesy of Jou standing by the door with the light switch. Everyone clapped at the celebration and Miyako looked around once more to make sure EVERYONE was here. She felt Ken's arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.
"Happy Birthday, Miyako," he whispered in her ear. Miyako turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. She passionately kissed him on the lips, all the worries and anger melting away. Ken's fear and worries also faded as their lips touched with so much love. Everyone watched in awe and amazement at the loving couple embraced in a warm glow that no one could penetrate. A love that bond them together for eternity. It seemed like forever that they were staring at the two like that, until Daisuke, not Taichi, finally interrupted their wonderful moment, with a little laugh.
"HAH! HAH! Ken's getting lucky!"
Ken and Miyako paused and glanced at Daisuke.
"Who's this guy?" Hanako whispered in Miyako's ear.
Miyako rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about him. He's a friend of mine and he always acts like that."
"Hm..." Hanako looked at Daisuke suspiciously. "Does he have a girlfriend?"
Miyako looked at her, surprised. "What?"
"Nothing... nevermind..." Hanako spoke, blushing.
"Uh... Miyako?" came Hawkmon's voice. "The kitten... where the kitten go?"
Miyako pulled away from Ken. "What?" She looked around. "Where did she go?" The girl glanced at Hawkmon. "Do you know where she went?"
"I wouldn't be asking you if I knew."
"Ah! I'm not allowed to have pets in here!" In panic, Miyako grabbed the first three people she could grab and demanded them to help her find the lost kitten somewhere in the apartment. Soon, everyone else began to search for the kitten. Ken decided he should look in his room, since it was open just a minute ago.
"Why didn't you say anything that you weren't allowed to have pets?!" Ken could hear Hanako's voice.
"Well, I never knew you were going to come and have a birthday surprise for me! How am I supposed to know that you were going to give me a kitten for my birthday!? Geez, that cat can move!"
Cautiously, Ken moved his way to his room, closing the door slowly behind him. He didn't know why he decided to come here, when the kitten could only walk for just a few seconds until it could find a good hiding place from all the people. Maybe he came inside just to check if the letter was still there. Walking over to the side table, he opened the drawer and took out a folded piece of paper, the same folded piece of paper that he unfolded that same morning. He opened it once more and stared at it. He didn't know why, but he stared at it, and then put it back inside without another word. Before he closed the drawer, however, he stared at another object lying inside. A velvet box gleamed underneath the lamp's light. With one slow movement, Ken picked it up and studied it for a while, before finally opening it to reveal a gold, diamond ring.
His heart ached. He was nervous. He wasn't sure whether this was the right time to ask her. Deciding on it, he put the ring back inside the drawer and closed it again before finally getting up from bed and leaving the room. He was startled to see Akira standing there with a curious look.
"Ken, you have to tell her," Akira spoke with a motherly concerned look.
Ken didn't look at her when he answered, "I will." He joined the group in the living room, where they gathered around Miyako, who was holding the kitten who was not found, leaving Akira speechless. She watched him. He just smiled and forgot all the pain he was feeling. He was willing to give up everything for her, she thought. Even his dream.
GoodGurl: Has Ken finally made his decision to stay? Well, it wasn't really said now was it? It just said what Akira... THOUGHT! Hah! LOL. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one! Sorry for making you guys wait! See ya again on the next chapter!