"There you are," Taichi said once Sora came into hearing distance. "That only took you forever."
"Where've you been?" Yamato asked, pausing a moment to kiss her hello.
"I was talking to some friends," she said, pulling her scarf around tighter. "And if I recall correctly, I told a certain someone to wait for me." She watched Taichi pointedly after this statement.
The brown-haired boy shrugged. "I was bored."
Sora rolled her eyes, pushing her hands into the pockets of her thick winter coat. Yamato wrapped an arm around her in an attempt to warm her up. It didn't help much, she observed mentally, but he was looking too pleased at having thought about the kind gesture for her to tell him that.
Koushiro said, "So are we all ready to get inside now?"
"Yes," Sora shivered. "There's got to be some kind of hot drink."
"There's hot chocolate," Koushiro said, catching a glimpse of the drinks stand. "Taichi, go buy some."
"Hey, how come I have to buy it?"
"Because. Now go," Yamato waved a hand at the stand.
Grumbling, the teen went anyway, earning himself a burned finger from the scalding cups. Wincing, he carried them back as carefully as he could and the rest took their share, grateful for the immediate warmth to their hands. Obviously, they knew better than to burn themselves.
"So what do you want to do?" Yamato asked his girlfriend after a few sips.
Sora looked around.
"I don't mind. And no, Taichi," she interrupted him immediately and he frowned, quickly supplying another option:
"There's the House of Mirrors," he said.
She shook her head.
"Ferris Wheel?" Koushiro suggested.
"After we finish drinking maybe. How about one of those booths?" She pointed at a darts game. "Yamato, play for me, please?"
"Why?" He was horrible at carnival games. That was Takeru's area of expertise.
"I want a stuffed animal. Please? Win one for me?"
"Your ladylove beckons," Taichi said, grinning and knowing full well Yamato's disturbing lack of athletic ability outside the martial arts world—and even there it had been a while.
"Go on, Yamato, make us proud," Koushiro urged, grinning himself.
The blonde shot both of them a look then quickly changed it to a sweet smile at his girlfriend who was losing patience and pointing at the stand expectantly. The four wandered up to the booth and let Yamato step towards it the closest, Sora next to him as she picked out which animal she wanted.
"Er, I'll play once," he said, fishing out some bills from his sadly thin wallet.
The girl, whose back was turned while she fixed the targets, nodded.
"I'll be right with you."
He waited. Finally, she turned around and her eyes narrowed in recognition. He realised her as well.
"You're the girl from outside," he identified immediately.
"And you're the guy who kept on trying to give me that weird look."
Sora turned and stared at him, eyes narrowed.
"What look?"
Taichi mocked a horrified gasp, "No—not The Look!"
Koushiro's eyes widened.
"You gave her the Ishida Smile?"
"You didn't!" Sora cried.
"Well, I—,"
"Are you out of your mind? You could have paralysed her for life!"
"Hey—what's so bad about my Look?"
"That's just it—it's yours," Taichi pointed out.
Sora turned to the girl.
"I'm so sorry, I apologise for my boyfriend's lack of common sense. I hope he hasn't scarred you."
The girl was looking at them as if in a whole new light—not that it was any better than her first impression. Who were these people?
"I don't see what's so wrong about it," Yamato grumbled. "Takeru gets away with his, doesn't he?"
The girl's face flickered into surprise at recognition.
"Takeru? Oh, right, he was talking to your guys."
"You know him?" Koushiro asked.
"We're in the same class."
"I remember," Taichi realised, "you're the girl he didn't want to introduce us to."
"Who are you?"
"I'm his brother, Yamato. You probably heard me from my rock group. We're pretty popular: The Teen-Age Wolves?"
She stared at him blankly.
"I'm Izumi Koushiro, and that's Yagami Taichi and Takenouchi Sora," the redhead introduced, saving Yamato from another embarrassment. The girl brightened.
"Oh yeah, I know you," she pointed at Taichi. "Your Hikari's brother. I'm a friend of hers, too."
"So do we have to ask her to figure out who you are?" Taichi replied innocently.
"Iahii Sayuri."
"Ah, yes," Yamato interrupted, desperate to make up for past actions of humiliation, "Takeru mentioned you before."
Sayuri's eyes narrowed.
"He did."
Yamato didn't realise that it wasn't much of a question but more of a cold repetition of the facts.
"Yep. Says you're terrific at English."
"He did."
"Yeah."
"Hm. So are you going to play or not?"
"Oh yeah—," he'd almost forgotten. "Yeah, I am."
Taichi and Koushiro stepped back warily, just in case. Sharp objects and a blonde didn't fit together as nicely as one would like.
-
"I told you to be careful!" Sora said, leading her injured boyfriend to a ice-cold bench.
"I was being careful. That was me being careful," he winced, painfully gripping a mitten around his palm.
His best friend wasn't helping very much.
"I can't believe you stabbed yourself with a dart," Taichi laughed.
"And a dull one at that," Koushiro said, grinning but trying not to, "so it wasn't even sharp."
"Leave it to Ishida," Taichi said, still enjoying the spectacle as he replayed it in his mind.
"Oh, be quiet, both of you," Sora snapped angrily, her arm around Yamato. "It isn't funny."
"Like hell it isn't. That was the best thing I've seen all term. Thanks, buddy, I owe you one. Maybe I won't kill myself tonight."
"And here I was, so looking forward to it," Yamato glared at him.
"Are you sure you didn't puncture anything?" Sora asked worriedly, trying to inspect the wound.
Yamato waved her away.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I told you, it's okay, it's nothing. It'll heal."
"But what if you—,"
"Hey you guys!" Hikari waved at them, holding on to Takeru's arm. Taichi brightened.
"Hey. Where're you two going?"
"Ferris wheel. Want to come?"
"Well—," Taichi glanced back at this best friend, who looked in a considerable amount of pain.
Takeru stared.
"You didn't stab yourself with the darts again, did you?"
Yamato flushed, embarrassed.
"It's not my fault! The game's rigged. Besides, I would have been paying attention if it weren't for that devil of woman running the booth."
Hikari looked confused, "Sayuri? Why, what happened? She didn't do anything, did she?"
"Except egg him on cruelly and distract him," Koushiro said.
"And distract him," Taichi repeated, grinning.
"Why would she—?" Sora started, then realised what he meant and turned to glare at her boyfriend, immediately withdrawing her arm from around him.
"Aw, come on, Sora, I didn't mean it like that!" Yamato started to protest.
"She was pretty cute for a girl her age," Taichi admitted.
Takeru started to agree but bit his tongue, turning pink. Thankfully, no one noticed. He tugged on Hikari's sleeve.
"Come on, before they shut down the rides."
"We'll catch up with you later," Koushiro called after them. Hikari waved good bye.
"Getting colder by the minute, isn't it?" Takeru asked absentmindedly, trying to think of something to talk about that wouldn't make him blush. He really had to earn how to stop blushing as noticeably as he did. Hikari knew this.
"What are you so embarrassed about?"
"Nothing."
Hikari paid for the tickets at the stand, and they stood in line as they waited, for once lost for words. This was rather awkward. She always had something to talk about with him.
Finally it was their turn and the climbed in, Takeru holding her arm gently as he helped her. They sat opposite of each other, and Hikari immediately aimed for the window, peering through the glass. She loved heights. Takeru on the other hand didn't find them half as dazzling as she did. He shivered, rubbing his hands together for warmth, and watched the lights below from a safe corner in the compartment. She turned around to look at him.
"Come on, it's not that high."
"Oh, yeah, it is."
She grinned and shook her head, looking back outside.
"I think I can see the others from here. Yamato's still sitting down. I don't see Sora though."
"Typical. They can't survive a week without getting mad at each other."
"That must prove something."
"That they're the most compatible couple on the planet."
"Always making up in the end."
"Rather entertaining."
She laughed softly, but it died away too soon. He noticed, glancing at her.
"Something wrong?"
She shook her head.
"No, nothing. Never mind."
"Kind of weird, isn't it?"
"What is?"
"The fact that we can't think of anything to say. Usually, we do."
"Yeah," she said slowly, "I guess it is."
"Wonder what it's supposed to mean."
"It doesn't mean anything. It's been a long day. We're both tired."
"It has to mean something—,"
"I don't think so."
He sensed something in those words, and he quickly left the topic alone. After a moment's hesitation, he leaned forward carefully and peered through the glass alongside her.
"Long drop."
"I thought you were the optimistic one out of us."
He grinned.
"Do you think you did well on the test?"
"I hope so. I'm just glad it's all over with."
"What I want to know is why they're even making us go back to school, especially since the exams are done."
"Aren't we going to have a winter party?"
"Do you think I should skip?"
"Takeru!"
"I'm just joking. You know I wouldn't. It might give you a heart attack or something."
"I believe you've managed a stroke right now," she feinted a shudder, pressing a hand over her heart.
"Sorry. You okay?"
"Of course."
"No you're not," he cocked his head to the side, studying her carefully and not looking as though he would accept a lie. "You want to tell me what's wrong?"
"I already told you, nothing's wrong. I'm okay. I'm just tired, you know, from studying. Hopefully that party will bring us back into the holiday spirit."
"You're lying."
"Takeru—,"
"All right, fine, don't tell me." He leaned back, turning away from her and looking thorough the opposite window.
"I didn't mean to snap," she apologised later.
"I know."
"Are you…going anywhere this vacation?"
"Up north, maybe skiing. Whatever my mom wants."
"Oh."
"You?"
"I'm staying right here. Daisuke's going to Australia, though."
"Yeah?"
She nodded, "His dad got tickets through his company."
"Yamato's going on a tour with his band, down south. Sora's supposed to go with him, only who knows now…"
"Miyako's going to visit Mimi."
"We should visit her again too, sometime."
"Sometime. Yes."
He tried to be as casual as possible.
"So, any of the people in our class going anywhere interesting?"
"Um…I think Hiro is going to Canada."
"Yeah, he told me about that."
"And Sayuri's going to visit relatives in Germany."
"Germany, huh?"
"Mm. I wish she'd take me. I always wanted to go to Europe."
"Yeah…."
"Takeru, we're friends, aren't we?"
He blinked, sitting up and waking from a daydream.
"What?"
"We're friends, aren't we?"
"Well—yeah. Of course. Shouldn't we be?"
"Yes, we should. Friends." She smiled at him, almost sadly, and he looked at her curiously. "I just hope we stay that way. Stay friends."
"Is that what's been bother you?"
"Well—,"
"Honestly, Hikari, sometimes I just can't figure you out. Of course we'll always be friends. Where do you get this stuff?"
She looked away, gazing at the lights splayed across the ground in festive patterns.
"Why? Don't you want to be friends?"
"Of course I do."
"Well, then why'd you ask?"
"I just—," she searched for a something, "I just wanted to make sure, that's all," she lied. "I mean, all of the things you and I…you're always around whenever I need you and I just hope that you—that it isn't going to stop soon. That is, I hope nothing…changes. And if—well—,"
"Hikari, I'm not just hanging around you to play Lord Protector. I'm your friend. Friends are always there for each other. You'd do that same for me, and wouldn't want to trade places with anybody. And I always will be your friend."
"Just friends?"
"Well, yeah. Always." He didn't appear to understand in the slightest what she meant, so she dropped the subject and smiled at him, pretending to be satisfied.