Inspirations
By Moony
Disclaimer: There is no owning of the Digimon going on here, ya hear?
Chapter IV: Turning Tables
Koushirou winced as he hung up the phone, trying not to think about what he'd just done. He wasn't the type to go out on dates; it just never appealed to him. In fact – he started, his eyes widening – he didn't recall ever being on a date of any description. He cursed under his breath as he realized that agreeing to take Miyako out was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever done, and he stopped to wonder why he'd succumbed so quickly. It wasn't as if they'd put a tremendous amount of pressure on him. He sighed, shaking his head. No sense in worrying about it, what's done is done. He'd just have to wait and see it through.
Three hours later, Koushirou found himself sitting next to Miyako in a dark theatre watching a romance movie. He'd gone to get her an hour prior, and he'd been stunned to see her in a form-fitting peach dress he imagined she'd borrowed from one of her sisters. However, as Koushirou watched the movie, he couldn't help but enjoy himself, and he was even able to forget that he was supposed to be on a date with her. While the actors sung onscreen, he told himself they were just hanging out as friends, and that he wasn't leading her on in any way. The thought did occur to him that he didn't think she'd be disappointed it if turned out he wasn't interested in her. She'd probably only said yes to him out of pity, thinking he was a dorky guy who never got any girls. He definitely wasn't the most popular of the group. Yamato was the dazzling rock start beau; Taichi was the goofy, charismatic athlete. Even of her own age, Miyako had plenty of options. Daisuke was an airhead but still charming and attractive. Takeru was the typical, sensitive nice guy. And, of course, there was Ken . . .
But it had been Koushirou who'd called her up, and she'd said yes to him. Not Ken or Yamato, but Koushirou!
He felt his cheeks grown warm. When she'd agreed, he'd only considered how awkward he'd feel and how guilty he'd be. He hadn't realized that Miyako had actually said yes to going on a date with him. She'd implied that she wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with him.
He took a sip of his drink; swallowing slowly and attempting to will his attention back to the movie. His eyes slid out of focus and he saw himself standing in Christian's place, belting out love songs to an aloof Miyako. She warmed up to the idea of being serenaded and joined in, and Koushirou found himself wondering if something like that had actually happened, but maybe just the other way around?
By the end of the evening, he'd associated practically every character in the movie with one of his friends, casting Ken as the Duke for lack of a better fit. His eyes were wide as the credits began to roll, and he shook his head stubbornly.
This was to get her out of her slump, she'd feel better after this and they'd never need to date again. He glanced over, seeing Miyako's cheeks were flushed and she stared at the screen with wide-eyed admiration.
"That was beautiful!" She said, her voice delighted. She rose from her seat and for a moment, Koushirou pictured her floating among a pastel nothing, her frame surrounded by flowers as stars shone in her eyes. He shook his head once more, chuckling. He'd been watching way too much after-school anime.
He lifted himself from his seat and Miyako joined him as they left the theatre, the evening air nipping at their faces. Koushirou checked his watch. It was 8 o'clock; still way too early to call it an evening.
"Would you like to go for a walk?" He asked. Miyako nodded, cheerfully, her mind obviously dwelling on the movie. They crossed the street, heading east towards the park while minding the other pedestrians. Koushirou noticed them as young lovers holding hands, and he turned his gaze away, nervously. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, growing irritated as he ran out of places to avert his gaze, and he realized with shock that he was envious of them. He struggled to determine why, but he didn't like the way his thoughts were unraveling. Did he want to be holding Miyako's hand and embracing her for warmth? His cheeks flared up at the idea as he pictured himself wrapping his arms around her as she snuggled closer to him, burying her head in the crook of his neck.
He took one giant mental leap backwards. He was being ridiculous. He was letting this fake date assault him with ludicrous possibilities. Besides, he was clearly not interested in Miyako. His embarrassment at the idea of getting close to her was proof of that. Why else would he have blushed? No, the reason he was jealous was because the couples were on real, legitimate dates, and not forced get-togethers so that Koushirou could help cheer up a cute friend.
He groaned inwardly, catching himself. He'd meant how a little sister would be cute. That's all. He studied her out of the corner of his eye. Her gaze was distant and he imagined she was replaying her favourite scenes over in her head.
'It should be illegal for a little sister to look that good in a dress.'
"So did you like the movie?" He said, loudly. It sounded rather stupid at that volume, but he'd been desperately trying to erase the dangerous thoughts from his mind. Miyako blinked her way back to reality, turning her gaze towards her date.
"I mean, do you think it gave you some ideas for your story?" He salvaged, trying not to sound like a total idiot. It was all too obvious that she'd enjoyed it, after all.
She bit her lip, pensively, her teeth soon bared in a grin.
"I think so . . ." she nodded, narrowing her eyes and cocking her head to the side. "Yeah, the style's obviously different, but I think it gave me a few ideas."
He laughed nervously, looking away.
"I'm glad." He replied, not knowing what to say next. He didn't like the way his thoughts were going, and he needed to keep his mind on track. He was just meant to cheer her up, but his subconscious was waiting around every corner to ambush him. It told him that she'd said yes to going on a date with him. A girl like Miyako was interested in him. What should he do or say to keep her interested?
He caught himself.
'Stop it!' He scolded, 'You don't like Miyako.' He couldn't believe how insane he was being. He'd known her for a couple of years, since she'd first joined his computer group. Then he'd found out about her and the Digitial World, and he'd been concerned, much like the rest of the group. He and the others were all seasoned veterans by that point, but with the exceptions of Takeru and Hikari, the rest were fresh and young. Miyako, especially, had seemed the type who wouldn't want to be involved, but she'd done admirably and there were countless times when Koushirou had been amazed at her resilience. She was a capable, caring, generous young woman. She was intelligent, friendly, and courageous, as well.
Koushirou found himself adding on adjectives until eventually the list was too long to remember, and a thought struck him down.
He couldn't find a single characteristic about Miyako that he didn't like. Not a single one. Everything she did, every habit or minor detail, never failed to please him. In his eyes, she was perfect.
Koushirou paled at the thought, slowly turning his head to study her again. The way her hair fell lightly around her face, he had the urge to reach up and touch it, wrap the strands around his fingers and relish its softness. She was beautiful, too. Koushirou smiled gently. He'd never really noticed before.
"Well, my house is just around here. I guess I should be heading home." She said. Her voice sounded bright and sunny, and all he could do was grin upon hearing it. Miyako saw his smile and returned it, albeit a bit sadly, and continued walking.
They exited the park and crossed the street, approaching Miyako's door. She took a step up, looking down on Koushirou, and smiling appreciatively. Koushirou felt somewhat disappointed. He'd been enjoying her company, even if it had been in silence.
"Good night." He said, softly. Miyako nodded.
"Good night." She looked aside, awkwardly, and for a heart-stopping moment Koushirou thought she was expecting him to kiss her. He felt his body temperature shoot up several degrees before she opened her mouth to speak again.
"Hey, Koushirou . . . I know you only asked me out to cheer me up. So thank you. You're one of the kindest people I know, and a great friend. I'll see you at school on Monday!" She waved, turning and entering the building. She left Koushirou speechless, standing in the empty street.
'No.'