Calmer of the Storm: I am so sorry or not putting this up sooner. I was suffering from a severe case of writer's block (and I still am, I'm just hoping the inspiration will come as I type). I hope it doesn't suck too bad… but your opinions are always welcome! Just don't be mean and tell me off 'cause I'm a bad writer…I know that and I don't need you to tell me. Sorry if I'm coming across a little harsh, but I'm in a bad mood…long story…you don't wanna know…anyways, here's the last chapter in my fic!
Hikari shifted nervously in her seat. She exchanged a nervous glance with Takeru, whose gaze was shifting between brother and sister constantly. Yamato's stayed fixed on Taichi.
"By killing us, you will accomplish nothing. You will only continue what has been started. Nothing will be gained." Yamato said in a low voice.
The rebel leader only smirked, "Don't think that I haven't gone through all the possibilities of that. I have some rather brilliant minds on my side, and they've gone through every possible scenario and the consequences that follow."
"Go ahead then."
"Who said I was going to kill anyone?"
Yamato said nothing.
"I am willing to make a few negotiations, though they will be on my terms. You should be thankful that the whole plan with my sister fell through, for if it hadn't, we wouldn't be doing this. Even if it was a completely different girl, you'd all be dead."
"Why should they all be on your terms? What if I don't agree with them?" demanded Yamato, leaning towards him.
"Then we're back to square one. Like I said, I could kill you all with a wave of my hand. You have no idea how many men are out there."
Matt sank back into his chair. He looked to Hikari to see if she could be of some help, but she was busy looking at her brother. He sighed, "Alright, what are your conditions?"
"You are to leave us alone. You are not to attack, and if you are coming on to our territory unannounced or uninvited, you risk being shot."
"Then the same goes for you on our grounds."
"Very well. Also, you are not to meddle in our affaires, and if you have a problem with something that we are doing, you come to me about it. I don't want any trouble, understand?"
"Only if you realize that the same things will apply for us."
"Fine."
Taichi stood up. "I guess we're finished, then. Good day." He turned to head out the door. On the way out, he snatched some money that was lying by the table. Yamato was about to object, but he decided that it wouldn't be worth the trouble.
Hikari took a quick glance at the brothers, then stood up and went after her own.
Outside, she caught up with him. "Tai! What was that all about?"
Tai stopped, and turned to his sister. "What? Did you really think I would come and just kill them off?"
She looked at him, confused. "Well…that's the impression I got…"
He smiled, "Good, it worked then."
"What do you mean?"
"Hikari, I've realized that taking a life for a life isn't worth it. While you were away, it got me thinking. I took into account what you said, and I thought about it a lot. At first, I had planned on wiping them all out, but like I said, we went over all the scenarios and consequences. Actually, I didn't bring any men at all with me."
"You came alone?"
"Yes."
"But, you sounded so…"
"Mean? Heartless? Yeah, I know. But I can't let them think I've gone all soft, now can I? I am the rebel leader, after all."
Kari smiled, "Shall we be getting back then?"
"You're coming back? I thought that you'd at least want to stay a few more days, seeing as you like them a lot more than you like us…"
"What? No! I'd never give you guys up. I love you too much!" There was a slight teasing in her voice.
"Yeah, well, I'm not responsible for your transportation back home. I've got to get going now, Sora said that I'd better be home before dinner, or else."
Hikari raised an eyebrow, "Now, are you the influencing factor in the whole scheme of things, or is it Sora?"
"Sometimes, I'm not so sure…"
The girl chuckled.
"Well, I'm leaving. I can't stand to be here any longer…it's too perfect." he said with a look of mock disgust on his face.
"I'll come home…I don't really think they want me here…" she replied, with slight sadness in voice.
"Now who gave you that idea?" A voice behind them asked.
Hikari wheeled around, to see Takeru behind her.
"Well, I…"
"You can go if you want, but you're more than welcome to stay." there was a look of hope in his eyes.
Taichi leaned in, and whispered in her ear, "I think he wants you to stay." There was a knowing smile on his face. Tai stood back up, and headed into the forest.
Hikari watched him go, and then remembered something. "Tai!"
He stopped, "Yeah?"
"You are feeding Meeko, right?"
"Uh, yeah…" He said this, and kept going. He seemed to be in a hurry…
Hikari turned back to Takeru. "Well then, I guess I'm staying for a little while, aren't I?" she said with a smile.
"Yeah." Takeru replied, smiling back.
There was a silence between the two of them.
"Uh, so, what do we do now?" he asked.
"About what?" she wasn't sure what he was referring to.
"About everything." his face was soft, yet serious.
"Well, everything's a rather broad term…"
"I know but I don't know how else to put it."
Hikari nodded her head, but stayed silent.
"You wanna go for a walk?" Takeru asked hopefully.
"Uh…sure. I mean, it's not like I have anything else to do…" she answered.
"Oh…" he sounded a little dejected at the way her answer came out.
"Well, there's a trail that goes through the forest, we could go there." he suggested.
"Sounds nice," Hikari replied.
He nodded.
The two of them started walking. There were no words spoken between them, and both seemed to be lost in thought. Takeru would occasionally steal a glance at the girl, and almost hoped that he'd catch her staring at him, but he never did.
'This is not going the way I was hoping…she could a least say something.' thought T.K.
Hikari didn't really know what to do. She knew where this was going, and she knew where it would end up. She knew what his intentions were for brining her out here, alone, and it scared her.
They kept walking along the trail. The light was fading, as the sun disappeared further and further below the horizon. The trees cast shadows on to the path before them, and the wind made them dance. They came upon a small clearing in the forest. In the middle, stood an old, moss-covered statue. It looked as if it were part of a fountain once, as there was a small empty basin underneath it. Surrounding the statue was a grove of willow trees, bent and twisted through time.
Hikari studied the statue. As she took a closer look, she saw that it was an angel. It was chipped and worn, and one of the wings had almost all fallen off. It was just standing there, and she guessed that it would have been looking down into the water, if there had been any there.
She looked up at Takeru. "What is this?" she asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine," he answered. "It was here when we came, though there was less moss. I come here sometimes, just to look around. It takes me away from everything. I know this sounds stupid, but sometimes I just sit here and wonder about it, like what it used to look like, what it's for, and who made it and why."
"It must have been beautiful." she commented softly.
"Yeah."
Once again, the two were engrossed in silence. Hikari stared in awe at the statue, as Takeru tried to figure her out. He sighed as he came to the conclusion that he probably never would.
She heard this. "What?"
He looked at her, not realizing she had heard it. "What?"
"What was that sigh for?"
"Oh, uh, just frustrated, I guess."
"About what?"
"It's nothing."
"Oh…" she trailed off, and looked back to the statue. This time, her thoughts were more towards the boy, than the sculpture.
"Look, I uh, I- I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done. I mean, you were there for me even when you found out who I was, and I really wasn't expecting that. I've had a hard life, as you may be able to tell, and not a lot of people have been really nice to me. I just can't thank you enough for helping me. I feel that I'm forever in your debt…" she told him.
"No, think nothing of it. Everyone deserves a chance, and we would have done the same for anyone."
She nodded her head slowly, and suddenly felt dejected.
"No, I didn't mean it that way…really. I mean-it's just…" he sighed, "Oh, I don't know what I mean…"
"It's alright, I understand."
There was a slight pause, before Takeru spoke up. "Have you ever been in love?" he asked, not looking at her.
"What?" she was surprised at the suddenness of this question.
"Have you ever been in love?" he repeated.
"I heard you, but-"
Turning to her, he cut her off. "Just answer."
"Well…I really don't know. Before, if you asked me that, I would have answered that question with a 'no' faster than you can blink, but now, I'm not so sure…" she hesitated a moment, "you?"
"Up until now, no."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Hikari, afraid of the answer.
"What I mean is that until you came…"
The tears threatened to come from her eyes. He saw this, and his heart began to break. He felt like running away, but knew he couldn't leave her.
Takeru looked down at his shoes, "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said that…"
Hikari chocked back the tears, "No, don't be. It's not your fault. It's just…" She started to cry.
It was a heart wrenching sight. He walked closer to her, and places his arms around her.
"It's just what?"
She paused for a moment. "I just, I'm not worthy…"
"Not worthy for what?"
"I'm not worthy to be loved." She buried her face into him, and the floodgates opened. She began to sob uncontrollably.
"Shh, it's alright. I don't care what you think, or what anyone else does for that matter. I just want to be with you."
"Why?" she managed to choke out.
"Because there's something in you that makes everyone around you happy. There's some sort of light in you that shines…I don't know how else to describe it. You always put others before yourself; you're kind, caring, and happy. Not to mention that you're also the most beautiful girl I've ever seen…" he trailed off.
She started to laugh lightly into his shirt.
He smiled, and rubbed her back.
The two of them just stood like that for a while, but this time the silence wasn't awkward at all. In fact, it was completely opposite.
Takeru pulled Hikari from him. "It's getting late, and we should get back." he whispered.
She nodded, but didn't really want to move.
"Awe, don't worry. We can come back tomorrow"
She smiled.
The two of them just stood there for a moment longer, staring at each other. Takeru reached up and put a strand of hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear. He sighed happily. The boy leaned in, and pressed his lips lightly to her forehead.
"Let's go back before they think that your brother's somehow gotten us killed."
Hikari chuckled lightly at this comment.
The two of them turned back down the path. While they were walking, Takeru draped his arm around her waist, as she put hers around his shoulders.
As they went on, Hikari smiled. She had been right.
Calmer of the Storm: So…..how was that for an ending? I'm really sorry if it sucks… I asked for suggestions, and no one gave them. But, if you really hate it, give me some suggestions and I can re-do this chapter. Anyways…I guess I'll be going now…TtYl!!!