Begun: 06.19.01
Finished: 12.15.01
"Romeo and Juliet"
Full moon shining brightly and stars twinkling fiercely overhead in the dark velvet sky, ten thirty crept up quickly on the two teenagers sleeping under a weeping willow in the middle of Odaiba's largest park. They were completely hidden under the drooping branches of the ancient tree, and didn't make a noise as they slept peacefully in each other's arms.
In fact, they probably would have slept on through the night and even the morning if it weren't for the chilly October breeze that blew lightly every so often, making ripples in the frigid lake water, and moving the willow branches now and then, making them wave like ghostly hands. When one of the leaves from these branches landed gently on the boy's cheek, he reached a hand up lazily to brush it away, stretching out his arm that had cradled his head for the last three hours, and slightly changed his comfortable position. As he did so, he happened to glance casually at his watch.
Ten-thirty. At first he wasn't alarmed; instead of fully waking he replaced his chin on the head of his friend and shut his eyes again. But in the next moment he jerked his head up, blinking furiously to clear his blurred vision.
His curfew was ten o'clock, and his mother expected him to return home by then. And he knew Hikari had been due home long before him.
But still… He didn't want to move. Hikari was curled up next to him, her head against his chest, her breathing deep and even… Much as he hated to admit it, he liked her position. If he moved now he would wake her up, and he didn't want that; he wanted to stay the way he was for eternity. Besides, he reasoned with himself, we're already late. What's five more minutes?
He looked down at her, a smile on his face; this was just perfect, the moon shining upon them, no cares in the world. As a lock of golden-brown hair fell on her forehead, he tenderly brushed it away, letting his fingers linger a moment longer than need be behind her ear where he pushed the strands. Oh, how she looked so beautiful, like a perfect angel…
Before he knew what he was doing, he ducked his head, and let his lips brush against hers. It was too tempting… He had had temptations before, but nothing compared to this.
He pulled back in horror and gasped, as she shifted a little. What did he think he was doing? He was being just like his brother – and suddenly a pang of realization hit him – he now knew just how easy it was to make a mistake. Just like his brother.
But it didn't matter to him; he wasn't his brother, and he didn't make mistakes to put a friendship on the line, or twist the knife in farther with a sibling. That wasn't like him… This wasn't like him – he was always dubbed perfect gentleman at school, at home, and he felt a need to keep that perfection. He was Takeru, the sweet, innocent child, not Yamato, the recluse.
But it felt so right.
Suddenly, the girl in his arms, his angel, his maiden, stirred. Just a bit, just so much that he noticed, and his heart started to race, faster than ever before; had he woken her with the kiss, like some fairy tale?
No, he desperately hoped, she didn't notice the kiss. It was so slight, so innocent… How could she have noticed it? But he didn't have time to dwell; she raised her arms and yawned loudly, before burying her face in his shirt and mumbling, "Hi T'keru. What time is it?"
He sighed hugely, a sigh of relief, and ran his hands through his blonde hair; his hat, he noticed, had fallen off of is head and onto hers. Well, he thought, she didn't notice the kiss; thank kami-sama.
But instead he replied, "Ossu 'Kari-chan… It's about quarter of eleven."
Groaning, she sat up, his white fisherman's hat floating off her silky brown hair to the cold, hard ground. "Oh, my mom will kill me… I told Taichi I'd be back by nine-thirty, at the latest."
"Hey, it'll be okay," he reassured her, giving her a squeeze. "Taichi's a compassionate guy."
"It's not him I'm worried about… My parents will be home now, and my mom doesn't like me out past ten." She buried her face in her hands, giving her the impression of a lost little girl.
Takeru tried to think of something – anything! – to cheer his friend up. "Hey, are you hungry?"
Narrowing her eyes, Hikari spoke again. "Takeru, my mom's probably worried sick about where I am, and you're thinking of food…?" She trailed of, cocking her head, as if trying to get a different view of her friend.
"Well, I figure, since you're already late enough…" This felt good. To be the bad boy for once.
"Takeru, my mom will have every cop on the Odaiba police force looking for me, and then some…" But he could tell by her brown eyes, glinting dangerously, that she had a mischievous streak in her, and he nodded encouragingly. "…So let's go."
Jumping up, Hikari picked the white hat off the ground, dusted it off, and shyly held it out to her friend, one hand behind her back, chuckling softly. "Sorry 'bout that T'K, it must have fallen while we, uh, slept…"
"Yeah," he replied, rubbing his hand on the back of his head, making no move to get the hat, "Um, I guess so…" Time stood still for a moment as Takeru sat there, on the bench, blushing red; giggling like a little girl, Hikari tossed his hat at him, reached for his hand, and pulled him up from the bench, linking arms with him.
Putting her head on his shoulder, she whispered softly, "I'm glad we're spending more time together, even if it is kind of late at night… We don't usually any more."
Normally, Hikari's attention wouldn't have caused Takeru to go as red as he did. What is wrong with me? he thought as Hikari hugged him tight, to keep warm. But instead he just replied, "Yeah," absentmindedly. In truth, he didn't even want to be here.
It wasn't because he didn't love his friend; they had been together through thick and thin, Hikari and Takeru, never leaving the other's side. He didn't want that to end, that everlasting bond of friendship. But at the same time he knew it wasn't going to last forever.
Face it, he told himself. What she said today… you know that'll change everything.
And it was true. She was pregnant; she was going to have a child, at sixteen. The idea had always seemed so foreign to Takeru; he'd only ever seen or heard things like this on the daytime soap operas that he and Yamato used to watch when they were little; Mommy and Daddy would be fighting, and Yamato would turn on the television for himself and his little brother, not caring what it was they were watching. But Takeru noticed, and listened to these shows.
And at the same time, they never made any sense to him, the complicated plots with this brother and this sister, and the wanting, the lust, and love, or lack thereof… He never understood. That was all so far away from him.
But now he did understand. This was a soap opera in itself- Yamato didn't want Hikari, and Takeru did want Hikari, and Hikari herself… she didn't know what she did or didn't want. And it was so confusing.
Because with this right now… Takeru knew things couldn't stay this way. They never did; something always changed. And he had a feeling that it would have to do with his friendship. Already, after not even a full day, Takeru's feelings toward Hikari were changing; at first he thought he loved her, and he knew he wanted to protect her… but what did he really think now?
Easy- he felt nothing. He couldn't see her as his friend anymore, a little schoolgirl who giggled at everything, called him every day to just take a walk in the park, or have a picnic on a mid-January day and pretend everything was like Spring; he saw her instead as a woman, who was saddled with school and a to-be child, and no father of that child. And he couldn't feel for that new person.
Yet, at the same time, when she touched his bare skin, or intertwined her fingers with his and smiled at him, and looked into his eyes with such importance, meant for him and him alone, or giggled at some meaningless joke, she had an effect on him. He would blush like mad, but pull away, only to be pulled back by the brown-eyed siren that he called his best friend.
He didn't want to feel like that. He didn't. She loved Yamato – didn't she? – and even if she didn't, he had no right to go between them, and to betray their unborn child. He couldn't do that to him, her, and it.
But he wanted to, so badly.
"Takeru?" Hikari broke in, squeezing his warm hand in her cold one. All at once he brain was pulled out of his thoughts and back into reality, and his body went rigid. "Are you okay?"
He shook his head slightly and blinked a couple times. "What?"
"I said that we're here." Softly she tugged at his hand, pulling them into the warm light of a tall streetlamp, and smiled a shaky smile. "You were kinda zoning out on me there. Anything wrong?"
"Iie Hikari-chan, gomen. I didn't realize my mind was in outer space." He sighed and gently pulled his hand from hers, running it through his blonde hair, and she smiled her big, warm smile that was meant just for him; the grin went from ear-to-ear and he was somehow drawn to it like a ship to a beacon in a foggy mist on an ocean. Linking her arm through his, Hikari tilted her head onto his shoulder for the second time in ten minutes.
"I don't mind Takeru-kun. Let's get inside now though; I'm cold." And with that she pulled him through the glass doors of "Obaasan Tsujimura's Cozy Kitchen", a 24-hour coffee and doughnut shop run by an elderly couple and their fifty-five year old children.
Rubbing her hands briskly together, Hikari shrugged out of her coat and Takeru took it, hanging his and her jackets on the old-fashioned coat hooks by the doors; the Shoppe was homey and small, and immediately Takeru felt a calm rush befall him. "Hikari, you're shaking, go sit down and I'll order; what do you want?"
Lips chattering through her smile, the girl nodded her head and replied, "Apple cider please," before going to one of the tiny window booths and sinking into the red leather seats gratefully. A few minutes later Takeru joined her, handing her a hot mug of cider to warm her hands, a delicate teacup filled to the brim with strong tea in his own. Hikari took a long sip of her drink, sighed, and said, "Arigatou T- t'keru-kun. I appreciate it."
And she smiled again. Damn, that smile had such an effect on him; he was only able to return it with his own, very shaky, version of a self-confident grin, and wave off her thanks, hitting his cup in the process, spilling the burning contents into his lap.
Trying to look like, sure, there was scalding liquid seeping trough his pants, but that wasn't really a problem, Takeru jumped up and sprinted towards the men's room, Hikari's giggles echoing in his head.
That was great, he told himself, wetting a paper towel and rubbing it over the spreading wet spot on his khakis. Just wonderful… try to look over-confident, and you end up looking like a jerk. It was as he turned to throw the sopping towel in the trash can that he caught site of his face in the mirror; he looked annoyed, and he knew it was at himself, and his face was still a light pink; he was sure it was ten times darker when he had spilt his tea.
Closing his eyes he bent over the sink, splashing cold water over his face. Better…. Still not perfect, but better. Just like he was supposed to be – not perfect, just regular, in the middle.
But why did he care what he looked like? It wasn't as if it would mean anything to Hikari. They had a friendship, nothing more, nothing less, and he wanted it to stay that way. So that would mean it didn't matter what he looked like, because he wasn't out to impress Hikari.
Or was he?
Shaking his head seemed to be the obvious answer; the answer to clear his mind, spill his thoughts over the men's room to be swept up later and thrown away. Too bad shaking your head doesn't always work.
He knew that as soon as he stepped back into the coffee shoppe, atmosphere thick with the smell of chocolate and coffee beans, swirling in his mind and jumbling his poor, confused thoughts. He knew that as he saw her, content and happy, patting the seat next to her and smiling away, batting her eyelashes every so often. She knew their relationship was completely platonic, didn't she?
Hell, he didn't care if she knew or not, because he didn't know anymore either. How could he? Every time he tried to think of something other than romance, there she was, his mind back on the same one track. Every time he thought he had his thoughts straightened out, there she was, throwing another curve for him to hit. Everything he even tried to think, there she was, just… there.
He had to get away.
Sighing, Takeru grabbed his coat and handed Hikari hers, stopping briefly to hold open the heavy glass and wood door for Hikari, the gentleman he was; she gave him a quizzical look as he went out after her, but sped up so he was in front of her, head bowed low, hands jammed into his coat pockets.
"T'keru-chan?" she asked, and was returned with a grunt. Frowning, she tried again. "Takeru?"
This time he stopped and sighed softly, allowing her to pull even with him and put her hand in his upper arm. "Did I make you angry?"
"I'm sorry Hikari, I didn't mean to storm out like that, I-" but she cut him off, smiling.
"Spilling tea isn't that big a deal you know." Nodding, Takeru looked up at her.
"That- that's not it, but all the same…" He lapsed into silence, turning around, and heading for the direction of Hikari's house. "We should be going back anyway, it really is getting late."
"Oh," she replied in a small voice, unsure what to make of Takeru's sudden mood swing. "If you say so." She fell into step beside her friend, not saying anything for a while, just looking at the ground, not sure of what to say.
She looked sidelong at Takeru, and thought briefly of saying what every other girl in this situation would have said; 'Oh Takeru, you don't have to walk me home you know, I'll be ok…' and then blushing deeply while Takeru would reply, 'Don't mention it, I'm not letting you walk home by yourself, there's a ton of people out here that'll take advantage of that…' But she didn't, just looked down again and sighed. That wasn't like them, saying written lines like they were the main characters of some modern-day Romeo and Juliet; at least, she didn't think it was like that.
But lately it seemed more and more as if that's exactly what they were doing; play-acting some Broadway production, the climax coming closer and closer every single day, sneaking up on them, and there they were, unprepared, because some lazy playwright hadn't yet written their parts.
"So, have you decided about telling your parents yet?" Takeru asked suddenly, jarring her out of her thoughts and putting her back on the stage of her life. "I mean, have you decided when you're going to tell them?"
"Tell them…?" Hikari trailed off uncomprehendingly, before re-grouping her thoughts and stuttering; "N-no, not really, I guess I haven't thought about it much-"
"How long have you known?" he broke in hesitantly.
"About a week, almost… Since Tuesday. I wasn't feeling very well, so Taichi had Jyou come over after he was done with his classes for the day. And he told me."
"So Jyou and Taichi know… and me?"
Hikari bowed her head and nodded. "Look Hikari-chan… I think you should tell your parents soon. They'll be even more disappointed if they knew that your friends knew before they did."
"But- But Takeru!" she cried, her head snapping up, eyes darting back and forth wildly, biting her lip. "I can't! You don't know how they'll react- it'll be horrible! They'll be so disappointed, and angry… but mostly disappointed."
"Well, have you thought about how everyone else will react?" he asked gently. "Take Daisuke for instance; do you really think he'll be quite pleased?" Hikari grimaced at this; Daisuke was a good friend, and seemed to think the she and he could be a couple someday; this unexpected news would shatter him.
"I- I guess I hadn't," she began quietly, talking to the pavement underfoot; "Oh, he'll be devastated…"
"Exactly why I think you should tell your parents first. If you can't count on your own family to be supportive, there's really one you can count on, is there?"
"Except you," she started, and Takeru remembered how just a few hours ago he had been prepared to abandon his best friend. She took a deep breath; "I think you're right. I'll tell them tonight."
"That's it," Takeru agreed, smiling. They walked on in silence after that, down the chilly streets and towards the towering Odiaba apartments; it took only a few minutes to reach the front doors, and once there, Takeru shifted from foot to foot "Well, I'd better be going…"
"Yeah, but- Takeru? Will you- will you help me tell me parents? Tonight? I don't mean to impose," she went on quickly, in a rush, head ducked and eyes downcast, " But I mean, if you're around for- for moral support, then maybe- maybe it won't be so hard to tell them. Oh please Takeru, I'll never ask for anything again!"
"Well I don't know Hikari," he began thoughtfully, "It's really none of my business…"
"Please?" she asked again, hopefully, as if having Takeru there with her meant everything in the world, as if he was the dinghy that was to save her from the choppy waters that her parents would soon unleash upon her. "Please?"
He couldn't help but smile, faintly, and reply, "Okay, you win…" before trailing off.
"Doomo- Doomo arigatou T'keru-chan!" With that she seized his hand and linked her fingers with his, pulling him up the stairs to her apartment, completely forgetting that it would be all the more easier to just ride the elevator all the way up. She stopped abruptly at the door to her apartment – her schoolbooks were no longer outside the door, he noticed – and sighed deeply, before turning to Takeru to receive an encouraging smile, and taking her key from her pocket and unlocking her door.
The sight that met Takeru's eyes was somewhat startling; Hikari's father sat by the counter on a stool, picking at what Takeru guessed was either a dinner or late-night snack; Taichi was parked on the couch in front of the television, unaware, that some late soap-opera was in the middle of (he guessed) its season finale, but instead, his eyes were glued on the door that Hikari had just opened, as if he had been expecting his sister and her best friend to come in at that moment. Mrs. Yagami was standing by the refrigerator, a frown on her usually smiling face; Takeru guessed he had forgotten how severe and dramatic she could get at times like this, a trait Hikari had inherited.
And he and Hikari were just standing inside the doorway, a tight smile on Hikari's face, a look of bewilderment on his.
Mrs. Yagami's eyes seemed to be saying 'sit', because the next thing Takeru knew, Hikari was guiding him to the couch and pulling him beside her and her brother, still gnawing on her upper lip. Mrs. Yagami sat in the loveseat across from them, and her husband, quiet as a mouse, turned off the television and took to standing by a lamp nearer Taichi, rather than taking a seat by his livid wife.
"Explain yourself." She directed this question towards Hikari, almost as if she hadn't yet taken notice of Takeru. He noted Hikari fidget beside him, and Taichi seemed to know what she was about to tell her parents, so he reached out and took one of her hands in his. Hikari shot a look of thanks toward her brother, and a wave of jealously washed over Takeru; why couldn't he have a brother like Taichi, rather than Yamato, who was overseas touring at the moment?
"Well," Hikari began softly and calmly, as if choosing her words carefully; "There really isn't much to tell."
Mrs. Yagami's frown became fiercer at this, and Takeru thought it unwise to anger her any further, so he poked Hikari in the side with his elbow. She shot a Look back at him, but her eyes darted towards her mother again, and she seemed to take heed of Takeru's gesture. "…Except for one tiny thing," she finished; almost as if that's what she had been planning on saying all along.
"And that would be…?" Mrs. Yagami began for her.
Hikari lowered her head, and took a deep breath, before looking her mother in the eye and stating simply, "I'm pregnant."
Takeru wasn't sure what to expect, but Mrs. Yagami getting to her feet and starting, "Of all the selfish, inconsiderate, horrible things…" seemed perfectly in character. What he couldn't get over though was how Mr. Yagami just stood by the lamp, bowing his head at his wife's words, while Mrs. Yagami took a few steps toward her daughter, hands clenched in fists by her sides. "Your father and I raised you," she went on, her voice rising higher with each syllable, until she was literally screaming each new word, "and this is that thanks we GET?"
"Mother, please now…" Taichi came to his sister's aid, but was immediately stopped as Mrs. Yagami struck him hard across the cheek, leaving a red mark. "Taichi, this does not concern you!" Her eyes swept across the room and landed on Takeru, and he could almost feel her anger radiating. "And I suppose he!"
"Mother, no!" Hikari cried, jumping up in front of him. "This doesn't concern Takeru either, he's just here for me; I asked him to come. Please don't be angry at him!"
"And why shouldn't I, if he's the fath-"
Hikari cut her off quickly; "He's not… Yamato is," she ended softly. Takeru could tell Mrs. Yagami was torn between yelling at him some more, or hitting Hikari. In the end she did neither; she looked at the ground, and quietly said, "Please go Hikari- to your room, I don't care. I can't bear to look at you right now." She turned heel and stalked to her own room, her husband following her, shooting a last, reproving look at his daughter.
"Takeru, Taichi, I- I'm so sorry-" but Taichi stopped her by taking a hold on her hand and pulling her to his room.
"I believe we need to talk, Hikari. The two of us." Sighing greatly, he let go of her arm and walked towards his room, saying, "Five minutes," after shooting a commiserating look toward his sister.
"I- I'll go now then," Takeru went on, to fill the sudden silence, and Hikari only nodded. Walking across the room, he gently tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes, filling with tears. He gave her a small hug; "Hikari, just think; things can only get easier from now on."
Smiling sadly, she nodded, and kissed him on the cheek. "Arigatou Takeru-kun." Slowly, she turned towards Taichi's room, where her brother was waiting for her, leaving Takeru to let himself out.