When Did You Fall in Love?, a digimon fanfic

Calmer of the Storm: Yep! I'm procrastinating. I heard this song not long ago and I decided that it would be kinda cute to do a fic to, so here it is! Took me a while to find the lyrics, though…cause it's a rather new song…

Cody: -ahem-

Calmer of the Storm: -blinks- Yes?

Cody: -Glares-

Calmer of the Storm: Uh…I don't own the song, it's called 'When did you fall' and it's by Chris Rice. Obviously he owns it. –Looks at Cody- And uh…I don't own digimon either.

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You're all smiles and silly conversation
As if this sunny day came just for you
You twist your hair, you smile, and you turn your eyes away
C'mon, tell me what's right with you

The two of us were walking home from the university. Her class had ended a while before mine, but she waited for me anyways. I think the plan had been to go out later than evening, but she had informed me that she wouldn't be able to do so. Her brother was in town, and they were supposed to spend the night together as a family.

We had reached her apartment, so we stopped. She insisted on going the rest of the way alone, and as much as I protested, she didn't let up. I gave a sigh and let her win. Just this once, though.

The sun hadn't gone down completely, and the sky was painted various shades of orange, pink and red. It was a pretty sight, but I had my back turned to it for the moment. It was then that I noticed that she had fallen silent. There was a grin on her face, and a look in her eye that I could not quite place. Around her finger she twirled a pieced of her chestnut hair. Confused, I inquired as to what was on her mind.

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I did so.

"Nothing." Came her simple reply. She then giggled lightly and turned her head from me. I noticed that her cheeks were a light shade of pink. Did she normally do this? I don't even remember. Is that bad of me?

I gave her one last look, but she said nothing further. Women…I'll never understand them. I knew that something was up, but she wasn't going to tell me. I scanned my thoughts a moment; I didn't think there was anything coming up…our anniversary had already passed, her birthday was four months ago, mine was in a month…there was nothing that I could come up with to explain how she was acting.

While I was in my thoughts, she reached up and placed a light kiss on my cheek. "See you tomorrow." She said, then disappeared behind the door.

"Uh…yeah." I said.

As I walked home from her apartment I couldn't help but think what had just transpired. At first, I tried to convince myself that it was nothing. I mean, it's not like she's never smiled at me before…but something about it this time was different. Something…

I stopped in my tracks. Was I that stupid? But it couldn't be…we'd been dating just over a year now, and we had been best friends for years before that. I thought to myself a moment. I loved her, but I suppose that I'd never said anything about it. Did I expect her to just know? I'm not sure anymore. But I'll bet it's one of those things that everyone knows but the people involved. Was this was Mom was referring to? I shook my head. I could be so dense sometimes.

Now it dawns on me probably everybody's talkin'
And there's something here I'm supposed to realize
'Cause your secret's out, and the universe laughs at its joke on me
I just caught it in your eyes, it's a beautiful surprise

Continuing my walk, I could only laugh at myself. Now that I think about it, I don't see what I didn't see it before. That look in her eyes…I've seen it; just never really noticed it, never thought much of it.

Flopping down onto the couch in my own apartment, I thought about it now. I shook my head again. It's been a while, too. But when did it start?

When did you fall in love with me?
Was it out of the blue
'Cause I swear I never knew it
When did you let your heart run free?
Have you been waiting long?
When did you fall in love with me?
When did you fall in love?

So when was it? I tried to think, but every time I thought of it, that look was there in her eyes. In fact, I can't really recall a time when it wasn't there. But it's not possible that it was there always, it's got to start somewhere. But where? Maybe I'd never know. I wanted to so desperately, to see just how long I've left her hanging.

This thing would keep me up all night. It would eat me alive, and I it would be the end of me. Only if I kept it to myself, of course. But I didn't want to approach her about it. But what if I was totally wrong? What if that was merely the way she always was? But then again…I'd never know unless I did ask. And she's a forgiving person, I'm sure I could find an easy way to turn it into some sort of joke if things turn out horribly. It was hard, because I knew I'd have to leave it for the night at least. Talking to her right away was out of the question. So, I'd just have to live with the thought eating me alive. It would be the only thought to occupy me that night, and I wasn't looking forward to it.

The next day, neither of us had classes. I made sure not to call too early, for I knew that…well, actually I was just making up excuses. I didn't want her to suspect anything, and calling really early (even though I wanted to) would have made her do so.

Dialing her number, I took a deep breath.

"Hello?" came her voice on the other end.

"Hey." I said, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Oh, hey Takeru." She said. The tone of her voice changed once she knew it was me.

"How are you?" I asked. I realized at once that I rarely ask such a question; at least, not anymore. We'd been dating almost a year and a half now; there was no need for small talk.

"I'm good…what's up?" she asked. I could hear the questioning in her voice.

Great…straight to the point. There was no getting around it now. "Uhh…I was just wondering if you'd like to come over tonight…whenever is fine, I'm not really doing anything. Of course, if you're doing something with Tai then he takes priority-"

"Is seven okay?" she cut me off. I was babbling like a fool.

"…Seven is fine." I answered after a deep breath. I never was one to be able to cover my feelings; at least, not when it came to her.

"I'll see you then." And then the line was silent.

Giving a sigh, I placed the phone back on the hook. Well, I'd done it, and there was no turning back. But I had to know what was going on. I had to know if I was a fool…a fool that never saw what was in front of him or a fool that sees things that aren't real. But I'd find out soon enough.

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Seven O'clock rolled around faster than I had hoped. Not that I didn't want to see her, I was just nervous about the outcome of this talk. It could either make or break our relationship, and I didn't want to lose her. But it had to be done.

The doorbell went off, and I answered it quickly. She was dressed in casual clothing, and had a light smile on her face. That look was still there…but it wasn't as it was the last time.

In silence I let her in. She knew where everything was, and how it all worked. She made her way to the couch. Hikari obviously suspected something, and knew that I was going to approach her about something. Characteristic to her quiet and polite nature, she said nothing. She would wait for me to start. That could be a while…

Finally, I let out a sigh, and looked at her. There was a very confused look in her eye, and I though I saw one of worry mixed in there as well. I couldn't leave her hanging.

"When?" Was all that came out. I must have sounded like an idiot.

The look of confusion on her face grew. "When what?" she asked quietly.

"When did you…when did you fall in love…" I trailed off. I couldn't finish it. At least at this point if she didn't know what I was talking about I could turn it into something it wasn't.

Hikari was silent for a moment, and it scared me. The look on her face was unreadable, and I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. This was no small matter. Love is a huge thing, even though it is thrown around so much by so many people. I knew it meant the same to her as it did me. She held it in the highest regards; love isn't something to fool around with. It's not a word to be thrown about carelessly and thoughtlessly, despite what it has become. It meant more than that.

A small smile crossed her face and she looked back up at me. That look was in her eyes again, and for once, I had to turn away. I felt uncomfortable under her gaze, but that was mostly because I had no idea what was running through her mind at this point.

Make your way over here, sit down by this fool, and let's rewind
C'mon, let's go back and replay all our scenes
You can point out the hints, the clues, the twists and the smiles this time
All the ones that slipped by me

"You finally noticed?" she asked, her cheeks flushed out once more.

I let out a deep breath, and smiled stupidly. "Yeah…" came my response.

Hikari giggled. "Took you long enough." She stated.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "So how long has it been?" I asked, looking at her again.

She smiled. "Long enough."

I rolled my eyes. She was toying with me, and enjoying every moment of it.

Leaning forwards, she placed her chin on my shoulder, and looked at me. I couldn't look at her right in the eye, but I knew the look she was giving me. I could almost feel the smug grin on her face. "Think about it, Takeru." She said, then shifted so that she was beside me and leaning on me. Her eyes had closed.

I bet my face is red, and you can hear my heart poundin'
Well I guess it don't matter now that I realize
'Cause baby I missed it then, but I can surely see you now
Right here before my eyes
You're my beautiful surprise

I could feel my face burning. I knew I was red; there was no doubt about it. We sat in silence for a while, I don't know for how long because I lost track of time. I was thinking again how I could have missed it. It was the little things; the things that were so subtle in nature yet they should have been major hints. But I had been blind to them all, and I was just realizing it now. But I still couldn't place it. I still couldn't find where it had all started.

She shifted some, but I knew that she wasn't asleep. She wouldn't; it was just the way she was. As well as she could pretend to be asleep, it took her a long time to sleep. And she rarely fell asleep anywhere but some sort of bed. Not the car, not the couch even. I knew that I was safe in that respect, should I wish to say something further.

I began to run through things in my mind; things that we had done together. I tried to recall if that look was there.

Was it at the coffee shop?

We used to go there on a frequent basis. Now not so much, but we still do, especially during exam periods. It could have been there, but we had visited that place so many times.

Or that morning at the bus stop
When you almost slipped, and I caught your hand

Or perhaps that time at the bus stop when it was winter. It had rained the day before, then it all froze. It's terrible weather, and definitely an adventure to get through. She had slipped just as the bus was coming, but I had reacted quickly and grabbed her. I recall now; the look was there. But I don't think it was the first time I saw it…

Or the time we built the snowman

The same day as the bus stop incident, after coming home, of course, she decided to be spontaneous and build a snowman. The poor thing didn't last very long, but it was fun. Yes…the look was there, but I'm not sure that that was the first time either.

The day at the beach, sandy and warm

The beach, perhaps? The lot of us had gone there…the older and younger digidestind alike. We went there more than once, of course, I don't think it's ever been just the two of us. The only time that happened we were in grade school…and in a completely different world. Of course, it was a world neither of us wished to return to, known as the 'dark ocean'. That's what we called it, anyways. But one time at the beach sticks out in my mind, and now that I think about it, the signs were there too. Why was it that I never saw them?

Or the night with the scary thunderstorm

Ah yes…the thunderstorm. Poor girl, she hates them. At least, she used to. Now I'm sure she's not as frightened as she was when she was younger, but childhood traumas and fears never really leave us, do they. She had come over to my place, and it started to rain. Then it started a torrential downpour, complete with a brilliant light and sound show. I found the whole thing rather fascinating, but I knew there was no way she was going to walk home in that.

We ended up just sitting on the couch for a long while…mostly in silence. She was asleep before it was over. But there was something about the way that she carried herself; even the way she acted…I should have seen it. She stayed over that night; I put her in my own bed and took the couch for that night.

I never saw the signs
Now we've got to make up for lost time
And I can tell now by the way that you're looking at me
I'd better finish this song so my lips will be free

I let out a sigh, and I guess it was bigger than I thought it had been. I watched as the corners of her lips curved up into a grin.

"Sorry", I said.

Slowly, her eyes opened, the grin never fading. "Don't worry about it", she said softly.

I smiled back at her, then leaned my head back against the couch.

Have you been waiting long, when did you fall in love
I kept you waiting so long, when did you fall
Have you been waiting long
When did you fall in love with me
When did you fall in love

Maybe I'll never know. It's just one of those things, I guess…but what still strikes me is how long it took me to figure it out. It's obviously been a while on her part, and I was just too dense to see through it. But at least I finally caught on, right? She won't be waiting forever anymore. Hikari's a patient girl, but I'm surprised that she put up with this. I don't know how many others would have gotten fed up with me and said something. Not Hikari, though. I had to figure it out for myself. It certainly makes things interesting…

It was getting late, and I knew that she had to get home. I finally glanced at the clock and realized just how late it was. It was close to nine; we had been there for three hours. Now, nine is not really late, but when you have a class at eight the next morning, and the bus comes at seven…nine is late enough. And she wasn't even home yet. I was lucky that my class tomorrow was in the afternoon.

"It's late", I stated. Her only response was a light moan. That meant she didn't want to care, but knew she had to.

"Come on, Hika…Your class is early in the morning. I can't have you missing that."

She sighed, and sat up. Her hair was a mess, but she didn't seem to care. "Fine…since you seem to want me to leave so badly…" Hikari then proceeded to get up and leave. Quickly, I stood and grabbed her arm.

"It's not that I want you to go, I just know that you had better so that you can get and education, and do something with your life."

She merely gave me a look that clearly said 'oh yeah?', and crossed her arms. So, I copied her. This made her lose her composure and she began to laugh.

"You're okay going home?" I asked.

She nodded. "I got the car. Mom and Dad are away for the weekend so they're letting me borrow it."

"Alright, then. I'll see you tomorrow…"

I leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. She smiled, and left the apartment. I heard the car leave, and went back to the couch. That certainly was a load off my mind. But I still couldn't believe what a fool I must have seemed…to her and to everyone else who had picked up on it. But that's life…and there's nothing that I could do about it. At least now I could figure out my own feelings.

What would happen in the future, I didn't know. But I was willing to see. That's one of the things about a relationship; you've got to take it one step at a time. Hopefully I haven't learned that the hard way.

Calmer of the Storm: So that's my story! I know it's not very interesting…and it's not the best…but w/e. It is what it is. I might do another song fic…probably my last…but we'll see.