a/n: sorry for the wait! happy December (:
"You're already done? Nice work, Hikari-chan." A third-year with long hair in a samurai bun glanced over the article she had just turned in. "Looks good. I'll hand it to copy for editing. You're good to go."
"Thanks, Yoshiki-senpai. Sorry I have to leave so early today. I know we're facing a lot of deadlines," she apologized.
He shook his head. "Deadlines, yes. But you got all of your work done and turned in ahead of time, so don't worry about it. Take it easy, okay?"
"Mhmm! Thank you!" She gave him a bow and an innocent smile, then turned to grab her bag from her workstation.
"Hikari-chan, you heading out already?" Miyashita peered around her computer. Her curls were tied up in a bun that almost comically matched Yoshiki's, and Hikari bit back a laugh.
"Miya-chan! Yep, something came up unexpectedly, so I have to go meet up with some old friends."
"Is that what Takaishi-kun came about earlier?" Arisa happened to walk by at that moment, her arms full of folders and magazine clippings. She gaped upon seeing Hikari's spotless workspace. "Wait, Hika-chan, are you done with your feature already?"
Hikari nodded sheepishly. "I had some help, so it went a lot faster than I expected."
"She has good work ethic. Unlike the rest of us." Arisa's twin swiveled around in his seat to join the other second years in conversation. "Yagami, I'll walk you to the gate."
"It's okay, Aren-kun. It isn't far," Hikari told him, while inwardly wondering what was with all of her guy friends lately. They were all acting strange and unpredictable.
Arisa smirked at her brother's sudden aggressiveness. "Ought to ask Mr. EIC first if it's okay to skip out on your work, you knight in shining armor. See you tomorrow, Hika-chan!"
"I heard everything!" Yoshiki called from the printing room. "Aren-kun, go for it! Knight in shining armor!"
"Yoshiki-senpai is probably the most easy going editor-in-chief this club has ever had," Miyashita commented.
Unable to dissuade Aren from accompanying her, Hikari reluctantly bid farewell to her friends and the rest of the publication club. Aren scooped up her school bag and accompanied her for the short walk to the school gates. Just about every living female they passed swooned, but he had eyes only for the petite brown haired girl beside him.
"Is everything okay, Yagami?" He gazed down at her in concern from his model's height.
She was like a fairy, waving her slender hands. "I'm fine, Aren-kun. Really! But thank you for your concern."
He smiled, darkly handsome. "If anything happens, let me know."
He loved the way that she always leaned forward a bit, pulling her arms behind her back girlishly as she looked up at him with that sweet smile of hers. "Hehe, we'll see."
When they arrived, he passed her bag to her gallantly, giving the waiting Takeru another cold nod of acknowledgment.
Takeru could feel Aren's eyes burning into the back of his head as he and Hikari walked away.
"You're so popular you get a personal escort and bag boy in one, huh?" he remarked dryly. He had brought an umbrella just in case, but the on-and-off rain had stopped mid-afternoon. No chance to share an umbrella with her, though he would have loved to right at this very moment, especially since Aren was watching. He slipped it into his gym bag reluctantly. Alas, not even the weather was on his side.
She tilted her head to the side. Time to get revenge for earlier. "Takeru-kun, are you jealous?" Her little movements and clear voice were entrancing as usual.
But Takeru was prepared. "I don't have to be." And it was true.
He smiled, green eyes resting warmly on her, and that small feeling of happiness found her again. She didn't have a name for it yet. It was precious to her, as was everything else between them, but it was unfamiliar and too different to categorize. She sat in it and let it mull over until they got to the river underpass, where it would be replaced by thoughts of the Digital World.
"Oh, Hikari. So Takeru told you," Taichi said as they arrived.
Hikari and Takeru exchanged knowing smiles.
"Takeru-kun told me this time, but you really should get better at using your phone, oniichan," Hikari scolded lightly.
"Ehhh…" Taichi groaned. "Yamato told me Takeru would most likely tell you though.."
Takeru shot his older brother a withering glare and was returned a broad grin complete with a tooth-flash.
"Oh, he's here! Jou-senpai!" Sora exclaimed suddenly.
"Jou-senpaaai!" Mimi ran towards Jou as he approached and gave the final chosen a giant hug. "It's been so long! I missed you!"
Jou blushed at her forwardness, but said fondly, "Mimi-kun, you're as energetic as ever."
Sora joined the two of them on the riverbank. "Sorry for calling you out here… you must be really busy with your studies."
He raised a hand in dismissal. "Nah, don't worry about it. There was something I wanted to talk to you all about anyways."
Hikari noticed that his expression grew heavy as he said this.
Once they had all gathered around, Koushirou opened up his laptop. He had been keeping a methodical record of all the events as they transpired, and in a crisp manner began reporting these to the group.
"It appears as if these distortions are the primary cause of both the power outages and the appearances of infected Digimon," he deduced.
Hikari and Takeru were kneeling on the ground between their respective older brothers. Takeru felt it necessary to be close to her whenever possible. He wasn't going to take any chances.
"Oniichan, did you talk to Nishijima-sensei?" Hikari turned toward her brother, prompting the attentive Takeru to look up at him as well.
"He wasn't at school today," Taichi answered.
Mimi spoke up. "Did you all see the news this morning?"
"It's cruel of them, isn't it?" Hikari's wide eyes filled with sadness.
"It's not fair for Patamon and the others." Takeru seemed to complete her thought. As usual, they were on the same page.
Yamato, who had been silent as he listened to Koushirou's summary, spoke up irritably. "I'll have my dad put in a word of complaint at the broadcasting station."
"They're just using scare tactics to increase viewership," Jou added in disgust.
"But there was some truth to it," Taichi interjected. His voice was unusually calm. "Kuwagamon's appearance and our fighting… it caused a lot of damage in Odaiba and at the airport. Seeing that, I…"
Hikari started at her brother's polarizing comment. Here it was again… this foreign feeling she had been getting from him lately. It was the same feeling she had gotten when he saw her at Haneda; he had been tense and unhappy to see her there amidst the fighting. She could tell from the look on his face that this had been bothering him since yesterday.
"But… if Agumon and the others hadn't fought, there would have been even more damage!" Mimi cried.
There had been times when they had disagreed and taken sides before, but this was the first time the chosen had seen Taichi so complacent. A odd tension filled the air—a sense of disunity.
Yamato decided to address it head on. "I agree. I can't just stand by watching our friends take all of the blame for this. Taichi, what are you trying to say?"
Takeru regarded his brother warily. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hikari doing the same. Takeru knew that the dynamics of their group depended largely on Hikari, who knew Taichi better than anyone and also had an unusual sensitivity to the Digital World.
"Why are you hesitating?" Yamato's voice continued to rise. "Something is happening, and we're the only ones with the power to do something."
Where are you? Where is our leader when we need him?
"But still…" Taichi remained unyielding.
"But what?" Yamato interrupted. A cold fury build up inside him as he looked upon his best friend and rival. He knew Taichi was right—there had been damage and casualties, and it wouldn't hurt to exercise caution. Maybe his anger was irrational, but something about Taichi's demeanor irked him.
Who do you think you are? Don't look down on us. Are you too good for us now?
"Have you forgotten, Taichi? Did you forget our time in the Digital World and how we fought, we and our Digimon, all putting our lives on the line to save the world?"
"There's no way I would forget!" The fire in Taichi's voice made everyone grow still.
They could see now that Taichi had no intention of giving up on their shared experiences and responsibility. He was just as angry, just as indignant, just as thirsty for justice as the rest of them.
Then why? What is it, oniichan? Hikari quietly studied the resolve in her brother's face.
"So then, why?" Yamato seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Taichi!"
"Yamato, calm down." Sora placed a hand on his trembling arm.
Her words cooled his anger to a bitter dismissal. "If you're going to be that way, there's no use. What a pointless meeting." He turned and stalked away.
"Niisan…" Takeru murmured.
"Hey! Yamato, wait!" Taichi called.
The lone wolf refused to heed his friend's voice.
"Taichi…" Sora looked defeated, almost pleading.
He turned away from the group. "Sorry. I'm heading out for today."
Sora could only watch despairingly as they both walked away, unable to anchor either of them.
Takeru gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay. I'll follow up with niisan later."
"Me too," Hikari added, stepping up to stand beside him. They nodded in mutual understanding. Cleaning up after their brothers was something they were accustomed to, but the situation was a bit more dire than usual.
"Alright," Sora sighed. "Guess that's it for today then."
Mimi, ever the moodmaker, promptly exclaimed, "I'm starving! Anyone down to grab some food?"
They all managed to break a smile at this. Even Koushirou looked up from his laptop.
"I've got to study, so…" Jou hedged.
"It might help to take a break for a change, Jou-san," Hikari suggested.
The oldest chosen shook his head seriously. "Not me. I don't even have time to see my own girlfriend, for goodness sake."
Silence, except for the placid bubbling of the river.
"GIRLFRIEND?!"
In unison, they exploded (except for Hikari) and surrounded Jou in various states of shock and utter denial.
Koushirou had to reassess. "Jou-senpai, you have a girlfriend?"
Mimi couldn't believe her ears. "No way… that's not possible!"
Takeru was skeptical. "Is she… human?"
"Takeru-kun, that's a bit harsh.." Hikari remarked in the background.
Takeru and Koushirou shared similar sentiments: Jou beat me to it?
Jou deflated a bit at their reactions but tried to regain some dignity. "You don't believe me? Well, I am the oldest, and as such, I have the right to take hold of happiness!"
Mimi gave a robotic response. "Everyone, let us believe him."
Robots, the lot of them (except for Hikari, who stood by with a comical sweatdrop). "We believe him."
"Like hell you do!"
Koushirou decided to return to his office to study the distortions further. Jou obviously had studying to do (or perhaps he was meeting his supposed girlfriend?). Takeru realized that only the girls were left and read the atmosphere, seeing that Mimi wanted to have some girl time. He remarked that he may be able to make basketball practice after all and sidled off.
And so, Hikari found herself eating monjayaki with the two other female chosen. They were all older now, but conversation still came as easily as it had many years ago. Now that they were older, it made sense that the topic of their conversations would be a bit different than before.
"What were we talking about again?" Hikari prompted. They had somehow managed to sneak their awkwardly disguised Digimon into the store and were seated at the most inconspicuous table in the back.
"Taichi and Yamato," Sora said glumly. And thought, idiots.
Mimi was busy marveling at the wonder that is Japanese street food. "This is amazing! It's been forever!" Taking a bite, she pointed her now empty spatula at Sora sternly. "Oh, leave them be."
Sora looked understandingly disconcerted. "But…"
Mimi's eyes glinted. "Can't get them off your mind, eh? They've both become quite handsome too… what're you gonna do, Sora-san?"
Hikari giggled softly as an embarrassed Sora quickly stuffed food into her mouth to avoid the pointed question. Hikari didn't exactly envy any girl who had to deal with Taichi as a guy—he was a loving older brother, but he was incredibly dense when it came to girls and their feelings.
Hikari wasn't getting away completely unscathed, though; Mimi quickly saw to that.
"Hikari-chan~" she sang knowingly, and Hikari flinched.
"This is really good, isn't it?" Hikari, like Sora, focused on her food with renewed fervor.
Mimi wasn't buying it. "What about you and Takeru-kun?"
"Hikari-chan and Takeru-kun?" Sora repeated, in her naivety not exactly seeing what Mimi was implying. "They're good friends, as always."
"Just friends? I was getting completely different vibes."
"Ahh," Sora said in recognition.
"Ahh," Tailmon and Biyomon echoed. Only Palmon seemed confused.
So it wasn't just the kids at school. Everyone, even the Digimon, suspected something was up between them.
"It's nothing like that! He means a lot to me… but he's kind of like a brother…" she trailed off, remembering suddenly the way he had smelled when he shielded her from falling back at Haneda airport. "Now's not really the time to think about things like that. There are more important things for us to confront."
Mimi waved her spatula like a pointer. "Non, non, Hikari-chan! How you feel is the most important!"
"She's right, Hikari-chan," Sora was motherly as ever. "I think it's worth thinking about if it means something to you. You don't always have to ignore yourself."
"You're one to talk," Mimi smirked, immediately silencing Sora, who could only blush in response.
Takeru-kun, meaning something…
"He has been kind of different lately," Hikari spoke up. "...but he's Takeru-kun."
She emphasized his name in a way that reminded Mimi and Sora of the little boy with the green hat.
"He's popular and he likes hanging out with girls, but that kind of thing is so far from the Takeru-kun I know. And I want to keep it that way."
It wasn't that Hikari was unaware of those sort of romantic feelings. She knew that if she bothered to look closely enough, she might even find them between herself and Takeru. There was that fluttering, nervous sort of happiness that she was feeling around him lately. But to acknowledge that it was romance would go against everything that they were. His suave lines and the fun, flippant attitude he had towards girls—he was so much more than that. She wasn't keen on opening that side of him up. Everything between them meant too much to be categorized under a lighthearted and frivolous word like "romance." It was far too precious.
Mimi and Sora listened solemnly, seeming to understand where she was coming from.
"That's true," Mimi said. "Takeru seems different from when you both visited me in New York. But not in a bad way. Actually, he seems more grown up."
"I think so too," Tailmon agreed suddenly. She had a vested interest in Hikari's happiness.
Hikari closed her eyes in reflection. "Does he?"
Was the Takeru she was seeing frozen in time? In her memories?
"He's always been protective of you, Hikari-chan," Sora elaborated. "That hasn't changed. But… lately I think he's decided what his biggest priorities are. And he has the resolve to do just about anything to protect what's important to him."
"He certainly seems the most sane out of all the guys," Mimi interjected dryly.
"Mm.." Hikari was unsure of what to think of all of this. "What about you, Mimi-san? I think Koushirou-san looked interested."
Mimi burst out laughing… in embarrassment? "Hahahaha, me? You think I'm read to be tied down to some guy? I left all the hot ones back in America!"
"Mimi's acting weird," Palmon whispered to Tailmon and Biyomon, who nodded conspiratorially.
"Palmon, I heard that! Am not!" Mimi protested. "As for Koushirou… well, he's gotten taller…" she flushed faintly, then rushed to regain composure. "Uh, but his clothes could use some serious work!"
Hikari and Sora cracked up together at this.
"You haven't changed one bit!"
Digiegg 5: Facts, Taichi & Hikari's home
Is actually pretty famous in Japan among Digimon fans because it has a very distinct landmark in front of it. Weird, striped archways that look like empty door frames. You can see these in both the series and the movie, and believe it or not, this actually exists in real life! It's in Odaiba, in front of an actual apartment complex that looks exactly like where Taichi and Hikari (and Koushirou) live.