a/n: HAPPY WINTER. It's freezing in western Japan! hope you're all staying safe and warm.
Got a bit of a long one... just another mishmash of scenes that have been smoldering in the back of my headcanon for tri. Written in bits and pieces, so sorry if it feels a bit disconnected. May come back and clean it up later, but I wanted to just get it out for now.
"Mimi-chan, Meiko-chan! Over here!" Sora called.
Taichi raised his eyebrows. The dark haired girl was gazing timidly at them from behind Mimi's back on the far side of the gym. While she had finally returned to school, they had half-expected her to turn down Mimi's invitation, especially after what happened at the last school festival. Definitely not something you would look back upon fondly years down the road. He and Sora exchanged a glance.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," she told him. "But remember, we're all supposed to help Meiko-chan have fun today, so make an effort."
She gave Yamato, who had been busy craning his neck for a glimpse of his precious younger brother, a serious side-eye.
"What? I know that," he grumbled distractedly. There was a squawk of recognition in the distance, and he ducked behind her. "Seriously beginning to regret coming… too many middle school girls. Not my forte."
"You should have thought of that before you decided to start a rock band," Taichi commented dryly.
It was early, but the gym was already filled with people either waiting for the match to begin or just trying to take cover from the heat. It was good that they had ultimately decided to leave the Digimon at Koushirou's office—they would have stood out despite the number of school mascots and kids with stuffed animals running around. Several rows of plastic foldable chairs had been lined carefully up on either side of the court for the match, occupied by proud looking grandfathers, parents slinging whining toddlers over their necks to give them a better view, and college students on summer dates. Students from Odaiba Middle School draped themselves over the second floor railing overlooking the gym and sat wherever else there was room, dressed in everything from their school uniforms to maid costumes.
"Geez! There are sooo many people!"
"H-hello!"
Mimi and Meiko had finally made it across the gym.
"Isn't it crazy? You think they're all here to see Takeru-kun?" Taichi joked.
"Of course," Yamato cut in proudly before he had to hide again from a group of cheerleaders who went running by.
"Hmm, what about Hikari-chan?" Sora looked around, but it would be impossible to find her in the sea of middle schoolers on the second floor.
"Probably with her classmates. She said she'd be here though. Something about recording the match for Koushirou," Taichi answered. For all of the people there, he certainly stood out as well, with his wild shock of hair and bronzed skin. Plenty of girls were casting their group curious looks, even with Yamato's efforts to stay inconspicuous.
"And Jou-senpai? I thought he was coming with his girlfriend," Mimi put in.
"You just missed them. His girlfriend wanted a drink, so they went to go get something," Sora said.
"So she does exist!" Mimi cried.
"Apparently. Sora's the only one who saw them," Yamato said. He and Taichi still looked a bit skeptical.
"Will they be coming back?" Meiko asked cautiously. She had to admit she was a bit curious, having never had a boyfriend herself. Besides that, it was good to find other things to think about, to distract herself with.
"It's supposed to be a date, so Jou-senpai said that they would be sitting somewhere else. We should probably let them go around on their own," Sora explained.
"Oh poo. Did you manage to hear about how they met?" Mimi said.
"Something about a bicycle. I didn't have enough time to ask about much more than that."
"A bicycle? So it wasn't like at cram school or something? Oooh, I'm dying of curiosity! I guess we'll have to find them and squeeze it out of him later… right, Meimei?"
"Um, right!"
There was a burst of applause and whooping as some of the basketball team members came into the gym.
"Ah, there's Takeru," Taichi said, and Yamato couldn't help but peek out from behind his cover.
"Hey, you're right! Takeru-kun~~" Mimi yelled.
Said basketball star was on the court surrounded by several teammates in their white and forest green uniforms. Though he grinned and participated in their banter, he was mostly preoccupied by thoughts of fair skin and soft brown eyes. Primarily how those eyes had been fixed somewhat foreignly on him on Saturday afternoon. There was still no telling what it was. He knew what he wanted it to be, but he didn't let himself draw those easy, indulgent conclusions. This was the girl who was always one step ahead, who was always privy to some deep secret he was only beginning to understand. She would never be as simple as that.
"Takaishi, I think someone's calling you," a teammate mentioned, pulling him away from his thoughts.
He turned and waved. It was hard to miss them, as Mimi was jumping up and down and flailing her arms. "There's my brother and his friends. I'm going to go say hi before we start," he said.
"Hmm, so that's the famous Yamato-san," Yamanaka commented as Takeru joined the group of high schoolers. The older boy had finally surfaced from behind his cover to give his younger brother a good hair ruffling.
"Eh, he's okay," Suzuki quipped. He leaned down to stretch out his calves. "I'm not a huge fan of that rock-boy aesthetic, but I guess I see where Takaishi gets his so-called looks."
Most of the cheerleaders had filed onto the court after the boys, tugging on their skirts and fluffing up their pom-poms. Overhearing them, Ogawa jumped in. "Omg, Yamato-san's here?!"
"No way!" Kikuchi gasped.
"There he is! Any chance we can go say hi too, and like, get introduced?"
At this, some of the other cheerleaders joined their conversation. "Ooh, take us with you!"
"Ogawa-senpai, do you know who any of the other girls are? You think one of them's his girlfriend?"
She made a face. "That would really suck."
"Who's that guy next to Yamato-san? He's super cute too," one of the other second year cheerleaders giggled. "I call dibs on him."
"Now he's more my style," Suzuki nodded, wanting to join in on the fun. "Wait… doesn't he look a little familiar?"
"Isn't that Yagami-san's older brother?"
They all turned to Fujioka, who calmly shifted his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It was mostly out of habit, as he was wearing sports glasses that rarely ever slipped but instead left marks around his eyes that made him look vaguely like a panda.
"Takeru-kun, oniichan, everyone!" As if to corroborate his claim, Hikari materialized from within the group of middle school students on the second floor and made her way quickly down the stairs in graceful jumps.
She was still in her uniform (her class' play wasn't scheduled to start until later that afternoon), but absent from her short brown hair was the trademark barrette that always kept her bangs neatly clipped to the side. They fell sweetly above her eyes.
"Hikari-chan!"
"Hikari, what happened to your hair?"
Mimi frowned. "What do you mean, 'what happened,' Taichi-san? It's obviously for her class' play! And it's adorable—doesn't it just remind you of when she was younger?" She turned and pinched one of Hikari's cheeks as the latter giggled and tried to escape.
"Yeah, I haven't seen your hair like that since we were little. It's cute," Takeru agreed lightly, while also having an internal panic-attack. Even the slightest change in hairstyle was enough to launch a thousand ships on the scale of his attraction to her. Of course, he kept the usual pleasant expression on his face, so to any onlookers, it was just a charming compliment.
"Good morning, Hikari-san. Your hair looks lovely," Meiko added.
The group of basketball players and cheerleaders watched her assimilate into the group without much effort. Takeru moved over to make room for her in their little huddle between himself and Yamato. She said something to her brother, who reached out and ruffled her loose bangs with a teasing smile, then turned attentively as Yamato asked her something.
"Yagami-senpai's so lucky… I wish I had an older brother like that," a first year standing between Andou and Kikuchi sighed.
"I had no idea he was so hot," the girl beside her piped up.
"And he's apparently really good at soccer. You know Daisuke-kun, from the soccer team? He's studying abroad right now, but he was in my class first year, and he idolizes Yagami-san's older brother. He never shuts up about him. Or Yagami-san, come to think of it."
"I'm more jealous that she's close with both Takaishi-kun and Yamato-san," a second year said.
"They really do look like a family, don't they?" Andou said quickly. She glanced at Kikuchi, who had been tight-lipped and quiet ever since Hikari showed up.
Suzuki coughed. "Yeah, like they've been saying."
The whole family thing was supposed to be—and had been, for the most part—reassuring, but for some reason seeing Hikari's closeness with the older group was disheartening. Particularly Yamato, who had a reputation for being a bit aloof with the opposite gender. But there was a relaxed and affectionate half-smile on his face as she held up her phone and explained something to the group. Not at all the sharp, cold gaze he was famous for.
Kikuchi clenched her fists as she followed the sticky tape residue that had marked their routine positions during practice with her eyes, letting the extreme focus calm her down. Voices and cheering filled the gym, reminding her that there was a show to put on. She was a cheerleader. Their basketball team was about to play an important game. Cheerleaders, of all people, needed to remain spirited.
With a pang of guilt, she realized that all this time, she had only been cheering for a certain blonde haired boy. Every game, every practice. Well, today would be different.
"Yeah, it's okay," Kikuchi said with a hard smile, surprising them. She turned heated eyes to Suzuki and the other basketball team members. "You guys better win, okay? After all, you got us cheering for you."
It was a tough match. Their opponents, from an elite private school near Tsukishima, were well-trained and focused, one of their biggest rivals during the typical season. The heat was slowly creeping in despite multiple industrial sized fans blasting away. Still, it was invigorating. Both teams seemed to benefit quite a bit from keeping the crowd on their toes—each struggle to control the ball was met with tense excitement, while each successful pass got a good deal of cheering and applause.
Everything was foreign to Meiko, who sat between Sora and Mimi and took everything in with wide black eyes. The lean, sweaty bodies jostling each other down on the court. The squeaking of sneakers. The cheerleaders who seemed to scream and wave their pom-poms with all the strength they could muster.
She clenched her hands together, enraptured, as the score went back and forth, each player unrelenting and valiant. The match dragged on, and people waved their paper fans to ward off the heat.
Don't they get tired? Meiko stared, fascinated by the desperation not to let a single point slip by. Don't they just want to stop?
They were warriors. Especially Takeru. He had always been blindingly perfect, but on the court he was brilliant. Here, there were no nice hats or trendy jackets, no flirtatious comments. He was Apollo on his chariot. She thought she was staring into the sun.
"Having fun?"
She turned. Sora was smiling kindly at her, having noticed how taken she was with the match.
"Yes," she murmured. And it was true.
She hadn't been entirely sure that she would have fun. At first, she wasn't even sure why she had said yes to Mimi's enthusiastic invitation to the festival, especially after everything that had happened. Especially with Meicoomon still out there somewhere, wandering and seething. Maybe it was to run away from all of that, in part. But another part of her seemed to realize that there wouldn't be many more chances to spend time with the increasingly compelling chosen group. Their closely knit bonds. The unspoken reassurance and trust. She wanted to join them—she wanted to step into the light where they were and stand with them. She wanted their help.
"Takeru-san is shining," she said suddenly.
Sora blinked. The younger boy looked no different from his teammates, though he certainly was playing very well. "I guess he is, isn't he," she agreed.
Meiko nodded, not taking her eyes off the game. Behind her, Sora and Mimi exchanged relieved smiles.
On the court, the tide was slowly turning. Their opponents were tough, but it seemed today that each of the boys on the Odaiba Middle School team were particularly motivated for various reasons. Most were on fire after what had been an outstanding performance from the cheer team. Suzuki in particular was putting up quite a fight, unable to forget Kikuchi's words from earlier.
Takeru wiped his forehead with his arm during a lull in the action. He couldn't remember the last time everyone had come to watch one of his matches. Even Jou was out there somewhere in the crowd with his girlfriend—supposedly. And Hikari, of course. Hikari with her bangs loose, her phone in her hand (live broadcasting to Koushirou and the Digimon at the office). He half-wondered whether she was still looking at him the same way she had on Saturday on the way back from Ken's apartment.
"You know, she's supposed to start getting ready for the play by 10 am, but she got special permission to be a bit late," Fujioka had informed him before the match as they went through some light stretches. "She said she wanted to watch the match to the end. Wonder why, huh?"
As he ran down the court, the ball snapping perfectly from the floor into his hands, the hoop came into view. Seeing it reminded him of the decision he had made during their 3-on-3 practice matches, and everything seemed to fall away again. The crowds faded out. His opponents and teammates disappeared. Suddenly it was just him, the hoop, and her.
And one more person. He glanced to the side and caught sight of the older boy with spiky brown hair. His arms were crossed, and his gaze was intensely focused. For an electrifying moment, their eyes met, and Takeru was surprised. Taichi's expression wasn't combative. It wasn't watching him as if to evaluate him. It was resigned. The look of someone who had already accepted defeat.
Go for it, he seemed to say, nodding gravely towards the hoop. You've already got it.
Was Taichi saying the unthinkable? Had he already won?
When the final whistle filled the gym and his team piled around him in celebration, all he could see was her face in the crowd.
It registered somewhere in his mind that there were people yelling at him and holding out hands for slapping, but he kept his eyes locked on her. He shook off his rowdy teammates with quick high-fives and grins, and stopped to compliment Kikuchi's performance (to her delight) when she casually drifted into his line of sight. But he was only truly keen on heading to where she stood, peeking out at him from over her brother's shoulder.
She had been planning on running right up to him and throwing her arms around his neck, but despite Mimi's urging glances, that inkling of boldness she had uncovered days ago suddenly curled up on itself. It had less to do with the prospect of hugging him—that had happened more times than she could count—and more to do with the fear that he would suddenly become aware of her changing feelings. And what then?
She held on to the edge of her brother's sleeve with unsure fingers, watching him under the cover of her loose bangs as he exchanged hi-fives with Mimi and Sora and received a large bear-hug and fist-bump from his own brother.
"Takeru, omedetou. You were awesome out there." Her brother was saying.
"Thanks, Taichi-san."
At once, he was there, sea green eyes searching for and trying to hold hers. She gave him a quick smile to hide her embarrassment, but found that words would not come.
He stood and waited patiently for her to say something. The older members were all staring at them with varying degrees of interest, both understanding of (the girls) and oblivious to (the guys) the strange atmosphere between the two youngest. Mimi seemed to be shooting Hikari some sort of telepathic message.
Hikari frowned to herself. This was what she had been afraid of before she opened that door to her changing feelings—not being able to act normally around Takeru. It wasn't a very positive development for her, given that there weren't many people she could fully open up to. He had been one of them. She distinctly felt their years-old friendship slipping away.
"Hey," Taichi said. He suddenly swung one arm around her shoulders and the other around Takeru, bringing them closer together in an embrace that felt utterly familial. "What are you spacing out for, Hikari? You nervous for your play or something? Takeru just won the game."
They were seven again in Taichi's arms.
She breathed out, relaxed. "Hehe, sorry. Congrats, Takeru-kun. You were amazing."
"Thanks to you," he said.
Her eyes widened, but before she could say anything, he added, "And everyone else. For cheering me on."
"Hika-chaaaan!"
They turned. Takeda Mami was waving her arms at them from the second floor of the gym, wearing a gauzy pink costume. She gestured to the watch on her wrist.
"Better get going," Taichi said, giving Hikari's shoulder a pat.
"Yeah…" She felt brave again for a moment and turned to Takeru. "See you there?"
The sincerity in his eyes thrilled her. "Wouldn't miss it."
"Woah, what's all this?"
There was a huge bustling line of mostly girls who were shoving and fighting to get into class 2-B.
"Well…" Sora checked the room number briefly. "This is supposed to be the RPG cafe that Takeru-kun's class is running."
They watched blankly as the door slid open and a group of girls were led inside. It was only open for a minute, but they could see that the room was jam-packed with girls who were all shrieking and giggling. The open spot in line closed up immediately, replaced by at least ten other groups of eager girls.
"Uh… you guys go on ahead," Taichi said, waving his hand. "I don't know if I want to be a part of that."
Yamato could not agree more. Nothing was worth having to plunge into a sea of teenage girls. Not even the prospect of seeing his younger brother in a costume. "I think I may just make things worse," he muttered.
"Boo, you two are no fun," Mimi stuck her tongue out. "Fine! Sora-san, Meimei, let's go before the line gets any longer!"
"A-actually Mimi-san," Meiko stammered, holding back. Her face had been devoid of all color since seeing the frenzied crowd. "Would you mind if I wait outside? I'd like to get some fresh air."
To her relief, the peppy younger girl smiled brightly. "Of course! Are you sure you don't want to come? We can wait for you!"
She answered quickly. "No, that's alright, I wouldn't want to keep you."
"Come on, Mimi-chan!" Sora, reading Meiko's reluctance to join the throng of girls in the classroom, quickly pulled Mimi away before she could insist any more.
"Sora, take pictures!" Yamato called after them.
"Whew…" Meiko released the breath she had been holding.
She would have certainly gone into a sneezing fit from the stress of being in such an intense crowd. And she wouldn't have known how to act around Takeru anyway, especially after how he had shined down on the basketball court. He was nice, but there was something that was difficult about him. She came out of interactions with him feeling raw and exhausted, as if she'd been in direct sunlight for hours. So, one bullet dodged. But as she gazed upon her remaining company, she realized that there was a newfound problem.
"Well, what should we do now?" Yamato asked gruffly.
"Wait, I guess. They'll be out before Hikari's play," Taichi answered.
Meiko flinched as he suddenly glanced at her.
"You wanted to go outside, right? There are some benches in the yard." He gestured out the window with a jerk of the shoulder.
She nodded hesitantly, not knowing how else to respond.
The courtyard was filling up pretty quickly with people resting and munching on food before the play, which was one of the main draws of the Odaiba middle school festival. Class 2-D was known for putting on an impressive performance every year, so much so that it drew people from other areas as well. The three of them went down and grabbed one of the last open benches. Neither Yamato nor Taichi were talkers, so they sat there in silence, staring at their phones, which Meiko supposed suited her just fine.
"Oh, shoot," Yamato said abruptly as his phone started buzzing. "Yeah, dad? Yeah. Uhuh. He won. Hold on, I can't hear you very well." He gave them a 'just-a-sec' sort of gesture, then stood and walked around the corner to get away from the laughing and chatting in the courtyard.
Alone. An empty panic started to rise in Meiko's chest as she peered to her right at the tanned, athletic boy beside her. He looked up suddenly, as if realizing something, and she quickly looked away, startled.
"Uh, sorry," he said.
It took a few seconds for her to realize he was talking to her. He had pocketed his phone.
'Remember, we're all supposed to help Meiko-Chan have fun today, so make an effort.'
"So… what did you think of the game?" He asked, Sora's words from earlier still ringing in his head.
Something in his tone and the awkward expression on his face told her that he was just forcing himself to be friendly. But it wasn't all bad. There was a strange sort of warmth to his demeanor.
"It was… incredible. Everyone seemed so alive," she said.
This seemed to puzzle him. "Yeah, I guess."
Silence. Meiko fretted inwardly. Had her answer been weird?
"When… do you usually feel the most alive?" Even as it left his lips, he knew it was a dumb question.
She hadn't been expecting him to pick up the slack. "Um…."
When did she feel the most alive? Behind her eyes she could see the lush green of the woods that were her backyard back in Tottori. The bubbling sounds of a river. And Meicoomon calling out to her.
Hot tears welled up before she could stop them.
She had been quiet for too long. He noticed. Leaned forward, shoulders tensed in concern.
"Sorry if I made you think of something sad. Maybe… let's talk about something else." He cringed inwardly. Sora was going to kill him.
She sniffed quite loudly, as if trying to inhale back all of the tears that had escaped her control. She had promised herself not to cry in front of them. Especially not him. For some reason, seeing Taichi, and the way he seemed to shoulder something much bigger than the rest, was enough to help quell the sadness momentarily.
I'm not the only one, she told herself.
"T-that's okay. I'm sorry for always making things so depressing."
"No." He looked at her. He had a perplexed sort of look on his face, but his brown eyes were warm. "It's okay, you know. To be sad. You don't have to hold it in."
The kindness that was rough around the edges seemed to mop up the rest of her sadness.
"I'm really okay." She offered him a whisper of a smile.
He blinked, said nothing. He craned his neck around to see where his best friend/rival had gone. "Where the hell did Yamato go, anyway?" He muttered to himself.
He's nice, she thought.
"You must be excited for Hikari-san's play," she brought up.
He coughed nonchalantly in response. "Yeah, I guess."
"She must be very important to you," she observed gravely.
"Mhm." He wasn't sure what made him continue talking. Perhaps it was the fact that she was being completely serious rather than teasing about his "sister-complex," as most of the others were. "She's… the most important person to me, but..."
Meiko tilted her head in curiosity. "'But?'"
"Ah." Taichi realized he had let more of his inner worry out than he'd been intending. "Yeah. Well, she's growing up. We all are."
It didn't take a rocket scientist to understand that his concern had to do with a certain dazzling blonde-haired boy. She wondered for a moment how it must feel like to be Hikari, to be so simultaneously loving and loved. Did she ever look at herself in the mirror and wonder if it would be easier to just stop?
"Hikari-san is very grown up. I think she's a perfect fit for Nausicaa," she said, graciously sliding into a new topic. "It's one of my favorite stories…"
"Hmm. Why?"
"I admire the character of Nausicaa. She has a strong heart, and she's not afraid to protect those she cares about, even when she knows she doesn't stand a chance." Her dark eyes grew misty and blank as she curled her fingers into her palms. She gripped them hard, so hard that they would leave marks. "I could never be like that."
He had been only half-interested in the conversation until then (one quarter of his mind was busy thinking about Takeru and Hikari, while the other quarter was busy thinking about food), but something about her last words brought her solemn face back into focus and chilled him deep down. He narrowed his eyes.
"Yo! Sorry about that." Before he could say anything, Yamato and his impeccable timing came scooting back around the corner.
"Hmm, should we give up already, Mimi-Chan? I don't know if we're ever going to be able to get in before Hikari-Chan's play," Sora said with a worried look.
"But we're almost there!" Mimi pleaded.
There were only two more groups in front of them. Sora sighed, knowing that a resolute Mimi was absolutely unbudging.
"Alright, but we're not going to be late to the play."
The door to the classroom slid open then, and all of the girls around them gasped.
"Sorry for the wait!" Takeru stood there, resplendent in a white and crimson outfit that perfectly complemented his blonde locks and bright green eyes. He waved the next group of girls in to be led to their seats by another waiter, and they swooned as they passed him.
"Ah! Takeru-Kun!" Sora called. "Over here!"
"Sora-San, Mimi-san!" He left his post for a moment to go over to them. "You came!"
"Of course! Oh, look at you, you prince charming!" Mimi just about shrieked in rapture. She didn't mind all of the girls who were suddenly staring daggers at her—she was used to jealous attention.
She grinned sneakily and leaned closer. "Hey, aren't you sad that a certain someone isn't here?"
He sighed and rewarded her with a subtle pout. "Maybe. Where are aniki and the others?"
"They're waiting outside. They didn't want to attempt this… situation," Sora laughed.
Takeru returned the laugh. "I don't blame them. Were you waiting all this time? You should have come in and seen me. I can get you a seat right now."
"Seriously?" Mimi said.
"Yep. Family gets special service."
"Now you tell us!"
He gave her a cheeky-younger-brother smile, then quickly straightened up, in character once more. "Apologies for the wait, ladies. Please follow me. I'll escort you to your seats."
Mimi and Sora quickly followed him away from the increasingly poisonous stares of the other girls outside.
"Ooh! This is amazing!" Mimi marveled as she took in the middle schoolers all dressed in various fantasy-inspired costumes. Fairies scurried about on gossamer wings, and warriors swung heavy-looking wooden swords from their belts. "You guys really went all out!"
Takeru grinned sheepishly. "I was kind of busy with basketball practice, so it's my classmates who worked their butts off to get this together."
"Who thought of your costume?" Sora asked. "They did a really good job."
"Ah, that was Kawashima-San," he replied, waving to a petite girl who went rushing by wearing a knight's helmet about three sizes too big for her. "She's close friends with Hikari-chan."
She stopped for a moment at his beckoning. "What is it, Takeru-kun? Ooh, Hi-Chan's friends?" She put down the stack of plates in her hands to bow at the two older girls. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kawashima Ran."
"Thank you for always taking care of Hikari-chan," Sora said. "She always seems to be enjoying herself at school thanks to you."
"Not at all!" Ran answered, touched.
"Ran-Chan!" Mimi whispered. She gestured towards Takeru, who was busy taking pictures with the table of giggling girls beside theirs in his resplendent white outfit, and gave her a thumbs up. "Nice one!"
Ran excitedly returned the thumbs up. She bowed, then quickly picked up her plates and went zooming away as one of her classmates called for help.
Sora chuckled. "How sweet. It's so nice getting to meet Hikari-Chan's friends."
"Right…" Something about Mimi's voice was oddly disconnected. Like she was in a trance.
Sora turned and saw that Mimi was gaping at a boy dressed in shades of black and purple from head to toe, with dark hair and piercing gray eyes to match. She blinked, feeling like she was looking at some sort of poster for a boy band. Takeru was still smiling beside them, but his eyes had turned stony.
"Hello, you must be Yagami-san's friends," the new arrival said politely. He bowed his head, looking every inch the dark prince that he was supposed to be. "I'm Aren Smith."
"Nice to meet you," Sora said, slightly taken aback by his beauty.
"Wow! I had no idea Hikari-Chan had such gorgeous friends." Mimi batted her long eyelashes in a way that could charm just about anyone. "I'm Tachikawa Mimi."
Aren smiled, the picture of perfection. "You're too kind. I'm glad to finally meet you both. I've heard so much about you from Yagami-san."
"Hehe have you? Only good things, right?"
"Of course…"
Their light conversation was interrupted by an eruption of sighing and shrieking from around the room. Takeru had removed his jacket (to the delight of every female in the room) and now balanced an inordinate amount of plates on his hands as he made his way gallantly to the back of the classroom. He set them down carefully, then casually spun the last plate once on his finger before passing it neatly to his waiting classmate.
"Takaishi-kun is so cool!"
"Did you see how many plates he got at one time?"
"Thanks, Takaishi! You're a huge help!" One of the other waiters cried.
"Well, I can't just sit around and slack off when we're so busy, can I?" He said pointedly, glancing at Aren.
"Well, well…" From behind the makeshift kitchen counter, Ran gave a small smirk. Someone had a bit of a competitive streak.
"Of course not," Aren agreed. Not one to be outdone, he whipped off his own jacket (also to the delight of every female in the room) and ran from table to table, taking every order in a matter of seconds. He strode back to the kitchen and recited every order perfectly without batting an eye.
"Are you sure that last one was right?" Takeru smiled broadly at him. "Just checking. It would be terrible if you got a customer's order wrong because you couldn't remember everything."
Aren returned a tight grin. "You should be careful. You could drop some of those plates if you try to carry more than you can handle."
Sparks flew from the back of the room between the two princes as Ran watched in delight.
The auditorium was packed. Hikari could see out between the crumpled black curtains from where she stood at the edge of stage right. It was too dark to make out any faces, but she expected her brother and the others would be out there, most likely somewhere near the front.
Oddly enough, she wasn't nervous, fingering the bangs that fell over her brow mostly due to how nostalgic and helpless they made her feel. During the past few weeks, their class had spent most of their free time on practicing and preparing for the performance, so they moved as smoothly as a clockwork. No one had any question as to what they should be doing at any given moment.
She had found it easy to relate to her assigned character. She fell easily and naturally enough into her role as Nausicaa, who was firmly grounded and down-to-earth, but carried a sense of compassion and grace. There was also a sort of kinship that she felt with the story—the perplexing world of the toxic forest that was illustrated, and the underlying role that was slowly uncovered along with the plot, reminded her of the relationship between the real and Digital worlds. The Digital World and the Digimon were, even now, tragically misunderstood to all except the chosen.
How far would we go to protect it? To protect them?
The answer was easy. Whatever it takes.
Maybe it was the absence of the barrette in her hair, but she found herself reminiscing about her earliest moments in the Digital World. She could still see Wizardmon behind her eyes, his arms outstretched to shield her and Tailmon from a fatal blow. That memory had continued to strengthen her.
"Yagami-san."
She turned, clutching the folds of her knee-length aqua dress. "Fujioka-kun."
He wore an aviator's cap and contacts, the usual glasses absent from his face. He blinked. "I'm still trying to get used to these."
She laughed and gestured to her hair. "Me, too."
There was a roar of applause as Mami greeted the audience and began the opening narration. The first scene would start soon.
"Is everything okay?" Fujioka asked.
The tone of his voice told her that he was asking about more than just the play. She knew, of course, that a few of her classmates were aware of her involvement with the Digital World and the recent appearance of Digimon in the real world. Fujioka had been in her class during their fifth grade year as well.
That was the year she had been taken to the dark ocean by her vulnerability. Now she knew better—she was not alone in their fight to protect what was good. "Yes. It will be."
"Yagami!" One of their classmates, in charge of costume changes, appeared behind them and helped strap on a bulky gas mask onto her face.
She gave Fujioka a thumbs up, and he nodded. "Good luck."
She streaked out onto the stage with that glowing, golden sort of look she got in her eyes from time to time. It was magnetizing. She had always stood out with her fairy-like sweetness, but the deep, underlying strength of self she now possessed first manifested three years ago, when they were in fifth grade. While he didn't know anything about the details of what had happened, he could put two and two together. That had been the year Takeru had transferred to Odaiba. Something had happened between them—something that had shaped her. It was no wonder that no one could seem to take his place in her heart.
Time seemed to stop for a moment as a single spotlight flipped on to the figure who fluttered out in a blue aviator's dress.
"It's Hikari-chan!" Mimi whispered.
As Hikari had predicted, the chosen group were all seated in the second row, pretty much front and center, so they had a good view of the stage. Taichi would have most certainly directed them there.
The first scene was set in the toxic forest, where Nausicaa discovers the discarded shell of a giant Omu, one of the otherworldly bugs that occupy the forest. The class had done a fantastic job of expressing the towering plants and tangled vines of the forest across the stage, and they were handling minute changes in background via a projector that blended seamlessly with the props and really contributed to the sense that they were truly in the world of Nausicaa.
Hikari was stunning. Takeru wasn't the only one in the audience who couldn't keep his eyes off her as the story progressed. There was a surprising amount of strength and charisma she brought to the character that seemed very different from her usual sweet, reserved persona. Surprising, perhaps, to everyone but the chosen.
Takeru was all smiles as he watched, at least until a particularly riveting action scene that culminated in Nausicaa saving a boy named Asbel, whom he was none too jazzed to discover was played by Fujioka. He found himself praying it wouldn't be a love story as he watched the two characters bond on stage, miffed.
Thankfully, it wasn't.
When the story reached its climax, with Nausicaa's heroic stand against a herd of Omu, Hikari's visage on the stage, and the way she stood, solemn and unafraid as she shielded the wounded baby Omu, reminded Takeru of when she freed the army of Numemon from slavery back when they were still in elementary school. It was more than acting. That's just how Hikari-chan is, he thought. She hadn't changed. And he was in just as much awe of her as he had been as a seven year old boy.
A slight movement registered in his periphery. He turned—just for a moment, as he did not want to miss what was happening on stage. Meiko was peering intently at the stage, but she had put a hand up, shielding her eyes as if the bright spotlight was directed straight at them. Her gaze was odd, unfocused and distant.
The audience gasped in horror as on stage, the rampaging herd of Omu ran over Nausicaa, trampling her and the baby creature. It was quiet. Takeru could swear he heard some muffled sobbing somewhere in the crowd. Or maybe it was just one of the villagers on stage.
Takeru watched on solemnly. She rose up again, bathed in golden light, brought back to life by the creatures she had fought to protect. The audience sighed in awe. So the story went.
It wouldn't go that way for them, though. He was determined never to let that happen—to let her be their heroine at her own expense. She might want to protect the baby Omu, or whatever it was out there that needed protecting, but all he was interested in was protecting her.
The play ended to a crescendo of applause.
"Meiko-chan?" Sora turned to the girl beside her, who was sitting silently amidst the clapping. " Is everything alright?"
Meiko nodded, wiping the trails of wetness from her cheeks. When Hikari had fallen to the Omu on stage, her arms thrown protectively—hopelessly—around the wounded baby Omu, there was something Meiko alone had felt. Not horror, like the audience. Relief. She would no longer have to try to be the heroine. Someone else would do it for her, bear the ultimate sacrifice to protect what could not be protected. "Yes, I'm fine."
"Otsukare!"
"We did it! We were amazing!"
"Should we break out some apple cider? Go find a bottle opener."
"Yagami-chan was the best," someone declared.
"Yagami-Chan, otsukare~"
"Yo! Our star!"
Hikari accepted high fives and applause from her classmates, who were all crowded around backstage in various forms of celebration. There was a pop as one of the boys uncorked cider, and the bottle did the rounds, pouring into open mouths and paper cups someone had managed to find in one of the prop boxes.
"Okay!" Mami announced, clapping her hands above the chaos. "Remember guys, we still have to clean up! Let's get started once the auditorium clears out."
Hikari laughed as some of the students around her groaned. She reached into the pocket of her costume and pulled out her barrette, swiftly pulling her bangs back up into place. Better. Once she had lifted the heavy blue tunic dress off in favor of the t-shirt and shorts she wore underneath, she busied herself with gathering together some of the smaller props that lay scattered around on stage. The audience seats were closed off by black velvet curtains, but she couldn't help but sneak glances toward the small crack left between where the two curtains met in the middle. She could tell by the hustle of classmates cleaning up the front section on the other side of the curtains that the auditorium was already mostly empty of guests.
The chosen group had rushed to express their support after the play, surrounding her the instant she stepped off the stage and gifting her with a rather large bouquet of flowers that Yamato had gone zooming off to the local florist to get on his bike right before the play started. For once, Taichi was unabashed in his affection for his pride and joy of a sister, snapping photo after photo of all of them and even insisting on getting a selfie with just the two of them, "for mom and dad," he had said. Even Jou came rushing down the aisle to give her an enthusiastic handshake and suggest that she seriously consider pursuing acting, minus his girlfriend, who was conveniently "in the bathroom" at the time.
And Takeru. Still filming the whole commotion for Koushirou, who was back at his office, he had pointed the camera at her and asked questions in a very convincing impersonation of a reporter interviewing a movie star, making her laugh until her stomach ached. And Koushirou had called in via FaceTime to say hello.
But in all of the picture-taking and jostling, she had barely enough time to speak directly to Takeru. In one breathtaking moment, Sora had intentionally pushed the two youngest together for a photo, and they stood, his arm around her shoulder. But only for a second.
And then he'd smiled and given her a thumbs up, saying, "You were perfect."
That was it. She had wanted to stay with him, to somehow steal away somewhere no one else could find them. But the audience was filing out before she knew it, and she was saying her goodbyes to her brother and the rest as her classmates came calling.
She finished folding one of the thick canvas backdrops and sighed almost inaudibly. He'd probably already gone back to his class.
"Hikari-chan!" Mami popped her head around the curtains. She spoke in an urgent sort of whisper.
"What is it?" Hikari asked, joining her friend at the front of the stage. "Need help with something?"
The student council president held a part of the curtain aside and pointed discreetly towards the back of the auditorium. Hikari's eyes widened. She took a step back as her stomach lurched. Takeru was sitting in one of the far rows, scrolling through his phone.
Mami smiled, picking up on things. "I think we've got more than enough hands back here helping clean up. Why don't you go around and enjoy the festival, Hikari-chan?"
"Oh, I couldn't," Hikari said quickly. She waved her hands as if to dispel whatever wishful thinking had seeped out. "I'm going to go clean up the projector."
"I can do that," came a voice. Fujioka appeared as the curtains rolled back, leaving the three of them completely exposed on stage. He dropped the cord. "Why don't you take a break, Yagami-san?"
"That'd be great, Fujioka-kun." Mami beamed.
"I'm really alright," Hikari insisted. "Maybe the props team needs more help, then…"
"Are you really okay with that?" Fujioka sighed before she could retreat backstage. He swung his eyes out to the seats where Takeru still sat. "He might be here now, but you never know when he won't be here anymore."
She paused. Still hesitating.
"If you don't hurry up and start being more honest, I might have to give you even more to worry about," he continued.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Mami held her breath for a moment, wondering if the conversation was about to take a very intimate turn, and if she should find a second to slip away unnoticed.
Fujioka gazed at Hikari. The fine brown wisps of hair curling on her porcelain cheek that seemed to be in such deep contrast with the wisdom of her fawn eyes, which now seemed heart-wrenchingly hopeful in the way of someone who doesn't dare ask for anything of anyone. It struck him that maybe she was on the cusp of some startling discovery; that she was having such a difficult time of it because this was the first thing—person—in her life that she had ever truly wanted.
"Oi, Takaishi! Yagami-san's free now if you're waiting for her!" He called out suddenly.
From the seats, Takeru looked up. His eyes met hers, and she felt frozen to the spot.
Fujioka gave her a wry smile. "Don't feel bad about it and just enjoy yourself, for once." He turned to Mami with a meaningful glance. "Takeda-san, could I get your help dismantling some of the cables?"
It was a sign to go. "Of course," she replied. She gave Hikari a small nudge and a wink as she passed, an encouragement. They could tell somehow that this was important for her, even though it seemed no different from any other time Takeru had waited for her by the school gates so they could walk home together.
"Were you really okay with that, Fujioka-kun?" she asked as she followed him backstage where the projector lay attached to a tangled mass of cables.
He glanced at her, glasses glinting sharply. "Hm? Ah…that." He cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up with a finger, cheeks taking on a hint of red. "She's someone I could never reach. Like someone from another world that I'm not really a part of. Could I have made her that happy?"
Mami put down a coil she had been grappling with and laughed suddenly. "Wait. And here I thought you were being just a little bit cool… but then you had to go and quote the 'Overworld' series. Isn't that exactly what the main character says in the—"
"The fourth book?" he supplied. He looked surprised, embarrassment vanishing. "You know that series?"
"Of course! It's one of my favorites." She stared back at him, eyes wide, as if equally surprised to see that they had such common ground. "I'm partial to the sixth book myself, but…"
He turned to her and put down the cables in his hand, clean-up momentarily forgotten. "What were your thoughts on how they handled the ending in the third book?"
Meanwhile, Hikari found herself sitting next to Takeru on the stage steps, her eyes shining. There was enough space between them that someone else could have plopped themselves down right in the middle. And there was something, in a sense. A quiet, sneaking awkwardness that seemed to have crept in as they slowly adjusted to changes in their relationship that they hadn't even become fully aware of yet. Takeru, normally adept at filling silence with conversation, almost seemed to be leaving it there on purpose. As if letting it linger would help him understand where it had come from.
"Sorry, I know you must be busy," he said lightly.
Hikari brought together all of the willpower she could muster and tried to think like Mimi. Tried to channel Miyako.
But she wasn't either of them. "...Aren't you busy, too, Takeru-kun? You didn't have to wait for me."
"No, I'm actually on break now, so I was just thinking of what to do."
The older chosen had already all gone. Taichi and Yamato had decided to check up on Koushirou and the Digimon in the office, while the girls had gone off to a nearby cafe. None of Takeru's friends were on break, either.
It was sort of an unspoken invitation. If they had been the same as before, she would have just gone around the festival with him without thinking twice. Without asking. Why did it seem so difficult now?
"Oh. I see." She looked down at her hands.
Her silence struck him as odd. There it was again, a clear sign that somehow she felt differently than she always had. "...You probably have to go help finish cleaning up, right?" he fished.
"Yeah," she found herself saying, though she didn't mean it. A part of her was still clinging onto whatever flotsam would keep her anchored. Anything but being swept out to sea and losing what vestige of friendship they had. "Did you have something to tell me?"
He stood, expression pleasant but unreadable. "Okay. Yeah, Mimi-san wanted us all to grab dinner together later. Monjayaki. We all agreed to meet at the usual place."
"Near Tsukishima station?" she asked. "You think Jou-san and his girlfriend will come?"
"Won't believe it till I see it." He grinned, and she shot him a chastising sort of look, though it ended up breaking down into a smile.
"You were great, by the way," he added. "I couldn't keep my eyes off of you." Not that I can anyway. "I wanted to tell you that, too. Since I didn't get the chance earlier thanks to someone."
They laughed together, remembering how Taichi had been fervently snapping photos earlier
"Thanks," she said softly.
"Well, I'll let you get back to cleaning up, then," he finally said. His brow creased a tad remembering that Fujioka would be back there waiting for her, but it quickly smoothed itself out.
She watched as he headed down the steps and made his way down the aisle. It really did seem like that was all he had come for. Because that's all I wanted him to be here for, she thought. The sunlight filtering through the glass windows warmed her shoulders as the distance between them grew, and she could think of nothing she wanted more than to be lost in the sparkling clear of his eyes.
"Takeru-kun!"
He stopped.
Whatever it was she had been trying to hold on to finally slipped away. It was sink or swim, now. So be it. See what's out there. For all she knew, she might even discover something far more precious, far more deeply rooted than the old fragments of something that had long since begun morphing into something else.
His face as he turned to her again was still his, but he was no longer the little boy who had been her childhood friend.
She joined him with a wide smile. "Actually… to tell you the truth, I'm not supposed to be helping clean up. My classmates kicked me out and told me to go have fun."
"Why am I not surprised?" He returned the smile, then paused for a moment, searching her. "So… are you free, then?"
She nodded shyly.
He was elated. A date. He was sorely tempted to take her hand, but he didn't. What he didn't know was that she was equally as excited as he was. But neither of them wanted to show it, so they walked together as they usually did, with all the ease of habit, chatting casually about this and that as they did on their usual walk home from school.
They avoided the RPG cafe Takeru's class was running (for obvious reasons), but that didn't stop them from running into Ran, who was also on break, as they stood in line to get Hikari's favorite shaved ice.
"Hi-chan, Takeru-kun! What, are you guys going around together?" Ran cried, and had to take hold of a bewildered-looking mascot who happened to be standing nearby in order to steady herself.
Takeru narrowed his eyes. Don't you dare tell Hikari-chan about—
"By the way, Hi-chan. You should have seen Takeru-kun earlier." She launched right into it, and he couldn't have stopped her if he tried. "He and Aren-kun got into this huge competition on who could bus the most tables and bring in the most guests."
"Hehh…" Hikari laughed at the thought, perhaps not quite thinking about why the two popular boys had been competing in the first place. She glanced at Takeru, who felt his cheeks start to burn. "I'm sorry I missed it."
"I'm more sorry I missed your play! I seriously got jipped when we were deciding shifts for the cafe," Ran said, pouting. "Takeru-kun, you recorded it, didn't you?"
He sighed dramatically. "Actually, my phone ran out of memory halfway through…"
Ran smirked. Takeru could be surprisingly petty. "Hi-chan, you guys should check out the haunted house one of the other second year classes made. They did a really good job."
"Oh, really? I'm not very good with stuff like that… but I guess it'll be okay since I have Takeru-kun!"
"Exactly! No problem, no problem."
You see? I've got your back, Ran's grin seemed to say. Takeru coughed.
"... well, I did manage to stream it online for a friend, so it should still be viewable from the link." He shot Ran a begrudgingly grateful look.
"Awesome!" She ignored him and gave them both a good push in the direction of the haunted house. "Send it to me—later. For now, just go enjoy yourselves."
Kikuchi was distracted. She was supposed to be running the ticket desk for her class' haunted house, and they were getting a steady stream of guests. She had originally been delighted to not have to play the role of a monster or ghost and wear some heavy, hot costume in a tight cramped space for hours, but as she nodded and smiled and collected ticket stubs, she found herself almost wishing that she was inside with the rest of her classmates, scaring the living daylights out of people as they passed. She couldn't seem to get Takeru and Hikari out of her head.
She had put on the performance of a lifetime during the basketball team's exhibition match, forgetting about absolutely everything other than her spirit and heart for the team. And she was delighted when Takeru saw her, and paused for a moment with an enchanting smile on his face.
"That was an amazing performance, Kikuchi-San. Thanks for cheering us on," he told her, and she had been deliriously happy.
That is, until she saw Hikari's older brother throw an arm around the two of them, bringing them close together in a group hug that spoke of so much familiarity, of comfort. But there was more than just close friendship there. It went far deeper, like they had gone through a whole world of stuff together that no one else could even begin to imagine. Worst of all, it was a bond that seemed impenetrable. Irreplaceable.
Even now, she couldn't stop thinking about it. She glanced at her phone. Five more minutes until she was on break. She had been wondering if Takeru would show up to the haunted house (she knew he was on break as she had heard about his shift from Ogawa and Andou), but he hadn't so far. That was fine—she had done the best she could to get a shift with a break that at least partially overlapped with his, and she planned on going to find him once the next excruciating five minutes had passed.
A sudden shiver struck her as a thought came to mind. What if he was with Hikari? Were they going around together? What if they came to the haunted house together while she was off her shift? She clenched her fists until they were white. No, no. Hikari's play had ended less than half an hour ago. She was most likely still cleaning up with the rest of her class.
Four more minutes. She sighed. She was busy counting down the seconds in her head when a figure in a pocked mask came rushing out of the back door of the classroom and made a beeline towards the ticket table.
"Wh-what is it?" She cried.
The figure stopped at the table and pulled off the hideous mask, coming up for air with a pop. "Kikuchi-Chan!"
"Suzu-kun? What is it? Are you on break now?"
He pushed back his hair and grabbed her arm impatiently. "Yeah. Come on, let's go."
"Go? Go where? I'm not off for another… 2 minutes." She frowned. She had to hurry and get away to find Takeru…
He would not let go of her arm. "Hey Sawada!" He called back into the classroom. "It's your turn to do the ticket table next! Get your ass over here!"
"Um.. Suzu-kun?"
A disgruntled looking boy with scruffy brown hair in a low ponytail came out of the classroom and joined them at the table, yawning widely. "Mmm… you're like a minute early, but whatever. I'm here."
Suzuki turned back to Kikuchi, looking increasingly desperate. "Okay! Now you're free. Come on!" He pulled, and she was surprised at how strong he was, for having such a lanky frame.
But she pulled right back. "Uh, no! Why don't you tell me where we're going?*
He seemed equally as surprised by her strength. "Let's go around the festival together," he insisted.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why us? You know, I was going to go and find Takaishi-kun."
He narrowed his eyes right back at her. "No. You know what? I realized something. I think Takaishi isn't right for you. You deserve so much better."
"What the hell are you saying? Stop joking around!"
The grip on her arm suddenly loosened, and she stopped struggling. A lump in her throat was rising, forcing tears to gather in the corner of her eyes. Of course, she knew he was right. Or maybe she had always known. Takeru would never spare her a second glance. And not because he was cruel or dismissive. He would never spare a second glance for anyone.
"I'm not joking," Suzuki said quietly. After a few moments of watching her fight back the salty wetness threatening to tip over, he regained the usual, goofy grin as he bent down and looked her in the eye.
"Is Takaishi really all that great? Bet you he snores real loud."
She took a wavering breath that cleaved into a tiny smile. Before she could say anything else, he held out his arm to her.
"Come on. I promise, you'll have so much fun that you'll just forget about him."
"Crisis averted," Fujioka murmured, pocketing his phone.
"Hm? What are you talking about?" Mami asked.
"Nothing," he answered. "So Takaishi and Yagami-San are really headed to the haunted house together?"
Mami smiled as she carefully folded several townspeople costumes and stored them in a box. "That's what Ran-chan said."
"Takeru-kun…"
"Hikari-chan."
"…Is it just me, or are there no monsters in this haunted house?"
They had been walking together for a few moments inside the twisted maze that had been set up inside the classroom without a single sign of anything scary. The surroundings themselves had been artfully crafted—they seemed to be in a section themed after an abandoned hospital, with torturous surgical instruments hanging from the ceiling. But there were no monsters, no ghosts, no murderers to be found.
"I mean, they did a really fantastic job with the scenery. This is scary enough for me," Hikari said cheerily.
"Hm." Takeru frowned. This would not do. Despite having been a notorious crybaby in his younger years, he had definitely grown out of it, and just about nothing fazed him now. He didn't find this kind of thing particularly frightening, so it would have been the perfect opportunity to get closer to her—the perfect reason for her to cling tightly to him, the perfect excuse not to let go of her.
But they walked several inches apart, perfectly platonic.
Hikari had also been hoping for something scary to pop out and scare her senseless. Only then would she forget her shyness and be able to make some sort of move, albeit a completely reactionary one.
Takeru was beginning to suspect something. His sharp eyes caught the fluttering edge of a ghost's robes behind one of the cardboard boxes that had been set up to look like gravestones. There was a whisper, a snicker, and the distinct hiss of someone shushing someone else.
They walked a few more steps into what looked like an ancient barber shop with hints of dried blood matting the carpeted floor. Again, no one came rushing out to greet them, but there were voices that, though hushed, were still relatively audible.
"Hey, shouldn't we go out?"
"Yeah, but don't you want to see this? I mean, it's Yagami and Takaishi."
"Omg! They're really here together."
"You think they really are dating in secret?"
"Shut it!" Someone finally hissed.
Takeru let out a very long sigh. His prospects of protecting a dewy-eyed and clinging Hikari went sailing out the window.
"I don't think the ghosts are being very cooperative today," he said to her dryly.
She nodded, not at all surprised. A part of her was just happy to be able to walk by his side, even if they were surrounded by hidden middle schoolers dressed in horrific costumes who were spying on them instead of doing their job. She took one step closer to him and tilted her chin upwards towards him with a look that made him tremble inwardly even in the dim light.
"Takeru-kun," she started to say.
Suddenly, there was a distinct buzzing sound, and everything went pitch black.
"Ow…" Outside, a boy in a high school uniform picked himself off the ground, dusting his hands off.
"What was that, Jou? Did you trip on something?" A slim girl with fine, mousy hair in a bun and piercing hazel eyes bent down in concern.
"Yeah, some kind of cable," he answered sheepishly. He looked at the slackened cord that intersected the hallway. From what he could see, it led into a classroom with gauzy black curtains drawn over the entrance. A lazy looking boy with a ponytail was dozing off at the ticket desk. Nothing seemed to have happened, even though he'd yanked on the cord pretty hard as he tripped on it.
"Hopefully it's okay," Jou said, shrugging.
Someone screamed. There was shuffling and scraping and sounds of things toppling over as students tried to gain their bearings in the pitch black.
What happened? Takeru tried to register what was going on. The room had been intentionally darkened, then illuminated with dim lights so that people could move around without tripping. Something must have happened to the power.
"Hikari-Chan?"
There was a bang close to them.
"Ow! Be careful!" Someone cried.
"Ahh!"
"Takeru-kun, are you okay?" Came her voice, noticeably shaken.
Where was she? He briefly remembered seeing a bookshelf and some heavy looking props around them before the lights went out. He reached out to her and found her slender hand, enclosing it in his, then firmly drew her into his arms. The plushness of her cheek brushed his shoulder.
"T-Takeru-kun?" She breathed sharply, feeling the warmth of his entire body pressed against and around hers as he held her tightly.
"Don't move," he said. "There are a lot of things that could fall. You could get hurt."
"Right," she whispered. Her voice caught in her throat. In the pitch black, the loss of her vision seemed to enhance her other senses. His arms against her back, her nose in his chest, absolutely engulfed in him and unable to go anywhere else. There was an intense but not unpleasant sense of being completely filled up to the brim, in all of the spaces and corners of her heart. A strange completion, of sorts. Like two puzzle pieces clicking perfectly together.
And there was a deep, constant throbbing around her that would not let up. She let the sound and the pulsating feeling fill her for a few moments before she realized what it was.
"Takeru-kun?"
When she said his name, the throbbing feeling grew faster. She curled her fingers into the back of his t-shirt, grabbing onto it and pulling herself closer to him, and she could hear his breath catch for a moment. Some distant memories flashed by in her mind. Scavenging for strange berries in the Digital World, Takeru nursing a scraped knee and trying not to cry in front of her. Waking up to Takeru's wide, worry-filled green eyes in some underground passageway as Patamon hovered nearby. A Christmas Eve spent together decorating cookies, Taichi and Yamato bickering in the background.
A lot of things registered to Takeru in that moment, but the one thing at the forefront was a quiet, fierce desire to keep her safe. It anchored him, even as panicked students tumbled around them and things came crashing down from shelves. He realized afresh and was stunned by the extent of his orientation towards her. Nothing made him feel more himself than being by her side and protecting her.
And physically speaking, she was impossibly soft. Everything. The curve of her cheek, her waist, her bare legs brushing against his. The whisper of silky hair that smelled of spring. They had hugged enough in the past, but certainly not at this close of a proximity. And certainly not for this long.
How long had it been?
Thankfully, the other students in the classroom had wisened up and also stopped moving, but the power still wasn't coming back on.
The two youngest chosen were perfectly content to stay as they were, though Takeru was beginning to worry that he would not be able to keep himself under control if the sneaky darkness continued any longer. Still, he could not let go of her until he knew it was absolutely safe. It was a losing battle. How easy it would be to lean down and give her a little kiss in the dark, where it would stay hidden forever.
Please turn on, light. But also, please don't.
Fortunately (unfortunately?), there was another buzzing sound, and within a few seconds, the dim light was back on. Students breathed a sigh of relief.
"Finally. Took forever."
"Is everyone ok?"
Takeru looked down. Hikari gazed up at him, eyes wide and cheeks pink. He grinned and rather hastily let his hands drop, freeing her from his grasp.
"Sorry about that," he said. "Are you hurt at all?"
She shook her head, forlorn at the loss of his touch. Had those arms really been around her moments ago? And had she been pressed up against that chest? "What about you, Takeru-Kun? Are you okay?"
He smiled, pushing back his uncharacteristically disheveled sandy blonde locks. "In what way?" He joked, then suddenly grew serious. "I'm… probably not okay at all."
Dark brown met sea green and melted in the dim light for a second before his eyes regained their usual levity.
"Come on," he said, giving her shoulder a friendly tap. "Let's get out of here before someone decides to cut the lights again."
She watched him move forward, away from her, and surprised herself at how incomplete she felt without his arms around her. She wanted to stay there, to feel him intertwining with her for longer. The kind of selfish desire that would do nobody any good.
Standing behind him, she suddenly felt inclined to reach out.
"If it's important to you, it's totally okay to grab onto it before it passes!"
Her fingers caught the edge of his sleeve. He stopped, held back by that tiny motion.
"Hikari-Chan?" He spoke slowly, as if trying to process what the action meant. For her. For him.
"Could you stay close to me?" She murmured. It was the truest, most honest feeling towards him she could find.
Was she just scared? Possibly. But the downturned lashes and rose-hued cheeks seemed to tell him something completely different. There were a lot of other unanswered questions that he could see she was not yet comfortable confronting. And that was fine.
He grinned, wrapping a gentle arm around her shoulders. "I thought you'd never ask. Now, let's get out of here before the monsters decide to come back and do their job."