Apparently, all this stress-writing as a means of dealing with the upcoming Fall semester (*sobs in preschool*) has sent my creativity into overdrive because these last two chapters got really long, really fast.
I actually wavered back and forth several times about whether or not to push the last scene onto Chapter 17. Ultimately, I just couldn't do it. Even if it meant this Chapter would come close to doubling the length of most of the others. There was just too much story to tell, and I couldn't bear to cut any of it. It all felt too important and too cohesive. In fact, this Chapter is a lot like Chapter 4 of Pandora's Box, in that I had much of it planned out long before several of the scenes leading up to it. I knew exactly how the Wedding was to go, and why. In fact, the hardest part was probably living up to the scenes I'd repeatedly played out in my head.
I will add, more as a fun aside than anything else, that I started working on the full draft right around the time my husband and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary (last week), and may have added a touch of personal nostalgic influence from that day.
o
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DIGIMON TRI: BALANCE
o
o
There were two children in the distance. A boy and a girl. Young. The boy couldn't have been more than six years old. The girl looked three. He tapped her on the shoulder. She shrieked in delight. He ran. She followed. Neither of them paid heed to the looming threat of grass stains sullying their otherwise pristine outfits as they dashed around the garden area.
Hikari watched them both. Her fingers fell to the camera around her neck, and she held it up to capture the moment. Streaks of sun flared against her lens. She shifted, crouching down just enough for the shade of the nearby winter cherry blossom tree to cover her. The skirt of her pale pink dress pooled around her ankles. A slight twist in positioning. Adjusting the zoom. There. Better. The children came into focus, as did the beautiful scenery surrounding them.
Branches rustles. She glanced up and found herself in the middle of a sudden shower of petals. Except there was no wind.
Wallace was leaning against the tree trunk, discreetly shaking one of its lower branches. For half a second, Hikari wondered if he was allowed to do that. Then he held a finger to his lips, and she knew it would be their secret.
She returned her attention to the children, waiting until the petals had fallen to just the right level before snapping her picture.
"You have a good eye." Wallace approached as she stood. "Though I should have guessed when you arrived wearing such a cute dress."
Her head dipped modestly. She knew what he was doing, but it was hard to not feel flattered. "I can't take credit." Her eyes fell to the simple design of the fabric. Hints of lacy adoration in the form of a white belt and matching straps complimented the otherwise solid rayon fabric. It felt cool enough beneath the hot sun and moved when she did. "Mimi-san helped a lot. I've never been to a Western-style wedding before, so I asked her."
To the surprise of precisely no one, the older Chosen had been more than happy (and strangely prepared) to offer her assistance in such matters. They hadn't even needed to go shopping. Mimi pulled the dress right off the hanger in her closet. It had been her first attempt, yet Hikari found the style simple enough that she had no reason to refute. A few minor adjustments later, courtesy of a stop at Sora's, and Hikari had her dress. The entire process had taken the better part of an early afternoon.
The hotel looked more like a European country manner. On the outside, worn brownstone rose high above the surrounding trees against a blue sky filled with sparse clouds. Its adjacent garden sported some species of flora Hikari recognized, including the bright purple morning glories and red roses adorning the patio area, where the ceremony was to be held. Fold-able wooden chairs had been set up to face a beautiful decorative arch with a wide aisle running down the middle.
A few of the older guests had already begun claiming seats. Those with young children seemed to be waiting until the last possible moment. At the head, next to the arch, were two middle-aged men. Wedding officiant and groom, the latter looking distinguished in his medium gray tuxedo and navy blue neck tie. They both complimented his deep skin tone and dark brown hair nicely.
Snippets of conversations reached their way back to Hikari's ears. She smiled, turning back to Wallace.
"I was surprised to hear so many other guests speaking Japanese." she admitted. "I wasn't sure I was going to understand anyone other than you today."
"That's because the bride is from Japan originally." His sight turned upward as he spoke, the corners of his lips twitching with sudden amusement. "She moved to America when she was a couple of years older than we are now, I think. But she still had a lot of family here, which is why she wanted to have the wedding in Japan."
He moved closer. Before Hikari had the chance to ask what he was doing, his hand reached out to lightly brush a few stray petals still clinging to her hair. As his arm lowered, he somehow came away with a whole flower, which he presented to her with a subtle flourish.
Her mouth formed a small 'o' as she accepted it. Then giggled.
"You're as bad as Takeru-kun."
The comparison was unexpected.
Behind them, speakers crackled to lift as the amplified sounds of piano and violin rang out into the afternoon air. This was apparently the signal for mothers to begin reigning in the littlest guests, while fathers tackled the bigger ones. Wallace and Hikari fell into step with one another as they followed the converging crowds.
"Funny." Wallace grinned as a particular mental image surfaced. "I would never have guessed Takeru was the type to regularly pick flowers out of your hair."
Hikari laughed. "Not that. I meant how you're both shameless. Takeru-kun often flirts with the girls at our school."
"I see." He watched her out of the corner of his eye. "Does that bother you?"
"No." Her answer was quick, but not too quick; if she was lying in any way, she was very good at hiding it. "He's not hurting anyone. He doesn't do it to be cruel." Wallace noted her gaze soften as she thought of the other blonde. "Sometimes, he might think it's funny to get others to react to the things he says, but most of the time, he just likes making the people around him smile. That's the kind of person Takeru-kun is."
(There were, of course, also the times he did it simply to get out of a trouble he usually got himself into. But then Hikari would have been forced to admit it worked more often than not. Including with her.)
They managed to claim two seats on the far left side. Though there was no room to hold out her chair for her, Wallace made a show of extending an arm for her to sit first. His was the last seat in the row. On her other side, Hikari saw a family of four, including a small baby sleeping in her bassinet in the seat adjacent to hers. She bit back the urge to coo at the sight, and met eyes with the mother long enough to let her know she was completely fine with the baby being so close.
A young woman sat at the piano to the right of the arch. She waited for an unseen cue, then began playing a melody Hikari did not recognize.
The congregation collectively turned around. Hikari did the same.
A little girl started to run up the aisle, only to be quickly called back by her mother. Muted laughter rang out, including that of the first bridesmaid and groomsman. They both appeared of similar age to the groom. The bridesmaid had extremely pale skin and fiery red hair pulled into a high bun that actually suited her pale green dress. The groomsman's tuxedo was a near replica of the groom's in every way except for the crooked tie. Behind them, the next couple were both dark haired and dark skinned and looked much younger. Early 20s, at best guess.
"The first two are family friends," Wallace whispered in Hikari's ear. "And they're the groom's younger brother and sister."
She nodded.
The next pair required little explanation. The groomsman bore a near identical resemblance to the groom, while the blonde woman could only have been Wallace's mother. She had the exact same hair and eyes he did, with the former having been fashioned into an exquisite french braid draped over her right shoulder, and a very similar grin as she walked down the aisle with her head held high. Only once did she break from formalities: when she caught sight of her son in the congregation and waved.
Much to Hikari's amusement, Wallace was unabashed about waving right back.
"Oh, my!" A gasp from the seat behind them. The voice spoke with a native Japanese accent. "That can not be little Keiko-chan!"
"She looks so grown-up," a second woman of the same accent agreed.
The smile vanished from Wallace's face in a flicker of shadows. He tensed, eyes turning downward. Hikari saw the skin of his knuckles turn white as he gripped the fabric of his pants.
There was a girl close to their age walking now. Alone. Her dress was different than the others. Pale yellow, rather than green. It complimented her fair, warm skin tone perfectly. She had long, black hair that fell to the middle of her back, loosely tied at the base of her neck with yellow ribbon. Behind large, round glasses, her eyes had been outlined with sharp, black liner and thick natural lashes. Even from that distance, Hikari thought her features strikingly beautiful.
She was stoic all the way down the aisle. Staring directly ahead. Neither happy nor overtly displeased with her status. Her only concession came in the form of a polite nod of acknowledgment to the groom as she reached the front.
Two little girls—including the one who had tried to walk at the beginning of the ceremony—tossed petals from identical baskets. Or, rather, the first girl did. The overenthusiastic one gave up ten steps and three tosses in, dropping her basket as she ran the rest of the way on chubby legs. Her partner sighed audibly, picked up the second basket, and proceeded to do both their jobs for the rest of the walk.
Behind her, the ring-bearer smirked with the confidence of a seven year old boy as he strutted down the aisle, earning coos from a majority of the congregation.
The music changed. Everyone stood.
Short as she was, it was more difficult for Hikari to see when most of the adults towered over her. She caught glimpses of pale ivory, but it wasn't until the bride reached the front that Hikari was able to take in the whole of her (surprisingly simple) dress and notable resemblance to the maid of honor. Except, of course, for the radiant smile she bore as she reached her groom. In turn, the groom stared back as if she were the only woman he saw.
They both turned to the officiator, hand in hand, and the last notes from the piano faded away.
Hikari was careful to adjust her dress as she and the rest of the congregation returned to their seats. She glanced at Wallace out of the corner of her eye. He was staring straight ahead. She followed his line of sight. It was the young maid of honor that had captured his interest. The one the woman behind them called Keiko. Wallace stared at her with the same intensity the groom had stared at his bride.
Suppressing the urge to grin, Hikari settled back into her seat to watch the ceremony. Confident in the knowledge that her suspicions had just been confirmed.
They usually were.
o o o
o o o
"You are not going to believe the morning I've had!"
Daigo strolled into the office with a heavy sigh. Neither stopping to knock on the door, nor formally announcing his presence. To him, there was little point in doing either. Nobody but the two of them ever went in there. He rubbed at the back of his neck, feeling the tense muscles beneath his fingers. His shoulder popped without him trying.
"If I have one more scientist try to explain what we learned when we were eleven..." he trailed off when he realized he was alone. "...oh. Never mind."
It was rare for Maki to leave her door open whenever she wasn't in the room, but not so unusual as to raise any alarms. Her computer monitor was turned off, and the only files he could see on the desk gave no indication of high-level confidentiality. One of them actually looked like a collection of takeout menus. With a little luck, that meant Maki had actually gone to pick up a late lunch. Good for her.
"Guess I'll come back when she does," he stated to himself, shrugging. He turned to leave.
A light on her desk started blinking.
From that angle, it was difficult to tell which alert was going off, so he made quick work of crossing the room. By the time his hand touched the back of the plush chair, he could see it wasn't any of the system alerts at all. It was an incoming call from her most secure line. Half the rest of the building didn't know it existed. Those that did could only speculate what it was used for.
He turned it on. The screen flickered to life. Then demanded a password. Daigo slid himself into Maki's seat, pausing just long enough to crack his knuckles before entering in a quick succession of keystrokes.
He guessed right on his first try.
Static faded into a dark screen that partially reflected Daigo's own face back at him. A series of coding scrolled across the screen as the encryption enacted itself. Then a window appeared with the face of a man.
Daigo recognized him instantly: "You again."
"Hn." On the other side, Yamaki was less than impressed. "Where's your boss?"
"Not here."
"I can see that," he scoffed. The glowing cigarette between his lips twitched from the movement. He reached up and removed it from view. A soft hiss off-screen indicated he put it out. Hopefully, in an ashtray. "I have a message. Think you can make yourself useful long enough to deliver it?"
"For the record, I don't actually work for you." Daigo pointed out. "Which means I don't have to sit here and listen to your insults." Still, in his very next breath, he reached for a small pad and pen sitting atop the desk caddy. "What's the message?"
"Tell her the plans have changed. We're readjusting the calibration to accommodate for the simultaneous Dimensional and World barriers, as well as a few newly registered suspected temporal shifts. I cannot guarantee a precise rendezvous point or date as of now, but they will continue to remain until my full protection until such time the trip will be made."
"Calibration...simultaneous barriers...temporal shifts..." Daigo followed every word with ease and understanding, right up until the near end. He glanced up. "Wait...who's 'they', exactly?"
Yamaki raised an eyebrow at the question. Then he answered it.
The pen fell from Daigo's hands, loudly clattering against the tile floor.
o o o
o o o
"Freeze!"
The room froze
"Everybody clap your hands."
They did.
Hikari could barely contain a joyous laugh as she tried imitating Wallace's moves. He seemed to know every direction the lyrics dictated before they were spoken. As did a majority of the people on the dance floor. And a few scattered across the banquet room. More than once, it felt like some unspoken inside joke she was never privy to, but at least it provided good practice for her English. When the deep voice told her go go "left", she stepped to her left. When it told her to go "right", she went right. When it told her to "hop" a specific number of times, she miscounted all but one.
Fortunately, no one else seemed to care.
"How low can you go..."
Wallace's eyes glinted mischievously as he twisted his body further and further down into a low crouch. He looked up at Hikari expectantly.
"Absolutely not." she managed in between another fit of giggles, stepping back.
He wasn't deterred. Straightening, he hopped to the beat towards her until he was close enough to reach out and grab both her hands. Hikari was stiff and reserved, but at ease enough to allow him to guide her through a series of "cha cha" back and forths before politely backing out. He followed her off the dance floor, leaving the remaining cluster of participants to "reverse-reverse". Whatever that meant.
"Is this really how they dance in America now.? She lightly fanned herself as they came upon one of the room pillars. Its marble surface was cool enough for her to rest her shoulder against—a welcome feeling after the heat of four consecutive dances. There was a water station on the other side. Wallace took the time to retrieve two small paper cups, passing her one before downing the other in a single gulp.
"Uh-huh." He nodded with certainty. It was difficult to tell if he was serious or teasing her. "Line dances are very popular at parties like these. And we haven't even gotten to the Macarena yet."
"The what?" She blinked twice at the name.
"You two look like you're having fun."
Hikari watched the color drain from Wallace's face. A series of conflicting emotions passed over his eyes. Surprise. Fear. Sadness. Hope. Worry. Anger. Annoyance. Each one there and gone in a flash, leaving behind a blank expression as he slowly turned around to face the ceremonial maid of honor.
"Kay."
"It's been a long time, Wally."
Keiko was much more difficult to read than Wallace. At least, on the surface. Her sharply lined eyes stared, unblinking, with a degree of coldness that rivaled the marble at Hikari's back. Once, they flickered Hikari's way. Lightning flashed behind them.
Hikari's chest ached as she felt the breath leave her. An overpowering wave of emotions radiated off them both, their hearts racing in a near perfect sync. She had never felt two hearts parallel one another so strongly before. Everything their faces didn't say. Entire childhoods' worth of shared memories played out in a single instant, topped with the deepest ache of loss. And longing.
And, in Keiko's case, jealousy.
Wallace opened his mouth to say something. Words failed him.
Keiko continued to stare.
Hikari stepped between them.
"I'm so happy to finally get to meet you, Keiko-san." A warm smile appeared on her face as she bowed. "Wallace-san has told me so much about you."
Keiko blinked. "He has?"
"I have?"
Hikari ignored Wallace. "He has." She nodded firmly. Keiko looked visibly taken aback, having expected anything but the sweetest of welcomes from Wallace's (alleged) date. Hikari used that to her advantage, keeping her words gentle and honest. "You're very lucky. I could only wish to have someone think of me that way."
Wallace was utterly confused. She could tell from the look on his face.
"And your dress is so lovely! Yellow is one of my favorite colors," she added.
Cracks in the mask appeared. "It's...mine too?" As much a question as it was an admission. Keiko had wanted no part in finding common ground with this other girl, but her demeanor was quickly turning that into a losing battle. Her shoulders started to relax. "Kaa-san let me pick it out myself after I told her I hated wearing green."
"It suits you perfectly," Hikari nodded in agreement.
Keiko looked conflicted. Waging a brief internal war with herself before conceding. The corners of her lips twitched upward.
"So does yours."
Hikari beamed at the compliment. It was not an act.
Applause rang out on the dance floor as the song came to an end. The DJ stepped forward to facilitate a transition to the next one. Between his choice of vocabulary, accent, and slight distortion in the equipment, Hikari had precisely zero change of deciphering what he said. But she did recognize the sentiment, particularly as the new song began to play at a much slower tempo.
Some of the dancers cleared the floor. Pairs lingered, although not all of them were necessarily couples. The ring bearer, for example, was contently swaying back and forth with the groom's younger sister. Cameras flashed from the sidelines.
Wallace took that as his cue: "Hikari, would you—"
"Oh, that's right! There was supposed to be a dessert table, wasn't there?" Hikari was quick to cut him off. Her head darted back and forth in a show of looking everywhere but the dance floor. She even succeeded in actually locating the ice cream bar set up along a far wall. "I was hoping to get to try some...ah..." she turned back, as if only just remembering she was not alone. "But if you want to dance some more, Wallace-san, then it's alright if you go with Keiko-san. I don't mind." She bowed to them both. "Please excuse me."
Giving them absolutely no time to reply back, Hikari flashed a not-so-innocent smile before disappearing into the crowd, navigating her way around crowded tables in search of some well-deserved sweets.
In the greatest reward she could have asked for, the table with the baked goods had been placed directly beside the cooler of ice cream. Her mouth watered at the sight, and she quickly suppressed that little voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like her brother's laughter. Few of the other guests has yet to make room after the hearty lunch provided. She had nearly a full table to choose from.
After some careful deliberation, she reached for a few squares of cheesecake-swirled fudge. There was just enough room left in the bowl for a scoop of ice cream, so she peered inside to see if there was any vanilla.
"That was a very kind thing you did for them."
Hikari looked up.
The bride was sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the cooler. A bowl with several scoops, each a different flavor, in one hand. A spoon in the other. She must have noticed the look of surprise on Hikari's face, because her very next act was to place a finger to her lips.
"Don't let anyone know I'm here." She made a deliberate show of darting her head about, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Yet she could barely hold back a smile showing she was only joking. Mostly. "I love my nieces and nephews very much, but I did not pay extra for the full dessert setup for everybody but me to have any."
Hikari empathized with the sentiment. Perhaps more than the bride would ever know.
The woman's eyes then softened at something beyond Hikari's shoulder. Hikari glanced back towards the dance floor. Evening sun streamed in through the windows at a long angle. The rest of the lights had dimmed, leaving the participants cast in partial shadow. There were a number of personalities gathered. Older couples, no doubt reminiscing about their own weddings in years long past. Pairs who were hardly couples at all, but unwilling to let that stop them from enjoying the music. Some of the younger children even formed a group circle in one corner, playing what looked like a variation of Kagome Kagome.
Not far from them, Wallace and Keiko's eyes were locked as they gently swayed back and forth. His hands rested on her waist. Her arms wrapped loosely around his neck. They paid little heed to the song's actual pacing as they lost themselves in a series of increasingly meaningful verbal exchanges. A conversation for their ears alone.
Even at that distance, Hikari could tell their hearts had already begun to shift.
The bride returned to her bowl. She dug into the frozen treat until she came away with no less than four colors on her spoon.
"The biggest mistake I ever made was splitting those two up when we moved." Speaking partially to herself, she took the time to consume her ice cream before continuing. "Sometimes, I think Keiko-chan's still mad at me for that. She was never really the same after. And when Marie-chan told me Wallace-kun wanted to bring a girl with him today, I definitely braced myself for the worst." The spoon hung upside-down from her mouth as she savored the blend of flavors. She looked back up. "But I underestimated you, Hikari-san. Not many girls would be willing to give up their dates like that."
"That's because I was never here as his date." Hikari stated knowingly. "Not really. Wallace-san just didn't want to have to face his first love again alone."
She would miss the resultant eyebrow raise as she topped off her bowl with a few chocolate-covered melon slices. Content in all her decisions, Hikari looked for permission before settling herself in the vacant chair beside the bride. When the bride held up her own bowl, Hikari was all too happy to clink theirs together.
They spent the next several minutes in content silence, eating sweets and watching the dance floor.
o o o
o o o
Maki's head ached. Was it from dehydration? A lack of caffeine? Both? She'd slept well enough the previous night. She'd eaten. Sort of. Half a packaged peanut butter sandwich and two bottles of royal milk tea from the convenient store counted as sufficient lunch when one wasn't all that hungry to begin with.
The mystery haunted her until she reached the door of her office, flipping the lights as she stepped inside.
A figure was sitting in her seat.
"Daigo!" She jumped, dropping the folder tucked under one arm. "What the..." trailing off, she bent down to retrieve the scattered papers. "What are you doing sitting in the dark?"
"Thinking."
The response stopped her cold. It was so...abrupt.
She looked up, slowly rising to a stand. "And you couldn't do that literally anywhere else?"
His legs had been crossed at the knee. He uncrossed them. Then stood. Both fists rested firmly at his sides. His eyes were hard. Accusing. Maki was taken aback; she hadn't him seen him look at her like that since they were children.
"Yamaki called."
Confusion. Her brows furrowed. "How did you—" She looked to her computer. The screen was dark. Not one of her personal dashboard lights were blinking. "That channel is password-protected."
"And I know all your passwords."
Another time, she would have chastised him for invading her privacy as he shrugged it off entirely. She could visualize the shrug in her mind. Casually dismissing any sense of formality or protocol was such a regular thing with Daigo, she realized she would have been more surprised if he didn't know how to access her files.
He'd always known her better than anyone.
"Remind me to change them again," she muttered tiredly, moving to walk around him.
He blocked her.
"What I don't know," he continued, voice sharp. "Is why you didn't tell me about Inoue-san and Ichijouji-san."
She tensed, then immediately cursed herself for being so obvious. If Daigo hadn't been convinced she was deliberately keeping something from him, he was now. She closed her eyes, turning her head away to avoid looking at his accusing stare. She walked around him. Placing the folder on her desk atop a growing pile. They would all have to be dealt with sooner rather than later.
Her lack of response only further fueled his anger.
"Two missing children. Chosen, for that matter. With friends and family. Did it ever occur to you that any of them might like to know where they are?"
"What good would it to to tell them?" She asked him in all honesty. "Yamaki's working on getting them back as we speak. Or did he neglect to mention that part?"
"He mentioned it. Though I can't imagine that's going to make them feel any better when they find out."
Her eyes widened at his unspoken sentiment. She spun on her heel: "You can't tell them."
"I can and I will," he snapped back. "They've spent the last two weeks feeling utterly helpless. The very least we can do is give them the chance to—"
"To do what, exactly?"
Maki's voice was precisely as harsh as she intended. Her headache was getting worse, and every second she spent in the room with Daigo right then was agitating her that much more. On a good day, she tolerated him. He was useful. They shared a connection even she could never deny. The problem had always been that he believed it to be stronger than it really was, no matter how hard she'd tried into adulthood to convince him otherwise.
It left them dealing with moments like these, where he was taking a calculated decision too personally.
"Do you think I kept this quiet just to punish them? I know these kids. Because they're us. If one of our friends had been trapped in another Dimension, we'd have ripped open the first Portal we saw to go get them. Regardless of the danger."
He folded his arms across his chest. "So you're taking their choice away."
"Because it's a stupid one."
The temperature in the room dropped. Maki stared at Daigo. He stared back. Unwavering. Unblinking. Unreadable. His posture was stiff. Distant. Less than three meters separated them, but the coldness exuding from him made it seem as if he were a continent away.
"I saw the latest test results on Dorumon."
She flinched. "Inconclusive."
He saw. "I would hardly call a near total recovery inconclusive."
"The treatments—"
"There were no treatments, Maki-chan." He took a step forward. She did not take one back. "That's what this is really about, isn't it? Our data is showing that he's getting better all on his own. His code is repairing itself, despite the length of time he's been here. Which means that this...thing...affecting him came from the Digital World." Another step. She had to tilt her head up to maintain eye contact. "The Digimon coming through the portals aren't trying to attack us. They're not even wild creatures looking to hunt. They're escaping from whatever's attacking them, and we—"
"Don't say it," she hissed
He ignored her. "We can't win this on defense alone. We're going to have to take the fight to them."
Maki saw red. "I will not be responsible for risking the lives of those children."
"They've done it before. Dozens of times" He pointed out. "So have we."
"AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!"
Daigo visibly recoiled back at the outburst, eyes wide. Maki's chest was heaving. There were bags beneath her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were wet. Pain read all across her face. A kind she had tried to bury so deeply inside her until it had come bursting out all at once.
He wanted to feel guilty. Maybe there would be time for guilt later.
"The Digital World needs them," he reminded her gently.
"The Digital World needs to learn to fight its own damn battles," she spat out. Her knees felt weak, but she stubbornly remained standing. "They've been lucky until now, but luck doesn't last forever. I may not be able to stop the children from getting involved here, but I can at least make sure what happened to us will never happen to them. If that makes me the villain, then so be it."
Daigo felt the fight leave him in a single, shaky exhale. His eyes grew sad.
"The Maki-chan I used to know would have never thought that." he told her softly. "What happened to her?"
She turned away. Busying her hands with organizing her files by size.
"She grew up."
He shook his head, turning to leave. He knew then he wasn't going to get through to her, no matter how hard he tried. Years spent at her side, and he couldn't even protect her from the one thing he feared most:
"Ishida-san was right. You're not a Chosen, Maki-chan. Not anymore. You haven't been for a long time."
Unable to refute him, Maki was left watching her last friend walk out the door. Only after he was gone did her knees finally buckle, and she collapsed into the plush office chair.
o o o
o o o
"Higher, Wally!" 6-year-old Keiko gripped the swing rope with one hand while holding tightly to one of her best friend's favorite stuffed animals in the other. "Lopmon's not that heavy!"
"No, but you are!" he teased.
"Meanie! I'm telling Kaa-san!"
The blonde laughed at her thinly-veiled threat. Keiko never told her mom anything they did. Except for that one time a batch of freshly baked cookies went mysteriously missing, and she had promptly blamed Terriermon. (She was right, but she couldn't have known that.) Out of the corner of his eye, he looked to the digimon in question. Terriermon sat at the base of the large oak tree, still and unblinking in the presence of another human child. Just like Wallace told him.
The tree branch above them creaked. Wallace turned back just as Kay landed on her feet more than a yard from the swing. She'd jumped. And now she was running away with Lopmon and there was only one place she could go.
"Kay!" He stumbled out from behind the swing after her. "Wait!"
She made it all the way out the edge of the small dock before turning around. A huge grin plastered on her face. Wallace liked it when she smiled, but not like that. When she smiled like that, he ended up in trouble.
"Let's go swimming, Wally! I'll bet Lopmon would love the water!"
Wallace's eyes widened.
So did Lopmon's.
"Whaa!" The little digimon came to life, arms flailing in an attempt to free himself. "Wallace, help! I don't wanna drown!"
Kay looked down. Two beady eyes peered up at her. Then blinked. She screamed, dropping the creature as she took a step back. Except there was no more dock left to step on, and she fell into the lake with a large splash.
"Kay!" Wallace dropped to his knees, peering over the side. "Kay, are you—?"
His genuine concern for her well-being was rewarded by a hand breaking through the surface, reaching up, grabbing him by the wrist, and pulling him down into the water right alongside her.
Terriermon dashed over to his brother's side. They both rose to their hind legs, paws to their mouth in twin expressions as they stared down at the two children now playfully splashing one another.
"Look what you did, Lopmon!"
"Ahh! That one talks too!?"
o
"All things considered, she took it pretty well," Wallace grinned. "And until I met you and Daisuke and the others, she was the only other person besides Mama I ever told."
The sun was still peeking above the horizon as they rounded the street corner. Ahead, Hikari saw the sign for her apartment complex. They had three blocks to go. Part of her was actually remiss to end their time together. Now that there was no longer any pretense of flirtation on his part, Wallace was even more entertaining to be around. He was funny and animated and told good stories.
"I owe you an apology, Hikari." His grin turned uncharacteristically sheepish. Guilt weighed his shoulders down. "I tried to use you in hopes of making Kay jealous. I guess...I don't know. I wanted to get back at her for leaving."
Hikari shook her head. "It's alright. Everything worked out in the end, didn't it?"
"Only because you somehow figured me out," he admitted. A hand came up to scratch at the back of his head. "If it had been Miyako, like I'd originally planned..."
Hikari tried not to wince too noticeably. "She would have forgiven you too." Eventually.
They came upon the courtyard entrance. Beyond the open gate, Hikari looked up and could see the door to her apartment. The light was on. She supposed she was lucky the deck windows were all on the other side. Taichi was supposed to be home, and he'd been in a mood when she'd left that morning.
"How did you know?" Wallace asked.
She turned back to him and smiled. "Your heart told me."
"My heart?"
"Mmm." She nodded in affirmation. Her eyes drifted downward. Wallace realized she was staring at his chest. He tried to follow her gaze, but saw nothing aside from his starched shirt and loosened tie. "When Daisuke-kun mentioned the ex-girlfriend who taught you Japanese and whenever you brought up anything to do with the wedding. It was the same." He looked back up. She was staring back in a way that made him feel oddly exposed. Like she were seeing something beyond his eyes. "I figured they had something to do with each other, but I wasn't certain until I saw you react to Keiko-san at the ceremony."
Wallace looked impressed.
"You must be the most observant person in Japan." He chuckled softly. "I really do owe you a lot for today."
"Don't be silly, Wallace-san." she insisted, shaking her head. "We're friends, aren't we? If our situations were reversed, I'm sure you'd do the same for me."
For a moment, he seemed contemplative about something even she couldn't decipher. His eyes shone, and there was a twitch of a smile as he leaned forward to place a light kiss of gratitude on her cheek. Not unlike the way he'd kissed her in America. Hikari knew her cheeks were pink even before he pulled away, but she still looked up at him warmly all the same.
"You're right," he told her. "Which means, as a friend, I should tell you that you were wrong about one thing today."
Her smile faded. She wasn't offended, but she was curious.
"I was?"
"Yeah. When you told Kay you didn't have anybody who thought of you that way. I think we both know that's not true."
He watched the change in her face. The way her eyes widened. Lips forming a small, silent 'o'. Wallace would never claim to be as good as she was at reading people's hearts, but he took more than a little pride in recognizing her reaction. And the fact that he had caught her so off-guard.
Until that moment, he hadn't been sure it was possible to catch Hikari off-guard.
One last smile and wave. She dipped her head in farewell. More a reflex than anything. Wallace had already turned to head back towards the train station. The gate creaked as she stepped inside. Her feet led her to the main entrance. Beyond the glass doors, she noticed a lack of anyone waiting for the elevator.
In the reflection, she saw the small playground behind her. Which included a swing set.
o o o
o o o
It was well after dark when Takeru's phone rang.
He sat up, ignoring the stares from both Yamato and Hatsuharu as he dug it out of his pocket. The rest of the band had already left for the night. Yamato still had his guitar in his lap, but he was hardly playing it.
"Hello?"
"Takeru-kun?"
His back straightened at the familiar voice. "Hikari-chan?" A glance at the clock on the wall told him the hour. He knew she was supposed to be out for most of the day with Wallace because he'd spent almost as long trying not to think about it. "Is something wrong?"
"No." There was an odd sound coming through from her end. A creaking. Like worn metal. "I just wanted to talk...I suppose." There was a moment of silence on her end as the creaking game to an abrupt stop. "Honestly, I'm not even sure why I called you like this. You must be busy right now."
Yamato shot him a questioning look.
Takerumet his brother's gaze long enough to shake his head. As far as he could tell, this had nothing to do with the digimon. Hikari sounded confused, which left him curious, but she didn't sound frightened or out of breath. There were no audible signs of danger behind her.
"Where are you now?" He stood up, calves stiff from having sat for so long. "I'm on my way."
"N-no, I didn't...you don't have to..."
"Leaving now!" He chirped into the receiver. He wondered if she could hear him grinning. "You'd better give me a destination before I end up wandering aimlessly around the city trying to find you. I could end up lost, you know."
He was out the door before Yamato had a chance to process what just happened. He knew the who, but when it came to those two, that seldom narrowed things down.
Hatsuharu snorted into his soda can. "Let me guess. Girlfriend?"
Yamato shook his head.
Hatsuharu paused mid-sip. An eyebrow rose. Slowly, he lowered a can. Then shot a quick glance at the open doorway before turning back with a low scoff.
"Bullshit."
o o o
o o o
She was on the playground outside her apartment building. Sitting idly on a swing. Alone. Still in what he could only assume to be the dress she had worn to the wedding.
On her date with Wallace.
Except the American blonde wasn't with her. Takeru had so many questions, most of which died on his lips the moment she looked up. Drawn out of whatever contemplative trance she'd been in before his arrival, the smile on her face at seeing him was too bright not to be genuine. As opposed to the mask she sometimes wore for his sake.
"So," he came around and behind her, reaching for the adjacent swing. "What's so important that you had to call me away from a night of watching Nii-san not practice?"
Her eyes twinkled with mischief.
"I met Wallace-san's girlfriend today."
Takeru lost his balance halfway to his seat, nearly tumbling to the sandy ground below. Only the strength of his upper body saved him from a less dignified recovery.
"You...what?"
Hikari had the grace to hide her laughter behind one hand. Takeru stared back in sheer bewilderment. He would never have guessed Wallace had a girlfriend. The thought never had a chance to cross his mind. But, perhaps, most befuddling was the fact that Hikari didn't seem the least bit distraught. If anything, she looked pleased...with herself.
Readjusting her grip on the swing's chains, Hikari started lightly rocking herself back and forth. Her feet reached the ground easily enough, allowing for a subtle bend of the knees to guide her movements.
As she rocked, she told him everything.
The feelings she'd gleaned from Wallace that night in the van. The subsequent talk after meeting up at Koushiro's. The venue gardens. How he'd helped her with the winter blossoms. Watching his face change so drastically when Keiko first appeared. And again when she approached them at the reception. What Keiko's mother said to her after she'd deliberately left them standing at the edge of the dance floor in search of ice cream-(Takeru had shaken his head at that part.)-and how Keiko and Wallace spent most of the rest of the evening reconnecting. Parting only when he sought to fulfill his gentlemanly duties by escorting Hikari home.
At some point during her half hour-long tale, Takeru had gotten up from his swing. He moved behind her and gave her a push. He had no idea what compelled him to do so. It just seemed the right thing to do at the time. He realized they had never actually played on the swings together before. Not even as children. They'd never had the chance.
Sometimes, he nearly forgot he hadn't known her his whole life. His mind would plant false memories of them long before he returned to Odaiba with his mother. They made too much sense not to be real. Like the idea of countless hours spent pushing against her back and watching her fly away from him. Higher and higher each time, until she could almost touch the stars.
Yet, no matter how far up into the night sky she rose, she would inevitably return. Only to have him push her away once more.
Until he stopped pushing.
Hikari lost momentum. Takeru waited until there was little risk of injuring either of them before he stepped in front. He reached out to grab the chains a few centimeters above her hands. His head tilted downward, and though he tried to force a glare, the grin on his face twisted his expression into something far more playful.
"I should be mad at you." As he spoke, she looked up at him from her seat. Unconcerned. "Keeping something like that from me all this time. And after I went through all that trouble to get you when I found Jou-senpai and Mimi-san at school..."
"I'm sorry." With him so close, it was more difficult to stand up. She had to retreat back a couple steps, leaving her with her back resting against the swing seat. "I didn't want to say anything until I was completely sure. Like I am now."
So am I.
The moon came out from behind the clouds. It reflected off Hikari's eyes. Glistening. She smiled up at him with ease. Content with his close proximity. Unbothered by the fact that he essentially had her trapped. The trust she had in him was unparalleled, and in that moment, they were as close as they had ever been.
And she looked as beautiful as he had ever seen her.
"Hikari-chan?" He felt his heart speed up. "There's something I've been wanting to-"
"Don't."
She cut him off sharply. Her eyes were wide. The ease of her smile was gone. As was the serenity of the moment. He could see the silent plea in her nervous expression. Don't say it. Please. Don't say the words aloud. Don't say anything at all.
Frustration built up inside him. Rejection would have been one thing, but she wasn't even doing that. She was denying him the chance to speak his heart at all.
"Why not?"
With that one question, any hope of being able to brush the moment aside—to go back to the status quo of feelings left unspoken—was gone
"Because..." Her chest felt heavy, making it hard to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and swallowed. "...because I know. I've always known, Takeru-kun. Ever since the day you...yelled at me for relying so much on Oniichan.
He remembered that day. Vividly. The worry at seeing her almost disappear. Relief at finding her, safe, only to grow increasingly frustrated at how little she had given to his presence. At the time, he'd thought it was fear she'd given up. He never wanted her to give up. Except...had she really given up if she was still calling for the boy who'd protected her since the day she was born?
Years later, Takeru had come to realize he had been so upset then because he'd wanted her to call for him too.
"And you...don't feel the same way about me?"
He steeled himself for her answer.
"I don't know." She looked up. Her eyes were glassy, but there were no tears. "I have no idea how I feel when I'm around you, Takeru-kun. All I can feel is you."
Her choice of wording alone left him confused.
"What do you mean?"
Only a few hours had passed since Hikari had a similar conversation with Wallace. It had been so easy to explain then. But this was Takeru. Anyone else, and it was alright that they didn't fully understand. Hikari never expected them to. Yet, suddenly, she wanted Takeru to understand more than anything. She needed him to.
She lifted a hand. He watched. Slowly, as if afraid he would pull away, she reached out to place it on his chest. Right over his heart. He let her. She felt it beating as fast as her own. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she focused on the sensations radiating from him.
"Warm. Like a sunrise." Words passed breathy through her lips. "Like being wrapped in a thick blanket on the coldest winter night. I'm buried so deep...it's so comforting...I could fall asleep." She opened her eyes. "That's what you feel like, Takeru-kun. Other people feel warm sometimes too, but with you, I can't feel anything else. And I—"
Her voice cracked. Takeru fought the urge to reach out to her in comfort.
"I'm selfish," she admitted. "Because I don't want to. Which isn't fair to you. You deserve someone who can be just as warm. Even if...I did feel the same way..." She faltered, and Takeru knew then she wasn't sure she didn't. "...I don't know if those feelings would be enough."
As she spoke, he'd taken another step back towards her. His hand moved of its own accord, coming to rest over hers. If he had felt a renewed sense of awe towards her before, the look of surprise on her face at his bold gesture left him mesmerized.
Because he understood now.
"It doesn't work that way, Hikari-chan. It's not some competition." His fingers made their way through and around hers until he was holding them in a gentle grip. "It's just you. Your smile when you know something the rest of us don't. Your eyes when you ride Nefertimon into battle. The way just being by your side makes me feel happy. And strong. Like we could take on an army of Vamdemon."
He smiled fondly. Every word was deliberate, down to the name of the very digimon they had faced together for the first time. He heard her gasp, and squeezed her fingers reassuringly.
"So don't ever think of yourself as anything else, Hikari-chan, because...to me...you'll always be more than enough."
Her lips parted as she watched his eyes. Searching them for the truth behind his words.
She found it.
Then she kissed him.
Chains rattled behind her as she pushed herself away from the swing, closing what little gap there had been left between them. Takeru could taste the sugar from her earlier indulgences, and that was precisely the last thought he had for several seconds after. Her hands pressed against his chest. His had somehow managed to find their way to her waist. Even when they parted, they continued to share the same air until she finally lowered herself back onto her heels
Her eyelashes fluttered open. Her eyes were wide. Bewildered by the boldness of her own actions and the stark realization that had come with them: she was wrong. All this time, she'd been wrong about not being able to feel anything around him...because, much like Keiko and Wallace, their feelings had blended together so seamlessly, it was simply impossible to tell where his ended and hers began.
The corners of her lips twitched. A hesitant smile appeared. One that widened with each passing second he smiled back at her.
This time, he was the one who initiated. Leaning in with every intention of a second kiss.
The wind around them picked up. Too strong to be natural. It cut directly between them, pulling the pair apart in time to see it swirl and twist just a few meters away. Electricity crackled. Sparks of blue and white danced along a wall of energy with increasing intensity until the air itself ripped open.
Hikari gasped.
Takeru put himself between her and the portal.
A silhouette appeared in the light. Large. Humanoid. Bulging muscles indicative of a great physical strength. Sharp claws. Something resembling a long weapon tied at the waist. A lush, golden mane.
Leomon stepped onto the playground sand with his head held high. The portal behind him sealed itself shut as he took in the sight of the two teens.
"...Chosen...Children..."
No sooner did the words make it out, then his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He collapsed to the ground, where he did not get up.
A second later, the paw still clutching his sword hilt flickered pink.