A slight delay in the update plan. I'm, once again, terribly sorry.
Destiny and Fate Ch 19
Despite the efforts he put in researching about the strange website on his phone, Takeru could not unearth any information at all. The internet information contained no credible sources. Another absurd thing was that the website he encountered was not accessible via internet. The accessibility was only available on his phone. Finding this to be quite bizarre and mind boggling, Takeru kept everything a secret to not disturb Hikari since she was already troubled by the upcoming Yagami Corp's monthly party. She was constantly working due to the dates of the party and the deadline of her school project overlapping. And she slept through the entire Friday because of the fatiguing work. Despite being so tired on the previous day, she made a complete recovery by the next morning and was forcibly waking Takeru from his sleep.
"Wake up before I start shooting."
"Okay, okay. I'm up."
Takeru spoke as he lazily rose from his bed.
"Hurry up or we'll be late for the party."
"Okay."
He followed his answer with a yawn and walked to the bathroom.
"Don't take too long."
"Yes, my lady."
He replied with a playful attitude and began taking a warm shower to wake himself up.
With that, she left Takeru to ready himself for the party. Moments later, Takeru came out of his room, dressed formally in black attire. Then, the two headed down to the garage and braced themselves for a long drive. Because it was an early morning, only few cars were seen on the road, which helped Takeru to drive swiftly. While driving, Takeru asked a question regarding her health.
"Are you still tired from all the work?"
"A little bit."
"Even though you slept the entire time yesterday?"
"I had to complete a huge project and shop for my dress. Also, I had to wake up two hours earlier than you to do my hair, put on my jewelries, and make ups. Next time, you try that and tell me if it's not tiring."
"I'll pass. I think I would die from exhaustion."
Takeru turned down her suggestion, admitting that her work was arduous.
"If you're tired, sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there."
"…Okay."
Then, she closed her eyes and indulged herself in a short, but deep sleep. Takeru slowed down slightly to prevent the car from shaking too much. He tried his absolute best to create a comfortable environment for Hikari to sleep until they arrived at the Yagami Corp's main building. Approximately after about an hour and a half, Takeru arrived at their destination and parked their car. However, he didn't wake up the sleeping beauty because he wanted her to rest as much as she could. Takeru woke her up after remaining silent for 45 minutes.
"Hey, Hikari. Wake up. We're here."
"…Mm…"
She rubbed her eyes and rose up slowly.
"We still got 30 minutes before the party starts, so don't rush."
"30 minutes before? The drive took that long?"
She asked as she fixed her hair and checked her make ups with the help of the car's mirror.
"Somewhat."
"I guess it doesn't matter since we're not late. Let's go."
"Sure."
With that, the two exited the car and entered the titanic building that held the fabulous party. Almost immediately upon entering, Hikari was overwhelmed by the numerous media attention.
"Can you voice any opinion on the recent rumor regarding Taichi?"
"Do you think it's related to the Europe trip he and Sora had?"
"I heard you'll be getting engaged as well soon. Any comments?"
"Would you consider Willis from ITPA as a strong candidate?"
Instantly, she felt obscenely uncomfortable upon receiving undesirable questions and attention. Takeru noticed her declining mood right away and pulled her away from the ferocious crowd of reporters, cameramen, and journalists. Few persistent people pursued the two, but Takeru prevented them further chasing her.
"I believe this is an intrusion ofto her private space and life. She is currently unwilling to voice her opinions and does not wish to share her private business. If you still wish to follow her, please prepare for the legal consequences."
Fearing the law, the relentless media finally backed away and went on interviewing other rich, famous figures of the society.
"They're gone, Hikari."
"…Thanks, Takeru."
"You're welcome."
He gave a warm smile, then, spoke once more.
"Let's go enjoy the party. No one is gonna bother you anymore today."
"…Okay…"
With that, they returned to the terrace where the party was taking place. As usual, the place was packed with rich people and fancy decorations and foods. Having not been able to eat breakfast, both Takeru and Hikari enjoyed the scrumptious foods and refreshing drinks. The place was quite peaceful until Taichi and his father appeared. Everybody surrounded the two and asked tremendous amounts of questions. However, all questions were answered when the president of the Yagami Corp said this.
"As you can see. Taichi is healthy and well. Now, I hope you can understand that the story regarding my son being attacked was simply a misunderstanding and unfortunate rumor."
Hikari was irritated to see everyone trouble Taichi, and was more disturbed when she saw that Sora was standing next to him. After much interviewing and talking, the media settled down and the two Yagami males could finally relax. The heir of the Yagami Corp and his fiancée immediately came to Hikari once he was freed from all the talking. He came to them with a bright greeting and smile. Sora, too, had a smile, but it was a nervous smile rather than a genuine one.
"Hi, Hikari."
"…Hi, Taichi…"
She greeted while diverting her eyes away from Sora. The two girls had painful expressions on their faces which only Takeru managed to see. Taichi, oblivious of the two's declining mood, continued to speak brightly.
"So, how have you been, Hikari?"
"…Okay."
"You look a little down, are you okay?"
"…Yeah…I'm fine."
She replied as she gave a quick death glare at Sora. Hikari hated the fact that Sora was all over Taichi, taking advantage of his memory loss. In midst of her fury, Hikari came across a thought and finally faced Sora.
"Why did you not do anything?"
Sora flinched at Hikari's unbelievable power in her voice. She was shocked and spoke in a slightly frightened manner.
"…What do you mean…?"
"Why was he the only one hurt?"
Hikari referred to the time when Taichi was severely injured. Looking back, Sora was nowhere near him that day.
"Hikari…I was…"
"Forget it."
She cut her off with tremendously powerful tone.
"You're just pathetic. You abandoned him in the time of crisis to save yourself. I hope you're proud of yourself."
A cruel and harsh statement struck Sora.
"…Hikari…"
"Don't talk to me. You're not worth my time."
With that, the Hikari took off. She walked into the building by herself and left Takeru, Taichi, and Sora worried and perturbed
"Hikari…"
Both Taichi and Takeru whispered her name, worried about her. Then, suddenly, Sora also took off to pursue the enraged ice princess.
"Sora, where are you going?"
Taichi asked the lady who dashed after Hikari.
"I'm gonna follow her."
"But…"
"I don't care what she said to me. I'm worried about her."
With that as the last statement, Sora ran after the fleeing angel. After few moments of sprinting, she managed to catch up with Hikari.
"Hikari, wait!"
Despite hearing her, Hikari did not look back or stop. She continued to walk away until Sora stopped her by grabbing her wrist. Then, Hikari turned around with a frightening glare and spoke.
"Let go."
"Hikari, listen to me."
She tried to pull away, but Sora did not loosen her hold.
"Hikari, there was really nothing I could do."
"Yeah. Thanks for being powerless and making Taichi suffer."
Hikari gave a sarcastic statement. However, Sora ignored her remark and spoke her mind.
"I couldn't do anything because it was Taichi's decision!"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"He planned the assault and faked the memory loss for your sake."
"…He…what…?"
"He couldn't shake off his feelings about you. That's why he faked his memory loss, so that you two could start fresh."
Hikari was confused and surprised by Sora's statements.
"…Stop lying…It doesn't make any sense…If you knew about it, then you would've opposed it…so it must be a lie."
"I'm not lying."
By this time, Hikari had become weak and Sora's voice grew strong.
"…Then…why are you…"
Then, Sora revealed her anger that she contained inside.
"You claim to love Taichi to death, but you know nothing about love!"
Hikari became startled by Sora's thunderous shout. The crimson haired lady continued speaking.
"If you truly love someone, isn't it natural for to wish for your lover's happiness than your own?"
Hikari recalled hearing that phrase once before. However, the perplexed mind made her memory inaccessible.
"I try so hard, but in the end, only you can make him happy..."
Sora's voice lost strength and was slowly breaking. Hikari was overwhelmed with extreme amounts of guilt for all she did to Sora.
"…Sora…I'm…"
"If you're sorry, then, go make Taichi happy. If he's happy, I would be too…"
"…Sora…"
"…Go!"
"I'm sorry!"
She apologized and took off to find Taichi. She felt terrible for Sora. Even as she was running, she could clearly hear Sora sob. Hikari headed out to the terrace and desperately searched for the man who faked his health. She found him after a long search and dragged him to a secluded place.
"Hikari, what's going on?"
"Stop pretending!"
Frustrated, Hikari yelled at him.
"Pretending? What are you talking about?"
"I know that you didn't lose your memory!"
"…"
"…I was really worried..."
A brief silence took place, then, Taichi delivered an apology for making her concerned.
"I'm sorry, Hikari…"
Along with the apology, Hikari also received the first hug from the man she adored for a long time.
"…T…Taichi…?"
"Sorry. I just couldn't bear it anymore. I couldn't stand being just who we were."
"…"
"I love you, Hikari. I always have."
He tightened his embrace after confessing the feeling that he concealed within him for a long, long time. Touched and heart warmed, crystal waters dripped down Hikari's fine cheeks. She slowly moved her arms and hugged Taichi back. That was their first serious, romantic contact. Due to that fact, the two were extremely passionate, especially Hikari, who was sobbing loudly from happiness and relief. Because they were too into the moment, neither could detect one man's presence, observing the scene with cheerless, sapphire eyes. A silent whisper left Takeru's mouth.
"I guess I don't need to help you to love anymore."
Then, he turned away from the two and walked away. Silently and unbeknownst to everybody, Takeru left the Yagami Corp building in a lonesome manner. He left the car in the parking lot and walked around the large city by himself. While roaming around aimlessly, Takeru wondered about what he should do now that his duty was fulfilled earlier than he anticipated. Hikari was now openly loving someone. He didn't know whether to continue living with Hikari or return to the way he used to live. Overall, he was confused of what action he should take. Unable to come up with a solution to his problem, all he could do was wander and look at the gloomy, cold sky with a vacant heart.
What complicated love relationships. Poor Takeru. What will he do now? The next chapter should explain that.
For Reviewers
SparrowBird98: I would be pretty scared myself as well. haha.
puasluoma: I will try my best to update quickly and thank you for the advice. I hope I can improve the story to higher quality.
geldragon: I'm glad that you find my story interesting. Means a lot. His past will be revealed in the near future.
Kitsune8757: I'm sorry for making you wait. And thanks for liking my story. Hearing that you check for my updates means a LOT to me. Thank you.
Namika-i: I'm happy that you love my story. I will try my best to update as quickly as I can.
Thank you all for the patience and reading my story. All the readers are the undying source of inspiration and my motives to write stories. Hope to see you all next chapter.