Operation: Takari PI

I had to leave. This was supposed to be up yesterday at the latest but… Sorry! Well, I loved this chapter. I think this was my basis for the entire thing.

Formatting this was a pain in the butt.

To enang, my anonymous reviewer: I already said the chapters would be short from the beginning. But I hope you'll appreciate the length of this one. About 2000 words! The others might not quite be so long though. (Pretty short.) And I apologize about the cliff-hangers. I hope to update fast enough so you guys won't be left hanging so long.

Three more chapters till the end! (Phase 10!)


Phase 07: Broadcast



"Testing, testing, one, two, three!"

The announcement had most of Odaiba Middle School staring at the speakers closest to them.

Hikari had blinked. Daisuke?

"Um, well, I'm just going to believe this works since I don't know how to use this thing..."

"Daisuke, you idiot."

Hikari blinked once, twice. Taichi? Who else was up there, and what was going on?

Was this some bizarre senior prank with outsiders involved?

"Hey, I came up with this didn't I?"

"A particularly inspired moment, one that wouldn't reoccur anytime soon, I'm sure."

Yamato? What on earth was going on now?

"That's mean!" a voice that was undeniably Daisuke's paused.

The rest of the cafeteria was looking as if the people manning the school's public address system were mentally handicapped. Hikari was inclined to believe the majority here, for all that one of the mentally handicapped was her brother.

"But that's not why were here, Yamato, and you know it."

"That's right, Yama-chaaan!" Taichi exclaimed, sounding very much like a talk show host. "We're here on the behalf of two people who are very special to us."

"Right, Taichi, and I totally resent your new nickname, by the way... So, uh... you guys, since we'd rather not embarrass both of you we're not mentioning names... get your act together already," Yamato paused, as if just realizing what he said was desperately wrong. "Wait, who're we kidding. We love to embarrass you guys, it's like our only job that we do willingly. Er, fine. Takeru, Hikari, this is for you guys." A muffled thud was heard. "Uh, I have to go. It seems my brother has, um, flailed himself to the floor."

Hikari stared up at the broadcast booth. Was everyone aside from her up there? It was likely, even though Takeru seemed to be held against his will.

"That's it! You two, awaaay from the mike. It's miiine!" Daisuke's voice rang out, painfully loud. "Okay. where was I? Ah, yes. Takeru and Hikari, as Yamato said, this is for you. Now, Hikari. You told Miyako that he thinks of you as a best friend. That's all. That it couldn't have been anything else. That all you had was because of trauma. And something about deranged clowns and friends turning into keychains when you guys were eight. After which, Takeru moved away for three years. A long time. Yet he recognized you and he knew you and I was jealous of that strange thing you shared that was so special, unbreakable. Trauma? I think not. And about what you told Miyako... Are you crazy, Hikari? No, listen to me first. Sit. Don't kill me later. Or now."

Hikari glared at him. Who did he think he was? That conversation was private.

"Takeru cares for you so, so much, Hikari. To elaborate on his return to Odaiba, even though I didn't know that he was -returning- back then... When I was raving like a lunatic because you two just seemed waaay too close? You had something Hikari, and it definitely is not whatever you told Miyako it was."

Hikari let her head rest in her palms.

"Do you remember that time, when we were in the Digital World with everyone and I kept on flirting with you? He was always there, helping you turn me down. Don't pretend just to be nice to my feelings. Those times were hilarious in retrospect, but not so if I remember that both of you drifted so apart since then."

"Yeah, go Daisuke! Tell them how it is!"

"Pipe down, Miyako. Listen to me, Hikari. Remember that time we ran to the computer and you got left behind because it got destroyed and we came back for you? I yelled at Takeru a lot, saying it was his fault. He agreed with me, accepting all the blame I threw at him. Not everyone would do that, Hikari." He paused for effect. "Not everyone. He was being so nice, you know, when Patamon decided to tease me about Angemon and Angewomon.

"And you know what? I was thinking about your Digimon and their Digivolutions from what I know. When you hadn't met yet, Patamon changed into Angemon. Hey, no problem, right? Then, Tailmon was already Tailmon. But with the crests, Angemon turns into HolyAngemon, and Tailmon turns into Angewomon. You were already bonded then, weren't you? You had something. You had something that someone like me would probably never understand. Wait. Don't leave yet. There's more." He paused to inhale more air, his throat was dry from nervousness.

This had to work. He started again, willing everything the other Chosen Children felt for Takeru and Hikari to realize into his words.

"When you were called back, you found your DigiEggs together, side by side. The Digital World knew your connection. And when you Armor Digivolved, sure, Nefertimon was derived from Egypt. I think. And Pegasmon was derived from Greek mythology. Again, I'm not sure. But still, there was a connection none of the rest of us had, your Digimon cooperated and were like a tag team and had some secret technique you could only do together. Well, maybe not so secret, but still.

"Remember the Dark Ocean? When everyone in the classroom were staring at you and Takeru because he saw you looking all weird and he screamed your name out and you snapped out of it just to faint? He was always watching you, wasn't he? He was always there for you? And he ran around everywhere looking for you, the school nurse told me. He was running like a deranged maniac, Hikari. And then, he believed what you were mumbling about the ocean. Don't give me that look. You were really out of it that day."

Hikari was glaring at him, and if looks could kill… Daisuke shuddered. Seriously, Hikari wasn't always the angel everyone made her out to be.

"Me and everyone else thought you had to be in the Digital World. Takeru ran to the beach and was screaming your name, as far as I know. Patamon and Tailmon joined in, too, but you probably already knew that. He jumped off a cliff for you, Hikari. It shouldn't be possible that he managed to join you in the Dark Ocean, but he did. How was that so? Don't you think that maybe, your bond was just that strong? That you could overcome space to go to a whole new dimension for each other?

"There was one day both of you happened to both not be around. It was both a coincidence, I almost believed it when the others said it was a date. Turns out you were out with Tailmon the whole day and Takeru and Patamon were both sleeping their butts off. The whole day. You both loved to tease me though, I remember.

"That other time, the one where we thought you were going on a date but was really the Odaiba Memorial. I almost freaked when you asked me if I wanted to go with you guys, but I suppose it was kinda funny. He loves you, Hikari, and only a blind fool wouldn't notice that you were meant to be together. You're not that blind fool, Hikari. You probably knew this by now. Takeru would rather die than hurt you, Hikari."


Takeru was getting irritated.

Firstly, he was being dragged around the campus while tied hand and foot.

Secondly, private moments that he very much preferred "Private" were being leaked out in the open.

Thirdly, it kinda hurt being tied to a chair. And the blood circulating to his hands now after several minutes of the circulation cut off was extremely uncomfortable.


"Bye Iori! Bye, you two, see you soon! We'd love to go, but maybe too many of us is pushing it."

Iori smiled. Not being lost did wonders to your temper. "We'll tell you guys all about it afterwards." He reached into his duffel bag and pulled out two large canvas bags. "Now, you two have to get in here."


She looked sad. She really did. Like she hoped to be convinced yet was disappointed since she wasn't.

She opened her mouth, cleared her throat, and spoke.

"The only thing you've proven, Daisuke, is that he'd protect me. He promised, Daisuke. He promised Sora. And that's all it was. It couldn't be anything else," she whispered softly. Her light had dimmed over the years, her childish optimism and hope nearly eclipsed by the sense of frustration she felt when she thought Takeru will never think of her as more than a friend. Daisuke hadn't noticed; they really had grown apart.

"A-hem. Hikari, since you are so awesome at choosing your friends, we have cooperated to bug your cafeteria table. Aren't we awesome? We also managed to hear what you said, thanks to Koushiro... And so we have, um, proof of the total opposite of what you said."

Wasn't this an invasion of privacy to the extreme? Hikari thought wryly.

"I'll go play a taped conversation now."

"Takeru... I've decided."

"What?" She gasped softly at the voice.

"I've... decided to move on." Daisuke paused for a while. "I'm getting over Hikari, she's yours, man."

"But you're so... persistent." Thevoices were real; she'd know the cadence of his voice even if it was a single word.

A bitingly hard laugh. "Pigheaded is more fitting, Takeru."

"You admit it?"

"Don't change the subject, Takaishi. What are you going to do about it. Hikari can be yours, now. Heck, I'll give you my blessing, even. What's to stop you? What. Are. You. Going. To. Do?"

"Nothing." Hikari sighed softly. Of course.

"What? What do you mean, nothing."

"Exactly what I said." An exhale. "Daisuke, I appreciate you telling me, but... But for one thing, Hikari's not an object you can just give. Hikari is... special."

"You sound like you love her. You sound like you really, really do love Hikari, you know."

"Hikari... doesn't deserve someone like me. She could do so much better. Me?" he barked a laugh. It seemed oddly bitter. "Me, I hurt her. I hurt her… and I'm probably hurting her now, and I probably will again. It's probably better that she ends up happy with someone. Someone else. Someone who'll make her happy."

"And you?"

"I'll support her, what else? I'll probably grow up into some old man with twenty-seven cats who will watch other people live their lives and watching my own days run out. Always watching out for her. What else can I do? I can't bear to hurt her, and I might do something I'll deeply regret."

"You're incabable of jealousy, aren't you, Takeru?" There was a curious note in his voice. Daisuke honestly wanted an answer.

"What makes you say that?" A pause. His voice was so firm, like nothing could shake him. "No, I wouldn't say that I'm incapable of jealousy. I'm human, Daisuke. I can be selfish, too."

"Why aren't you about Hikari, then?"

"Hikari... is someone I can never afford to be selfish about, or with."

"You're... too nice, Takeru."

"Heh. People tell me that. Sometimes, I'm not sure it's true."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure it is."

And then it ended.

"Um, Koushiro? Ready?" Daisuke's voice was faint, like he was giving an effort to keep his voice low.

"Almost. Turn that speaker off. Or talk about something else. It's not time."

Daisuke smiled. "Alright. Hikari..." he started again, his voice cheery-bright.