So this is the first Ayano chapter that I wrote, and yeah I apologized to anyone who didn't want to see a heavy OC chapter. I stand by that since fan fiction should be about the characters in the original work for the most part, and I think that it still should be. OCs are best if used as plot devices in my opinion.
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon. Also, listen to David Bowie. I fucking love him.
Edit: 7/6/12 Came and revised a bit. Will continue to do so for later chapters. Cleaning up grammar mistakes, and certain wording or phrasing that I've come to not really like all that much. Just minor changes, nothing too serious. Just trying to improve the writing style, and experience for the reader.
Ayano was not a fan of basketball, she never had been always preferring the finer arts over sports, but she enjoyed the sight of Takeru being in his element, or basically anything as long as it had to do with him. Takeru's basketball team was victorious against another team whose name was inconsequential to her, and she couldn't help but grin when she saw him begin to run in her direction. She hoped that he wasn't running toward Hikari, who despite not saying a single word to her that night had sat beside her the entire game, but when she felt him pick her up and hug her, she hoped that from then on that Takeru would only ever run to her.
He set her down, and she watched as he let out a shout of jubilation at just winning the final game that his team would play that year. Although she had ever really understood what the big deal with sports were, to be honest she thought that they were for the most part a waste of time, she smiled seeing the value of it if it could make someone like Takeru feel so happy. However, she herself was secretly happy when Takeru had earlier mentioned to her that he enjoyed writing, because she didn't think she could justify introducing a meathead basketball player to her parents.
She had surprised herself during the game because of the way she had cheered so loudly for Takeru instead of remaining in her usual reserved demeanor. Truth be told, Hikari was the reason that she had been screaming so loudly, because every time she heard the girl scream Takeru's name, Ayano made sure that she would scream it even louder, not wanting to be shown up by her. She wasn't stupid, and she understood that Takeru still had feelings for his best friend, but Ayano felt that Hikari had already made her decision clear, and that it was time that Takeru moved on. She was unsure of what to call her current situation with Takeru, having already gone on a handful of casual almost dates, but she knew that as long Hikari stood in their way, that there was little chance that he would ever initiate a more romantic relationship with her. She had seen how broken he was after he was rejected on Valentine's day, everyone had seen, and Ayano knew that he didn't deserve that; that he deserved a better person than Hikari was.
She took a quick glance at the girl in question, and wrinkled her nose thinking of the things that she had heard about her. Goro was fond of telling many rumors, gossip and drama being something that he enjoyed to watch and initiate, but to her knowledge he had never lied to her. According to him, Hikari was jealous of all the time that she had been spending with Takeru, and upon remembering the scene that the girl made at the ramen shop, Ayano knew this to be true. She had heard from Goro, who had heard from Ume, about how Hikari mocked his feelings behind his back, and she had been there herself, as was the rest of their class, and watched as Hikari had shamed Takeru when the girl requested a seating change without even having the courtesy to ask the teacher that in private. As she still felt Takeru slightly holding her, his grip lessening by the second, she wondered how someone like him could ever fall for Hikari.
Ayano watched her, and she didn't like the way that Hikari was looking lovingly at Takeru, not seeming to notice all the celebration around them, focusing all her attention only on him. It was not something she enjoyed, but Ayano would not have minded it as much if Takeru wasn't returning the look. As she watched the look of longing he returned in Hikari's direction, it being a sort of pained one, Ayano was stung a little as it reminded her that she was only Takeru's rebound. All the important men in her life: her father, Goro, her brother, and her lifelong chauffeur who was like an uncle to her, had always told her that she deserved a boy who could give her the world, but as Ayano watched Takeru, she knew that he couldn't even give her the entirety of himself. The world, to him at least, was Hikari.
It was watching Hikari smile at him, feeling Takeru's grip on her loosening ever so slightly at that smile, and it worked to hammer in the fact that, at the moment anyways, she was much much less important to him than Yagami Hikari was. It was something that made her decide that if Takeru didn't take the initiative to make their relationship more serious than a few offhand meetings to eat some ramen or just walk around, that she would take it instead. Ayano tightened her hold on Takeru, and in a way that ignored all the manners she was raised with, she grunted which got his attention focused back on her. Takeru was about to say something, maybe make a comment about the awkward way they were still holding onto each other, but instead his eyes widened when he felt her kiss him. Ayano, again in a way that ignored the manners that were instilled in her, felt giddy when she felt him kiss her back.
She felt Goro's, who had accompanied her to the game so that she would have at least one person to talk to, and Takeru's friends eyes all over her and said blonde. Preferably, she would be doing something like kissing Takeru, or more so if things worked out with him, in private where there would be nobody else to see them, but she felt that she had to make a point. Whether that point was supposed to be received by Takeru or Hikari she wasn't sure, but guiltily, and unsurprisingly, there was a bit of small pleasure when among all the surprised glances from the company they were in, she sensed what could only be glare coming from Hikari. Takeru wasn't the best kisser around, she assumed that it was due to lack of experience, but she was glad that he had at least kissed her back. She felt like breathing as hard as her heart was pumping, but Ayano made sure to not show the full extent of her excitement; a proper lady would never do so.
"Let's go already. There's going to be nowhere left to eat if we don't hurry up and leave."
She figured that Miyako, who had spoken, was agitated for more reasons than just being hungry; she seemed almost as mad as Hikari. It was something she couldn't help but notice in the two girls, annoyed and frustrated eyes, and Ayano thought for a moment as she began to focus more of her attention on Hikari. There was something that the two of them needed to get clear between them.
"I agree that it'd be best if we left now. Hikari-chan, would you like to ride with me?"
Takeru frowned, as Hikari did, when he heard Ayano's strange request. He hadn't expected the girl to kiss him, that being something that he wanted to discuss with her as soon as possible so that he could figure out what it meant. Besides, with Hikari around that conversation would be something that was both uncomfortable and difficult.
"She's coming with us?"
"No she's coming with me. You're going with your friends Takeru," Ayano's eyes slightly widened when she remembered that Goro was with her and she turned to him with an apologetic look on her face, "sorry Goro do you mind going with them too? I would prefer speaking to Hikari-chan alone."
Goro quickly checked out Ken and smiled. His night was going to be fabulous.
"Trust me Aya-chan, I don't mind."
Ken just squirmed. He felt a chill go up his spine.
"So Hikari-chan what do you say?"
Hikari exchanged a look with Miyako wondering if the older girl could somehow magically give her advice on what to do. The moment that Ayano had kissed Takeru there was an instant sadness that she felt, but also an instant rage as she was imagining all the times they had defeated evil digimon, but instead with their heads replaced by Ayano's. She felt like crying, but her anger and pride prevented it, and Hikari wondered if Ayano just wanted to rub it in her face that she had won Takeru for the moment. The thought soured quickly for Hikari though; Takeru was not a prize to be won or a game to be played, she had learned her lesson about that already.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Just girl talk."
It seemed as good enough an answer for everybody there, and after a few quick goodbyes, and a bit of standing around in discomfort, everyone split up to go about their owns for transportation. With that, Ayano held out her arm to Hikari waiting for the other girl to hook herself on. It was something that struck her as more friendly than she wanted to be with the girl, the one who she had no doubt that Takeru was still interested in, but Ayano decided that she could deal with it for the moment. She noticed the angry way that Hikari linked their arms together, as if she was the only one who didn't want to be in that situation, and Ayano hoped that she was making the right decision in being alone with a girl who obviously did not like her. Thinking back to the way this girl treated her Takeru, she decided that she did not like her that much either.
Arm in arm they walked outside of the stadium, putting on a good show just in case there was anybody to see them despite the unlikelihood of that fact, and as soon as they arrived at what was apparently Ayano's ride, the two of them let go of each other; neither wanting to touch the other girl. To Hikari's surprise the two of them walked up to a very shiny, long, and expensive looking, black car, for lack of a better word, and simply stood there as a man got out of the driver's seat and opened up one of the backseat doors so that Ayano could climb inside; he waited for Hikari to do the same. The chauffeur said nothing, and Hikari followed the lead of Takeru's maybe girlfriend. She didn't know what to make of it, but it seemed to her that her past assumptions of Ayano coming from old money were correct.
They sat in an uncomfortable silence, Ayano only inviting Hikari there to have a word with her about Takeru, and Hikari only being there so that she wouldn't look bad in front of Takeru. Ayano silently wished that she had brought Takeru with her instead of his 'best' friend, but she knew that she had to get this conversation with Hikari out of the way sometime, and it was better earlier than later. Sure, it wasn't really her place to be asking another person, practically a stranger no less, this type of question, but she felt the need to go through with it anyways; she had already done things she never thought she would that night.
"What are your intentions with Takeru?"
Hikari's eyebrows quirked at the odd question that Ayano had asked her; it seemed that when she wanted to, the artist lacked subtlety.
"He's my best friend."
Ayano sighed at hearing that Hikari was Takeru's best friend yet another time. It wasn't only the frequency of hearing said fact that bothered her, but every time she heard that they were best friends, she knew that they shared a closeness that she wouldn't be able to rival anytime soon. She knew that they shared history together, that Takeru had at least one day held a romantic affection for her, and most tragically, to her at least, that she would never be able to take away from the fact that Hikari was the first person he ever loved.
"Goro is my best friend, and I don't act with him the way you do with Takeru."
Glaring at Ayano, her enemy, she couldn't believe the way that Ayano had addressed Takeru. It was much too familiar for Hikari's taste, and it bothered her hearing another girl, especially the girl she had come to hate the most, speak of Takeru in such a way. She thought that Ayano had no right addressing him like that because she didn't even know him, she didn't know who he was, or how much he had already accomplished. Not even the other Chosen Children, with the exception of his brother and Mimi who in an Americanized fashion refused to use honorifics, also more recently Daisuke, referred to Takeru in such a friendly manner. They, like Ayano, had not earned the right to do so; only Hikari deserved such a privilege.
"Takeru and I are going through a rough patch right now. It's complicated."
Feeling a twinge of insecurity, Ayano grabbed onto the end of her long her and wondered if Takeru had only gone after her because she was a brunette, because her hair color matched exactly with Hikari's. It wouldn't be that far fetched, wouldn't be the first time that a guy had shown interest in her because she reminded him of an ex-girlfriend. Though, she expected at least, that Takeru had more interest in her than for some quick sex which would end awkwardly when he said the wrong name. In any case, that was a situation that she was in no hurry to go through again.
"Takeru is in love with you, I'm not a fool Hikari-chan, but what I want to know is how do you feel about him?"
It was a question that she had been asking herself a lot recently, a question that Hikari had no idea how to answer. Takeru had been there for her whenever she had needed it, and she knew that if he ever became involved with someone, that he might not be there for her as much anymore. She wondered if had she said yes to Takeru's advances, how things would have turned out differently. Would she would be on a post-game date with him right now, instead of being in ritzy 'car' with a girl she wasn't even going to pretend to like? She pondered about if she would have been happy being with Takeru, but Hikari stopped pondering and wondering after a moment, already knowing the answer; already knowing that she had made a mistake, that she had made many mistakes.
"I love Takeru more than anything, and I admit that lately I've been jealous, but I don't know if I love him the same way he loves me."
Ayano slumped a little in her seat since she didn't like to be reminded that Takeru was in love with a girl that wasn't herself, she twiddled her hair uncomfortably while her eyes became slightly misty. She thought herself as being stupid for falling for another boy who was still clearly hung up on someone else, but she still quietly hoped that Takeru could overcome his fascination with Hikari. Once that was out of the way, if things would become like that anyways, then she would be free to be with Takeru without a nagging thought in her mind that he would have preferred someone else.
"It's not fair to him to pull him along when you don't even know how you feel about him."
Hikari began glaring at the artist, because Ayano had no right to judge her for being confused about her feelings. Any girl that had ever been unsure about how to handle a relationship, or had been in her shoes, knew how difficult a situation like the one she had with Takeru could get. She knew that he deserved to be with someone that could make him happy, but she hated being treated as if she was the bad guy for not knowing how to deal with all these strange feelings. She had made mistakes that had greatly damaged her relationship with Takeru, but she knew that he had already forgiven her for those mistakes, and she wished that other people wouldn't keep throwing said mistakes back in her face. Especially some stranger who would never comprehend the complexity she shared with Takeru.
"You think you're better than me, don't you?"
Ayano straightened out her skirt not wanting to look unbecoming even though she was only in Hikari's presence, though maybe she had done that especially because she was with her, and she looked the other girl in her eyes. She wanted Hikari to know that she was there to stay, that the girl was right if she felt threatened by her, and Ayano gave a proud look to Hikari; she was prepared for anything that might happen.
"I think that I'm better for Takeru than you are."
Instead of the rage that Ayano expected Hikari to show, she saw the girl begin to cry, and was surprised even more when Hikari latched onto her. Ayano could barely make out what she whimpered next.
"I think so too."
The 'car' began driving away, and as Ayano comforted the girl she wasn't very fond of, she didn't really know what to do. She wondered how Hikari would explain to everyone else why she had been crying, if anybody lacked the tact to simply avoid asking that, and she wondered if Takeru would ever make her cry the same way he had Hikari. Ayano patted the other girl on the back, and in a very unladylike way, she began to want to let tears out herself. Thinking about Takeru and Hikari reminded her that they had something that she wouldn't have with him anytime soon; that Takeru was in love with someone else.
Yup, going to continue on with my cleaning. My suggestion if you're going to look up David Bowie, listen to Space Oddity first. That's the song that got me into him.
