Here I am, Leon C., and I come to you bringing the ninth chapter of Distance. To all my readers who enjoy the story, I glad that you do since my writing is all for you guys. This chapter is another one of those "accidental chapters". I went meaning to type something completely differnt, but this is what I came out with. This is a Natsuko/Hikari chapter, and I honestly didn't mean to write this chapter now. It was supposed to be another Takari chapter, but I feel like this chapter does this story justice. I promise next chapter is a Takari one.
Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.
Hikari was standing outside of Takeru's apartment partly because she wanted to talk to him, but mostly because she wanted to see how Ayano meeting his mother went. White Day had been the previous day, and Hikari, who was still wearing the necklace that Takeru had given her, still felt a flutter inside her when thinking about everything that had happened. Takeru giving her expensive gifts on White Day was a normal annual occurrence, but this time it had been different. This time she did not expect him to give her anything, but when he did she was filled with a type of excitement that she had never felt before. This time was also different in another way as well, because this time Takeru had a girlfriend.
It was true that both Takeru and Ayano denied that they were dating when asked, but Hikari knew she wasn't the only one who noticed the way that the two of them snuck off during breaks at school, or the way that they would take every opportunity to be alone. They weren't official yet, but Hikari couldn't understand how the two of them denied that they had a relationship when they had no qualms about kissing in public.
Hikari knocked on Takeru's apartment door, and she forced a smile on her face when she saw that Natsuko had answered it. She had always admired Takeru's mother since she was a strong modern woman, but that was part of the reason she also didn't want to be in her presence. It was not lost on her the way that Natsuko quickly evaluated her as she stood in the hallway of his floor, and what bothered Hikari was the fact that Natsuko didn't even try to hide her look of disapproval. Hikari kept her smile on though, and for a moment wondered about how Natsuko had evaluated Ayano. Hikari had, selfishly in her own opinion, hoped that the dinner between Ayano and Natsuko had gone horribly, but a nagging feeling inside of her told her that it didn't. Ayano was: rich, beautiful, polite, graceful, and most importantly submissive to what Natsuko would judge of her future with Takeru. She was the perfect daughter-in-law.
"Good morning Takaishi-san," Hikari bowed her head slightly to show that she too could be at least partly submissive, "can I see Takeru?"
When Hikari finished bowing she looked up to see Natsuko eyeing her with an eyebrow raised. She knew from past experience that the woman was intelligent and calculating, and something told Hikari that in her day she must have had countless boys and men wrapped around her finger. Hikari could see that there was a quality in Natsuko's eyes that spoke of a wild freedom, but she couldn't find a word that could properly describe it. What an intimidating woman to have as a mother-in-law.
"No."
Hikari blinked not really expecting that answer. She was being polite to Takeru's mother as a courtesy, and she never expected Natsuko to say that she couldn't see him. She was his best friend, and no matter what Natsuko or Ayano wanted, Takeru would always be hers.
She debated with herself on what to do next. On one hand she could leave as a sign of good faith to Natsuko, or she could stand her ground and demand to see Takeru. However, she stood there thinking for longer than she had hoped, and when Hikari looked back up at Natsuko, the older woman looked amused.
"He's asleep."
Hikari blinked again not expecting that answer either. Natsuko just laughed and continued speaking.
"Would you like to come inside?"
A nod and a yes later, Hikari walked into the Takaishi's apartment as Natsuko gave her some space to enter. She looked around, and seeing no sign of Takeru, Hikari let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. For a moment she didn't know why she was so nervous, but after feeling Natsuko's eyes watching her from behind she knew the answer was obvious.
"When is Takeru going to be awake?"
Hikari watched as Natsuko, once again, eyed her. She couldn't help but feel as if the older woman was giving her an inspection of some sort, and to be frank it was starting to make Hikari uncomfortable. She didn't like being judged, and lately she had the feeling that almost everyone was judging her for how she had originally handled Takeru's feelings.
"Probably after I finish making breakfast," Natsuko paused and Hikari took special notice to the way the woman's eyes landed on her. A look; a challenge, "would you like to help me?"
The teen girl fidgeted a moment, because she was quite aware that Takeru's mother, and pretty much everyone else, knew that being a Yagami meant having a poor reputation for cooking; never mind the fact that Taichi was actually pretty good at it. For a moment she was terrified, but than in a surge of courage that her brother would be proud of, Hikari confidently met Natsuko's eyes. In her mind she wondered if Ayano was good at cooking.
"What do you need me to do Takaishi-san?"
There was glint of surprise in the older woman's eyes, but in a moment it was replaced with amusement. She had no idea what the Yagami girl was trying to prove, but to be honest she had always wanted to cook with Hikari anyways. Before it had been an idle fancy of hers to cook with the girl who, in a more naïve time, she thought was undoubtedly going to be her future daughter-in-law. Now everything, including her opinions and all of her fancies, seemed strange. The strangest thought being that her son would probably not get married to Hikari as she had once assumed that he would.
Natsuko, like so many others, had always been under the assumption that her son and his best friend would end up dating each other, and in all honesty she was shocked, again like so many others, to learn that he had been rejected. Before he had gone to hang out with her the first time she said no to him, Natsuko remembered Takeru telling her his plan and then asking for advice. She had laughed it off telling her son that it didn't matter what he said, since Hikari would appreciate any effort he made, and she topped it off by telling him to bring Hikari home afterwards so that she could take their first picture as a couple together.
She waited in excitement for him to return, but when she saw his tear-stained face she knew how things had went. Natsuko felt so guilty about the way she practically pushed her son into asking out Hikari, and she felt almost solely responsible for the days of heartache that he went through. Looking at the younger girl, Natsuko remembered the way Takeru practically stayed in his room for days after the rejection, with the exception of going to school, and she had been slightly angry at the Yagami girl for how she dealt with the whole situation. Hikari had not visited her son, nor did she even call him to see how he was, but the worst part was that, according to Yamato, Hikari had been avoiding Takeru. In Natsuko's eyes, it was as if Hikari did not deem her son as suffering enough.
"Can you make eggs?"
Hikari wanted to say yes, but she almost faltered when she saw the look of doubt that was written all over the face of Takeru's mother. In all honesty she had never even tried making eggs, but she figured she would just do what she had seen her brother do on the many occasions that she had seen Taichi and Yamato cook Sunday breakfast. She hoped that she wouldn't mess up Takeru's food. It wasn't often that he got to eat a home cooked meal, especially one that was cooked by his mother.
Instead of talking Hikari simply nodded and made her way into the kitchen of the Takaishi's apartment. There she saw that the eggs were already out, and that the pan to make the eggs was already over a heated stove. Hikari then realized that she had interrupted Natsuko when she had been finishing up breakfast. She saw that set beside the stove was a small pot of miso soup and another pot of steamed rice as well.
Hikari felt Natsuko watching her, and as she picked up an egg she hoped that all the times she spent watching her brother was finally going to pay off. The moment she tried cracking the egg a huge mess was caused on the stove. None of the egg ended up in the pan.
"I'm sorry."
Natsuko sighed, and when she made her way in front of the stove she shut it off and gently guided Hikari out of the kitchen. She watched as the girl sat down at the dining room table looking defeated, and she couldn't help but feel just the tiny bit sorry for her. It was true that Hikari had broken her son's heart, but this was still a girl that she had known, and cared for, for many years. For a moment she forgot she was looking at the person who had rejected her son, and instead she pictured the junior high girl who had gone to her for advice.
One thing stuck out in the woman's mind as she remembered Hikari asking about boy advice as she was waiting for Takeru to finish getting dressed. Natsuko happily gave Hikari an answer thinking that the question had been about her son, but now in hindsight she knew that the girl was probably just asking a random question as a way to pass the time. Thinking back on old memories it seemed that Takeru had less of a chance with Hikari than everyone else had assumed; this lack of chance being proven multiple times over in recent history.
"It's okay it was just an egg," looking at the slumped teen girl Natsuko had reason to believe that she was upset for something other than just a broken egg, "but how are you?"
Natsuko didn't need to rely on her journalistic skills to know that something was wrong when she noticed Hikari's odd body language. She didn't have to be a genius to know that the way Hikari kept fidgeting with her fingers was a sign that something was weighing heavily on her mind. Noting the way that the girl kept glancing at Takeru's room, Natsuko easily guessed that that something was her son.
"I'm fine."
The answer had been quick and rushed, and in Natsuko's experience that usually meant that what was said was untruthful. Hikari's fingers still fidgeted, and her eyes kept looking at Takeru's room as if she was searching for him. Natsuko hoped that the girl could pull herself together by the time that Takeru woke up. If she didn't then it would just bring up old wounds.
"Don't lie to me."
Her voice had been harsh, and Hikari physically winced when Natsuko spoke. She looked up at Takeru's mother clearly intimidated by the woman, but she eased up when she saw that Natsuko was looking at her with kind eyes. Eyes that were piercing and beautiful, but eyes that were kind.
"What did you think of Ayano-chan?"
Natsuko kept her calm composure, but inwardly was intrigued since she didn't expect Hikari to ask about Takeru's new girlfriend. In truth, Natsuko completely and utterly adored Ayano, and she was glad that Takeru was showing interest in her. However, looking at Hikari, she knew that her son's best friend did not share her opinion.
"She's a sweet girl with a very bright future ahead of her," Natsuko paused as she felt an odd combination of both pity and slight anger at Hikari. The Yagami girl was obviously jealous that her son had seemingly moved on to someone else, but having rejected Takeru a multitude of times she had no right to be, "I think she's a good match for Takeru."
Nothing was said for a moment as Hikari just kept sitting in that chair thinking about what Natsuko had said. Ayano had her approval, and that just meant everything was just another step closer for the artist and Takeru to officially become boyfriend and girlfriend. Hikari's fingers wrapped around the Sakura flower on the necklace that Takeru had given her. She wondered if he had given Ayano something as pretty on White Day.
"What about me?"
Natsuko gave Hikari a questioning look as she pretended not to know what she had asked. She wanted the girl to actually say what she meant instead of relying on someone else to infer the meaning of her question. It would work to help her truly understand the circumstance that she had put herself in, and at the same time it would even be therapeutic.
"Do you think I'm a good match for Takeru?"
It was an odd thing to think about, since Natsuko had already thrown out the possibility of her son and Hikari having a relationship out the window. The night of the first rejection, that night of crying, was enough to cement in Natsuko the belief that her son and Hikari were less perfect for each other in execution than they were on paper. It was something that she, and her son, didn't even consider anymore. Too much had already happened.
"I used to."
Hikari accepted the woman's answer, and she met her eyes while she wondered what would be Takeru's next step with either herself of Ayano. The thought quieted down however, when Hikari took a closer look at Natsuko's eyes that reminded her so much of Takeru's. There was an odd look in them, and she couldn't tell if that look was either pity or disapproval.
Tell me your thoughts, and anything I can do that could better the story?
