So this is the latest chapter, and I hope it came out acceptable. I did write something completely different for this earlier, but I so disliked the outcome that I scrapped it and wrote this instead. I have different directions pooling in my head for where to take this. I do remember earlier that people wanted a scene with some of the older Chosen in it and yeah I'm going to be doing that in a few chapters when I can organically and realistically fit it in. Anything else you guys want for future chapters? Oh, and one last thing. I said that this chapter was going to be a Takari one, but it was more friendship based than anything really. I did write a Takari chapter, but like I said I think it came out badly so I just scrapped it and pumped this out instead. Next chapter for sure though since I already have something planned for it.

Disclaimer: Don't own digimon.


Hikari looked towards the front door of Miyako's apartment, and she bit her lip knowing that it was much too late for Takeru to show up even though all of the younger team had scheduled to hang out. The annoying thing about it though was that he hadn't even been official with his new girlfriend for week yet, and he was already being flaky with all his old friends. It wasn't just with them either, Takeru had dropped all the plans he had with some of the other people in his life, even his own brother, and instead had been spending all his time with his pretty little dumb girlfriend; at least that's how Hikari saw it anyways. Although in all honesty, all biases aside, lately Takeru had barely even acknowledged anyone else other than his new arm candy.

"He's not going to show up you know."

She looked over at Daisuke, who was playing cards with Iori on the coffee table that was directly in front of the couch that she was sitting on, and she wondered how exactly he knew what she was thinking about. Had she been that obvious in her eagerness for Takeru to show up? She hoped that she wasn't, because there were honestly very few things that would come off as pathetic. The guy had a girlfriend now; there was no use in pining over him.

"Yeah, I know."

Hikari had no idea why she was still there 'hanging out' since it was already almost time for her to head home, and she wasn't really doing anything anyways. She was just simply sitting on Miyako's couch watching two guys play cards while she periodically looked over to see if anyone was at the door. Upon thinking about it, it seemed more pathetic than she had originally thought.

"You want me to walk you home?"

Hikari forced a smile for Daisuke to see, and she just watched as he continued his ambiguously long card game with Iori. She was glad that Takeru had been right when he said that Daisuke would eventually warm up to her, but she didn't like that their friendship only seemed to improve after Takeru and Ayano had finally hooked up. It seemed as if she was being pitied by him, and that just made Hikari feel worse about the whole situation. The fact that Takeru having a girlfriend made people feel sorry for her was an ugly thought; especially after some of them subconsciously reminded her that she was the one who rejected him in the first place.

"I'm okay. I think I'm just going to wait for Miyako-san so we can talk for a bit."

Ken and Miyako had snuck off to do God knows for what seemed to be a very long time ago, but it didn't matter to Hikari since she needed to speak with the older girl to get some advice. She needed another female's perspective on what her feelings were on Takeru's new relationship, and Miyako was the only one she felt comfortable going to. Mimi was off in America, but disregarding that she would make it some huge deal and try to convince her that Takeru was her soul mate and that she had to break him and his girlfriend up and all that, but Hikari wasn't in the mood for idealistic sitcom status hijinks; right now she needed a serious discussion. Sadly, she couldn't go to Sora either on account of her dating Yamato. That would just be awkward and would look bad on everyone involved.

"I don't think that she and Ken are going to be done anytime soon."

Hearing what Iori said, Hikari took a curious glance at the back of the boy's head since he was facing away from her. It had always struck her as odd the way that even though Iori was the youngest of the Chosen, in Japan at least, that he was by far one of the most mature. He had delivered his words with a noticeable lack of emotion and interest, but the way he said it held a sort of hidden deeper meaning. It was as if he could tell exactly why people did the things they did; without condoning or condemning.

"What the hell does he even see in her?"

Her eyes landed on Daisuke yet again, and she didn't know whether to be miffed with the implied insult towards Miyako or if she should just ignore it. The two of them had always insulted each other when certain buttons were pushed, but that was how the relationship between Miyako and Daisuke was understood to work. It was never really meant in seriousness and it was something that was honestly to be expected; it was Daisuke's and Miyako's own special little friendship.

"Maybe he's a masochist?"

She honestly couldn't help but giggle a bit at Iori's sardonic response, and with that she decided that he was right in saying that Miyako wasn't going to be able to help her out. Hikari would simply have to wait until tomorrow to see what the older girl's advice was. When it came to dating Miyako had tons more experience.

"I think I'm gonna go now."

Standing up Hikari took a deep breath and puffed her chest out as a way to trick her body into thinking that she was confident; it didn't work. In truth she had spent most of the night being quiet thinking only about Takeru and getting to talk with Miyako, but Hikari did feel slightly grateful towards Daisuke and Iori for providing a nice little distraction. Her mind had ugly thoughts when she contemplated too much on Takeru and Ayano being together. It was something that Hikari had come to hate, and she didn't think that it suited her very well.

"You sure you don't want me to walk you?"

Sure, Daisuke seemed to be mostly preoccupied with his card game, but Hikari was glad that he was being courteous. Politeness wasn't something that was usually expected out of the brash but well-meaning Daisuke, and when he showed that he cared it was always something that was special no matter how miniscule it seemed. Hikari smiled at him knowing that she was going to decline his offer a second time and she had a random thought bubbling inside her knowing that she was grateful to Daisuke for being there for Takeru when he needed somebody; for being there for her when he thought that she needed someone as well.

"I need some time to think."

He simply shrugged in response, and Daisuke continued to stare at the cards in his hand not really knowing how he was going to catch up against Iori. He decided that if he hadn't been distracted by Hikari all evening that he would've beaten Iori quite easily, but the former's apprehensiveness had been just too damn noticeable. Regardless of how angry he had been at Hikari before, there was no way that he couldn't have been concerned for her due to the way that she had been acting lately.

"I summon Kuriboh in attack mode," Daisuke let his words linger as Iori just stared on, and he wondered if this was doing anything to psyche him out. This turn of his had taken longer than it should have. Much longer, "I end my turn."

"Tell Miyako-san I had to leave early okay?"

Both Iori and Daisuke looked over and waved her goodbye, and the latter began contemplating on if there was any way that he could help the girl out. Yeah he hadn't been very friendly with her lately, but he could see how this whole Ayano business was affecting her. Hikari seemed to have lost her confidence, and even though Daisuke still greatly disapproved of how she treated Takeru, he still didn't like seeing her being down on herself. He was still personally against a relationship between Takeru and Hikari, but as Daisuke had seen how Takeru carried himself with a broken heart, how he saw Hikari now carry herself in that same manner, he knew that no one deserved to be unhappy.

"Be safe."

Hikari nodded her head and quietly made her way outside of Miyako's apartment. Things had become so different, and that's what kept bothering her as she began walking to the elevator down the hall. The second that she stepped in said elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor she let her mind wander to things she didn't want to think about; she thought, what was Takeru doing right now with his new girlfriend?

She felt the elevator descend, and the hate began to bubble up again. Even though she knew it was selfish, one of the things she wanted most at the current moment was for Takeru and Ayano to break up. Preferably it would be Takeru would was the dumper instead of the dumped, because she knew that if it were the other way around then Takeru would be devastated. She didn't want him to feel that way again; even if that meant that he ended up being with someone else.

When Takeru gave his heart to someone he gave it in full, and just thinking about that simple fact filled Hikari with regret. It was something that she had taken for granted when he had told her that he loved her, but now that Takeru was giving his heart to someone else, now that someone she had come to hate was receiving that love, she couldn't help but want to take everything back. Rejecting him all the times that she did were some of the mistakes that she wished she could change the most, but the one thing that she wished had never happened above all else was that look that Takeru got in his eyes whenever that rejection happened. She wondered, would the artist girl ever cause that look? As much as she didn't like that someone else was dating Takeru, she hoped that Ayano would never break his heart.

She barely even noticed when the elevator door opened, but when it did, and as she began walking out of Miyako's apartment, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Her heart skipped a beat when she pulled it out to see who it was. Takeru was calling.

"Hey Takeru, what's up?"

There was a sort of giddiness in getting a phone call from Takeru that she was surprised that she never felt before. It used to be something that was normal, but now that it wasn't Hikari was acting as if she was just another swooning schoolgirl. Just the fact that he called let her feel that confidence that she had been lacking so much lately, but it was a bittersweet feeling knowing that it wouldn't last. She knew that this strange thing she felt for Takeru was something that she had to get rid of soon on account of the new development in his love life, and also because she didn't want the jealously that she was feeling to cloud her thoughts anymore. She just wanted for herself what she also wanted for her best friend; happiness.

"What are you doing right now?"

Even though she didn't want to, she couldn't help but smile knowing that he was about to ask her to go do something with him. Even though she didn't want to, she enjoyed it whenever Takeru asked something in a roundabout manner. Her heart skipped another beat.


Maybe I'll take the scrapped chapter and edit it a bit so I can post it as a one-shot? Yeah, probably not, but I hope that you liked the chapter. Also Yu-gi-oh The Abridged Series is hilarious. Go watch it if you want to laugh.