A/N: Bit of an early end to arc 3, so we can get to the whole "We're getting told what's going on" part. Also, I am preparing a sidestory featuring Mimi and Jyou! Because the deviation from the current narrative will be pretty long if I decided to go into what they're doing, so I will not, sadly. Curse of having so many characters and really short chapters Ah well, I knew that when I signed up for this. I need to write them more anyway.
Gonna stop blabbering now. Interlude arc is coming up next after this one!
3-8
This is a fight he can't step into.
Taichi pulls back as his sister dodges. Or the person with his sister's face, that's who he's pretty sure it is. She doesn't do things like this. There's no reason to. Normally.
But Yamato had threatened him.
He remembers being very little, and only days before that car accident, there was a fight. He hadn't wanted to go to school, but he had.
He remembers someone trying to pick on him. He remembers punching them and their surprise when he doesn't just stay down, when he gets up and fights back because that is what a brother is supposed to do. He's not supposed to just sit there when his sister, older or not, is getting in the way.
He remembers his mother screaming at Hikari. Hikari, who had a bruise on her left cheek and dirt on her clothes but looked undeniably proud of herself for blocking all of those punches.
Hikari, his big sister, has always taken his life seriously, so seriously.
So he should be surprised that she's fighting Yamato. He's not.
He should be stopping her, but he doesn't know how. Besides, Sora is there, she's trying to talk to them, trying to stop them.
So when he hears the voice again, the little child's giggling, he turns to it. He sees her fairly quickly, silver hair dancing with sparkles. She's dressed for summer weather, and she is small, his height. She waves, she smiles.
"Who're you?" he says, stepping closer. The battle is behind his ears now, white noise, less important.
The girl just giggles and smiles again. She steps closer, hand outstretched. She's mouthing a word, a name, maybe.
"Who're you? Are you a friend?" He feels worried now, just a little. "Are you working for those weirdoes who hurt Nee-chan?" Taichi's eyes flicker towards the fight. "Are you here to help Onee-chan and everybody?"
The girl nods and steps towards him again. She's not scared.
"It's okay!" he hears, like he's thinking it himself. "Everyone's going to be fine."
Before he can protest, she's crossing the clearing and grabs his hand. Light bursts from around his fingers, quickly becoming all consuming and even a little itchy. Everything is pulled into the light and Taichi thinks he hears Hikari scream. He hopes that he's wrong.