Crumbs

Normally Daisuke wouldn't be anywhere near a magnifying glass in his second year of High School unless he absolutely needed it; like a science class. Or if he dropped some change. Most of the time any of the group would have stared incredulously at him asking 'who is black mailing you?' But, with his face inspecting the crumbs left on the table, and some on the floor he had to be certain.

"Hmm," he said lifting one up, daring to place it his tongue, and savor the contents. "Sugar cookies, with a light pink sprinkle," he said. "Ah," he sighed, tears leaking down his face. "If only Hikari-chan made such cookies for me," he said wiping his face imagine the scenario.

He found himself going along with it, rubbing his cheek on the floor. "What, Hikari-chan? You made these for me? What can I do for you to thank you?" he said grinning pleasantly. "How about a sweet kiss for my sweetheart?" he said puckering his lips…getting a face full...of carpet.

Daisuke snapped out of it, Miyako cringing staring at him, having just entered the science lab.

He grinned staring up at her. "I'm so busted."

For the next ten minutes Miyako digivolved into Miyakomon Lecture Mode, scolding Daisuke and telling him how unsettling it was to have his saliva on the ground.

Daisuke had learned better how to not argue with her unless he wanted a good ear pulling so he just nodded his head going along with it, saying at the end 'Yeah, I get it,' only for Miyakomon to cross her arms and nod her head approvingly.

"Good, I'm glad we had this little talk," she said.

The door behind her opened, Iori slipping in.

"Miyako-san, you look irritated at Daisuke-san more than usual," he said. "Did something happen?"

"Iori," she sighed, her hand over her face as if she had been dealing with a migraine, "Can you call janitor again?"

Iori look a bit shocked. "Don't tell me he ruined the carpet again?"

She held back her frustration. "Yeah."

"I'll make the call in a moment," he said, Miyako heading to their own student funded mini fridge they had splurged on together and took out a soda.

Iori, the studious and strict younger classman bent down to Daisuke disapprovingly again.

"Did you do it?" he asked, his eyes locked firmly on him.

"Yes, I slobbered, my bad," he clicked his tongue glancing away.

"Is that ALL you did?" he said, his voice even more accusing of him.

Daisuke tried to block his stern gaze towards him knowing exactly what he did.

"No," he whispered. "I swear it was just that one time I had that dream about her and I didn't think anyone was here and-"

"-Bleach and Whipped cream," Iori glared. "We had to deal with the smell of bleach and whipped cream for a week."

"Yeah," he sighed. "Thank God Hikari-chan didn't find out. She would never talk to me again."

"Agreed," he said. "You should get up off the floor now. Takeru-san and Hikari-san and Ken-san should be here soon."

Immediately Daisuke straightened up, glanced at the crumbs on his clothes and dusted himself off of the crumbs near the garbage.

Jut as he finished Hikari entered in first smiling cordially with Takeru-kun as if she had just gotten over a corny joke of his.

Ken appeared not too amused by it, but seemed to go along with them.

"Wait, what did I miss?" he asked, not realizing he was still holding onto the magnifying glass.

"Just Takeru being silly as ever," Hikari giggled, Daisuke appreciating the visage of the angel approaching him.

"Must have been a good one," Daisuke said jealous. "I've got jokes too you know Hikari."

"Oh, I've heard them," she smiled hesitantly. "You're honestly funnier when you don't try to tell jokes, but rather be yourself."

He lowered his head, defeated by the Goddess once more. "That's...harsh," he chuckled to himself.

"By the way," Ken said leaning his head against the wall a bit curious, "Why are you holding my magnifying glass. I know you said you wanted to borrow it, so I didn't really want to ask without a good reason. Buy why here?"

"Did you lose your cell phone?" Takeru asked.

"As if I would need that just to find it!" he snapped.

"Then did you lose something else Daisuke?" Hikari asked, Daisuke weak-kneed and weak willed.

"The only thing I've lost is my dam mind!" he growled.

"We knew that a long time ago," Ken said, everyone taking his comment in stride. "Tell us why."

He glanced this way and that and grasped the magnifying glass ever more firmly.

"All right," he swallowed. "I'll tell you guys. I'm getting to the bottom of a mystery."

"It sounds serious," Iori said.

"I doubt it's that serious," Miyako replied rolling her eyes.

"Enlighten us," Takeru said. "What happened?"

"Well," he said picking his next words carefully, "For the last three weeks I've noticed something about our computer room. Something strange."

"Strange?" Miyako said for once invested.

"Yeah. I've been finding cookie crumbs. We're usually pretty clean about it, and I don't remember any of us ever having that kind of food."

"Oh, I don't know," Iori said glancing at Takeru. "Have you been eating any cookies made by any girls that usually don't eat here?" he questioned. "Or you Ken?"

"I'm not really into sugary foods," Ken said. "It keeps me from concentrating."

"Duly noted," Miyako whispered to herself casually looking away.

"What about you Takeru?" he asked, Takeru smiling pleasantly.

"That's not an answer," he scolded.

"But do I have to answer?"

"It's a yes or no question."

"Answer the guy," Daisuke replied insistently.

"Well," he said, his eyes and Hikari's meeting for a moment, both turning away blushing slightly. "No, no I haven't any cookies from other girls," he said scratching his face.

"Then who could be eating them?" Daisuke said incredulously.

"D-Daisuke," Hikari asked, glancing to the side a bit anxiously. "Wh-what do these cookies look like?"

"I've never seen 'em," he said, "but the crumbs taste like sugar cookies with pink sugar."

"P-pink sugar?" she said, her lips trembling, her eyes in a bit of a chaotic state.

"Hikarichan?!" Daisuke thought, the angel of his heart looking as if she had been spiraling into fall down mode.

"Takeru placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hikari," he whispered, Daisuke too keen to hear their whole conversation.

She glanced up at him, her face a bit pink and nodded her head as they smiled.

"What's that all about?" Iori questioned.

"Ssh, let the drama play out," Miyako said as if she had nothing better to do.

Daisuke stared over at them even more confused.

"Daisuke-kun," she said, glancing over his way.

"What is it, Hikari-chan?"

"Did you…"

"Did I what?" he asked, thinking about if she was going to ask if she had made the cookies for him and someone ate them else by accident. He was too feverish too seriously consider anthing other than one-sided affection.

"...Did you eat those crumbs off the floor?" she asked, the room instantly growing quiet.

Daisuke clenched his fists together, and then dropped them, the magnifying glass falling to the ground, Ken quick on the uptake retrieving it.

"...Before I answer," he said determined, "Hikari it was you, wasn't it? Just who did you make those cookies for?"

She stared at him about ready to say something, but glanced at Takeru at the last minute who put a finger to his lips winking.

"You see Daisuke," she paused, "The truth is...if you won't answer my question truthfully, what makes you think I will answer yours?" she winked.

Daisuke stared at her and Takeru a bit dumbfounded, both of their cheeks flushed a little red.

"We got to go!" Takeru grinned.

"See you around everyone!" Hikari added.

With that, Takeru and Hikari made their exit, Daisuke baffled at their response.

"If only I told her," he groaned. "I ate em! I ate 'em! Hikari-chan! Just tell me who made them! Who did you make those cookies for?!" he cried out realizing he had let his chance get away.

Everyone stood around him silently as if not knowing how to talk to him.

"I guess that's one mystery we'll never solve," Iori said. "Some things are best kept secret anyway."

"But," Daisuke said pathetically. "But-"

"-Do you really want to know so badly?" Ken asked having had enough of this.

"I do," he sniffed. "It's driving me crazy."

"Fine," he huffed a bit annoyed. "Miyako-san, you'll show him won't you?"

She grinned. "Ken, this is not the kind of 'action' I wanted. But seeing you flustered has me so pumped up for this."

Detective Ken and his assistant Miyako followed by the loyal Iori and the sheepish Daisuke in tow followed what appeared to be sugar cookie pieces up and down the hallway.

"Are you telling me these sugar cookie pieces are fresh?" Daisuke asked.

"I don't know," Miyako said. "Why don't you find out for us? You're such a Hikari Simp anyway," she chided him. "Get 'em boy!"

Daisuke growled out practically wanting to bark at her but took a crumb off the ground and tasted it. "Not as fresh, but still kind of there."

"I don't think the perp left this trail on purpose," Iori said. "And is it anyway coincidence we started seeing this trail after? I never noticed any tiny pink glittering cookie pieces until we left."

"Maybe that's because we weren't looking for them," Miyako commented.

"Just where are these leading us anyway?' Daisuke asked as the trail ended behind the school gymnasium out of sight.

"Slowly now," Miyako hushed, everyone slowly turning around the corner where the trail had ended.

Daisuke watched, horrified Hikari with a half a piece of cookie between her teeth leaning in as Takeru's lips bent down to hers biting it, their sweetness infecting his vision as their lips locked together, her arms around his back and his around her!

"N-no," he groaned. "My angel. My pink glittering sprinkled angel. My-"

"-Ahem!" Miyako growled loud enough for them to here.

Takeru and Hikari turned toward them, the love they had in their enlightened eyes for each other causing Miyako to melt, Ken to question the definition of sanity, and Iori to prop his arms up while Daisuke literally had to deal with his inner desires being exorcised from his flailing body.

"I guess..they figured out the mystery," Takeru smiled, Hikari nodding her head bashfully.

"Oh, Takeru," she said, Takeru staring at her fondly, "You've got some crumbs on her cheek," she said kissing him, her lips removing the crumbs.

"Thanks," he smirked. "I just realized I had a bit of a hole in my pants pocket. I had to leave the computer lab earlier today, so I had to stuff it in there."

She giggled, both of them still in their own world.

"I don't think they are really listening to us," Ken sighed.

"They're too lovey-dovey," Miyako winced.

"It's also inappropriate," Iori quipped. "Who displays public affection on high school grounds?"

Daisuke seemed to snap out of his stupor. "That's enough!" he roared. He glanced at Takeru, then her, and then went forward and picked up a couple pieces of cookie on the ground and wiped it near his lip.

"Hikari," he said, "oh look, I seem to have some crumbs on my mouth to. Won't you give me a little peck? Or a kiss?" he said, his mind starting to rationalize scenarios where this would be appropriate. His day dreaming was a lot more effective than actual realistic possibilities.

He leaned his check closer to hers. "But maybe, I don't know I could settle for a kiss instead?" he laughed to himself nervously, inching closer, Takeru stepping in his way protecting her, Hikari reveling in his protective charm.

"That's enough Daisuke-kun," Takeru said, about ready to snap him out of his senses, but Daisuke thought Hikari was still there and went for it. He opened his eyes feeling the soft cheek of his dear, beloved... "TAKERU," he said horrified opening his eyes wide.

Takeru stared at him not knowing if he would be beaten to death or if he would die of embarrassment first.

"Daisuke," he said cracking his fist. "When we were younger I wouldn't hesitate to argue and fight with you when we had conflict, but, I'm sorry," he grinned. "I appreciate the thought," he said sarcastically and playfully, "But I'm infatuated by her," he glanced at Hikari, the two of them embracing each other.

"Weill, that's about all I can take," Iori commented walking away. "I best go purify my eyes with lemons and salt."

"Doujin! Doujin!" Miyako cried. "I didn't want wholesome sweetness! I need material for my Doujin!" he protested as Ken pulled her flailing arms away consoling her as they left.

Daisuke slumped to the ground, his soul leaving him.

"You're taking this better than I thought," Hikari said, her tone a bit sorry for him.

"He'll be ok Hikari," Takeru said, Daisuke wincing on him speaking with her on a first name to name basis.

"But, you brought the others with you to. We didn't know how to tell you about our relationship, so I want to thank you for breaking the ice for us," Takeru said, Daisuke realizing they had no idea there was a chance Ken and Miyako had already known about them.

"So to thank you," Hikari said bending down whispering into his ear but loud enough for anyone to hear, "I promise next week I'll bake another bunch of cookies just for you."

Instantly Daisuke glanced up at Hikari, still a beaming goddess as ever. "You mean it Hikari-chan?" he asked.

"Of course," she smiled pleasantly. "I think you still have a cookie left don't you Takeru?" she asked.

"Yeah, why don't we use it as a good faith promise for next Wednesday?" Takeru agreed.

Daisuke crossed his arms. "Fine, but only if you feed it to me," he said glancing at Hikari and opening his mouth.

A slight pause issued between them as he felt a slightly crumbled sugar cookie touch his mouth, Daisuke slurp catching the end fingertip. He realized this was the closest physical contact he ever had with her. It was-

"-Daisuke," Takeru said, Daisuke opening his eyes realizing Takeru's hand was outstretched towards him and he had licked it.

"...Again, I'm flattered, but if you do anything like that ever again…"

"...I won't forgive you," Hikari said defensively.

Daisuke just stared at a loss at them, the two of them softening up and starting to laugh, Daisuke joining in pathetically afterwards.

Yes, the mystery was solved. But it was the last thing Daisuke ever wanted it to be. Still for him to be able to laugh with his friends, especially Hikari, and end this overly sugary mystery with a mutual understanding just had the right amount of sweetness he needed to maintain a pleasant platonic friendship.

Daisuke grinned, ever pumped up than before. With Hikari being able to show concern for him, and laugh the way he did, maybe after all, if this guy ever screwed up he still had a chance. Yes, he believed, in his pent up feelings now shattered into crumbs, there was STILL a chance...