a/n: sorry for the wait! happy December (:
"You're already done? Nice work, Hikari-chan." A third-year with long hair in a samurai-like bun at the top of his head glanced over the article she had just turned in. "Looks good. I'll hand it to copy for editing. You're good to go."
"Thanks, Yoshiki-senpai. Sorry I have to leave so early today. I know we're facing a lot of deadlines," she said.
"You got all of your work done and turned in ahead of time, so don't worry about it. Take it easy, okay?"
She gave him a bow and turned to grab her bag from her workstation.
"Hikari-chan, you heading out already?" Miyashita peered around her computer. Her curls were tied up in a bun that comically almost matched Yoshiki's, and Hikari bit back a laugh.
"Miya-chan! Yeah, something came up unexpectedly, so I have to go meet up with some old friends."
"Is that what Takaishi-kun came about earlier?" Arisa happened to walk by at that moment, her arms full of folders and magazine clippings. She gaped upon seeing Hikari's spotless workspace. "Wait, Hika-chan, are you done with your feature already?"
Hikari nodded. "I had some help, so it went a lot faster than I expected."
"She has good work ethic. Unlike the rest of us." Arisa's twin swiveled around in his seat to join the other second years in conversation. "Yagami, I'll walk you to the gate."
"It's okay, Aren-kun. It isn't far," Hikari said, while inwardly wondering what was with all of her guy friends lately. They were all acting strange and unpredictable.
Arisa smirked at her brother's sudden aggressiveness. "Ought to ask Mr. EIC first if it's okay to skip out on your work, you knight in shining armor. See you tomorrow, Hika-chan!"
"I heard everything!" Yoshiki called from the printing room. "Aren-kun, go for it! Knight in shining armor, protect our princess!"
"Yoshiki-senpai is probably the most easy going editor-in-chief this club has ever had," Miyashita commented.
Unable to dissuade Aren from accompanying her, Hikari reluctantly bid farewell to her friends and the rest of the publication club. Aren scooped up her school bag, and they made the short walk to the school gates together. Just about every living female they passed swooned, but he had eyes only for the petite girl beside him.
"Is everything okay, Yagami?" He gazed down at her in concern from his model's height.
She was like a fairy as she waved her slender hands. "I'm fine, Aren-kun. Really! But thank you for your concern."
He smiled, darkly handsome. "If anything happens, let me know."
He loved the way that she always rocked forward a tiny bit and pulled her arms behind her back as she looked up at him. "Hehe, we'll see."
When they arrived, he passed her bag to her, giving the waiting Takeru another curt nod of acknowledgment.
Takeru could feel Aren's eyes burning into the back of his head as he and Hikari walked away.
"You're so popular you get a personal escort and bag boy in one, huh?" he said wryly. He had brought an umbrella just in case, but the on-and-off rain had stopped mid-afternoon. No chance to share an umbrella with her, though he would have loved to at this very moment, with Aren watching. He slipped it back into his gym bag. Alas, not even the weather was on his side.
She noted his disgruntled expression with a small smile. Time to get revenge for earlier. "Takeru-kun, are you jealous?"
But Takeru was prepared. "I don't have to be," he said. And it was true.
He returned the smile, green eyes resting warmly on her, and that small feeling of happiness found her again. She didn't have a name for it yet. It was precious to her, as was everything else between them, but it was unfamiliar and too different from the norm to categorize. She sat in it and let it mull over until they got to the underpass, where it would be replaced by thoughts of the Digital World.
"Oh, Hikari. So Takeru told you," Taichi said as they arrived.
Hikari and Takeru exchanged knowing smiles.
"Takeru-kun told me this time, but you really should get better at using your phone, Oniichan," Hikari scolded lightly.
"Ehhh…" Taichi groaned. "But Yamato told me Takeru would most likely tell you anyway."
Takeru shot his older brother a withering glare and was returned a broad grin, complete with a tooth-flash.
"Oh, he's here! Jou-senpai!" Sora exclaimed suddenly.
"Jou-senpaaai!" Mimi ran towards the final chosen and gave him a giant hug. "It's been so long! I missed you!"
Jou blushed at her forwardness, but said fondly, "Mimi-kun, you're as energetic as ever."
Sora joined the two of them just beyond the underpass. "Sorry for calling you out here… you must be really busy with your studies."
He raised a hand in dismissal. "Nah, don't worry about it. There was something I wanted to talk to you all about anyways."
Hikari thought that his expression grew somewhat heavy as he said this.
Once they had all gathered around, Koushirou opened up his laptop. He had been keeping a methodical record of all the events as they transpired, and he began reporting these to the group in a crisp manner.
"It appears as if these distortions are the primary cause of both the power outages and the appearances of infected Digimon," he deduced, explaining the crackling fragments of pink and purple data they had seen appear with the Kuwagamon at the airport.
Hikari and Takeru knelt on the ground between their respective older brothers as they listened to Koushirou talk. Takeru felt it was necessary to be close to her whenever possible. He wasn't going to take any chances.
Hikari looked up at her brother. "Oniichan, did you get a chance to talk to Nishijima-sensei?"
The fact that the calligraphy teacher (and Taichi, Sora, and Yamato's homeroom teacher) at Tsukishima High was somehow involved in the whole incident had been a hot topic of discussion on the truck the night before.
"He wasn't at school today," Taichi said.
"Did you all see the news this morning?" Mimi brought up with a frown.
"It's cruel of them, isn't it?" Hikari's wide eyes filled with sadness.
"It's not fair for Patamon and the others," Takeru agreed. As usual, they were on the same page.
Yamato, who had been silent as he listened to Koushirou's summary, spoke up irritably. "I'll have my dad put in a word of complaint at the broadcasting station."
"They're just using scare tactics to increase viewership," Jou said.
"But there was some truth to it," Taichi interjected. His voice was unusually calm. "Kuwagamon's appearance and our fighting… it caused a lot of damage in Odaiba and at the airport. Seeing that, I…"
Hikari started at her brother's polarizing comment. Here it was again… this foreign feeling she had been getting from him lately. It was the same feeling she had gotten when he saw her at Haneda; he had been tense and unhappy to see her there amidst the fighting. She could tell from the look on his face that this had been bothering him since yesterday.
"But… if Agumon and the others hadn't fought, there would have been even more damage!" Mimi cried.
There were times when they had disagreed and taken sides in the past, but this was the first time the chosen had seen Taichi so complacent. An odd uneasiness filled the air—a sense of disunity.
Yamato decided to address it head on. "I agree. I can't just stand by watching our friends take all of the blame for this. Taichi, what are you trying to say?"
Takeru regarded his brother warily. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hikari doing the same. Takeru knew that while the dynamics of their group depended on their older siblings, the weight of it was mainly on Taichi, as their leader. And it was Hikari who knew Taichi better than anyone.
Yamato's voice continued to rise. "Why are you hesitating? Something is happening, and we're the only ones with the power to do anything." Where are you? Where is our leader when we need him?
"But still…" Taichi was unyielding.
"But what?" Yamato interrupted.
A cold fury built inside him as he looked upon his best friend and rival. He knew Taichi was right—there had been damage and casualties, and it wouldn't hurt to exercise caution. Maybe his anger was irrational, but something about Taichi's demeanor grated on his sense of self. Who do you think you are? Don't look down on us. Are you too good for us now?
"Have you forgotten, Taichi? Did you forget our time in the Digital World and how we fought, we and our Digimon, all putting our lives on the line to save the world?"
"There's no way I would forget." The fire in Taichi's voice made everyone grow still.
They could see now that Taichi had no intention of giving up on their shared experiences and responsibility. He was just as angry, just as indignant, just as thirsty for justice as the rest of them.
Then why? What is it, Oniichan? Hikari quietly studied the resolve in her brother's face.
"So then, why?" Yamato seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Taichi!"
"Yamato, calm down." Sora placed a hand on his trembling arm.
Her words and touch seemed to cool his anger to a bitter dismissal.
"If you're going to be that way, there's no use. What a pointless meeting." He turned and stalked away.
"Niisan…" Takeru murmured.
"Hey! Yamato, wait!" Taichi called.
The lone wolf refused to heed his friend's voice.
"Taichi…" Sora looked defeated, almost pleading.
And now Taichi turned away from the group as well. "Sorry. I'm heading out for today."
Sora could only watch despairingly as they both walked away, unable to anchor either of them.
Takeru gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Sora-san. I'll follow up with Niisan later."
"Me too," Hikari added, and they nodded in mutual understanding. Cleaning up after their brothers was something they were accustomed to, despite the situation being a bit more dire than usual.
"Alright," Sora sighed. "Guess that's it for today then."
Mimi, not one to let things get the best of her, promptly exclaimed, "I'm starving! Anyone down to grab some food?"
They all managed to break a smile at this. Even Koushirou looked up from his laptop.
"I've got to study, so…" Jou hedged.
"It might help to take a break for a change, Jou-san," Hikari said gently.
The oldest chosen shook his head seriously. "Not me. I don't even have time to see my own girlfriend, for goodness sake."
Silence, except for the placid lapping of the waves against the edge of the sidewalk.
"GIRLFRIEND?!"
In unison, they exploded and surrounded Jou, expressing various states of shock and utter denial (minus Hikari, who was too respectful to join in).
Koushirou had to reassess. "Jou-senpai, you have a girlfriend?"
Mimi couldn't believe her ears. "No way… that's not possible!"
Takeru was skeptical. "Is she… human?"
"Takeru-kun, that's a bit harsh.." Hikari remarked in the background.
Meanwhile, both Takeru and Koushirou shared similar sentiments: Jou-san beat me to it?
Jou deflated a bit at their reactions but tried to regain some dignity. "You don't believe me? Well, I am the oldest, and as such, I have the right to take hold of happiness!"
"Everyone, let us believe him," Mimi said robotically.
"We believe him." They nodded like brainwashed followers and recited the words with dead voices as Hikari sighed behind them.
"Like hell you do!"
Koushirou decided to return to his office to study the distortions further. Jou obviously had studying to do (or perhaps he was meeting his supposed girlfriend?). Takeru realized that only the girls were left and read the atmosphere, seeing that Mimi wanted to have some girl time. He remarked that he may be able to make basketball practice after all and sidled off.
And so, Hikari found herself eating monjayaki with the two other female chosen. Conversation still came as readily and comfortably as it had in the past, but now that they were older, the topic of their conversations was a bit different.
"What were we talking about again?" Hikari prompted.
They had managed to sneak their awkwardly disguised Digimon into the store and were seated at the most inconspicuous table in the back.
"Taichi and Yamato," Sora said glumly. And thought, idiots.
Mimi was busy marveling at the wonder that is Japanese street food. "This is amazing! It's been forever!" Taking a bite, she pointed her now empty spatula at Sora sternly. "Oh, leave them be."
Sora looked understandably disconcerted. "But…"
"Can't get them off your mind, eh? They've both become quite handsome too… what're you gonna do, Sora-san?"
Hikari giggled as an embarrassed Sora quickly stuffed food into her mouth to avoid the pointed question. Hikari didn't exactly envy any girl who had to deal with Taichi as a guy—he was a loving older brother, but he was incredibly dense when it came to girls and their feelings.
Hikari wasn't getting away completely unscathed, though; Mimi quickly saw to that.
"Hikari-chan~" she sang, and Hikari flinched.
"This is really good, isn't it?" Hikari, like Sora, focused on her food with renewed fervor.
Mimi wasn't buying it. "What about you and Takeru-kun?"
"Hikari-chan and Takeru-kun?" Sora repeated. "They're good friends, as always."
"Just friends? I was getting completely different vibes."
"Ahh," Sora said in recognition.
"Ahh," Tailmon and Biyomon echoed. Only Palmon seemed confused.
So it wasn't just the kids at school. Everyone, even the Digimon, suspected something was up between them.
"It's nothing like that! He means a lot to me… but he's kind of like a brother…" she trailed off, remembering suddenly the way he had smelled when he shielded her from falling back at Haneda airport. "Now's not really the time to think about things like that. There are more important things for us to confront."
Mimi waved her spatula like a pointer. "Non, non, Hikari-chan! How you feel is the most important!"
"She's right, Hikari-chan," Sora said. "I think it's worth thinking about if it means something to you. You don't always have to ignore yourself."
"You're one to talk," Mimi smirked, immediately silencing Sora, who could only blush in response.
Takeru-kun, meaning something to me. The thought gave her pause. He did mean something—he was one of the most important people in her life. That would never change. And yet, something had. Her mind flitted briefly to recent events.
"He has been kind of different lately," she spoke up. "...but he's Takeru-kun."
She emphasized his name in a way that reminded Mimi and Sora of the boy with the green hat who used to cry at every little thing, yet whose unwavering hope had helped them prevail in the darkest moments.
"He's popular and he likes hanging out with girls, but that kind of thing is so far from the Takeru-kun I know. And I want to keep it that way."
It wasn't that Hikari was unaware of those sort of romantic feelings. She knew that if she bothered to look closely enough, she might even find them between herself and Takeru. There was that fluttering, nervous sort of happiness that she was feeling around him lately. But to acknowledge that it was romance would go against everything that they were. His suave lines and the fun, flippant attitude he had towards girls—he was so much more than that. She wasn't keen on opening that side of him up. Everything between them meant too much to be categorized under a lighthearted and frivolous word like "romance." It was far too precious.
Mimi and Sora listened solemnly, seeming to understand where she was coming from.
"That's true," Mimi said. "Takeru seems different from when you both visited me in New York. But not in a bad way. Actually, he seems more grown up."
"I think so too," Tailmon agreed suddenly. She had a vested interest in Hikari's happiness.
Hikari closed her eyes in reflection. "Does he?"
Was the Takeru she was seeing frozen in time? In her memories?
"He's always been protective of you, Hikari-chan," Sora said, having been there from the very beginnings of their relationship. "That hasn't changed. But I think now he has the resolve and confidence to do just about anything to protect what's important to him."
"He certainly seems the most sane out of all the guys," Mimi interjected dryly.
"Mm.." Hikari was unsure of what to think of all of this. "What about you, Mimi-san? I think Koushirou-san looked interested."
Mimi burst out laughing… in embarrassment? "Hahahaha, me? You think I'm ready to be tied down to some guy? I left all the hot ones back in America!"
"Mimi's acting weird," Palmon whispered to Tailmon and Biyomon, who nodded conspiratorially.
"Palmon, I heard that! Am not!" Mimi protested. "As for Koushirou-kun… well, he's gotten taller…" she flushed faintly, then rushed to regain composure. "Uh, but his clothes could use some serious work!"
Hikari and Sora cracked up together at this.
"You haven't changed one bit!"
Digiegg 5: Facts, Taichi & Hikari's home…
…is apparently pretty famous in Japan among Digimon fans because it has a very distinct landmark in front of it. Weird, striped archways that look like empty door frames. You can see these in both the series and the movie, and believe it or not, this actually exists in real life! It's in Odaiba, in front of an actual apartment complex that looks exactly like where Taichi and Hikari (and Koushirou) live.
