a/n: Still alive. This is by no means a valid excuse, but it took me a literal eternity to write Meiko.. could not figure out what could be going through her mind after all these happenings. She definitely has potential to be a complex, interesting character. At the very least, she throws a wrench in the chosen group's existing dynamics, which provides some room for new potential in the characters we have already had multiple series and movies to become familiar with... we shall see how I can manage to write her. Some of this might change if I come back later and decide I did a bad job.
I am looking forward to hashing out TakeHika's feelings about all of this in the upcoming chapters, though.
Different topic, but anyone else excited about the new Digimon movie coming out? It comes out in October here in Japan! Anyhooo hope you have a lovely start to your summer!
She was pretty. It was a shallow starting point, really, considering the depth of their relationship now. But as a little boy who had never been interested in much other than his older brother, she had been a fascinating glimpse of something new. New, but also strangely familiar, as if he'd seen her before, somewhere before his consciousness kicked in. He sensed some kind of fate the moment he laid eyes on her.
Her eyes, downturned at the edges with fine lashes. Pale and glowing skin like the moon. Small hands—at least, in his memory (in reality, they weren't much smaller than his own back then). She had a magnetism that seemed to draw everything towards her, but it wasn't forceful. Calming enchantment.
She was Taichi's treasure. And as the impressionable little boy who looked up to their leader, he came to see her in the same way.
"Hikari, are you alright?"
He would watch as Taichi stooped down and took the small girl's hands into his own.
And later, when Taichi was occupied with his responsibility as their leader, he would do the same.
"Hikari-chan, are you okay? Don't worry, it'll be okay!"
He'd put on a brave face and imagine that his hands were big enough to enclose hers.
At the same time, she was an eager playmate. Someone finally on equal footing, who saw the world from about the same eye level. Someone he didn't have to run desperately to keep up with. In her, he found an easy confidante with whom he could work out all of their seven-year-old musings and questions in the foreign terrain of the Digital World. Before she showed up, he had been out of his depth, tagging after his increasingly distant older brother and the charismatic Taichi. But when she appeared and became a constant in their journey, there was someone beside him.
And amongst all those other things, she was something he couldn't quite comprehend. Something celestial and tragic, filled with wisdom that was out of his reach but that he knew was always coming from righteousness. In his young eyes, she really did seem to be in touch with the root of all good. He would watch her with awe as she fought on without any regard to her own well-being, as she united hordes of Numemon, as she stood with heroic determination in the face of injustice and suffering. Watching her, he thought, that's what I want to be like. I want to stand beside her.
It was enthralling, how simultaneously frail yet infallible she seemed. How closely intimate yet also worlds away. While that kept him hungry and seeking, it also stirred up feelings of fear. Fear that he didn't belong in that shining place beside her, that somehow he didn't measure up. Fear that he would be trampling upon something sacred. Fear that in their intimacy, she would uncover some unacceptable fault in his facade of perfection and, in her righteousness, look upon him with disappointment.
In hindsight, that fear was probably what ended up driving a wedge between them.
"Oniichan, ohayo!"
"You're awfully cheerful today, aren't you?" Taichi munched on a bowl of cornflakes with sleep in his eyes.
"Hehe, you think?" It was early, but Hikari was already in her school uniform. And there was something glowy and excitable about her that morning that wasn't usually there.
"What happened?" Her brother said as their mom clattered at the stove.
But she just smiled. "You're going to be late to practice again if you don't hurry. Ittekimasu!"
Before he could say anything else, she took her book bag from the table and went rushing out the door as if carried on her own private breeze.
"What's with her?" He watched her go, disgruntled. She was pretty today. Too pretty. He didn't like it.
"You can't expect to keep her in your pocket forever, Taichi," his mom said, taking away his mostly empty bowl. "Let her keep some things to herself every now and then."
He tried to swipe his bowl back, but to no avail—she had already stacked it with the rest of the dishes. He gave up and reluctantly stood to grab his own bag. "Can you not say it like that?"
"Sorry. Could you get that for a sec? And the bowl." She ran neat rows down the dining table with a damp cloth as he lifted the napkin holder and fruit bowl in turn. "But it's good, isn't it?"
"What is?"
It was calming seeing his mother framed in the kitchen in the morning sunlight. He couldn't remember the last time they had a private conversation over breakfast because he was usually the first one out in the morning. There was a rush of water as she started the sink.
"She's always been such a serious girl. Her body was so weak, but she always had this look like she was carrying all of the world's problems on her shoulders." Suds dripping down the cup she was holding as she paused. "And she's never caused any trouble for me and your dad. We were always worried that maybe she was a little bit too grown up for her age."
"Well, sorry for always being the problem child," Taichi grumbled.
"Oh, but that's what makes being a parent so interesting," she said. "Besides, I think Hikari was able to let loose and be more of a kid thanks to your influence. Having you to rely on taught her that."
"She is a kid. She's too nice, is what it is. I can't help but think that she's actually pretty lonely."
Being put up on a pedestal, being everyone's paragon of perfection and good, was damning and isolating. But Hikari had always been the willing martyr, ready to die alone.
"So, it's fine, isn't it? If she's ready to find her own happiness, maybe it's about time we let her." She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and came over to where he stood by the door. "You've done a good job taking care of her all this time. I'm proud of both of you."
He didn't say anything, but she thought she could see a hint of a smile through his unruly bangs.
"I'll be back in time for dinner. Ittekimasu."
"Itterasshai!"
That tiny breeze of bliss carried her through the school day.
All of the hearsay about what happened at the festival, including the fact that the two youngest chosen had visited the haunted house together, had been completely overwritten by the commotion over the blackout. Only a handful of their closest friends remembered, and even then, none of them knew exactly what had happened. At the very least, they could tell it was something good. Ran's sharp eyes could pick up on the fluttery nervousness behind Hikari's usual calm demeanor.
She was the happiest she'd been for a while. There were brief moments of guilt—old habits die hard—when she wondered if it was really okay to see the world through such a rosy lens despite all of the things going on. It had been so easy before to shut out all of the private, personal things in favor of duty and those in need, but she was finding it increasingly difficult. The good things kept seeping through the cracks of whatever doors or windows she had been holding closed.
The good things. Like the memory of his arms around her. And the fact that she would be with him today.
Takeru had invited her over to his house a few days prior, the main motive being to talk about recent events and continuing to figure out what had happened to the D3 group, but he had also done little to hide the fact that he wanted to be with her. Then again, they had always been together, so why the thought was so electrifying to her now was still a mystery.
As the last bell rang and the prospect of seeing him loomed just ahead, she had another bout of that strange shyness. It slowed her hands as they slipped her schoolbooks into her bag one at a time. Her classmates filtered out until only those on clean-up duty were left. She tried to figure out what to do next. Breaking things down into the simplest of steps seemed to help filter out the torrent of unfamiliar emotion that threatened to shut her off from the physical world altogether. Put the pencil case in the bag. Close the bag. Push in the chair.
"Yagami-san." A voice broke through her methodical attempt to keep herself going.
She looked up. Fujioka was staring at her with a half-confused, half-amused expression. He gestured out the window.
"I think Takaishi came to get you."
He was outside, just beneath their classroom. Somehow, he already had her bike with him (had she forgotten to lock it that morning?) His eyes met hers, and he waved an arm.
Pink stained her cheeks, but otherwise there was nothing else to indicate that this was different from their usual walk home together. "I must have taken too long. Thanks, Fujioka-kun."
Takeru was waiting for her at the front entrance with an easy smile on his face. "You were taking so long that I got worried for a second."
"Worried that I changed my mind about going?"
"Maybe a little."
They walked their ambling path home together as usual, settling into comfortable conversation. Only this time, instead of parting ways at the street crossing, they kept going.
The door to his apartment was a deep red, and it made her shiver at an almost subconscious level, though she didn't know why. It felt like they were about to do something forbidden.
Takeru seemed to feel something similar, as he turned to look at her sheepishly. "It's your first time here, huh? The last time you were over was before we moved apartments."
He held the door open for her, and she paused to remove her shoes. "Is your mom home today?"
"No, but she was really upset she couldn't be here. Sometimes I think she wants to see you more than she wants to see me."
Hikari let herself giggle. "We haven't had a playdate in a while."
Once inside, she relaxed into the innocuous word. A playdate.
"Want something to drink? Apple juice? Barley tea?" He asked.
"Hmm, maybe apple juice. I can get it. Where are the cups?"
Normally he would have insisted on doing it, but watching her carefully pour apple juice into two glasses in the middle of his kitchen filled him with such a sense of satisfaction that he just let her.
"So, you heard from Koushirou-san about Daisuke?" He prompted once they were both settled on the floor in his room. "He called the school in California."
He'd had the green rug they were sitting on for a few years now. She threaded her fingers into the familiar softness. "And?"
"Nothing on his whereabouts. But he submitted a leave of absence about a month or so ago. Exactly like Miyako-san… it's probably not a coincidence."
"That's when I started feeling something happening in the Digital World."
"They must be related somehow."
"Something seems off…" she said. "If we're having such a hard time finding them here, then that must mean…"
"They're not here," he finished. "You think they're in the Digital World?"
She was silent, and he took that as confirmation.
"But where?"
She just shook her head.
He drained the rest of his apple juice and set the glass down on the table with a sense of finality. "Well, that's a start, at least. We can talk to Koushirou-san. If they have their D-3s, there may be a way to track them."
This seemed to breathe some life back into her. "You think we could go talk to him? I know he's been really tired recently…"
"If it's about Daisuke and the others, I'm sure he'd want to know as soon as possible. I can call him." He dialed, then waited briefly.
"Hello? Takeru-kun?" An unexpected voice came from the other side.
"Mimi-san? Is Koushirou-san there?"
Hikari listened quietly beside Takeru, which was probably for the best. Who knew how Mimi would react if she knew the two of them were at his house?
"Is it urgent? Koushirou-kun's resting right now… I came to check on him and bring him something to drink earlier, and he was pretty much passed out on his desk! It's a good thing I came when I did."
The two youngest exchanged alarmed glances.
"Is he alright?" Takeru said.
"He's fine… I mean, I was scared out of my mind, but it turns out he was just sleeping. Like, out cold. And he does have a bit of a fever, but he's fine. He was rambling on and on about stuff earlier, so I made him shut up and get some rest."
Takeru had to bite back a laugh because he could picture that happening all too well. "Okay, that's good. Hikari-chan and I had something to ask him related to Daisuke and the others, but we can talk to him tomorrow. Mhm. Sounds good. Bye."
"Is Koushirou-san okay?" Hikari asked immediately, as he knew she would.
"He's as fine as he can be with Mimi-san taking care of him. I think we ought to wait until tomorrow, though. He probably needs some rest."
The apple juice left an increasingly sour taste in her mouth, as if trying to suck all of the sweetness out of the day.
"Hey," he said. "Once we talk to Koushirou-san, I'm sure we'll be able to find Daisuke and the others, or at least get some sort of clue. Maybe they felt the same thing you did and went into the Digital World to investigate. You know how impulsive Daisuke can be."
It was just probable enough to make her feel better. She gave him a small smile.
"Alright, that's settled. We can go see Koushirou-san tomorrow. Are you hungry, Hikari-chan?"
Now that she felt better, she realized she was. She stood and stretched in such a lithe way that he had to make an effort to avert his eyes. "What should we do for dinner?"
He was the happiest he'd been in a while. They ate sitting across from each other at the dining table, their knees nudging every once in a while. When he rubbed his nose and left a trail of suds on his face while doing the dishes, she laughed and reached up to wipe them away.
And then they sat again, legs crossed on the floor of his room, to enjoy what quickly became a fairly intense game of chess. He could have cried. Why couldn't it be like this every day?
They were both so engrossed in the game that they only became aware of the downpour happening outside when a massive boom resounded through the apartment.
"It's raining pretty hard out there," Takeru said, peeking behind the curtains. "The forecast this morning didn't say anything about rain."
"Must be a summer storm. Hopefully it'll pass," Hikari murmured.
Thirty minutes later, the rain was still waging war on dry ground with a constant battle cry of thunder. The wind howled mournfully in the background.
"I wonder if I'll be able to make it home through this." She slid her rook a few squares over.
"I wouldn't let you go out there."
"But at this rate, I won't be able to go home. Check."
That wouldn't be so bad, he thought, too distracted by the thought of her staying longer to be concerned about his King being in check. For once, it seemed the weather was on his side.
His phone rang then, and he jumped to get it. "That must be mom. Hello?"
"Takeru? Is everything alright? I may have to stay out in the city tonight because most of the trains are stopped… even if I can get out to Shinbashi, there's no way the Yurikamome line is going to be running in this mess. Is Hikari-chan still there?"
"I see. Yeah, don't worry about us, everything's fine. Just stay safe."
He glanced over his shoulder at where Hikari sat on the edge of his bed, typing away at her phone. Most likely texting a certain overprotective sibling.
"And yeah, Hikari-chan's still here. We're trying to see if she could get home somehow, but I don't think it's safe."
"If it's bad enough that the trains are stopped, I don't even know if it would even be a good idea to try. It might be best if Hikari-chan stays the night. I don't think this thing's going to let up for a while..."
He had to catch his breath for a moment. "Right."
"Let Hikari-chan use your room, or she can feel free to use my room as well."
"Yeah."
"And Takeru? You know you two aren't in elementary school anymore."
His ears were burning. He had never prayed harder that Hikari couldn't hear any of their conversation. "Yeah, I know. You don't have to say it."
She laughed lovingly on the other end. "I'm sorry, I'm just teasing. I trust you. And I know you care about her more than anyone."
He coughed. Loud. "Thanks mom. Uh, I'll be going now."
"Alright," she said, and he could practically hear the Yamato-esque smirk through the phone. "Make sure Hikari-chan calls home to let them know. I'm sure they're worried. And tell Yuuko-san I said hi!"
"Sure thing."
He hung up and sat down heavily on the bed, trying to figure out how to explain things without sounding like this turn of events was all he ever hoped for. "My mom said it might be best if you stay… until tomorrow. It looks like the storm isn't going to end any time soon."
It was testament of their long-standing friendship that she didn't seem the slightest bit uncomfortable at this suggestion.
"Okay. I was just texting Oniichan, and he said I should try waiting it out, too. I'll call home and let them know."
Takeru winced, picturing the hard look on her brother's face he would have to answer to later. "My mom says to tell your mom hi, by the way."
"I guess it's a sleepover, just like old times." The innocence in her words somehow made him feel even guiltier.
But he employed every ounce of willpower to return an easy grin that belied his inner turmoil. "Yep! You can use my room."
Of course. It wasn't as if they could just sprawl out on the living room floor together as they had in the past. Her excitement diminished to an abashed smile as she realized this. "What about you, Takeru-kun?"
"Don't worry about me," he answered quickly. "Do you need something to wear to sleep? I think I might have a t-shirt or something…"
"I'm okay. It's just one night."
"Okay."
A relief, because he knew if he saw her in one of his shirts, all sound reason in his mind would probably be torn to shreds.
Silence. Rumbling thunder. Their chess game lay forgotten, his King still in check.
"Hey—"
"You know—"
Their words collided and fell still along with all of the other incomplete things between them.
"Sorry," she said. "You were saying?"
He leaned back on the bed, giving her a dreamy, indulgent sort of smile. "It's nothing really. Just thinking it's been a while since I wasn't all alone at night. Well, mom's here sometimes, but not always."
"I see." She drew her knees up into her chest. "…Do you ever get scared at night when you're alone?"
"You mean like ghosts and stuff? That kind of thing doesn't really scare me anymore."
"You used to get pretty scared of a lot of things when we were younger, though," she giggled.
"Yeah, I was a total crybaby," he admitted with a grin.
It was silent again, but something about it was comfortable, soft. They were in their own corner of existence, cut off from the rain and wind and all the complicated things happening around them.
"But at some point, it was like nothing scared you anymore," she said.
The sudden change had intrigued her. The insecurity and dependency within him had all but vanished when he moved to Odaiba in fifth grade, replaced by the beginnings of the reassured confidence he was known for now.
He sat back up, noticing the way her brown locks parted like water and exposed the milky nape of her neck. "I think I just realized over the years that there are scarier things than monsters and ghosts."
The images that were still vivid at night, as if engraved into his eyelids. Memories of loss.
"Everything else is like nothing compared to those things."
His tone was light, but she knew he was talking about the things that populated his nightmares. Everything he did now was to make sure that he never had to experience those things again.
"Takeru-kun…"
He leaned forward and brought his face close to hers with a playful twinkle in his eyes. "So don't leave me okay, Hikari-chan?"
"Do you say to all of your friends who are girls?" She said, pulling away.
She had been expecting a snarky comeback, but the effervescence in his expression took on a solemn cast. "No. I don't. I couldn't."
"Why?"
"Because they're not like you. They're just friends." He said it like it was a shot into a dark room. Cupid firing in the blind, counting on favor with his Lady Luck.
Takeru could feel the air waver delicately in the space between them.
"And…" She breathed, a tiny hiccup in the universe. But everything she did moved worlds to him.
"You?" He finished for her. "You're the mystery I've always had right in front of me. The puzzle I can't seem to solve."
If his eyes were fingers, they would have been brushing tenderly over every outline of her face. There was a drop of silence, and then she laughed in that airy way of hers that always reminded him of lace, the way it draped and fell, the way you could see through parts of it to hidden sweetness.
"How am I a mystery to you, Takeru-kun? We've known each other for so long."
Everything, he wanted to say. From the flutter of her lashes on her cheek to her utter defiance in the face of suffering. But he settled for this: "Well, you're pretty popular too, aren't you? What about Smith-kun?"
He'd be lying if he said it hadn't bothered him the tiniest bit.
"Aren-kun?" She was surprised. "Aren-kun is… Aren-kun."
He hummed flatly at her between his teeth. "And what is that supposed to mean, Miss Mystery?"
"A friend," she said.
"Do you text him often? Do you go out for ramen with him? Do you talk on the phone at night?" He knew he was pushing.
But she was a tolerant goddess, giving him a radiant smile. "No, I don't."
Takeru considered this. Feeling emboldened by the way the storm locked them both into the moment without any means of escape, he decided to take another step forward. "What am I, then?"
She had to travel far inside herself to find her next words. The whole "being selfish" thing she had discussed with Mimi had definitely been easier said than done. As she went, she tried to ignore all of the other things that she was used to fixating on out of habit or necessity, and for a split second, she was terrified that she had neglected her true self for so long that she would find nothing there. But eventually, she came upon the shore of her consciousness and unearthed those feelings where they had washed up before.
"You're different. Different from everyone else… and different from who you were before." Underdeveloped and incomplete though they were, they were her honest feelings. She had the lingering fear that if she didn't get them out now, she never would, and then he would eventually drift away from her. That was the one thing she could not bear to imagine.
He met her halfway, echoing his own words from earlier. "A mystery?"
In other words: do you think about me like I think about you?
Hikari felt her inhibitions slip out from under her like sand pulled back from the shore. "Yes," she admitted. All the time.
Takeru realized that was as far as she had gotten to defining the recent developments between them, and the way she had her lips pressed together to keep them from trembling impressed upon him how important it was to her that he understand this. Their hands lay side by side on the bed, fingertips touching. He inched his hand closer until they overlapped the tiniest bit.
"I guess we're both the same," he said. "Should we figure it out?"
"How?"
"Help each other, I guess."
When he said it like that, it didn't sound too bad. She thought maybe she could somehow stay afloat, despite every new discovery pounding upon her and drenching her like the rain outside, like the biting spray of saltwater on the open ocean.
"You already answered one of my questions, so it's your turn now," he said.
Rather than fight the waves, she decided she would have to ride their momentum and be okay with wherever she landed. "Recently… remember when the lights went out at the school festival?"
His eyes glowed as he nodded.
"…when you let go of me after the lights came back on, I felt so utterly alone that it scared me. It's odd, isn't it? That I can't stop thinking about it."
"It didn't bother you?" His words came as a whisper.
"What didn't?"
"This."
He curled a strong hand around her forearm and pulled—gently. She fell into him, and their bodies aligned, her nose burying into the crisp cotton of his uniform, melting where his skin touched hers. He was ready to let go and retreat at the smallest sign of discomfort from her, but it never came. This time, there was no darkness to mask the eyes that shifted downwards shyly, the rosy cheeks.
"You don't hate it?" He said. The incredulity in his voice was a crack in his usual nonchalance, and it gave her a glimpse of his carefully hidden passion towards her.
It was a lot more than just wanting to protect her from harm. There was a selfish hunger there, a heat that was both frightening and exhilarating.
She shook her head.
Ten seconds. He indulged himself that small moment before he bit down on his lip, hard, welcoming the pain as it revived the last inklings of reason that were slipping from his hands. Let go. Secure appropriate distance. So reason dictated. Obedient, he let his arms drop and scooted a few inches away from her.
He laughed shyly. "Sorry. It's good to know that you don't dislike it."
"…Did you have to let go?" Her lips had slackened, parted slightly, her normally pristine uniform rumpled, her skirt just skimming over her bare knees.
Damn it. He reeled, planting his face in his hands. Control yourself, Takeru.
His mind did violent somersaults as he wrestled with his desire and confusion until a single thought came to save him. It couldn't just be about him and what he wanted. He peeked an eye out at her, voice muffled as he spoke. "Hikari-chan, do you have any idea why you feel lonely when I let go?"
"That's what I've been trying to figure out," she murmured.
That was all he needed to know. His genuine care for her could quell his desire, at least for the time being. He straightened up again. "Believe me, letting go isn't easy for me either. But I get the feeling you should figure that out first."
In his eyes was that unspoken implication that he was completely oriented towards her. He wasn't about to go running off, leaving her behind. That seemed to placate her. "Okay."
He exhaled.
"Should we pick up where we left off?" he asked, gesturing to their forgotten chess game.
She nodded, and proceeded to kick his distracted ass.
July 3rd 14:56:23, Yagami Hikari
Sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to go to Koushirou-san's office today.. things are pretty busy in publications right now, so I need to stay and help out.
14:57:18, Takaishi Takeru
I can go talk to him. I'll update you later tonight. Don't miss me too much.
14:59:01, Yagami Hikari
Hehe I'll try not to. Talk to you later.
18:14:27, Yagami Hikari
Finally finished today's pages! On my way home now. How did it go with Koushirou-san?
21:30:05
One missed call from Yagami Hikari
"Hikari? Are you in there?"
"What is it?"
Hikari put her phone down on her desk as her older brother opened the door. She could immediately see the worry in his face.
"Oniichan, what is it?" She asked again.
Taichi glanced into the living room where her parents sat watching the evening news, then back at her. He was fidgeting at her doorway like a little boy. It took a moment for her to realize that he felt vaguely uncomfortable about entering her room, which made her sadder than she cared to admit. The years were slipping past them, making changes that couldn't be undone.
"You can come in," she told him.
He moved gingerly past the door frame like it was some sort of deadly force field that she had temporarily disengaged and stood in the middle of the room.
"Is something wrong?"
"Well, not exactly wrong. Did you know Takeru took Patamon home today?"
Hikari blinked. "No, I didn't."
She glanced at her phone. It was unlike Takeru, the most communicative out of all of them—and probably still nursing the aftermath of the previous night, as she was—to not answer his phone. And it was even more unlike Takeru to openly flout the chosens' decision on how to deal with current matters. They had all agreed that keeping the Digimon in the digital space was the only way to keep them safe from the infection. They couldn't risk any chance of infection, because once it got to one of them, it would spread. And they would have no way to subdue or protect Meicoomon without their partners.
Takeru had known this. In fact, he had been one of the most vocal about using the safe space until they could find some way to control the infection.
"Oh, so he didn't say anything to you."
"We talked about going to see Koushirou-san yesterday, but I haven't heard from him since this afternoon," she said, as stirrings of murky uneasiness started in some corner of her mind.
"It just doesn't seem like Takeru," Taichi said.
"Taking Patamon home or not telling me about it?"
He thought for a moment. "Both."
She looked smaller to him than usual, the hands that entwined in her lap helpless. "I'm sure he had a reason."
If it had been even three years earlier, he would have strode over and taken those hands in his own, but he didn't. He thrust them into his pockets instead. "Jou called… He said Takeru took Patamon out while Koushirou was asleep. Jou tried to stop him, but Takeru kept insisting. Koushirou was pretty upset when he found out."
She said nothing, just nodded.
"I'm going to get everyone together tomorrow at the usual place," he continued. "Not that Takeru did anything wrong. I just think it's worth talking out."
"Is Meiko-san going to be there?"
"Uh.. I think Sora said she would ask her. Why?"
"I see," she said. "I hope she's doing okay. We should be careful not to make things more difficult for her."
"…Right."
21:46:35, Yagami Hikari
If anything happens, I'm here.
July 4th 02:42:17, Takaishi Takeru
Sorry, I was kind of tired earlier. Everything's fine. Let's talk another time.
Takeru came exactly on time. They all watched as he ran up to where they waited underneath the overpass, his expression unruffled and pleasant. "Sorry! It took a little bit to get out of practice."
He saw Hikari and flashed her a grin as their eyes met, but he looked away before she could reciprocate. He had texted her immediately after school to tell her not to wait up for him as he had to stop by basketball practice, so they hadn't seen each other all day. He was relaxed, breaths going in and out evenly, brow smooth over clear eyes.
As he took his usual place beside her, she opened her mouth to say something, then decided against it and took the tiniest step towards her brother.
"Takeru, I heard you brought Patamon home with you yesterday," Taichi said. They all knew that was the elephant in the room; might as well get it over with.
"Yeah."
"Koushirou was mad, you know," Jou chided.
"Patamon says he wants to be with me," he answered, matter-of-fact. His seemed somewhat contrite, but his voice still carried that bright confidence they were used to hearing from him.
Somehow the open goodness and blatant lack of concern in his demeanor swayed them. They were all reminded of the fact that this was a boy just shy of 14, who had always been held to much higher standards and expectations than befitting of his age, and who had been so unfailingly good and mature all this time. And now all he wanted was to be with his partner Digimon. How harmful could it be?
Yamato was not convinced. "Stop being so selfish."
Takeru ignored him, addressing Taichi and the rest of the group. "It'll be fine. I'll get in contact right away if anything happens."
"Sora-san, Meiko-san!"
They all turned to follow Hikari's gaze. Sora had arrived, and Meiko was with her, hastening to keep up.
Hikari gave Meiko a small smile as she joined them. "It's good to see you."
Meiko nodded and returned the smile. Ever since seeing the younger girl play Nausicaa at the school festival, she had started to blend the two together in her mind. Hikari was no longer just her classmate's younger sister or a fellow chosen. She was a tragic heroine, someone who was fated to make things right. Since then, Meiko had developed a certain affinity and admiration for her, albeit at a distance, like someone reading about their favorite character. If she was with them, surely things would be okay.
"Anyway, isn't it unfair that only Takeru-kun gets to be with Patamon?" Mimi was saying. "It's not like he's the only one who wants that."
"Well, it seems like the other Digimon want to leave as well. Koushirou asked me to see what everyone thought," Jou admitted.
Sora sighed. "I do want to be with Biyomon…"
"It's too risky," Yamato said bluntly. "What if they get infected? We'd have to defeat them."
"Stop it."
The words flew out of Takeru's mouth with such cold anger that they were all silent for a moment, startled by the uncharacteristic outburst.
"How can you say that? They're our partners."
Yamato seemed to wilt at the rebuke from his usually sweet and level-headed younger brother. Naturally, they all expected that Takeru was angry on Meiko's behalf, and they turned guiltily to her.
"Sorry," Yamato mumbled.
"That's alright," Meiko said, eyes wide.
Takeru was still angry, hands trembling in clenched fists, eyes shifting like a cornered, injured animal. Hikari got the feeling she had seen him like this before.
"That's exactly why we need to be careful, Takeru," Taichi said.
The gentle words from their leader seemed to calm Takeru, and his shoulders hunched, the fire in his eyes dying just as quickly as it had come.
"Takeru-kun?" Hikari murmured, frightened. His face. It was like the ocean had suddenly grown dark.
He didn't seem to hear her. "Patamon and the others will be fine. They will be. I just want to be with him." He said it out loud, but his eyes looked distant and unfocused, as if he was reciting a spell. Trying to manifest something into reality.
But that sounded like the usual Takeru, so most of them relaxed. Yamato raised an eyebrow, and his eyes flitted briefly to Hikari, but he said nothing.
"It's unfair that only Patamon gets to come out," Mimi insisted again.
Jou ruffled a hand through his hair and it stood up on end. "Then how about we let them all out for just a little bit? While we're at school, they can stay with Koushirou. When we get back from school, we can go pick them up."
"We'll need to make sure to keep our eyes on them when we're together and get in touch if there's anything wrong," Sora said.
This prospect seemed to excite all of them, even Yamato, though he tried not to let it show.
"It's like dropping a kid off at school!" Mimi laughed.
"We're basically their parents now," Jou agreed.
"Sora's going to seem more and more like a mom," Taichi joked, eliciting a stern look from her.
"Jokes aside, we should at least be that careful," Hikari said softly.
"Yeah," Yamato echoed.
No one seemed to pick up on the way Takeru's expression closed in on itself even further at this.
Taichi grinned, accustomed to his younger sister being the voice of reason. "Okay. Let's go pick them up!"
"Pick them up? Not have them forwarded?"
"If they go online, they might get infected…"
"Come on, Yamato-san, why the serious face? You're excited too, aren't you?"
"Shaddup."
All of the older chosen laughed with the exception of Meiko, who felt increasingly like she was on the outside looking in. The more time she spent around them, the clearer it was that the current chosen group had already built a solid rapport and immutable bonds over their years together.
Despite her efforts to fit in, she was still as alone as she ever was.
Alone. Alone in the woods behind her house in Tottori, playing hide and seek with her own shadow. Alone, sitting in the dappled shade of the bushes and waiting for her parents to come find her after work. And then Meicoomon had come along. But even with Meicoomon, there were times when she would depart and become something… feral, something different, and Meiko would be left to deal with that alone. She had always known Meicoomon would leave her one day. Her bitter fate of being alone would not change.
Is that what I was hoping to find in Tokyo? She wondered haplessly. A way to not have to be alone?
Hikari spoke up then, as if she could hear Meiko's silent despair. "Everyone…"
Meiko was struck by how the entire group responded to the younger girl's single utterance. With one directive from her, suddenly Meiko was at the center of attention.
That's right. Hikari's gentle reprimand to the rest of the chosen reminded Meiko that at the very least, she would no longer have to deal with Meicoomon on her own. As long as she was struggling with Meicoomon, the chosen would stay with her. She could—dare she say it? Stand beside them and fight with them.
"Sorry Meimei!" Mimi gasped.
"We got too carried away…" Sora said.
They were apologizing about being excited to pick up their Digimon, Meiko realized. That didn't bother her unduly. She was just happy to have their consideration, but she was supposed to be upset and having a hard time, so she played the part as well as she could.
"That's ok, don't worry about it," she said. "Please go pick them up. I'm sure they'll be happy."
It seemed to work. They all nodded with varying degrees of contriteness in their faces, perhaps impressed by her selflessness and understanding. They were none the wiser to the secret, strange feelings of relief and satisfaction inside her.
And so, Meiko found herself standing with Takeru, watching as the other chosen left for Koushirou's office. There was an awkward distance between them, which Meiko supposed suited her just fine. The more perceptive a person, the scarier they were to her.
"Sorry, this is all because I took Patamon out," Takeru said, with genuine remorse in his face.
Time to leave. "That's alright. I'll be heading out now." She maintained a pleasant expression, then turned as if possessed, determined to cross the street while the light was green.
"Mochizuki-san!"
She stopped and turned back to him. She wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the desperation in his usually bright and unsullied voice that intrigued her.
Both Takeru and Meiko were both too preoccupied with their own thoughts to notice Hikari had seen them, her hand coming up slowly to clutch the end of her brother's sleeve as they walked away.
Digiegg 11: headcanon, Takari vibes playlist (not comprehensive by any means)
Crush - David Archuleta
Ocean Eyes - Billie Eilish
Ditto - New Jeans
Growl - EXO
Beautiful Soul - Jesse McCartney
Betelgeuse - Yuuri
You and me - Lifehouse
Aijou - monaka.
Butterfly - BTS
