#takariweek2022

[patamon]

Takari Week 2022: [Day 1 prompt: Focus & Reflection]

Focus and Reflection were official character songs released outside of the main series. Focus was Takeru’s feature song on the Best Partner CD, and Reflection was Hikari’s song on the Digimon Girl’s Festival CD. It’s been widely speculated that Focus is Takeru’s song for Hikari, and vice versa for Reflection. For the Day 1 prompt, I thought I would imagine a scenario where Takeru and Hikari’s songs on the Adventure 02 Kizuna Character CD were dedicated to one another the same way Focus/Reflection is suspected to be. Turns out, it wasn’t at all difficult to do!

For reference, here is Takeru’s Kizuna song (Step High Step) and here is Hikari’s Kizuna song (Tomorrow’s Blue), which are inspirations for my Takari Day 1 fic.

Title: Tomorrow’s Blue Character: Hikari Yagami & Takeru Takaishi Pairings: Takari (for @takariweek​​) Word Count: 4410 Rating: G Summary: Hikari and Takeru discuss the uncertainties of their impending future, and the mysteries that will be ushered in by tomorrow.

Cross-posted on AO3

Read below the cut 👇🏻

Tomorrow’s Blue

Before Hikari stretched an endless sea of green. The green of innocence, as Hikari recognized it as, illuminated by the soft yellow light of the waning moon. This was the land where stories began, and coincidentally, where stories also ended. A beginning and an ending tied together by the thin thread of fate, and Hikari was sure that somehow, she was interwoven into it, her fate embroidered into the intricacies of this land.

At the present moment, she occupied the interstices between a beginning and an end, directionless and clueless, staring into the daunting abyss of tomorrow. But tonight, tonight she will pretend to be eight again, learning to explore the land around her, listening to the secrets this universe had to tell her. Tonight, she will forget her troubles and silence the funeral march in her mind as it mourned the seconds that passed while she sat static on this field of green.

“Lost in thoughts again?”

Instinctively, a smile dappled on the curve of Hikari’s lips. She turned her head slightly, enough to find a tall but familiar silhouette hugging the edges of her vision. Barely two seconds later, a pair of blue eyes stared back at her, accompanied by a scintillating, albeit roguish, grin.

“More or less,” she responded with a nonchalant shrug as her companion took a seat next to her on the lush green field.

“Oof,” he sang out, his tone a mixture of surprise and amusement as his body ricocheted off the bouncy field. 

Hikari couldn’t help but giggle, which earned her an exaggerated pout from her friend. The force of the bounce was a little stronger than anticipated. Not surprising, given the extra weight their adult body now carried, as opposed to their tinier frames back when they first set sight on this rolling fields of green.

“Thanks for coming to meet me here, Takeru,” she acknowledged softly, but not so soft that Takeru couldn’t hear.

Takeru flashed a grin, “I don’t mind, only because you now owe me lunch.”

Hikari stuck out her tongue in response. They lapsed into contemplative silence then, admiring the large building block monuments in the distance and the peculiar trees surrounding them bearing toys as fruits amongst its leaves. Hikari remembered once asking Takeru if he knew what the building blocks were made of, if they were hard and rocky like the mountains they resembled.

“No, it’s all just feathers,” Takeru had said matter-of-factly, to which Hikari had vehemently argued against, until Takeru conceded and admitted defeat.

Off in the distance, they heard a distinct crack, like delicate glass crumbling into fairy dust, a signal that another new life was born into the Digital World. Hikari closed her eyes and imagined a Nyaromon opening its innocent eyes for the first time. One day, it might grow into a regal Angewomon, or perhaps it was looking forward to flying into the digital sky as a majestic Nefertimon. It filled her to the brim with a strange sense of restlessness, knowing that the future potential was endless, yet uncertain. It was enough to make her shiver.

 “You okay?”

 Hikari turned towards the question and found herself staring once again into Takeru’s blue eyes, its depths endless. Her cheeks heated up, and she turned away quickly, hoping the night would be kind enough to hide her secrets.

 “Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

 “I don’t know, I just thought I saw you shiver, I was worried you might be cold”

In response, she feigned an eye roll, exaggerating the movement so it’s noticeable to Takeru. But inward, her stomach tightened. She felt sweat condensing on her palms, and quickly pressed them against the grass to wipe them away. Even now, on the cusp of adulthood, her favourite feeling remains the one that bloomed inside her from the time she was young, and nestled within her until this very moment. It was the feeling of knowing that Takeru cared, enough to watch over her and pick up a detail as subtle as a shiver

“I’m fine, Takeru,” she breathed out, “You know, you don’t have to worry about me all the time. I can take care of myself”

Takeru chuckled, “I know, I know. But…old habits die hard, you know?”

Hikari nodded in agreement, embracing this moment and basking in the familiarity and the warmth, the kindness that can only be found in Takeru’s voice. After all, she didn’t know how many more of these carefree moments they had left. The future was coming, tomorrow was uncertain, and dwelling on these thoughts now brought back to mind the two letters stuffed in her backpack, clipped between the pages of her blank new journal.

She shivered again, drawing Takeru’s immediate attention.

“Are you sure you’re not cold, Hikari?”

She looked away, back towards the checkered green fields and sighed.

“Takeru, have you ever thought about the future?”

Without looking, she could tell his blue eyes were lit in amusement at her sudden question. She wouldn’t be surprised if she could trace the distinct slope of his smile with her eyes closed.

“What do you mean?” he countered

“You know, the future, like what will happen, what we are going to do, who we are going see, where we’ll end up in the future”

“Hmm…let’s see…well tomorrow I am meeting up with Yamato for dinner, so I see a lot of spicy curry in my future”

She turned sharply in her seat and shoved him hard, just as Takeru burst into a rowdy guffaw. His long legs flailed out in a tangled heap as he fell sideways, his arms hugged his side as he continued roaring out his laugh.

“That’s not what I meant. Takeru, I’m serious.”

“What? You asked me if I ever thought about the future, and technically, tomorrow is the future”

Hikari stood up, arms grabbing her bag as she turned away, “Fine, if you don’t want to talk with me like a serious adult then we don’t have to be here. I’m going home”

“Wait, Hikari,” Takeru cried out in a frantic voice. His arms shot out and encircled her slender wrist, and with an easy jerk, he pulled her back down beside him. It was her body’s turn to ricochet off the bouncy green field, and although she donned on her most convincing scowl, inside, she felt satisfied that Takeru pulled her back. It was enough for her to believe that Takeru would always pull her back.

“Tomorrow is the future, Hikari. It means a new start, new adventures. Everything can change by the light of a new sunrise.”

She turned to him, to his dazzling blue eyes. Under the pale moonlight of the Digital World, it looked brilliantly bright, dancing a masterful choreography in Hikari’s eyes.

“A new start?” she repeated.

“Yes. Every time anyone mentions the future, they’re always referencing some…unattainable timeframe from now. They’re thinking about a year, or two, or five, maybe decades ahead. But I have always wondered, why can’t we talk about tomorrow? Tomorrow, I can start writing that book I always wanted to write. Tomorrow, Daisuke can submit an application to the culinary school he wants to go to in New York City. Tomorrow, Ken can finally stop dragging his feet and ask Miyako out on a real date. So many things can happen tomorrow, and thinking about tomorrow makes me feel like our goals are attainable. We don’t have to wait years to begin our future. It can all start tomorrow because tomorrow is ours.”

Hikari shuddered. Tomorrow. Tomorrow is deadline and confessions and uncertainty. Tomorrow is an adventure she still could not face. She tilted her face up towards the azure sky, watching as the stars above her twinkled against the darkened universe.

Tomorrow is blue, just like the night sky before them, mysterious and foreboding, snuffling out all traces of light.

“It’s almost like people are afraid,” Takeru continued, “They prefer to think of the future as this faraway place to delay the unknown for as long as they can. But it’s not like the future will wait for anyone. Things are changing, they keep changing, so why not face the changes and embrace the unknown of tomorrow? So tell me, Hikari, what do you want to do tomorrow?”

Then, it came. The tears gathered in her eyes. She bit her lips and rubbed at them, hoping Takeru would believe they were mere specks of dust, and not the daunting mysteries of uncertainty, of mediating between expectations and desires.

Behind closed eyes, she felt familiar touches lingering on her cheeks, and opened them to find Takeru wiping away residual tears with the pad of his thumb. She gulped and turned away, hugging her knees tighter to her chest.

“We’ve been through a lot together, haven’t we?” she whispered.

“Well…we’ve saved the world together a few times, but no big deal”

The tears gave way to an easy smile. In her mind were all the memories they shared together, all the fights, all the battles, all the times they ran together until they were breathless and fried. In her spirit were all the competing emotions threatening to spill, all the feelings she had no words for, no vehicles fit enough to carry them to Takeru. So instead, she squeezed her eyes shut and settled for another topic…

“You might be wondering why I asked you to come here tonight,” she began.

Takeru nodded, but kept silent, waiting for her to continue.

“I need your opinion on something, Takeru”

“Really? My opinion? But what about Miyako or Taichi?”

“Taichi cannot know…yet, not until I have my final decision, and I know what Miyako will say, and it won’t help me because I know it’ll only be what she would do if she were me. But…I want to talk to someone who knows me inside and out, because then they’ll help me figure out not only what I should do, but what I need to do…for myself”

His fingers twitched, the movement so delicate it was barely detectable. But she caught it all the same, no subtle details from Takeru could escape her attentive eyes.

“I received a letter last month…”

“Oh”

“Well…two letters”

“Oh…”

The second oh was heavy with confusion. An understandable reaction. Hikari reached for her bag, tucked neatly underneath one of the toy-bearing trees. With purposeful movements, she retrieved the brand new journal she brought last week, its pages still bare and crisp. Wedged between its pages were two letters, each with equally worn edges, a product of her pouring over the sentences night after night, memorizing each word and punctuation mark imprinted upon heavy stock paper.

“This was the first letter I received,” Hikari began, opening up the page, smoothing over the creases before running her fingers over the official emblem at the top.

Takeru quickly scanned the first sentence over Hikari’s shoulders, his eyes widening with understanding as he read.

“An acceptance letter!”

“Yes,” Hikari acknowledged with a nod, “To the early childhood education program at the women’s college in Shinjuku”

“It’s what you spoke about for awhile now”

She nodded again in response.

“And…the other letter?”

She produced the second piece of paper, still folded into perfect thirds and handed it to Takeru with shaking fingers. He accepted it from her, his touch on her fingers dappled a little longer than expected before he let go to devote his attention to the letter.

Hikari rubbed at the spot his touch had lingered on her skin, smoothing it slowly to distract herself from imagining Takeru reading the second letter, to will her imagination away from his eyes taking in the same words she’s read over millions and millions of times as she laid awake at night alone in her room.

The silence was deafening, lasting longer than she expected. Takeru was a fast reader, his eyes vacuuming up words at a rate that dismayed her. So this pause was worrisome, enough for her to cast quick glances at him. He had his eyes down, a divot between his brows as he rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. Finally, after what felt like an eternity and an hour, he looked up at her with the most complicated expression she’s ever seen.

“Hikari, I’m…I’m surprised, shocked…”

Without thinking, she leaned forward, her body drifting close enough to smell the faint smell of aftershave clinging to his body. For a brief second, her heart quickened. Takeru wears aftershave now. What a strange…yet enticing concept.

“...and impressed. You never told me you applied to Hokkaido University! And for veterinary medicine. This is…this is amazing, and…and you’ve been accepted!”

“I…I…I honestly never thought I would be accepted,” Hikari admitted in a meek voice, “I mean…I didn’t think my math and science grades were anywhere enough for the program. You have no idea how shocked I was when I received the acceptance letter”

Takeru sighed and shook his head slowly, pursing his lips as he carefully folded up the letter back into its equal segments.

“Hikari, you don’t give yourself enough credit. I wish…I wish you could see…”

His voice trailed off. Hikari watched him curiously as he combed his fingers through his golden hair, scattering specks of moonlight in all directions as he sighed again.

“But Hikari…if you didn’t think you would be accepted, then…why did you apply?”

Hikari offered a nonchalant shrug, but inside, her heart was hammering so hard, she thought her response would be drowned out by its beat.

“Isn’t that…isn’t that what we all have to do?” she managed to respond.

Takeru’s brow furrowed in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“Taichi did it. Miyako did it. They all moved away from home for university. That’s how you find yourself and become the adult you’re supposed to be, isn’t it?”

“But, Hikari, this is Hokkaido, and Hokkaido is…is….”

“Far,” Hikari offered.

For a brief moment, Hikari thought she saw the dull flicker of a grim frown on Takeru’s features, but it quickly evaporated away, making way for a cheerful smile. His cheerful smile.

“Yeah, it is…far, but is it what you want, Hikari? Because if it is what you want, I will support you, we will all support you.”

“Umm…I…” she bit her lips and looked away. It was the question she asked herself for weeks now, but she was no closer to an answer than when she first received the acceptance letters.

“Does anyone else know about this?”

“Miyako knows I applied to the school in Hokkaido, and has been asking me for updates every week since. But I couldn’t bring myself to tell her”

“Why not?”

She sighed, “I just knew if I told her, she would want me to leave for Hokkaido. But…”

“But…?”

“But…”

She heaved a heavy sigh and tilted her head up at the sky once more, studying the dark blue preceding tomorrow’s unknown, hoping to find the words to her explanation there.

But in the end, she had to find her own words within herself.

“I applied to Hokkaido University the same night Miyako submitted her application to that exchange program in Spain. I thought…I thought maybe for once, I could do something like that, too. So...I guess you could say...I applied because I wanted to be like Miyako, to be wild and adventurous and unpredictable, to run with my hair caught in the wind and not have to worry about the tangles that come after.”

“Wow, that’s good,” Takeru remarked with a laugh, “I should remember this for my next writing assignment. But…tell me the truth, Hikari.” 

He leaned close, then pressed one of the letters into her open palm. Hikari looked down and saw the logo of Hokkaido University plastered on the front, Takeru’s index finger inches away from its crest.

“It must come from somewhere right? There’s a part of you that must want this…to venture far away from home, to pursue this career path. It’s not just the need to be unpredictable like Miyako…”

“Well…” she began, before her breath hitched in her throat. By now, Takeru was so close, she could see her own reflection imprinted in his blue eyes. They were a mesmerizing shade. For years and years now, she struggled to find a word to describe the hue, no crayon or paint colour could capture the blue emblazoned on Takeru’s orbs.

Takeru blue. She decided that’s how she would name the colour. Takeru blue.

And surprisingly, she saw a small smile on her lips as she gazed into her reflection in Takeru’s eyes. It somehow put her at ease, to recognize her own kind of smile imprinted in the blue of Takeru’s orbs, to recognize her true self erected amidst the boundless land of Takeru blue.

Tomorrow’s blue.

It gave her the courage she needed to shatter the wall she hid behind, to offer up her truth.

“The truth is…I don’t know.”

Takeru looked taken aback. But before he could respond, Hikari spoke again.

“At the beginning, I thought it was what I wanted, but now, I’m not so sure anymore. I feel so…pathetic. I can’t figure out what I want to do and separate it from what I need to do. I wish I was more like Taichi, or Miyako…they’re so sure of themselves, they always know what to do.”

“Hikari…”

“It was my fault. I put myself in this situation, all on an impulse.”

The last word barely left Hikari’s lips, when suddenly, Takeru shot up beside her. She looked up at his form, a quizzical expression on her face before he bent and offered his hand.

“Come on,” he beckoned.

Without questioning, she accepted his hand, and together, they walked through the wide open space of Primary Village, carefully shifting their weight so as not to bounce too high on the springy floor as they walked.

“Where are you taking me?” she questioned.

But Takeru did not respond, he only led her deeper into the village until at long last, they stopped before a cliff. Hikari peered down at the edge, a rolling field of green before her, the brand new Digimon eggs resembled specks of dust from where she stood, and the brown of the earthen crib almost impossible to make out from her height. She gulped, inching away from the cliff ever so slightly while Takeru stepped forward.

“Jump with me?” he asked.

“What? Why?” she squeaked.

“No good reasons, but it’ll be fun”

Hikari blanched. She wanted to shake her head, but at the same time, she didn’t want Takeru to know she was afraid. So she etched forward with him, measuring the distance of the jump with wary eyes.

“But only if you want to, Hikari” came Takeru’s sturdy response.

But Hikari shook her head, placing a foot forward, shifting the weight onto her back leg as she prepared for the jump.

“I have to,” she asserted.

“Why?”

“Because…because I have to”

“Do you?”

“Yes, yes, I have to. You don’t understand, Takeru. I have to prove to everyone that I can do this…I have to prove to myself that I’m capable of being on my own, that I’m not…that I’m not some pathetic, scared, little girl that refuses to grow up”

“But Hikari, you’re not any of those things”

“Yes, yes I am,” without warning, the tears spilled. Her legs collapsed under her, and she found herself falling to the ground with her face buried in her palm. Her body bounced slightly on the springy floor as she struggled to stifle her sobs. She felt the weight shift on the floor beside her, then Takeru’s arms around her shoulders as she allowed her tears to fall unabated.

How long she cried, she did not know. She only knew Takeru’s warmth was with her the entire time, his hands holding her close as her tears soaked the whites of his school uniform.

“Miyako said once that she refused to stay in Tokyo because she didn’t want to be boring, that she wanted to spread her wings and fly away from her nest. She even talked about moving away from Japan. She said she wanted to make her own mistakes and learn from them, she said she can’t grow into the woman she’s supposed to be if she’s tethered to her family, so that’s why she’s leaving for Spain.”

“That’s…a little dramatic for a year abroad. But…I can’t say I’m surprised. It is Miyako after all.”

“Precisely. It is Miyako, we’re not surprised that Miyako is brave enough to do this. But I can’t help but feel like…that should be my journey, too. All my life, I’ve always wanted to stay close to home, to be near my mom and dad, to be close to comfort. But maybe that’s a sign of immaturity, Takeru. Maybe I have to push myself out of my comfort zone, like jumping off this cliff”

She attempted to stand, but didn’t get very far before Takeru pulled her down once again. Their bodies ricocheted together once it hit the bouncy floor.

“Hikari…wait, it’s not that I don’t think you can do this, on the contrary, I think you have everything within yourself to live on your own in Hokkaido and excel at this vet program, just like I know you can jump off this cliff and land on your feet without anyone’s help, but…but…”

“But what?”

“But…I don’t want you to do this because you feel like you have to do this.”

“Isn’t that why we do anything in life? We saved the Digital World because we had to do it. We fought all those battles because it was our duty. Life is about obligation, Takeru”

“No, it doesn’t have to be about obligation if. It’s our future, Hikari. I’d like to think that we have some control over what we want out of our lives. We don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Tomorrow is ours to make of it as we wish, we can decide on what it can and should be for ourselves. This is your decision, Hikari. So ask yourself, if you could do whatever you’d like, without worrying about what others think, what would you do?”

“I…I don’t know”

“Hikari…” he wiped Hikari’s face gently, in the area right underneath her eyes. She remained still, revelling in the steadiness of his hands, at the warmth of his breath as he caught her tears.

“What if I make the wrong decision, Takeru?”

“No matter what you decide, Hikari, if it’s a decision you have made for yourself, then it will be the right decision. I know you can overcome whatever trouble comes your way. You’ve done it countless times before, and I know you can do it again.”

“But what if…what if it is the wrong decision? What if I stay in Tokyo and regret not taking the chance? On the other hand, what if I leave home and hate Hokkaido? ”

“Then you can change your path the next day,” Takeru responded with a soft laugh, “There’s always tomorrow to bring something different our way”

“Is it really that easy?”

“No, no it isn’t. But I know you can do it. You are capable of so much, Hikari. I’ve been in awe of you since we were eight, since we started running through these fields together. We’ve always fought together, stayed together, been together, and through it all, I’ve never been short of amazed at all that you can accomplish”

Hikari let slip a delicate smile. She gazed at him once again, at the blue of his eyes dancing in the moonlight, wishing to be as close to him as possible so she could see her smiles reflected in his stares again.

“Will you think less of me if I decide to stay in Tokyo and do the predictable thing?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think, Hikari. You don’t have to be anyone but yourself, so do what’s best for you.”

Then, underneath the light of his smile, everything clicked. And for the first time in a long time, she had the courage to accept the truth.

“I’m going to stay,” she decided.

“Really?”

“Yes, I want to stay. Teaching has been my dream forever, and I want to stay in Tokyo. My friends and family are here in Tokyo. I don’t have to leave far away at this moment just because Miyako is doing it. I want to be myself, so I’m going to do this to stay true to myself.”

Takeru beamed, the light hitting him at a spectacular angle, buzzing around Hikari at an excitable speed.

“Sometimes, accepting what’s right for us is the bravest thing we can do,” Takeru assured her.

“Even if it doesn’t seem so brave to others”

Takeru nodded in agreement, and with that flick of his head and the charm of his smiles, Hikari was possessed with an overwhelming urge to pull him close, as close as possible until she could smell and taste more than the aftershave lingering on his skin. But then, a gale of wind blasted through, lifting her hair and blouse, breaking her eye contact with him as the force knocked both of them forward a few millimetres.

They both laughed, and before either of them could recover, she had her hands around his wrists, and she was the one pulling them forward.

“Jump with me?” she asked.

His trademark smirk came back, the one that set her spirit wild and her heart ablaze. He pulled her close, until their arms were linked and their waist were pressed up against each other. The wind picked up again, pushing them forward as if the Digital World wanted this for the both of them.

“Thought you’d never ask,” he responded.

She took a deep breath before she jumped, but there was no fear, no apprehension as they leapt. After all, she could see her smile reflected in his blue eyes, and it was enough for her to understand that he would watch over her…no, that they would watch over each other as they took to the air with the world of possibility beneath their feet.

It was how she knew, that whatever tomorrow brings, everything was going to be fine.

[bokura-no-digital-world]

Takari Week 2022 - Day 6: Shopping Date

Days: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Title: Baby Bottles, Pacifiers and Everything in Between Characters: Takeru Takaishi, Hikari Yagami, Patamon, Tailmon, Taichi Yagami, Yamato Ishida, Sora Takenouchi, Yuuko Yagami, Susumu Yagami and Natsuko Takaishi. Summary: Hikari and Takeru go buy things for their unborn baby for the first time and reveal they're expecting to their families. Note: For Takari week, I decided to do something different. All stories will be told in first person, from both Takeru and Hikari's POVs in the same story. It will be separated to make it easier, though. The cool wind breeze messed my hair as I leaned against the balcony, but I didn't mind at all. Grateful was all that I was feeling at that moment. I had my own apartment, the most amazing wife ever and a great job. I would say my life was perfect, but I'd be lying. It would be in a few months, though. "There you are." Hikari's voice echoed around me and I couldn't help but smile at the sound of it as I lowered my head a little. Then I turned around and found her standing by the door that separates our living room from our balcony. "What are you doing here?" "I was waiting for you, actually." I approached her and kissed her in the cheek, while resting my hand on her belly. "Well, I'm ready to go now." "Great." I reached for her hand and then we walked out of our apartment, with Patamon in his usual spot over my head and Tailmon right beside Hikari.

Hikari and I have been married for about two years now. We were engaged for only one year, since we didn't want to spend a long time like that. After the wedding ceremony, she decided she would grow her hair and it was already a little below her shoulders. I think she looks stunning, though I love her short hair too. She said it was the beginning of a new phase of her life and I couldn't agree more with her.

About two months ago, she told me she had something to say to me. Looking back now, I find it hard to believe she managed to stay so serious at that moment, especially because it was a moment of happiness. At first, I was alarmed because that was a side of Hikari that hardly ever comes to the surface, but then she gave me the brightest smile and I knew it was just a façade. She sat down beside me on the bed and handed me a pregnancy test. Our initial reaction was to be shocked and a little nervous and worried. Not because we didn't want to have children at some point, but it wasn't something that we were planning to so soon. But the happiness and excitement quickly replaced it and we assured each other we could do it together. And here we are now. "You seem quiet today." Her voice brought me back from my trance. "Are you sure everything is fine?" "Yes, I'm sure." I reassured her with a grin. "I was just thinking about the day you told me you were pregnant." "Oh." She looked down to her stomach, which was starting to show. "I felt so many things that day. Now I just feel… whole, complete. I don't know if it makes sense or if you feel the same, but…" "I do." I interrupted her, still smiling. "It makes total sense to me." "I'm sure you two will be great parents." Patamon spoke above me and I looked up at him. "I hope so." Hikari's tone was a little worried, so I squeezed her hand a little, in a comforting way. "I know it's scary because we don't know how to take care of a child, but we can do this." "You know what?" She smiled at me. "You're right. We will learn how to be parents together. I wouldn't want to go through this with anyone else." "Me either." I put my arm around her shoulders as we walked out of the elevator.

Keep reading it on FFN or AO3

[patamon]

Takari Week 2022 Series by Patamon

And that’s all we wrote! Another Takari week is now in the books! Thank you to everyone who have read and left kudos and reviews for my story this year. I’m forever grateful for your kind words and support. I hope to have another opportunity next year to write more Takari fic but in the meantime, I’ll be furiously working towards my contribution for Takeru week in December! See you then!

Day 1: Tomorrow’s Blue (Tumblr link | AO3 link) Day 2: F is for Firsts (Tumblr link | AO3 link) Day 3: Our Unedited Stories (Tumblr link | AO3 link) Day 4: Coco-V (Tumblr link | AO3 link) Day 5: Slide...into their DMs (Tumblr link) Day 6: Thrifty First Date (Tumblr link | AO3 link) Day 7: Takeru + Hikari (Tumblr link | AO3 link)

[patamon]

Takari Week 2022: [Day 2 prompt: First Date]

I’m kind of nervous about posting this fic but I still hope everyone enjoys! Warning: This fic gets spicy (but nothing explicit). Also, I've been terrible at editing my work so this feels so...unfinished and I apologize T-T

Also, Tumblr keeps eating this post if I include a picture, so I have to leave it plain and without my usual accompanying visuals -_-

Title: F is for Firsts Character: Hikari Yagami & Takeru Takaishi Pairings: Takari Word Count: 5939 Rating: T+ Summary: The spring of Hikari’s 18th year brought with it an abundance of firsts.

Cross-posted on AO3 Read below the cut 👇🏻

F is for Firsts

The spring of Hikari’s 18th year brought with it an abundance of firsts.

First, it was her first funeral, dressed in her modest black dress, she walked up to her grandmother’s casket as her and Taichi said their final farewell. Then, it was her first trip on a plane alone: a solo flight to Hong Kong to visit her cousins, no friends, no family member, not even Tailmon, just her suitcase and a string of worried reminders from her mother to be safe.

It didn’t end there. It was a string of firsts after that: first cup of coffee, first time riding a rollercoaster, first job at a photography studio. Hikari never thought, after 18 years of living, that there were still so many firsts to experience.

She always considered herself lucky. She had opportunities and first experiences that many people would never have a chance to live through: running through the fields of the newfound Digital World, witnessing her first digiegg hatching, watching her Digimon evolve for the first time. But best of all, she had someone to experience all her firsts with. If she was curious, she would bring it up, and often, he would comply, no questions asked, no explanations necessary.

First hug with someone other than a family member, nestling herself close and smelling the fabric softener his mother used, which was both foreign and familiar at once. It felt comfortable.

First time holding someone’s hand, feeling the satisfaction of having their fingers wound through the gaps between hers. It felt complete.

First kiss, tasting the chocolate ice cream on his lips as she awkwardly thought about where her tongues should be placed. It felt sweet.

Can we…?

Have you ever wondered…?

Do you ever think about how it would feel…?

It felt good to know that she had a scratch pad, a secure base to deposit all her hesitations and insecurities, and even if the first hug was a bit tight, the first hand hold a bit scratchy, the first kiss a bit clumsy, she knew she could make all her mistakes with him, and there would never be any misgivings.

After all, he was her hope. Her Takeru.

The summer of Hikari’s 18th year, the air was thick with sweat and restlessness. Despite the heat wave burying the city underneath its oppressive rule, the school’s soccer team carried on with their match. Hikari watched with beet-red face from the sideline as the players glistened with sweat, speeding from one end of the field to the other while calling out to each other in spirited voices.

The whistle blew, and Hikari jumped in her seat, realizing a second too late that she was once again lost in following the lean, muscular frame of the soccer team captain. Her feet jerked upward, knocking over her glass water bottle, the shatter drawing the attention of everyone around her, including said captain.

She blushed hard, ducking low to quickly investigate the aftermath of her clumsiness, only to find her water bottle now in a hundred smaller pieces at the bottom of the bleacher. She groaned quietly, but when she stood up, she was shocked to find Jun, the captain, standing opposite her with an unopened water bottle in his hand.

“Here,” he offered.

Hikari froze, her eyes skittered from the water bottle to his sharp face, dark and chiseled, and glistening with sweat. Her body was no longer hers, just a victim to the hormone coursing through her vein.

“Thank you,” a cheery voice called out from beside her. She turned and caught a glimpse of purple, then watched Miyako snatch the water bottle from Jun’s hand.

Jun’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment, before offering a loose grin.

“See you around, Hikari,” he greeted before dashing away.

Once he was gone, Hikari’s entire posture collapsed. Her body woke up to the myriads of sensation prickling under her skin. Miyako phased into her line of sight, standing before her with her hands on her hips, her long purple hair tied up in a perfect bun.

“Holy fuck, Hikari,” Miyako cried out, “You should have seen your face,” then burst into uncontrollable laughter

Flabbergasted, Hikari jumped up, attempting to cover up Miyako’s mouth while shushing madly as Miyako flailed about, laughing and pushing Hikari away. All the while, the crowd and the players on the field gawked, Jun’s amused dark eyes boring holes into Hikari’s consciousness.

“MIyako, shut up,” Hikari hissed, but to no avail.

Finally, she had enough. She grabbed her bag and hat, then pulled Miyako away by her wrist, moving past other spectators in a huff.

“Miyako, that wasn’t cool,” Hikari gritted out once they were far enough from the soccer pitch, “You’ve no idea how badly you’ve embarrassed me”

Miyako sighed, readjusting her glasses before speaking, “Fine, fine, sorry, I lost control back there. But holy fuck Hikari, you didn’t do yourself any favour either”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh come on, Hikari, it’s so obvious how attracted you are to that soccer guy. I watched you the entire time. You couldn’t stop staring at him the entire game, and when he came up to you, you were like…” Miyako paused, opening her eyes wide and throwing her head back, mimicking the startled expression Hikari must have given when Jun tried offering her the bottle of water. She blushed, horror possessing her every limb.

Did she really look that stupid in front of Jun?

“I was not,” Hikari countered.

“Believe whatever you want, Hikari. But I am telling you, you need to get better at these scenarios, have a little more confidence, throw yourself out there a little more. Learn how to flirt, show him you’re interested in ways that are more mature than a 12-year-old girl crush”

“Miyako!” Hikari cried out in exasperation.

“Hey, I’m only trying to help. Honestly, I am. I mean, look at Mimi, she’s got guys and girls lined up around the street for her. It doesn’t hurt to have a little sex appeal,” she winked at Hikari, which prompted her to roll her eyes.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Hikari responded.

“You’re fine until you need to impress a certain soccer player,” Miyako continued with a giggle, “Between you and me, how about a little harmless girl talk? Tell me, have you ever kissed a boy?”

“Of course”

“Second base?”

Hikari scrunched her face in confusion, “What?”

Miyako rolled her eyes, “That’s a no then. So I’m assuming you’ve never been intimate with anyone?”

Suddenly, Hikari had an almost violent urge to escape the scene. She felt irritated everywhere, her fingers digging deep into the meat of her arms as she looked for a way out of the situation.

“Oh and just so we’re clear, Takeru does not count.”

Her eyes widened, the irritation melted into shock as she thought about Miyako’s declaration.

“Why doesn’t Takeru count?”

Miyako stared back at her in horror, “Wait…does that mean…?”

“No, no, no, no, I promise, nothing happened between us, but, why doesn’t Takeru count?”

Miyako sighed in relief. She then pressed her palm against her forehead, rubbing it in slow circles as she threaded her explanation together slowly.

“He doesn’t count…because…he’s Takeru. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s just a rule. You two are like best friends and creepy twin angel children, whatever happens between you and Takeru won’t ever be real.”

“Really?”

Miyako beamed, “I guarantee you. Now, back to that hot soccer player dude. I was thinking...Would you be open to a makeover? I can rope Mimi into it. I think that’ll help catch his attention, and maybe she can teach you a thing or two about embracing your sexiness…”

“Is it...is it bad that…I don’t have any experiences?” Hikari asked in response, the sharpness of her question quieting Miyako’s rambling.

Miyako thought about the question for a long while, longer than Hikari had anticipated. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. She continued before Miyako could offer her responses.

“My mom...is a little old-fashioned. She always tell me to wait, to save myself for marriage…” Hikari whispered shamefully.

“I think all our parents say that,” Miyako countered with a playful laugh, “My mother did, too. But luckily, I had older siblings, and it was my older sister that told me that’s not how the world works. In fact, maybe that’s not how the world has ever worked, and your parents had to make up and enforce all these rules because they’re your parents and they don’t want you getting hurt and growing up too soon, you know?”

“Have you been intimate with anyone?” Hikari asked quietly, almost too quiet.

Miyako flicked her wrist nonchalantly, “Yeah but…I have a boyfriend, so it’s a little different.”

“Do you think…the others? Like Mimi and Sora?”

“Well, I don’t know for sure but…I think…most certainly, yes. Especially because Mimi and Sora are both with someone at the moment. Also, have you seen Mimi with her boyfriend? They can barely keep their hands off one another.”

“So then, is it bad, Miyako? Is it bad that I’ve never done it?”

“You’re overthinking it, Hikari. It’s not necessarily a good or a bad thing.”

As she spoke, Miyako shifted nervously, moving from one feet to another. Hikari decided to nod in understanding, so they could change the topic and talk about Mimi’s party this weekend. But she didn’t tell Miyako about similar conversations she’s had with her friends, and that it wasn’t the first time she’s asked herself that question and wondered if perhaps she was missing something.

To Hikari, it felt that in this new world of secrets and closed doors, she was once again being left behind.

—

Three days later, Hikari made a decision.

It would be the most daring thing she had ever done, risking more than she cared to admit. But in the end, she decided this pursuit would be worth it, and she knew in her heart that Takeru would understand.

So that night, she found herself facing Takeru’s apartment door, her mouth painfully dry as her heart hammered hard in her chest.

Before she could knock, the door opened, she almost yelled out in shock as Natsuko appeared on the other side.

“Oh, Hikari, sorry, did I startle you?”

Hikari shook her head instinctively, her head swirling with the shame of what she was about to ask her son to do for her. Natsuko, unaware of the turmoil within Hikari, threw her head back over her shoulder and called out in a cheery voice.

“Takeru, Hikari’s here.”

“Coming.”

Hikari froze at his familiar voice, her cheeks reddening as Natsuko sidestepped to leave the apartment.

“Have fun tonight,” she called out before disappearing around the corner.

Hikari almost laughed at the statement, but then Takeru appeared. his smiling face like sunshine peeking through dark clouds. And just like potent medicine, Hikari’s entire body lightened, her muscles loosening as she watched him walk down the corridor towards her.

“Hey,” he greeted her, “Hope you’re hungry, I ordered us some pizza.”

Hikari smiled in response, she stepped into the foyer and closed the door behind her, watching as Takeru disappeared into the kitchen.

This was Takeru, she reminded herself. If Takeru was her first embrace, the first pair of hands she held, her first kiss, then it would be fitting if he could be this first, too.

And besides, he didn’t count. Miyako had affirmed that whatever happened between the two of them won’t ever be real. This is practice, just to understand how it feels, so she can finally say she did it.

She entered the kitchen and was greeted by the enticing aroma of the promised pizza. Takeru had his back turned to her, busy putting ice cubes into two empty glasses.

“I know, I know,” Takeru chirped, “You like extra ice,” he turned around and flashed a smile at her. For the first time since they’ve known each other, the gesture turned her legs to jelly, her stomach churned painfully as she thought again about what she was planning to ask of Takeru.

If this ends badly, she could lose Takeru. She understood this. But still, the memory of their firsts flooded back to her, the most memorable being that time at the pier. They only had enough money for one ice cream cone, and Takeru being Takeru, insisted Hikari had it for herself, but she being who she was, insisted they shared, until they found themselves giggling and passing a chocolate popsicle between the two of them under the setting sun.

Hey Takeru, have you ever kissed anyone?

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to kiss another person?

Could we try it?

Until this day, the taste of chocolate ice cream brought her back to that moment by the pier, where the world evaporated into a haze of bliss, where sweetness invaded her every sense, and it wasn’t just from the chocolate ice cream.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Hikari’s head snapped up, the memory dispersing slowly until she cued into Takeru’s blue eyes before her.

She cleared her throat. Takeru will understand. He always understands.

“Actually, uhh…” her voice trailed off as she eyed the pizza box. Not on a full stomach, Miyako had joked to her last night. Still, she took the advice seriously.

“Are you upset I ordered mushroom topping?” Takeru asked while scratching his head, “I thought maybe we could try something different. There’s a first time for everything, and who knows, maybe we’ll like it.”

Hikari almost choked. But she shook her head and tried again, “Uhh…actually, I’m…not hungry. So maybe we can leave the food until later”

Takeru pursed his lips, but ultimately nodded with an easy smile “Yeah, of course. So, what do you want to do then?”

The anxiety returned. Her heart fluttered while her head spun, she became all too conscious of the way her fingers picked at the hems of her blouse incessantly. And of course, if she noticed, then Takeru definitely noticed as well.

He stepped forward and placed his hand on her forearm. Normally, it would be comforting to Hikari, but today of all day, she picked a sleeveless top to wear to combat the heat, and now, the feel of Takeru’s hand on her bare skin felt too overwhelming.

“How about we sit down?”

Speechless, Hikari nodded. They walked outside the kitchen, Takeru holding onto her hand as they made their way to the sofa in the sitting room.

“So, what’s going on?” Takeru asked once they sat down.

Hikari lifted her head and fixed them upon Takeru’s blue eyes, studying the way it furrowed with concern. How many times has she seen this look? How many times has she heard him speak to her with that voice laced with worry.

They’ve known each other far too long. They’ve known each other far too well. It was then that she knew in her heart, Takeru will understand.

She cleared her throat, “Umm…I…I was just wondering…”

Takeru inched closer, eyes narrowed in concentration as he attempted to pick out her words. She realized then that his hand was still on hers, and they were holding hands as she struggled to form her question. In spite of all the fear and anxiety, the gesture brought to her a brief moment of serenity.

Can we try holding hands? I want to know what it feels like.

…and it felt like they have never let go since.

“Takeru, have you…ever been intimate with anyone?”

If silence had an edge, then Hikari definitely felt it at that moment, cutting into the tense air like a thousand knives. She watched slowly as the colours drained from his already pale face, his pupils shrinking by the chokehold of fear. Hikari remained still as the space between them, waiting patiently before Takeru spoke again.

“Uh...what?”

She wanted badly to laugh at his demeanour, but swallowed it whole and repeated the question.

“Have you ever been intimate with anyone?”

“What do you mean? Like intimate as in…”

“Sex”

He flinched. Even Hikari was shocked by how brazen she was in saying the word. He brought his hand up and rubbed thoughtlessly at the back of his neck.

“Why are you asking me this?” he questioned after a while.

“I just want to know,” Hikari responded.

He bit his lips, then veered away from Hikari. The silence continued to permeate every particle in the room. But still, Hikari sat stone faced, waiting patiently for a response.

“Uhh…this is awkward,” he breathed out at last, the volume barely a decibel above inaudible.

In response, Hikari scooted closer, squeezing Takeru’s hand in-between hers.

“You can be honest with me, Takeru. There’s no judgment between us. I promise.”

Takeru turned back to Hikari, his eyes tearing up as he scrutinized her.

“What do you want me to say, Hikari? Do you want me to say yes or no?”

“I…” Hikari began, then stopped abruptly. She had thought about the possibilities of his responses, and couldn’t land on any concrete theory. She knew he never had a girlfriend, but there were plenty of girls in school throwing themselves at him to no avail, and it wasn’t a secret that Takeru could flirt. Hard. So it wouldn’t surprise Hikari either way, yes or no.

“Well?” Takeru’s pressed. She looked up and saw his lips twisted in a smug smirk. Most people hated it, she found it endearing somehow.

Hikari retaliated by offering her own sly grin, pinching his arm in jest.

“Let me guess,” she began, “You’re one of those boys Taichi warned me about.”

“What boys?”

“The boys that sleep around and around and around,” she raised an index finger and spun it in circles. Takeru shook his head and lowered her arms.

“Who do you think I am? Jun?”

Hikari blushed at the name, a part of her sank in despair as she considered the insinuation.

“Jun?”

“Yeah, the soccer captain, he’s known to break a few hearts, or many.”

No. She clung onto the disbelief, then forced herself back to her quest at hand.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” she pointed out.

Takeru sighed, he sat back against the sofa and held their hands up, studying the way their fingers fit perfectly together.

“No judgment?” he whispered.

“No judgment,” Hikari repeated.

“No, I’ve never been intimate with anyone.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

Her body lightened, breathing became easier as she processed Takeru’s response, realizing that Takeru was like her, that once again, they could be each other’s firsts.

There was something so perfect about that.

“I haven’t either,” she blurted out.

Takeru’s blue eyes snapped back at her, there was a hint of understanding to it now. Perhaps he was remembering all those times they sat together alone, when Hikari would grill him on other corners of his experiences, and ask if perhaps they could try things together, to see how it would feel, just to say they’ve done it.

“Do you…do you ever wonder what it would feel like?” Hikari asked in a shaky voice.

Takeru’s eyes widened. He fixed his posture and cleared his throat, then nodded.

“I mean, yeah, of course. You probably have no idea, Hikari, but boys talk about it a lot, like A LOT, all the jokes, all the questions, it’s kind of hard not to think about it”

Her curiosity flared. She thought back to all the times she would see Takeru in the crowded hallways of their schools, sometimes walking with his school bag in hand, other times leaning back against his locker, but always with one, two, or a gaggle of gawking girls around him. Somehow, it didn’t make sense.

“Have you never really been intimate with anyone?” Hikari pressed.

Takeru blushed, his pale cheeks colouring a deep red as he turned away, “Now you sound like Yamato,” he pouted.

Hikari winced, perhaps she hit a nerve. If she felt wholly insecure by her lack of experience, then Takeru must have felt it, too.

“Sorry, I was just curious. You just seemed so…popular around school.”

Takeru chuckled, “Let’s just say…I wouldn’t want to be one of those boys Taichi warned you about”

It was silent again after that, a pregnant silence, full of expectation and knowing. She could sense that Takeru knew what she would ask next, and it made it easier for her to finally say it.

“Could we try it?”

She held her breath, waiting and watching Takeru, but he remained frustratingly stoic, stewing in secretive silence.

“I’m sorry, I know it’s a lot to ask,” Hikari stammered, then removed her hand from Takeru’s. “I don’t know what got into me, can we pretend this conversation never happened? Please?”

She was anxious again, but for a different reason altogether. For the first time since she concocted the idea, she was genuinely afraid that this could destroy them, and she would lose Takeru forever.

Takeru gulped, with his freed hand, he resumed rubbing the back of his neck thoughtlessly. Then finally, after what felt like forever, he reached for Hikari’s hand again and nodded.

“Okay,” he whispered.

“Okay?”

“Yes, okay. Let’s try it. Together.”

Hikari beamed. The disbelief at her own audacity knocked out all the fear from her. But it wasn’t until they moved to his room, when she sat on the edge of the all too familiar bed when the panic returned.

What was she doing?

This is crazy.

Is she really going through with this?

Is this really happening?

Her breathing quickened, until she was taking in shallow gasps while sweat condensed all over her body. Takeru swooped down, landing beside her on his own bed. Within her line of sight, she could see stacks of notebooks laid on top of one another, the spine crinkled with frequent use. She counted the books in her head, mentally tracing the stroke of each title to dissociate herself from her fear.

“Hey…look at me,” Takeru whispered.

Hikari obliged, staring deep into Takeru’s eyes until she could see her own reflection imprinted in those orbs.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” he assured her.

To her own surprise, she shook her head. Her hands moved on their own to grasp onto Takeru’s.

“No, I want to do this.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded, “I want to know…what it would feel like.”

“Is that it? You just want to know what it would feel like?”

“Umm…” she looked away. Because really, there was another reason, a part of her that wanted to get this first over with.

“Because I think it would be different with different people, it won’t feel the same every time”

Her throat dried up, thinking of what it would feel like with Jun, wondering if she could ever have a chance to try it with Jun. But she was sure of one thing, if she did find herself with Jun, she would want him to know that she knew what she was doing.

She grabbed Takeru’s waist with conviction, turning his body until they faced one another.

This doesn’t count, she chanted in her hand, Takeru doesn’t count. This was practice, a scratchpad, the first pancake in the batch.

“I’m ready,” Hikari declared.

Takeru balked, he looked away from her. But she kept her gaze, watching as his Adam’s apple bobbed with discomfort.

“Hikari…are you…are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I came tonight”

“O…okay,” Takeru breathed out, then he leaned forward, and much to her dismay, she found herself on the receiving end of the second kiss they shared.

This time, it tasted like peppermint and faded cologne. His lips were dried too, his breathing heavy, and beneath the anxiety and uncertainty, Hikari sensed a little something else too. Desperation. Relief.

Maybe he was desperate to get this over with as much as she was. Maybe he was relieved that he could finally say he did it, and not have to feel pathetic around his friends.

But she couldn’t dwell on the curiosity for long, because things moved quickly after that. Hikari remembered undressing, that part she was never nervous about, because if it was anyone beside her family seeing her bare and naked for the first time, she was glad it was Takeru. Takeru was home and comfort and familiarity. In a way, she had already exposed herself in ways far more vulnerable than this to Takeru, so being physically bare felt comparatively easy.

But after that, no matter how much she grasped onto the present, how much she worked to commit the moment to memory, everything smudged together into an incoherent blur. She could recall certain details afterward, like the unsteady rhythm at the start, almost erratic as Takeru laboured to figure it out. She remembered him apologizing a lot, they came as quiet whispers in her ears. She never realized he could sound this abashed, this nervous as he struggled on top of her. But then something clicked, and the rhythm came as if it was second-nature to both of them, and afterward, instead of hushed apologies and jittery groans, she heard a different question repeating at regular intervals.

Does it hurt, Hikari? Am I hurting you?

I don’t want to hurt you.

Yes, it hurt a little at the beginning, but the pain was miniscule compared to all the sensation she was feeling now. For the first time in her life, she understood pleasure and ecstasy. She heard novel sounds bubbling forth from her parched throats, her toes curled inward as her hips buckled around Takeru.

But what surprised her was how it felt, nestling herself within Takeru’s body and running her fingers through his hair, inhaling his scent, feeling the sturdiness of his body, the smoothness of his skin, and tasting him again and again as his lips plowed into her.

It felt comfortable. It felt complete. It felt sweet. It felt…real.

Impossible, she told herself. This shouldn’t count. Things that happened between them weren't real, shouldn’t be real. This was practice for when she found herself with someone she was truly interested in.

But yet, the question haunted her. Why then did this feel so real?

—

They laid in the dark afterward, catching their breath together. She curled her body towards him, and Takeru knew to pull her close, wrapping her up in his hold. It felt so natural, like they were on the same wavelength, moving to the same rhythm.

“So…how was it for you?” Takeru asked timidly once he caught his breath.

Hikari thought about it for a moment before answering, “I’m not sure, because I don’t really have anything to compare it to.”

Takeru chuckled, “Are you saying you want to do it again?”

Hikari laughed with him, but remained quiet. Yes, she was sure she’ll do it again, but most likely with someone else. After all, this was practice. This wasn’t real. They weren’t real.

“I didn’t…I didn’t hurt you did I?” he asked again.

Hikari smiled against his skin, the kindness of his tone enough to melt her heart.

“No, don’t worry, Takeru. That wasn’t an issue at all.”

“Oh…okay good. Because I thought I heard you strain a few times, I was worried…”

Hikari giggled, “Well, you don’t have to. I promise you”

He sighed in relief, before relaxing against his bed. They laid in silence for a while, until Hikari thought she should excuse herself and leave. But there was something so intoxicating about being in this moment, wrapped up in Takeru’s essence, so she stayed, basking in a different type of intimacy, her first experience of this kind.

Another first, just between her and Takeru.

“Hikari?”

“Hmm?”

“Remember that time when we were young, I think we must have been 9 or 10, I can’t even remember. But it was the first time we came back to the Digital World after we left, remember?”

“Yeah”

“We hadn’t seen each other in so long. I remembered…all the older kids got together and was talking amongst themselves, and I was so glad you were there, because then we wouldn’t be left out again by my brother and his friends”

Hikari smiled, remembering the two of them underneath the tree, while Taichi and the others were occupied by some other businesses with Gennai.

“You made fun of my new hat”

“That’s because it was ugly”

“It was not ugly,” Takeru countered.

“Yes, it was”

The sounds of their laughter bounced through the room, then, Takeru spoke again.

“I remember you telling me about the movie you watched the night before. You saw a couple holding hands, like this,” he linked his fingers through hers and raised it until they could both see it, “And then you asked…if I have ever held hands with anyone before.”

Hikari emitted a soft smile. Until this day, she could still recall Takeru’s confused expression in response to her question.

“I said no, you asked if I ever wondered what it would feel like, then you asked if we could try it, and I said yes. Then we held hands, and…it felt so…comfortable and just so…right. I couldn’t explain it, but I just knew that we fit together so well. Do you remember what I asked next?”

Hikari nodded, the sound of Takeru’s boyish voice filtered into her memory. It sounded much higher, squeakier than the one his voice has deepened to today.

Does this mean we’re boyfriend and girlfriend now?

“You were so dumb,” Hikari commented with a chuckle.

“Yeah…yeah I was,” Takeru mumbled half-heartedly, then cleared his throat. Hikari felt his body stiffened against hers, ushering in an uneasiness within herself

“Hikari…can I…can I ask you something?”

She bit her lips, no please don’t go there, Takeru, please

“Sure, what’s up?”

“What are we?”

“Uhh…humans?”

“No, that’s not what I meant, Hikari. I meant…you and I…what are we?”

Hikari squeezed her eyes shut, the alarm bells ringing in her head. This can’t be real. This conversation cannot be real.

“What do you think we are?” she ventured.

“Well, that’s the thing, I don’t know. I only know that there’s no one else in this entire universe that’s more important to me than you, Hikari, and you understand me better than anyone else I have ever met. We hang out, we talk, we laugh together, we cry together, we share so much together. We were each other’s first kiss, first everything…”

Hikari shot up suddenly, untangling herself from Takeru as she grabbed for her clothes.

“Hikari?” he called out timidly. He switched the lamp on, and watched nervously as she began pulling on her clothes.

“We’re friends, Takeru,” she asserted as she hooked her bra on. She kept her head down, working furiously to dress herself.

“Friends?” he repeated.

“Yes, friends,” with her blouse in place, she turned to face Takeru, scooting close and putting her hand on top of his, “Takeru, please, I think you and I both know this wasn’t real. This didn’t count. We were just trying it out, practicing for when we do have a chance to follow through with someone we actually like.”

For a moment, Hikari caught the crack in Takeru’s demeanour, the shadow that flashed as quick as lightning. But much to her relief, Takeru donned on his smile and nodded.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. We were just experimenting”

“Yes, and there’s no one else I would have asked to do this with, because there’s no one else I feel more comfortable with. I’m so thankful to have you as a friend, Takeru, I hope you feel the same.”

Takeru nodded, while Hikari forced herself to ignore the way his eyes glistened, or the way his shoulders slouched down in defeat.

“I do,” Takeru assured her, “Sorry, I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. But I think…maybe I was being dumb again.”

“No, you weren’t. I’m glad you asked, I’m glad…we are on the same page.”

He flashed a small smile, but Hikari could see the tension in it, the emptiness. Takeru smiled with his entire face, his eyes practically lit up with the glow of his smiles. But now, they were faded and dim. Still, she chose to ignore this detail, because there was no way this moment could really be real.

“Walk me out?” Hikari offered, to which Takeru agreed.

Hikari excused herself immediately, citing his mother’s imminent return as the reason. But she couldn’t escape without half the box of pizza in her hand, because as Takeru put it, he wouldn’t know how to explain why they didn’t touch the pizza the entire night.

As she walked down the stairs and out into the night sky, she couldn’t help but embody a new type of swagger, acknowledging the invisible frontier she crossed into a new chapter of her life. She was so much more aware of her body, the physical aspect of her existence. At the very least, she’s done it once, and at least she’ll know what to expect when it happens again.

At the door of Takeru’s building, she turned and looked up towards his balcony. The curtain was drawn open behind shuttered windows. She caught a brief glimpse of Takeru’s blond hair streaking away from the screen, then she was left staring at the darkness of his room.

Her heart quickened, and she laid her hand on her chest.

“Be still, my heart,” she whispered, “Not for Takeru, please, not for Takeru.”

But her heart rebelled.

She continued home, forcing her thoughts on Jun on the soccer pitch, imagining what it would feel like to be with him for the first time. But when the dust settled in the thick of night, as Hikari laid in her bed stewing in dreams and fantasies, the person she imagined in her arms was Takeru. Takeru and his bright smile, Takeru and his hair full of sunshine, Takeru and his warmth.

Takeru, Takeru, Takeru.

“It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real,” she chanted to herself in the dark.

But still, the question lingered, the smell and taste of Takeru still all over her, his essence drenching her every pores.

Why then did it feel so real?

—

The summer of Takeru’s 18th year brought with it an abundance of firsts.

First funeral, first job, first meal he cooked on his own, first time learning French, first solo trip overseas.

First time.

First time being together with the girl he dreamt about.

First time realizing his deepest fantasies, the one he was too embarrassed and scared to admit to anyone, even himself.

First time accepting he was truly, madly, deeply in love with his best friend.

First time understanding it was real.

First time having the courage to ask the question he mulled over for years.

Then…

First heartbreak.

And as he now watched her walk away from his building, her scent and taste still all around him, her rejection still piercing the delicate fibers of his heart, he wondered if perhaps, this should have been the first time he stood his ground and finally asked her…

Can we try it, Hikari? Because I want to know what it feels like, I want to know what it’s like living in the hopes that I could be your first…and last.

[patamon]

Takari Week 2022 [Day 4 prompt: Sick Day]

A shorter one this time! Also, it’s not hard to figure out what this story is about, so if you still experience some sensitivities about recent unprecedented events, please proceed with caution

Title: Coco-V Character: Hikari Yagami & Takeru Takaishi Pairings: Takari (for @takariweek​ ) Word Count: 2507 Rating: G Summary: Takeru got sick during the Winter of 2021. Despite his best effort to keep Hikari at bay, she shows up at his door anyways, breaking all rules and guideline just to make sure he’s taken care of.

Cross-posted on AO3

Read below the cut 👇🏻  

Coco-V

Some days, Takeru thought it might have been better if he died somewhere in the Digital World, perhaps gotten in the way of a Digimon attack, or fallen off a cliff and drowned in the digital ocean.

And today was one of those days.

His body was on fire, joints and muscles ached down to the very last cell. He could barely breathe through his congested nose, and his throat was scratchy from non-stop coughing. 

Devimon’s got nothing on this pesky virus.

He had Yamato to blame for visiting him last week, and Yamato had Taichi to blame for attending his friend’s house party the week before, despite their warnings for him to stay home. 

Of course it had to be Taichi. It was always Taichi.

He pulled his comforter up, blacking out to an uncomfortable sleep before his cough came back with a vengeance, rattling his lungs like phlegm-filled maracas. When it was finally over, he groaned as he pulled his body over, fingers feeling for the hard edges of a tissue box when a series of duck quacks pulsed through the air.

He groaned again, fumbling around his mattress in search of his phone. He answered without looking at the screen, knowing the quacks were a special ringtone he set just for…

“Hikari?”

There was a momentary pause, followed by familiar giggles, “You sound terrible,” she noted.

Takeru coughed again, before dropping his entire body down on the mattress.

“Thanks, I hadn’t noticed,” he grumbled.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to rub it in. But hey, how are you feeling?”

“Terrible,” he responded, “They weren’t kidding about this virus. I haven’t been this sick in years”

“Yeah, Taichi is finally getting over it now, but he’s still coughing up a storm, though. I heard those don’t go away for weeks, sometimes months.”

Takeru moaned, “Great…”

“By the way, are you in your room?”

“Yeah…why?”

“Can you come open the door for me?”

Takeru’s back shot straight up in dismay, but vertigo threatened to take him down once again. Somehow, he managed to steady himself enough to survey his dark bedroom, the door slightly ajar to bring in light from the outside.

“Door? What door?” he demanded.

Hikari giggled again, “The door to your apartment, silly.”

“What? Why? Why am I opening my apartment door for you?”

“Because I’m standing in front of your front door right now. I didn’t want to ring the doorbell in case you were asleep, so I thought I would call first to see if you were awake”

“Hikari!” he barked out, rolling out of bed with the grace and dexterity of a two left-footed troll. He stumbled outside, but just before exiting his room, he grabbed two masks from his desk, then a third one after a slight pause. 

“Takeru? Are you still there?” came Hikari’s voice through the phone.

“Yes,” he responded before securing all three masks on, “But, I am NOT opening the door for you,” he declared. He arrived before the door separating his apartment from the outside world and peered through the peephole.

There she was, Hikari Yagami in all her glory. By her sides were two large bags of grocery, a pink hat atop of her head paired with a blue face mask. She seemed to have sensed his presence and waved enthusiastically at the peephole.

“Go home, Hikari. I am not opening the door for you,” he yelled through the door.

“Why not?” she demanded. Even with the mask and the limited vision offered by the peephole, Takeru could tell she was scowling, her hands on her waist as she glared at the door.

“Hikari, I am sick. I told you I took the test and it was positive…”

“You’re pregnant?”

“Stop it! Stop playing dumb! I can’t be around you, Hikari, or I’ll get you sick, too. Why are you even here anyways?”

“I’m here…to cook you some soup,” she raised one of the grocery bags to the peephole. Takeru could see leeks and carrots spewing out of the bag.

He groaned in response, pressing the top of his head against his palm, “Hikari, go home”

“No, open the door”

“I told you I’m not opening the door. I am not going to risk getting you sick.”

“I’m not leaving until you open the door,” she pressed repeatedly on the buzzer beside his door. Immediately, the bell chimed all around Takeru, aggravating his migraine.

“Stop stop stop stop, I’m serious, I can’t let you in. The Health Minister person said…”

“Takeru, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this,” Hikari interrupted. She reached into her pocket and produced a key, a crest of hope charm dangling on the other end.

Shit.

“That’s not fair,” he declared.

“You forgot I have the spare key to your apartment. If you don’t let me in, then I’ll come in myself.”

Takeru groaned, smashing his head against the door repeatedly until Hikari spoke up again.

“Hurting yourself will only make me come in quicker,” Hikari warned

“That’s not fair. That key is for emergencies.”

“This is an emergency,” she countered.

Takeru rolled his eyes, but he knew this was a battle he could not win. At the very least, this could happen on his terms, so he could ensure Hikari was safe.

“Fine,” he grumbled, “But we have to wear masks the entire time”

“Deal”

“And I’m staying in my room, and you can’t come in. I don’t care what the circumstances are, even if I start having a seizure, you cannot come within six feet of me. I forbid you”

“Fine, I won’t go anywhere near your room, promise”

“And you have to sanitize everything, and wear gloves…”

“Whatever, yes, okay, can you open the door now?”

Takeru sighed, then turned to survey his apartment, “Give me a moment,” he called out. 

He darted to his kitchen cupboard, then pulled out a container of Lysol wipes. His head was swimming, his eyes were watering, everything before him was fog and haze, but he wiped down every surface he could find. Kitchen counters, tables, chairs, moving as quickly as hurriedly as he could with one eye closed to combat the nausea and headache.

On the other side of the door, he heard knocking, followed by Hikari’s voice.

“Takeru? Are you cleaning? If so, you don’t have to, just go to your room and rest, you’re probably making it worse by going around now and touching surfaces you didn’t touch before.”

He froze and looked down at the area he was working on, a random step stool he didn’t even know he had.

Hikari was right. Fuck why was he so stupid? 

“Okay, wait, hang on,” he called out. He threw the wipe into the garbage, then stumbled into his room, closing the door with a bang. Once situated on his bed, he took out his phone and dialed Hikari’s number. She responded on the first ring.

“Can I come in now?” she demanded.

Takeru sighed, “Yes. But remember what we agreed on, masks, gloves, and sanitizer.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah”

He heard his apartment door click open, followed by the squeak of hinges and footsteps shuffling in.

“Seriously, Hikari, why on earth did you come over?” Takeru asked over the phone.

“I told you, I’m here to cook you soup”

“But you didn’t have to”

From beyond his room, he heard the opening and closing of cabinets, then clattering of pots and pans.

“It’s not that I have to, Takeru, I want to. Yamato is also isolating because he’s sick, your mom is on the other side of Odaiba, at least I live in the same building so I can come over and take care of you while you recover.”

“I can take care of myself,” he countered.

“I’m sure you can, but not while you’re this sick,” Hikari responded over the sound of rushing faucet water.

“I’m not that sick”

“Didn’t you just say you haven’t been this sick in years?”

Takeru winced, internally cursing himself for shooting himself in the foot.

“Fine, yes, I’m sick, but that’s the point, Hikari. I could never forgive myself if I got you this sick as well.”

Hikari laughed. Takeru could now hear chopping and peeling, the sounds of his garbage can lid opening and closing. He didn’t want to admit it, but the sound of Hikari cooking offered a comfort he could not describe, like listening to a professional orchestra performing a perfect symphony.

“I’ve been teaching kindergarteners for 10 years, Takeru. My immune system can take down anything my body throws at it.”

“But we don’t have immunity against this virus. That’s why it’s dangerous to get sick.”

“I’ll be fine, Takeru. I took care of Taichi this past week on my own. But if you’re that worried, I promise you I’ll be careful. I’ll double-mask, I’ll wear gloves, I’ll wipe down every surface, I’ll wash and sanitize my hand twice every hour, kay?”

No, it wasn’t okay. But he was too tired, too light-headed to argue. So he settled down on his bed, listening to the rhythm of Hikari’s chopping, interrupted every few beats by water rushing out of the kitchen faucet.

“Fine,” he conceded with a yawn, “But I’m not happy.”

Hikari snorted through the phone, “Just lay down and rest, Takeru. You need it.”

He obliged, closing his eyes with the phone still pressed against his ears. As the world began blacking out, he heard Hikari hum through the phone. The tune sounded familiar, but he couldn’t tell what it was, only that it sounded luxurious and warm against his ailing soul.

—

For how long he slept, he didn’t know. But he jerked awake to the sound of ducks quacking from his phone.

With his eyes still heavy with sleep, he fumbled around the bed, hands guiding through the geography by memory before he found his phone just inches away from his face.

“Hello,” he croaked and immediately launched into a torrent of coughs. 

“Hello? Takeru? Are you okay?” came Hikari’s voice, barely audible in-between his coughs.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here,” he spoke, or barely spoke. His voice seemed caught in his throat, drowned in all the mucus and phlegm.

“Sorry, Takeru. I didn’t mean to wake you but…well…I didn’t want the soup to get cold, and I just want to make sure you eat something. Your body needs it.”

“Soup?” he pressed his palm against his pounding head, and bit-by-bit, the memories of their conversation through closed doors and phone filtered back. It wasn’t a dream after all. Somehow, the thoughts made him smile in delirium.

“O-okay,” he gasped out, “I’ll have some after, I promise. Get some rest Hikari, take a test later if you can just to make sure you didn’t caught it from me”

“Actually, the soup is beside you right now.”

Takeru shot up from the bed, and immediately regretted it.

“Ow,” he whined, pressing his hand against his head.

“What happened?” Hikari demanded.

“Nothing, nothing, my sinuses…” he looked beside him and sure enough, there rested a heaping bowl of soup with chunks of carrots, celery, and bits of chicken swimming inside, a mug of something mysterious beside the bowl.

“I also made you some honey lemon tea, there are bits of ginger inside, too. I know you don’t like ginger but…”

“Hikari! We agreed you won’t come into my room. You broke the rules.”

Hikari scoffed, “Will you relax? I wore my masks, I did my handwashing, and I was only in there for like five seconds. I’ll be fine, Takeru. I did it for Taichi when I was taking care of him last week and he’s a lot less careless than you, I can tell you that”

“I don’t care, Hikari. You need to take a test right now. Please”

Hikari sighed, “Fine…do you have one laying around?”

“Do I have one? What does it matter? You’re not coming back here until I’m…”

But just then, his tirade was interrupted by the sound of running water…coming from outside his room. He gasped, rushing off the bed and pulling the door open with shaky hands.

There she was in all her glory, Hikari Yagami by the sink, halfway through rinsing off a pile of dirty dishes. The moment she saw the door open, she raised her gloved hands, a bright smile evident on her face despite the mask she was wearing.

Takeru squeaked and slammed the door, pressing his hand against his mouth, realizing a moment too late that he had forgotten to wear his mask.

“Hikari? You’re still here?” he demanded through his phone.

“Yes, of course. How else am I going to make sure that you’re taken care of while you’re sick?”

“You don’t have to, Hikari. Please just go home.”

“I told you, it’s not that I have to, it’s that I want to. Now go back to bed and eat your soup.”

Takeru groaned, but nevertheless stumbled back to his bed and pulled the soup towards him.

“How long are you planning to stay?” he questioned.

“How long are you isolating?”

“Hikari! This is not reasonable. What about work?”

“Virtual classes, I brought my laptop. You’ll have to excuse the alphabet singing tomorrow morning, but if you’re anything like Taichi, you’ll be asleep through it all.”

“Unbelievable,” Takeru mumbled before taking a sip of the tea Hikari prepared. It was still warm, and practically tasteless on account of how congested he was.

“How’s the soup?” Hikari inquired.

He took a sip of the soup, chewing on a hardy chunk of carrot. Once again, it was tasteless, but it was warm and comforting. It was Hikari in a bowl.

“Amazing,” he responded before taking another sip.

Hikari giggled, “I made lots, so they’ll be enough for breakfast tomorrow, too. But I’m thinking I’ll prepare some congee for your lunch tomorrow, just so you can have something different”

Takeru murmured an agreement, but he knew it wouldn’t make a difference. It would just be as bland as the soup and tea he just had, but perhaps the change in texture would help.

“Hey Hikari,” he called out in-between sips of soup.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for coming by and taking care of me.”

Even though he couldn’t see her, he knew Hikari was probably smiling that distinct smile. The one that lit up her face and brought sunshine to his soul. It was a smile she reserved just for him, so he considered it his greatest treasure.

“Don’t mention it, Takeru. I know you would have done the same for me,” she responded.

It was his turn to flash his distinct smile, the one he reserved just for her.

“You know me too well,” he responded, and carried on eating the soup with Hikari on the phone, the sound of love and care ringing out on the other side of his door.

Even though he could barely taste it, he was positive that this was the best soup he has ever had.

[patamon]

Takari Week 2022 [Day 3 prompt: Reunion]

They keep getting longer and longer, because I have less and less self-control, but although this is my longest one-shot for this event, I wish I had more space and time to flesh this story out more. Maybe one day in the future, I will revisit and create a proper multi-fic for this concept.

Title: Our Unedited Stories Character: Hikari Yagami & Takeru Takaishi Pairings: Takari (for @takariweek) and Taiora (my first Taiora! I surprised myself!) Word Count: 10937 (!!!!) - this story was so long I broke this up into two chapters on AO3 :P Rating: G Summary: Hikari left Japan five years ago to start a new life with a new family. But now, it's time for her homecoming and reunion with the land and the people she love. But there's one reunion she would rather not have, and ironically, it was also the one reunion she longed for the most.

Cross-posted on AO3

Read below the cut 👇🏻

Our Unedited Stories

At 4:37 PM, the plane touched down on smooth grey concrete, the wheels reaching forward to kiss the land beneath. Hikari peered through the thick glass of the plane window, craning her neck hard to catch a glimpse of the motherland she left behind five years ago. She bounced her half-asleep daughter on her lap, lifting her up so she could take in the sights of the all-too familiar Tokyo skyline.

“Look Lorna, this is where your mother is from, this is her home” Hikari whispered to her in smooth Japanese.

Beside them, her husband stirred, sitting up straight and eyeing the scenery outside.

“What did you say?” he asked in English.

“Oh,” Hikari blushed, turning to him with Lorna babbling in her lap, “I was telling Lorna this is where I’m from,” she responded with jagged English words.

He smiled in response, “Is it how you remembered it to be?” he inquired.

Hikari tilted her head so she could see the outside, her heart pounding so loud, she could hear the thump of each beat drumming in her ears. Despite the Tokyo airport presenting itself with asphalt and greyness, Hikari saw home and comfort beyond the thick windows. She saw it in the shapes of the clouds amongst the heaven, in the glimpse of water from Tokyo Bay, she saw it in the anticipation of seeing her brother again after so many years, of knowing that he was already there waiting, a large stuffed toy in his arms for the niece he had never seen in person.

“Yes,” she responded with her eyes still glued to the scenery outside the plane.

In her heart she knew that at long last, she was home. This was a reunion to the land she loved.

—

The arrival terminal at Haneda Airport sang with the melody of anxiety and anticipation. Hikari practically galloped down the hall with Lorna tucked in her stroller, while her husband followed behind with their mounds of luggage piled high on a cart.

All around her were familiar strangers, a sea of people with faces like hers, eyes like hers, nose like hers, hair like hers. Plastered around them were familiar strokes of kanjis she grew up learning, its curves and lines so homely, she could enfold herself under its nostalgic caresses.

“Hey Kar? Did your brother mention if he was at the airport already?”

Hikari slowed her pace, angling her body back so her husband could catch up.

“Yes, I saw a message from him when we landed. He’s outside with his wife waiting for us.”

He nodded in acknowledgement. It was enough of a permission slip for her to speed up once again, a mere sliding glass door separating her from her homecoming.

She burst through the other side, her breath caught in her chest as she scanned the sea of reunions all around her, of embraces and kisses and tears, of laughter and warmth and love. Despite an overwhelming urge to watch everyone around her, she looked past all of it to scan for a familiar head of tall spiky brown hair. Taichi had sheared it off two years ago, but upon hearing his sister was coming home for the first time in half-a-decade, he promised to grow it back for her, for old time’s sake.

She pushed further into the crowd, into Tokyo, into her home, searching desperately until…

“Hikari!”

Her legs almost collapsed at the familiarity of the voice, distinctly female and maternal. It reminded her of fancy okonomiyaki at expensive brunch restaurants, and fresh roses and lavender in glass vases. She turned sharply towards it, and found Sora, her newly minted sister-in-law, galloping towards her at full speed.

She pushed Lorna’s stroller into her husband’s free hand, then took off running down the hall until at long last, she met Sora in the middle, tears cascading down both their cheeks as they laughed and cried and rejoiced.

Behind Sora, Hikari caught a glimpse of Taichi with his brown spiky hair jogging forward, his movement greatly impeded by the large stuffed narwhal he had in his arms. His hair was nowhere near as long as she remembered it to be, but it belonged to him all the same.

“Hika…” but before he could finish his greeting, Hikari’s body slammed into him, her wet cheeks pressed up against his shirt as she settled in his familiar presence, of late nights playing video games and secret bags of snacks before dinner, of road trips with their parents and millions of dusty inside jokes.

“I missed you, Taichi, I missed you so much,” she managed to sob out.

Taichi pulled her close, tightening their hug with the stuffed narwhal still pressed under his arms.

“It feels like you never left,” he admitted.

Hikari smiled, finally loosening herself to lead him towards her small, nascent family.

“Taichi, you remember Geoffrey,” she began, gently leading him until he faced her husband.

“Ah yes, hello Gee-eff,” Taichi greeted in stilted English. He fixed his hold on the giant stuffed narwhal and dipped his head in a short bow.

“Oh please, Taichi, there’s no need,” her husband stepped up and attempted to pull him into a hug, but was met with an offered handshake instead.

“And who’s this little one,” Sora babbled in a high-pitched voice, sinking low on her knees until she was at eye-level with Lorna.

Lorna, ever the happy and easy child, smiled and clapped, reaching forward with hands stretched in a wordless plea to be held.

Hikari giggled, “She recognizes you from all those video calls”

“Of course, she would, she would because she’s my little Lola, my little Lola.”

“Hey, she’s my niece so I should get to hold her first. Hello little Lola, do you remember me? Your Oji-san? It’s your Oji-san with a big gift for my little Lola”

Beside her, Hikari could sense her husband shifting uncomfortably on his feet. He stepped forward with his hand raised half-way up.

“Umm…sorry, it’s actually Lorna. Lor-na…”

“Shh…Geoff, we talked about this. It’s easier for them to say Lola, so just drop it”

“Are they saying Lola? It sounds more like Rola”

Hikari rolled her eyes, the ire rising within her as she turned to Taichi.

“So…Taichi, where are you parked?”

Taichi turned to Hikari, the narwhal hanging loose on his arms in hopes of exchanging it with his niece. He cast a quick glance at Geoffrey, a smug glint in his eyes when he recognized his sister’s discontent.

“Come, Sora, let’s get out of here.”

They walked through the throngs of people, until at long last, Hikari emerged into the humid Japanese air. She tilted her face up, raising her hand to catch the rays of sun dancing down through the clouds. She’s heard stories of people returning to their home after years abroad, and claiming that everything felt different: the air, the sun, the moon. It was hard to explain, hard to capture in a few simple phrases, and now, as Hikari stood with the expanse of home before her, she finally understood. It was a feeling that could never be distilled into a few cheap words. It can only be experienced.

She turned to Sora and encircled her arms around Lorna, then lifted her up high as they continued to Taichi’s car. She raised her daughter’s hand and together, they grasped onto the sparkling sunlight filtering down from the heavens.

Beside her, Geoffrey laughed while he observed them with amusement.

“You know, it’s the same sun as the one in London,” he noted.

Hikari sighed, “I don’t think you understand.”

“Yes, I do. You seem to forget that at one point, I lived abroad away from my family for several years. That’s how I met you.”

He dipped his head low and laid a kiss on Hikari’s cheek, startling her. But still, Hikari laughed all the same, prompting Lorna to giggle in her hold. Up ahead, Hikari caught a glimpse of her brother’s eyes darting towards the exchange, before he stuffed his fists in his pocket and sped up his pace until they finally arrived at his parked car. 

They packed into Taichi’s small Toyota sedan. The trunk could not fit all their luggage, so Sora sat with the narwhal in her lap at the front, while Lorna’s diaper bag wedged beneath Hikari’s legs. She stared out the window with captivated eyes, memorizing every minute detail, comparing it to the Japan she left five years ago. She read every sign she passed, from the ones warning drivers to “Slow”, to the storefront posters advertising the week’s special. She missed this so much, seeing her language surround her, being able to read and understand everything placed before her.

“Mom and dad are so excited to see you again, Hikari. They have the spare room all ready for Lola.”

Shit. Hikari snapped up, fingers fumbling for the phone in her pocket.

“Taichi, I completely forgot, can you take us here instead?” She pulled up the address on her phone and passed it to Sora, who read it aloud to Taichi.

“Why am I taking you to this place?” Taichi inquired.

“It’s…It’s uh…” she turned to Geoff, who looked from Hikari to Taichi with a clueless gaze, the Japanese words completely lost on him, “Actually…Geoff insisted we book an Airbnb for this trip.”

Taichi’s car jerked to an abrupt halt, Sora yelped out loud, her hand clutching her chest as she looked frantically behind her. Luckily, Taichi has driven in enough Tokyo traffic to know how to pull over quickly and safely, but that didn’t stop several cars from diverting around them, their horns blaring in annoyance.

“Why on earth did you get an Airbnb?” He spat forcefully.

“Well…it was…”

“I thought we agreed you were going to stay with me and Sora. We have the spare bedroom ready for you, we spent weeks furnishing it.”

“I know, I know, believe me I want to, but Geoff thought it would be a better idea to have our own space during the trip.”

“Your own space? To do what?”

“Well, he…”

“Is everything okay?” Geoffrey interjected in English.

“Yes, yes, yes, we fine, we okay,” Taichi spun back around and started his car, then resumed driving, “Hikari, we talked about this. We only have three weeks together, we said if you stayed with us, it would maximize the time we spent together. Mom and dad were planning to sleep over…they cooked an entire meal for you tonight”

“Well, you see…that’s the thing. Geoff has some misgivings about how small the apartments in Tokyo are. And when he heard that mom and dad were sleeping over, he just had it in his head that it would be better if we had our own space for the trip. It’s not like we’re going to be far, Taichi. We found a place within walking distance from your building, and we’ll still come over for dinner tonight.”

“This is unbelievable, you could have at least said something…”

“Sorry, we actually booked it pretty last minute, like literally the night before the flight”

Before Taichi could counter, Sora interjected, resting her hand on his forearm in an attempt to quell his displeasure.

“It’s okay, Taichi, at least Hikari’s here with us now, and we do have three weeks with Lola.”

Taichi emitted a frustrated sigh. The rest of the drive passed by in tense silence, even Geoff and Lorna sensed something amiss. Hikari tried hard to avoid her husband’s eyes as they drove through Rainbow Bridge. Inside her was a storm of resentment, precipitated by the memories of persuading her husband not to book the Airbnb, only to find out he did it anyway behind her back the night before their trip.

—

Despite his irritation, Taichi stayed with Hikari as they entered their rented apartment for the next three weeks. He walked in and out of rooms, testing the beds and the sofas, scrutinizing the decorative books stacked against the cheap bookshelf.

“I still don’t get it,” Taichi mumbled to her, opening up cabinets in the kitchen as if expecting to find something dangerous enough to convince them to leave.

“Sorry, Taichi,” Hikari mumbled sheepishly, “But it is very close to your building. We can practically walk over every morning if we want to.”

Taichi heaved a heavy sigh, before abandoning the cabinets and turning to his sister.

“Fine, whatever, I know it wasn’t your idea anyways”

Hikari blushed, casting a quick glance at Geoffrey fiddling with the TV in the living room.

“So, have you told Takeru you’re back?”

As soon as Taichi said the name, the water bottles and juice boxes in her hands dropped. Geoffrey and Sora looked up in alarm, while Hikari ducked low, clearing her throat as she retrieved the items she dropped.

Taichi bent down and studied her, eyeing the way her fingers vibrated with nerves.

“I take it that you haven’t told him,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“It hasn’t come up…yet.”

“Why not?”

Hikari shrugged.

“Is it because you’ve insisted on ignoring him since moving to England?” he pressed.

Hikari turned away from him, if only to hide how red her face had gotten.

“I wasn’t…ignoring him,” she argued, although she wasn’t going to confess to Taichi that she counted the seconds and days before she would respond to Takeru’s messages, making sure they were far and infrequent, while making concerted efforts to avoid him in their group chats.

“I’ve just been…busy,” Hikari whispered, “Moving to a new country is overwhelming, I can’t just…drop everything and talk to people when they want me to”

Taichi sighed, “Well, for what it’s worth, he asks about you constantly.”

Her heart soared, stomach bubbling over with dismay at the thought. After all these years…

“He does?”

Taichi smirked and pointed to the cell phone in her pocket, “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

—

That night, after a fulsome dinner with her parents, his text came.

Hikari was stepping out of the shower, water dripping from her long hair as she read and reread his message over and again.

Hey Hikari. Welcome back! I heard from Taichi that you were home.

Even through characters and emojis on screen, she could somehow see Takeru’s smile as he typed the words, his eyes crinkled together in the creases, that blue of his eyes sparkling with an indescribable intimacy. She was about to put the phone away when a small bubble appeared beneath, the three dots flashing back-and-forth to indicate Takeru was on the other side, typing.

The notion that they were within a short car ride from one another, instead of being oceans away, sent a chill up her spine, the thrill shaking her to the core.

I really miss you, Hikari. Let me know when we can meet up?

For a moment, she was 18 again, clinging to the thrills of carefree crushes. She clutched the phone to her chest, flying high with euphoria before a series of knocks on the other side sent her crashing down to earth.

“Hey Kar, did you pack Lorna’s extra pacifier? I can’t seem to find the other one, she might have dropped it at your brother’s apartment.”

“In the diaper bag,” she hollered back, before her husband chirped out a fervent thanks.

She turned her phone off and placed it back on the bathroom counter, drawing out a heavy sigh as she dried her hair with the scratchy towels.

The reality of her life choices were sinking into her. She wasn’t 18 anymore, they weren’t carefree young adults. She had a husband and a daughter, responsibilities piled up high. It wasn’t wise to fall back into old habits, to dig up archaic feelings that have never been forgotten.

But still…

That infectious smile, the shine in his eyes, the feel of his touch.

Without thinking, she fumbled for her phone, turning it on in time to see a third message come through from Takeru.

In spite of all the changes around us, I really hope nothing has changed between us :)

Hikari’s heart dropped. She pushed the phone away again, focusing back on drying her hair. She didn’t know if Takeru understood that the very reason she couldn’t dare face him, the reason she couldn’t bring herself to respond to his text is because that was her worst fear. That after five years of being abroad, after marrying another man and having his child, her worst fear was that nothing had changed between the two of them.

—

Hikari planned the timing of her response wisely, choosing until they were away visiting her grandparents in the countryside before finally responding.

Hey Takeru, good to be back. I’d love to meet up but we’re spending a week with my grandparents outside of Tokyo. Will let you know once I’m back.

She turned off her phone and resumed watching her grandfather bounce Lorna in his lap, but it took all but two minutes before the notification pinged.

Great, I can’t wait!

That was how her three-week homecoming trip to Japan began. They spent their first week in the countryside, where she reacquainted herself with the lost moments of her childhood. She introduced Lorna to all her favourite hiding spots while listening to Geoffrey’s off-hand comments about the food, her grandparent’s old cottage, and endured the endless questions of when they could go back to Tokyo.

Not everyone is perfect, she tells herself.

She chose not to message back immediately after returning to their Airbnb, and Takeru’s message remained unanswered for another week. But there were enough things to do, enough people to see, enough places to visit that the lack of communication could be explained away. They still had long lists of errands to run while in Japan, and her parents continued to feed suggestions on who to visit, on who wanted to visit her.

It was a relief then, in the middle of her second week, when Sora invited her to dinner with Mimi and Miyako.

A girls night out, just the old gang.

She could really be 18 again.

So she left Lorna in the care of her parents, left Geoffrey behind in the Airbnb and went out in a dazzling pink dress Sora picked out for her.

“I’m leaving now,” she chimed to him when she stepped out of the room. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, fingers lingering on the residual baby bump from when she had Lorna inside her. She eyed him nervously, wanting but fearing his reaction from seeing her all dressed up for the first time since having their baby.

But much to her chagrin, Geoffrey barely looked up, his eyes glued to his phone as he mumbled out his response.

“See ya.”

No one’s perfect, she reminded herself.

On the way to dinner, while listening to Sora talk about her planned trip to Kyoto with Taichi, she received another message. She felt the device vibrate against her lap, and in between details about the hotel and the spa Sora booked, Hikari stole a quick glance at the screen and saw the text.

Hey…I know this is a long shot, but was thinking maybe you could come to this next week? And we can meet up and chat afterward?

Beneath the text was a link to an event, a book signing Takeru was giving at the local bookstore.

Their bookstore.

The same bookstore they frequented as college students, then as college graduates, Hikari to hunt for children’s books for her classroom, Takeru to browse through stacks of short story anthologies for inspiration. The hours would fly by with neither of them noticing. Hikari only noticed the curve of his smiles and the blues of his eyes as they talked and joked and laughed together.

“Hikari?”

She hurriedly tucked the phone back in her purse and turned to Sora.

“Out of curiosity, have you messaged Takeru?”

Hikari blanched. Although Taichi has asked her that very same question five times since she arrived in Tokyo, this was Sora’s first time bringing up Takeru’s name. She didn’t blame them, it seemed everyone in their group knew of the story that almost - but never happened.

And what good was a story if it almost happened?

“Yes, we’ve exchanged texts here and there.”

“And…?”

Hikari feigned confusion, giving Sora her most convincing perplexed stare. It came like second nature to her, because for the past five years, she’s perfected the look for when Geoffrey becomes so tiring, it was better to pretend she didn’t understand him then to continue to engage in pointless conversation.

“I mean like have you made plans? Are you meeting up soon?”

Hikari shrugged, “I only have three weeks here, Sora, there’s too many things to do, too many important people to see, I have to pick and choose wisely.”

“And Takeru is not important?”

“He is but…it’s hard, everyone wants to be important when you’ve come back after a long time away, but not everyone can be that important. There’s only so many hours in a day.”

“Is it Lola you’re worried about? Because you know Taichi and I would be glad to watch her...”

“It’s not Lola,” she snapped, a little too forcefully, “It’s not anything or anyone, it’s just that I have three weeks here in Tokyo and I can’t possibly make everyone happy by spending every minute reuniting with everyone under the sun”

Sora winced noticeably, perhaps it was from Hikari’s tone, or the surprising ferocity of her voice. Immediately, Hikari sank low in her seat, shame creeping across her face as she tried in vain to distract herself from the recent exchange with the scenery outside the car window.

“I understand, Hikari.”

Hikari gulped, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything in response, so allowed Sora to continue, to let her words fill the silence between them.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me. But think about it, okay? This is Takeru, after all”

It is Takeru.

Her resolve shook underneath the warmth of Sora’s voice.

What was she doing? What was she thinking? Why was she doing this to herself? To them?

She took out her phone, mentally composing a message to Takeru when her eyes caught her lock screen. It was a picture of her family, of her and Geoff and Lorna in front of their small house outside of London.

It is Takeru, and because it was Takeru that she feared what might happen when she finally reunites with him, when their past and their memories collided with the what-ifs that never took place, because he couldn’t stop dragging his feet and she couldn’t wait any longer.

She tucked her phone back in her purse, acutely aware of Sora’s eyes following her movement.

She might not have known what she wanted all those years ago, but she knew what she wanted now. She wanted her family in London, a second child with Geoff and a sibling for Lorna. She wanted to transfer her teaching degree to England and begin her career again. She wanted her future away from the heartbreak found in Takeru’s blue eyes and lopsided smiles.

Yes, that’s what she wanted.

Or at least that’s what she tells herself every night.

—

The reunion with Mimi and Miyako was nothing like she imagined.

There was the expected joy and excitement, of marvelling at the changes her friends went through. Miyako was six-month pregnant, while Mimi showcased her new short hairdo. But despite all the changes, everything still felt deliciously familiar. Miyako still carried with her the fierce independent spirit Hikari admired, and Mimi embodied the self-assured strength and sincerity she always wished she had. Between the four of them were whispered gossips, giggles over afternoon mimosas and early evening spritz, saucy conversations and talks that made Hikari blushed. 

The moment she sat down with them at the dinner table, Mimi wasted no time in flicking her bang back and clicking her tongue.

“So tell me, is being married to the English guy as boring as we warned you it would be?”

Hikari’s jaws dropped, while the other girls burst out in laughter. But Hikari didn’t mind it at all, for it felt like they never parted. It felt like they’ve been together this entire time, and perhaps that’s what true friendship felt like.

The appetizer barely arrived before Miyako pushed her plate aside to lock eyes with Hikari.

“So, Hikari, have you met up with Takeru?”

Sora shifted nervously in her seat, but Mimi leaned forward, waiting and hanging on Hikari’s response.

Hikari rolled her eyes and stabbed the scallop with her fork, “Why does everyone keep asking me that?” she hissed.

Miyako laughed, unperturbed by Hikari’s aggressive ticks.

“Come on, Hikari, isn’t it obvious why we’re asking?”

“Well if you must know,” she dropped her cutleries on the table and picked up her wine glass, downing two large gulps before continuing her response, “Yes, I did message him, but no, I don’t have plans to meet up with him. I only have three weeks in Japan, that’s not a lot of time. I can’t meet up with everyone just because they want me to meet up with them.”

The table fell silent. Unlike before, Hikari felt no embarrassment, no shame at her outburst. She continued munching at her food, taking sips of wine to loosen the knot in her chest.

Finally, Mimi cleared her throat.

“Actually, you do have a point. It’s hard to meet up with everyone when you’re under a time crunch.”

Miyako nodded, “That’s true. What about the others? Have you met up with anyone else besides us?”

“Well…I saw Koushiro last week when he came over to drop something off for Taichi”

“That’s it? What about Daisuke? And Iori? And Jyou?”

Mimi snorted, “Come on Miyako, no one has seen Jyou. Even if you live in the same house as Jyou, you will not see Jyou”

Sora giggled and nodded, “It’s why we still haven’t met his girlfriend yet. She probably broke up with him ages ago and he didn’t notice because he’s not home to see the note she left him.”

The table roared with laughter, Hikari sank in relief at how easy the tension broke between them. It truly felt good to be amongst friends again.

“Oh oh oh,” Mimi cried out, waving her hand above her head and placing her drink down, “I have an idea, I have an idea.”

“Ohh we all love a good Mimi idea,” Miyako chirped.

“How about I plan a reunion for us next week? It’ll be a great way for you to see everyone again in the same room, and it’ll be a good excuse for us to meet up again as a group.”

A collective gasp sang out from Sora and Miyako, but Hikari shrank in her seat, the dread bubbling over at the thought of facing that one person again.

“What a great idea, Mimi, I can help plan,” Sora offered.

“I’ll send a message to the group chat now,” Miyako volunteered, furiously typing away on her phone.

“How does that sound, Hikari?” Mimi inquired.

Hikari forced a smile, “Yeah, yeah of course, what a great idea, Mimi.”

Mimi flashed a grin, “Sounds like a plan then. What day is good for you, Hikari? We’ll plan around your schedule since this is your party.”

Hikari retrieved her phone, and noticed then that Takeru had messaged again.

Let me know, okay? I know you only have one week left in Japan, I really want to see you.

“I only have one week left here,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, we know, but we’ll make it work for you, Hikari, just give us a date,” Mimi responded.

She opened up Takeru’s text message, clicking on the link he sent regarding the book signing. It was scheduled for…

“Friday”

“Friday?”

Hikari looked up, Mimi was already scrolling through her phone, no doubt looking up her calendar.

“Yes, Friday, I can do it Friday at…” 

She looked down at Takeru's invitation again. The book signing was set to start at…

“7:00 PM. How about 7:00 PM?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Mimi concluded and began typing on her phone. Beside her, Miyako was furiously messaging the chat group.

Sora, however, looked up with a conflicted expression, “Oh, 7:00 on Friday is…”

Alarmed, Hikari flicked sharp eyes towards Sora, silently pleading with her sister-in-law not to bring up the book signing.

“Never mind,” Sora mumbled, then took a sip from her cocktail.

Hikari sighed in relief. She had one week left, one week left to stall, one week to hide out before she could return to England unscathed. And although her inside tossed with guilt from her effort in avoiding Takeru, she knew she had no choice. 

There were some reunions simply not worth pursuing.

—

By 7:00 PM next Friday, Taichi and Sora’s apartment were decked out and dressed up to the brim, every available counter surface occupied by snack platters and hors d’oeuvres galore. 

Hikari walked in and saw pictures of her and her friends hung from ceilings and plastered on walls, a mini blackboard perched to the side with well wishes and messages from not only their family of Chosen, but her old friends and coworkers from the past.

She stopped before the board and read the messages. Barely three cards in, her eyes welled up with tears, the emotion overflowing to the brim. She readjusted her hold on Lorna and wiped her eyes just as Mimi appeared before her.

“You alright?” she asked gently while resting her hand on her shoulder.

Hikari nodded, hurriedly wiping away more tears as she looked around the room. Right within her line of sight was a picture of her and Miyako at the beach, taken when she must have been 17. She remembered that day well, it was the first day Miyako convinced her to wear a two piece bikini.

“I’m more than alright, Mimi. This is…this is too much, it’s way more than I expected.”

“Nonsense, Hikari. This is your reunion, we all missed you so much. This is our way of showing you that no matter what, you’re still our family and we miss you so so much.”

Hikari let loose a sad smile, but before she could respond, Geoffrey appeared beside her.

“Nice to see you again, Mimi,” he greeted her, “Glad I can finally speak English to someone besides Hikari.”

He laughed, but Mimi’s smile tightened, “Welcome back, Joffrey. Enjoying Japan?”

Geoffrey balked, “It’s pronounced Geoffrey. But anyways, thanks again for all of this, I’m sure Hikari really appreciates seeing all her friends again. But remember, we have to be out of here by 9:00 because our flight leaves tomorrow morning and we still have a lot of packing to do.”

Beside him, Hikari shifted uncomfortably. Her eyes darted to her feet while her cheeks heated up, displeasure bubbling beneath her stoic expression.

“Well,” Mimi responded in perfect English, “This is Hikari’s party, she hasn’t seen her friends and family in years, so if there’s packing that still needs to be done, maybe you can leave at 9 and Hikari can stay here with us.”

Stunned, Geoffrey looked down at Hikari, expecting her to speak up, but Hikari remained silent. 

“In fact, you can leave now if you want to,” Mimi continued, “But don’t worry, we’ll make sure Hikari is at the airport before the flight leaves tomorrow morning…or…at least we’ll try. No promises.”

She laughed and winked at Geoffrey. In Hikari’s arms, Lorna laughed with her, giggling in her bubbly voice until her father joined, too, albeit a little hesitantly.

“Umm…well, I’ll check in with you later, Kar,” he concluded before walking away

“I’m so sorry, Mimi,” Hikari mumbled once he was gone.

“Oh that’s fine, Hikari. As I was saying, this is your party, we are here for you.”

One-by-one, the guests arrived. First Miyako with Ken, then Daisuke and Koushiro. Yamato came next. As soon as Hikari saw the blonde head appear, her weight left her body, leaving her feeling dizzy and discombobulated until she realized it was only Yamato, and thankfully, he arrived alone. 

But still, she skidded away from Yamato, hoping to escape his detection. It was all in vain, though, for next thing she knew, Yamato had made a beeline for her, his motorcycle helmet still in his hand as he opened up his arms to pull her in for an awkward hug.

“Alright there, Hikari?” he asked.

Hikari nodded, “How are you, Yamato?”

“Oh you know…same old, same old,” he flashed a smile, then pressed his fingers against Lorna’s cheeks, “Anyways, I have to deliver a message to you from Takeru.”

She stiffened immediately, heartbeat accelerating as she gawked at Yamato.

“He said he had some book function tonight, so he can’t make it, and trust me, he really really wanted to come. But anyways, he apologized and said he doesn’t think the timing will work out tonight.”

Hikari nodded in understanding. She had an inkling this would happen, because in spite of Mimi and Miyako’s constant stream of messages about her reunion party tonight, never once did Takeru make mention of his book signing. And between her and Takeru, their text messages had stopped, the last being Takeru’s invitation to have her join him at the bookstore. Without vocalizing her intentions, Takeru understood her enough to know that this was a reunion Hikari would rather not have, and as always, he subjected to her whim. The familiarity behind his selflessness was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

“He said next time,” Yamato continued.

“Yes, tell him next time, we’ll make plans to meet up.”

Yamato’s blue eyes spun around in his orb. It wasn’t exactly an eye-roll, but it was enough to specify doubt. He walked away from her and waved to Taichi from across the room. She followed his movement, wondering how many of their friends knew of her selfishness, how many of them knew of what happened between her and Takeru.

The night wore on, and as Hikari learned, Mimi surprised her by the liberality of her guest list. She did not restrict the party invitation to their Chosen family, but extended it to Hikari’s old classmates and coworkers as well. The apartment now overflowed not only with people, but with laughter and inside jokes and faded memories, of stories exchanged and experiences shared. Every reunion Hikari had that night, from big ones to small ones, breathed a whisper in her ear, tying her heart in knots and bruising her soul. 

Stay.

She looked around her and felt the weight of her decision, the emptiness of her lonely home in London, the vast silence of her life away from Japan.

If only…

“Hey, Kar”

She turned at Geoffrey’s call and was surprised to find him with his jacket on, Lorna’s diaper bag already slung over his shoulder.

“It’s 9:00,” he declared, showing her his phone with the time imprinted clearly on the screen.

For a moment, Hikari thought he heeded Mimi’s advice, that he would offer to go back first with Lorna to finish packing, to put her to bed in preparation of the flight tomorrow. But then she noticed her jacket dangling from his hand, and suddenly, she would rather the floor open up beneath her and swallow her whole.

“Come on, we have an early flight tomorrow,” he pressed. He grabbed her hand and attempted to pull her away from Taichi, Sora, and Mimi, but Mimi stepped forward.

“We’re not done here,” Mimi asserted.

“Look, we still have a lot of things to do, and a lot of things to pack. I really appreciate you going through all the trouble to put this together for Kar but we have to get back and get ready for our flight tomorrow morning. Come on, Kar, let’s go”

Hikari sighed, she stood up and flashed apologetic glances at Taichi and Sora before gently lifting the sleeping Lorna into her arms. But to their surprise, Taichi shot forward, he pulled Hikari back and pushed Geoffrey away.

“You go back to your precious Airbnb, then” he declared in Japanese. Obviously, the words were lost on Geoffrey. He grilled Hikari with a confused leer, but Hikari remained silent and still.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” he stammered.

“Hikari is my little sister. I haven’t seen her in over five-years. Who knows when I’ll see her again after she leaves with you tomorrow so I’m not going to let you bully her into leaving,” he spat out, again in Japanese.

By now, Geoffrey was no longer confused, but irritated and red. He looked at Hikari again and pointed a defiant finger at Taichi, “Kar, what is your crazy brother going on about?”

It was now Hikari’s turn to display her ire. She grabbed her jacket from Geoffrey’s hand and threw it down on the sofa, “It doesn’t matter, what matters is that I’m not ready to leave yet.”

Geoffrey rolled his eyes. He picked up the jacket again and made an attempt to grab her, but Hikari stepped out of the way.

“I told you not to have this stupid party so close to the day of the flight, but once again, you refused to listen to me. If you had just listened…”

“FUCK OFF!”

The apartment went silent, all conversation ceased. Every pair of eyes turned on Taichi as he stepped forward and shoved Geoffrey hard, almost pushing him to the ground before stomping back to his bedroom, the indignant slam of the door signalling his exit from the scene. 

Instantly, the whispers picked up again, and fingers began pointing at Geoffrey with the bag and jacket in his hand. Although the words were in Japanese, he seemed to understand enough that the perception was not in his favour.

“You said this trip was for me so I can see my friends and family again” Hikari finally said, “So, I want to enjoy my time with them now. I’m not ready to leave yet. Once I’m ready, I’ll let you know.”

“But…”

“If you’re that worried about packing, then you can go back and get a head start”

“What about Lorna?”

“We can let Lola sleep in our bedroom,” Sora spoke in surprisingly strong English, “You can even leave her here tonight and pick her up in the morning. That’ll give you time and energy to pack without having to worry about her”

Geoffrey pursed his lips, his face grew impossibly redder. But at long last, with everyone watching him closely, he finally nodded and dropped Lorna’s diaper bag on the floor.

“Fine, I’ll go back and start packing on my own,” Geoffrey declared, then made his way to the exit.

She waited until the door closed behind him before passing the still sleeping Lorna to Sora. With her heart still pounding in her ears, she made her way to Taichi’s bedroom, tiptoeing quietly like she’s done a thousand times when they were younger, when she knew Taichi was upset and wanted to cheer him up.

She knocked on the door first, while Mimi’s voice carried through the apartment, encouraging everyone to rejoin the festivities.

“Taichi? It’s me,” she called out after a few seconds of silence.

After another minute without a response, Hikari had enough. She barged in, thanking her lucky star that Taichi had yet to learn to lock the doors. Or perhaps it was in the hopes that nothing changed between them, that he knew Hikari would seek him out.

“Taichi?”

He was standing by the balcony, a lit up cigarette in his hand, an empty beer can by his feet. As Hikari neared him, she could see him downing a second can in one large gulp, then smashing the empty can and throwing it against the wall.

“Of all the men in the world, I still can’t believe you settled for him,” Taichi heaved out.

“Hey, that’s my husband you’re talking about,” Hikari countered.

“I don’t give a fuck,” Taichi declared boldly, opening another can and taking another large gulp. Hikari knew the state he was in, he was buzzed enough to speak his mind unhindered, but not drunk enough to spew out nonsensical words. This was the perfect spot for Taichi, where he will say everything and anything, and everything and anything will be the truth.

“What does it matter now, anyways?” Hikari mumbled, “I married him, we have Lola now.”

“Don’t you mean Lor-na?” Taichi mocked, “God, how can you let him choose a name that half her family can’t pronounce? Does he not understand that his child is half-Japanese?”

Hikari kept silent, watching as Taichi take a long drag on his cigarette. It wasn’t the first time this was brought up between the two of them, and although she defended Geoffrey and insisted they agreed on the name together, she knew Taichi could see the full story without needing Hikari to retell it. Lorna was an important name to Geoffrey’s family, and although she agreed to have it be their child’s first name, she practically begged him to consider a Japanese middle name for their daughter. But the responses each time were the same:

But she’ll be growing up in England, it’ll make things complicated if she has a Japanese name.

All the other kids will make fun of her, believe me.

It’ll confuse her, I just don’t think it’s a good idea to add a Japanese name.

Despite her coming up with a string of English-sounding Japanese names: Hana, Arisa, Rina, Mei, he declared they all sounded too foreign and settled for Elizabeth instead. Lorna Elizabeth.

“He’s my husband. I love him.”

Taichi choked on his beer, he threw the cigarette down on the ground and stomped on it, pushing his feet unnecessarily hard on the pavement while he barked out an obnoxious laugh.

“You think I’m stupid, Hikari?” he demanded, “You honestly think I believe that you love that idiot?”

“I…”

“I might not know a lot about this world, but I know my little sister, and I know that you don’t love him. You loved Takeru, and Takeru loved you.”

Hikari gasped, taking a step back and clutching her chest. But despite her reaction, Taichi continued his tirade, taking another sip from his half-empty can before speaking.

“In fact, Takeru still loves you. But you were impatient and he was scared, and some tall idiot with a British accent got to you first, and here we are now.”

“So are you blaming me for moving away? Are you saying I made the wrong choice?”

“Oh, a thousand percent you made the wrong choice, but…” he lowered his head, running his hand through his lengthening hair. When he spoke again, it was softer, calmer, “I don’t blame you, I could never blame you, and…I don’t blame Takeru either. Sometimes, things don’t work out the way they should, but that’s just life.”

He sighed before fumbling for another cigarette, “I guess…I guess I’m just upset because this was never the story I wanted for my little sister. You deserve so much more.”

Hikari blushed, watching as he tilted his head up and blew out a cloud of smoke with his eyes closed.

“Well, it’s not up to you, Taichi. I’m old enough to make my decisions and live with them,” she retaliated.

“I know,” Taichi responded simply, then after a long pause, he spoke again in a morose voice, “That’s what I was afraid of.”

—

She left Taichi fuming on the balcony, halfway down his fifth beer. Soon, she knows he’ll stumble back to bed and sleep the alcohol away, but for now, she didn’t want their last few moments together to be tainted by resentment and frustration, spurred on by something one of them inadvertently said.

After checking to see that Lorna was still asleep on the sofa with Mimi watching over her, she made her way to the refreshment table, eyes greedily searching for a bottle of water. It was then that she noticed the photos clustered together by the dining room table, the blue of his eyes drawing her close. 

Of course Mimi would choose to clip them all together, ordering them from the time they were mere children to the age of young adulthood, the smiles shared between them, the sparkle in their eyes as they posed for the photos together. She could not help but beam as she followed their growth together, they’ve gotten taller, their faces longer, their features more distinct, but through all the years, it remained the same blue eyes looking after her, the same lopsided smile warming her up from the storms. She wondered how much has changed since their five years apart. Has he grown taller? Has his hair grown longer? Are they still the same shade of blonde? Are his eyes the same shade of blue?

Takeru loved you. In fact, he still loves you…

She darted towards the blackboard of well wishes Mimi prepared, eyes scanning every letter before she finally found his note, tucked in a corner with his distinctive cursive writing. Her eyes teared up as it traced his circles and slants, remembering all the times he passed little hand-written poems and stories to her as they walked home from school.

I will always let you read my stories first. I promise. These will be our unedited stories.

She rubbed away stubborn tears condensing in the corner of her eyes, if only to clear her vision to read his message, letting each character sink into her soul:

In spite of all the changes around us, I promise you nothing will change between us. You’re the only one in this universe I trust with the unedited versions of myself - Love, Takeru.

Panic and urgency took hold, she reached for her phone, the fear only deepened when she realized it was now 9:15 PM, and she wasn’t sure how long the book signing would last, if she would even make it.

She rushed to retrieve her jacket, by now only Sora was left on the sofa watching over Lorna as she slept.

“Hikari, where are you going?” she asked.

“The bookstore”

Then she left without looking back to see the delight on Sora’s face.

—

The magic of stepping inside a bookstore is never knowing which portal you’ll find, but knowing all the possibilities are at your fingertips.

She repeated the sentence in her head as she stepped in, echoed in Takeru’s voice. Above her, a bell jingled out its welcome. A myriad of aroma hit her the moment she entered, not just of aged paper and wooden bookshelves, but of stifled giggles and playful pokes, whispered gossips and inside jokes.

Before her, muffled laughter bounced through the store, followed by delighted voices mingling together without borders. Then, at long last, she heard it, the voice she thought she would never hear again, the one she was determined to relegate to her memories for evermore.

She ventured deeper into the bookstore, and found to her delight that she wasn’t too late. Whatever festivity followed the book signing was still taking place. In the midst of a clearing in the store was a small crowd gathered around a chair, and on that chair was him in the flesh.

Takeru.

Has his legs always been that lanky? Has his eyes always been that blue? Did his hair always appear in that shade underneath fluorescent lamps? Were they always those creases on his forehead?

She held her breath, not daring to disturb the air as the same bookstore owner she remembered from years ago stood up and addressed the crowd.

“Right, we’ve had a lot of fun with the Q and A with Mr. Takaishi tonight, but I’m afraid we’ll only have time for one last question.”

An audible groan erupted from the crowd. Takeru smiled sheepishly while the bookstore owner passed the mic to a young woman at the front.

“Hello Mr. Takaishi, I’m a big fan of your work, thank you so much for coming tonight. It means a lot that you would choose to visit our local bookstore.”

“Of course,” he acknowledged, “To be honest, this place holds a lot of great memories for me.”

Hikari felt dazed by the comment. She swore she saw a sad hue tainting his smile, the blue of his eyes magnified by hidden tears.

But perhaps it was all in her imagination.

“My question is how much of yourself did you insert in this book? Because while reading it, I can’t help but feel like…you are writing about something extremely personal.”

A small smile played on Takeru’s lips, the type Hikari remembered when he’s ruminating on something sad. She remembered seeing it on his features the first time he confided to her about his parent’s divorce.

“Interesting you should ask that question,” he began, “Actually…you might say…this book is less of a story and more of a confession. It’s me retelling a story that almost happened, but never did, but yet it felt like…it should have happened, if I hadn’t been so young and stupid all those years ago.”

The crowd gasped, dissipating to a buzz of scandalous murmurs. Hikari’s breathing hitched in her throat, she looked around until she saw Takeru’s book perched on a stand, tears pricked her eyes when she read the title.

Our Unedited Stories.

The bookstore owner stood up once again and clasped her hands together.

“Well I’m afraid this is all the time we have for tonight. Let’s thank Mr. Takaishi for taking the time this evening to join us…”

The audience stood up and clapped, and Takeru stood with them, waving and surveying the crowd. Inevitably, as if ushered in by fate, their gaze intersected. Hikari watched as his eyes widened in…shock, dismay, joy. His body froze in position, with his hand still raised in a half-wave, and despite the thunderous applause and conversations surrounding them, everything went still, silent. There was nothing else in this universe, just them in this moment reuniting across the room.

Takeru moved first, in front of everyone in the midst of their deafening cheers, he broke through the crowd and stood before Hikari. A hushed silence fell across the room, but Hikari hardly noticed, she only cared that after all these years, it was still the same eyes watching over her, the same smile ushering in comfort, healing any hurt left in her bones.

“Hikari…what are you…what are you doing here?” he stammered.

And with that, Hikari caved. She practically leapt across the empty space to pull him into her arms, tears streaming down her face as she inhaled in his scent of hope and light and home, of childhood innocence and happy memories, of carefree days and boundless future. But she tasted something else too, as she sobbed into his chest, as she felt his strong arms pull her into his familiar hold, she felt it take roots in the depth of her soul. It was there, regardless of how hard she worked these past five years to erase it from her core. 

They were the bitter disappointments of regrets.

—

They chose to walk down the piers that evening, the same pier they frequented as kids, then as teenagers, then as young adults, and now as reunited spirits. She kept his eyes glued to him as they walked, memorizing his movements, scrutinizing his features, wondering why she had put off this reunion for so long, why she barred herself from the ecstasy of this moment.

He shook his head and chuckled, before turning to face her, his soft gaze erasing years of loneliness from her life. He truly was the missing half she never realized she lost.

“I still can’t believe you’re here with me, that we’re here together right now,” he mused.

“What’s so hard to believe?” she inquired.

Takeru shook his head, “Never mind, how was your party tonight? Do they know you left?”

Hikari blushed, perhaps she’ll just skip the latter question, “Well Mimi organized it, so you know it’s fabulous.”

Takeru chuckled in response, “Oh I can only imagine. I’m sorry I had to miss it.”

“No, no that’s okay, I…actually…I…umm…,” her face flushed redder, she took a deep gulp before launching into her confession, “The entire thing was my fault, Takeru. I asked Mimi to hold the party tonight, even though I knew you had the event at the bookstore.”

She expected him to get mad, but instead, he laughed, a light sort of chuckle that took her anxiety away.

“I sort of suspected something was up when you didn’t respond to my texts. But when I saw Miyako’s message about the reunion, I understood”

Hikari’s eyes widened in shock, “You…you do?”

Takeru nodded, “Yea, I do. I know it’s not easy with the history we had and where we left things. And while I decided a long time ago that I would still want you in my life, regardless of our relationship status, I didn’t know where you stand on things, and how Geoffrey might feel about our past.”

Hikari snorted in response, “What? Oh no no no no, it doesn’t have to do with Geoffrey at all, Takeru, it’s more to do with…me. I can’t really explain it at all, only that it’s…”

“Complicated”

Hikari flashed a sad smile, “I can’t believe we’re still finishing each other’s sentences, even after everything that’s transpired.”

“Old habits die hard, don’t they?”

Hikari sighed, then with hesitant movements, reached out and held his hand. Takeru looked down at their linked fingers, a shock expression on his face, and much to Hikari’s satisfaction, a slight blush crept across his cheeks.

“This feels familiar,” he noted with a smile.

“I’m sorry I was being evasive, not just these past few months, but these past few years, too.”

Takeru shrugged, “You don’t have to apologize, Hikari. I told you, I understand”

“So…you’re not mad at me for avoiding you?”

“No, no I can never be mad at you, Hikari. I can only be mad at myself. I took you for granted, I took us for granted. I only have myself to blame.”

The pain flared up in her chest again. The same burn that pierced through her soul as she laid awake at night, thinking of what could have been between her and Takeru. If she had only waited a little longer, if Takeru had been honest with his feelings sooner. Instead, they were left with the remnants of what could have been, and their eyes clouded with the ghosts of each other’s memories.

“Don’t blame yourself, Takeru. Sometimes, things don’t work out the way they should. That’s just life.”

“Yeah, but…maybe we could have gotten what we wanted out of our lives. If only…”

“Shh…Takeru, don’t…”

“I’m sorry, Hikari, I didn’t mean to dig up our past in this way, I know you’re married now, I know you have a daughter. I wish I could have met her on this trip.”

“That’s okay…but…what about you? Are you with someone?”

She held her breath and waited for an answer, but Takeru smiled in defeat before shaking his head, “I tried but…it was hard. I honestly didn’t see the point in it, because…no one could live up to you.”

Hikari’s heart sank, she attempted to search for the right words to respond to him, but everything seemed lost. It was indescribable, this satisfaction within her, clashing with the guilt, and the encompassing knowledge that this was all so…stupid.

She was married. She chose to move on. Yet…why is she holding onto hope?

Takeru cleared his throat, the sound snapping her out of her reverie.

“I was wondering, Hikari…have you heard of my new book?”

Hikari blushed. She didn’t want to admit that she spent the last five years working hard not to think of him.

“No…no sorry, Takeru. I’ve been really busy and…there’s not exactly a market for Japanese novels in England so…”

“Ah say no more,” Takeru interrupted. He lowered his gaze to the ground, she could see the hurt in his eyes, despite him working hard to hide it.

“But I heard from Sora that it’s a YA romance novel. I was quite surprise”

He chuckled, “Yes, it’s very different from the stuff I usually write.”

“So? What is it about?”

“It’s…about a story of two young people madly in love with each other, but can’t quite express it. One person took too long, and the other person didn’t want to wait anymore, so they parted ways.”

Hikari let slip a sad smile, without thinking, she moved closer to Takeru, entwining her fingers between his as if she was a teenager once again, without a husband or daughter, just a world of possibility before her. Before both of them.

“Is it based on a true story?”

Takeru squeezed her hand, then without breaking their connection, he reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a wrapped parcel.

“Maybe…you can determine that for yourself,” he offered before passing the package to Hikari.

The moment she closed her hand around the bundle, there was no doubt in her mind that it was a book. Still, she tore the brown wrapping paper away slowly, revealing a hardcover book adorned with a pink and yellow cover, a faded image of a familiar bookstore with its title superimposed over it.

“Our Unedited Stories,” Hikari whispered, and hurriedly wiped away tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

“First copy off the printing press”

“Really?”

“Yeah…open it,” Takeru nudged.

Hikari complied, flipping the cover open to the first page. It took everything within her power to stop the tears from falling on the crisp, new pages, for right before her were Takeru’s perfect slants and loops, the same penmanship she remembered on those silly poems and short stories he passed to her when they were young.

“To Hikari, we are the only ones who knew of our unedited stories, and that’s all that matters” and inches above it was the dedication line, one single italicized sentence danced across the page like a bar of music.

To the girl I loved, and the woman I will always love. Nothing will change between us.

“I was saving this,” Takeru admitted with a sad smile, “But don’t tell Yamato, he thinks the version I gave him was the first one off the printing press.”

Hikari laughed. She closed the book and wiped her eyes again, unsurprised to find that it was moist with unshed tears.

“Did you really save the book for me?”

“Mm-hmm”

“But how did you…how did you know I was going to come tonight?”

Takeru chuckled, “I didn’t know, but lucky for me, hope is a tenacious thing.”

Just then, her phone dinged, interrupting the intimacy of the moment. Hikari retrieved the device and saw a text from Sora, letting her know that people were gone from the party and Lorna was now asleep in her and Taichi’s room. She attached a picture of Lorna, and the image was enough to send her crashing down to Earth.

“Shit,” she cursed as she looked at the time. 11:15 PM. Geoffrey was going to be furious. Her inside clenched and her skin crawled. Geoffrey, she didn’t know how she could ever return to her life in London after the highs of tonight.

“What time is your flight tomorrow?” Takeru inquired.

“8:30 AM,” Hikari admitted in a defeated voice.

“Oh…so I guess this is it then”

“No, not yet…at least let’s walk to the subway station together.”

They slowly made their way back to the subway, Hikari’s heart beat quicker and quicker the closer they got to the station. She begged and begged for time to stop, for life to slow all around them, so she could have this night, this moment with Takeru for as long as she could. But all too soon the entrance appeared before them, and next thing they knew, they were standing before the subway stall, Takeru was destined to go left, she was destined to go right.

Once again, they were destined to part.

“Umm…can you…can you walk me to the platform?” Hikari whispered, the desperation evident in her voice, but much to her relief, Takeru complied.

While they walked, they kept their fingers linked together, holding onto each other’s hand as they clung onto the time they had left. Just as they neared the platform, Takeru stopped abruptly, prompting Hikari to turn back. Behind them, they heard the roar of the subway come and go, but all the while, Takeru remained still, a devastated look painted on his features.

Hikari’s head spun. She recalled the same expression from when she confided in him about agreeing on a date with Geoffrey, the strange English teacher assigned to her kindergarten class. Then it came again, when she told him Geoffrey asked to be her boyfriend, then when he asked to marry her, and finally, when he asked her to come live with England with him, and she agreed.

“Hikari…I understand these are the paths we’ve chosen, and we have to live our separate lives now, but…”

He took a deep breath, Hikari crossed the small distance between them, leaning close until she could see the tears glistening on his blue eyes.

“The only thing that helps me sleep at night is knowing that somewhere out there, there is a universe where I wasn’t so stupid and careless, where we have a life together doing laundry and cooking meals in our kitchen, where we fall asleep in each other’s arms every rainy afternoon. Knowing that is enough, but still, most days, I would trade everything and anything to live in that universe, if only for one day.”

Hikari froze, revelling in this moment in their broken universe. Despite how sacred this moment felt, she could only taste that bitter regret on her tongue, her mind singing the familiar hymn: If only, if only, if only.

“But…if you’re happy, Hikari, then I’m happy.”

Behind them, the thunderous roar of an approaching subway sounded out, and right as the powerful wind created from its entrance blasted through, the tears Hikari battled to keep at bay fell, drizzling down her cheeks and onto the subway station floor.

“Hikari,” Takeru cried out. He raised his hands to wipe her tears away, his expression now of concerns, “Please…please don’t cry”

How could she not cry? Wordlessly, she took his hand and walked towards the subway train, now halting to a stop before the platform. The door slid open, and they both looked into the belly of the monster that would once again tear Hikari from the only happiness she knew was meant to be hers.

“Takeru, I will always love you,” she admitted with one foot stepped towards the door.

The universe, as if knowing that they needed more time together, stalled the subway for them, so Takeru could step forward to envelope her in his arms, and to lay a delicate kiss on her lips.

“Nothing will change between us,” he repeated with a sad smile.

The bell chimed around them, announcing the closure of the subway doors. Takeru stepped back just in time for the gates to slam shut, and Hikari consigned herself to looking at him through an imposing barrier.

As the train began to move, pulling Takeru away into the distance, she swore she felt that final flip of the page, the resounding thud of the cover slamming shut on their story.

Thus ends the story that almost was, but was never written.

—

Three months later, Hikari found herself back under the dreary London sky.

The grey overcast afternoon brought her to a lonely Saturday, perched in her bed with her husband away, Lorna thankfully asleep in her bed.

The only silver lining in all the grey around her was that she was alone, so she could cry out her regrets as she read the last chapter of Takeru’s book. Not that it mattered, she had cried for three months straight, after every paragraph, every chapter, after walking through the haze of familiar memories at each part of Takeru’s book, and Geoffrey barely noticed.

Takeru truly did write out their story, in a heartfelt and emotional way, and through it all, Takeru never pointed fingers or placed blame. It was a kind retelling, an honest way of writing out a story that was never written.

She flipped the novel shut, pressing it to her chest as she submerged herself in the memories of that last reunion, of the bittersweet taste left in her soul.

“If only it wasn’t the end,” she whispered.

She returned her attention to the book, flipping through tear-stained sections before her eyes caught the last manilla page before the backcover. There, in the middle of a blank page, a final printed statement to cap off Takeru’s book.

Endings don’t exist, only new beginnings. Stories are simply on pause, waiting for us to resume writing again.

Her smile returned, sunshine filling the empty spaces in her soul as she allowed the words to embrace her heart.

It was as Takeru said, hope truly is a tenacious thing.

[patamon]

Takari Week 2027 [Day 7 prompt: Post-Series]

Hard to believe this is my last fic for Takari Week. Thank you again to @animegenork​ for hosting Takari Week again this year! This is a bit of a weird one but I hope you enjoy!

Title: Takeru & Hikari Characters: Hikari Yagami & Takeru Takaishi Pairings: Takari (for @takariweek ) Word Count: 5555 (😎) Rating: G Summary: Light is what gives life to this world...and hope means not to lose the light, even when engulfed by darkness...

Cross-posted on AO3

Read below the cut 👇🏻

Takeru & Hikari

Right from a very young age, Takeru learned there was nothing in life more comforting than walking into his grandmother’s cottage by the countryside.

It was far and away from the stresses and despairs of busy city life. Things were quiet, the air was fresh, and the aroma of home cooked meals were always in abundance in her quaint home. His grandmother was old and old-fashioned, retaining much of her established Japanese culture in a climate of disconnection and forgotten lores. Takeru loved studying her as she moved across the floors of her home, he loved listening to her retell stories and teachings from a half-forgotten life, he loved asking her about the pictures and trinkets on her mantel, he loved picking through the boxes of clothes and items stored in her cobwebbed attic.

But today, today is a very different day. Walking into his grandmother’s cottage brought with it a somber and malignant air. The atmosphere was stifling, taking away the air in Takeru’s lungs as he walked deeper into the tiny abode.

For one, the small kitchen was crammed with people and family members he’s seen and not seen, some were familiar faces he could not recall, others were foreign visitors he’s never met before. But amongst the sea of people was his father sitting at the kitchen table, his dark hair and dark eyes looked even darker with the shadow across his face.

He stood up the moment he saw his son, bounding across the room and placing his hand behind his back.

“Teeks,” he greeted him, Takeru’s knees shook at the use of his old nickname, an old habit he’s attributing to the long absence his father played in his life, at least since his parent’s divorce. If it wasn’t for his grandmother, he might have lost touch with this part of his identity entirely.

“Hi Dad,” he greeted stiffly.

His father nodded in response, and led him down the hall and up the staircase to his grandmother’s room.

“Your grandmother has been asking for you,” his father announced, “We were worried you won’t make it.”

Takeru blushed, “Sorry, I came as soon as I could but there was a delay because of the blizzard…”

His father waved his hand, just as they approached his grandmother’s room, the door slightly ajar to reveal the warm light from within.

Takeru’s knees shook again, muscles growing so weak he had to grasp onto the wall beside him to keep steady. Luckily, his father caught on, holding him tight as he steadied his wavering son.

“Teeks, be strong,” his father whispered, keeping his head low so the voice did not filter into the room.

Takeru nodded instinctively, but his head was devoid of coherent thoughts. He could only think of his frail and old grandmother lying in her bed, with tubes and machines coming in and out of her. He hadn’t been back for almost an entire year now, since he was attending university across the country. But the last time he visited, he received the news from her directly, a quick and nonchalant whisper of the word cancer. And despite his panic, despite his insistence of transferring school to be closer to her, she vehemently refused.

I don’t want you to hold yourself back on account of me, she had said with her sagely smile.

“Be strong for her,” his father whispered again, “Remember, this will most likely be your last moment with her.”

Takeru nodded again, his head still a hodgepodge of emotion. The door opened then, and a jolly nurse with sun-kissed skin exited his grandmother’s room, her smile crinkling her crow’s feet.

“Ah, is this the grandson she’s been asking for?”

“Yes, this is him,” his father responded.

The nurse shook her head and chuckled, “Despite all the visits from her children and grandchildren, you are the one she insists on seeing.”

His father laughed, while Takeru gave a sheepish smile.

“Well, no matter, she’s been waiting for you, young man. Come with me”

His father released him, and like a child following the call of the pied piper, Takeru walked behind her with shaking limbs. Just at the door, she halted and held out her hand, signalling for him to pause.

“Let me inform her first,” the nurse whispered, to which Takeru could only nod.

The nurse entered, and Takeru could hear a flurry of whispers, its sound too quiet and muddled to make out the words. Seconds later, the nurse stepped back outside, beckoning him close while still remaining out in the hall, her body blocking the scenery within.

“She wants to speak to you in private,” the nurse whispered, “Remember, this will be your last moment with her, so..make it count.”

Takeru gulped. His eyes began to sting with unshed tears, but somehow, he managed to hold them back. He eyed the other side of the bedroom door as his heart rate accelerated by the second, the image of his grandmother at the frontier of life and death staining his thoughts. It wasn’t how he wanted to remember her. His grandmother was light and spark and a picture not bound by a frame. He wanted desperately to remember her the way she was, not the sickly prisoner now trapped inside her withering body.

Just then, the nurse flashed a wide smile, it somehow brought courage back to his weak muscles. She pressed her hand against his forearm, it was a gentle, wordless sign that it would be alright.

“They say you’re her favourite,” she whispered to him.

Takeru blushed, “Well…I…I guess I’ve always liked spending time with her. They’re moments I’ll always cherish”

“So…embrace this last moment,” the nurse said gently.

Takeru’s palms went cold, but he straightened his back and took a deep breath, exchanging one final smile with the kind nurse before pushing the door open.

The moment he walked in, he was struck by the aroma of the room. His grandmother always smelled of lavender. Back when he was young, he didn’t recognize it as lavender. Instead, it was quintessentially his grandmother’s scent. Then one day, he discovered by accident that it was indeed lavender after testing out the myriads of perfumes at the large New York City department store during a trip there with his family. But still, it didn’t matter to him. It will always be his grandmother’s smell, and right now, despite her clinging to life, the cancer taking away her vitality and energy, she still insists on being shrouded in her scent, the smell of lavender permeating every corner of the room. 

He swallowed his fears and advanced into the bright bedroom, where his grandmother laid in bed, dwarfed by pillows and comforters. Unlike his imagination, she was not attached to tubes and machines, but laid untethered and free, one step away from flying off to the spirit world. She turned at the sound of his approaching footsteps, her white hair floating behind her as if it was on water. Despite her condition, her golden eyes were sharp and vibrant, and it honed in on him the moment he entered the room.

She raised her hand towards him, a knowing smile glinting off her features.

“Oba-chan,” he greeted her and accepted her hand. He was the only grandchild that called her oba-chan, and he was damn proud of it.

“Takeru,” she greeted him, then heaved a sigh, “What took you so long?”

Takeru laughed and wiped away the leaked tears before responding.

“Sorry, Oba-chan, there was a snowstorm and my plane was delayed.”

She waved the explanation away and laughed, “Never mind that, you made it. You’re here. Tell me, Takeru, how is school? How is life in California?”

Takeru shrugged, the tears now overflowing down his cheeks.

“Oba-chan, never mind me. I’d…I’d rather hear your stories. I…I want to hear your voice, Oba-chan.”

His voice broke at the final word, but to his surprise, his grandmother laughed again, piercing him with the intensity of her golden orbs.

“I’d rather not spend our last moments together discussing the inevitability of my death, Takeru. We all die one day, that’s just a fact of life. I’d rather hear about you. So tell me, Takeru, do you have any updates? Have you met anyone over in California?”

Takeru laughed, and parked himself down on the chair by his grandmother’s bed. He held her wrinkled hands between his, it felt so cold and thin. He tried remembering the strengths behind them from when he was growing up, watching her shape rice balls in her small kitchen with those experienced fingers. 

“I don’t have time for all that stuff, Oba-chan. I’m in my last year of University now, and things are getting intense...”

His grandmother clicked her tongue, the impishness behind the gesture surprising him. But then again, he shouldn’t be surprised. After all, it was his Oba-chan, and he knew his Oba-chan was capable of things he could never imagine.  

“Takeru, heed my warning, don’t make the same mistakes I did,” she informed him.

Takeru raised his brow in confusion, “What do you mean?”

His grandmother sighed, settling down on the bed and lifting her gaze to the ceiling. She closed her eyes, and for a moment, Takeru was worried the moment had come.

“Have I ever told you…the story of my Takeru?”

Takeru balked, “Your Takeru?” his inside squirmed, a tiny bit of hurt worming its way around his innards.

There was another Takeru?

“We grew up together, me and Takeru. We went on adventures, fought monsters, survived so much, much more than any book can ever dare retell,” she chuckled before continuing, her eyes closed as if replaying a movie behind her shuttered eyelids, “But let me tell you, he tried retelling them in those books he wrote, but I know…I know he could never hope to achieve what he wanted from them.”

She sighed, while Takeru remained silent, running his thumbs across the blue of her veins as he waited for her to continue.

“I never met another soul that complimented mine so well. He understood me better than I understood myself, and I was the same with him. I didn’t know it at the time, but I loved him, but it was such a different and unique type of love, one that I can never describe with words. It felt like all the stars in the universe conspired to bring us together. I was made for him, and he was made for me. But…”

She paused, bringing her free hand up to wipe away tears clinging to the corners of her eyes.

“We squandered everything, and…I left…and he stayed in Japan,” she sighed again, before opening her eyes and turning her gaze to him. He shivered at the strength behind those orbs. Age has taken away her mobility and her strength, but never once did it take away the light behind his Oba-chan’s eyes.

“I try not to live my life with regrets, Takeru. You know that about me…”

Takeru nodded vehemently. His grandmother laughed before continuing her story.

“But…I regretted this,” she squeezed his hands and allowed the tears to flow untempered down her papery cheeks. Instinctively, Takeru raised his hand and wiped them away from the creases in her skin, memorizing the feel of life beneath his fingertips before it would be taken away from him.

“I don’t regret having your father, and I don’t regret the grandchildren I was gifted with, that part I can never ever regret, but Takeru, I often wonder…what could have been…if I hadn’t thrown away my one chance at happiness, if I hadn’t made the mistakes I did” 

His grandmother sighed, a forlorn blast of air tunnelling out of her frail body. Takeru wanted nothing more than to waft the molecules of life back into his grandmother. But instead, he remained still and watched as more tears rolled down her face.

“I remembered the day you were born, Takeru. I was there. Your father placed you in my arms minutes after you were born, and although you were crying and hollering like all babies do when they enter this world, you stopped the moment I held you. Then…you laughed. Everyone was baffled by your reaction, but…I knew. I knew because I saw so much of him in you, so much sunshine and happiness, so much…hope. I couldn’t believe that after all these years, the universe was still conspiring to bring hope back to me, to remind me of all that I lost. It was lucky your parents allowed me to name you because I knew the name was meant to be yours. Takeru. It was a reminder that no matter the circumstances, hope will always find its way back to me. After all, light exists to bring hope back to it.”

“Oba-chan,” Takeru whispered, “I had…I had no idea.”

He squeezed her hand, and she returned the gesture. A light smile floated up her lips as she turned her gaze towards him.

“Promise me you won’t make the same mistakes I did, Takeru. Find your light and hold onto her, don’t let her go, don’t run away from your chance at happiness.”

Takeru flashed his own smile and nodded. His Oba-chan raised a shaking hand to brush aside some of his hair. He was overwhelmed by the delicate gesture, bringing back all those moments in his childhood when his Oba-chan would comb her fingers through his hair, and he would take pride in how his hair had the same chestnut brown shade as hers, while all his siblings had darker hair like their mother. 

Then, his grandmother closed her eyes, sighing once more as she tilted her weathered face towards the window.

“Takeru, I’m coming. I’m coming home…to you.”

Takeru held his breath, watching as a peaceful smile graced his grandmother’s face once more, then with a final sputtering breath, she was still. 

There followed a tornado of activity afterward, the doors opening as if somehow, the nurse knew the exact moment she needed to enter. Footsteps echoed all around him, followed by choked sobs and fervent whispers, but he remained still, his hands clenched around his grandmother’s as it grew colder and colder by the second.

From somewhere above him, he heard the nurses dictating something, and realized it was the details for his grandmother’s death certificate.

“Time of death: 7:07 PM. Name of deceased…Hika…Hikor…”

Takeru looked up at the nurse, and at long last, the tears he was holding back broke free, flooding his golden eyes and trailing down his cheeks.

“Hikari Yagami,” he whispered, “Her name was…Hikari Yagami.”

—

It was a balmy winter’s evening the night she received the call. 

She will never forget the moment she picked up the phone, her frantic father on the other line asking if she could come to her grandfather’s house immediately. Without needing a reason, she agreed, and it was only afterward, as she hurriedly tucked pyjamas into an overnight bag that she heard the story in full. 

Her grandfather, writer extraordinary Takeru Takaishi, strong and healthy as a horse when she paid him a surprise visit just three days ago, had suffered a massive stroke and was now clinging to life. But despite the doctor’s insistence, her grandfather rejected all offers of treatment and made a bid for his final wish.

I just want to go home.

So with a heavy heart, his children transferred him back to his small house on the outskirt of Tokyo. She heard he wasn’t responding too much, he wasn't saying much to anyone. But amazingly, there was only one word he spoke, one name on his lips…

“Hikari, he wants to see you. He keeps asking for you, so can you please come? Please, he doesn’t have much time left”

She stumbled into the familiar home, a site of so much comfort, happiness, and warmth. But today was an entirely different story. All around her was heartbreak and sadness, her parents and extended family sat with their heads bent, the light only returning once she entered the door.

Her father ran to meet her first, encircling his arms around her the moment he was within distance.

“I’m so sorry, Hikari, I know it's a long way for you to come but…your grandfather is asking for you.”

In response, Hikari donned a brave smile and locked eyes with him.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, dad. On the contrary, thank you for calling me. I would much rather be here with jiji-san before…before…”

There was a moment of silence between them, perhaps a moment for her father to gather the strength  to hold the tears at bay. Then a small smile broke through his clouded features, and he took Hikari by the hand and led her down the hall to where her grandfather’s room was.

“Hikari, a warning, the stroke left your grandfather in a really bad state. He can barely talk…so…if you feel uncomfortable or scared, come and get us.”

Hikari’s knees shook once before she straightened her stance, smiling and nodding again.

“I’ll be fine, I promise,” she assured her father.

Her father returned the smile, “Of course you will be. You are our Hikari, after all. To be honest, we’re not surprised he asked for you. We know you’ve always shared a special bond with him.”

He signalled to her grandfather’s room, the door cracked open by a mere sliver. Hikari, admittedly not entirely sure what she was doing, took a deep breath and entered.

The early morning dawn spilled into her grandfather’s room through drawn open curtains, giving enough light for her to see her grandfather laying still on his bed, his chest heaving up and down with laboured movements. Her disbelief mounted, she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, wishing and bargaining for the universe to wake her up from this horrendous nightmare.

Just three days ago, her grandfather was laughing at his own corny jokes, telling stories and playing cards with her at his kitchen table. And now, he was bound on his bed, struggling to breath as his final moment approaches.

How could things have changed this quickly?

With those thoughts, she moved deeper into the bedroom, creeping close on tiptoes until she could see her grandfather’s pale face, his lips unnaturally blue as he struggled to pull air into his lungs.

Crap, she can’t do this.

She backtracked, but only made a few steps back before her grandfather’s eyes opened, and she was frozen by the determined glare in those blue orbs.

“Jiji-san,” she breathed out.

Her grandfather stirred, angling his face towards her before flashing a stilted smile, one half of his face paralyzed by the effects of the stroke.

“Hikari,” he managed to call out.

“Yes, I’m here, jiji-san,” she announced.

The smile on his face widened, despite the mobility stolen from his muscles.

“Jiji-san…please don’t go yet,” she pleaded.

Her grandfather closed his eyes again and sighed, and Hikari was possessed by an overwhelming fear that this would be it. His final breath of life. But then he opened his eyes, and she was shocked by the strengths of his next sentence, despite the obvious slur linking his words together.

“It’s time for me to go, dear Hikari, I can hear her calling to me.”

Hikari wrinkled her brows in confusion, “What do you mean? Who’s calling to you?”

Much to her surprise, her grandfather laughed, a strained guffaw transitioning to a hard cough. Hikari’s heart dropped, but he recovered after a few gasps for air, and lifted his hand and waved as if it was nothing.

“Never mind,” he mumbled weakly. He trained his eyes on Hikari once again, then pressed his hand on top of hers.

“It never ceases to amaze me…how much of her I see in you,” her grandfather continued.

She was perplexed, but chose instead to weave her fingers in-between her grandfather’s and offered a patient smile.

“Shh…jiji-san, save your strength.”

“Yes, always so selfless and kind, always putting others before you. She was the bravest and strongest woman I have ever met, standing up to monsters twenty times her size, knowing exactly when to use her strength, and when to neutralize others through her kindness.”

Despite her best effort to keep it within herself, the question tumbled out of her.

“Jiji-san…who…who are you talking about?”

Her jiji-san sighed, opening and closing his eyes as if testing his control over them before responding in a heavy tone.

“She was…my Hikari.”

Hikari froze, disbelief collided with confusion, her inside a battledome of emotion. 

There was another Hikari?

“We grew up together, she was my light, my hope, my reasons for everything. I loved her with the type of love that can’t be described through words. But alas, we lost it all, dear Hikari, and now, not a day goes by that I don’t wonder…what could have been between us.”

He closed his eyes, then opened them again to a pool of tears forming over his orbs, accentuating its blueness. Hikari reached up and wiped them away, and was rewarded with a smile from her grandfather.

“I’m forever grateful for the life I lived. I loved your grandmother, I loved your father, I loved your aunt, and I love all my grandchildren, especially…you…”

Hikari held her breath, watching him carefully as he continued once again.

“But…it doesn’t stop me from thinking about her...every day. I love her so much, to a degree that scared even myself. But when she left, she took everything away from me, and I was left with nothing but my own emptiness. I tried and tried and tried in vain to grasp onto that love we shared by writing and writing and writing, publishing books and working to remember every detail of our lives together but…I couldn’t do it. It was a life lost to unfortunate circumstances.”

Her grandfather closed his eyes and rested his head back on the pillow, taking a few deep breaths before continuing.

“I remembered the day you were born, Hikari. The memory is still so vivid, even now. When I held you for the first time, I was struck by the strength and the kindness in your eyes, of how much of her I see in you. I couldn’t tell if it was a gift from the universe or if it was a cruel reminder of the emptiness left by her absence. But I shouldn’t be surprised, because after all, light is always with me, light will always be with me, because hope means to never lose the light…no matter how dark it may get. So it seemed fitting that the universe found a way to bring light back to me, in a different context, sure, but back to me all the same.”

He squeezed her hands, and Hikari thought he saw a slight twitch of the lips before he continued his words.

“Your parents had a name picked out for you, but I begged them to reconsider, because I knew you were meant to be Hikari.”

Hikari gasped, but kept silent as her Jiji-san continued, his voice losing strength with each passing word.

“I will always find my way back to the light. After all, that’s what hope does. Hope holds onto light no matter how dark it gets.”

“Jiji-san…”

“Heed my warning, Hikari, please don’t make the same mistake as me…please hold onto your hope once you find it, don’t let that force go, don’t run away from your chance at happiness. Will you promise me that, Hikari?”

Hikari hesitated for a moment. She can’t say she fully understood what her grandfather was telling her, but she understood enough, so she nodded with a teary smile.

“I promise, Jiji-san.”

Her grandfather sighed in relief, then closed his eyes and tilted his head towards the open window, taking in a deep breath before a peaceful smile graced his features.

“Lavender…” he whispered, “I’m here, Hikari. I’m ready. I’m ready to finally come home…to you.”

Then he was still. 

Hikari pressed her palm against her open mouth, not daring to believe it had finally come to pass. But then tears overwhelmed her vision, and she broke into a hard sob, prompting her family members to come in one-by-one so they too, could join her in mourning the loss of their beloved family member.

In between sobs and tearful embraces, Hikari managed to catch a glimpse of the clock on the bedside table, mentally making note of the time her grandfather crossed over to the spirit world.

7:08 AM

—

The streets of Tokyo are a lot narrower than Takeru had imagined, but a lot cleaner and the air a lot denser. He walked through the bustling metropolis, feeling literally like a fish swimming upstream. Throngs of men in suits and gaggles of schoolgirls with colourful bags pushed past him, while he desperately waded in the opposite directions, following the pulsating arrow on his phone.

After a few more wrong turns and stumbles, he at long last found himself by the pier. Instinctively, he perched himself at the edge, leaning over the railing and filling his lungs with the salty breeze of Tokyo Bay, gazing out at its expanse. From where he stood, he could see the colossal bridge connecting Odaiba to the rest of Tokyo, its structure reminiscent of the Golden Gate Bridge he crossed over many times during his studies in California.

“Oba-san,” he whispered out to the water, “Are you here? Have you returned to the land you grew up on?”

He took another deep breath, then turned on his heel and made his way towards the restaurant marked with a red arrow on his phone.

Since losing his grandmother, he found himself lost and aimless. He wasn’t surprised at the level of grief felt in the depth of his soul. After all, he was closest to his grandmother, and his grandmother was closest to him. But what he was surprised by was the restlessness within his soul. He heard a calling deep inside of him, not a whisper but a heartfelt roar, asking him to find something…search for something, and while rooting through his late grandmother’s belongings one spring afternoon, he found a purpose to wrap his spirit around.

Postcards, letters, photos. 

All bundled together with a delicate string, finished with a peculiar yellow charm. He saw pictures of Tokyo past, images of a younger version of his grandmother standing with a group of friends that were so close, he might have mistaken them for her family, and in each image, she stood together with one man, a man with yellow hair the colour of the sun, still vibrant despite the age of the photo. 

He could only assume that this was her Takeru.

The more he poured over the photos and letters, the more his curiosity grew, until he made the decision that he would do it. He would fly to Tokyo and find his Oba-san’s Takeru, to meet him in person and let him know how much he meant to her.

That’s what Oba-san would have wanted.

He started by scouring every social media site available to him, searching up names after names in directories, until at long last, he found her.

It turned out, she was named Hikari, too.

And it turned out, he was too late, his grandmother’s Takeru had left this world. But still, he felt compelled to meet this Hikari. There was something telling him that perhaps this was what Oba-san would also want for him, if she was still with him today.

He entered the bright restaurant, and was greeted by the smell of fresh-cooked eggs, drenching his mouth with saliva. He pressed shaking fingers against his eyes to hold back the tears, remembering how his grandmother had made eggs for him during their quiet weekends together. 

I must have cooked a million eggs for you at this point, young man.

He smiled fondly at the memory, then focused back to his surroundings, studying the nearly full restaurant before finally locating her in one of the booths.

Yes, this was Hikari. He recognized her because he’s spent hours studying her posted photos, but nothing prepared him for when he finally laid eyes on her, for nothing was as good as seeing something this real before him.

Just like her grandfather, she had hair the colour of the sun, her blue eyes sparkled with familiar warmth. She beamed when she saw him, and Takeru knew that she smiled not only with her lips, but with her entire energy, the aura of happiness and sunshine radiating off her as he neared their table.

“Hello,” she greeted him with a slight bow.

Takeru returned the gesture awkwardly, the only motion his muscles would allow him to give. The next few minutes passed by with him in stunned silence, studying this Hikari before him with an uncontrollable grin.

It was Hikari that finally broke the silence, emitting a soft laugh before speaking.

“Welcome to Tokyo,” she greeted, “I’m honoured to have this chance to introduce myself to you in person. I am Hikari. Hikari Takaishi”

Finally, the words returned to him. He laughed, then took a deep breath to unnerve himself before responding to her.

“Thank you, and trust me, the honour is all mine. I’m Takeru. Takeru Yagami.”

Takeru gestured for them to sit. They sat across from each other, their faces flushed with dazzled eyes.

“I didn’t realize you had your grandmother’s last name,” Hikari declared.

“Yes, it’s a long story but in a nutshell, my…grandfather wasn’t in the picture. I’ve never even met him, so when my dad was born, my grandmother gave him her last name. He was her only children with that last name, because she remarried after, and so my aunts and uncles all had her husband’s last name.”

Hikari nodded in understanding, “How serendipitous, because that’s how I knew who you were when you reached out to me. Yagami, I remembered seeing the name in my grandfather’s journals numerous times.”

“Yeah? Did he write about my grandmother a lot?”

Hikari laughed, “Oh yes…pages and pages and pages of it. To be honest, if you hadn’t reached out to me fist, then I would have tried to find you. I could tell that my grandfather loved your grandmother immensely, and it felt like…I had to find her, or at least a part of her.”

Takeru blinked in disbelief, before settling into the rarity of this moment.

“You know…I feel the same way.”

In response, Hikari flashed another smile. Takeru felt immediately warmed by it, his soul dancing with hers in familiar beats.

“Hikari, I feel like…I feel like I’ve known you all my life.”

Hikari tilted her head to the side, but then, the smile returned, and Takeru felt for the first time in his life, a complete sense of home and belonging underneath the curve of that lip.

“I feel the same way,” she declared.

They stared at one another in earnest before sharing a laugh. Then, emboldened by some courage Takeru didn’t know he had, he reached out and placed his hand on top of Hikari’s, and much to his delight, she tilted her palm until they sat holding each other’s hand across the table, his grandmother’s words echoing in his head as he studied the depth of her blue eyes.

Promise me you won’t make the same mistakes I did, Takeru. Find your light and hold onto her, don’t let her go, don’t run away from your chance at happiness.

“I won’t let you down, Oba-san,” he whispered.

“Sorry?” Hikari called out.

He blushed, but shrugged it off and turned his attention back to her.

“Hikari, I know this is crazy…and we just met but…do you…do you want to spend some more time together while I’m in Tokyo? I’d love to maybe…get to know you and take you out…maybe on a date?”

Hikari laughed, her cheeks reddening as she responded to his proposal.

“I thought…we were already on a date.”

Takeru sighed in relief, and they laughed once again. It felt silly, all the laughing they were doing together. But then again, he heard that this was a good sign.

Just then, a warm breeze blew across the window. They turned their heads towards it at the same time, and Takeru swore he smelt it, the aroma enriching his memory these past few months, bringing him back to his favourite moments in his grandmother’s quaint home.

“Lavender,” Hikari whispered.

Takeru turned to hers, “You felt it, too?”

Hikari beamed and nodded, and they turned back towards the water, where off in the distance, straddling the thick Tokyo air were two butterflies with their wings bent close. Takeru held his breath as he watched them dance together, absorbed in their iridescent beauty.

Somehow, he knew with certainty, and without saying it, he knew Hikari could feel it, too. Hope and light had found each other once again.

All felt right in the universe.

[patamon]

Takari Week 2022 [Day 6 prompt: Shopping Date]

Back to writing fics!

Title: Thrifty First Date Character: Hikari Yagami & Takeru Takaishi Pairings: Takari (for @takariweek​) Word Count: 4873 Rating: G Summary: In an alternate universe where Takeru is a 30-something struggling with his love life, and his brother decides to one day sets him up on a date with a mysterious woman name Hikari. After so many failed first dates, Takeru wondered if this would be any different?

Cross-posted on AO3

Read below the cut 👇🏻

Thrifty First Date

First dates are awkward, first dates are hard. First dates are job interviews with your heart and soul served up on a platter. Takeru knew the rhythm all too well: the superficial questions, the forced small talks, the dread in his stomach as he stumbled over his words and sentences. 

By now, he’s been on enough first dates that they no longer feel like dates, but a duel of two people waiting and expecting for the other shoe to drop. He couldn’t say how many of them he’s been on since his ex broke off their engagement all those years ago, only that it almost always ended in disaster. Bachelorhood was becoming of him, perhaps it was the perfect shade for his lonely life, a destiny he inherited from his divorced parents. He heard it as a warning from voices deep inside his heart: this was for the best, you don’t want to get hurt like your parents. A lonely life wouldn’t be so bad.

He would have settled with his decision had his brother Yamato and sister-in-law Sora not come calling.

Just one date, Takeru, give this girl a chance.

Yeah, you’re still young, why not give this a shot.

The only thing worse than a Tinder first date was a blind first date. But truth be told, he wanted another chance at hope, another chance to find a way out of the dark tunnel he was trapped in. He might have been on hundreds, if not thousands, of first dates through dating apps and dating websites. But he’s never been on a first blind date set up by his brother and sister-in-law, and that had to count for something. So here he was, sitting on a bench outside their agreed upon meeting place, his palms sweaty as he waited for another first date to arrive, once again hoping he wouldn’t be stood up.

He knew nothing of this mysterious woman, only that her name is Hikari, that she would be wearing a pink dress, that she might like thrift store shopping. It might explain why she asked to meet in front of a thrift store. 

Forever Home Thrift Shop, reads the faded sign up front. 

He couldn’t decide if he should make a joke about it when this mysterious woman finally arrived. If he should quip and ask whether she found her dress there. 

You idiot, Yamato had chided him when he floated the idea.

It was one of his greatest flaws, not knowing when to shut up, not knowing when his jokes were inappropriate.

Perhaps it was why he found his ex together with his best friend that night. Well, ex-best friend.

Fifteen minutes passed with him sitting on edge, his hands in his lap. He could see the thrift store cashier giving him strange looks through the window. She might call the cops on him, he wasn’t sure.

To distract himself, he looked down at his watch, noting that it was creeping up to 20-minutes past their meeting time. He learned through experience - too many experiences - to give 30-minutes before texting, then if there were no responses after 10-minutes, it was safe to assume his date got cold feet. Still, it would be uncomfortable sitting out in the harsh sunlight for another 10-minutes. He would have worn one of his many beloved hats, but Sora warned him against it.

Not the hats, Takeru, please just not the hats. I beg you, leave them home for this one date.

It was another one of his flaws, he had the fashion sense of a blind mole. Yet another reason why his ex might have resented him, avoiding public dates more and more until they were living practically reclusive lives by the end of their relationship.

He surveyed the neighbourhood, wondering if there was a shadier area to wait by. He thought of moving towards the tree across the street. It wouldn’t be hard to let this Hikari person know he had opted to wait closeby to escape the sun. But then he wondered…

Was this a test?

Will Hikari think he’s being too impatient? Too sensitive?

He took out his phone and pulled up their text screen once again, the last exchange being his message letting her know he was here, with a happy face to cap off the text.

What if the happy face scared her away?

Yamato told him once he used too many emojis in his messages, it was a sign of his immaturity.

You’re a goddamn writer, why can’t you use words instead of silly faces?

Now he was really starting to sweat, he could feel his shirt clinging to his body. The date hadn’t even begun, and he was already a mess. It wasn’t his fault he was prone to sweating, it wasn’t his fault his brother accumulated all the good genes between the two of them, while he was left with the riff raff.

Damn, his anxiety was bubbling up. Perhaps it was best that he was the one to abandon the scene. After all, 22-minutes late is a damn good excuse to give up and ghost someone.

He pocketed his phone and stood up, looking towards the bus stop when a glimmer of something bright caught the corner of his eyes. By some buried instinct, he flicked his head towards it, and to his surprise, found the person he could only assume to be Hikari walking towards him, a small black crossbody purse slung across her shoulder, a modest pink dress draping her frame down to her knees. 

His knees froze, muscles stood rigid as he watched her approach, the light reflecting off her like diamonds under the sun. The closer she got, the more he could make out her expression, stoic and impassive, like a mask hiding her life.

She arrived before him, half-a-head shorter with her face tilted up and flashed a strained smile. And immediately, Takeru melted. It wasn’t her real smile, rather, it was a cover for something beneath. He knew then and there that just like him, she had a story she wanted to hide, and just like him, she was desperate to find someone to tell it to.

“Hello, are you Takeru?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“Uhh…”

Wrong move. Her face turned beet red. She looked around desperately, eyes searching for another man wearing a yellow shirt.

“Uhh…yes…yes…I am he, he is me,” he stumbled.

Hikari made a face and took a giant step back, a look of uncertainty clouding her features.

Oh my god, oh my god, I hate first dates, I hate first dates, he cursed internally.

“Sorry, I’m just…surprised…you’re here…not that I didn’t think you wouldn’t show up…and not that I was desperately waiting, and not that I blame you for being late, I thought…uhh…can we start again?”

Hikari flashed a small smile and nodded, “Sure, I would like that.” 

Takeru took a deep breath, “Hello, I am Takeru.” 

“Hello, I’m Hikari, it’s nice to meet you.”

Takeru’s mind went blank, all words tumbling out of his brain until he finally strung enough of them together to form a stilted sentence.

“I’m…uhh…happy you’re here.”

Hikari blushed, “Yes…sorry I’m late. I wasn’t…feeling well this morning.”

“Oh…well if you’re not feeling well, I don’t mind…rescheduling?”

Did that sound too blasé? Would she think he didn’t care about this date?

“Do you want to reschedule?” Hikari questioned, her body leaning forward.

“Uhh…” crap, what should he say? Yamato would know what to say. If he was Yamato, he would spew out something incredibly smooth and charming, and Hikari would laugh and fall under his spell. But then again, if he was Yamato, he wouldn’t be lonely and single, living in his brother’s spare room.

“If you want to leave…” Hikari continued, then trailed off and looked at him expectedly.

“No, no, no,” he stammered. Was that too desperate? “I just thought…because you weren’t feeling well, I could be flexible, yeah, I’m very flexible…”

Takeru went cold, realizing a second too late how that last sentence sounded. Shut up you idiot, now she thinks I’m just some horny creep.

“...but I would love to hang out if you’re feeling up to it. I guess you’re here now because you are feeling better but I’m just saying…I don't mind either way, just let me know.”

His stomach caved in on itself, because even he could smell it radiating off him, he reeked of desperation.

He held his breath, counting down from ten and waiting for the inevitable, for Hikari to say goodbye and ghost him, for her to never appear in his life again. 

But much to his surprise, Hikari tucked her hair behind her ears, a slight brush creeping across her cheeks as she nodded with a smile. A real, shy smile. It lit her features in such breathtaking ways.

“No, let’s do it, you came all the way here and I made you wait for me all this time. I don’t want to…waste your time…”

“Oh no, Hikari, it wasn’t a waste of time. I would…uhh…be honoured to spend time with you,” he declared.

His stench of desperation only grew. It was another one of his flaws, his need to impress everyone around him, desperate for validation from anyone and everyone. His ex cited it the night she broke off the engagement, laughing in disgust as she spelled out their bedroom secrets for all to hear.

“I…would be honoured, too,” Hikari admitted.

They turned to the store, and finally, after sitting in front of it for nearly half an hour, he entered the thrift shop with Hikari beside him. He smiled in amusement when he saw the cashier take an alarmed step back, eyeing him up-and-down with fright before she resumed tagging knick knacks before her with yellow price stickers.

He scanned the place thoughtfully, and was immediately charmed by the delight of it all. Faded graphic tees hung from wire hangers, once loved toys and plush animals parked on shelves and cabinets galore, and best of all, the sight that set Takeru’s heart aflame was the bookcases installed at the back of the store, filled with books of all shapes and sizes, colours that lit his eyes bright. Chills danced up his spine as he imagined the dog-eared pages awaiting him, the mystery readers that once owned the books, the stories and secrets it whispered between well-worn pages.

“Wow,” he whispered underneath his breath. Within his line of sight was a cloth mannequin dressed in a faded Led Zeppelin t-shirt, a purple fedora on top of its faceless head. His eyes perked up. He moved closer under the guise of admiring the t-shirt, running his fingers down the seam and melting under the softness that can only be found with repeated wash, mixing and mingling with countless combinations of detergent and fabric softener. 

He craned his neck, wondering if he could catch a glimpse of a price tag on the hat when Sora’s voice filtered through once again.

Do not, please for the love of god, do not buy a hat at this store. Don’t be a weird hat guy in front of her, please just don’t.

His shoulders dropped, but he pushed the self-disgust aside, focusing instead on Hikari beside him.

“So, is this…is this somewhere you go often?”

Hikari shrugged, and walked over to the clothes section, browsing through faded and worn out tops with half-interested eyes while Takeru watched her carefully.

Has he…has he asked the wrong question already?

“I come by now and then,” she admitted.

“Oh…I just thought…because you picked this spot as our first date…”

Hikari stiffened at the word, and Takeru’s tongue froze. 

Maybe he should shut up and let her ask the questions for a while.

“Sorry…I’m not being a good conversationalist right now,” she admitted quietly.

“Oh no no no no, I think…I think we’re all different, it’s okay, I don’t mind. If you want me to ask the questions, let me know…”

“No, it’s okay. I haven’t…I haven’t done this in a while so I’m a little rusty”

“Really?” Takeru asked in spite of himself.

Hikari nodded and turned her back to him, pretending to be absorbed by the second-hand wall decors before them.

“I thought if I suggested a thrift store, then maybe…the environment around us could bring about enough conversation without me awkwardly stumbling through it.”

“Ah,” Takeru glanced around the store with a smile, “It’s a pretty good idea”

“But…I can understand if you think this is too weird for you,” she admitted in a broken voice.

Takeru’s heart dropped. He straightened his stance and grabbed a stuffed animal from one of the racks.

“I think this is a great idea,” he declared in a loud voice. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the cashier giving him alarmed looks again, and made a concerted effort to lower his voice, “I mean…look at this…Is it a bear? Is it a cow? Is it a goat?”

“I think it’s a cat”

“Oh…” he returned the cat stuffed animal on the shelf, his cheeks reddening when he realized that it was indeed a white stuffed cat. Obviously so. Perhaps it was the purple gloves and striped tail that threw him off.

To his surprise, Hikari reached for it and held it up, studying it with a soft smile.

“It’s cute,” she commented before placing it back on the shelf.

“Can you imagine the life it lived before it found its way here?” Takeru mused, “How many Christmases and New Years did it spend with its last owner? How did they find such a peculiar toy?”

Hikari perked up, “Maybe it was a gift…something handmade given to a child from their grandparents.”

Emboldened by her response, he turned to the stuffed animal beside a cat, an orange toy that looked frustratingly like nothing he’s ever seen.

“And what is this supposed to be? A pig? A hamster? And why does it have bat ears?”

Hikari laughed. Takeru was struck speechless by the sound. It was clear and delicate, like soft bells ringing out in the distance. His hand began trembling, and the orange-and-white plush toy fell from his hand and down to the ground below.

“You break, you buy,” came a shrill voice at the front.

Takeru turned towards it, and saw the cashier watching them intently, a murderous expression on her face.

“Sorry, sorry,” he called out, and bent hurriedly to pick it up. It was then that he noticed a bowl full of something flat and oval on the bottom shelf. He gasped in delight, and removed one from the bowl, studying the two small circular buttons with nostalgic eyes.

“Wow, I haven’t seen these in ages,” came Hikari's voice. Seconds later, she had kneeled down beside him, picking one up and examining it with delight.

“Tamagotchis,” Takeru whispered, “I had one when I was like eight. I was terrible at taking care of them. My brothers and all his friends had one, too. They had this tamagotchi club at summer camp, and they let me join…mostly because my brother didn’t know what to do with me. I think I was just in their way, to be honest.”

Hikari giggled, “I had one when I was eight, too. I was supposed to go to camp that summer, but I got really sick, so my brother went on his own. My dad bought me one so I had something to do while I was home alone”

They stood up together with the tamagotchis in their hands.

“You think it still works?” Hikari whispered.

Takeru shrugged, “It’s worth a shot…maybe just replace the batteries?”

“Yeah,” Hikari whispered. She looked up and flashed a smile, not a small smile or a forced smile, but a genuine one that lit up her face with a delicate glow. His knees shook again, he had to work hard to keep his breathing even.

He cleared his throat. The words were coming easier now, the knot in his chest loosening. He felt brave enough to say a bit more, running through the list of prompts Yamato and Sora gave him, things they deemed worthy of sharing to impress Hikari.

“I’m…I’m glad we found these,” Takeru ventured, “Because…because…I’m actually working on something kinda related to these.”

“Oh?” Hikari asked, curiosity evident in her voice, “Is it…computer-related? Sora mentioned you work in the tech field.”

Takeru blushed, “Oh no no no, I’m not really in the tech field…”

“So, Sora lied?”

“What? No no no no no, I mean…I’m not really in the tech field but it’s kind of related,” he took a deep breath, he could totally see why Sora would say he’s in the tech field, it would booster his worth in the dating market, which he desperately needed considering he was…him. But still, he mentally made a note to have a word with his sister-in-law afterward about maintaining expectations.

“I’m a writer. I write for a tech magazine about new gadgets that could be of use to our everyday lives. I’m pretty much the least-techy person on the writing staff because…well…the goal of my column is to connect with people that don’t build their own laptops and read codes in their sleep”

Hikari giggled, and once again, Takeru floated up towards the cloud. Twice now he has made her laugh. He could only hope that she wasn’t laughing at him out of pity.

“But,” he continued, “It’s…not really what I want to do. I mean…I love writing and I want to write, but I want to eventually become a published author. I’m working on a children’s novel at the moment during my spare time…it’s about halfway done. It’s about these children that find themselves lost in an imaginary Digital World with their own virtual partners, kind of like tamagotchis. The idea is they grow and evolve with the children as they learn more about themselves and anyways…I’m just rambling at this point.”

“What? No no no…that’s really interesting. I’m really interested.”

Takeru sighed in relief. But old habits die hard, and he couldn’t stop searching her features for any and all signs of platitude and forced politeness.

“But can I ask…why a children’s novel?”

“Oh…I don’t know, I guess I like the idea of writing a coming-of-age book, it feels kind of inspiring. Plus, I miss those days when we were young and innocent, things were so much simpler back then.”

Hikari nodded, “I know what you mean, and I should know…I teach.”

Takeru’s eyes widened, “You do?”

“Yeah…right now I’m teaching fourth graders, but I’m hoping to get a kindergarten placement next year. Maybe…maybe I can give you a few ideas in the future….you know, based on my experiences teaching children.”

His mouth dried up. Inside, the butterflies were whipping themselves up to a frenzy. He couldn’t believe it. Did he just secure a second date?

“Yeah…uh yeah, that sounds great,” he stammered.

Hikari dropped her gaze to the ground quickly, but not quick enough for him to miss the slight blush dancing across her cheeks. For the first time in a long time, he was finally feeling good about a date. It was almost overwhelming, giving in to his inhibition, allowing himself to be lifted up by the hope that this could actually lead to a real future.

“I have to admit, Takeru, I was really nervous about coming today. But…you have made it really easy for me, and now I’m…I’m so glad I decided to come.”

“Really?” Takeru asked in genuine disbelief.

“Yeah…actually…I...I almost didn’t show up.”

Takeru nodded, the 22-minutes wait now made sense to him, but it didn’t bother him. Instead, he was more concerned about the shadow creeping across her face, the curtain lifting up slowly to reveal something painful beneath.

“What would you have to be nervous about?” he asked gently.

Hikari shrugged, turning herself slightly to angle away from Takeru. His heart dropped, he cleared his throat and tried again.

“Was it…me?” 

Hikari’s eyes widened, she turned back to face him and shook her head frantically.

“No, no it wasn’t you, Takeru. In fact, the way Sora described you, I was…I was shocked that you would still be single. In fact, I was more worried about me…me and all my baggages”

His curiosity flared. What exactly did Sora say about him?

“If it makes you feel better, Hikari, we all have a history that we bring into any relationship. I mean…you should see my baggage. I have an entire freight train towing behind me.”

Hikari laughed, the sound easing the tension in his shoulder. He found himself chuckling with her before the laughter ebbed away and she continued her story.

“You see, I recently got out of a really long relationship. In fact, my one relationship. We’ve been together since high school and the way it ended…” she paused and swiped at her eyes, Takeru could see dew-like tears clinging to her fingers. It broke his heart, he was gripped with an overwhelming urge to draw her close and comfort her. How he held himself back, he would never know.

“The way it ended,” she continued in a broken voice, “It shattered me and I didn’t know…I didn’t know if I could be worthy of love ever again.”

With that, the dam broke. The tears fell in earnest as Hikari’s shoulders shook with the force of her sobs. Without hesitation, Takeru reached up, lifting her face towards his and wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Hey…don’t say that. We’re all worthy of love, Hikari.”

Much to Takeru’s surprise, she did not pull away from him, but instead leaned into his touch, placing her palm atop of his as she cast dark eyes on the ground.

“I think by the time we’re in our 30s, if we’re still going on first dates and swiping on dating apps, then in a lot of ways, we’re like the items found in this thrift store. All damaged and used up, and desperate for someone to find us and give us a chance again…”

Takeru held back a gasp. Hikari’s statements hit home in a real and deep way. He lost count of the number of lonely nights he spent crying into his pillow, wondering what was so unloveable about him. He couldn’t admit to the resentment found in his soul as he watched his family and friends marry and form loving families one-by-one, meeting new babies and pets until he was dizzy with grief, hiding the emptiness inside him with forced smiles and laughters, wondering when would it finally be his turn?

He wasn’t accustomed to such raw emotion and vulnerability on a first date. But then again, as he was quickly learning, this was nothing like a typical first date.

“I can see why you would feel that way, Hikari, and you could be right in a way. But…when I look around, I don’t see damaged goods, what I see are stories waiting to be told. Each item carries with it a story, it could be tragic, it could be happy, the point is, it’s still here willing to be loved once again, and I think there’s something so beautiful about that.”

Hikari’s gaze flashed towards him. His knees shook at the depth of those amber orbs. He didn’t care if this was the first date. At that moment, he knew, against his better judgment…

He was falling, falling, falling, falling deep into the ocean that was Hikari.

“And…I would be more than willing to learn about your story…if you would let me,” he whispered.

In response, Hikari drew close and asked in a hesitant whisper, “May I ask…what’s…what’s your story?”

Takeru froze, fear pulsing all over him as he mulled over her question. In the back of his mind, he thought perhaps he should share his favourite colour with her first, maybe let her know how he likes his coffee before delving into his truths. But his eyes caught hers, and the way her amber eyes sparkled calmed the restlessness within himself, and the words fell in place easily.

“I…I was engaged once…a long time ago.”

Hikari went still, Takeru could feel the warmth leaving her hand, and looked down to see they were holding hands, her fingers in between his as he continued his story.

“The night before our wedding, I walked in on my ex and my best friend in our bed…together.”

Hikari gasped, Takeru smiled ruefully at the reaction.

“My family had flown all over Japan to attend the ceremony, even my poor grandmother. They were all seated in the living room when she and my friend stumbled out together stark naked. What ensued was her berating me in front of my family for failing her in every aspect of our relationship: emotionally, mentally, financially, and…physically”

He winced, waiting for Hikari to leave, waiting for her to abandon him and never speak to him again, but much to his surprise, Hikari pressed herself closer until she was holding him in a tight embrace. Dazed, he returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around her and holding his breath in a futile attempt to hold in the tears, the trauma and the hurt unearthing itself despite the years put between him and his past.

“And yet…you’re still here, willing to be loved again,” she whispered in his ears. 

Takeru gulped. With shaking fingers, he separated himself until Hikari was held at arm’s length, marvelling at the familiar presence hiding beneath her shy smile. Even though he had just met her, he felt certain he had known Hikari all his life. It was nothing short of a miracle.

He could only hope that she felt the same.

She then took him by the hand and led them to the mannequin wearing the Led Zeppelin shirt. With a knowing smile, she removed the fedora atop its head and placed it on his, smiling as she tucked his hair neatly into the hat.

“Hikari, what…?”

“I saw you looking at it when we walked in, I can tell you’re kind of a hat guy.”

Takeru was stunned. He stared at her speechless as she took a step back and surveyed him.

“It looks good on you. How about I buy it for you as a thank you gift…for waiting and not giving up on me today.”

He smiled, the feelings returning to his face as he nodded, “Only if you let me buy something for you.”

“What do you have in mind?”

He walked back to the rack of plush toys and retrieved the white stuffed cat with the purple gloves, “I can tell you’re kind of a cat gal,” he joked as he pushed the cat into her arms.

Hikari laughed, “Yes, that’s me, a self professed crazy cat lady”

They paid for their purchases, along with the tamagotchis they found and walked out the store, the cashier visibly relieved that Takeru was no longer in her presence. But he was now more engrossed in Hikari’s smile, in the way her eyes lit up as they looked at one another.

“Um…do you…do you want to meet up again? Maybe…maybe…” he bit his lips, what would be a reasonable amount of time before a second date? But when he looked back at Hikari, the anxiety floated away. There were no rules or regulations, he didn’t have to worry because within Hikari, he found hope, a chance at finally finding a forever home.

“I’ll call you tonight?” he offered in a firm voice.

Hikari nodded immediately and hugged her new cat plush, “I’m…free on Wednesday.”

His heart skipped a beat, “Sure, sure…maybe, maybe I can take you to that new cat cafe you were just telling me about.”

Hikari giggled, “Then we can go hat shopping afterward.”

Takeru nodded. They hugged their goodbyes, and made their way down opposite paths and towards their respective home. Barely a few steps away, Takeru turned back, desperate to catch one last glimpse of Hikari before she disappeared. He realized then that she had done the same, her head thrown back over her shoulder before they both whipped themselves forward in embarrassment, their flushed faces adorned with matching wide grins.

To hell with rules, he thought.

He turned back around, and somehow, Hikari knew, for she followed suit. They waved at each other enthusiastically, then continued walking backward until at long last, Hikari disappeared around a corner. Although he could no longer see her, somehow, he could still feel her close, warming him up and giving him new hope. 

At long last, he found his light at the end of a very dark, lonely tunnel. 

He couldn’t wait for their story to begin.

[bokura-no-digital-world]

Takari Week 2022 - Day 4: Sick Day

Days: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Title: Summer Flu Characters: Takeru Takaishi, Hikari Yagami, Patamon, Tailmon and Yuuko Yagami. Summary: Hikari has a flu and Takeru takes care of her. Notes: For Takari week, I decided to do something different. All stories will be told in first person, from both Takeru and Hikari's POVs in the same story. It will be separated to make it easier, though. And also, scenes two and three are a continuation, but I separated it because it changes from Hikari's POV to Takeru's. I covered my eyes with my arms the moment I stepped into the sidewalk, due to how bright the sunlight already was so early in the morning. My initial plan was to enjoy this beautiful day with Hikari at the Tokyo Bay and then at one of many parks near Odaiba, but things changed this morning.

My alarm clock went off at the exact same time Patamon jumped on me, to wake me up. Most of the times, he was better at it than my cellphone. I groaned and rolled over, reaching for my phone on my bedside table. I was supposed to call Hikari to make sure she didn't forget about our date, though I was sure she didn't need it because of how excited she was. I did it anyway, and frowned when she didn't pick it up and then I got the voice mail. I pressed the end call button with a strange expression on my face. Hikari never ever missed a call, no matter who it was from. I tried again and, this time, someone answered it. Not her, though. "Hello, Takeru." "Mrs. Yagami, is everything okay?" "Hikari woke up feeling sick today, so she won't be able to meet you. I'm sorry." "What is she feeling?" "She has fever and sore throat. I already gave her some medicine, so now we're waiting to see if it will work. I would let you two talk, but she went back to sleeping." Mrs. Yagami glanced at her. "But she wanted you to know she's very sorry for having to cancel your date." "Is there anything I can do?" "I don't think so." Though she was serious, I could tell she had a small smile on her face because of the tone of her voice. "I'm sure she will be better in the next few days, though. I'm sorry again." "It's okay, Mrs. Yagami." I assured her with a light smile. "Can you tell her I hope she feels better soon?" "Of course! I'll tell her you called too. If she feels better, she'll call you back later." "Thank you." "You're welcome."

"Takeru, are you sure Hikari's mom won't mind?" Patamon asked from the top of my hat and I looked up, though I couldn't see him at all. "I hope not, Patamon." I tried to sound sincere. But the truth was that I didn't know how she would react. She didn't seem the type to get angry at people showing up at her door unannounced, especially her daughter's boyfriend. I took a deep breath. "But I have to try." "Then let's go!" He exclaimed excitedly. I couldn't help but smile at him before making my way to the candy store. I thought some treats would cheer her up, but I was also going to bring things to help her get better soon. "Do humans give flowers to the ones who feel sick?" "Not really." I looked up at Patamon again. "We only give flowers in specific moments, like Valentine's Day or birthdays." Chocolate then?" "You read my mind." I smiled and looked back ahead. He flew away and landed in my arms, staring at me with a grin. "Of course, I'm your partner." Keep reading it on FFN or AO3

[bokura-no-digital-world]

Takari Week 2022 - Day 1: Focus & Reflection

Days: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Title: Confessions Characters: Takeru Takaishi, Hikari Yagami, Patamon, Tailmon, Sora Takenouchi and Yamato Ishida. Summary: Takeru and Hikari have some moments of reflection regarding how they feel about each other. Notes: For Takari week, I decided to do something different. All stories will be told in first person, from both Takeru's and Hikari's POVs in the same story. It will be separated to make it easier, though. And also, the last two scenes in this one-shot are a continuation, but I separated it because it changes from Takeru's POV to Hikari's. The smell of sand mixed with water filled my nostrils as soon as I stepped into the sidewalk that bordered the beach. It still seemed surreal that one year had already gone by since the Digimon have been rebooted. Unlike four years ago, now they were able to stay on Earth as much as they wanted to without having their energy drained.

All of us Chosen Children agreed to take a small trip to the beach for our seventh anniversary and also rejoice on the fact nothing bad happened to Daisuke and the others. But I still felt a pain on my heart because of Mr. Nishijima's death. I was beyond glad he saved my brother, but still sad he sacrificed himself for that. I looked at Taichi and felt thankful he was doing gradually better at dealing with that traumatic experience, especially when seeing he was one of the first ones to jump into this idea of taking a break.

However, I was feeling something else other than just happiness and gratitude. Looking back now, I couldn't believe how clueless I had been, but I had been looking at Takeru differently ever since we went to Ken's house looking for him last year. I had finally come to acknowledge I sort of pushed Takeru to Meiko by making him seem like he was one of these boys who had a new girl each week. Though I had to admit it was exactly that whenever he had a place to go. But honestly, deep down I was expecting him to ask me out though I wouldn't admit it out loud. Ever.

And yet, I found my cheeks burning and becoming red when he looked at my direction and grinned. "He's charming, isn't he?" Sora teased while she sat down beside me. "What?" I turned around, completely forgetting I was blushing. "You still feel something for him, don't you?" "No. I mean, he's charming like you said and all, but…" "Why don't you act on your feelings and tell him how you feel?" "And ruin our friendship over it? I don't think so." "I did it with Yamato and look where we are now." "That's true, but it has always been reciprocated, hasn't it?" "Well, yeah… but it was still a shot in the dark." "He wouldn't say no to you because he felt the same. Takeru doesn't." "You don't really believe that, do you? It's clear as a crystal that he has feelings for you." "Then we must be seeing completely different things, because it's not clear for me at all." "Are you really sure about that? Or you need to believe it?" "What do you mean?" "Maybe your resistance for it is clouding your judgment and not letting you see things the way they are." "Is it that obvious?" "Even Jou noticed it. And that's saying a lot, since we all know Jou doesn't pick up on these things that fast." "I don't know… I guess I'm afraid of the future. Can you imagine how it would be if we stopped being friends because it didn't work?" "I won't lie and say it's not a possibility, but the positive outcome can also happen." "Is that what you were thinking when you confessed to Yamato?" "It was. I think we both thought the same. We just agreed to take a chance and it worked." Sora placed her hand on my shoulder before jumping from where we sitting. "Think about it. Are you coming?" "I'll be right there." Keep reading it on FFN or AO3

[bokura-no-digital-world]

Takari Week 2022 - Day 2: First Date

Days: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Title: The Date Characters: Takeru Takaishi, Hikari Yagami, Natsuko Takaishi, Yuuko Yagami and Taichi Yagami. Summary: Takeru and Hikari have their first date. Note: For Takari week, I decided to do something different. All stories will be told in first person, from both Takeru's and Hikari's POVs in the same story. It will be separated to make it easier, though. I was freaking out, which was something new for me when it comes to dating. It didn't take me much to realize why I was so panicky: all the other girls I went out with weren't my best female friend. If one thing went wrong, I could say goodbye to our friendship. But honestly, things were already different whether we liked it or not, because of our kiss a couple of weeks ago. We both agreed to keep it a secret, but I was sure some of our friends had picked up something in the air. At least, I knew Sora did, from the way she started looking at us and smiling. I also knew our secret was safe with her. She wouldn't tell Yamato - or even worse, Taichi - about it. So that was a relief.

I spent the following days after we came back from our anniversary trip looking for ideas on what to do for first dates and places to go. It was quite easy for me to choose places in a general way, but it was different with Hikari. She was a special person to me and I didn't want to start with the wrong foot and mess up whatever comes next for us. And no, I'm not exactly looking for a relationship. But that doesn't mean I will take her to an awful first date and have her first experience be a bad one. She deserves to have one she will never forget, and that's why it was so difficult for me to decide where to go.

In the end, I went for probably the most cliché choice, the one you see in some American movies: an amusement park. But not the ones like at Disney, the ones where you have these booths where you need to shoot a can to get a stuffed animal and things like that. I guess you can't deny my taste for romantic comedies, right? I wanted to avoid clichés like going to the movies because that's everyone's - or most people's - first choice and I wanted to be creative. At this point, you can assume I failed miserably at it. I didn't tell Hikari at all where we were going, despite her countless attempts to find out. I wanted it to be a surprise for her and hoped with everything I had that she wouldn't be disappointed with my choice. I know for a fact she would hide it and have a large smile on her face, saying she didn't mind it all and everything was okay. But I know better.

So here I am, in front of the mirror in the bathroom. There's a pot of gel over the sink and its cover lying on the vase. I honestly have no idea why I even bothered buying it in the first place. Gel is more Yamato's thing, and I absolutely don't know how to use it. I frown at my own image in the mirror. I don't really need to put gel on my hair to look good. I'm sure Hikari won't mind whether I'm using it or not. I put its cover back and put it away inside the cabinet.

I was pretty much ready to go and it was twenty to seven. I thought to myself it was enough time to walk to Hikari's apartment and pick her up, so I picked up my keys on my study table and shoved them into my pocket before heading out of my room. "Mom, I'm leaving. I'll be back around ten." "Okay." My mom's head popped out from her office. "Do you have a date?" "Yes, with a girl from school. I'm going to pick her up." "Alright. Have fun." "Thanks." "And take care." "I will." I smiled at her. "You too." She rolled her eyes - something she always does everytime our roles are reversed - and went back to work. Keep reading it on FFN or AO3

[bokura-no-digital-world]

Takari Week 2022 - Day 7: Post-Series

Days: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Title: Parenthood Characters: Takeru Takaishi, Hikari Yagami, Sora Takenouchi, Yamato Ishida, Hiroaki Ishida and Taichi Yagami. Summary: Takeru and Hikari start a new chapter of their lives with Yamazaki's arrival. Notes: For Takari week, I decided to do something different. All stories will be told in first person, from both Takeru and Hikari's POVs in the same story. It will be separated to make it easier, though. People say motherhood is amazing and that it changes a mother's life completely, and I totally agree with it. But they hardly ever say that sometimes your breasts get really sore and your nipples bleed while breastfeeding. The latter never happened to me luckily. I don't know what I would do if it did. I would probably pass out. But I did have sore breasts for a couple of months, until someone taught me a very good tip and everything was just so smooth after that.

Yamazaki is now six months old and is such a great baby. I'm biased because I'm his mother, but who cares? He's such a peaceful child and barely cries now, totally the opposite of how he was when he was one or two months. Taichi, Akiko and my parents fell completely in love with him since they first saw him. My mom calls me everyday and the first thing she asks is how Yamazaki is. She offered to help me with him in the first month, but I declined saying Takeru and I had to learn how to take care of a baby on our own. It's been a struggle, but we did it. I don't think I would have been that good at it if Takeru wasn't so supportive. He's a wonderful father and was a hundred percent committed to taking care of Yamazaki since day one.

"He's finally asleep." Takeru spoke from our other couch, taking me out of my trance. I shook my head and looked down, realizing I was holding a mug with black coffee. I never drank it, but it became my best friend ever since Yamazaki was born. "Finally. After a long night trying to get him to calm down and sleep." "He was in a lot of pain." He stood up, rocking Yamazaki gently while walking to his bedroom to put him down on his crib. "Do you want to get some rest while he's sleeping. He'll be hungry when he wakes up." "I wish I could." I stood up as well, taking a good look at the whole apartment – well, the kitchen and the living room actually. "But the apartment needs to be cleaned. Our parents are coming over tonight, as well as our brothers and their wives." "That's right. I completely forgot about it." Takeru rubbed the back of his neck as he walked down the hall in my direction. "Sometimes I forget things like what day is today or if we have any plans for the night." "Tell me about it." I sighed deeply. "Everything now revolves around Yamazaki. I love our son so much, but sometimes I get so exhausted." "Then go get some rest. Let me do the cleaning and the cooking for tonight." "I can't let you clean this whole apartment alone. We won't have to cook tonight. They are bringing the food." "Really? Did you ask them to?" "No, they all offered. They didn't want us to have something else to worry about other than Yamazaki." "It doesn't surprise me." He smiled and looked around. "Well, we might as well get cleaning before he wakes up." "That's true." I yawned. "Let's do it." "Hikari, are you sure you don't want to use this opportunity to rest a little? You were up all night with him." "I'm fine, Takeru." I shook my head and smiled at him. "He won't wake up in less than three hours. I can take a nap when we're done here." "Alright then." He grabbed a bucket in the laundry area and started filling it with water. "Let's get this done with."

Keep reading it on FFN or AO3

[bokura-no-digital-world]

Takari Week 2022 - Day 3: Reunion

Days: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Title: Tanabata Characters: Takeru Takaishi, Hikari Yagami, Sora Takenouchi and Yamato Ishida. Summary: Hikari surprises Takeru in Kyoto. Note: For Takari week, I decided to do something different. All stories will be told in first person, from both Takeru and Hikari's POVs in the same story. It will be separated to make it easier, though. My heart started beating faster as the subway approached Kyoto. Though it was already summer vacation, Takeru had opted to stay in the city for about two weeks to go sightseeing, which he couldn't exactly do due to his busy schedule with college. Beside me, I could hear Sora and Yamato giggling in a low tone as if I couldn't hear them. "Hey." She reached out and touched my arm, near my wrist. "Are you okay?" "Huh?" I looked at her. I was listening to everything in my surroundings, but was still caught by surprise. A smile appeared on my lips. "I'm fine. Just a little nervous." "That's perfectly normal." She assured me. "You're going to meet your boyfriend in a city you haven't been to and are alone. But things will be okay. He will be really thrilled to see you after a few months, I'm sure." "Thanks for coming with me. I don't think it would be so easy to convince my mother to let me visit him if you didn't." "That's a mom's thing." Sora smiled kindly. "My mom used to be the same when I was living with her. It gets a little easier when you move out. By the way, you don't have to thank us for coming with you. We know exactly what it's like." "That's right." Yamato agreed with a nod of his head. "Besides, you're not the only one who misses Takeru." "Yes, but I think she misses him in a different way." "Well, obviously." He couldn't help but smile at her. "But you get me." "I do." Though I wasn't seeing her face, I could easily tell Sora was smiling back at him just by the way her voice sounded. And I caught myself wishing to have a relationship like theirs. I found it amazing how they managed to remain best of friends while dating each other for almost eight years now. Mimi seems to think so, as she's always making comparisons between us. Takeru and I were close to have our fifth anniversary in a little less than a month and I still couldn't believe how fast time had gone by. My mind was racing again, wondering how he would react when I showed up at his door or if I surprised him somewhere else.

I couldn't tell how many times I had checked my phone to see what time it was. I wanted to see Takeru so badly that I was really close to telling Sora I wouldn't stay at her father's apartment because I wanted to spend every second with him. But my rational side knew I would be throwing away my future chances of coming here again if I did that. So I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I managed to survive the first semester (or almost) without him, but having a long distance relationship still sucked. "Hikari?" Sora's voice echoed in my ears and immediately broke my trance away. I blinked and shook my head as I looked at her. "This is our station." "Already?" I quickly grabbed my luggage and joined them. "But we left Odaiba like ten minutes ago." "I told you it would be a fast trip. Stay close, so you won't get lost." "Are you sure your father is okay with me staying over?" I asked, unsure. "I really don't want to be a burden for the next few days." "He is, don't worry about it." She replied in her usual soft and sympathetic tone and I immediately felt my shoulders relax. "Dad loves having people around. You'll be more than welcome there, trust me." "We can invite Takeru over, once you meet him again. You still want to surprise him, don't you?" "Absolutely." I smiled at Yamato, and his eyes remind me of Takeru's. And now I'm dying to meet him again. Well, I don't have to wait that much anymore, I tell myself.

Keep reading it on FFN or AO3 An extended version can be found here: FFN | AO3