Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Digidreams Do Come True! ❯ Ichijouji Lends an Ear! ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Hi again, everyone. I hope you’re enjoying the story still, and thanks for any comments left by you for me. I’m always willing to improve, so your comments are very helpful and beneficial to me. I know you’re wondering what’s happening to the kids after being abducted. I promise you that you’ll find out soon enough. See, Digimon Adventure has too many Chosen Children (Digidestined) to deal with. lol I have to have them all abducted first, which is why I’m pretty much writing these abductions in pairs or more, so as to get through it faster.

Now, as always, I do not own anything dealing with the Digimon game, anime, manga, toys, etc., Toei and Bandai have that pleasure.

Chapter 05: “おれは変な苦労{ 64;ある!”
“Ore wa hen na kurou ga aru!”
“My peculiar predicament!” Ichijouji Lends an Ear!

In the currently empty gym of Odaiba Junior High, in his gym clothes, was the maroon-haired Motomiya Daisuke. He was shooting baskets from the free-throw line, unfortunately, missing every single one of them.

“Stupid Takeru,” the boy muttered irritably, “I have to beat him!”

Daisuke, just like Hikari, Ken, and Takeru, was 13, and in his second year of junior high school. He was a bit taller, but not as tall as Ken or Takeru. His hair was still pretty much spiky, and he still wore the signature goggles that his mentor, Taichi, had given him. The boy excelled at soccer, and even his test scores were better now thanks to his very best friend, Ken.

He dribbled the ball, and shot another basket, missing once again. He groaned petulantly, as he retrieved the ball, to try again. Ken noticed Daisuke head into the gym earlier, but didn’t think anything of it. When returning, he peaked through the door, surprised to see that he was still in there. He had just finished talking on the phone with Takeru, who mentioned that he and Hikari were on their way to school with their victory meal, and to pass the information along to Daisuke.

“I wonder what’s wrong with Motomiya. He’s been in the gym for a long time now.

“I should probably go check up on him, but I’ll call Miyako-san first. I should have done that instead of wasting all of this time looking around the school for her, but it wasn’t a problem for me or anything.”

Ken pulled out his mobile phone, and sped-dialed Miyako, hoping that the girl actually had her phone out, as it was against school rules to use them on school grounds.
****
“Hmm, I think this just may be right,” Miyako murmured while typing in some commands.

“Hey, Miyako-kun, I think your phone is ringing. It doesn’t sound like mine. I don't think I turned it back on yet since I haven't left yet.”

“So it is,” the girl replied distractedly. She really didn’t want to answer, and to try her best to get through her project.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I want to work more on this.”

“We can go back to it later,” Koushirou wisely input. “Go on and answer. It could be important.”

“Yeah, I guess. Now where did I put that thing...” She listened to the sound of the ringing phone, and noticed that it was right beside her. Earlier, she had it out looking for an old message. Knowing that her voice-mail would pick up, she answered without checking the number. “Moshi-moshi.”

“Hi there, Miyako-san,” the light voice on the other end responded.

“Ken-kun,” Miyako responded excitedly, “how are you?! I haven’t talked to you in a while since I’ve been so busy.”

“I know what you mean about keeping busy. My soccer captain kept me back for a conference to go over a new play; I just got back from there.”

“That guy is going to burn you and the rest of the club out.”

“It’s a living,” he casually replied, growing quiet. His mind had blanked out completely on what he had originally called her for. Just hearing her voice was good enough for him. ‘Why why why! Why does Miyako-san, cause me to lose my train of thought like this?’

“Ken-kun?”

“I-I’m sorry.” The boy grew nervous and gulped slightly. “So, I was just wondering...that is...if you would like to join me for a bite to eat.”

“E-e-excuse me?!” Koushirou noticed the look of shock, yet happiness, on his younger friend’s face. He was very curious as to what Ken could have possibly said to cause such a look. It was like she wanted confirmation to make sure she’d heard the younger boy right.

“W-well, T-Takeru-san, Hikari-san, Motomiya, and I are going to eat at that new outdoor pizza parlour in Aqua City Odaiba,” he explained, his stomach tying itself into various tiny knots. He held it with his free hand, to help ease the inexplicable strange sensation he was currently feeling. He never understood why even attempting to speak to the lavender-haired girl was such a challenge for him now-a-days.

“I would love to go,---”

“You would!?!”

“---but I can’t,” Miyako finished with a whine, crushing the boy’s spirits. “I have to finish up this stupid program by tonight, at least, and I keep running into glitch after glitch; problem after problem. I still can’t seem to figure out why I keep having so many. Each day, the problem is either different, or an existing one just ends up worse!”

“Oh, I understand,” he replied dejectedly.

“I really am sorry.”

Ken smacked his forehead. “Oh wait! I just remembered something,” he laughed timidly. “I meant to ask you if you would like to join us down here in the gym.”

“The gym?”

“Yeah; since Motomiya is running late, they decided to bring back all of the food that they bought, here. They ordered the biggest pizza they sold.”

“That does sound inviting, but I really have to finish this, Ken-kun. I’m really, truly sorry.”

The line went silent. She was wondering if her service had dropped her call, and hoped that was actually it. She hated to disappoint the boy more than anything. “I could drop by later. Hopefully, you all will still be there.”

“Yeah, hopefully,” he said with forced enthusiasm, which a currently distracted Miyako didn’t even notice.

“It’s strange how Daisuke is late, especially if Hikari-chan is involved; but, then again, he has been acting a bit strange lately I’ve noticed. It’s like he has something against her. Last time I spoke with you, we were talking about Daisuke’s unusual behavior towards her.”

“Yeah; well, I should let you get back to work.” His flip-flopping stomach had finally calmed. “Maybe we can get together another time. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Sure, and tonight, I don’t have to help out at my family’s store. I can talk to you then.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll call you tonight then, Ken-kun.”

“Right, Miyako-san. Talk to you later.”
****
Ken hanged up his phone, and frowned, not sure why he was so down for her not joining him and the others. ‘She’s always busy...’
****
“Ichijouji-kun, eh? What’s going on? It’s nothing bad, I hope.”

“It’s nothing much,” Miyako answered while putting her phone away. “He wanted me to join him, Hikari-chan, Daisuke, and Takeru-kun for dinner. I told him I’ll join them later,” she explained. ‘I really hate to disappoint him. Even though he was trying to hide it, I could tell that he was a bit down. Every time he seems to want to get together, I’m always busy with something or either something comes up, causing him to be busy. I just hope he’s not mad or upset with me.’

“You could go now if you really want to,” Koushirou halfheartedly offered.

“No way! I’m going to finish this computer game if it kills me!”

Koushirou couldn’t help but smile at the girl. “You’re very persistent.”

“Why in the world did I promise something like this,” Miyako groaned in extreme exasperation. “This is my last day to work on this since I’ll be too busy tomorrow!”
****
Daisuke took another shot, and missed. “Damn it!” Ken heard him grumble.

He decided, at that moment, that Daisuke really needed him or some type of a friend. He really seemed a bit stressed over something, and that was pretty unusual for the boy, who never seemed to let anything get to him, and always had a cheery disposition about him. He pulled the door open, and made his way across the slick floor. “Yo, Motomiya!”

Daisuke turned back to see the tall, handsome dark-haired boy coming towards him waving. Once Ken reached him, Daisuke greeted him dully. “Oh, hi, Ken.”

“So, what’s happening?”

“Nothing,” he answered quickly.

“Are you sure?” Ken was nowhere near convinced of his friend’s being okay. “You seem a bit tense.”

“I said that I was fine!” he snapped at the taller boy.

“If you say so.”

Daisuke gave off a disgruntled sigh. To Ken, he seemed even slightly bothered by his being there, a definite first. “Why are you here?”

“I came here to inform you that we’re late.”

“Late? What are we late for?”

“We’re late for our early, extra-high caloric celebration with Takeru-san and Hikari-san. They just called wondering where we were.”

“Yeah...dinner,” the boy trailed off, not showing one sign of actual concern.

“Hikari-san was very worried about you,” Ken told him slyly. He knew that something like that would get the soccer player’s attention.

All Daisuke could say was, “So”, and went back to dribbling the basketball he had. He really sounded like he just didn’t care. This wasn’t the optimistic Motomiya Daisuke that Ken knew; someone had replaced him with a clone with a dreary attitude.

Ken was a bit taken aback by this, and knew that something had to have been wrong for him to act in such a way, especially with his lack of concern over Hikari’s being concerned over him. For as long as he’d known Daisuke, he’d always had a bit of a crush on her. Normally, something like that would’ve made Daisuke extremely happy, and would’ve jumped at the chance to join her.

“Okay, Motomiya,” Ken began sternly as he snatched the dribbling ball from his friend, “spill it! This has gone on long enough, and it ends now!

“I know you like Hikari-san. Practically everyone knows that you do, even Hikari-san! I just told you that she was worried about you, and you’re acting like it's no big deal! This isn’t like you at all. I’ve noticed it, and so has Miyako-san and even Takeru-san. It seems that you have something against Hikari-san.”

Daisuke didn’t say anything, and just stared at the boy, frowning. He hadn’t realized he’d been so obvious.

“Well?”

“I don’t hate Hikari-chan,” Daisuke uttered softly.

“I never said that you did. You just act as if you’re holding some type of a grudge against her, and I don’t understand why. Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

Daisuke snatched the ball back away from Ken. “I don’t have anything against her,” he stated plainly. The boy turned his back to him, and went back to making free throw shots, still missing.

“Daisuke...”

“You don’t know what it’s like to like someone who doesn’t feel the same way back,” he replied suddenly, while retrieving the ball.

“What?”

“I didn’t mean to make it seem like I was holding a grudge against Hikari-chan,” he stared at the basket, trying to concentrate again, “I just rather not be around her right now. I only did the study group thing because I knew it would be helpful, and my parents, for once in their lives, are proud of me because of my test scores, and aren’t thinking of me as their *‘stupid son’.”

“I still don’t understand why you don’t want to be around Hikari-san.”

“Because it’s obvious that she doesn’t like me the way I like her!”

Ken couldn’t believe how unreasonable Daisuke was being over such - what he considered - a trivial problem. “That’s all?”

“It’s starting to hurt, Ken!!” Ken was growing even more astounded. Daisuke sounded like he was about to cry. “Unless I was more like him, I would have a better chance with her!”

“What do you mean? Those two aren’t together in that way. You can still try to win over her affections.”

Daisuke stopped shooting baskets, and faced the boy, a look of jealousy and sadness on his usually bright, cheery face. “I lost her when he moved here!”

“Well, um, weren’t those two friends before you officially became friends with her?”

“You still don’t get it! It really bothers me to see her with Takeru. She’s always with him. It never really bothered me before, but it has been more and more lately.

“Before he moved here, she used to hang around with me, but now she hardly talks to me because she’s with Takeru so much or either she hangs around me along with Takeru. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Takeru or anything like that. I just wish, I guess, that I was more like him so that Hikari-chan could pay some attention to me, and maybe not see me as ‘just a friend’.”

“Is that why you're in here shooting baskets? Are you trying to improve your game and challenge Takeru-san?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Even though Takeru is my friend, he’s also my true rival.”

“Daisuke, you are not him. You have to realize that.”

“Tell me something I don’t already know,” he indignantly scoffed. “If I was him, I’d be happier right now.”

“Hikari-san, and any other girl for that matter, should like you for the way you are,” he told him wisely. “You shouldn’t have to change or be someone else, for anyone. If Hikari-san doesn’t see that,” he lowered his voice a bit, not really wanting to finish the statement, “then maybe she isn’t the right girl for you, especially if you feel you need to be more like Takeru-san to get her interested in you.”

Daisuke seemed to frown even more; Ken got the feeling that he hadn’t taken in a word he'd said.

“Well, um, you know, there are plenty of fish in the sea, so the saying goes.”

Daisuke began to toss the ball up and down in his hands. “I just need the right bait to hook that fish, and the only fish that I’m after, is Hikari-chan.”

“You’re one of the most popular guys in school, since you’re such a star soccer player, and lots of girls admire you...erm...probably.”

“Who cares,” the boy retorted stubbornly “It’s the girl I think I’ve fallen in love with, that I want attention from.”

“Wha? In love?” Ken scratched his head. Daisuke was worse off than even he imagined. ‘So it seems that Hikari-san has broken his heart, as well as his spirit, and the reason he seems to be avoiding her, is because it’s become too painful for him to face her. The bad thing is that she probably doesn’t even realize that her unintentional rejection is the key to his bad mood. I’m sure he’ll get over it, but he seems too far into it to get over it anytime soon. It’s still surprising that Motomiya admitted that he’s in love with her. I couldn’t imagine being in love with anyone...like, maybe, but actual love?’

“I hate to make everyone worry,” the boy tossed the ball aside towards the rack, but didn’t land in it, not that he cared, “so I guess I’ll go down there now.”

“You don’t have to; they’re bringing the pizza and snacks to school.” Daisuke obliviously grimaced at the thought of having to face Hikari once again, with Takeru by her side. “Look, I know how you feel, Daisuke, but you just can’t disassociate yourself with Hikari-san just because you feel you’ve lost her to another guy. Those two are just really good friends.”

Daisuke indignantly scoffed as he threw his hands up into the air in disbelief over the ex-Kaiser's words. “How could you know how I feel? You’ve never had a thing for a girl like I have. I think my crush on her has really turned into love! This is the only thing it can be.”

“I know how you feel about the being ignored by someone you admire part, somewhat,” Ken muttered quickly, without even realizing it.

“What’d you say? I didn’t hear everything.”

After realizing what he said, he felt it was best to change the subject, and fast, as even he couldn’t explain it. “H-how exactly did you and Hikari-san meet for you to like her as much as you do, and for as long.”

Daisuke’s harsh expression lightened a bit, smiling as the memory came back to him fresh. He sat down on the gym’s smooth floor. Ken did so as well; he figured that this was going to be a long story. After both were comfortable, Ken nodded to him, and Daisuke began the long tale of how both he and Hikari first met.

“*Well, let’s see. I first met her directly when I was nine. We were paired up for some type of school project, and we both got along very well. We ended up talking about soccer, and I told her about how I was planning on trying out for our district’s kid’s team. At the time, I was already in our school’s soccer club. She said that she was going to go to the tryouts too, but that she was only going to watch.

“That afternoon, after school, I hurried to the soccer field for the tryouts. I practiced a lot, since I wanted to show the coach that I was ready for anything that he threw at me. I wanted to play just as good as the great Yagami Taichi-senpai! I’d always heard a lot about him, and I’d seen him play. He was the best player I’d ever seen!! He was in the soccer club with me, and he was always very nice to me. He was also the one who encouraged me to get my own set of goggles; the ones I wore before he gave me his.”

Daisuke’s expression grew a bit bothered at what he was about to say next. “Daisuke; is something wrong?” He shook his head, and continued.

“Before the tryouts started, and before the coach got there, these sixth-grade boys started to bully me just because they were older. They kept telling me that I was worthless, and that a runt like me, didn’t belong on their team. It wasn’t my fault that I was small for my age.”

Ken shook his head in disgust. “I will never understand the ways of bullies. What happened next?”

A dreamy look formed onto Daisuke’s round, tan face now. He seemed to be at ease, and quite peaceful. “Hikari-chan came up and defended me. I was really surprised. She told them that I had just as much of a chance on making the team as they did. I got teased badly after that, but I was really happy because no one had ever defended me before.”

“That was very nice of her.”

He smiled and nodded in agreement. “After the tryouts, I ended up getting into a really bad fight with one of the bullies since I couldn’t keep my big mouth shut. I lost big time. I couldn’t compare with a 12 year old. Hikari-chan, and some other people, surrounded us as we fought. I don’t remember what happened too much after that, but it was broken up by someone and when I woke up, I was in the nurse’s room. Sitting in a chair beside my bed, was Hikari-chan. She told me that the bullies got into a lot of trouble for picking on me and were all disqualified from the team and future try-outs. When the nurse said it was okay for me to go, Hikari-chan ended up helping me since I was still a bit sore, and said that I did a great job at the tryouts. We walked home after that.

“Since we reached her place first, she asked if I wanted any drinks and snacks for a job well done at the try outs. I accepted the invitation.”

“Even back then, Hikari-san seemed like she was kind and polite.”

He nodded in agreement. “Her mother gave us some sweet cakes and juice. We talked while eating, and we found it funny how we’d never really talked to each other before. We’ve always had the same classes; even before that project we were assigned. After the snack, I thanked her mother and went home.

“After I got home, I couldn’t get her off of my mind. I kept thinking about how she stood up for me, and how she was a good friend. Year in and year out, I started to admire her more and more. By the time fifth grade came around, and I was 11, I was convinced that Hikari-chan was my girlfriend, or either maybe one day, she would be since she was the only girl I’d ever thought about constantly.

“Thinking back now, I feel a bit stupid since I would sometimes go around talking about how she was ‘my girl’. That probably didn’t give off a good impression.” The boy couldn’t help but inwardly frown over such an embarrassing tribulation. “Hikari-chan also helped to build up my confidence back then when I tried out for the soccer team. I didn’t think I’d do all that great, but she got me to think otherwise.”

“What exactly did she say to build up your confidence?”

“During that walk, she told me that I was a good player, but then gave me a cute, playful smile, and added that I just wasn’t as good as her older brother. She seemed to highly respect and worship him. She convinced me to believe in myself, and to keep on trying, and I did just that.

“The funny thing about the whole situation was that I didn’t realize that her family name was “八神 (Yagami)” and that her older brother was none other than Taichi-san! I mean, I knew it, I just didn't know they were related. He was the one who broke up the fight that day, but I didn’t notice it since that kid ended up knocking me out. After he got me to the nurse, he left along with Sora-san and other members of the soccer club, and when we got to the Yagami place, he wasn’t there. I also asked her why she stood up for me, and she said something like, ‘Oniichan would’ve done it, and I love and respect him a lot.’”

Ken smiled. “It seems that you and Hikari-san were very good friends.”

The soccer player’s look grew dark, as the last part of his story came out. “Yes, we were until one of the most terrible things happened! Takeru showed up! After that, things changed. The way Hikari-chan laughs with him is the way she used to laugh with me. It’s terrible, this feeling. It’s worse enough to be rejected by the girl you love, but it feels even worse when she ignores you as a friend.”

“Wow, what a history you two have. Hikari-san was the first girl to treat you nicely. I guess something like that would have some sort of an impact.”

“Ken, I don’t know what to do,” he sighed, his head drooping. “It’s just that every time I see her, it hurts me because I just think of her with Takeru. I feel like I have to force myself to greet her whenever I see her, especially when she’s with him.”

“I just don’t know what to say to something like that.”

“Don’t,” the goggle-boy interrupted, “I know Takeru likes Hikari-chan too. Maybe he didn’t in the beginning, but it’s obvious that he does now!”

Ken shuffled uneasily. He knew that this was true, but usually went out of his way to avoid mentioning something like that. He felt it was best to just stay out of it.

“You haven’t noticed those love-struck looks he sometimes gives her?!” he asked in disbelief, his head perked up. “The way he’s extra nice when around her? The annoyingly charming way he acts towards her? The way he always tries to comfort her whenever she does get upset? I can’t compete with that!”

Ken remained silent. He had no idea what to say, or what advice he could offer to the boy. He really didn’t want to get on the subject of Takeru’s possibly liking Hikari. It just made him feel extremely awkward, especially since he was a good friend to both of the boys. He wanted to remain neutral. “I still think you’re over-reacting a little, but, like you said, I can’t compare what I’m going through, with what you’re going through. The problem I have is nothing like yours.”

“I didn’t say anything like that.”

“Wait...um, I...er...” the boy’s face started to go red.

Daisuke stood up, giving the boy a crafty look. “What problems are you having? Girl problems?”

“Motomiya, it’s nothing. Wh-what makes you s-say that?”

“Aha! You are having girl problems! The heartthrob of Odaiba Junior High is having girl troubles! C’mon, who’s the girl and what’s the problem!”

Before Ken could think of a lie, he grew apprehensive. Something just didn’t feel right to him. He then felt a blast of air come from someplace. “Did you feel something just now?”

Ken stood up; Daisuke crossed his arms and shook his head with a shifty grin. “Uh-uh, Ichijouji, don’t try to change the subject now. I told you what was bothering me, even though it sorta just gushed out, so now it’s your turn!”

“No, I’m serious. I thought I felt a blast of air just a moment ago, but it was...different somehow.”

Right at that moment, the entire gym seemed to fill with a powerful wind that was coming from no place. Both boys looked quite perplexed at this. “Did someone leave a window open?” asked Daisuke, as he moved some of his now, messy hair from out of his face.

“No,” Ken pushed some of his shoulder-lengthened hair back and looked up, “the windows are all closed.”

“Then where is this wind coming from!?”

The next thing to grasp their attention was the hoop Daisuke had been shooting baskets in. The hoop began to glow, and a weird funnel was beginning to form from it. Both knew that this couldn’t be good, and ran across the gym, towards the doors. When Ken entered the gym, he had left the doors open; they were now closed and locked.

“Since when do doors close and lock on their own!!” Daisuke screamed in panic.

“That doesn’t matter! We have to get out of here! That thing is coming towards u---ahhh!!!”

A bright light had filled the room, blinding the boys, causing them to shield their eyes.

“Th-that light!! It’s too bright! What’s going on, Ken?!”

“I don’t know; I can’t see a thing! Where is it coming from?!”

Before either one of them could do remotely anything, both were sucked into the bright vortex...

Author’s Notes

Note 1: In the original episode where Daisuke introduced Ken to his family, his father did pretty much say that Daisuke was “stupid”, but not in the sense that Daisuke has no ounce of sense what-so-ever, but more so referring to the boy’s school work never being all that decent. When they found out about “the boy genius” being friends with Daisuke, his father said something along the lines of, “You can help my stupid son with his school work.”
***
Note 2: This is more so a statement in reference to how Daisuke met the Yagami siblings. I know that isn’t the way Taichi and Daisuke met, but the rest of it is true. Both were in the Odaiba Elementary Soccer Club and that’s how they knew one another directly. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how Sora knew Daisuke as well. In episode 1 of 02, when Taichi mentioned how Daisuke was in the Digital World and such, Sora instantly knew that he was apart of the Odaiba Elementary Soccer Club. That makes me wonder if Koushirou knew him as well, since he too was, surprisingly, in the soccer club with Sora and Taichi, which is how those three knew each other prior to their adventure in 01.

Daisuke did end up remembering seeing Taichi fighting against Vamdemon and admired him then as well because of his bravery. That aside, I also hate when people go on to say that Daisuke only likes Hikari because she’s Taichi’s younger sister. I honestly never got that impression and felt that he generally liked her and that his crush had just grown stronger as the years went by. I also got the impression that they somehow managed to get the same class every year, which wouldn’t be too surprising since that seems to be the case with some schools. You end up with the same kids every year in your class.