Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ All you wanted... ❯ It’s still a family affair ( Chapter 7 )

Sleep…deprivation…Those chocolate covered coffee beans have trapped me and made me into an addict! Damn you, Second Cup!

Anyhoo…at least there's a plus side to all that: Chapter 8 is done J

Happy reading!

~Cracker

All you wanted…

Chapter 8: It's still a family affair

Hikari ran all the way home from where she'd left Takeru. She scrambled with the door knob of her front door finally getting it open. She noticed her brother sitting in front of the television channel surfing.

"Hey Hikari, how was…" Taichi started, but was cut off by the slam of her bedroom door.

**SLAM**

"Hikari?" He sat up from his slumped position concerned for his little sister. When he received no answer, he got of the couch and approached her room. He tried the knob, but it was locked from the inside. "Hikari?" His voice was demanding like his fathers'.

"Go away Tai!" she yelled from the inside.

"No! Not until you let me in and tell me what's wrong!" He ordered banging the bottom side of fist on the door.

"What part of 'Go away Tai' didn't you understand?" She cried.

"All of it. Now let me in!" He demanded.

No answer.

"That's it!" Taichi growled. "I have no problem breaking down this door!"

Still no answer.

"One…" He crouched a little getting ready to charge. "Two…Last chance Kari! I'm not kidding either, I'll break down this door if I have to!" Taichi warned.

*Click…*

Hikari opened the door from the inside and peeked at her brother from the small crack. "Why can't you act normal and leave someone alone when they ask you to?" She breathed somewhat agitated.

"Because I'm not normal." He stood back up from his crouching position.

"Got me there…" Hikari deadpanned and left the door frame settling herself on her bed.

"For real, Kari, what's wrong?" Taichi stepped inside her room.

"Nothing." Hikari lied as she worked on changing out of her uniform. She gave Tai a solid glare, "Do you mind?" she shot him an agitated look.

He gave her his warning look and turned around crossing his arms.

"Tai!" she screeched at his stubbornness for refusing to leave.

"What? I'm not looking! It's not like I want to anyway…" he shuddered. "I'm just making sure that you won't lock me out again. Now just tell me what's bothering you."

"I don't want to talk about it!" she implored as she quickly put on a pink baby t-shirt and pair of blue bike shorts.

"It's about that punk Tomoko isn't it?" Taichi growled.

"No!" she half lied. He was the other part to the problem, but the bigger picture wasn't him. "Just, please, leave me alone for a while Tai…" she pushed him from behind trying to get him out the door. "I promise I'll call you if I need you." She pleaded. She didn't feel like engaging into another argument.

"But I wanna know what's wrong. Maybe I can help…" He pressed.

"I promise I'll tell you…but later. I…I just want to be alone for a while okay?" She pushed.

He turned around to face his younger sibling. She had so much misery in her eyes. He felt so helpless. He didn't know what to do. He felt that if he pressed on further, he'd cause her to break down or cry. "Promise?" was all he could say.

"I promise." She managed a weak smile.

"Okay." He said somewhat unsure, "I'm not going anywhere, so I'll be here if you need anything."

"Thank you, Onii-chan." She hugged him. She didn't like keeping things from her brother, but this was a different story. She felt as if she needed to go about this on her own. You can't keep running to your brother every time you have a problem…he can't be there all the time… she thought sadly.

Taichi hugged her back patting the back of her head before leaving the room.

Closing her door, she sat on her bed and picked up a small snapshot of her and Takeru on her 16th birthday.

I can't lose you…she cried silently, But I don't know what to do… she felt so helpless.

She looked around her room and noticed all the pictures of Takeru and hardly any of her present boyfriend. In fact, there were a scarce number of pictures of Tomoko.

~*~*~

Tailmon leaped from one balcony to another before reaching her destination: the Yagami's. She jumped off the railing and gently scratched on the glass.

Taichi noticing the slight scratching approached the balcony door. He saw the little digimon and graciously opened the door for her.

"You might want to refrain form entering Hikari's bedroom, Tailmon." Taichi warned.

"What's wrong with Kari?" She asked with concern.

"Teenage angst, I think." Taichi shrugged making his way back to the couch.

Tailmon, however, was more concerned. She decided to venture to Hikari's room despite Taichi's warning.

"I warned you." He called back from the couch.

Tailmon didn't listen and walked in anyway.

"I asked you nicely Tai…" Hikari grumbled from her bed.

"It's me Kari." Tailmon called from the doorframe.

"Oh, I'm sorry Tailmon." Hikari apologized.

"Is it alright to come in?" Tailmon asked politely.

Hikari sat up from her bed and put the picture frame she was gazing at aside. "Sure…" she looked as if she was crying.

Tailmon bounced from the floor and launched herself onto Hikari's lap. "You don't look too good." She observed the blotchiness of her eyes.

"Good diagnostic." Hikari giggled a little at her sarcasm.

"What happened Hikari? Wait, I know it was that jerk Tomoko wasn't it?" Tailmon growled, "Don't worry, I'll skin him on your call." She grinned evilly flexing her razor claws.

"Tactful as always, I see." Hikari giggled at her digimon partner. "It's not that." She sighed

"Oh..." Tailmon retracted her claws, "Can I skin him anyways?"

"No!" Hikari laughed.

"Okay." She purred regretfully. "So what's bothering you Hikari?"

"It's…complicated." Hikari sighed.

"How so? Maybe I can help." Tailmon tilted her head up to look at her partner.

Hikari was silent for a second, consumed in thought.

"Hikari? You still there?" Tailmon bounced a little trying to catch her attention.

"Tailmon, tell me again why I chose Tomoko…" Hikari mindlessly spoke. She was staring across the room at her vanity mirror.

Tailmon looked up at her and followed her gaze towards the mirror. She saw the look of concentration on her human friends' face. "I don't know. I'm not exactly president of his fanclub." She shrugged. "What's the matter? Trouble in paradise?" Tailmon deadpanned.

"There was never a paradise." Hikari whispered regretfully looking away. Looking at herself in the mirror disgusted her. She knew she was living a lie.

"Huh? Hikari, if you're not happy with him, then why do you continue to act like you are?" Tailmon tugged on the hem of Hikari's shirt.

"That's what Takeru said." She murmured softly.

"Did you give him an answer?" Tailmon pressed.

"No." Hikari sighed.

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't have a straight answer." Hikari huffed and fell back on her bed beside the gold rimmed frame.

Tailmon hopped off her lap and onto her bed. She picked up the frame and examined it. It was a picture of Hikari and Takeru. It was her 16th birthday and she was propped on his back piggy-back style with her arms around his neck, eyes closed and a huge smile on her face. Takeru was slightly slouched forward with a bright smile all his own, but his eyes were focused on her rather than the camera.

"He said he loved me." Hikari turned her head slightly looking at another picture of Takeru on her night table.

"He said that?" Tailmon took her eyes of the picture and looked at Hikari; eyes somewhat twinkling.

"Well, he was about to, but I didn't give him a chance to say anything. I just ran away. I didn't want to hear him say it." She sniffed a little trying to refrain from crying again.

"Why not?" Tailmon exclaimed.

"It's complicated…" Hikari sniffled again.

"You already said that." Tailmon narrowed her eyes. "So tell me why?"

Hikari took a deep breathe, she could feel herself begin to tear again. "I already have a boyfriend, Tailmon!" she whimpered.

"You do? Oh right, what's-his-face." She added dully. "I don't get why you're the only person that doesn't see it about him." She rolled her eyes.

"He has his good sides, Tailmon." Hikari wasn't quite sure what she'd use to back that up.

"Besides what he thinks is the right side of his face, give me one." She deadpanned.

Hikari knew this was coming. She paused briefly. "…well, you have to get to know him…"

"Is that the best you can come up with?" Tailmon placed her paws on her hips.

"You're not helping." Hikari whined.

"Fine, but I still don't see a problem. You have a great guy like Takeru who's obviously in love with you *cough* not to mention the obvious choice *cough* *cough* and that, other guy" she cringed thinking about Tomoko; and she even refused to use his name. He'd caused Hikari too many problems and tears for her to approve of him. Not to mention his narcissistic side that just bothered her.

Hikari eyed her digimon coolly, "It's not that easy."

"What's not that easy?" Tailmon shrugged.

"Tailmon, please!" Hikari bellowed.

"Alright, but I still think your answer to this problem is as clear as day." She shrugged again.

Hikari sighed and buried her head in the pillow.

Tailmon bit her lip. She knew this was a touchy subject for her best friend and she wasn't helping at all. "I'm sorry Hikari, I know this is really hard for you, but, I still stand by my answer. Just look at yourself from the inside. Take a good hard look at your current relationship and you judge for yourself." She said and jumped off the bed leaving her room.

Hikari thought about that for a while. She examined her relationships with Tomoko and her best (human) friend.

"Tailmon…" she whimpered from the cushions of her pillow.

"Yeah." She stopped at the frame of the door and turned around.

"I…I just don't want to lose him…" her voice shook slightly and Tailmon knew she was about to cry.

A worried look came over her face and she did the first thing that came to her mind. "Taichi, I think you better come here." She called for Hikari's brother and ran back over to Hikari who didn't seem like she disagreed. Hikari shook slightly on her bed indicating that she was already at the preliminary stage of bawling.

"Yeah?" Taichi walked briefly into the room. He noticed the slight whimpers coming from Hikari and ran over to her bedside. "Kari? What's the matter?" He nudged her gently. Hikari responded by throwing her arms around his waist crying out loud.

"Tailmon, what happened here?" Taichi put a protective hand around his little sister.

"I'll explain later, but I think she just needs a shoulder to cry on." Tailmon proceeded in patting Hikari's back.

Taichi nodded and embraced his sister tightly.

to be continued…

*********

Boy, what a sad day for all…I feel a little evil putting them through all this…well, they gotta work for their money! er…happiness. J

~Cracker