Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Envy ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ A - All Readers ]

My 2nd Digimon fic and Daikari. I really meant for this to be longer, but this is the end result. The end is a bit rushed, but this story is still better than my first.
*
Dreams. Haunting dreams of Takeru and Hikari as boyfriend and girlfriend, Hikari laughing at him.
They were awful, and thankfully not real. There was still a chance that Hikari felt the same way he did for her. Still a chance, however small it was.
But it seemed that he could never do the right thing in front of her. Acting like a jerk, playing basketball rotten, saying the wrong thing, he could list them all. What he wanted to say was clear in his mind, but it came out different.
And whenever he tried to ask her out, he would be interrupted in some way or another. Ooh, he was angry. Someone up there must really hate him.
This wasn't just a silly crush, like 3rd grade...he didn't want to think about that. He was damn sure his feelings were real and would last forever and beyond. No Takeru Takaishi could get in his way.
School today was of entire normalcy. After school soccer practice wasn't.
For a certain Yagami Hikari was watching him. Alone. Looking interested. No Takeru Takaishi watched by her side. His heart leaped with joy, only to eye, with extreme dislike, his "rival in love" walk up to her.
He was blushing bright red, hands behind his back. This was unusual. He wished he had a camera with him. If he did, many picures of a blushing Takeru would have resulted, perfect for blackmail.
He, with extreme desire, wished to know what they were saying. And then it hit him. Takaishi Takeru was asking his Yagami Hikari out! This was just another nightmare! Just another nightmare! Just another-
BAM!
Why wasn't he waking up? He was still here, even though a soccer ball had hit him in the face. His face, red from both the ball and humiliation, hurt like hell! And yet he was still here, his Hikari looking torn between amusement and concern, Takeru with an identical expression.
A scowl plastered itself on the soccer player's face. For now Hikari thought him a dunce at soccer too, and idiotic.
He wanted to scream.
*
The name Takaishi Hikari seemed to be a growing possibility the longer he thought about it. It didn't sound right to him. Now, Motomiya Hikari sounded good. But the chances of it were slim.
"Daisuke? Hello?"
His sister Jun's face was right in front of his, looking concerned.
"Oh, Jun. What do you want?" His tone was irritable and mood bad. After all, Hikari was most likely on a date with Takeru at the moment.
"You seemed sad lately. Something happen?"
"Why would you care? It's none of your business, Jun. Get out and leave me alone."
"Fine, fine, Grumpy."
She slammed the door shut, and he was left alone his world of misery. But it didn't matter. His world was usually miserable anyway. And he was always alone.
*
Liquid sunlight flooded through Daisuke's bedroom window, illuminating the room with a golden glow. Golden as his room was, he was not in a golden mood. For he had just lost the Hikari war. The war that had lasted since 5th grade, when Takeru had arrived. The war that had ended, now, 2 years since its beginning.
Why did he have all the rotten luck?
He was here first. Well, here in Odaiba, anyway. Takeru had already known Hikari during 2nd grade, in the digiworld. Daisuke hadn't entered the picture until 4th grade, when he'd moved here. And it had been great.
Hikari had always attended his numerous soccer games, listened, cheered him up when he was sad (which was almost never), and actually paid him some attention! But with her old friend around, those things didn't happen anymore. And now she'd have even less time for Daisuke.
The other digidestined hadn't helped at all. Miyako was happy for them, Iori was his usual self, and the older Chosen had all congratulated them. Daisuke merely fumed silently, for he was afraid of what else he would've done.
The worst thing was that he'd been there, too. A witness, of a blushing Takeru asking Hikari out. Any mental pictures he'd taken had been ripped to shreds and deposited in a trash can. If only he'd kicked a soccer ball at Takeru's head. Or asked Hikari out first.
Well, he had come pretty damn close to that, but interruptions always made an appearance. It seemed like Murphy's Law was applied especially to his life. His rotten, sad, life, filled with disappointment and failure and envy and tragedy...well, not tragedy. But his life was still rotten, tragedy or no tragedy.
Daisuke wanted to change that.
But how? His life was his life, and he was Motomiya Daisuke, not Takeru Takaishi. Takeru surely had a better life. He was smarter, more popular, the girls liked him better, he was good at basketball...and he was nice. That was the basis of all his success. Kindness.
Sickly sweet kindness that Daisuke would never manage. The thought repulsed his mind, and he pushed it away. Kindness was a definite no. He'd have to try something else.
"Daisuke! Do you want to be late for school again?!"
*
Snowflakes are unique. No two snowflakes are alike. Daisuke was wondering how that could be possible when millions were drifting to the snow-covered ground. Since it was snowing so heavily, there wasn't any school today. And Daisuke was silently rejoicing.
He hadn't fully recovered from the psychological wound yet, but he was feeling a little better. Ever since the pair's status became boyfriend and girlfriend, Daisuke had avoided the couple as much as possible. And he never said anything.
They looked pretty much the same as always, but Daisuke saw an invisible smirk in Takeru's smile. Or else it was just his imagination. But however smug Takeru's smile was, Daisuke's infatuation with Hikari remained. The only thing he didn't do was flirt with her, and the only thing he'd lost other than Hikari was his hope.
DING-DONG!
"I'll get it!"
Daisuke raced to the door, thinking it was one of his friends. It turned out to be his worst fear. And the nerve! His arm was around her, and she was wearing his dumb hat. Both were covered in freshly-fallen snow. Takeru and Hikari. Instead of what he itched to do, which was pummel Takeru into a bloody pulp, Daisuke muttered "hello."
Hikari brushed some snow off herself and spoke. "How'd you like to see a movie with us? The theater isn't far."
"If you guys are going to kiss, no." The words slipped out of Daisuke's mouth, but he didn't really care anymore.
Hikari laughed. "No, of course not. We just thought you might be lonely today."
"Fine, then. Let's go." Daisuke grabbed a coat and walked out the door. The snow was still falling, landing in his hair and on his clothes. He stopped to enjoy it for awhile, not noticing that Takeru and Hikari were already walking away.
"Hey, wait for me!"
*
Hikari was perfectly still, eyes glued to the screen. Takeru was perfectly still, eyes glued to the screen. Daisuke was perfectly still, eyes glued to Hikari.
She didn't look very different from 3 years ago, when he'd first met her. Hikari's features were pretty much the same, she just looked older, since she was. Daisuke could still remember that first day of 4th grade.
The details were crystal clear in his mind, it was almost like yesterday. Yesterday. If only it was yesterday. Then he'd be happy, Hikari would pay him more attention, and best of all, her new idiot boyfriend simply wouldn't be here!
But it wasn't yesterday. It was 3 years ago, just a week after Daisuke had moved from Tomoeda to Odaiba, since his father had gotten a new job. He'd been pretty glad to move, because of the numerous enemies he'd left behind. And the numerous bad memories.
Even if he didn't have enemies, he didn't have friends either. And there wasn't one friendly face in the room-well, actually, everyone was too busy talking about what they did over summer vacation. So Daisuke decided to find his seat. It was in the smack middle of the room, next to a girl.
Well, his neighbor should be a girl, since the nametag read "Yagami Hikari", and Hikari was a definite girl's name. Daisuke sighed, and sat down.
"Hey Hikari!"
"Hi Tamako."
She was slightly pretty, with short brown hair, and reddish brown eyes. A pink clip held back hair from her face, and she was currently wearing a pink T-shirt, blue jeans, and a camera around her neck. Daisuke assumed this was Hikari, who sat down next to him and smiled.
"Hi, are you new here?"
After some time, Daisuke made other friends, and some enemies, but Hikari was his first and truly special. Some of his friends would call Hikari his "girlfriend". Daisuke would retort by saying she was his best friend, and a girl. They'd then say she was his "best girlfriend". He'd then roll his eyes in mock annoyance.
But then their comments started to get to him. Daisuke began to spend less and less time with his friend, until the only times he saw her was in class. Finally, during the summer before 5th grade, she confronted him. He told all. She told all. Their friendship was renewed. And then she went on a holiday to Hawaii.
It was during this time that Daisuke's crush developed. So when 5th grade began, he'd already started thinking of her as his girl. Problems arose. For Takeru Takaishi was a new student in their class. And then it seemed like 4th grade had never happened. Hikari was never paying attention to him, not going to his soccer games if there was also a basketball game, doing everything with Takeru, etc. etc.
The Hikari War had began. And now he had lost, and was currently in a movie theater with Hikari and the person he hated the most.
A pink-gloved hand waved in front of his face. He blinked.
"Hey, Daisuke, the movie's over."
"Huh? Oh! Sorry!" Daisuke scrambled out of his seat and out of the theater, Takeru and Hikari chuckling good-naturedly.
*
After coming home from the movie theater, Daisuke felt like locking himself in his room forever, and never going outside again. He'd failed. He'd made himself look stupid, Takeru was still Hikari's idiot boyfriend, alive and healthy, and not the bloody pulp Daisuke wanted him to be.
"What's wrong?" Chibimon asked.
"Nothing. Leave me alone." Daisuke turned away.
"Whatever you say, Daisuke." Chibimon then went back to sleep. But Daisuke stayed awake for a long time before falling asleep, lingering on how stupid he'd been.
*
Daisuke woke early the next morning, disappointed. He'd had such a wonderful dream. Dreams had always been his passport to happiness. Last night had been no exception. Takeru Takaishi did not exist. And Hikari was still his best friend. It wasn't totally unrealistic-it was exactly what would've happened if Takeru hadn't moved to Odaiba.
Daisuke lay in bed for a few moments before realizing the date. "Argh! Hikari-chan's birthday! And I haven't gotten her a present yet!"
Daisuke got ready in what must've been record time, and bolted out of thew door, heading for nowhere in particular. He ran for at least 5 minutes before looking around him. All the stores were closed! It was too early. Besides, he needed to rest, so he sat down on a nearby park bench.
"Daisuke! Why are you up so early?" Hikari walked toward Daisuke and sat down next to him.
"I...woke up early."
"That's not the reason. You don't fool me. You just would've gone back to sleep." Hikari leaned closer. "Now, what's the real reason?"
"A girl. It's her birthday today." Daisuke wasn't about to tell the truth and say he forgot her birthday. Then she'd hate him forever.
"It's my birthday today too. I don't know anyone with the same birthday."
"You don't know her. Not very well, at least." A lie.
"Oh. What's she like?"
"She's nice. Never mean. And she's pretty, has a nice smile, and she's always there for me. She never misses one of my soccer games. But lately she's been ignoring me. Her best friend from when she was younger moved to Odaiba. She always goes to his basketball games now and people say they're destiny. I miss her."
"That reminds me of..." Hikari looked at Daisuke, who nodded sadly. "...myself..."
"I think the mall's open now. See you later, Hikari-chan." Daisuke turned to leave.
"Why didn't you tell me, Daisuke?"
Daisuke ignored her and kept walking.
"Daisuke?"
Still, no reply.
"Dai-kun!"
Daisuke stopped, stunned. Why was she using her old nickname for him?
"Daisuke, sit down. I don't care if those shorts are new, you're sitting down right now and listening to what I have to say."
Daisuke sat down.
"I don't love Takeru."
"Nani?!"
"Well, I do, but like a brother. He's been like one since we first met."
"Then why are you going out with him?"
"I didn't want to hurt him."
"But you hurt me."
"Because no matter what, I won't lose you."
"Then who do you really love?"
Hikari paused before answering.
"You."
"But what will you tell Takeru?"
"What I just told you. The truth."
*
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