[fanfic] Digimon Adventure 02: Fireflies: Chapter 13

[higuchimon]

Story Title: Fireflies
Word Count: chapter: 2,979||story: 38,163

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It sure is good to have everyone here. I'm glad the nurses haven’t been giving them a hard time about all being in here at the same time. Maybe it had something to do with us being the Chosen, or with Ken being so famous. I dunno, I just know that I'm glad they're here. Even if I have to go back to school tomorrow, being here and now with them makes up for it.

Of course Ken bringing in something decent to eat wouldn't hurt either. I hope he hurries back, before I start thinking about nibbling on whatever's handy. This sheet doesn't look all that bad, now that I think about it, and if I squint and turn my head, the pillow sort of looks like a big marshmallow.

“So what have you been doing other than nothing?” Takeru asks, looking more than a little curious. I wish that Ken hadn’t mentioned our date in front of them. I’d wanted to reserve that information for myself, at least where Takeru is concerned. Oh, well, it’s not so bad. No one did anything like ‘you can’t possibly date her!’. So maybe they already knew. Hikari could’ve told them, and probably did.

“Being bored out of my skull. I don't ever want to have to spend a whole day sitting here without anything to do!” I could at least have something to write with or read or something. I don't read the same way Takeru or Ken do, but at least it would be something to keep my brain occupied. The television isn’t cutting it at all.

“I wish I'd been able to leave you your D-Terminal,” Hikari apologizes, putting it on the table near me. “But I did kind of need it today.”

I just shrug; she needed it more than I did, after all. I’m not even sure if they would have let me keep it, much less use it, while I’ve been here. “Hey, no problem. Who was I going to e-mail, anyway?” Just about everyone I could would be in school or at work anyway, and Koushirou hasn't finished installing the Internet surfing upgrades. Not to mention that what I've wanted to do all day is be outside. Can't do that with a D-Terminal, even with some of the new graphics programs Koushirou and Miyako have been working on getting there.

“Anything fun happen at school while I wasn't there to watch it?” Geez, this is why I don't like to visit people in hospitals myself. What can you really talk about? It was different with Ken; we can talk about anything and everything. It was even different with Jun; she and Shuu kept on teasing me about my date. But with everyone else, sometimes I just can’t think of what to talk about, and babbling is all that happens.

I did find out how they knew: Yamato, the sneak. He called her up to ask what kind of things I like eating. At least he's taking my request to make things for the date seriously. I know some guys who would've thought I was joking and would've ignored me. The jerks. I’m still willing to shop for anything he might need if he wants me to. Though it might take me a bit longer than I thought at first to find anything, at least for the first day or so, until all this stiffness gets out of me.

I bet Yamato called up Taichi too, so he could find out what Hikari likes. This is going to be one awesome date. All we have to do is live through the week leading up to it. The chances on that looked better before I ended up in the hospital, though. I know we can still make it. It’s just going to be one of the more interesting weeks we’ve ever had.

“Nothing but the usual stuff.” Takeru says as he leans against the wall where we can still see each other, Patamon perched on his shoulder. I bet he won't be able to do that much longer. The little guy's getting stronger and stronger, and pretty soon he'll be Angemon all the time. It'll be a lot of fun to see how Takeru deals with that. “So, I hear you and Hikari have a date this weekend?”

I really wonder if it was Hikari who told him first or did he find out just now when Ken said something. He doesn’t look surprised enough for it to be recent information, so Hikari has to have done it.

“Yup. We're going to have dinner in the Digital World, then go for a walk.” I try not to sound too smug. I don't know how successful I am. No one's rolling their eyes, so I must've managed it pretty well. Good for me! I should practice this more often. I hope I can have things to be smug about but not look smug about more often.

Hikari looks a little bit amused, and I wonder why. Is it because of me? Or because of something else? “What time are you going to show up, Daisuke? I need to know when to be ready.”

Oops. I hadn't thought about that. I’m pretty sure I look surprised, too. It’s hard to be certain, since the mirror is set off to the side where I can’t see myself at the moment. “Um...” Come to think of it, Yamato will probably need to know too, so he knows when to get ready. Why didn't I think about this last night? Why didn’t he ask me about it last night? Sometimes I wonder about me and my friends. There's got to be a good time for it. When would be a good dinner time? Yeah! I got it! “Seven o'clock good for you?” Not too late, not too early, it's about when we normally eat at our place anyway. It should do perfectly.

She seems to think about it for a couple of minutes, then nods, a cute little grin appearing. “All right. I’ll be ready.”

Miyako leans over to tap Takeru on the shoulder right about then, and she looks pretty happy about something herself. “Did you tell them about our date?” Huh? What the heck? When did this happen? Why wasn't I told? Why does all the really fun stuff happen when I'm not there to know about it? How dare it happen without me knowing about it right then! That’s against the rules! It’s not allowed!

On the other hand, the chance to see Takeru looking about as red as a beet doesn't happen every day. So this isn't all bad. I lean over and poke at Takeru myself, or at least wave a finger in his general direction. “So when did this happen? What are you to going to be doing?” I know I'm being rude, and I'm fine with that. They shouldn't be teasing me while I'm in the hospital, right? I’m fully within my rights, and they know it.

“Last night.” Takeru just blushes even more, and throws a quick glance to Hikari. I wonder what that's about. I'll have to ask her sometime when I’m not in here and when everyone else isn’t here too. “And we're just going out to the movies and probably something to eat somewhere. There’s a pretty good restaurant, the Emerald Dragon, downtown that I’ve heard some good things about.”

Yeah, that sounds about right for Takeru. “Don't do anything I wouldn't do!” I have to tease him. It's part of my job as his friend.

“When is it?” Iori asks in his quiet voice. I'd almost forget he was here, if he didn't speak up every and then. He can be like that sometimes. I've learned to listen when he does talk, though. He's threatened to smack me on the head a couple of times if I don't. I think he'd do it, too. He wouldn't have a few years ago, but that was a few years ago. I’m glad that he’s back from that retreat with his grandfather. He looked like he could use the break before they left. But he looks a lot happier now, and more rested.

“Saturday night,” Miyako looks pretty happy about the whole thing too. I kind of wonder just how long she's been waiting for this. And I wonder who asked who. Maybe I'll find out.

“So, it looks like everyone's gonna be having some fun Saturday night, then,” I declare as happily as I can. This is just getting better and better. Who knew this weekend was going to be so cool?

Takeru just looks at me like I'm a bit on the weird side. I got used to that look a long time ago, though. “What are you talking about?” Oh, he can't have missed it. It's just so obvious. But I'll point it out. It's one of those friend-duties.

“Me and Hikari, you and Miyako, and Ken and someone all have a date on Saturday night. I mean, it's not going to be all in the same place and probably not the same time, but we're still all going to be dating that night. I don't think it's ever happened before.”

Iori laughs a little, and shakes his head. What did I say that was so funny? “I'm sure that other people have had dates on the same night before, Daisuke.”

“Yeah, spoil my fun, why don't you?” I don't care if I'm pouting. I have a right to pout. It's just one of the cooler things I can remember happening, and he's wanting to spoil it with logic. Logic. Bah. Who needs logic?

Well, Ken probably does. He likes that kind of thing. And I guess Jyou does, since it would help in doctor stuff. Looks like Iori does too. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. I'm just going to enjoy all six of us, whoever that sixth person is that Ken is dating, having fun on the same night.

In fact, that's really what I should be thinking about, how to find out who Ken is dating. Let's get down to some questions. “So, does anyone know who Ken's been seeing? I know you heard what he was saying before he left.”

“I don't.” Hikari is the first one to reply, and she looks almost as confused as I am. “I didn't have any idea he was seeing anyone.”

“Neither did I.” Miyako isn't quite pouting, but it's the next thing to it. “Why didn't he say something?”

“You know Ken.” I wave it off a little. As curious as I am, the more I think about it, the more I don't want him to just tell us. That wouldn't be any fun at all. We're going to have to figure it out on our own, even if that means not knowing who it is until he does tell us. And he will, I know he will.

But I'd still rather find out for myself first. It would just be so much cooler that way. What else are best friends for, if not to skulk around and find out secrets? That’s our job, if our friends won’t tell us what we need to know. It’s not as if I hid it from him when I asked Hikari out! But he’s kept it from me that he even liked someone, much less that he was dating someone! Maybe I should remind him what it means to be a best friend. He seems to have lost his manual.

“Well, if we really want to try to find out, anyone up for stalking around his apartment building?” Miyako looks ready to take up her own suggestion right then and there. I'm all for skulking around, and I think this just might be the right way to start. We could always tell Ken that we got word of an evil Digimon invasion and were trying to look out for him. He might even believe it, if Hikari or Takeru told him. I wonder how hard it would be to convince them. I'll have to think about it.

Speaking of convincing Ken of things, how long is it going to take him to convince people to sell him food things and bring them back here? If he had to, he could smuggle them in with Stingmon, couldn't he? I know I could with XV-mon, so he has to be able to. It wouldn’t be that hard. They could just hover outside the window and hold the stuff while he comes back inside to my room and gets it from them. So what is taking him so long? Where's the food? If he waits too much longer, they’re going to bring around that hospital ick and make me eat it! I don’t think I could stomach it once more. Once, for lunch, was enough. Honestly, it was really too much. I don’t want to think about what they gave me. Anything Ken brings is going to be an improvement.

I hope nothing's happened to him. If today is any kind of clue as to what is going to be going on for the rest of the week up until our date, I don't know if I can take it. I don't want all of us winding up in the hospital for who knows what kind of accidents. I really don't want to find out who Ken's date is by checking to see who comes to see him there if something happened to him. If there’s a chance I can see who they are at the concert, then that’s the chance I want to take.

I'd better keep my mind on other things or I'm going to start freaking out. Luckily, I know just what to start pestering someone about. “So, Takeru, you and Miyako have a date? Whose bright idea was that?” Ah, the fun things a friend can get away with.

“Well, if you have to know, it was Hikari's,” he tells me. Huh. I hadn't thought of her as the matchmaker type. I guess anything is possible. I should know that. I, really, of all people, should know that.

“What made you think of them getting together, anyway?” I have to know these things. I'm not nosy. It's my job as a friend. Really. Who wouldn't believe me? Aren’t I right?

She looks a little antsy on that one. Maybe I shouldn't press her for it. Now that I think about it a little, I don't really have to know everything about them. That doesn't mean I don't want to know, I just don't have to. “I just thought they'd be able to have a date together without killing each other or being bored to death.”

Yeah, I can see that. Hikari's just that kind of person. One of them probably called her up and was going on about being lonely and she suggested the other one for a date. What a girl. This is one of the reasons I like her so much. She always thinks about other people more than she does about herself. She’ll work herself into an early grave doing that one of these days.

I’ll have to see if I can get her to stop and think a little about herself sometime. Just enough so she can get some rest and have some fun. I think Miyako’s tried before, so it is possible. She just needs to be reminded about it every now and then. I guess this is a ‘now’. Or would it be a ‘then’? It’s hard to say, and I can’t really seem to bring myself to think about it a whole lot. As it happens, I’m not really thinking about a whole lot of things. It’s just too hard to think right now. I know it’s not what I’m best at, but I can usually manage to do it. But not now.

Oh, great. This isn't what I wanted. I'm starting to get tired, and I might miss Ken and the food when they come back! I don't want to miss the food. I don't want to miss Ken, either. But Ken will be around longer than the food will. If I don't eat it when it gets here, then some of the people around this hospital might find out that it's here and either take it for themselves or throw it away. Probably take it for themselves and eat it at lunch. It's what I'd do. I think. I don’t want to believe that I’d steal a good lunch from someone stuck in a hospital, unless they’d die if they ate it. I’m not in danger of death from eating a decent batch of food, though. I think they just want me to suffer, since I didn’t get too badly blown up in the explosion. I might be wrong, but that’s what’s happening anyway.

Of course I could just be overreacting because I’m hungry and hospital food is a punishment in and of itself, no matter what kind of accident or being sick sends you here.

“Wake me up when Ken gets back?” I ask Hikari. She just smiles and nods some. I know I can trust her. Now if I can just trust Ken to get back here with the food before too long, everything will be fine.

At least sleeping will make the time go by a little quicker until then. I wish I could stay awake long enough to talk to everyone else some more, but I’m just too tired right now. We can all talk to each other once I’m out here anyway. It won’t be all that long. Until then, what I need is a really good nap. So that’s what I’m going to take.

To Be Continued