#noctiswriting

A few hours in, Sora noticed Taichi’s spirits waning, just as he leaned back against his seat by the bus window, looking solemnly at the clouds darkening in the sky.

“I hope the weather isn’t bringing you down,” Sora said. “Who knows - it might clear up by the time we get there.”

“It’s not that, Sora,” he said. “I was just thinking about how everyone else couldn’t make it.”

Sora let out a laugh mixed with a scoff. “Thanks to somebody’s last minute plans.”

“Hey - it couldn’t be helped, alright? It got really busy for a while there at uni.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And… busy for everyone else, as usual.” Taichi’s tone was less defensive here, and he sighed and leaned further back into his chair. “Despite my screw-up… you’d think that with summer coming and the schools taking a break, a trip like this would actually get everyone together to go. I mean, it was hard to rally the group whenever there were those disturbances from the Digital World…”

Sora stared. “Some of us had our reasons…”

“Right. And I get it, but…”

“I understand, Taichi. You miss everyone being together, like when we were kids.”

“Yeah. But hey,” Taichi turned to her. “I’m glad you were able to show up.”

He flashed Sora a warm smile, and the warmth must have caught on to her cheeks. 

“So am I,” she said, trying to hide her reaction by smiling back, and then she darted her eyes from his gaze and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. She felt happy seeing the joy on Taichi’s face, and happy that she was going to spend the weekend with her best friend.

But Taichi’s smile made her heart flutter. There were feelings she had for him, feelings that she was able to distract herself from as they spent their young adult lives pursuing their respective dreams. These feelings were easy to hide away, but not easy to forget.

Taichi turned back to look at the window, and Sora turned to look at him again, finding herself caught by surprise at how quickly those feelings returned, even after hiding them away for so long.

Lightning flashed. Sora heard a gasp from Taichi as they both looked out the darkened bus window together. As the thunder boomed shortly after, Sora felt the rumble around her seat. The pending weather was usually something she loved, but she wondered if Taichi thought differently. She tried to read Taichi’s face as he looked out the window, and she hoped that he wasn’t going to let the sky dampen his mood even more than it already seemed to be.

Then he turned to look at her again.

“Hey, Sora,” he said. “You say you love thunder showers…”

Sora smiled and saw that he was eagerly awaiting her response.

“So, what’s a few raindrops between friends?” she asked in reply.

Daisuke and Takeru enter their apartment and head to their room.

Daisuke: *stretches arms out* Man, what a night.

Takeru: *yawns* Yeah. I'm glad that secret is finally out in the open.

Daisuke: I'm really happy for them.

Takeru: Yeah, me, too.

*share a smile*

Daisuke: You taking the bathroom first?

Takeru: Nah, you can go first.

Daisuke goes into the bathroom, and a thought passes through where he wonders why Takeru didn't walk straight into the bathroom as he typically does. The thought quickly disappears as he washes up, yawns more. He walks towards his bed and it's Takeru's turn for the bathroom.

Daisuke takes his shirt off and throws it onto the top of his bed, which makes an odd creaking noise. He thinks nothing of it, and approaches his bed to lay down and turn in.

Except, as soon as he sits down, the creaking continues, and Daisuke feels the frame giving way. Quickly, he jumps up and out of the way before the bed frame breaks before him.

Takeru flies out of the bathroom.

Takeru: What happened?!

Daisuke: I have no idea!!!

Takeru: Are you alright?

Daisuke: I don't know! I almost died on my own bed! Does it look like I'm alright?!

Takeru: *Pauses and grimaces at Daisuke* Are you injured anywhere?

Daisuke: Maybe my pride, but at least no one else saw-!

Takeru: Daisuke, seriously-

Daisuke: Fine, fine. I'm alright! I guess I'll need a new bed but I'll figure it out tomorrow. I can sleep on the couch.

Takeru returns to the bathroom and Daisuke heads into the living room, finding that Mimi is sleeping there already.

Daisuke: I can't sleep there. Mimi's there, for some reason.

Takeru: Why is she sleeping here?

Daisuke: Beats me. You'd think she'd be taking the couch at Taichi and Koushiro's place.

Daisuke sighs and begins to sit on his bed but quickly stumbles back up.

Takeru: *laughs* You can sit on my bed, if you want.

Daisuke: *groans* So much for sleeping in the living room. I guess sleeping on the floor wouldn't hurt.

Takeru: ...You can sleep on my bed, if you want.

Daisuke: *stare*

Takeru: *stare*

Daisuke: And where would you sleep? The floor?

Takeru: There's room for the both of us.

Daisuke: Really?

Takeru: Really! *looks to his bed, hesitating* Well, you know, on second thought. Maybe you can take the bed. I can sleep on the floor.

Daisuke: Wait, what? Don't feel like you have to take responsibility for this. You didn't break my bed. And why are you being weird?

Daisuke is confused at Takeru's face turning pink.

Daisuke: I'm cool with sleeping with you- I mean. Next to you.

Takeru: Alright, then. Cool.

Daisuke: Cool.

Takeru: Cool.

Daisuke: Cool.

~*~*~*~*~

"What's eating you, Yamato?"

Yamato blinked his thoughts away to reveal a curious-eyed Taichi sitting across the table from him.

"Final exams are about to start, right?" asked Jou, who sat beside Yamato.

"Yeah," said Taichi. "I can't wait until they're over."

The three young men each had an open bottle of beer and empty plates of food they had just finished eating. They had slouched back into their respective chairs and Yamato knew that the two felt just as full as he did.

Yamato had invited Taichi out to celebrate the announcement of his internship, and he had asked Jou to come along, too. He figured that it would also be a break from their daily grind of school assignments and other projects.

Although, contrary to Jou's suggestion, Yamato had not been thinking about his final projects or the big presentation he had been preparing for. In reality, he had been thinking about a big secret - the one that Koushiro and Hikari had been keeping, and that Mimi hardly contained the moment she stepped through his door on the day she found out.

"KoushiroandHikariaredatingandTaichihasnoidea," she had spilled out in a single breath.

Yamato wasn't as close to Hikari, but he understood why she and Koushiro kept this from Taichi. And, knowing Koushiro, who kept his relationship endeavors to himself, Yamato figured that Koushiro wouldn't tell Taichi about Hikari right away out of his respect for her.

Still, the discovery was intriguing for Yamato to think about, even if it distracted from hanging out with the clueless older brother.

"Things are going great, though!" Taichi said. "Once this term is done, It won't be long until Sora's lease is up at her apartment. We've been talking about finding a place together."

"Wow, that's great!" Jou said.

"That means you'll be moving out from Koushiro's apartment," Yamato observed.

"Yeah." Taichi's smile appeared to wane from the comment. "He'll be cool with it, right? I mean, I haven't been there lately and I'm always at Sora's place. It's like I practically live with her."

"So, you haven't told him, yet?" Jou asked.

"Not yet. I'm not sure how he'll react. But, he's my best friend and we've talked to each other about all sorts of things, even if either of us think it's hard to talk about."

The table fell silent. Taichi fell into a contemplative state while Jou eyed him with a small frown. Meanwhile, Yamato took in the conversation, finding irony in the grander scheme. Jou couldn't have known what Yamato and everyone else had known; otherwise, his facial expression and body language would not have appeared as relaxed.

Yamato took a swig of his beer and set the bottle down.

"You really need to talk to Koushiro," Yamato said.

"I know," Taichi droned with a sigh.

"No, Taichi. You really need to talk to him. I know you are at least responsible enough not to wait until the moment you move out. You two are better friends than that."

"You're right. Like, Kou wouldn't wake me up one day and announce that he's getting married and he needed me to be the Best Man."

Yamato pressed his lips together.

"Where… did you get that idea?" Jou asked, appalled.

Taichi burst into laughter. "Relax, I was joking! He never tells me anything about his love life, but I don't see him pulling something like that on me."

At that moment, the sound of ringing surrounded the table. The three of them took out their phones in unison.

"Oh, Hikari," Taichi said, and Yamato viewed the same name on the group chat message on his screen.

.

Hikari: I'm free from today's exam. Anyone Home?

Takeru: we're all here, come on over.

Miyako: Even the girls are all here! Hurry up!

Koushiro: I'll be over in a few.

.

At that moment, Yamato had an idea.

"Now's your chance, Taichi."

"Hmm?"

"You have your mind set and you know you won't change your decision. It's better for him to find out sooner rather than later."

"I agree, Yamato," said Jou. "Why not nip this in the bud now? That way, you wouldn't feel like you were keeping something from him."

"You're right," said Taichi. "You both are."

They waited until the hostess arrived to help with the bill, Jou and Yamato splitting the amount. Then, the three of them walked out and headed to the apartments, and Yamato couldn't help but think that the advice given to Taichi was also beneficial for Koushiro, and even for Hikari to hear. As the three of them left the restaurant, Yamato typed out a text to Mimi only and hit "Send":

Yamato: We're heading over there now. Do. Not. Tell. Anyone.

~*~*~*~*~

Mimi squealed as she read Yamato's text. She had been roaming around the boys' apartment, chatting and talking animatedly about her day that she did not realize that Yamato had sent her a message. Twenty minutes before she had actually read it.

"What happened, Mimi?" Sora asked.

Mimi froze, feeling Sora's and Miyako's eyes turning to her. She was sitting on the couch of Daisuke's, Ken's, and Takeru's apartment and was suddenly in the center of attention.

"Nothing," she said, more quickly than she realized would raise suspicion. Thankfully, the long strands of her hair fell over her face to hide her horrified expression from them.

Yamato coming over with Jou? And Taichi?! Everyone knew that Koushiro was still in his apartment, and that Hikari was with him. The fact that Yamato didn't want Mimi to say anything only meant one thing: that he intended to expose Koushiro and Hikari's secret.

Mimi knew that Yamato was not going to tell Taichi directly. He was a kind, honest person, and he wanted Taichi to find out for himself. Even if he had to deliberately force Taichi in the right direction.

Uggh! That boy…

"Did Yamato do something?"

"What?" Mimi looked to Sora, who tilted her head to the side, then laughed.

"Your reaction is a lot like mine when Taichi does something."

Mimi realized that she had groaned out loud.

"You're telling me! I just can't believe that Yamato has the nerve to come over-"

"Wait, did you say what I think you said?" Takeru asked from the kitchen. "Yamato's coming over?"

"No way!" Daisuke said. "Is he bringing Jou and Taichi with him?"

"Wait, what?!" Miyako cried, standing up from the couch.

Sora rose from her spot immediately. "Mimi. Do we have time to tell Koushiro?"

There came a knock at the door. Silence fell among everyone in the apartment as voices came from the other side. Mimi widened her eyes as she looked toward the door that opened from the outside.

"You know, you really didn't have to knock, Jou," said Taichi as he, Jou, and Yamato appeared as the door opened.

Yamato met Mimi's gaze, and she made sure that he noticed her displeasure. He didn't add any words to contribute to Jou and Taichi's banter, and no other words from him were necessary in directing Taichi - he had already done his job by telling Taichi to go here.

"Taichi!" Sora called, the tone in her voice with a note of apprehension. "You didn't tell me you would be here."

"Well, I guess you can call it a surprise, right? Even Jou is here!" Taichi slapped Jou's back before turning around and heading straight toward his apartment.

Sora tried to rush to him, but Mimi knew that she wasn't going to get to him in time. The rest of their friends began to move all at once, although it was as though they were going in slow motion. Daisuke, Takeru, and Ken fumbled with utensils and set them down before they ran out of the kitchen. Miyako followed Mimi as they hurried behind Sora, the first to reach the doorway. Everyone watched with intense anticipation. Yamato and Jou turned to face the door to the other apartment, Yamato watching with silent determination, and Jou with utter confusion.

When Taichi turned the knob and pushed to open the door, Hikari was already standing there to greet him. Mimi caught Hikari quickly running her fingers on the side of her head to flatten her stray tufts of hair, but other than that, Hikari looked as normal as she did when they saw her earlier that day.

"Oh, hey, Hikari," Taichi said. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Sure!" she said with a shrug and a smile. "I figured you were going to show up to your own apartment tonight, so I thought I'd hang out here until you did."

But it took a moment for Taichi to reply - one long, concerning moment that intensified the tension building in the dead silence over the whole group.

"Where's Koushiro?" Taichi demanded suddenly, and Hikari's cheerful expression turned dark.

~*~*~*~*~

One look was all it took for Taichi to figure it out.

Hikari saw it as Taichi stared at her after her greeting. She tried to flatten her hair and straighten her blouse and her skirt, but she knew that her hair wasn't as sleek as it normally was. She forgot to fasten the top button of her wrinkled blouse, and she was sure that the collar was crooked to reveal the strap of her tank top falling off her shoulder.

She had wanted to see Koushiro first before they walked across the hall together, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't resist the temptation to make out with him, his sweet lips on hers, his hands running free all over her. They let themselves get carried away again, carelessly forgetting about the unexpected. The moment they heard voices in the hallway, it took them only so long to fix themselves before they tucked their secret away again.

But as Taichi saw right through her, Hikari knew that she couldn't keep that secret hidden from him for very long.

"Koushiro!" Taichi yelled as he stepped forward, just as Hikari stepped in front of him.

"Taichi, hold on a minute," Hikari said. "Let me explain-"

"Koushiro!" he repeated.

Koushiro appeared from his room, his plain white shirt showing underneath his unbuttoned plaid shirt. His hair still had its spikes but showed signs of disheveling.

"Koushiro, tell me what is going on here?" Taichi's voice was lowered, but he seemed to be restrained.

Hikari glanced at Koushiro who stared back at her, his questioning eyes waiting for her to give him direction. She knew that Taichi needed to hear the truth from Koushiro the most, so she gave him a nod, and she watched as Koushiro took a deep breath.

"Hikari and I have been seeing each other for a few months," Koushiro replied. "I know this might come out of the blue, but we didn't want anyone to make a big deal out of this, and we didn't know how you would react."

Taichi's eyes flashed. "Why would you think I would make a big deal out of this?!" he asked with his voice raising in volume.

"Taichi-" Hikari started, and she saw in the corner of her eye that Sora and Yamato held their palms to their forehead.

""Why didn't you just tell me up front?" Taichi continued. "I can't believe you both have been fooling around behind my back! I don't believe this. My best friend and my sister…"

"None of us knew about them at first, Taichi," Sora said with an exasperated sigh. "You're not the only one they hid this from."

"So, then, if I'm not the first to know, and you all knew, then I must be the last. Geez! What gives?"

"Um, I didn't realize what was going on until Kou's confession to you," said Jou. "So, technically I'm the last to know…"

"Oh."

"Taichi, we aren't just fooling around," said Hikari, feeling guilty from her brother's reaction. But now that Taichi knew about her secret, she knew she had to pour out the rest of her feelings, whether or not it convinced him. So, she walked over to Koushiro's side and took his hand. "I love him."

Hikari's cheeks burned after her reveal, and she felt more vulnerable as Taichi kept his eyes on her. Then, she felt Koushiro's hand grasp hers tighter as he cleared his throat beside her.

"I love her too, Taichi," Koushiro said with confidence, though Hikari turned to see his cheeks tinge with pink.

Taichi stepped back from the two of them, his mouth hanging open in surprise. Everyone that stood behind him watched and waited in suspense. Hikari couldn't tell his reaction, and she gripped Koushiro's hand in anticipation.

Then, Taichi started toward her and Koushiro. Hikari had no idea what he was going to do. Was he going to grab her shoulders and scold her? Was he going to take a swing at Koushiro? She didn't know whether to step back or throw herself in front of Koushiro, but she was too panicked to even move.

But instead, with a jolt, she was pulled in against his chest. The others gasped from afar, but it took a few moments for Hikari to realize what was happening. Taichi had wrapped his arms around Koushiro and Hikari together, holding them together in a tight embrace.

"Taichi…?" Koushiro began. "This is a change…"

"I can't tell if you're still mad or not, Taichi…" Hikari added.

Taichi loosened his arms and the three of them pulled away to face each other.

"I'll be honest, I wish you both told me about this sooner. But, I realized something when you did. Neither of you are going to say things like that lightly. Hikari, when you say that you love someone, I believe it. Koushiro, I trust that you always mean everything you say. And I'm glad you said it to her."

"Taichi…" Hikari's eyes welled up as her brother stared back with a smile. She leapt into his arms to hug him once more.

Taichi laughed as he held them both, and Hikari noted a tone much more cheerful than before. "My best friend… and my sister… I can't believe this!"

"Oh my gosh!" Miyako whispered but loud enough for everyone to hear. "Is he crying?"

"And you aren't?" Mimi asked.

"I'm not," said Jou, who had been dabbing his eyes a few times already.

Sora joined Taichi's side soon after, kissing his cheek before giving Koushiro a hug, and then Hikari. The weight of worry on Hikari's mind lifted the longer she realized that Taichi accepted her choice, and that him finding out about her and Koushiro wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

She felt Koushiro's hand slide around her waist behind her. With a smile, she held Koushiro closer to her, relieved that she no longer had to hide anything from her brother as well as all of their friends before them.

"Say, Taichi," Yamato said as he approached. "Weren't you going to tell Koushiro something?"

"Oh, right," said Taichi. "Koushiro, I've been talking with Sora about moving in together soon."

"You were?" Koushiro said. "That's great!"

"You really think so, Kou?"

"Of course it is!"

"You two were practically living together already, anyway," Hikari said with a giggle. She watched as Taichi laughed, and she noticed that he seemed to be more relaxed, maybe even relieved, than he was a few moments ago.

"Hang on a second," Daisuke chimed in. "If Taichi's leaving, then that means Koushiro will need to find a new roommate."

"I already have someone in mind," said Koushiro. "I was thinking that Hikari should move in with me."

"You were?" Hikari asked in surprise.

"You were?" Taichi added blankly.

"Not right away, of course!" Koushiro said, waving his hands frantically in front of him. "I could use the extra room as a separate office space whenever I work remotely. The idea of her moving in with me might be premature, but it was just an idea…"

"I can't believe you were thinking that far ahead," Hikari said, her heart fluttering.

"But they will be sure to tell you when it happens, right, guys?" Sora said slowly with almost an exaggeration. Both Hikari and Koushiro nodded simultaneously with vigor.

"Ha! I'm sure they will," Taichi said, his expression softened.

As Taichi turned away, Sora waved her hand gestures and facial expressions to Koushiro and Hikari, implying that neither of them should worry about any of Taichi's reactions.

Hikari turned to Koushiro and they shared a smile, followed by a laugh.

"Let's make sure that he's the first to know," Hikari said.

"Deal."

+owari+

I may not be as active but trust me when I say I'm still tinkering with my fics. I hope to share more things soon.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hikari had spent another night with Koushiro. It was never the other way around; Koushiro didn't have a reason to sleep elsewhere that wasn't his own bed. After all, with Taichi frequently staying over at Sora's place, Hikari and Koushiro found it easy to plan their time together around those nights.

She loved to wake up beside him. Sometimes, they took a few hours' nap while he looked over his programming code as she read a textbook for one of her university courses; and when she woke up, she would find him resting his head on her shoulder, his face peaceful while he let his mind rest. Even as the two of them were generally capable of doing things on their own, Hikari loved that Koushiro was comfortable enough to lean on her for support.

And as she woke up that morning, his arms around her while he snoozed softly, she felt safe and warm with him, like she always seemed to feel at a young age whenever Taichi wasn't around.

Hikari lifted herself up to meet Koushiro's lips for a kiss. His eyebrows twitched before he opened his eyes to meet her gaze.

"Good morning," she whispered with a smile.

"Morning," was his sleepy response, but his lips curled upward.

Hikari noticed his spiky red hair all askew, in which her wild hands from the night before had played a part. She did not mind laying with Koushiro in silence for the rest of the morning, but as she slid her hands around his torso and onto his bare back, she contemplated reliving the previous night with him.

Koushiro's hands were moving along her body in response, and she felt tingles as she felt the tips of his fingers trace her skin.

"Kou..." she said. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I'm sure of it," he said, before he returned her kiss, a spark igniting in her. She accepted his kiss, leaning closer to him for more.

A beep sounded on her phone, but kissing him back was more important.

"I thought you turned that off," Koushiro mumbled between kisses.

"It's probably nothing."

Hikari's next kiss was deeper, and she ran on her urge to bring Koushiro's attention to her, and away from her incoming messages. He seemed to follow along, although as he moved even closer, his lips and his touch captivating her, she found herself surprised that she captured his attention more than she had anticipated.

But the sound of the next beep deflated her mood. With a groan, Hikari pulled away from Koushiro and grabbed her phone.

"I'm sorry, this was my fault…" she said, huffing while she tapped through the phone's settings on the screen.

"Hikari, it's okay.." Koushiro assured her.

But the next screen Hikari tapped into gave her pause. A new window popped up, and Hikari let out a gasp, as the text message that appeared was nowhere near assuring.

"The message was from Sora," Hikari said, panic rising in her chest. "She and Taichi will be here in five minutes!"

But as she heard the key turn into the lock, Hikari realized that she ignored her phone for five minutes too long.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Taichi was all smiles from the moment he and Sora left her apartment and through the train ride back to his place. He had checked his email notifications to discover that he had been accepted into an internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo.

He had been so excited that he couldn't stop talking about it all morning. Sora was extremely happy and proud of him and was open to listening to him jabber on for as long as he wanted. But the one thing she wanted to make sure of was that he didn't catch Hikari in his apartment.

"Wait!" said Sora, and Taichi stopped in the middle of turning the knob.

"What is it, Sora?"

"I've just remembered something…" Sora dug around in her purse to appear as though she was looking for her phone, which sat right at the top of her other belongings. She was able to peek at the screen that lit up inside of her purse, but there was no indication that Hikari responded to the message that she sent in the girls' group chat.

"Well, maybe you might focus better if we went inside. You might get distracted out in the hallway like this."

Now isn't the time to be so thoughtful and so sweet! She thought frantically.

Just as Taichi turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, the door across the hall opened at the same time, revealing Daisuke's head popping out from the opening.

"Taichi?" Daisuke said.

"Hey! Daisuke!" Taichi stepped away from his door and met Daisuke in the middle to greet him. Sora knew that their chatter would stall Taichi for a good while.

In the corner of her eye, she noticed Miyako and Ken peering out through the door frame.

"Anything from Hikari?" Sora asked Miyako in a hushed tone.

"Nothing in the chat," Miyako whispered back. "She's definitely still in there. We need to distract Taichi so that she can leave without him knowing."

"How the heck are we going to do that?" Ken asked.

"Good morning~!" Mimi called, her voice carrying across the hallway.

"Hey, Mimi!" Sora said in surprise mixed with relief as everyone turned to look at her. "What brings you here?"

"I… thought Daisuke said he was going to cook everyone breakfast, so I got here as soon as I could."

"I-I was?!" Daisuke asked incredulously.

Miyako stared him down, and Mimi joined her. Sora gave him a pleading look. Hopefully with Daisuke's agreement, Taichi would stray from going into his apartment.

"Takeru and I will help, too," Ken added. "Especially if there's a lot of us."

"Well then, that's fine by me!" Daisuke said with a nervous laugh.

"Sounds great!" Taichi said. "I'll be over there in a bit. Sora, you coming?"

To Sora's and everyone else's horror, Taichi opened his front door and walked in. Sora knew she had to be the one to think quickly and do something. Should she usher Taichi into his room until Hikari was able to run out?

"I… I can't believe you didn't mention it yet!" Sora blurted out, following Taichi right into the living room.

"Mention what?" Taichi asked. "That I got the internship?"

"What?! You got accepted into the program?!" Miyako cried. "Oh my god! Congratulations!"

"Thanks Miyako." Taichi smiled and rubbed the palm of his hand behind his neck, appearing bashful, but Sora knew he was liking the attention. "It's not that big of a deal-"

"Are you kidding?!" Mimi shouted. "This is great news!"

"Wow, Taichi, you're amazing!" Daisuke added. "I knew you'd get in!"

"It really is great, isn't it?" Taichi asked, laughing with glee.

While Taichi entertained everyone by answering their questions, Sora caught sight of Koushiro's door cracking open. No one else took notice and Sora kept her attention on Taichi.

"What's happening guys?" Koushiro asked, appearing as though he had just woken up.

"Aah! Koushiro!" Taichi said, putting his arm around Koushiro's shoulder and welcoming him into the group. "Remember that internship that I've been dying to get? Well, I got it!"

"Prodigious! I expected no less!"

Taichi laughed and Sora saw that Hikari's path from Koushiro's bedroom to the exit was wide open. Sora met eyes with Hikari, both of them cautious, but Sora gave her a nod: the go-ahead to run.

But as Hikari ran, Sora noticed that there was a slight pause in Taichi's voice. An unfortunate pause post-laughter where he would then turn to look to the side. In this case it was the side toward Hikari's path.

Sora needed a second to figure out how to distract Taichi from noticing Hikari. But she wondered if one whole second in time would have been too late.

It took Sora a moment to rush to Taichi, in front of everyone who created a circle to stand around him, and pull him towards her for a kiss. The whooping and hollering ensued around them, but Sora's eyes followed Hikari as she hurried the rest of the way out of the door. When Hikari was out of her view, Sora closed her eyes, falling into the kiss for a few moments before she pulled away.

"Congratulations, Taichi," she said, smiling.

Taichi stared blankly in a deep stupor. Sora cupped his cheeks with a warm smile, knowing that Hikari had successfully escaped her brother's sights, but it also hit Sora that she usually kept her display of affection to Taichi in private. She could feel her friends staring at them behind her, and she knew that no one in that circle surrounding them were going to let her live this moment down.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When the excitement died down, everyone eventually moved across the hall, and Daisuke, Ken, and Takeru began to prepare breakfast. Koushiro entered next door with Sora and Taichi, who stopped the moment he saw Hikari chatting with the other boys in the kitchen.

Hikari's eyes lit up as Taichi grinned. Before he could say anything, Hikari leapt into his arms and gave him a big embrace.

"I heard you got the internship, Taichi!" she said. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you."

"Aww, thanks, Hikari."

Hikari pulled away and smiled back. "We all knew you could do it! You're the best."

"It's good to see you, Hikari. Did you just get here?"

"Yeah, Kou texted me-"

Koushiro noticed the pause as Hikari darted her eyes toward him and then back to Taichi.

"-and so did Dai. and Miya. Takeru, too. I guess everyone wanted to make sure that I was here."

"Even I would've texted you!" Taichi said, laughing along.

"That was a close call, wasn't it?" Miyako asked Koushiro, appearing at his side.

"You're telling me," Koushiro replied.

For a few moments, both he and Miyako watched the Yagami siblings chat among themselves until Sora and Takeru joined them.

"It's crazy, isn't it? That Hikari can talk so casually with him and not tell him."

"It's not as difficult as you might think. I was surprised at the kind of things that she hid from him as they were growing up. But you might not be, being the eldest of your siblings."

Miyako rolled her eyes and let out a deep breath. "Ooh, yeah. But believe you me, if something is hidden from us, we're going to find out, one way or another."

"That sounds like a warning to me, too."

"Are you thinking about telling him?"

At that moment, Hikari turned and met Koushiro's gaze. She gave him a soft smile, making his heart flutter as he smiled back.

~*~*~*~*~*~

On the following Sunday morning, Hikari's eyes snapped open as she heard the sound of a key turning into the lock. She sat up from Koushiro's bed with a gasp and shook Koushiro by the arm.

Koushiro stirred. "What is it?" he asked groggily.

"Did Taichi say when he was going to come back today?" she asked in an urgent whisper.

"He never does. It's not like he's going to show up this early, anyway. He's never up past noon on the weeke-"

The sound of the front door opening caused Koushiro to jolt upright beside her.

~*~

Taichi had forgotten that Sora had obligations with her mother on Sundays, which meant that she had to wake up early, and which meant that Taichi had to be kicked out of her apartment before she left it. Only Sora could appear apologetic but also be persistent in making him roll out of her bed so early in the morning.

Taichi thought about how nice it felt to be back in his own apartment. The moment he walked in, he was hit with a waft of the aroma of Daisuke's ramen. It still amazed him that Koushiro was coerced into being Daisuke's guinea pig, but it must have been a lively evening with the friend group, either way.

With a yawn, Taichi trudged through the living room, making his way to his room when he remembered that his mother had nagged him about checking in on his sister. Over the years, he had relaxed his watchful eye on her as they both grew older, but in the back of his mind he knew that he was left at ease when he found out that she was doing okay. They kept in touch and saw each other on a regular basis when hanging out between the two apartments, but he had been wondering why she had been so secretive about who she was dating lately.

As he turned the doorknob with one hand to enter his room, he pushed send on his phone to send the text to Hikari.

A soft chime sounded nearby, and Taichi stopped from taking a step further. It sounded exactly like Hikari's phone. He looked toward the direction the sound came from, which was from behind the door of Koushiro's room.

Didn't Koushiro have the same phone model, though? Taichi wondered to himself. At least, Taichi knew that the three of them did. Taichi always liked to copy Koushiro's latest gadgets and Hikari liked taking the ideas from her older brother.

But, wasn't Koushiro's phone almost always on silent? Whenever he was working or whenever he was asleep. A new idea was forming, but Taichi found it hard to convince himself. Why would that have been Hikari's phone, anyway? Koushiro never had any women stay the night with him. The thought of him and Hikari…

No. Way.

Taichi shook his head to himself, letting the crazy ideas shake from his mind. Then, he stepped into his room and closed his door behind him.

A moment later, he opened his door again and walked over to Koushiro's door and knocked.

"Taichi? Is that you?" he heard from the other side.

Taichi opened the door and found Koushiro sitting upright against his headboard, wearing a plain shirt and his large comforter covering the rest of him. He had his laptop right in front of him.

"Oh. Hey," Taichi said.

"Hey," Koushiro replied back, staring at his laptop screen. "You're back."

"Yeah." Taichi reached for the back of his neck with his hand to rub it. "Sora had something to do this morning. I was about to go back to bed. It's way too early to be up."

"Yeah, you don't want to start thinking about anything too crazy."

"You're telling me. Well, see ya."

"See ya later."

Taichi closed Koushiro's door and sighed, then he went back to his room. He decided to go with the conclusion that he had missed seeing his sister, and he was just hearing things.

~*~

Behind the closed door, Hikari threw the comforter from her top half.

"I can't believe he didn't notice!" Hikari said with a sigh of relief.

"He definitely heard your phone before you turned off the sound, Hikari," Koushiro said, slumping his shoulders showing just as much relief. "We really need to take better care. Or maybe we should…"

"No," Hikari said. "We are not going to tell him. Not yet."

Koushiro paused, staring at her for a few moments. "Okay, then."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Miyako was pretty happy with where she stood in her life. Things were going well for her at university, and she was making her plans to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain, a city she fell in love with when she first learned about it in her language studies.

She had the best friends and was dating her middle school crush who loved her even more than she loved him. What more could a young woman like her ask for?

Gossip, of course.

Miyako sighed as she used her own key to enter her boyfriend's' apartment, her wrists holding a few bags from shopping. Holding their own bags, Sora followed behind her, followed by Mimi who made a loud groan.

"How could you not have anything fun to tell us, Sora?" asked Mimi, who had the same mind as Miyako. "You always tell me the stupid things that Taichi and Yamato get into on a daily basis."

"I guess the boys are behaving these days," replied Sora with a smile.

"I highly doubt that," Miyako said.

"You'd at least know what Yamato's up to knowing how often you see him, Mimi," Sora added.

Mimi frowned and Miyako took it as a sign of Sora being right.

The three of them took a few moments to set their bags down next to the side of the couch. However, their expressions changed the moment Takeru entered the living room from his room.

"Oh, Takeru!" Mimi said in a sing-song voice. "I know you've got a juicy story for me. Tell me something!"

"Me?" Takeru asked. "Why would I have one?"

Sora was the first to shoot a glance at him, but Miyako and Mimi turned to face him.

"Come on, Takeru, you usually have good stories," Mimi replied. "I love the way you tell them!"

He laughed. "Not today, Meems."

Miyako narrowed her eyes at Takeru. Why was he acting so oddly? She couldn't help but think back to a few nights ago when he and Daisuke had a weird exchange of words.

Just then, Daisuke left his own room and walked into the living room.

"Daisuke?!" Mimi asked, eagerly awaiting a different person to enter the room. "What do you know?"

"What?!" Daisuke asked in a panic. "I-I don't know anything!"

Daisuke rushed out of the apartment before anyone could say anything else. Miyako exchanged looks with Sora and Takeru, while Mimi rolled her eyes and twirled to sit on the couch.

"There's never any good gossip lately," Mimi said with a sigh.

Miyako sighed in response, letting out a small sulk before joining Mimi on the couch. "I know, right?" she asked.

But as Miyako's eyes wandered, she caught a flicker in Sora's eyes. Her eyes seemed to dart away from everyone else before looking towards the floor.

Miyako looked to Takeru, who was now staring at Sora. Miyako opened her mouth to say something, but Takeru spoke up more quickly, though what came out seemed to have more implications than what she wanted to know herself.

"Sora," Takeru began, "do you know the feeling when you have a secret that you can't tell anyone but you really, really want to?

Sora's eyes widened. "I do!" she replied, then, she gasped. "Wait, do you know something?"

Takeru's mouth fell open. "Do you know?"

"Know what?" Miyako asked, her eyes going from Sora to Takeru.

"Nothing," Sora and Takeru said simultaneously.

Miyako exchanged glances with Mimi.

"Know what, Sora?" Mimi repeated in a more insistent tone.

"I said it was nothing!" Sora insisted back.

"Ooh!" Miyako said suddenly. "I know who could tell us. Hikari. If Takeru knows something, Hikari would have to know it.

"Ah!" Mimi clapped her hands together excitedly. "Wanna call her? Where is she today, anyway?"

Just as Miyako held up her phone to dial, the front door opened, and Hikari walked in, followed by Daisuke. Miyako turned to look at her curiously. Hikari hardly showed up to either apartment without letting Miyako know first.

But what really caught Miyako off guard was what Daisuke said as he walked in right behind her.

"I can't believe it's been this long that you've started dating Koushiro without telling anyone!" he said, and Hikari stopped in her tracks, her eyes growing wide. Mimi let out a gasp and covered her mouth. Miyako stood up out of shock.

"WHAT?!" Miyako shouted.

"Daisuke!" Hikari cried, turning to him and stepping forward. Immediately Daisuke took a few steps back with apprehension.

"Hikari, is this true?! That you're dating K-"

"Shhh!" came from the ensemble of Hikari, Daisuke, Takeru, Sora, and even Koushiro who had just quickly run in, closing the door behind him. In her surprised confusion, Miyako sat back down.

"Alright, yes, it's true!" Hikari said. "Koushiro and I are seeing each other!"

"So, he has been your mysterious lover," Mimi whispered in her shock.

"Lovers?!" Miyako shrieked, but in a more hushed tone than before. "How could you not tell me?"

"Or me!"

"You two can't keep secrets very well," Sora said.

"I can't believe Daisuke knew before I did!"

"Yeah, we can't believe it either," Koushiro said, now with him and Hikari staring Daisuke down. Daisuke could only cower and give back an apologetic smile.

"Ken!" Miyako called his name as he appeared, making all heads turn to him. "You will not believe what I just found out-"

"You mean, about Koushiro and Hikari dating?" he asked. "I've known for a while."

Koushiro and Hikari turned to him. "You have?" Koushiro asked.

"Yeah. Iori knew too, but we were in agreement to keep it quiet. It just wasn't my secret to tell, so I didn't say anything."

Miyako couldn't believe the audacity of her own boyfriend.

"You knew a secret as big as this one, and you didn't tell me?!"

"Ken's pretty good at keeping secrets," added Daisuke. "After what he did before we got to middle school-"

Daisuke stopped as soon as Miyako's annoyance shifted to him. She could sense everyone else was staring at him with expressions just as unfriendly.

"Hold on, then," said Mimi. "Who else doesn't know?"

"I doubt Yamato knows," Sora said. "He's not great at keeping secrets, either."

"True."

"What about Jou?" asked Ken.

"I haven't talked to him in ages," said Koushiro. "But, whatever news he hears, he's most likely to hear it from Taichi."

"Who doesn't know a thing," Sora added.

"And I'd like for us to keep it that way," said Hikari. "I really don't want him to know about us."

Miyako watched Koushiro place his hand over Hikari's, and Hikari reacted with a soft smile. Her heart melted at the sight, and she couldn't help but say 'aww', along with Mimi and Sora joining in. Miyako hadn't really pictured Koushiro and Hikari as a couple until she observed the two of them together.

"They're so adorable," she squealed. "I'm so happy, I could cry."

"You mean, you haven't yet?" Mimi asked, and Miyako turned to see Mimi wipe a tear from her eye. Miyako took Mimi's hand, starting to weep herself.

"You guys," said Hikari with a smile, and now Sora joined Mimi and Miyako, wrapping her arms around them for comfort.

"Now that we all know it here," Koushiro said, "You all have to promise us that this information will not leave this room."

The ambiance of the apartment changed the moment that Daisuke walked in. In his arms, he carried the dry noodles, bottled sauces and a large pan as he entered. Following behind him were Ken and Iori holding plastic shopping bags of vegetables and other ingredients; and Miyako and Hikari walked in last, both of them chattering away as they carried the plastic bowls and cutlery. While everyone set their items down, Takeru alternated between greeting everyone one by one and helping them organize where to put what item in the kitchen. In the middle of it all, he greeted Hikari with a big hug.

“Hey, stranger,” he told her. “I’ve been wanting to catch up with you. I haven’t seen you in a while.”

Hikari hugged him back tightly. “It’s so nice to see you!” she replied. “Our brothers are probably a little too relaxed without the both of us teaming up against them.”

The two of them noticed that the kitchen became crowded with Ken and Koushiro helping Daisuke set up the stove, so they decided to walk over to the couch where Miyako and Iori had already taken a seat. 

“Oh, I forgot to ask,” Miyako said once she eyed Hikari. “How was the movie that you watched yesterday?”

“It was pretty good,” said Hikari. “I’m not usually into sci-fi or fantasy type of movies, but the one I got to see was nice.”

“Hey, Kou,” Ken called out toward the kitchen. “Didn’t you say you watched a sci-fi movie, too?”

“What was that?” Koushiro asked underneath the noisy fan over the stove that Daisuke had just turned on. He was called over by Daisuke soon after, but Takeru could have sworn that Koushiro’s eyes had widened for a split second.

“I guess we can’t bother them for a while,” thought Miyako aloud.

“I wonder if it was the same movie as the one you watched, Hikari,” Iori said. “He seemed to enjoy it a lot, but he’s really into that genre, anyway.”

“I-I’m sure he is,” Hikari said with a giggle. But knowing her, Takeru sensed the tinge of nervousness in her voice. The moment of her stuttering that caught his awareness.

“Anybody want something to drink?” Koushiro asked, as he appeared on the side of the couch where Iori sat. Everyone had declined except for Iori, who had mentioned that he wanted some tea, but he would insist that he make it himself.

“You look fabulous today, Hikari,” Miyako added. “I love that color of purple on you.”

“Aww, thank you!” Hikari said with a smile. “I even took out my earrings to match the outfit. I couldn’t find my favorite pair, though, I guess I misplaced them-”

“Ah! I hate when that happens!”

Takeru and Koushiro fell silent as the women continued their discussion of their wardrobe and their grievances of missing accessories. Takeru turned his head to Koushiro, ready to think of a topic to start, when-

“I have to tell you, Miyako. All I could find were my colorful bobby pins for my hair today. I guess I’ve been so distracted that I don’t know where I’ve been putting them. There’s this purple one that would’ve gone perfectly with what I’m wearing today.”

“Oh my gosh! I’ve seen you wear it! Is it the one with the stars on it?”

“YES!”

It was as though those glittery purple stars aligned in Takeru’s head, the connection dawning on him, just as he watched Koushiro’s expression change into horror as Takeru met eyes with him..

Takeru had promised not to tell anyone, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t have fun with what he had just discovered.

“I might know where it is, Hikari,” Takeru said as he stared at Koushiro, a sly smile forming on his lips.

“You do?” Hikari asked, her and Miyako’s heads turning in their direction.

“Oh! That’s right!” Koushiro piped up soon after. “Takeru found it on the floor in their apartment the other day! I know he put it aside somewhere!”

“You did?” Hikari asked, curiously.

“Wait - I did?” Takeru asked, puzzled.

“Let’s go find it now!” said Koushiro. “Come, Hikari!”  Without warning, Takeru was pulled by his forearm from where he sat on the couch, and he was led out of Koushiro’s living room and into his own apartment. Koushiro was surprisingly strong as Takeru tried to struggle, and Takeru decided it was best not to protest.

“Koushiro, what is going on here?” Hikari asked as she closed the door behind her. “Did you guys really find my hair clip in here?”

Koushiro let go of Takeru’s arm, just as Takeru wrung it free.

“You’ve figured it out, haven’t you, Takeru?” he asked. “That it was Hikari in my bed last night.”

“Koushiro!’ Hikari cried, aghast. “I thought we said-”

“We aren’t going to fool him, Hikari. He’s connected the dots so easily. And he knows you too well for you to hide this.”

“So, it’s true?” Takeru’s eyebrows raised, forgetting his motive to tease. He was genuinely interested. “Is this what you’ve been hiding from me, Hikari? Koushiro is your new fling?”

“We’ve both been hiding this. From everyone,” Hikari corrected, though her voice was calm. She took a step in front of Koushiro and toward Takeru. “And he’s not a fling. He’s nothing like that.” She took Koushiro’s hand and turned to look at him. That was when Takeru saw the look in her eyes when she smiled at Koushiro, and the faint blush on Koushiro’s cheeks as he smiled back.

It was magical.

“Wow, I would never have guessed,” said Takeru. The more he watched the two of them together, the more he felt the warmth swelling inside of him. “This is incredible! Why haven’t you told anyone?”

Hikari gave him a look of disbelief. “Could you imagine the reaction from everyone else when they found out?”

“Your reaction was pretty tame,” noted Koushiro.

“But if you think about the likes of Daisuke-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said Takeru. “Daisuke knows? It’s a wonder that he hasn’t spilled the beans.”

“On that note, we should probably hurry back to my place,” said Koushiro. “Before he lets it slip somehow.”

“So, my hairclip was never in here?” Hikari asked.

Koushiro pulled the purple hair accessory from his pocket, then placed it into Hikari’s palm. Hikari in turn took out a small pocket mirror, which Koushiro held as she swept her bangs to the side with the clip.

“That’s more like it,” said Hikari. “How do I look, Kou?”

“You know what I’m going to say.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“You look beautiful, always.”

They were inches from kissing when Takeru took the moment to clear his throat. As much as he loved his two friends in love with each other, he did not want to start off as the third wheel for either of them.

“Sorry,” they both said sheepishly. Then, Hikari approached Takeru, an expression of guilt showing on her face.

“I hope you aren’t upset with me for canceling our catch up time.”

Takeru smiled. “At least now I know who you’re doi- uh, dating.”

Hikari smacked his shoulder playfully. “Listen. I know it might be a lot to ask right now, but we really don’t want everyone to know about us. Can you promise me that you won’t say anything?”

“I won’t.”

“Not even to Yamato, or Taichi?”

“I promise.”

“And even Daisuke?”

“What?” Takeru frowned. “Even if he knows?” How else would Takeru be able to talk about it?

“Promise me?” Hikari held up her hand curled into a fist, except with her pinky pointed up.

Takeru had always gotten away with his puppy dog expression, but Hikari’s batting eyelashes were admittedly way more persuasive. Feeling resigned, he hooked his pinky on hers.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The gang shared a lovely meal of Daisuke’s ramen that evening. There were the usual “Mmm, this is delicious!” comments from Miyako, and similar remarks of tastiness around the table, including from Ken himself. But Ken noticed that both Koushiro and Hikari gave more criticism to Daisuke after having a few bites. Hikari mentioned that Daisuke should cut back on the pepper, and Koushiro commented on how the vegetables in the broth complemented the flavors very well.

Ken had been surprised to see that the two were particularly invested in Daisuke’s cooking; yet, that was not the only example of them acting unusually. After all, Ken knew that Koushiro and Hikari were dating each other in secret. 

He had found out on his own, paying close attention to their interaction and even catching them exchanging glances that he wouldn’t have noticed if he and Miyako hadn’t been doing the same. Ken knew, and so did Iori, who mentioned it to him in passing. But they had both decided to keep it to themselves out of respect for the couple.

After some time digesting their food while they chatted among themselves, everyone decided to call it a night. Miyako joined Ken, Daisuke, and Takeru in their apartment. They pitched in with helping Daisuke to clean the kitchen and put his tools and condiments away before they got to settle down.

Right when the cleaning was done, and Daisuke had put his hands on his hips with a triumphant pose, his expression soured and he let out a groan.

“What’s up, Daisuke?” Ken asked. He had just plopped onto the couch with his leg crossed over the other.

“I forgot my sauce on the kitchen counter at Kou's,” Daisuke replied gloomily, and he started towards the door with his shoulders slumped. “I guess I’ll go get it real quick-”

Then, Daisuke jolted as he paused, and he stood up straighter. Everyone, including Ken, noticed his sudden change in posture.

“On second thought, maybe I could get it tomorrow,” he said.

“Koushiro’s probably still awake,” Miyako countered. “You know how late he stays up. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

Daisuke continued to stay still, but Ken noticed by Daisuke’s widened stare that he was trying not to reveal what he knew. Then, Daisuke waved his hand in disagreement. “Nahh.” 

Miyako shrugged. “Okay. Then, I’ll go.” 

A chorus of repeated ‘no’s’ sounded from Daisuke, along with the surprising help from Takeru. Miyako stared at the two of them, clueless, but then she shook her head.

“Fine. Get it whenever you want.”

Ken had pulled out a novel to read, but he hid his smile from the amusement of what he was currently witnessing between his roommates. He looked up to see Daisuke give Takeru a long, curious stare.

“Do you… know something, Takeru?” Daisuke asked.

“I… don’t know,” Takeru replied. “Do you know something?”

"I do know something, but I wanna know if… you know what I know."

"Hmm." Takeru placed his thumb and forefinger on his chin, appearing deep in thought.

Daisuke went on. “I mean… we both know things, and there are things we both might know, and things that only one of us knows. I wanna know if there's something I know that you might know, too…"

Takeru's eyes shifted to stared hard at Daisuke. Ken noticed Miyako from the corner of his eye, her eyebrows crinkled as she tried to make sense of what Daisuke said. Even Daisuke didn't seem too sure. 

"Why is that?” Takeru began to ask with fervor. “Ooh, do you think I know what you know? Or maybe it's something that you know that you have been dying to tell me but I've already known all along?"

When Takeru curled his lips to a smile, Daisuke frowned. 

"How am I going to figure out if I know what you know if I know that you aren't taking me seriously??"

"Ugh!!!" Miyako groaned. "Daisuke, just tell us what you know already!"

“But, it’s a secret!” Daisuke argued, though his eyes immediately widened. “I mean… The secret about what…I… what I added in the broth for my ramen tonight…”

“Hey! I already saw you using the pressure cooker for the tonkotsu broth, and you definitely added more sesame paste! You aren’t fooling me!”

“Ha! Well, aren’t you Miss Smarty Pants!” Daisuke laughed, though Ken sensed uncertainty from him. “Secret’s out! You know I'm bad at keeping secrets, anyway! Guess I should head to bed!"

The room was silent as the other three watched Daisuke walk from the kitchen to his room, including when he shut the door behind him. Ken found himself impressed at the fact that, if what he suspected was correct, that Daisuke was better at keeping secrets than he had proclaimed.

"So, what do you know?" Miyako asked Takeru, turning the attention to him.

"I know.." Takeru began, and he casually held his arms up to stretch. "...that I am wiped from the day. 'Night."

Takeru went through the same door to his shared room with Daisuke, and Ken concluded that, after that conversation, that Takeru held the same secret as Daisuke.

"Hmm, that was weird," Miyako thought aloud. "For both of them. Do you know what's going on to make your roommates act like this?”