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earlgreymon · 2 years

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un-dok(a)i

👟 taichi + sora // [day 2] sports day (relationship) - for @digiweek 2022 the prompt for this day is sports day, and one of the subprompts is to tell about a (favourite) relationship. it happened (i swear this is all a coincidence) that the fic i planned last year for the prompt sport on taiora week was about them doing undokai, so i tried to write it now after postponing for almost a year lol. at the end of the day, taiora will always be my otp no matter what. let's assume this was after tri. when they were in their last year of high school. also, the idea was from a shoujo titled ui x kon.

___

Although her birthday was in spring, there were many things that got her more excited about autumn. The heat slowed down into a warmer atmosphere. The leaves turned to her favourite colour. The seasonal chestnut cake from the local bakery.

Also, undokai.

Indeed it made her sound like a fifth-grader when in fact she was already in her final year of high school—but that was why it became more important. This would be her last sports day ever before graduating. While her choice of college had some good sports clubs for its students, there was no guarantee if she could ever experience the same feeling of working together with the whole class to be the school's champion.

The said thought might be a one-sided opinion, though, because she was blessed with athleticism, while some students might not and dreaded the event. Well. Lucky for those who were her classmate, then, because she volunteered to participate in as many games as she could.

Sora was not the only one; their class also happened to have Taichi—former captain of the football club, the MVP of last year’s competition, consistently at the top of the rank when it came to PE subject. They were the powerhouse of their homeroom, the Captain America and the Iron Man of their own Avengers. Unless there was a sports prodigy among the first years, it was almost guaranteed that victory would lay in their hands.

And, oh—also, unless Mimi reinvigorated the undokai in a very Meems-way. She was on the committee this year after getting frustrated with the way things worked previously, which was—as quoted—profoundly deadening.

As predicted, many antics were spotted during the event, but it also became a mirthful entertainment for the entire school. Like how the baton for the relay changed into a weird-shaped headpiece, so you might witness someone fleeing with a rice paddy hat or even a boy running with a wedding veil. The tug of war was also conducted on the edge of their swimming pools, which would lead the losers to fall and soak. The most hilarious one was probably the cheerleading battles because you could watch the squads getting pranked by the committee because they changed the music midway and they had to improvise. The fact that most classes sent their heartthrobs (like Yamato, of course) made it better because their flawless image suddenly turned into something memeable.

By noon, Sora had finished all the games she signed up for. She didn’t get first place in every sport but obtained enough points to push her class to the top of the leaderboard. Each time she passed her classmates, they would shower her with either a cheer, a thank, or a compliment; yet the only thing she needed right now was a quiet rest. And for that reason, she sat down under the tree—the one that still had its leaves—sitting with her legs stretched out. There was a peace in watching the crowds from afar, the comfort of being by herself in the middle of all the motions.

That was only until Taichi found her.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. It was funny how she was so immersed in her distanced observation but barely aware of her own surrounding because his sudden voice almost made her jump.

“Nothing,” she answered. “Just… you know. Resting. Witnessing the youth pass by in front of me.”

“Gee, Sora, you really need to stop speaking like a grandma.”

“Do you think a grandma can run a lap in under thirteen seconds while keeping a sombrero on her head?”

“Touché. Congratulations, by the way.”

But instead, she was the one who handed him the trophy in the form of a bottle of cold water. “Sit down. You must be tired.”

“Nah, thanks. I’m cool,” he only welcomed the bottle, drinking while standing still with one hand on his waist. His towering figure was looming over her, and it finally dawned on her how much her best friend had evolved. Sora still remembered the day when they used to walk home together during sunset after football practices. There was one period around the first grade of elementary when she often bragged about how her shadow looked longer because she was taller. He would say no, but they both knew that it was his hair that made the difference seem less obvious. Cursing at how puberty worked, he then swore that one day he would get taller than her to the point he could reach the top of the goalpost without jumping.

And now he did. He didn’t even have to tiptoe to be able to grasp the goalpost.

Unknowingly, she muttered in a daze, “You’ve grown up, Taichi.”

He stopped and put the cap back on, peering at her through his shoulder only to chuckle. “Seriously. Stop acting like an old lady.” Twisting the now-empty bottle, his attention then turned to the incoming announcement from the main field. The doki-doki scavenger hunt would happen in a few minutes, and it was a cue for Taichi to go as one of the participants. “Alright, onto the final battle!”

“You think you’re going to finish first this time?” Sora asked; her tone was far from underestimating him. After all, Taichi had a bad history with scavenger hunts. In his first year, he joined the competition and wasn’t able to solve the required riddle. It annoyed him so much that he signed up again the following year, and while he managed to understand the puzzle, it took him some time, so he wasn’t quick enough to win. This was his last attempt to satisfy his competitiveness in this particular game.

“We’ll see if Mimi really holds onto her words when she says ‘oh I’m gonna make it so easy for that big head of yours’ or it’s her mouth that’s actually big,” Taichi scorned, actually quoting Mimi’s mockery with a high pitch. “I’m not as smart as Koushiro when it comes to the riddle, but man, these feet are ready to run.”

“Well… it’s Mimi. Even if it’s easy, I’m sure she’ll still find a way to make it…” agitating? “—memorable. I wonder what they mean with ‘doki-doki’ though.”

“Jumpscares, I bet. Yamato must be grateful he’s in the cheering squad.”

Taichi then bid her goodbye, and Sora wished him good luck in return. From her seat, she could watch the participants gathered in the middle of the field, standing as someone from the committee explained the rules. Once they did, the whistle howled and the game started. Everyone immediately rushed to pick up the instruction card, but instead of scrambling around, they somehow remained in the position still. Did the committee—or Mimi—choose to make it harder instead?

Like the other participants, Taichi also had not yet departed. However, instead of looking confused, he seemed… hesitant. And somehow, when he lifted his head, the first thing he looked at was her direction.

(And despite the distance, why did it feel like his gaze was going straight into her eyes?)

Her assumption was proven valid because the next thing he did was run to her. “I need to carry you to the rooftop.”

“What—”

“Come on, Sora! There’s no time!”

His fervent tone startled her to the point that her body voluntarily stood up. She was waiting for Taichi to turn around, but instead of his back, Taichi swooped Sora into his arms before running with all his might. He was so fast that Sora had to circle her hands around his shoulder because she was afraid of falling down, yet the arms that hold her felt so strong. It was as if she was a princess being rescued from the wrath of an evil ogre.

They received a loud cheer every time they passed a crowd on their way, except Sora wasn’t sure if they were cheering for their victory. It didn’t seem like the red on Taichi’s ear was caused by the thrill either.

They crossed the field, stormed through the corridors, and climbed through the stairs. Mimi was waiting on the rooftop along with some committees, and her grin was too mischievous to be missed. The other competitors were only to be seen after Taichi put Sora down, which should mean that they were the first to arrive. Even so, it became her least priority now that she realised all the participants come in pairs of; one of them she recognised as the couple from Yamato’s class.

“Everyone’s here already! Congratulations on finishing the doki-doki scavenger hunt!” Mimi’s voice echoed through the mic. “Now… anyone wants to reveal what was written in your riddle card?”

But she didn’t even give the opportunity for the participants to answer because she then grabbed a card as if she didn’t remember each and every single word on it. Mimi cleared her throat, and her voice was notably loud when she announced the big reveal.

“Go to the rooftop while bridal-carry someone you can really see as your potential bride in the future!”

And all of sudden, Sora could hear her heart beat louder than Mimi’s voice just now—doki, doki, doki, doki.

Taichi squatted down and laughed in defeat despite winning first place. His entire face was now flushed. “I’m so going to kill Mimi after this….”

#digimon #digiweek2022 #by me #fic #taiora #mimi is a taiora shipper y'all lol #also sora foreshadowing agumon in kizuna? :)#taichi yagami #sora takenouchi

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patamon · 2 years

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Takari Week 2022 [Day 3 prompt: Reunion]

They keep getting longer and longer, because I have less and less self-control, but although this is my longest one-shot for this event, I wish I had more space and time to flesh this story out more. Maybe one day in the future, I will revisit and create a proper multi-fic for this concept.

Title: Our Unedited Stories Character: Hikari Yagami & Takeru Takaishi Pairings: Takari (for @takariweek) and Taiora (my first Taiora! I surprised myself!) Word Count: 10937 (!!!!) - this story was so long I broke this up into two chapters on AO3 :P Rating: G Summary: Hikari left Japan five years ago to start a new life with a new family. But now, it's time for her homecoming and reunion with the land and the people she love. But there's one reunion she would rather not have, and ironically, it was also the one reunion she longed for the most.

Cross-posted on AO3

Read below the cut 👇🏻

Our Unedited Stories

At 4:37 PM, the plane touched down on smooth grey concrete, the wheels reaching forward to kiss the land beneath. Hikari peered through the thick glass of the plane window, craning her neck hard to catch a glimpse of the motherland she left behind five years ago. She bounced her half-asleep daughter on her lap, lifting her up so she could take in the sights of the all-too familiar Tokyo skyline.

“Look Lorna, this is where your mother is from, this is her home�� Hikari whispered to her in smooth Japanese.

Beside them, her husband stirred, sitting up straight and eyeing the scenery outside.

“What did you say?” he asked in English.

“Oh,” Hikari blushed, turning to him with Lorna babbling in her lap, “I was telling Lorna this is where I’m from,” she responded with jagged English words.

He smiled in response, “Is it how you remembered it to be?” he inquired.

Hikari tilted her head so she could see the outside, her heart pounding so loud, she could hear the thump of each beat drumming in her ears. Despite the Tokyo airport presenting itself with asphalt and greyness, Hikari saw home and comfort beyond the thick windows. She saw it in the shapes of the clouds amongst the heaven, in the glimpse of water from Tokyo Bay, she saw it in the anticipation of seeing her brother again after so many years, of knowing that he was already there waiting, a large stuffed toy in his arms for the niece he had never seen in person.

“Yes,” she responded with her eyes still glued to the scenery outside the plane.

In her heart she knew that at long last, she was home. This was a reunion to the land she loved.

—

The arrival terminal at Haneda Airport sang with the melody of anxiety and anticipation. Hikari practically galloped down the hall with Lorna tucked in her stroller, while her husband followed behind with their mounds of luggage piled high on a cart.

All around her were familiar strangers, a sea of people with faces like hers, eyes like hers, nose like hers, hair like hers. Plastered around them were familiar strokes of kanjis she grew up learning, its curves and lines so homely, she could enfold herself under its nostalgic caresses.

“Hey Kar? Did your brother mention if he was at the airport already?”

Hikari slowed her pace, angling her body back so her husband could catch up.

“Yes, I saw a message from him when we landed. He’s outside with his wife waiting for us.”

He nodded in acknowledgement. It was enough of a permission slip for her to speed up once again, a mere sliding glass door separating her from her homecoming.

She burst through the other side, her breath caught in her chest as she scanned the sea of reunions all around her, of embraces and kisses and tears, of laughter and warmth and love. Despite an overwhelming urge to watch everyone around her, she looked past all of it to scan for a familiar head of tall spiky brown hair. Taichi had sheared it off two years ago, but upon hearing his sister was coming home for the first time in half-a-decade, he promised to grow it back for her, for old time’s sake.

She pushed further into the crowd, into Tokyo, into her home, searching desperately until…

“Hikari!”

Her legs almost collapsed at the familiarity of the voice, distinctly female and maternal. It reminded her of fancy okonomiyaki at expensive brunch restaurants, and fresh roses and lavender in glass vases. She turned sharply towards it, and found Sora, her newly minted sister-in-law, galloping towards her at full speed.

She pushed Lorna’s stroller into her husband’s free hand, then took off running down the hall until at long last, she met Sora in the middle, tears cascading down both their cheeks as they laughed and cried and rejoiced.

Behind Sora, Hikari caught a glimpse of Taichi with his brown spiky hair jogging forward, his movement greatly impeded by the large stuffed narwhal he had in his arms. His hair was nowhere near as long as she remembered it to be, but it belonged to him all the same.

“Hika…” but before he could finish his greeting, Hikari’s body slammed into him, her wet cheeks pressed up against his shirt as she settled in his familiar presence, of late nights playing video games and secret bags of snacks before dinner, of road trips with their parents and millions of dusty inside jokes.

“I missed you, Taichi, I missed you so much,” she managed to sob out.

Taichi pulled her close, tightening their hug with the stuffed narwhal still pressed under his arms.

“It feels like you never left,” he admitted.

Hikari smiled, finally loosening herself to lead him towards her small, nascent family.

“Taichi, you remember Geoffrey,” she began, gently leading him until he faced her husband.

“Ah yes, hello Gee-eff,” Taichi greeted in stilted English. He fixed his hold on the giant stuffed narwhal and dipped his head in a short bow.

“Oh please, Taichi, there’s no need,” her husband stepped up and attempted to pull him into a hug, but was met with an offered handshake instead.

“And who’s this little one,” Sora babbled in a high-pitched voice, sinking low on her knees until she was at eye-level with Lorna.

Lorna, ever the happy and easy child, smiled and clapped, reaching forward with hands stretched in a wordless plea to be held.

Hikari giggled, “She recognizes you from all those video calls”

“Of course, she would, she would because she’s my little Lola, my little Lola.”

“Hey, she’s my niece so I should get to hold her first. Hello little Lola, do you remember me? Your Oji-san? It’s your Oji-san with a big gift for my little Lola”

Beside her, Hikari could sense her husband shifting uncomfortably on his feet. He stepped forward with his hand raised half-way up.

“Umm…sorry, it’s actually Lorna. Lor-na…”

“Shh…Geoff, we talked about this. It’s easier for them to say Lola, so just drop it”

“Are they saying Lola? It sounds more like Rola”

Hikari rolled her eyes, the ire rising within her as she turned to Taichi.

“So…Taichi, where are you parked?”

Taichi turned to Hikari, the narwhal hanging loose on his arms in hopes of exchanging it with his niece. He cast a quick glance at Geoffrey, a smug glint in his eyes when he recognized his sister’s discontent.

“Come, Sora, let’s get out of here.”

They walked through the throngs of people, until at long last, Hikari emerged into the humid Japanese air. She tilted her face up, raising her hand to catch the rays of sun dancing down through the clouds. She’s heard stories of people returning to their home after years abroad, and claiming that everything felt different: the air, the sun, the moon. It was hard to explain, hard to capture in a few simple phrases, and now, as Hikari stood with the expanse of home before her, she finally understood. It was a feeling that could never be distilled into a few cheap words. It can only be experienced.

She turned to Sora and encircled her arms around Lorna, then lifted her up high as they continued to Taichi’s car. She raised her daughter’s hand and together, they grasped onto the sparkling sunlight filtering down from the heavens.

Beside her, Geoffrey laughed while he observed them with amusement.

“You know, it’s the same sun as the one in London,” he noted.

Hikari sighed, “I don’t think you understand.”

“Yes, I do. You seem to forget that at one point, I lived abroad away from my family for several years. That’s how I met you.”

He dipped his head low and laid a kiss on Hikari’s cheek, startling her. But still, Hikari laughed all the same, prompting Lorna to giggle in her hold. Up ahead, Hikari caught a glimpse of her brother’s eyes darting towards the exchange, before he stuffed his fists in his pocket and sped up his pace until they finally arrived at his parked car.

They packed into Taichi’s small Toyota sedan. The trunk could not fit all their luggage, so Sora sat with the narwhal in her lap at the front, while Lorna’s diaper bag wedged beneath Hikari’s legs. She stared out the window with captivated eyes, memorizing every minute detail, comparing it to the Japan she left five years ago. She read every sign she passed, from the ones warning drivers to “Slow”, to the storefront posters advertising the week’s special. She missed this so much, seeing her language surround her, being able to read and understand everything placed before her.

“Mom and dad are so excited to see you again, Hikari. They have the spare room all ready for Lola.”

Shit. Hikari snapped up, fingers fumbling for the phone in her pocket.

“Taichi, I completely forgot, can you take us here instead?” She pulled up the address on her phone and passed it to Sora, who read it aloud to Taichi.

“Why am I taking you to this place?” Taichi inquired.

“It’s…It’s uh…” she turned to Geoff, who looked from Hikari to Taichi with a clueless gaze, the Japanese words completely lost on him, “Actually…Geoff insisted we book an Airbnb for this trip.”

Taichi’s car jerked to an abrupt halt, Sora yelped out loud, her hand clutching her chest as she looked frantically behind her. Luckily, Taichi has driven in enough Tokyo traffic to know how to pull over quickly and safely, but that didn’t stop several cars from diverting around them, their horns blaring in annoyance.

“Why on earth did you get an Airbnb?” He spat forcefully.

“Well…it was…”

“I thought we agreed you were going to stay with me and Sora. We have the spare bedroom ready for you, we spent weeks furnishing it.”

“I know, I know, believe me I want to, but Geoff thought it would be a better idea to have our own space during the trip.”

“Your own space? To do what?”

“Well, he…”

“Is everything okay?” Geoffrey interjected in English.

“Yes, yes, yes, we fine, we okay,” Taichi spun back around and started his car, then resumed driving, “Hikari, we talked about this. We only have three weeks together, we said if you stayed with us, it would maximize the time we spent together. Mom and dad were planning to sleep over…they cooked an entire meal for you tonight”

“Well, you see…that’s the thing. Geoff has some misgivings about how small the apartments in Tokyo are. And when he heard that mom and dad were sleeping over, he just had it in his head that it would be better if we had our own space for the trip. It’s not like we’re going to be far, Taichi. We found a place within walking distance from your building, and we’ll still come over for dinner tonight.”

“This is unbelievable, you could have at least said something…”

“Sorry, we actually booked it pretty last minute, like literally the night before the flight”

Before Taichi could counter, Sora interjected, resting her hand on his forearm in an attempt to quell his displeasure.

“It’s okay, Taichi, at least Hikari’s here with us now, and we do have three weeks with Lola.”

Taichi emitted a frustrated sigh. The rest of the drive passed by in tense silence, even Geoff and Lorna sensed something amiss. Hikari tried hard to avoid her husband’s eyes as they drove through Rainbow Bridge. Inside her was a storm of resentment, precipitated by the memories of persuading her husband not to book the Airbnb, only to find out he did it anyway behind her back the night before their trip.

—

Despite his irritation, Taichi stayed with Hikari as they entered their rented apartment for the next three weeks. He walked in and out of rooms, testing the beds and the sofas, scrutinizing the decorative books stacked against the cheap bookshelf.

“I still don’t get it,” Taichi mumbled to her, opening up cabinets in the kitchen as if expecting to find something dangerous enough to convince them to leave.

“Sorry, Taichi,” Hikari mumbled sheepishly, “But it is very close to your building. We can practically walk over every morning if we want to.”

Taichi heaved a heavy sigh, before abandoning the cabinets and turning to his sister.

“Fine, whatever, I know it wasn’t your idea anyways”

Hikari blushed, casting a quick glance at Geoffrey fiddling with the TV in the living room.

“So, have you told Takeru you’re back?”

As soon as Taichi said the name, the water bottles and juice boxes in her hands dropped. Geoffrey and Sora looked up in alarm, while Hikari ducked low, clearing her throat as she retrieved the items she dropped.

Taichi bent down and studied her, eyeing the way her fingers vibrated with nerves.

“I take it that you haven’t told him,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“It hasn’t come up…yet.”

“Why not?”

Hikari shrugged.

“Is it because you’ve insisted on ignoring him since moving to England?” he pressed.

Hikari turned away from him, if only to hide how red her face had gotten.

“I wasn’t…ignoring him,” she argued, although she wasn’t going to confess to Taichi that she counted the seconds and days before she would respond to Takeru’s messages, making sure they were far and infrequent, while making concerted efforts to avoid him in their group chats.

“I’ve just been…busy,” Hikari whispered, “Moving to a new country is overwhelming, I can’t just…drop everything and talk to people when they want me to”

Taichi sighed, “Well, for what it’s worth, he asks about you constantly.”

Her heart soared, stomach bubbling over with dismay at the thought. After all these years…

“He does?”

Taichi smirked and pointed to the cell phone in her pocket, “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

—

That night, after a fulsome dinner with her parents, his text came.

Hikari was stepping out of the shower, water dripping from her long hair as she read and reread his message over and again.

Hey Hikari. Welcome back! I heard from Taichi that you were home.

Even through characters and emojis on screen, she could somehow see Takeru’s smile as he typed the words, his eyes crinkled together in the creases, that blue of his eyes sparkling with an indescribable intimacy. She was about to put the phone away when a small bubble appeared beneath, the three dots flashing back-and-forth to indicate Takeru was on the other side, typing.

The notion that they were within a short car ride from one another, instead of being oceans away, sent a chill up her spine, the thrill shaking her to the core.

I really miss you, Hikari. Let me know when we can meet up?

For a moment, she was 18 again, clinging to the thrills of carefree crushes. She clutched the phone to her chest, flying high with euphoria before a series of knocks on the other side sent her crashing down to earth.

“Hey Kar, did you pack Lorna’s extra pacifier? I can’t seem to find the other one, she might have dropped it at your brother’s apartment.”

“In the diaper bag,” she hollered back, before her husband chirped out a fervent thanks.

She turned her phone off and placed it back on the bathroom counter, drawing out a heavy sigh as she dried her hair with the scratchy towels.

The reality of her life choices were sinking into her. She wasn’t 18 anymore, they weren’t carefree young adults. She had a husband and a daughter, responsibilities piled up high. It wasn’t wise to fall back into old habits, to dig up archaic feelings that have never been forgotten.

But still…

That infectious smile, the shine in his eyes, the feel of his touch.

Without thinking, she fumbled for her phone, turning it on in time to see a third message come through from Takeru.

In spite of all the changes around us, I really hope nothing has changed between us :)

Hikari’s heart dropped. She pushed the phone away again, focusing back on drying her hair. She didn’t know if Takeru understood that the very reason she couldn’t dare face him, the reason she couldn’t bring herself to respond to his text is because that was her worst fear. That after five years of being abroad, after marrying another man and having his child, her worst fear was that nothing had changed between the two of them.

—

Hikari planned the timing of her response wisely, choosing until they were away visiting her grandparents in the countryside before finally responding.

Hey Takeru, good to be back. I’d love to meet up but we’re spending a week with my grandparents outside of Tokyo. Will let you know once I’m back.

She turned off her phone and resumed watching her grandfather bounce Lorna in his lap, but it took all but two minutes before the notification pinged.

Great, I can’t wait!

That was how her three-week homecoming trip to Japan began. They spent their first week in the countryside, where she reacquainted herself with the lost moments of her childhood. She introduced Lorna to all her favourite hiding spots while listening to Geoffrey’s off-hand comments about the food, her grandparent’s old cottage, and endured the endless questions of when they could go back to Tokyo.

Not everyone is perfect, she tells herself.

She chose not to message back immediately after returning to their Airbnb, and Takeru’s message remained unanswered for another week. But there were enough things to do, enough people to see, enough places to visit that the lack of communication could be explained away. They still had long lists of errands to run while in Japan, and her parents continued to feed suggestions on who to visit, on who wanted to visit her.

It was a relief then, in the middle of her second week, when Sora invited her to dinner with Mimi and Miyako.

A girls night out, just the old gang.

She could really be 18 again.

So she left Lorna in the care of her parents, left Geoffrey behind in the Airbnb and went out in a dazzling pink dress Sora picked out for her.

“I’m leaving now,” she chimed to him when she stepped out of the room. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, fingers lingering on the residual baby bump from when she had Lorna inside her. She eyed him nervously, wanting but fearing his reaction from seeing her all dressed up for the first time since having their baby.

But much to her chagrin, Geoffrey barely looked up, his eyes glued to his phone as he mumbled out his response.

“See ya.”

No one’s perfect, she reminded herself.

On the way to dinner, while listening to Sora talk about her planned trip to Kyoto with Taichi, she received another message. She felt the device vibrate against her lap, and in between details about the hotel and the spa Sora booked, Hikari stole a quick glance at the screen and saw the text.

Hey…I know this is a long shot, but was thinking maybe you could come to this next week? And we can meet up and chat afterward?

Beneath the text was a link to an event, a book signing Takeru was giving at the local bookstore.

Their bookstore.

The same bookstore they frequented as college students, then as college graduates, Hikari to hunt for children’s books for her classroom, Takeru to browse through stacks of short story anthologies for inspiration. The hours would fly by with neither of them noticing. Hikari only noticed the curve of his smiles and the blues of his eyes as they talked and joked and laughed together.

“Hikari?”

She hurriedly tucked the phone back in her purse and turned to Sora.

“Out of curiosity, have you messaged Takeru?”

Hikari blanched. Although Taichi has asked her that very same question five times since she arrived in Tokyo, this was Sora’s first time bringing up Takeru’s name. She didn’t blame them, it seemed everyone in their group knew of the story that almost - but never happened.

And what good was a story if it almost happened?

“Yes, we’ve exchanged texts here and there.”

“And…?”

Hikari feigned confusion, giving Sora her most convincing perplexed stare. It came like second nature to her, because for the past five years, she’s perfected the look for when Geoffrey becomes so tiring, it was better to pretend she didn’t understand him then to continue to engage in pointless conversation.

“I mean like have you made plans? Are you meeting up soon?”

Hikari shrugged, “I only have three weeks here, Sora, there’s too many things to do, too many important people to see, I have to pick and choose wisely.”

“And Takeru is not important?”

“He is but…it’s hard, everyone wants to be important when you’ve come back after a long time away, but not everyone can be that important. There’s only so many hours in a day.”

“Is it Lola you’re worried about? Because you know Taichi and I would be glad to watch her...”

“It’s not Lola,” she snapped, a little too forcefully, “It’s not anything or anyone, it’s just that I have three weeks here in Tokyo and I can’t possibly make everyone happy by spending every minute reuniting with everyone under the sun”

Sora winced noticeably, perhaps it was from Hikari’s tone, or the surprising ferocity of her voice. Immediately, Hikari sank low in her seat, shame creeping across her face as she tried in vain to distract herself from the recent exchange with the scenery outside the car window.

“I understand, Hikari.”

Hikari gulped, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything in response, so allowed Sora to continue, to let her words fill the silence between them.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me. But think about it, okay? This is Takeru, after all”

It is Takeru.

Her resolve shook underneath the warmth of Sora’s voice.

What was she doing? What was she thinking? Why was she doing this to herself? To them?

She took out her phone, mentally composing a message to Takeru when her eyes caught her lock screen. It was a picture of her family, of her and Geoff and Lorna in front of their small house outside of London.

It is Takeru, and because it was Takeru that she feared what might happen when she finally reunites with him, when their past and their memories collided with the what-ifs that never took place, because he couldn’t stop dragging his feet and she couldn’t wait any longer.

She tucked her phone back in her purse, acutely aware of Sora’s eyes following her movement.

She might not have known what she wanted all those years ago, but she knew what she wanted now. She wanted her family in London, a second child with Geoff and a sibling for Lorna. She wanted to transfer her teaching degree to England and begin her career again. She wanted her future away from the heartbreak found in Takeru’s blue eyes and lopsided smiles.

Yes, that’s what she wanted.

Or at least that’s what she tells herself every night.

—

The reunion with Mimi and Miyako was nothing like she imagined.

There was the expected joy and excitement, of marvelling at the changes her friends went through. Miyako was six-month pregnant, while Mimi showcased her new short hairdo. But despite all the changes, everything still felt deliciously familiar. Miyako still carried with her the fierce independent spirit Hikari admired, and Mimi embodied the self-assured strength and sincerity she always wished she had. Between the four of them were whispered gossips, giggles over afternoon mimosas and early evening spritz, saucy conversations and talks that made Hikari blushed.

The moment she sat down with them at the dinner table, Mimi wasted no time in flicking her bang back and clicking her tongue.

“So tell me, is being married to the English guy as boring as we warned you it would be?”

Hikari’s jaws dropped, while the other girls burst out in laughter. But Hikari didn’t mind it at all, for it felt like they never parted. It felt like they’ve been together this entire time, and perhaps that’s what true friendship felt like.

The appetizer barely arrived before Miyako pushed her plate aside to lock eyes with Hikari.

“So, Hikari, have you met up with Takeru?”

Sora shifted nervously in her seat, but Mimi leaned forward, waiting and hanging on Hikari’s response.

Hikari rolled her eyes and stabbed the scallop with her fork, “Why does everyone keep asking me that?” she hissed.

Miyako laughed, unperturbed by Hikari’s aggressive ticks.

“Come on, Hikari, isn’t it obvious why we’re asking?”

“Well if you must know,” she dropped her cutleries on the table and picked up her wine glass, downing two large gulps before continuing her response, “Yes, I did message him, but no, I don’t have plans to meet up with him. I only have three weeks in Japan, that’s not a lot of time. I can’t meet up with everyone just because they want me to meet up with them.”

The table fell silent. Unlike before, Hikari felt no embarrassment, no shame at her outburst. She continued munching at her food, taking sips of wine to loosen the knot in her chest.

Finally, Mimi cleared her throat.

“Actually, you do have a point. It’s hard to meet up with everyone when you’re under a time crunch.”

Miyako nodded, “That’s true. What about the others? Have you met up with anyone else besides us?”

“Well…I saw Koushiro last week when he came over to drop something off for Taichi”

“That’s it? What about Daisuke? And Iori? And Jyou?”

Mimi snorted, “Come on Miyako, no one has seen Jyou. Even if you live in the same house as Jyou, you will not see Jyou”

Sora giggled and nodded, “It’s why we still haven’t met his girlfriend yet. She probably broke up with him ages ago and he didn’t notice because he’s not home to see the note she left him.”

The table roared with laughter, Hikari sank in relief at how easy the tension broke between them. It truly felt good to be amongst friends again.

“Oh oh oh,” Mimi cried out, waving her hand above her head and placing her drink down, “I have an idea, I have an idea.”

“Ohh we all love a good Mimi idea,” Miyako chirped.

“How about I plan a reunion for us next week? It’ll be a great way for you to see everyone again in the same room, and it’ll be a good excuse for us to meet up again as a group.”

A collective gasp sang out from Sora and Miyako, but Hikari shrank in her seat, the dread bubbling over at the thought of facing that one person again.

“What a great idea, Mimi, I can help plan,” Sora offered.

“I’ll send a message to the group chat now,” Miyako volunteered, furiously typing away on her phone.

“How does that sound, Hikari?” Mimi inquired.

Hikari forced a smile, “Yeah, yeah of course, what a great idea, Mimi.”

Mimi flashed a grin, “Sounds like a plan then. What day is good for you, Hikari? We’ll plan around your schedule since this is your party.”

Hikari retrieved her phone, and noticed then that Takeru had messaged again.

Let me know, okay? I know you only have one week left in Japan, I really want to see you.

“I only have one week left here,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, we know, but we’ll make it work for you, Hikari, just give us a date,” Mimi responded.

She opened up Takeru’s text message, clicking on the link he sent regarding the book signing. It was scheduled for…

“Friday”

“Friday?”

Hikari looked up, Mimi was already scrolling through her phone, no doubt looking up her calendar.

“Yes, Friday, I can do it Friday at…”

She looked down at Takeru's invitation again. The book signing was set to start at…

“7:00 PM. How about 7:00 PM?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Mimi concluded and began typing on her phone. Beside her, Miyako was furiously messaging the chat group.

Sora, however, looked up with a conflicted expression, “Oh, 7:00 on Friday is…”

Alarmed, Hikari flicked sharp eyes towards Sora, silently pleading with her sister-in-law not to bring up the book signing.

“Never mind,” Sora mumbled, then took a sip from her cocktail.

Hikari sighed in relief. She had one week left, one week left to stall, one week to hide out before she could return to England unscathed. And although her inside tossed with guilt from her effort in avoiding Takeru, she knew she had no choice.

There were some reunions simply not worth pursuing.

—

By 7:00 PM next Friday, Taichi and Sora’s apartment were decked out and dressed up to the brim, every available counter surface occupied by snack platters and hors d’oeuvres galore.

Hikari walked in and saw pictures of her and her friends hung from ceilings and plastered on walls, a mini blackboard perched to the side with well wishes and messages from not only their family of Chosen, but her old friends and coworkers from the past.

She stopped before the board and read the messages. Barely three cards in, her eyes welled up with tears, the emotion overflowing to the brim. She readjusted her hold on Lorna and wiped her eyes just as Mimi appeared before her.

“You alright?” she asked gently while resting her hand on her shoulder.

Hikari nodded, hurriedly wiping away more tears as she looked around the room. Right within her line of sight was a picture of her and Miyako at the beach, taken when she must have been 17. She remembered that day well, it was the first day Miyako convinced her to wear a two piece bikini.

“I’m more than alright, Mimi. This is…this is too much, it’s way more than I expected.”

“Nonsense, Hikari. This is your reunion, we all missed you so much. This is our way of showing you that no matter what, you’re still our family and we miss you so so much.”

Hikari let loose a sad smile, but before she could respond, Geoffrey appeared beside her.

“Nice to see you again, Mimi,” he greeted her, “Glad I can finally speak English to someone besides Hikari.”

He laughed, but Mimi’s smile tightened, “Welcome back, Joffrey. Enjoying Japan?”

Geoffrey balked, “It’s pronounced Geoffrey. But anyways, thanks again for all of this, I’m sure Hikari really appreciates seeing all her friends again. But remember, we have to be out of here by 9:00 because our flight leaves tomorrow morning and we still have a lot of packing to do.”

Beside him, Hikari shifted uncomfortably. Her eyes darted to her feet while her cheeks heated up, displeasure bubbling beneath her stoic expression.

“Well,” Mimi responded in perfect English, “This is Hikari’s party, she hasn’t seen her friends and family in years, so if there’s packing that still needs to be done, maybe you can leave at 9 and Hikari can stay here with us.”

Stunned, Geoffrey looked down at Hikari, expecting her to speak up, but Hikari remained silent.

“In fact, you can leave now if you want to,” Mimi continued, “But don’t worry, we’ll make sure Hikari is at the airport before the flight leaves tomorrow morning…or…at least we’ll try. No promises.”

She laughed and winked at Geoffrey. In Hikari’s arms, Lorna laughed with her, giggling in her bubbly voice until her father joined, too, albeit a little hesitantly.

“Umm…well, I’ll check in with you later, Kar,” he concluded before walking away

“I’m so sorry, Mimi,” Hikari mumbled once he was gone.

“Oh that’s fine, Hikari. As I was saying, this is your party, we are here for you.”

One-by-one, the guests arrived. First Miyako with Ken, then Daisuke and Koushiro. Yamato came next. As soon as Hikari saw the blonde head appear, her weight left her body, leaving her feeling dizzy and discombobulated until she realized it was only Yamato, and thankfully, he arrived alone.

But still, she skidded away from Yamato, hoping to escape his detection. It was all in vain, though, for next thing she knew, Yamato had made a beeline for her, his motorcycle helmet still in his hand as he opened up his arms to pull her in for an awkward hug.

“Alright there, Hikari?” he asked.

Hikari nodded, “How are you, Yamato?”

“Oh you know…same old, same old,” he flashed a smile, then pressed his fingers against Lorna’s cheeks, “Anyways, I have to deliver a message to you from Takeru.”

She stiffened immediately, heartbeat accelerating as she gawked at Yamato.

“He said he had some book function tonight, so he can’t make it, and trust me, he really really wanted to come. But anyways, he apologized and said he doesn’t think the timing will work out tonight.”

Hikari nodded in understanding. She had an inkling this would happen, because in spite of Mimi and Miyako’s constant stream of messages about her reunion party tonight, never once did Takeru make mention of his book signing. And between her and Takeru, their text messages had stopped, the last being Takeru’s invitation to have her join him at the bookstore. Without vocalizing her intentions, Takeru understood her enough to know that this was a reunion Hikari would rather not have, and as always, he subjected to her whim. The familiarity behind his selflessness was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

“He said next time,” Yamato continued.

“Yes, tell him next time, we’ll make plans to meet up.”

Yamato’s blue eyes spun around in his orb. It wasn’t exactly an eye-roll, but it was enough to specify doubt. He walked away from her and waved to Taichi from across the room. She followed his movement, wondering how many of their friends knew of her selfishness, how many of them knew of what happened between her and Takeru.

The night wore on, and as Hikari learned, Mimi surprised her by the liberality of her guest list. She did not restrict the party invitation to their Chosen family, but extended it to Hikari’s old classmates and coworkers as well. The apartment now overflowed not only with people, but with laughter and inside jokes and faded memories, of stories exchanged and experiences shared. Every reunion Hikari had that night, from big ones to small ones, breathed a whisper in her ear, tying her heart in knots and bruising her soul.

Stay.

She looked around her and felt the weight of her decision, the emptiness of her lonely home in London, the vast silence of her life away from Japan.

If only…

“Hey, Kar”

She turned at Geoffrey’s call and was surprised to find him with his jacket on, Lorna’s diaper bag already slung over his shoulder.

“It’s 9:00,” he declared, showing her his phone with the time imprinted clearly on the screen.

For a moment, Hikari thought he heeded Mimi’s advice, that he would offer to go back first with Lorna to finish packing, to put her to bed in preparation of the flight tomorrow. But then she noticed her jacket dangling from his hand, and suddenly, she would rather the floor open up beneath her and swallow her whole.

“Come on, we have an early flight tomorrow,” he pressed. He grabbed her hand and attempted to pull her away from Taichi, Sora, and Mimi, but Mimi stepped forward.

“We’re not done here,” Mimi asserted.

“Look, we still have a lot of things to do, and a lot of things to pack. I really appreciate you going through all the trouble to put this together for Kar but we have to get back and get ready for our flight tomorrow morning. Come on, Kar, let’s go”

Hikari sighed, she stood up and flashed apologetic glances at Taichi and Sora before gently lifting the sleeping Lorna into her arms. But to their surprise, Taichi shot forward, he pulled Hikari back and pushed Geoffrey away.

“You go back to your precious Airbnb, then” he declared in Japanese. Obviously, the words were lost on Geoffrey. He grilled Hikari with a confused leer, but Hikari remained silent and still.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” he stammered.

“Hikari is my little sister. I haven’t seen her in over five-years. Who knows when I’ll see her again after she leaves with you tomorrow so I’m not going to let you bully her into leaving,” he spat out, again in Japanese.

By now, Geoffrey was no longer confused, but irritated and red. He looked at Hikari again and pointed a defiant finger at Taichi, “Kar, what is your crazy brother going on about?”

It was now Hikari’s turn to display her ire. She grabbed her jacket from Geoffrey’s hand and threw it down on the sofa, “It doesn’t matter, what matters is that I’m not ready to leave yet.”

Geoffrey rolled his eyes. He picked up the jacket again and made an attempt to grab her, but Hikari stepped out of the way.

“I told you not to have this stupid party so close to the day of the flight, but once again, you refused to listen to me. If you had just listened…”

“FUCK OFF!”

The apartment went silent, all conversation ceased. Every pair of eyes turned on Taichi as he stepped forward and shoved Geoffrey hard, almost pushing him to the ground before stomping back to his bedroom, the indignant slam of the door signalling his exit from the scene.

Instantly, the whispers picked up again, and fingers began pointing at Geoffrey with the bag and jacket in his hand. Although the words were in Japanese, he seemed to understand enough that the perception was not in his favour.

“You said this trip was for me so I can see my friends and family again” Hikari finally said, “So, I want to enjoy my time with them now. I’m not ready to leave yet. Once I’m ready, I’ll let you know.”

“But…”

“If you’re that worried about packing, then you can go back and get a head start”

“What about Lorna?”

“We can let Lola sleep in our bedroom,” Sora spoke in surprisingly strong English, “You can even leave her here tonight and pick her up in the morning. That’ll give you time and energy to pack without having to worry about her”

Geoffrey pursed his lips, his face grew impossibly redder. But at long last, with everyone watching him closely, he finally nodded and dropped Lorna’s diaper bag on the floor.

“Fine, I’ll go back and start packing on my own,” Geoffrey declared, then made his way to the exit.

She waited until the door closed behind him before passing the still sleeping Lorna to Sora. With her heart still pounding in her ears, she made her way to Taichi’s bedroom, tiptoeing quietly like she’s done a thousand times when they were younger, when she knew Taichi was upset and wanted to cheer him up.

She knocked on the door first, while Mimi’s voice carried through the apartment, encouraging everyone to rejoin the festivities.

“Taichi? It’s me,” she called out after a few seconds of silence.

After another minute without a response, Hikari had enough. She barged in, thanking her lucky star that Taichi had yet to learn to lock the doors. Or perhaps it was in the hopes that nothing changed between them, that he knew Hikari would seek him out.

“Taichi?”

He was standing by the balcony, a lit up cigarette in his hand, an empty beer can by his feet. As Hikari neared him, she could see him downing a second can in one large gulp, then smashing the empty can and throwing it against the wall.

“Of all the men in the world, I still can’t believe you settled for him,” Taichi heaved out.

“Hey, that’s my husband you’re talking about,” Hikari countered.

“I don’t give a fuck,” Taichi declared boldly, opening another can and taking another large gulp. Hikari knew the state he was in, he was buzzed enough to speak his mind unhindered, but not drunk enough to spew out nonsensical words. This was the perfect spot for Taichi, where he will say everything and anything, and everything and anything will be the truth.

“What does it matter now, anyways?” Hikari mumbled, “I married him, we have Lola now.”

“Don’t you mean Lor-na?” Taichi mocked, “God, how can you let him choose a name that half her family can’t pronounce? Does he not understand that his child is half-Japanese?”

Hikari kept silent, watching as Taichi take a long drag on his cigarette. It wasn’t the first time this was brought up between the two of them, and although she defended Geoffrey and insisted they agreed on the name together, she knew Taichi could see the full story without needing Hikari to retell it. Lorna was an important name to Geoffrey’s family, and although she agreed to have it be their child’s first name, she practically begged him to consider a Japanese middle name for their daughter. But the responses each time were the same:

But she’ll be growing up in England, it’ll make things complicated if she has a Japanese name.

All the other kids will make fun of her, believe me.

It’ll confuse her, I just don’t think it’s a good idea to add a Japanese name.

Despite her coming up with a string of English-sounding Japanese names: Hana, Arisa, Rina, Mei, he declared they all sounded too foreign and settled for Elizabeth instead. Lorna Elizabeth.

“He’s my husband. I love him.”

Taichi choked on his beer, he threw the cigarette down on the ground and stomped on it, pushing his feet unnecessarily hard on the pavement while he barked out an obnoxious laugh.

“You think I’m stupid, Hikari?” he demanded, “You honestly think I believe that you love that idiot?”

“I…”

“I might not know a lot about this world, but I know my little sister, and I know that you don’t love him. You loved Takeru, and Takeru loved you.”

Hikari gasped, taking a step back and clutching her chest. But despite her reaction, Taichi continued his tirade, taking another sip from his half-empty can before speaking.

“In fact, Takeru still loves you. But you were impatient and he was scared, and some tall idiot with a British accent got to you first, and here we are now.”

“So are you blaming me for moving away? Are you saying I made the wrong choice?”

“Oh, a thousand percent you made the wrong choice, but…” he lowered his head, running his hand through his lengthening hair. When he spoke again, it was softer, calmer, “I don’t blame you, I could never blame you, and…I don’t blame Takeru either. Sometimes, things don’t work out the way they should, but that’s just life.”

He sighed before fumbling for another cigarette, “I guess…I guess I’m just upset because this was never the story I wanted for my little sister. You deserve so much more.”

Hikari blushed, watching as he tilted his head up and blew out a cloud of smoke with his eyes closed.

“Well, it’s not up to you, Taichi. I’m old enough to make my decisions and live with them,” she retaliated.

“I know,” Taichi responded simply, then after a long pause, he spoke again in a morose voice, “That’s what I was afraid of.”

—

She left Taichi fuming on the balcony, halfway down his fifth beer. Soon, she knows he’ll stumble back to bed and sleep the alcohol away, but for now, she didn’t want their last few moments together to be tainted by resentment and frustration, spurred on by something one of them inadvertently said.

After checking to see that Lorna was still asleep on the sofa with Mimi watching over her, she made her way to the refreshment table, eyes greedily searching for a bottle of water. It was then that she noticed the photos clustered together by the dining room table, the blue of his eyes drawing her close.

Of course Mimi would choose to clip them all together, ordering them from the time they were mere children to the age of young adulthood, the smiles shared between them, the sparkle in their eyes as they posed for the photos together. She could not help but beam as she followed their growth together, they’ve gotten taller, their faces longer, their features more distinct, but through all the years, it remained the same blue eyes looking after her, the same lopsided smile warming her up from the storms. She wondered how much has changed since their five years apart. Has he grown taller? Has his hair grown longer? Are they still the same shade of blonde? Are his eyes the same shade of blue?

Takeru loved you. In fact, he still loves you…

She darted towards the blackboard of well wishes Mimi prepared, eyes scanning every letter before she finally found his note, tucked in a corner with his distinctive cursive writing. Her eyes teared up as it traced his circles and slants, remembering all the times he passed little hand-written poems and stories to her as they walked home from school.

I will always let you read my stories first. I promise. These will be our unedited stories.

She rubbed away stubborn tears condensing in the corner of her eyes, if only to clear her vision to read his message, letting each character sink into her soul:

In spite of all the changes around us, I promise you nothing will change between us. You’re the only one in this universe I trust with the unedited versions of myself - Love, Takeru.

Panic and urgency took hold, she reached for her phone, the fear only deepened when she realized it was now 9:15 PM, and she wasn’t sure how long the book signing would last, if she would even make it.

She rushed to retrieve her jacket, by now only Sora was left on the sofa watching over Lorna as she slept.

“Hikari, where are you going?” she asked.

“The bookstore”

Then she left without looking back to see the delight on Sora’s face.

—

The magic of stepping inside a bookstore is never knowing which portal you’ll find, but knowing all the possibilities are at your fingertips.

She repeated the sentence in her head as she stepped in, echoed in Takeru’s voice. Above her, a bell jingled out its welcome. A myriad of aroma hit her the moment she entered, not just of aged paper and wooden bookshelves, but of stifled giggles and playful pokes, whispered gossips and inside jokes.

Before her, muffled laughter bounced through the store, followed by delighted voices mingling together without borders. Then, at long last, she heard it, the voice she thought she would never hear again, the one she was determined to relegate to her memories for evermore.

She ventured deeper into the bookstore, and found to her delight that she wasn’t too late. Whatever festivity followed the book signing was still taking place. In the midst of a clearing in the store was a small crowd gathered around a chair, and on that chair was him in the flesh.

Takeru.

Has his legs always been that lanky? Has his eyes always been that blue? Did his hair always appear in that shade underneath fluorescent lamps? Were they always those creases on his forehead?

She held her breath, not daring to disturb the air as the same bookstore owner she remembered from years ago stood up and addressed the crowd.

“Right, we’ve had a lot of fun with the Q and A with Mr. Takaishi tonight, but I’m afraid we’ll only have time for one last question.”

An audible groan erupted from the crowd. Takeru smiled sheepishly while the bookstore owner passed the mic to a young woman at the front.

“Hello Mr. Takaishi, I’m a big fan of your work, thank you so much for coming tonight. It means a lot that you would choose to visit our local bookstore.”

“Of course,” he acknowledged, “To be honest, this place holds a lot of great memories for me.”

Hikari felt dazed by the comment. She swore she saw a sad hue tainting his smile, the blue of his eyes magnified by hidden tears.

But perhaps it was all in her imagination.

“My question is how much of yourself did you insert in this book? Because while reading it, I can’t help but feel like…you are writing about something extremely personal.”

A small smile played on Takeru’s lips, the type Hikari remembered when he’s ruminating on something sad. She remembered seeing it on his features the first time he confided to her about his parent’s divorce.

“Interesting you should ask that question,” he began, “Actually…you might say…this book is less of a story and more of a confession. It’s me retelling a story that almost happened, but never did, but yet it felt like…it should have happened, if I hadn’t been so young and stupid all those years ago.”

The crowd gasped, dissipating to a buzz of scandalous murmurs. Hikari’s breathing hitched in her throat, she looked around until she saw Takeru’s book perched on a stand, tears pricked her eyes when she read the title.

Our Unedited Stories.

The bookstore owner stood up once again and clasped her hands together.

“Well I’m afraid this is all the time we have for tonight. Let’s thank Mr. Takaishi for taking the time this evening to join us…”

The audience stood up and clapped, and Takeru stood with them, waving and surveying the crowd. Inevitably, as if ushered in by fate, their gaze intersected. Hikari watched as his eyes widened in…shock, dismay, joy. His body froze in position, with his hand still raised in a half-wave, and despite the thunderous applause and conversations surrounding them, everything went still, silent. There was nothing else in this universe, just them in this moment reuniting across the room.

Takeru moved first, in front of everyone in the midst of their deafening cheers, he broke through the crowd and stood before Hikari. A hushed silence fell across the room, but Hikari hardly noticed, she only cared that after all these years, it was still the same eyes watching over her, the same smile ushering in comfort, healing any hurt left in her bones.

“Hikari…what are you…what are you doing here?” he stammered.

And with that, Hikari caved. She practically leapt across the empty space to pull him into her arms, tears streaming down her face as she inhaled in his scent of hope and light and home, of childhood innocence and happy memories, of carefree days and boundless future. But she tasted something else too, as she sobbed into his chest, as she felt his strong arms pull her into his familiar hold, she felt it take roots in the depth of her soul. It was there, regardless of how hard she worked these past five years to erase it from her core.

They were the bitter disappointments of regrets.

—

They chose to walk down the piers that evening, the same pier they frequented as kids, then as teenagers, then as young adults, and now as reunited spirits. She kept his eyes glued to him as they walked, memorizing his movements, scrutinizing his features, wondering why she had put off this reunion for so long, why she barred herself from the ecstasy of this moment.

He shook his head and chuckled, before turning to face her, his soft gaze erasing years of loneliness from her life. He truly was the missing half she never realized she lost.

“I still can’t believe you’re here with me, that we’re here together right now,” he mused.

“What’s so hard to believe?” she inquired.

Takeru shook his head, “Never mind, how was your party tonight? Do they know you left?”

Hikari blushed, perhaps she’ll just skip the latter question, “Well Mimi organized it, so you know it’s fabulous.”

Takeru chuckled in response, “Oh I can only imagine. I’m sorry I had to miss it.”

“No, no that’s okay, I…actually…I…umm…,” her face flushed redder, she took a deep gulp before launching into her confession, “The entire thing was my fault, Takeru. I asked Mimi to hold the party tonight, even though I knew you had the event at the bookstore.”

She expected him to get mad, but instead, he laughed, a light sort of chuckle that took her anxiety away.

“I sort of suspected something was up when you didn’t respond to my texts. But when I saw Miyako’s message about the reunion, I understood”

Hikari’s eyes widened in shock, “You…you do?”

Takeru nodded, “Yea, I do. I know it’s not easy with the history we had and where we left things. And while I decided a long time ago that I would still want you in my life, regardless of our relationship status, I didn’t know where you stand on things, and how Geoffrey might feel about our past.”

Hikari snorted in response, “What? Oh no no no no, it doesn’t have to do with Geoffrey at all, Takeru, it’s more to do with…me. I can’t really explain it at all, only that it’s…”

“Complicated”

Hikari flashed a sad smile, “I can’t believe we’re still finishing each other’s sentences, even after everything that’s transpired.”

“Old habits die hard, don’t they?”

Hikari sighed, then with hesitant movements, reached out and held his hand. Takeru looked down at their linked fingers, a shock expression on his face, and much to Hikari’s satisfaction, a slight blush crept across his cheeks.

“This feels familiar,” he noted with a smile.

“I’m sorry I was being evasive, not just these past few months, but these past few years, too.”

Takeru shrugged, “You don’t have to apologize, Hikari. I told you, I understand”

“So…you’re not mad at me for avoiding you?”

“No, no I can never be mad at you, Hikari. I can only be mad at myself. I took you for granted, I took us for granted. I only have myself to blame.”

The pain flared up in her chest again. The same burn that pierced through her soul as she laid awake at night, thinking of what could have been between her and Takeru. If she had only waited a little longer, if Takeru had been honest with his feelings sooner. Instead, they were left with the remnants of what could have been, and their eyes clouded with the ghosts of each other’s memories.

“Don’t blame yourself, Takeru. Sometimes, things don’t work out the way they should. That’s just life.”

“Yeah, but…maybe we could have gotten what we wanted out of our lives. If only…”

“Shh…Takeru, don’t…”

“I’m sorry, Hikari, I didn’t mean to dig up our past in this way, I know you’re married now, I know you have a daughter. I wish I could have met her on this trip.”

“That’s okay…but…what about you? Are you with someone?”

She held her breath and waited for an answer, but Takeru smiled in defeat before shaking his head, “I tried but…it was hard. I honestly didn’t see the point in it, because…no one could live up to you.”

Hikari’s heart sank, she attempted to search for the right words to respond to him, but everything seemed lost. It was indescribable, this satisfaction within her, clashing with the guilt, and the encompassing knowledge that this was all so…stupid.

She was married. She chose to move on. Yet…why is she holding onto hope?

Takeru cleared his throat, the sound snapping her out of her reverie.

“I was wondering, Hikari…have you heard of my new book?”

Hikari blushed. She didn’t want to admit that she spent the last five years working hard not to think of him.

“No…no sorry, Takeru. I’ve been really busy and…there’s not exactly a market for Japanese novels in England so…”

“Ah say no more,” Takeru interrupted. He lowered his gaze to the ground, she could see the hurt in his eyes, despite him working hard to hide it.

“But I heard from Sora that it’s a YA romance novel. I was quite surprise”

He chuckled, “Yes, it’s very different from the stuff I usually write.”

“So? What is it about?”

“It’s…about a story of two young people madly in love with each other, but can’t quite express it. One person took too long, and the other person didn’t want to wait anymore, so they parted ways.”

Hikari let slip a sad smile, without thinking, she moved closer to Takeru, entwining her fingers between his as if she was a teenager once again, without a husband or daughter, just a world of possibility before her. Before both of them.

“Is it based on a true story?”

Takeru squeezed her hand, then without breaking their connection, he reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a wrapped parcel.

“Maybe…you can determine that for yourself,” he offered before passing the package to Hikari.

The moment she closed her hand around the bundle, there was no doubt in her mind that it was a book. Still, she tore the brown wrapping paper away slowly, revealing a hardcover book adorned with a pink and yellow cover, a faded image of a familiar bookstore with its title superimposed over it.

“Our Unedited Stories,” Hikari whispered, and hurriedly wiped away tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

“First copy off the printing press”

“Really?”

“Yeah…open it,” Takeru nudged.

Hikari complied, flipping the cover open to the first page. It took everything within her power to stop the tears from falling on the crisp, new pages, for right before her were Takeru’s perfect slants and loops, the same penmanship she remembered on those silly poems and short stories he passed to her when they were young.

“To Hikari, we are the only ones who knew of our unedited stories, and that’s all that matters” and inches above it was the dedication line, one single italicized sentence danced across the page like a bar of music.

To the girl I loved, and the woman I will always love. Nothing will change between us.

“I was saving this,” Takeru admitted with a sad smile, “But don’t tell Yamato, he thinks the version I gave him was the first one off the printing press.”

Hikari laughed. She closed the book and wiped her eyes again, unsurprised to find that it was moist with unshed tears.

“Did you really save the book for me?”

“Mm-hmm”

“But how did you…how did you know I was going to come tonight?”

Takeru chuckled, “I didn’t know, but lucky for me, hope is a tenacious thing.”

Just then, her phone dinged, interrupting the intimacy of the moment. Hikari retrieved the device and saw a text from Sora, letting her know that people were gone from the party and Lorna was now asleep in her and Taichi’s room. She attached a picture of Lorna, and the image was enough to send her crashing down to Earth.

“Shit,” she cursed as she looked at the time. 11:15 PM. Geoffrey was going to be furious. Her inside clenched and her skin crawled. Geoffrey, she didn’t know how she could ever return to her life in London after the highs of tonight.

“What time is your flight tomorrow?” Takeru inquired.

“8:30 AM,” Hikari admitted in a defeated voice.

“Oh…so I guess this is it then”

“No, not yet…at least let’s walk to the subway station together.”

They slowly made their way back to the subway, Hikari’s heart beat quicker and quicker the closer they got to the station. She begged and begged for time to stop, for life to slow all around them, so she could have this night, this moment with Takeru for as long as she could. But all too soon the entrance appeared before them, and next thing they knew, they were standing before the subway stall, Takeru was destined to go left, she was destined to go right.

Once again, they were destined to part.

“Umm…can you…can you walk me to the platform?” Hikari whispered, the desperation evident in her voice, but much to her relief, Takeru complied.

While they walked, they kept their fingers linked together, holding onto each other’s hand as they clung onto the time they had left. Just as they neared the platform, Takeru stopped abruptly, prompting Hikari to turn back. Behind them, they heard the roar of the subway come and go, but all the while, Takeru remained still, a devastated look painted on his features.

Hikari’s head spun. She recalled the same expression from when she confided in him about agreeing on a date with Geoffrey, the strange English teacher assigned to her kindergarten class. Then it came again, when she told him Geoffrey asked to be her boyfriend, then when he asked to marry her, and finally, when he asked her to come live with England with him, and she agreed.

“Hikari…I understand these are the paths we’ve chosen, and we have to live our separate lives now, but…”

He took a deep breath, Hikari crossed the small distance between them, leaning close until she could see the tears glistening on his blue eyes.

“The only thing that helps me sleep at night is knowing that somewhere out there, there is a universe where I wasn’t so stupid and careless, where we have a life together doing laundry and cooking meals in our kitchen, where we fall asleep in each other’s arms every rainy afternoon. Knowing that is enough, but still, most days, I would trade everything and anything to live in that universe, if only for one day.”

Hikari froze, revelling in this moment in their broken universe. Despite how sacred this moment felt, she could only taste that bitter regret on her tongue, her mind singing the familiar hymn: If only, if only, if only.

“But…if you’re happy, Hikari, then I’m happy.”

Behind them, the thunderous roar of an approaching subway sounded out, and right as the powerful wind created from its entrance blasted through, the tears Hikari battled to keep at bay fell, drizzling down her cheeks and onto the subway station floor.

“Hikari,” Takeru cried out. He raised his hands to wipe her tears away, his expression now of concerns, “Please…please don’t cry”

How could she not cry? Wordlessly, she took his hand and walked towards the subway train, now halting to a stop before the platform. The door slid open, and they both looked into the belly of the monster that would once again tear Hikari from the only happiness she knew was meant to be hers.

“Takeru, I will always love you,” she admitted with one foot stepped towards the door.

The universe, as if knowing that they needed more time together, stalled the subway for them, so Takeru could step forward to envelope her in his arms, and to lay a delicate kiss on her lips.

“Nothing will change between us,” he repeated with a sad smile.

The bell chimed around them, announcing the closure of the subway doors. Takeru stepped back just in time for the gates to slam shut, and Hikari consigned herself to looking at him through an imposing barrier.

As the train began to move, pulling Takeru away into the distance, she swore she felt that final flip of the page, the resounding thud of the cover slamming shut on their story.

Thus ends the story that almost was, but was never written.

—

Three months later, Hikari found herself back under the dreary London sky.

The grey overcast afternoon brought her to a lonely Saturday, perched in her bed with her husband away, Lorna thankfully asleep in her bed.

The only silver lining in all the grey around her was that she was alone, so she could cry out her regrets as she read the last chapter of Takeru’s book. Not that it mattered, she had cried for three months straight, after every paragraph, every chapter, after walking through the haze of familiar memories at each part of Takeru’s book, and Geoffrey barely noticed.

Takeru truly did write out their story, in a heartfelt and emotional way, and through it all, Takeru never pointed fingers or placed blame. It was a kind retelling, an honest way of writing out a story that was never written.

She flipped the novel shut, pressing it to her chest as she submerged herself in the memories of that last reunion, of the bittersweet taste left in her soul.

“If only it wasn’t the end,” she whispered.

She returned her attention to the book, flipping through tear-stained sections before her eyes caught the last manilla page before the backcover. There, in the middle of a blank page, a final printed statement to cap off Takeru’s book.

Endings don’t exist, only new beginnings. Stories are simply on pause, waiting for us to resume writing again.

Her smile returned, sunshine filling the empty spaces in her soul as she allowed the words to embrace her heart.

It was as Takeru said, hope truly is a tenacious thing.

#digimon #digimon adventure #takeru takaishi #hikari yagami #takari #takariweek #takariweek2022 #breewrites

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dutchforstrangers · 2 years

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Alive | Taiora fanfiction for 2022 May - Rainy month

Loosely based on Selah Sue's Alive. Written for Taiora Year 2022 May prompt 'Rainy month' after a sudden spark of inspiration last week.

Also, no romantic!Taiora! But anything can happen right after this story. I leave that hope to you ;) Last thing: what's Kizuna?

Content warning: A few little bits of light swears, implied depressive feelings (and a high building..............)

[Read on AO3 and FF.net.]

Taiora year 2022 - May: Rainy month | Genre: Friendship, Angst | Wordcount: 2.762 | Rating: T(+) | Characters: Sora Takenouchi, Taichi Yagami, brief appearances of most other DigiDestineds and Piyomon and Agumon

Alive

From inside the train, the young copper-eyed woman looked at the scenery quickly passing by. She counted the trees, saw how the sky line changed more and more with every moving mile. Her eyes traced the raindrops on the train’s window glasses, sliding down from top to bottom until finding the ground. A bolt of lightning could be seen in the distance and a jolt traveled her body as a reaction to the flashy spectacle miles away.

Rain. Coldness. The rummaging sounds of the thunder nearing. One would say it was depressing.

But not Sora.

She loved thundershowers.

A small smile made its appearance, her eyes now shifting from the window to the phone in her hand. She scanned through her messages, her thumb brushing the screen looking for the words she had been reading over and over again when she was still back in Kyoto.

He had some nerve, Sora thought to herself. Her fingers unintentionally tightened their grip around the phone as sudden frustration seeped through her body’s veins. She tried to think back to the last time she had seen him or properly talked to him. Just the two of them. Him and her.

There had been a time where that was the most natural thing in the world. They had known each other inside out, or at least, that was what she had always thought. By now she wondered though whether she had actually really known him.

Sora closed her eyes and exhaled, the tension in her hand loosening.

“Sora, we’re here.” Piyomon said to which Sora’s eyes opened again, her head turning towards the pink bird. The grimace she was carrying immediately softened. “Are you okay?”

Her partner was smart though and looked right through it. Was she okay? Sora wasn’t sure.

“I’m fine,” she smiled anyway and passed Piyomon, her feet making her move to the exit of the train and the pink bird only able to simply follow. A bit later the two of them walked through the pouring rain, on their way to their destination.

It was a mostly quiet walk, rather slow but undoubtedly determined. Her feet effortlessly guided them to where they were heading to, Sora was that familiar with this city. She had wandered through them uncountable times for a thousand different reasons and more. Alone or together. She loved these streets, even when rainy season was early like this year.

For the sake of feeling the water running down the sky, she stuck out her hand from under the umbrella shielding herself and Piyomon from the said water. The caught raindrops Sora took back into the shield, closely observing them as if she was looking for something. She shook her hand and rubbed it against her coat to dry her skin again, with that looking down.

In the reflections of the puddles decorating the stones paving the Tokyo streets, the rain only providing more and more water, Sora saw all the things she’d once experienced in these streets. Tokyo was like a memory lane and he sure was occupying lots of houses down the lane. He lived in all of those houses. And as much as Sora didn’t want to admit, he did live in her head and heart as well.

Sora was very much aware of the fact that this guy was very hard to let go. And it wasn’t him, it was all her.

Her feet eventually stopped in front of the apartment building she was expected at, her eyes immediately catching the blonde figure who was leaning against the wall. In his hand he was twirling around an old musical relic. One she hadn’t seen in so many years, but still remembered vividly, the sound of the so familiar harmonica bringing back even more memories, both fond and melancholic.

“Hey Sora,” Yamato smiled, pushing himself off of the wall while approaching her. Sora smiled back and stepped forwards while letting down her umbrella, stepping under the shelter Yamato was under. The two met each other in a friendly embrace.

“Yamato, how’s he?” She asked after letting go.

“He thinks it’s his fault. Again. Does that tell you enough?” Sora slowly nodded, a little sigh escaping her. “You have to see it for yourself though. Come on, let’s get you up there.”

Together with Piyomon, Sora followed Yamato inside to the 7th floor of the building, the sound of the rain on the steel balustrade of the gallery present the whole way. She knew these hallways and galleries all too well too, the entrance of this apartment one way too familiar. As was the nameplate with the name “Yagami” written on it. It looked the same for as long as Sora could remember.

The door was open, the house symbolically welcoming her in after years. It had never been her own home, but it certainly felt like that. Respectfully she took off her shoes and placed her umbrella in the holder. Her slightly damp coat she hung over Yamato’s, seeing there was no free spot left, telling her there were probably a lot of people already here.

And they had all tried.

With Piyomon already reunited with her Digimon buddies, Sora made her way to the living room area. She saw how her old friends were all scattered across the room. Sitting down on the sofa, chairs, arm rests or the carpet. Standing, leaning against the wall or staring outside through the closed glass sliding door that led to the balcony.

“Sora-kun, you’re here.”

Jyou was the first one to notice Sora’s quiet entrance, greeting her by looking up from his spot on the couch, carefully waving at her.

“Sora-san!”

Hikari was the next one to verbally greet Sora, calling out for her for both Mimi and herself. Together with the honey-haired girl, Hikari stood up from her spot on the couch next to Jyou, getting to Sora as fast as they could. The two girls wrapped Sora into their embraces, their warmth penetrating Sora’s own skin and for a good minute, happiness overwhelmed Sora. It had been a while since she last saw all of them. Especially all together.

“It’s good to see you, Sora-san,” came Takeru’s voice. While Hikari stepped aside to give Takeru some space, Mimi clinged to Sora, taking in all the affection she could get out of the girl. On Sora’s other shoulder was enough space for Takeru to place a soothing hand on. “How are you?”

“I’m doing okay, thank you for asking,” she answered Takeru before her eyes darted around the room. “Where is he? Taichi.” She said to no one in particular.

“Up on the roof.”

The maroon headed man turned around in his place at the window to look Sora straight in the eyes. Even though Koushiro’s voice sounded almost stern and factually, Sora could see the worry and desperation in his dark eyes, the tone in his voice giving her hints as well. They had been friends for so long, she knew him, could read between the lines.

“I-in the rain? The pouring rain?!”

Koushiro traveled across the room, his head nodding in response to Sora’s questions. On his way, he swiftly brushed Hikari’s shoulder to calm her down a bit more. “Unfortunately…” He said as Mimi stepped aside now as well to get to a worried Hikari, giving the two redheads space for a brief hug. “We all tried to talk to him—”

“But with no success yet,” interrupted a voice Sora recognized as Daisuke’s, finishing Koushiro’s sentence. Usually, his voice was more uplifting and enthusiastic, but this time it sounded frustrated and maybe even defeated. Sora turned around to find Daisuke in the opening of the door, taking off his raincoat.

Taichi was a lost cause, Sora concluded to herself, and she was here to try to mend the pieces back together. She was fully aware of how Taichi could be or become, his depressive and angsty mood swings not something unknown to any of them.

“I’m glad you could come, Sora.”

This time the voice came from beneath her and so she looked down to see a small yellow dinosaur standing next to her. She could imagine being Taichi’s partner wasn’t always easy, though, Agumon often brought up the best in him. Today, however, it seemed like even Agumon couldn’t cheer him up.

“I think Taichi needs you.” Agumon told Sora.

From behind her she could hear confirmative sounds, both from the Digimon as from their human partners. A short encouraging touch of Koushiro’s hand on her shoulder and a silent nod from Yamato was enough for Sora.

She nodded to Agumon and the others, then made her way up to the roof. Umbrella in hand.

Sora found him standing there, with his back facing her, close to the edge, probably looking over the slowly flooding streets. He wasn’t wearing a coat or whatsoever, nothing to shield him except for his normal clothes. By now, his significant messy brown bush of hair was fully flat and down, the rain heavy enough for his to finally lose to gravity. Sora wondered how long he had been standing there.

“Taichi…?” She carefully started.

When no sound came back she slowly began approaching him. Step by step, the wet stones underneath her shoes crunching, warning Taichi someone was coming. Sora knew that he knew.

Her mind raced, trying to find the right words. She couldn’t be too vague.

“There was nothing you could do for that boy,” Sora said, immediately regretting it, worrying whether it was too direct or not. But then again, there’s wasn’t a way back anymore. She thought about the things she had heard over phone when they asked her to come to Tokyo as fast as possible. “It was his own choice to chase that dangerous Digimon.”

There had been a Digimon that appeared in the streets of Tokyo. Of course Taichi and Yamato had rushed to the scene with Koushiro in their ears. During the fight, Taichi was in charge of evacuating the people in the neighborhood, however, apparently one very adventurous boy had slipped his sight and went straight into the action, holding up his cell phone to record the whole fighting scene between Garurumon and the other Digimon, assumably to upload on the internet later. The boy got hit and was brought to the hospital, currently being in critical danger.

“I’m certain you, Yamato and Koushiro made the right decisions. You really couldn’t have done it any better.” Sora once again continued after not receiving any response from Taichi. But even now he kept quiet, his back still turned towards her. Her feet still carried Sora towards him though. “Taichi, please… Talk to me…?”

“Shouldn’t you be in Kyoto?”

Sora stopped walking, taken aback by Taichi’s words sounding so passively aggressive. He looked over his shoulder, his eyes not directly making contact with Sora’s. She could feel how, similarly to the way her hand had tightened around her phone back in the train, it now tightened around the grip of her umbrella.

“Yes. But I’m here now, right? I came here for you,”

“Well, you’re too late now!” Taichi snapped, turning around. His brown eyes pierced through her own eyes and Sora sharply gasped, taking the verbal hit from her childhood friend. “That boy is fourteen and he’s in the hospital now fighting for his fucking life! I could have saved him, Sora, I—”

“No, Taichi!” Sora’s impulses took over, screaming at him in ways she was only capable of doing so when directed at him. “Damn it. You can’t protect everyone! You have to understand that! And you can’t let yourself become depressive after every fight you fight, whether it’s with or without Digimon! Sometimes you have to take your losses and let it go!”

“Then why are you here Sora?! Tell me, weren’t you the one who decided to let go? Huh? Who decided to move to your dad in Kyoto to change study direction? To leave all of us here fighting for our lives?!”

Sora’s jaw dropped from disbelieve. “Taichi, that’s so unreasonable, I—”

“You were the one who decided to leave me.”

She was going to tell him how he dared to say things like that. How she had been so mad with him when he moved to his own little condo basically right after high school. How disappointed she was every single time he didn’t text or call her back. Of course she knew how busy he was and obviously she was busy with making life decisions herself, but she needed her friend. The one she had been friends with for better or worse.

She had been annoyed with him for slowly forgetting her. She absolutely despised herself for giving him the space to fade away from her life, faster than she wanted. And she had been downright outraged with the fact that she had left Tokyo without telling him a thing. Because she thought he didn’t care. Or in the hope he did care, enough to let him make the step to message her.

That message never came. And Sora regretted it, now more than ever.

“Yeah…” Taichi huffed and turned back around to face the building’s height again.

Instead of swallowing it away, tears started to stream down her face. Her eyes were the rainclouds that made it rain, her cheeks the canvas for the drops of salty water to paint on. She lowered her umbrella, her hand loosening, resulting in the umbrella finding the ground, the rain now having free game to soak her clothes just like Taichi was soaking wet. Sora wondered whether he had been crying too and that she just wasn’t able to see it due to the rain mixing with his tears.

The rain had washed it all away.

The rain.

“There’s a reason I love the rain so much.” With her body and voice calmed down, Sora spoke. “Even now that we’re standing here together like this.” She said as she stepped closer and closer to him with every word.

“You do?” She could hear Taichi quietly say, his head turning a mere millimeter.

“Mmhm. Do you remember how we used to play soccer in the rain and how we somehow always ended up here? Laughing, making stupid jokes? I’ve never told you, but I really needed those little moments.”

Sora looked at his wet face revealing itself to her bit by little bit. Every word, every second was worth another inch. Simultaneously, Sora kept making baby steps, until she was right next to him. She didn’t look at him, her eyes finding peace with the rainy skyline of Odaiba.

“You were my escape, Taichi,” the corners of her lips slightly curled up. “On my way from Kyoto to Tokyo, I kept wondering why I let myself be persuaded to come here. You know why?”

“Because I’m being a drama queen baby who needed his mother?” Taichi said looking down to which Sora giggled. Her eyes found his again as she playfully punched Taichi in his arm.

“No, baka, because I needed an escape. And there’s only one place to go for an escape and that’s my home. Which is right here,” Sora said looking at him, “in the pouring rain,” she said looking up, “on top of this…” she said stepping forward looking down over the edge, “… very high roof, holy shit…”

Taichi smiled. “A swearing Sora Takenouchi, who thought— Look out!”

Fascinated by the height, Sora had taken one step forward too much, almost tripping over her own feet. However, she safely landed in Taichi’s arms.

“Oi, Taichi, thank you…!”

Just sheer seconds felt like eternity. Sora’s eyes met his hovering over her, her heart skipped a beat or two. With him above her, it felt like the rain had stopped for a little while, of course it had.

“If I can’t protect everyone, then at least let me protect you.” He grinned.

Taichi was like a home. The walls to keep her safe and protected. The roof to shield her from any storm. Sora bit her lip, the blush that was forming on her face one she was unable to hide.

“Such a cheese,” she teased him as he brought her back on her two feet again. With her hand she went through his wet hair after brushing the skin of his overly hydrated cheek. “How do you feel now?”

“Cold,” Taichi said while following Sora back to the staircase, taking the hand she was holding out for him. “But alive.”

You stay alive in the cold in the rain. - Alive by Selah Sue

#digimon fanfiction by DFS #taiora #taiorasrainy #sora takenouchi #taichi yagami #taichi x sora #taiora2022 #tai kamiya #tai x sora #taichi #sora #tai #digimon #alive by selah sue #spotify #taioracalender2022

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