estoria | [OPEN] There, by the Waterside

Entry tags:

[OPEN] There, by the Waterside

Who:

givesalittlewhistle & OPEN
When: Mid-June IC/Beginning of April OOC
Where: Around the City
What: Part One: Hikari has her new Camera and wants to try it out | Part Two: weapons training (sort of)
Rating/Warning: (possible talks of fighting involving children)

I.

[If there was one positive thing about that last ViViD game she'd entered...it was that, combined with her school allowance and other savings, it put her at more than enough credits to buy the camera she wanted.]

[It was small. Easy enough to hold in her young hands, and light enough to carry around her neck on a string. Right next to her whistle, and atop the crest of light she kept beneath her shirt. It was also stylish, with a silver casing and even a little view screen in the back so that she could see the image she'd just captured without having to print it out first. Even better, thanks to the small card she was able to insert to add memory, she could take hundreds of pictures before having to delete any and make room for new ones!]

[It also meant she had plenty of leeway to experiment! Which is precisely why, for most of that particular morning, anyone might come across the eight-year-old girl wandering aimlessly around the city looking for things to shoot. She took pictures of the trees. The school. The shrine. The shops.]

[But...what she found she enjoyed most were taking pictures of the people. Especially when they barely had time to pose.]

Smile!

[Click]

II.

[The camera wasn't her only purchase, though this one had been a little more...spontaneous.]

[A glimpse in a window that inspired something she'd been wondering in the back of her mind for some time. Ever since that awful fighting game. She had come away from it mostly unscathed, yes, in no small part due to the fact that she'd reached for a weapon. Not a sword or bow and arrow or anything she could have hurt herself with, though. No, Hikari had reached for a long staff. And wielded it quite well for a novice.]

[Which was to say, she didn't smack herself in the face with it once. Success?]

[So, when she found a rubber training version of the same weapon with foam ends, it was like a sign. It didn't cost much, and when she first held it in her hands, it was even lighter than she remembered the wooden version being.]

[She took it to the park. Tailmon hovered as always, although this time on the ground. More than once, she swatted a little at the staff edges as they came near her, and it was only because of how soft they felt compared to most weapons that she wasn't more concerned. In fact, if anything, the little digimon looked proud of her partner for wanting to better defend herself ~~though slight put out she hadn't opted for the bow and arrow~~.]

I just wish I knew more so that I could teach you myself.

[Hikari was currently practicing spinning it in her hands, getting used to the way the weight shifted and the center of balance followed its movement. She didn't dare turn her head until it stopped, and called out to Tailmon without taking her eyes away from her current task.]

It's okay. I can...probably...figure this out...by myself...

[Or until somebody else came along to help her.]

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[She nodded, and despite the seriousness of the situation, the corners of her lips even twitched upward a bit at coincidence.]

I was, yeah. With this.

[She held up the staff for him to see.]

Who's Neji-san?

Oh, he's someone I met at the gym! I was using my bow and arrow before he told me to come outside instead!

[Even if he really wanted to go to the gym and practice but if he said it was for the best...]

But I didn't know you got a staff! Maybe we can train together instead!

[Hikari was inclined to side with Neji on this one. Outside was much nicer than the gym. And he was using a bow and arrow. More space = safer for any people around him.]

We could do that, sure.

[She seemed hesitant. Unwilling to hit Takeru, of all people, even if her staff was padded.]

...how come you decided to start learning how to shoot arrows?

[Before Takeru could say anything, he didn't know how to respond to that. There were a lot of reasons but really? There was just one that popped into his head!]

Because Angelo-san said he would be willing to teach me! And I thought it would be really cool since he knows how to use them!

[Then there was a pause]

...And I thought maybe I should start learning how to protect other people too.

Angelo-san?

[Hikari knew Nico as well, but the older boy had only introduced himself by his first name. So she still referred to him as Nico-san.]

[But the name aside...it was a slightly surprising revelation, and yet not really. She knew how much Takeru hated to fight, and yet he was always more than willing to step in and help whenever he was needed. So of course he, too, would think to better prepare himself in case...certain circumstances were to happen again.]

That's what I was thinking, too. [It felt wrong to smile at something like that, but she couldn't help a tiny one at the synchronicity of their line of thinking. Both wanting to learn to better protect others.] In that one game where everybody had to fight each other on top of the monsters...I found a staff kind of like this one, and it helped me a lot. So I thought...maybe if I learned how to fight better with it, I could help more.

Yeah, he’s someone who is pretty tall and has white hair?

[He said before standing on the top of his toes and extending his hand out to prove his point!

But outside of that? Takeru was right, Hikari wanted to learn how to protect herself as well. Somehow, it didn't surprise him either. After everything in the Digital World and in Cerealia, it would only be a matter of time before she would learn how to fight.

While he was happy knowing he wasn't alone, there was another thought he wanted to bring up!]

That's great, Hikari-chan! But you should be careful, I don't want you to get sick! Because if you're not feeling well at all, you should tell someone and we can help you!

[If there was one lesson he learned during his stay here, it was to accept help from others. Or else, face the consequences]

[She...couldn't even argue his point, given her history. And she knew it.]

I know, Takeru-kun. And...I don't want the same thing to happen again, either.

[Her collapsing. Slowing everyone down because she didn't speak up sooner. It was...one of her worst, hardest habits to break, but she knew she was going to have to try. Or at least get stronger, so that it would no longer be an issue.]

But if you're with me, then it won't. So it'll be okay. [To prove she was no longer worried, she even picked up her staff again and twirled it again. She was starting to get the hang of the balance, even if her twirls were still pretty slow.] See?

...can I see you shoot?

[For some reason, it was easier to ask that of him when she wasn't looking directly in him.]

[Takeru remembered that day very well. To see his friend so sick where she could barely walk and even talk too! And with the Dark Masters after them, he felt so helpless knowing that there was nothing he could do.

But now though?]

If you say so! But I'll be sure to look after you so you won't ever have to be sick again! I promise! [Now more than ever with the events at the altar, he had to make sure she was safe. Along with his brother, Taichi, and all the Digimon too.]

Yeah, you can! See! [Even if his arms were a bit sore, he attempted to grab and arrow before pulling the string. Despite the slight wince, he managed to shoot it toward a nearby tree.

Although, he barely made it as the arrow hit the bottom trunk! While his arms continued to throb in pain, he didn't say anything about it.]

[Hikari had stopped the twirling just in time to catch Takeru aim and release the arrow. However, she never followed it enough to notice that it just barely fell short of the intended target because her eyes were once more firmly fixed on Takeru. She looked...concerned.]

[Before she could say anything, however, Tailmon--who had also been watching the young boy's form out of curiosity--spoke up:]

You're not holding the front of the bow steady. When you release, if the bow moves at all, it'll take a lot of the speed and power out of the arrow.

[She, of course, only saw the flaws in the technique. Hikari, on the other hand, realized what was causing them:]

You're hurt.

[As soon as Takeru was done, he looked back at Hikari before he rubbed his shoulders. On second thought, maybe this wasn't a good idea. While he was in pain, he didn't want Hikari to know! But now that she did?

How was he going to explain this to her? But his attention went to Tailmon]

You really think so? Is that why I'm not shooting the bow correctly? [He asked Tailmon before looking back at the her partner.]

But it's not that bad! I think I can still use it! [Or at least, he really hoped so. Then again, this was his stubborn side talking right now]

Edited 2016-04-09 16:06 (UTC)

[Tailmon would have offered more commentary, but she was looking to Hikari now. The injury...she should have seen it, but she had figured the weakness and subsequent since had come from a lack of experience. It took a lot of strength to hold a bow steady, after all.]

[But it seemed that her partner simply knew the boy better than she did, and could better recognize the signs.]

How did it happen? [His stubborn side, meet her stubborn side. She was clearly not about to let this go.] ...did you hurt it from practicing so much?

[It takes a stubborn person to know a stubborn person, indeed. Takeru cheeks started to swell up before giving a pout.]

Yeah but it's not as bad as it looks! I think if I sit for a few minutes, it should be okay!

[Although, he had a feeling Hikari already knew he was in pain. The problem was how long he can keep it up]

[Puffy cheeks aside, it was...actually the best answer he could have given right then. Because she would have suggested he rest anyway, and sitting for...even a few minutes might help, maybe?]

[She would keep a subtle eye on him in the meanwhile.]

Alright. I'm starting to get a little tired, so we can both take a break.

Okay then.

[Takeru wasn't going to argue with that. As he sat down under a tree somewhere, he gave a sigh. Trying his best to sooth the pain, he kept on rubbing his shoulders in hopes it would go away soon.

But he couldn't but feel rather awkward around her all of a sudden. Now he felt guilty that she knew he was in pain.]

[Hikari hadn't been lying when she said she was tired...although she might have insisted on the break a little later, if it hadn't been for him.]

[Still, she didn't mind the rest at all and went to sit beside him in the meantime. The staff was placed on the ground nearby. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin against them. Closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of the cool air against her face just long enough to take note of the subsequent silence.]

[She peeked one eye open again, and glanced over at Takeru. Curious, and a little concerned.]

...you look sad.

[At first, Takeru didn't seem to notice Hikari sitting next to him, there were too many things running through his mind. Should he apologise and tell her that he didn't mean to make her worry? Or should he just say something? But it didn't seem to let go of the weapon just yet.

As he hugged the both of his legs, he gave a sigh and let the silence before them do the talking. Or at least, that was before Hikari spoke up. When he looked at her, he gave her a blank stare before placing his chin on his knees]

...No, I'm not. I think...I'm just scared.

[Sad. Scared. Either way, his heart was hurting in some way. And--though it didn't immediately show in her face--Hikari's hurt a little as well.]

What are you scared of?

[Does Takeru want Hikari to know how he's been feeling as of late? With all those nightmares and seeing horrible things happening to his friends? He didn't say anything at first but when he did?]

A lot of things. I don't know what CERES is planning to do but it makes me scared they're going to hurt a lot of people here.

[She probably would have found out sooner or later, with a fear like that. In hindsight...it was pretty obvious. A fear of CERES that almost paralleled their fears of the Dark Masters. Those horrible digimon whose plans, for a while, were mysterious...and who could have (and tried to) hurt any of them at any time.]

[But...it was because she immediately thought of the Dark Master's that Hikari was able to smile. It wasn't bright or strong, but still certain in its gentleness.]

That's because you're such a good person, Takeru-kun. You worry about people.

But...I think we'll be okay. We can here for a reason, right? Just like how we went to the Digital World. That was scary too, but we won. You and me and Oniichan and everyone. We did it together.

[Takeru had to wonder if Hikari might have heard him when he had those nightmares. Sometimes, those dreams involved the Dark Masters and what would happen if HolyAngemon didn't arrived. Sometimes, he had dreams about CERES doing horrible things to his friends.

But in the end, it was the same time. Takeru couldn't do anything. As he heard her, he really wanted to believe everything was going to be okay.]

You really think so? I don't want to give up and I want to work even harder. And now that Oniichan, Taichi-san, you, and our Digimon partners are here too!

[A nod. Because she really did believe so. In the moment, she might have been just as scared as he...but, right then, knowing what she knew and remembering all they'd already accomplished, she wasn't scared at all.]

[Not even of the thought of having to fight again.]

Then we won't give up. And we'll work super hard.

Even though we don't have the same weapons right now...I'm sure we could find a way to still do it together.

[Tailmon chose that moment to clear her throat, though her eyes were closed and she seemed to be downplaying her words in an effort to appear cool and passive.]

...I might be able to help him with the archery, at least. It is my main weapon in my evolved form.

[It was funny, he hearing those words from someone else's mouth helped alleviate some of his anxieties. No, he didn't want to give up and he never will. If he had to, he will work harder.

But knowing that he was with her brought a smile to his face. It wasn't selfish that he didn't want to be alone, was it? Before he could say anything, he looked down at Tailmon.]

Oh, that's right! When you're Angewomon, you have a bow and arrow! I would love it if you can help me!

[And when Patamon spoke up?] And I can help Hikari with the staff! That's my main weapon when I'm Angemon!

[Hikari's eyes lit up, and it was clear from her expression that she hadn't even thought of that.]

That's right! It is!

[Tailmon could train Takeru, and Patamon could train her. In a way, it would be like trading partners...or borrowing each other's partners...but, at the same time, it meant they definitely could work together. Side-by-side.]

[And that thought alone fueled her desire to work hard and learn even more.]

That would be wonderful, Patamon. Thank you so much!

It's no problem! But you're going to have work really hard! Using the staff isn't as easy as it looks!

[It's all about technique and knowing exactly where to hit the enemy! But Takeru just smiled brightly at Tailmon before giving out a loud cheer!]

And thank you too, Tailmon! I promise that I'll work harder than before and make you really happy!

[Even if there was a slight wince once more. Looks like somebody forgot about how sore his arms were.] Well...as soon as get some rest...

I will! I'll do my absolute best. Just like--

[Speaking of Takeru...she caught that wince, and this time--since he brought up the resting part--there was no way she wouldn't be able to notice. Or say something in return.]

Maybe we should go back to Han-san's apartment for now.

We can always do more training tomorrow.

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