Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. If I did, Takeru and Hikari would have ended up together.

Author's Notes:

The scenes of the aquarium were inspired by the story "Comfortable Silence" by chromate. I have no intention copying his/her story. It is one the most well written stories. I highly encourage you all to read it.

I have had this story in my mind for sometime now. I have just gotten the courage and determination to write and publish it on the website. I am really surprised that I wrote this chapter pretty fast. I guess I was just inspired. I don't think I am a good writer, so please bear with me. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please leave a review! :)

Chapter 1: Different Shades of Light

May 19, 2007

RING!

Takaishi Takeru groaned and turned off his alarm clock. He stretched his arms and checked the time; it was only 8 o'clock in the morning. Had it been any other Saturday morning, he would still be sleeping, but he promised Hikari that he would spend the whole day with her; that unfortunately included the morning. He lay in bed for an extra minute, hugging his pillow before he got up.

The blond teenager sleepily walked to the bathroom. He still had his eyes closed and was walking out of instinct. He opened the door and entered the bathroom. He took off his white V-neck t-shirt and his blue boxers and dropped them inside the hamper. He stepped into the shower stall, and turned the knob to begin his cold shower. He purposely took a cold shower this morning because he needed to wake up.

After his shower, Takeru wrapped his green bathrobe around his body and began drying his blond hair with his towel. He exited the bathroom, and made his way to his room to choose his attire for the day.

Takeru entered his room and walked toward his dresser. He opened the first drawer and took out a pair of boxers and socks. He then picked out a blue V-neck shirt and black jeans. He put on his clothes and walked over to his closet and grabbed a black zipped-up hoodie. He checked his alarm clock and it was already 8:35 AM. He needed to be at the Yagami apartment around 9:00 AM. Takeru exited his room and headed over to the kitchen to grab a banana from the fruit basket. He ate the fruit in a hurry and threw it in the garbage can. The blond then walked to the doorway, put on his shoes, and left the apartment.

It took him about 15 minutes to walk to the Yagami apartment. The blond knocked on the door and was greeted by Hikari. She was wearing a light blue spring dress with a cardigan over it. She greeted Takeru with a warm smile. "Ohayo, Takeru-kun!"

He was about to return her greeting, but for some reason he couldn't. He couldn't stop staring at her. Has she always smiled at him like that? Hikari noticed his silence. "Are you all right Takeru-kun?"

Takeru snapped out of his trance, smiled, and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just not use to waking up early during the weekend. Are you ready to go?"

Hikari nodded her head and smiled at him again. "Bye, okaa-san and oto-san. I'll be back later!" She closed the door to the apartment and gestured Takeru towards the direction of the elevator.

"Why did you want to hang-out with me, Hikari-chan? You could have just told me if you missed me," Takeru teasingly said to her. He pushed the elevator button, and waited for her response.

Hikari giggled and playfully rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. I have these two free passes for the Odaiba Aquarium and they are about to expire soon. You were the only one who was free today."

Takeru placed his hand on his chest and pretended to look hurt. "I'm just your last resort? Does our friendship mean anything to you, Hikari-chan?" Hikari and Takeru both laughed at their playful banter. The elevator finally arrived and they entered it together.

"Seriously, why did you want to hang out with me today?" Takeru asked her.

"No reason. We haven't spent time together because we have been busy with our studies and extra curricular activities," Hikari explained. "And, these passes are really about to expire, so I thought it would be fun."

Takeru was about to respond, but his stomach beat him to it; it let it out a huge growl. The blonde smiled sheepishly at Hikari. He knew he was going to get a lecture from her.

"Takeru! Why didn't you eat breakfast again? You do know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?" Hikari asked him with a slight annoyed and worried tone.

"I didn't have time to make breakfast, so I just ate a banana." The elevator arrived at the lobby, and Takeru and Hikari exited the elevator. They walked out the lobby and into the streets "Besides, we can just eat out. There's a great café not too far from the aquarium. It'll be my treat."

Hikari stopped her tracks and put her hands on her hips. "It is still not healthy to skip meals. Do you want to get sick?"

Takeru couldn't help but to stare at her. She just looked so cute standing like that. Cute? Where did that come from? Takeru mentally slapped himself on the head in order to get rid of those thoughts. "Okay you win, Hikari-chan. I promise to never skip a meal again, but let's go to that café before it gets crowded." Hikari nodded her head and followed his lead.

While they were walking to the café, the two best friends talked about the events that happened in school. Hikari rolled her eyes when Takeru told her that their evil chemistry teacher Satoshi-sensei was after him. "Takeru-kun, you always say that when he gives back your exam. It's not Satoshi-sensei's fault that you did not study."

"Who said that I didn't study? I just don't get all that balancing equations stuff. I'm not even going to use that in the future, so I don't see a reason why I need to learn it," Takeru pointed out. All Hikari do was to shake her head. Her best friend was such an idiot.

The two kept chatting until they arrived at the café, and the hostess warmly greeted them. "Good morning! Welcome to Mitsuru Café. How many will be joining us for today?" the hostess asked.

"Just two," Takeru replied.

"All right. Please follow me." The hostess led them to their table. She handed them their menus. "Your server will be here shortly. Enjoy your meal." Takeru and Hikari thanked her before she left them.

"What do you usually order here Takeru-kun?" Hikari asked him as she glanced at the menu.

"It depends on what you're craving. This café is a mixture of Japanese, American, and European cuisine." Takeru answered. "That reminds me. I haven't had bacon in a while. Maybe I should order that?"

"Yeah, if you want to get a heart attack."

Takeru scrunched his nose and stuck out his tongue at Hikari. "I'm not going to get a heart attack from eating a few slices of bacon. If it makes you feel better, I'll order some fruit on the side. The fruit will cancel the bacon out."

She also stuck out her tongue at him. "It doesn't work that way Takeru. Honestly, did you pay attention during health class?" Takeru shrugged his soldiers and continued looking at the menu. Hikari just shook her head in defeat. Her best friend really was an idiot.

A young adult male approached their table and introduced himself. "Hello, my name is Shigeru and I will be your server. Can I get you guys started out with drinks?"

"I will have some water and some orange juice please," Takeru said with a smile.

"What about you miss?"

"I'll have a cup of hot green tea."

"Are you also ready to order or do you need another minute to look over the menu?" the server asked.

Takeru looked at Hikari. "We are going to need a few more minutes," Hikari said.

"Okay. I'll be back with your drinks," the server said. Takeru thanked him.

"You're still not sure on what you're going to order?" he asked her.

"I'm not sure what I am in the mood for," the brunette said. Takeru couldn't help but stare at Hikari. She scrunched both her eyebrows and nose while she looked at the menu. To him, she looked so adorable.

Adorable?

Where did that come from? Throughout the years of their friendship, he never thought of Hikari as adorable or cute. She was just Hikari. Why of all a sudden he is seeing her in a different light?

"Have you tried some of their crepes, Takeru-kun?" Hikari asked. She waited for his answer, but he didn't respond. She looked at him with a worried expression. "Takeru-kun, are you okay?"

Takeru shook his head and immediately snapped out of trance. "Of course I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."

"About what?" Hikari asked as she crooked her head.

He couldn't tell her that he was thinking about how adorable she looked. That would be weird and awkward, so he blurted the first thing that came into his mind. "Bacon."

"Bacon?" Hikari looked at him incredulously.

How stupid could he be? "Umm yeah. As I told you earlier, I haven't eaten it in awhile. I just miss it. Anyways, I really like the strawberry and banana crepe." Takeru hoped she bought that excuse. Knowing Hikari, she was probably going to pester him because she was already worried about him.

Hikari looked at him one more time and wondered if she should keep asking him about it. She decided to let it go. She didn't like it when Takeru kept things from her. But at the same time, she also needed to respect his privacy. "Okay, I order the crepes then."

The waiter arrived with their drinks. "We're ready to order," Takeru informed the server. Takeru gestured towards Hikari.

"I will have the strawberry and banana crepes."

The server wrote down Hikari's orders. "Your order sir?"

"I'll take the bacon breakfast with two scrambled eggs. I will also take a side order of fruit."

"Okay. Your orders will soon be ready." Takeru and Hikari thanked the server and handed him their menus.

Hikari stared at Takeru. He still had the same expression on his face as he did earlier. Hikari knew he would only get this expression when he was confused or unsure about something.

"Takeru-kun, are you sure you're okay?" Hikari asked in a worried tone.

Takeru looked at her and he saw how concerned she was. "Yeah. I'm just worried about my studies," Takeru assured her.

"If you need somebody to talk to, just know I'm here." Hikari said with a slight smile. "After all, we're best friends, right?"

For some reason Takeru was slightly bothered by her statements. Friends? Is that all? He was never upset when Hikari called him her best friend. Why all of a sudden he was now troubled by it?

"Of course we are Hikari-chan. We are the best of friends." Takeru could taste the bitterness of his words.

After they ate breakfast, the two walked to the aquarium. The two chatted about their past adventures in the Digital World and also about their studies. The walk from the café to the aquarium should have only took ten minutes, but about 30 steps or so, Hikari would stop and take pictures of anything that caught her attention.

"You're such a photo addict Hikari. You've seen this building dozens of times. It's not going to change."

Hikari just rolled her eyes. "I know that, but it looks different today because of the light."

Takeru didn't really understand what Hikari was talking about, so he just nodded his head. "Yeah, I can totally see it."

Hikari obviously saw through him and stuck her tongue at him. "No you don't! You're just pretending."

Takeru put his arms up as a sign of defeat. "Okay, okay, okay. You got me." Hikari just giggled and quickly took his picture. "Hey! I wasn't ready for that picture!" Takeru exclaimed.

"That's the point, silly."

He shook his head in defeat and smiled at her. "Okay. Let's continue walking towards the aquarium. All the good exhibits will be crowded."

The two arrived at the aquarium shortly after. The aquarium was one of the most popular spots in Odaiba because it offered different exhibits ranging from penguins to swordfish and sharks. There was already a crowd of families, friends, children, and couples. Before it got too crowded, Hikari dragged Takeru to see the penguins. Ever since the brunette watched Happy Feet, she has had an obsession with penguins.

"You do know the penguins are not going to start dancing, right?" Takeru teasingly asked her.

"I know that, but look how cute they are!" Hikari exclaimed. "Look at the baby, it's looking right at me." Hikari smiled and waved at the baby penguin. "Takeru-kun, can you please take my picture with the penguin?"

"Sure." Takeru took the camera from her hands, and just for a moment, their fingers brushed. Takeru felt some sort of spark when their fingers touched. Their fingers and hands have touched before, but this time it was different. He never felt that spark before. He quickly brushed off those feelings and took Hikari's picture.

"Thanks Takeru-kun!" Hikari thanked him.

"No problem. Let's go see the rest of the aquarium?"

Hikari nodded her head in agreement. The two best friends walked around the crowded aquarium and saw many exhibits. They saw hammerhead head sharks, eels, and many different types of organisms that live in the ocean. Hikari laughed when Takeru still called regal blue tang fish "Dory" and the clown fish "Nemo."

She also took many pictures that her camera almost ran out of memory. One of her favorite pictures she took was a picture of Takeru pretending to be eaten by the great white shark statue in front of the shark exhibit. She could still the many disapproving looks of people at her best friend's goofiness.

The two spent the entire day at the aquarium. Before heading home, they decided to see the jelly fish exhibit because it was crowded earlier.

There were a total of eight cylindrical tanks in the exhibit. If it weren't for the illuminating tanks, the jellyfish exhibit would have been in complete darkness. Takeru and Hikari were looking at the jellyfish at the same tank, but they were opposite of each other.

The movement of the jellyfish captivated Takeru. He thought how the jellyfish expands and contracts its body was fascinating. As he looked around the tank, something else caught his attention. He could see Hikari. He saw the way her lips curled into a smile. He saw the way her eyes lit up while she was looking at the jellyfish. He could see the light radiating out of her. For the first time, Takeru finally saw how beautiful Hikari was.

"They're beautiful aren't they, Takeru-kun?"

Takeru was no longer looking at the jellyfish. He was only staring at her. "Yeah…beautiful."

End of Chapter 1

Author's notes:

The scene where Takeru is looking at Hikari through the tank was inspired by the scene where Romeo first sees Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet.

Apparently, Hikari is a couple months older than Takeru. Does anyone know if this is true?

Well, that's the end of chapter 1. Please leave a review and tell me what you all think. The title of the story will make sense in the later chapters. I hope you all will continue reading.