Well then. I am so sorry about the delay and I won't bore you with the excuses and billion reasons why this took so long to finish. But I WILL tell you that I have a new story idea that has been rattling around and taking up space in my head. It will be Takeru and Hikari in preschool and is mostly nothing but adorableness.

Anywho, I hope you enjoy this disgustingly fluffy, sappy, sticky ending. I was going to have more grandma talk between Hikari and Takeru, but it was making the fluffy stuff sadder. I'm all done with that.

DNofSunshine, if you are reading this, please do your best to update Hell Over Me. I am going to explode soon.

Takeru walked out of the bathroom, taking a deep breath of the cooler air. He felt a little better, he supposed, warmer at least. He had been so cold that when the hot water first washed over him, he had been overcome with a sick, shivery feeling that had taken a while to fade. Most of his time had been spent with his mind wandering. Had he even washed his hair…? Or had he just stood there the whole time? It didn't matter much.

Death wasn't all dramatic like it was in the movies. His last words to his grandmother had not been out of spite, or anger. He would not be haunted by their last interaction. In fact, when he and Aniki visited earlier in the week she had been quite lucid. She had even been able to tell them apart, which had been becoming more and more uncommon as she aged. He had tried his best to squash down the hope that she would start recovering. They were there to say goodbye.

The boy felt his mouth twitch into a strained smile as he stared at his feet in the hallway. That day she had patted the space next to her on the bed and asked him to read to her. There was no book by her bedside, so Takeru had excused himself to her small library room to find one. He had been tempted to grab the book of children's fairy tales that she often read to him before bed on nights they would stay over, but as he went to pick up the dusty book, another caught his eye. He had recognized it instantly, though he had never known exactly what it was. On nights when he missed his mama too much or couldn't sleep after a scary dream, he would sneak into her room. Though it was hardly sneaking when she sat reading in bed, her bedside lamp casting warm shadows on the walls. She never said a word when he curled up close to her hip, but rested a wrinkled hand on his rumpled hair and continued to read. Over the years he never saw any other book by her bedside. How it had ended up in the library was beyond him.

The smile she had given him when he began to read confirmed that he had made the right choice. Even though she coughed weakly throughout-

"Takeru?" A voice nearby cut through his thoughts.

"Huh?" The boy jerked his head up, startled.

Taichi was looking awfully concerned, standing at the end of the hall. It wasn't that Takeru had really expected the older boy to leave while he was showering, Taichi had promised to stay, but he was finding it hard to wrap his head around the fact that it was Taichi here in his apartment at all. Hikari had often lamented how little she got to see her brother now that he was away at university. Up till now, Takeru had not noticed how much he had missed the chosen of courage's presence as well. Having Taichi around made him feel just a little bit braver.

"How was the shower?" Taichi asked as Takeru made his way towards the kitchen.

"It was nice… I feel a little better, thanks Taichi," The blond boy went to sit at the table when he noticed a bag of take-out food sitting in the middle. Warm, spicy smells were wafting around the kitchen. Takeru frowned. It smelled delicious, but from the way his stomach clenched uneasily, he wasn't sure he wanted anything that heavy to eat. He cleared his throat quietly. "Um… did you order dinner?"

Taichi was bustling around behind him, doing goodness knows what. He paused for a moment and Takeru could hear the smirk in his voice when he answered.

"I got food, but it's not for you."

There was a teasing quality to his words, but they were lost on Takeru. He was too emotionally strung out to appreciate any attempted humor.

"Oh, okay…" He turned his gaze down to his hands on the table when he felt a small prickle in his eyes. Nope. No. No more crying. He was all done for the night. Taking a deep breath, he managed to push back the returning ache in his chest.

"Your dinner is at my house."

"…What?" Takeru lifted his head and squinted in confusion at his guest. Taichi was at the door, pulling his winter jacket back on.

"What, did you think I was just going to leave you here? You're coming home with me; my mom is already on her way to pick us up. Come get your stuff on. I think your girlfriend is making you something to eat," Taichi said with an odd smile.

Takeru was feeling very overwhelmed again, but this time by the kindness that was being thrust upon him. He had a wonderful moment of excitement, before it was quickly extinguished by one thought.

"I… I can't, Taichi. I have to go to Shimane early tomorrow morning, remember?"

"I know," He replied matter-of-factly. "Your mom is going to pick you up on the way there in the morning. My house is on the way, so it isn't a big deal. We already talked out the details."

That gave Takeru pause.

"You talked to my mom?"

"Yup. Now come on."

Takeru still didn't move. A huge part of him wanted to leap out of the chair, and drive far, far away from this big empty apartment that was making his feel so, so small. A strangely stubborn little bit of him was complaining that he was sixteen and didn't need to be babied.

"I don't even have a bag packed," He protested.

Taichi shook his head and pointed to a backpack, his backpack, on the floor near his feet.

"I took care of that too. You're all set."

His phone beeped in his pocket and he pulled it out.

"Come on, Takeru. My mom just pulled in."

"But I need to make Mom… dinner…" He slowly looked at the take-out sitting innocently to his left. "Oh… Taichi…You didn't have to do that! Let me pay you for it, please."

The young man shook his head and chuckled softly.

"Not a chance."

The car ride to the Yagami's apartment was quiet. He had caught sight of the clock as he was leaving his apartment and had been stunned that it was past ten. The chosen of hope hadn't realized that he had spent so long in the shower. The soft collar of his winter coat rubbed gently on his cheek as he leaned his head on the window glass. He was grateful he had taken Taichi's advice of wearing his coziest clothes. His feet were snuggled by the thickest, fluffiest socks he owned, and he had on a pair of fleece pajama pants that were at least a size too big. His mom had bought them for aniki's birthday last month, but had forgotten how long her oldest son's legs were. She had instantly offered to exchange them, but aniki had caught him staring longingly at them and simply tossed them his way, claiming now he didn't need to get him anything for Christmas.

Takeru was thankful that the car was dark and no one could see his embarrassed flush as he realized he was wearing one of aniki's sweatshirts as well. It was one of the old "Teenaged Wolves" prints that had come out right before the band changed their name. There had been so many extras that Yamato had practically been asking people to take them. Takeru had offered to distribute them as well, and ended up taking three home that night. He just pretended that he washed it frequently instead of telling the truth that he rotated through them periodically. Though Hikari may have started to suspect something. He had spilled paint from a project on the sleeve of one of them and now it appeared that the stain disappeared and reappeared at random.

The blond boy paused suddenly, and slowly reached up to feel the hat on his head. Oh man. No way. He was wearing a "Knife of Day" hat. No wonder Taichi had looked at him so strangely when they were leaving. Hikari was right. He was his brother's biggest groupie.

He let out a huff and pulled his face as far down into his jacket collar as possible. The soft noise attracted his friend's attention.

"You okay back there?" Taichi asked, turning around slightly in his seat to peek at him.

"Yup," He said, perhaps a bit too quickly to be believable.

Taichi didn't respond, but his eyebrows furrowed in visible concern.

Takeru tried to force the pink out of his cheeks and gave a self-deprecating sigh.

"I'm a walking advertisement."

Taichi sniggered, turning back around to face front.

"No shit."

Mrs. Yagami reached over and lightly smacked at her son.

"Watch your mouth."

Hikari paced around the apartment anxiously. She couldn't believe that only an hour or so ago she had actually been angry with Takeru. His behavior had been strange, but he had been hurting and she had been angry. How horrible of her to stand by and do nothing but be suspicious. She should have been helping him, she should have known somehow…

The girl stopped in front of the window and looked out, pursing her lips. Takeru wouldn't want her beating herself up like that. They had been working on how much pressure and guilt she piled on herself for a while now. Progress had been made, but old habits were hard to shake. But she couldn't make progress without practicing…

Sitting down and taking a few deep breaths, she began thinking through her situation the way they had been practicing. 'Takeru did not tell me what was going on, and I cannot read his mind. It's okay to be upset, but it's not okay to be mean to myself. I am aware of the real problem now, and will do everything I can to help. Beating myself up over the past would not help anyone.' Repeating those thoughts a few times through, she felt her chest loosen a little.

Hikari smiled and began whispering the words out loud to herself quietly. This was the first time she had been able to feel any significant relief without someone there to coach her along. A warm flicker of pride flared in her chest and chased away most of the remaining negativity. She was still allowed to feel sad that the situation happened, but she would not let herself dwell anymore. The girl stood with purpose and strode to the kitchen, giving the pot on the stove a final stir.

As soon as she had poured out a few steaming mugs, the door behind her opened and quiet voices floated in. She waited just long enough for the trio to remove their boots before emerging from the kitchen. Takeru had just a moment to take in her presence before she threw her arms around him and hugged tight. Hikari's eyes were squeezed shut, but she felt her onii-san pat Takeru on the back and leave the entrance of the apartment. Her mother followed a moment later, expressing to Takeru that he was to make himself comfortable. He uttered a small thank you in return. His arms wrapped around her back and she felt Takeru rest his head on her shoulder. Her boyfriend sniffed and she turned her head to press a kiss on his cheek.

After a few moments Takeru pulled back and Hikari got a good look at him. His eyes were tired and glassy, and just the smallest bit puffy. The hair sticking out from under his hat was only partially dried, and she knew if she didn't get that thing off him in the next few minutes he was going to have the most awful hat hair imaginable. He looked nothing short of exhausted, and somehow, she still found herself thinking he was cute.

"I'm really sorry, Hikari," He started, his voice a bit thick. "I was an idiot this week, and I should never have lied to you. You have every right to be upset with me, okay? Please don't think any of this was your fault."

Hikari smiled up at him, but her voice was quite serious.

"It's okay, Takeru. I… I was upset…with you, but I'm not anymore. You had something really horrible to deal with and I didn't know what was going on. Taichi told me a little bit and I'm mostly just sorry I couldn't help you with this. But I want to help now, if you want me to."

Takeru stared at her, his eyes welling up as she spoke. When she finished, he croaked out something he had never said to her before.

"I love you."

Hikari's eyes widened, shock running through her system. It was quickly replaced by a warm, happy feeling that made her confident enough to reply softly.

"I love you too, Takeru."

He lunged forward and crushed her in another hug.

Hikari giggled a little, unable to help it. Yet she managed to pull herself together.

"I'm sorry about your grandmother," She whispered. She felt him take a big breath around her.

"Yeah, me too," He let go and wiped his eyes hurriedly. "She was awesome."

"Well," The chosen of light took Takeru's hand. "I have some hot chocolate ready, so how about you head over to the couch and I will meet you there in a sec."

Takeru sent her a wobbly grin and gave her hand a quick squeeze before heading off towards the living room.

Hikari gave herself a shake and padded in her socks towards the stove. The girl watched her boyfriend slowly make his way over to the couch to join her brother. Taichi clicked the play button on the remote and the old American 70's film "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" began to play with Japanese subtitles. Though they all had to take the language in school, English was none of their strong suits. Hikari added an extra scoop of marshmallow to one of the mugs and went to join the boys for the movie.

Takeru curled up next to her as soon as she had gotten settled. Hikari pulled him close and took the snuggly opportunity to get rid of his hat and run her fingers through his hair before it became utterly atrocious. He was supposed to look nice tomorrow, she reasoned.

A few minutes into the movie her mom came over and offered Takeru a bowl of ramen. The boy let out a long "umm…" while discreetly looking to Hikari for help. She tried so hard not to laugh at the fear in his eyes.

"I made it myself last night, 'Keru. Is it okay if its leftovers?" She helped him out.

Takeru slumped against her in thanks.

"Yes, thank you, Mrs. Yagami. Ramen would be nice."

"Okay, dear. I'll warm some up for you." The older woman disappeared into the kitchen.

Taichi chuckled at the other end of the couch.

"Man, you looked like she offered you poison."

Takeru gave him a tired scowl.

"You say that like you haven't been eating her cooking your whole life..."

A voice called out from behind them.

"Taichi, honey, are you hungry at all? I can make you something before I go to bed if you want!"

Taichi blanched, his eyes widening in terror.

"NothanksMomI'mgood!" He called back.

Hikari and Takeru laughed heartily at him, and he spent the next fifteen minutes with his smart mouth firmly shut.

The three of them watched the holiday classic and sipped their drinks, enjoying the quiet warmth of the apartment. Close to the end of the film Hikari noticed Takeru looking blearily around the apartment with an expression she could not quite place.

"What's wrong?" She murmured.

Takeru turned and blinked drowsily at her. It made her want to kiss him.

"I… Can we…I mean- I still want to be together when we're…Umm," He trailed off, looking unsure of how to say what he meant.

"You can ask me anything, Takeru. I mean it," She said quietly, peeking towards her brother who was nodding off a few feet away.

Takeru took a minute to collect himself.

"Can we decorate our place like this when we grow up more?" He asked shyly.

Hikari felt a loving smile take over her face. She leaned over and planted a kiss on the top of his head. Takeru had been slowly slipping down towards her lap throughout the movie and was now using her leg as a pillow.

"Of course we can, 'Keru," She carded her fingers gently through his hair. Looking at his face, he still appeared exhausted, but not nearly as defeated as he had when he arrived. "How are you feeling?"

Takeru closed his eyes and let out a long breath, smiling the smallest amount.

"Not perfect… But lucky. I'm so, so lucky, Hikari."

Yay! My first completed story under my new penname! I am so happy with it, despite the embarrassing amount of fluff and angst.

A few headcanons:

1. Takeru is Yamato's biggest fan. I mean, that's pretty much canon anyway.

2. Takeru would not let Hikari continue her self deprecating ways, especially if they ended up together. Even in 02 he wanted her to be able to rely on people besides Taichi. I think it would then progress to believing in herself as well. Of course he is wonderful and looks up different ways to help her do that. Verbal affirmations to talk your way through different situations works slowly, but quite well. Be consistent.

I hope you liked it. Chapter 7 of Skittles is under construction but i promise I am still working on it.