#Arata's coat plays a major part

[rdmfavcpls]

My Secret - Chapter 1

Title: My Secret

Pairing: Ami/Arata

Rating: T

Summary: Have you ever felt safe and protected when you are with someone you love? Do you have that one item that has their scent on it and you just hold that tight around you for any reason? I do, but that person must never know I love them because they are in a happy relationship, this is my secret. (They don’t know the relationship is on the verge of falling apart.)

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Digimon or its franchise.

~~Story Begins~~

Chapter 1 - Break-up

Eighteen year old, Ami Aiba, was enjoying a rare day off from the agency. Her red hair was down, taking a break from the side pony it is always in, her digivice goggles were sitting on the coffee table, the yellow frames a contrast against the dark brown table. Her wide blue eyes were reading the words on the book her hands were holding, one covered in a black glove with yellow grips on the bottom. She doesn’t remember as to why she had to wear it but not wearing it now feels weird to her. She traded the yellow shirt from when she’s younger to another shirt that was black, the sleeves yellow, and the circles representing AWA Studio Works were black, her skirt now a yellow color to match her yellow knee high socks. Her black shoes were by the door, waiting for her to put them on.

There was knocking on the door and then the door opened as Ami placed a bookmark in her book, “Heeeeyyyy!” a voice greeted as three people came in. The one that spoke being the boldest of them all.

The baby of the bunch, seventeen almost eighteen year old Nokia Shiramine was a force to be reckon with, in every sense of the word. Her pink hair was no longer in pigtails but in loose curls cascading down her bare back, her blue eyes looked like she was hiding something and knowing Nokia’s luck, it could get her in trouble. The pink and blue dress she wore two years ago was burned (literally) as Nokia realized how silly she looked. She now wore a baby blue strapless dress, gray tights, and her favorite pink heels.

“Look at you being all cozy at home,” Nokia spoke as Ami put her book down and looked at her uninvited but always welcomed guests. “I know what will make you look cozier!”

“Nokia! Don’t tell her,” the royal looking on spoke glaring at Nokia. “You’ll ruin the surprise.”

Yuuko Kamishiro looked like she was still seventeen instead of twenty, her long black hair straightened to reach her knees, her black eyes were looking angrily at Nokia, the one white and black dress she wore upon meeting her friends was the influence for her current outfit. A black soft scarf was tied around her neck leaving the two ends behind her, and off the shoulder white shirt led down to a black skirt that had cuts separating the fabric and showing the black tights were it led down to white heels.

The quietest of the group took his black shoes off at the door as he held onto a package. “Is it still a surprise when she opens it?” he asked unsure of his sister’s reaction.

Yuugo Kamishiro looked a lot like his twin sister, instead of looking like twenty, he seemed like he was seventeen. His black hair was cut at an angle, framing his face and his black eyes. He traded off the white coat for a simpler white vest that brought out the black long sleeved shirt and black pants.

“Yes, it will still be a surprise,” Yuuko spoke now following her brother’s example of taking off her shoes.

“None of you had to get me anything,” Ami said as Nokia just sat down on the couch next to Ami.

Nokia leaned against Ami, resting her head against her friend’s shoulder, “Oh yes, we did! And we struck gold! Just for you!”

“Than I definitely don’t-”

“She’s confused,” Yuugo mentioned looking at Ami as he sat the box down. “I am too. Nokia and Yuuko both think you’ll get a lot more out of it. I just find it strange.”

“Ami will understand once she opens it,” Yuuko spoke. “Have faith in us.”

Ami grabbed the box with a smile, “Should I be scared?”

“We wouldn’t harm you,” Yuuko said. “We just know how much the gift will mean to you.”

So Ami lifted the lid to the package all the way and dropped the lid upon seeing a neatly folded white and light blue piece of clothing that she instantly recognized. Yuugo was surprised upon seeing how much Ami’s eyes lit up, something they haven’t seen in awhile. Well...ever since she started to break away from their group due to something the now ex-owner of the coat.

“How?” Ami asked staring at the familiar coat not believing it was there in front of her.

“Remember how Arata asked all of us to help him go through his things to help him spring clean and get packed to move in with his girlfriend,” Yuuko spoke hissing out the last word.

“Yes,” Ami said nodding her head and looking up at her friends, “I couldn’t help because I had to work.”

“Well, he was going to donate the jacket and he even said that if there is anything we want from the donation pile, we can have it,” Yuuko spoke. “We did ask a lot of questions over the majority of the donation pile.”

Ami had taken the coat out of the box and had it on her lap, “What do you mean?”

“Well, we know Arata is a geek,” Nokia spoke. “I mean most of his books are manga and he collects those anime figures.”

“He was donating all if not most of them,” Yuugo spoke as Yuuko and him sat down on the other couch. “We asked him why he was donating it but he responded with he doesn’t need them or he’s already read them. His body language was telling a different story.”

“He really didn’t want too but Emi is making him,” his sister spoke. “So, since the inevitable break-up is coming among us, we decided to plan ahead.”

“Inevitable break-up?” Ami asked confused.

Her question was ignored as Nokia got off of Ami. “So, Yuugo and Yuuko are keeping his books, figurines, and a lot of his clothing. He was going to donate that jacket but Yuuko being the sweetie that she is, quickly shoved it into one of the boxes that was sitting aside for what we wanted,” Nokia said.

“You guys, you really shouldn’t have,” Ami spoke kindly, fondly, as she lightly touched the jacket. “He doesn’t want me in his life, after all. It is just something in which I have to get used too.”

“Whoa, whoa,” Nokia said grabbing Ami’s face. “Back up there. Where did you hear this from?”

“Emi, herself,” Ami explained. “I was talking to my friend who works at the bookstore in Broadway here when she came up the escalator and started yelling at me.” Her three friends could see Ami’s eyes look downwards and get misty, even though Ami is trying not to cry. “It’s my fault that their relationship was falling apart because I kept taking Arata from her. She than explained that he was only doing it to keep up an imagine of a good friend, that he wants nothing to do with me, is only worrying about me to make himself look good. Emi told me that their relationship will improve if I quit talking to Arata or even be in the same area as him where he might see me.” Ami looked up quickly, clasped Nokia’s hands in her own bring them together, “None of you can’t tell Arata this! Please! I don’t want to be the reason for his relationship falling apart.”

“I think it's something that he needs to know,” Yuugo spoke.

Ami shook her head quickly, “Promise you won’t tell him! Emi said that I wasn’t supposed to know about me being the reason for their relationship problems. If he finds out that I know the truth than -”

Yuuko stood up with grace, walked over to Ami and slapped her across the face. “That is not the truth Ami. Emi is a liar and manipulative. Arata is more worried about you than what he was when you was still asleep!”

Ami and Nokia both looked shocked at Yuuko. Ami let go of Nokia’s hands and rubbed her cheek. “I believe you, but the damage is already mostly done. I have a letter made up which I am going to send out with his birthday gift to end our friendship at the end of the week.”

“Ami, you can’t!” Nokia exclaimed.

“I want him to be happy,” Ami commented. “If that means, I’m out of his life completely, than it’s a small price to pay for his happiness. I would do the same for any of you as well.” She looked at the jacket, “This jacket will do until my heart no longer breaks with the absence of Arata in my life.”

Yuugo sat there, keeping quiet as Yuuko and Nokia argued with Ami over her choices on how willingly she is to give up on friendships for others to be happy. Ami tried to change the subject many times, something in which she does when she becomes to sad or to mad, but the two girls wouldn’t let her until she promised them not to give up their friendship for their happiness without asking questions. Not a single one of them promised to keep quiet over what Ami just told them. This was something in which the smartest one of the bunch needed to know.

Yuugo looked at the three girls. Their one friend needed to know that Ami is just as affected, if not more, over her abrupt avoidance of him, three months ago.

Two days later, Nokia stopped by unannounced to get Ami to hang out with her. When she entered Ami’s apartment, the poor girl could barely contain the fangirl inside of her as she saw Ami curled up in the white jacket.  She could barely get a picture but she did successfully.

“So,” Nokia said once she got over the adorableness of her friend in that jacket, “What’s the occasion?”

“Bad day at work,” Ami responded accepting her fate of Nokia not detecting the picture. “It was dangerous too.

“Didn’t you mention once before that you felt safe with Arata?” Nokia questioned. Ami looked away as a pink color dusted her cheeks but she nodded. “I see. Want to talk about it?”

“And ruin your innocence of the world? No,” Ami said looking at her friend. “I wouldn’t even talked it over with Arata, no matter how hard he tried to get me to open up.”

That’s a lie and if Arata was here, he would know it as a lie too. Than again, Ami wouldn’t be wearing his old jacket if he was here. Than again, if he was here, she wouldn’t be ready to cry or be afraid to sleep tonight. She would be too busy trying to get away from Arata who would have her trapped within his arm length as he tickled her nonstop until she promises to tell him about what happened. It’s never immediately that she talks about it, but Arata won’t leave or let her leave, until she tells him. Depending on whose apartment they are at.

Ami did try to kick Arata out of his own apartment once. He left only to come back with two containers of ice cream, giving Ami a reminder that he has keys to the apartment because he lives there. Needless to say, after Ami finally told him about the case, Arata wouldn’t leave her alone for a week, always messaging her. Even when he could easily get in trouble, just to make sure she’s okay.

“Than that means we totally need to hang out to forget this case!” Nokia spoke snapping Ami back into reality. A reality that Arata no longer holds a place in. “So get out of the jacket and let’s do some late night shopping!”

Ami smiled and let her crazy, spontaneous friend drag her shopping. She wouldn’t have guessed that Nokia was using her to win free tickets to Jimi Ken’s exclusive concert, but she was glad for the distraction.

Earlier in the day, Yuugo was walking around Akihabara with the last of the group of friends, Arata Sanada. The smartest one of the group, only being twenty soon twenty-one, had long ragged looking hair that was black, his grey eyes were looking concerned at his digivice goggles before closing the screen. His black coat had the one button done by his neck, the hood showed that the other side would be red, underneath the coat, he was wearing a grey body suit that came with the coat.

“Dammit Ami,” Arata said as he put his digivice in his pockets. “No answer, no signal, she hasn’t been home, no one was in the office earlier today.” He looked over at his friend, “Do you know what I did wrong to make Ami start avoiding me? I mean I would apologize to her, but I can’t seem to find her. The three of you aren’t much help in giving me her location either.”

“Ami kindly told us to not let you not know her location, it is the one thing she asked us to do, and you know how rare that is,” Yuugo responded.

“I know, I know,” Arata said. It was a rare occasion that Ami specify asked for something, no matter how much they prompted her. So when she does specify asked for something, it’s hard not to do.

“However, you did nothing wrong,” Yuugo said answering his friend’s question.

“If I did nothing wrong, than that means I said something wrong,” Arata responded with a sigh. “How can I apologize if I can’t even talk to her?”

“There is nothing in which you need to apologize for,” Yuugo spoke as the two men looked at a shop’s display products in the window.

“Okay then,” Arata spoke narrowing his eyes. “Why did she suddenly start avoiding me three months ago with no warning?”

“Your girlfriend told Ami that you didn’t want her in your life anymore, that you are only acting out in worry to make it seem like you are a good friend.” Yuugo started walking away from the display, “She also told Ami that your relationship would improve if Ami wasn’t talking to you or in the same area as you.”

Yuugo finally noticed that Arata wasn’t beside him and he stopped walking to turn around. Arata was standing at the window display they were looking at earlier, his whole body was shaking and Yuugo currently wished Ami was here. Not only would Ami be able to calm him down, like she calms all of them down, but because she could tell if the shaking was from his anger or if he was about to cry. Yuugo was betting on the anger reason.

“Arata?” Yuugo asked calmly.

“Is that so? Emi told Ami that?” Arata asked as he clenched his hands into fists, his head looking down. He can’t just feel himself tremble, but he can see it.

Yuugo took a deep breath. It was time to put the final nail in the coffin, he doesn’t know for who through; Emi, Ami, or himself, but it needed to be done. Arata needed to know the truth.

“Ami told the three of us about it. Nokia asked around the bookshop that Ami said it happened at. Five people can vouch for the whole ordeal, but they also willingly volunteered to give the videos of it. Ami wouldn’t do think of doing or saying something like this on purpose, it would hurt you too much,” Yuugo answered. “She confirmed that she would gladly give up her own friendship if someone told her that the friend would be happier if she wasn’t their friend. Nokia and my sister was not happy with her over that.”

“Dammit, why is Ami so soft-hearted?” Arata asked loudly his fingertips digging into his palms. He looked at his friend, anger and pain radiating within the stormy grey eyes, “Emi said more to Ami, didn’t she?”

“Yes, but I think I told you enough,” Yuugo said. “Especially since you wasn’t supposed to know what Ami was told by Emi. Ami is affected by her avoidance of you, as much as you are. She doesn’t like it and I don’t think she truly wants to avoid you, but she’s doing it because she was told it would make you happy, and if she asked you questions about it -”

“It would only cause more problems for Emi and I,” Arata finished as he shoved his hands in his pockets before walking towards his friend. “I now have a valid reason for finally doing what I have been wanting to do for a while. She won’t be back in three days and that should give me plenty of time to move my stuff. Mind if I move it to your place until I find my own home?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Yuugo said blinking. “What are you going to be doing?”

“Break up with Emi,” Arata said. “I should have known that she did something when Ami started avoiding me considering she usually talks everything out until the issue is resolved. Ami might go off topic, but the issue will get resolved, she hates losing friends.” Arata looked at Yuugo with a smirk on his face. “As for the situation with Ami avoiding me, I have two options.”

“Which are?”

“Ask Kyoko to use her key to let me inside Ami’s apartment and I wait there or I wait outside of Ami’s apartment until she returns home.”

Yuugo chuckled, it is obvious with Arata that he is stubborn, sometimes to the point of being a prick, but Ami is secretly as stubborn and she’s bound determined when she puts her mind to it. When those two friends fight, it’s entertaining for those to watch. Arata isn’t one to mince words and can be rationale most of the time, but Ami is clever with her words causing confusion with to those arguing with her, also her habit of changing the topic keeps Arata on his toes since he knows her habits while it causes new people confusion to take a step back and figure out what just happened. Yuugo hopes this time, the two of them will get together.

Nokai and Ami’s friend Ryota can see the affection and love the two have for each other and he can’t even read the atmosphere between him and his girlfriend, even if someone tells it to him bluntly, he can’t read it.

Three days...make it four days later, Arata was waiting for Emi to come home at 3:00 AM. His stuff that he brought (actually thankful for Nokia’s advice to keep the receipts) was sitting at the Kamishiro’s residence, he notified and paid the landlord for him breaking the lease early. His original plan was to stay at one of his friends house, his overnight bag already there, but their parents dropped by unannounced and are staying the night, so he’s trying to think of a Plan B because he did not want to stay outside in the cold, hard rain they were currently having.

Emi came home, an outsider to the close group of friends that was trying to break them apart. Her blonde hair was perfectly dry, her green eyes looked happily at Arata, her red painted lips broke into a smile, she was wearing a green poncho covering the black dress Emi loves to wear, black sheer tights led to black heels that she was taking off.

“Oh, Arata, you didn’t have to wait up for me,” she spoke.

“Yes, I did. There is something that you need to know,” Arata spoke trying to refrain from getting angry. He thought he had cooled down but upon seeing Emi again and knowing she’s the reason his best friend started to avoid him, his anger came back. He stood up from where he was sitting and stared at her, “I am breaking up with you.”

Emi’s eyes turned sharp and cold, “You’re breaking up with me? Why? DId Ami convince -”

“No, she didn’t. I should have broken up with you when you had me give up watching my favorite shows, gave up on reading manga, when you told me to give up my collection, I didn’t. I should have broken up with you when I no longer felt the spark after two months.” His voice was getting louder. “Than I find out that the reason my best friend, the one who gave me the courage and motivation to ask you out, is avoiding me, because of you. Because you told her to!”

“She was stealing you away!”

“No, she wasn’t,” Arata growled walking past her. “Ami cares more about other people and their happiness more than her own. Our relationship is over, don’t bother Yuugo, Yuuko, Nokia, Ami, or myself. Especially Ami.”

He walked out of the apartment and out into the cold rain which he quickly raised his hood over his head. He walked into the deserted streets trying to figure out who he can call at 3:30 in the morning. His hands hovered Ami’s contact but they just shoved the digivice into his pocket.

He’s been worried about her, he knows how she’ll keep everything bottled up inside, especially on a case that is bad. So bad sometimes that even he questions how humanity can be so cruel, and than he knows he’s not the one scarred, he isn’t the one who has to deal with the images, the nightmares of the case, the aftermath.

He remembers one time not to long ago, just a week ago in fact, that Nokia was telling them of Ami not being able to make it due to a lead on a terrible case. She wasn’t lying, it wasn’t a a way for Ami to avoid him for the reason now known, but he can imagine her. Trying to keep it all bottled in, not to make the other’s worry, not to tarnish their view on human nature, she tried to keep it from him. She would’ve been successful too, if he wasn’t at the right place at the wrong time.

He knocked on Ami’s door, late at night, and noticed that the door was unlocked and that there was faint sobbing. When he entered the apartment, he could still the remains of their monthly game night, something to help them relax after all that they’ve been through. It was weird, usually Ami would have it cleaned up, a habit she picked up from trying to get approval of a clean house from her mother. He heard the sobbing louder and his eyes zoom in on the slightly crack door to her bedroom. He opened her door slightly, feeling like he was invading her personal space, and once he saw her, he knew for a fact that he was MOST definitely invading her personal space.

She was sitting on her bed, her body shaking as she sobbed into  knees that were pulled up into her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs. He called out to her and her body stilled, and she orders him to leave but he comes closer. He sits on her bed, not leaving, not moving. He waits for her to talk, and finally a threat or a promise, neither of them a sure. A promise not to leave until she tells him whats wrong. He honestly thought it was just a relationship he didn’t know she was in went wrong and they break up.

Games. Board Games. The ones in which they played tonight. A game of life of death. Five people dead, a child, a teenager, young parent, a single parent with one child, and a grandparent. All dead because they lost the board game. A murder mystery game and they got it wrong, murdered exactly in the same way the imaginary victim in the game got murdered.

Than she said something that surprised him. She survived. She beat the person at the game. She beat him at his own game, minutes before police arrived and arrested him. The way the crime happened in the game, she would have been dead.

Arata looked up at the cold rain, letting it patter against his face. “What horrors have you tried to face alone in these last three months, Ami?”