A/N: Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, b99 - fic that starts and ends with the same letter.

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Crosses

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They were Cross - or Xros, rather - Heart, but they weren't a religion. But stalls at fairs didn't go around selling xrosses. Just crosses. They did sell hearts though...except the garish pink didn't quite do the concept of their team justice.

And the red one with the jagged line through the middle didn't do it justice at all. That wasn't Xros Heart. That was some sappy broken heart, woe-is-me style. A definite no.

The cross on the other hand - was rather pretty, except she wasn't Christian and it probably wouldn't be right to wear it, even under her clothes, and attach such symbolism to it.

'Thinking of something?' the stallkeeper asked.

'Well...' Akari tethered there, then decided there wasn't any harm in humouring the man and replied: 'My team's called Xros Heart, and I was looking for a...well, symbol. Something small to remind me of them when we...ahh, graduate.'

'Elementary school club?' The man nodded to himself. 'I can see why a cross attracted you then. Interesting pun.'

Akari shrugged. 'Taiki picked it.' Better than plunging into an explanation of the digixros - and why digimon apparently couldn't spell.

'Hmm...' The man looked at his pendants. 'You're not Christian, are you?'

'Shinto,' Akari replied.

'You know, crosses came before the Christians.'

'Vampires and stuff?' Of course, that made sense, but it didn't change the fact that it was a symbol of Christianity now. It might not even be a big symbol. She didn't know any strict orthodox Christians and few who identified themselves as such. But one of the boys had tattoed the cross into his wrist so of course it wouldn't feel right for her to wear one.

'Of course.' The man picked up another pendant. 'There are different types of crosses as well. The one Christians wear has its long axis north to south, and it short one east to west.'

Akari leaned over the booth. The pendant - two swords crossed together, were both diagonal. It looked vaguely familiar, like it was from a video game one or more of her brothers had played. 'Is that from a video game?'

'I think so.' The man gave it a closer look, then put it back. 'Can't keep up with childrens' games nowadays. But you get the idea.'

She did, and she combed the displays herself. There were several with the swords, one with snakes - which was plenty creepy but might do for Nene, considering Minervamon, but nothing which really jumped out at her.

'Of course.' The man pulled a box out. 'Compasses have crosses too, theoretically. Though they're a mite more expensive than the regular pendants.'

She picked one out - the most expensive of the lot, but she'd picked it not for its price tag but because it was split into quadrants, and each quadrant had a little place in which to put a picture. She could just picture it: Taiki and Shoutmon (and the other Xros Heart digimon), Kiriha and MetalGreymon, Nene and Yuu and Sparrowmon, and she and Zenjirou in the last of them.

'Like that one?' He raised an eyebrow. 'Can you afford it?'

'Can you drop the price for a cute little girl?' Akari returned.

They bartered on the price until Akari walked away, pocketmoney-less but the proud owner of the compass-locket.