Family Matters

Yolei stormed out of the apartment, pacing her way to the stairs. It was so ridiculous. It was obviously Chizuru's turn to do the dishes today, it said so on the chores calendar. Chizuru had baton practice that afternoon, but Yolei's priorities were just as important as hers.

She went to the stairs.

If only there was a computer somewhere she could go to so she could go to the Digital World and talk to Hawkmon about it.

She ran into a figure and just about fell to her knees. A hand was on her arm, preventing her fall. Looking up, she learned it was Ken.

"Glad I caught you," a shy smile was on his face. Ever since Ken stopped being the Digimon Emperor, he seemed to be nicer every day.

"Ken, oh, goodness, I'm so sorry... I wasn't looking where I was going..." she brushed herself off.

She almost forgot, they were studying for midterms together, which explained the books he had in his hands.

"It's alright..." the smile was still on his face. "You seemed pretty mad when I saw you. Is... something wrong?"

Yolei shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing, don't worry about it...!"

Ken was actually more daintier than she thought, once the cape and goggles of the Digimon Emperor weren't on him.

"You know..." he began. "You can tell me anything, Yolei. We're friends and Digidestined, so if anything's on your mind..."

He truly was a decent guy. Sighing, she closed her eyes. She and Ken only knew each other for a few weeks ever since he came out as a Digidestined. She did had a crush on him back when he was the famous Ken Ichijiouji, but he was beginning to show who he really was. Besides, he knew the secret of the Digimon and he said they were friends. That was enough to trust him.

"I just had an argument with my sister, Chizuru. It was over the dishes, and she told me she was busy. Mom was going to grind us if it wasn't going to get done, but then I told her I was busy studying for midterms, and then she said her things were more important than mine, and..."

"Ah... family troubles," he nodded. "I understand."

"It's not just Chizuru," her brow knotted. "Mantarou, Momoe. They always make fun of me, just because I'm the youngest. They always get the best things, and I'm left with scraps. It's not fair...! Chizuru thinks that she's more important than me, just because of that stupid baton practice? I wish she was gone...!"

The air suddenly grew dense. She turned to look at Ken, what ever tension in her was off her face. She blew it this time.

"Ken... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean..."

After learning about Sam, the Digidestined have been supportive of Ken. They even attended his death anniversary with him. The loss affected him and his parents so much.

He closed his eyes. "It's okay... You were just frustrated."

The frown on her face deepened. She turned to the parking lot and the near by traffic. She should have chosen different words, especially to Ken. Now that she wished Chizuru to be gone in front of Ken, he probably wouldn't even want to speak to her again.

"She probably didn't mean it," he broke the silence. "You were both stressed, which caused you both to butt heads with each other. I think she still cares about you, Yolei. If something bad were to happen to you... she'd go crazy."

A smile manage to creep on her lips. Even after she exploded in front of him, he was still there. Everyone was scared of her overbearing nature, but Ken was always around, even at her moodiest. He really was... something.

"About wanting Chizuru to be gone..." she began. "I didn't mean it."

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Of course not. We say stupid things when we're mad."

They headed into the Inoue apartment to study for the midterm.

Ever since knowing about Sam, it made Yolei so much more grateful for her family. She never thought she could be friends with the former Digimon Emperor, but after all this time, Ken was still grieving for Sam. He needed a friend. Someone to rely on. He must have been lonely for so many years. Yolei was glad to be a friend for Ken.