Author's Notes: Revisiting old fandoms of mine, I have accidentally distressed myself by reading someone's definition of the crests on their profile, in which they claimed that they couldn't see any kind of power in the Crest of Hope. So, though I doubt they will ever read this, as they have firmly expressed their opinion of T.K., I attempt to show the almost passive power of this crest, just to even the score. I suppose if you want to squint, stand on your head and twist that you might read some DaiKeru in this, but that may be simply the way I write and the attitude I'm having T.K. display.

Disclaimer: Don't own it, because if I did, Wizardmon would have survived, found himself a Chosen, and would have a righteous and kickass digivolution line. No money was made in the creation of this fanfic, though Davis/Daisuke's ego has been slightly crushed.

Shades of Hope

By: BlackLadyCharon

Davis couldn't understand it. T.K. didn't even flinch. Kari had just casually announced she was dating Ken, and while the rest of them were goggling and he was exploding T.K. just sat there, smiling a bored little smile. Like he'd already known this was coming. Like it didn't affect him at all. Where was all the rage, the anger at losing her that Davis himself had? Unbidden, a phrase, a memory drifted back across his mind.

...Flashback...

T.K.'s eyes wide with confusion and puzzlement. Then, a dawning flash of bemusement before the blonde threw his head back and laughed at Davis's passionate decree to stay away from Kari.

"Oh, I get it. You're jealous of me!" Amusement in those sky blue eyes, amusement that Davis took to be that he even thought he had a chance.

...End Flashback...

But hadn't T.K. been jealous? Hadn't he been angry whenever Davis proclaimed Kari to be his? Davis frowned, thinking back. No, that hadn't been jealousy, he realized. Protective anger, the same anger T.K. showed whenever Jun got pushy with Matt. A sibling's fury that someone was pushing in, was trying to shove family around. A brother's love, not a boyfriend's.

Davis shook his head, trying to dislodge the idea. That couldn't have been right. T.K. was his rival, the one Kari always talked to. Furious, he watched T.K. and then Kari go up to the roof to take a break from the party, and followed. He stopped when he heard them talking.

"Does he make you happy? If he doesn't, my offer of having MagnaAngemon geld him's always open."

"Takeru! I wouldn't be dating him if he didn't! Azulongmon bless you, you're vicious for a person with so much Hope in him." T.K.'s laughter drifted down to Davis, bright as silver in the sun.

"Hope can be a vicious thing, soul sib. Very well, if you love him, I wish you both the best. May we dance at your wedding if he's the one." A brief pause. "Send Davis up when you find him. I think I need to explain." Davis almost panicked as Kari came down the stairs, spotting him, but she simply smiled and waved him on up. He came up to the roof, and stopped. T.K. sat on the edge, looking up at the moon with an amused smile. As if sensing the change in the atmosphere, the blonde looked back, raising an eyebrow at Davis.

"That was fast. Come on, sit down and I'll explain precisely why I never got interested in Kari." A suspision moved through Davis's mind, but T.K. just laughed. "And it's not what you're thinking. I'm not homosexual." Davis warily parked his ass on a crate hauled up there for that purpose, waiting. T.K. was quiet for a few minutes, then he began speaking.

"From the day I first held Tokomon in my arms, I knew my destiny was to be alone. I was the youngest, the one babied and scolded whenever I tried to test my wings, left to watch as Patamon and I were defended again and again. I suppose it should have soured me. It almost did." The wistful smile on T.K.'s face disappeared, sadness replacing it. "Then Devimon attacked and Patamon and I were the last left standing. And Angemon saved my life at the cost of his own." Serious blue eyes turned to Davis, who was feeling his own eyes widen in shock.

"We never told you, because at that moment, my Hope brought me through. I hoped, and Angemon was not completely deleted. I hoped, and I held the Digitama crafted from his feathers and waited. Poyomon to Tokomon, and then he was Patamon once more. And we faced Myotismon, and I held the Crest of Hope, but could not light it." T.K. tilted his head down, hiding his eyes. Davis reached out, putting a hand on the other boy's shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault, I mean, Patamon'd die for you. Did die for you, but you've still got him right? Just like Ken still has Wormmon. And you did light the Crest, right? I mean, I heard you mention this MagnaAngemon one, so you can hit Ultimate..." Davis trailed off as T.K. looked up, unable to read the thoughts in those blue eyes.

"True, I eventually reached Ultimate, but that was during the fight with the Dark Masters. During the fight with VenomMyotismon, Gennai told us of a Prophecy." T.K. closed his eyes, shuddered. "And I hoped again, listened to Angemon and Angewomon be flippant about it, and permitted my Digimon to throw a spear of light through my brother's heart." He ignored Davis's hand falling off his shoulder in shock. "As Kari did. And WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon fought and won." T.K. yanked the hat off of his head, twisted it into a shapeless mess in his hands. "And we went back, Kari with us, to battle the Dark Masters. Even then, the others tried to encourage us to take up with each other, to be little lovebirds. Don't get me wrong," Bemused eyes stared back at Davis, who was still processing that T.K. or Kari would do anything that could endanger their elder brothers. "I do love Kari, but as the twin I don't have, the sister of my soul. I want what is best for her. And no, you weren't it."

"But..." T.K. smiled, cutting off Davis's sentence.

"I watched over her, fought beside her. I should have Izzy tell you of the bitch fight between Angewomon and LadyDevimon. I hear that was quite the scene." He shrugged. "Anyway, we faced and felled the Dark Masters one by one, until we faced Piedmon. He nearly destroyed us, turned digimon and human alike into little dolls that he mocked us with. Until Angemon and I were the last left standing again. He attacked, and once again Angemon digivolved. MagnaAngemon saved me and the others. And we faced Apocalymon and were nearly deleted. We survived by a Miracle." He looked over at Davis. "That was the first time I sensed you." Davis felt like his eyes were going to bug out of his head. T.K. continued on casually, as if he hadn't dropped a bomb on his current leader. "Your mind, your power cut across the field like a knife for just a moment, and I could feel you there, and made the choice even then that I would follow you. But Kari wouldn't be truly happy with you. You'd treat her like a Queen, an Empress, a maiden in an ivory tower." T.K.'s eyes blazed at him, relentless. "You would forget that she is a warrior, a fighter, someone who brings light to the darkest of places by whatever means she can or must. She would never have been happy treated as something pure and innocent and breakable. Ken will never make that mistake." Davis tried to rally himself.

"You could have told me. I'd..." A sarcastic smile spread across T.K.'s face.

"What? You'd have changed? But we can't, really. We are defined by our Crests. You are Courage and Friendship and Hope. Cody is Reliablity and Knowledge. Yolei is Sincerity and Love. Ken is Kindness, Kari is Light. I am Hope." He looked away. "I am the Hope that the Courage you and Tai have holds fast. The Hope that the Friendships you and Matt forge hold fast. The Hope that Cody and Joe will remain Reliable. The Hope that the Knowledge they hold will be sufficient. The Hope that the Love and Sincerity Sora and Mimi and Yolei provide will heal the hearts that need them. The Hope that the Kindness Ken shows will grant enemies a new life and a new path. The Hope that the Light Kari holds within her never dims or goes out. The Hope," He finished with a grim smile. "for the Miracles that you provide, Davis. I am in the background almost always, the one supporting and boosting what you can do. I fight ONLY when there is nothing left to do but Hope." He rolled over to the side, standing up and brushing himself off. "And I pay for this power, this gift by possessing little or none of the powers the rest of you do. I don't begrudge the rest of you your gifts." He smiled at Davis. "And it amused me that you thought that I was a rival. I needed the spark you provided in my life. You are quite possibly the best friend I've ever had." He reached down and socked Davis companionably in the shoulder. "So, am I forgiven?" Davis stood, shaking his head.

"You're an ass, T.K., but I guess I see where you're coming from, so yeah, you're forgiven. Come on, let's get back to the party." And Davis strode for the stairs, feeling T.K. follow him and found that he wasn't quite as angry at Ken as he had been. Then again, he had something new to think on. Something that might be genuinely interesting.

The varying shades of Hope that were and the ones that had yet to exist, for a start.

...Fin...

Well, tell me what ya all think!