A/N: What is with all this stuff being posted? Um... I'm weird? Anyway, this is for the Digimon Non-Flash Bingo challenge on the Digimon Fanfiction Challenges forum, number 162: the whispering wood. This can be interpreted as shipping or not, that's really up to you guys. I jut wondered what happened after Miyako stomped off in her fit of nice rage. Please let me know what you think!

Word Count: 890

murmuring

Miyako-san... she is sometimes too much.

Hikari knows she is weak, but sometimes Miyako beats against brittle bars and it hurts. She can see it in Ken's face now. He is so lost when she stomps away, so confused and maybe a little hurt. Hikari knows how he feels.

Miyako is a bulldozer on feelings, a bright light that sometimes seems more Mimi-san's Purity than Sora-san's Love. Disregarding everything but what her eyes see, what she herself feels. It's painful.

But she can't help it, can she?

"I'm sorry, Ichijouji-kun," she says when the other's footsteps fade away, They both want to run after her, even she can tell he is itching to keep her from being swallowed by this sorry, sopping place. But they can't move, because this world talks too, and if they go after her, the people inside it might too. "Miyako-san is... a bit strong."

He smiles, but it's too weak and half-hearted, and she wonders how this shell could have ever been the Digimon Kaiser. She suspects he does the same thing. "It's okay... Motomiya-kun is much the same."

"They butt heads a lot," Hikari offers. It occurs to her they have never been alone together before and yet it doesn't bother her that they are now. "I think they just do the same things differently."

Ken nods, shifting awkwardly. "Ya-Yagami-san? I... I must apologize."

She blinks in puzzlement, as they slowly keep walking because there is no way Miyako has gotten that far. "For what?" He shifts on his heels and looks around, causing her to shake her head. "No... um, I think I would have ended up here anyway."

The trees titter.

"I'm weak, after all."

Ken looks at her, his eyes somehow bright and purple in this world where color shouldn't exist. Then he smiles himself and shakes his head. "So am I." He cradles Wormmon in his arms, and his partner seems to do nothing but adore it, nothing but revel in the fact that his partner is touching him without hurting him in this gray place that does nothing but bring pain. She tries not to laugh, to look at Ken's words with the seriousness they deserve, but Wormmon looks so cute she has to hide her mouth.

… Miyako-san would just make a note of it, tact be damned. Haha...

"Inoue-san... she's really strong, isn't she?"

Ken's comment is only half offhand, but the implication doesn't get lost on her. Hikari shakes her head.

"She's strong once she puts her feet down," Hikari agrees, not wanting to lie but to be fully honest is something she just can't do.

Tailmon snorts, a gentle, chiding sound. "She's mostly very loud."

"Really?"

Tailmon looks at Ken. There is no malice in her face, and Hikari wonders if that's scarier than her being angry. "She can't hear the waves over her own voice." Humor flicks at her mouth. "Or her own thoughts. Somewhere around there." She frowns. "It's for the best, to me."

Ken nods, looking out at the trees. "I don't want her to be in the dark." He looks at Hikari, and his gaze is too soft, too intense. "You either. You are... very bright."

Hikari is stunned for a moment. Then she smiles. It is weaker than it could be, and suddenly she feels very tired and very worn. "You know what they say about the brightest lights..."

They create the darkest shadows.

Ken holds out one hand, then lets it fall. "Yes," he says with finality. "I think I do."

Hikari bites her lip. "We should hurry. Everyone is probably worried about us."

The "us" makes the dimness in his eyes flicker away and Hikari has to tell herself there's nothing she can to change the past.

There are so many things she would want to change about the past. She would change herself to be stronger so this Ocean would not touch her, so Wizarmon would not have died.

She adds another reason to her list, quietly, as they walk on.

"Yagami-san?"

She stops, and Tailmon turns her head.

Ken is not walking either, but she can guess, because they are so alike, he is containing all of his fidgeting. "Thank you... for coming to help me."

From "sorry" to "thank you" is a path of nerves and open words. Hikari knows this. There are many things she could say to this, some haughty, some kind, but she decides on the words that might make the woods go very quiet for a while.

"Hikari."

He steps forward. "Pardon."

"Hikari," she repeats. "We... we should be friends... Ken-kun. So we can get strong together. We... we should be friends."

She can feel his eyes on her, wide, uncomprehending. "Ya- Hikari-san?"

"Yes?" she says, turning to look at him.

He thinks a moment, debating. "Friends help each other." She nods. "So... we should hurry and help our friend, right?" Ken glances at the sky for a moment. "Because she can block out the noise, we should get to her as soon as possible."

Hikari nods. "We should."

They both decide to run now, and Hikari thinks the wood is not following, that it is as frightened as they are, but they have more courage.

… She still might need to borrow some of Miyako-san's though, in order to apologize.