Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any of the respective characters.  They are the property of Bandai, and I in no way shape or form even pretend to own them.  This is the third part to my Takari saga, and it is long.  I may or may not break it up into chapters.  Let me know what you think, please!

P.S. All of the Digimon that I name here are legit.  They may not have appeared in the series, but they are legitimate digimon.  For pictures of them, go to http://www.megchan.com/digimon/.  It's a great site, with an encyclopedia section that has pictures of most all of the Japanese Digimon cards.  Go for it.  Also, current ages are as follows, based on calculations from their original ages in the shows.

TK:                  19
Kari:                 19

Davis:               19

Matt:                22

Sora:                22

Tai:                   22

Ken:                 19

Yolei:               21

Joe:                  23

Izzy:                 21

Mimi:                21

Michael:           20

Cody:               17

Eternal

Friday, December 13th

            Takeru "TK" Takeshi didn't hear the cheers of encouragement from the crowd as he shot down the court.  He didn't hear his couch yelling orders to him and the other players.  The only sounds he heard was the thud as the basketball in his hands hit the floor and the pounding of his heart.  Everything else he simply felt.  He knew where every single player was on the court.  He could feel where they were.  He could feel the distance between himself and his objective closing.  He could feel his friend and fellow digidestined, Davis Motomya, running interference alongside him.  He could feel the clock counting down the last few seconds of the final game of the season.  He was almost at the throw line.  And the next thing anyone knew, he was airborne.

            He relished the feeling as he evaded gravity's constant hold and, for just a moment, he was flying.  He relished it for a moment, then all of his senses snapped into focus on the basket in front of him.  And as gravity reasserted it's hold on him, he let the ball fly.

            "AND IT'S GOOD!  TK TAKESHI HAS MADE THE SHOT AND ODIBA WINS!  ODIBA WINS!"  Kari Kamiya was on her feet cheering along with everyone else in the stands as the ball fell through the net.  But unlike everyone else, she knew that TK wouldn't hear any of their cheers for a few seconds.  One night, she had asked him how it felt when he was playing basketball, and he had confided in her that he never heard any of the cheering.  His senses shut down and he reacted purely on instinct.  But she cheered anyway.  After all, it's not everyday that your best friend and lover wins the college championships.  She heard the rest of the digidestined and all of their parents stand up and cheer as well.  It had been wonderful that they had all made it down for the game.  Even Mimi and her boyfriend Michael had flown in from America to watch TK play.

            By now the team had left the court, and were showering and getting changed.  She grabbed up her backpack and hurried down the bleacher steps.  She managed to reach the locker room doors just as some of the team began to leave.

            "Hey, Kari," one of them waved at her as she neared.  She identified him as Ryu, one of TK's good friends, both on and off the court.  She knew most of the basketball team and she was a regular spectator at practice if she didn't have a class to go to.

            "Hope you got some good pictures of some of us besides TK," another one called.  This one she recognized as Akira.

            "Well you're just going to have to wait until practice on Monday to find out," she responded as she reached them.

            "I will never understand why you keep taking pictures of TK," Ryu commented.  "You two live together for crips-sake, so why do you need so many pictures of him?"

            "Because she's taking them for the school newspaper and TM does all of the action," Davis commented as he came out of the locker room.

            "Sure," Akira smirked.  "Come on, Kari.  What's the real reason?"  Kari smiled and motioned them to come closer.

            "He has a great butt," she whispered loudly.

            "Damn straight," a voice commented as a pair of arms encircled her waist.  She turned in the embrace and, for a moment was lost in the sapphire eyes that had always captivated her.

            "Your butt is not that great," Ryu commented.  "Now Davis, he has one nice toush."  They all laughed as Davis mock-punched him in the arm.

            "So, are you two going to come to the victory party tonight, or are you going to go do some celebrating of your own?" Akira asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

            "Hentai," TK laughed.

            "I wondered what that can of whipping cream in the fridge was for," Davis commented.  TK blushed while the others all got another good laugh.

            "Seriously, though," Kari giggled.  "A lot of friends came down to see the game, so we might be doing something with them."

            "Yeah, Sora even managed to get Matt down here," Davis commented.

            "Matt's been down here a lot," TK defended his brother.  "He just managed to get a show set up this time."  As the five of them approached the massive doors that led out into the lobby, TK sighed and steeled himself.

            "Nervous?" Ryu asked.

            "Petrified," TK answered.  "I am not up for being mobbed by a group of reporters and fans tonight."

            "Poor baby," Akira grinned as he opened the door for TK.  When he walked out, TK was greeted with a massive cheer and a blinding barrage of flashbulbs.  TK endured nearly half an hour of questions and cheers from the crowd before Davis managed to get him clear with the excuse that the victory party was waiting for the guest of honor.  As he was walking away, a reporter called out one last question.

            "TK, are you anxious about expectations for next season with this win to live up to?"  TK stopped for a moment and turned around to answer.

            "I don't think I'm going to be playing next season," he commented.  He then turned and walked away, leaving a shocked crowd behind him.

            TK had changed since their adventures in the digital world.  TK was now a significant six foot two.  He had let his blonde hair grow more, and it now reached his shoulders.  He typically kept it tied back in a ponytail so it was out of his eyes.  He had tried growing a beard, but Kari had complained that kissing him was like nuzzling a grizzly bear.  They finally settled on a small goatee on his chin.  After all, Kari had found some advantages to his having some hair on his face.  His eyes were still the same deep shade of blue that had captivated Kari so many years ago.  Like his brother, he was tall and lean.  The adventures in the digital world and his participation on the basketball team had given him a firm and well-developed body.  Puberty had ultimately left him with a deep baritone voice.

            Kari had also changed.  She stood a good five foot eleven.  Her body had filled out quite well and she was now very obviously an attractive young woman.  Her chestnut hair was not much longer than it had been when she was younger.  She was slender and graceful from several years of ballerina classes, but she had finally given up since she would never be an exceptional one.  Her chocolate colored eyes still sparkled with life and love for everything, but now they shone like suns whenever she was with TK.

            As the two of them had aged, so had their relationship.  By the time they were in high school it was fairly common for them to go to one or the other's house and study together until very late.  It was also not uncommon for them to spend the night together.  It had been a constant source of worry for their parents, while their brothers simply laughed it off.  Davis had long ago given up his competition with TK over Kari and the three were now the closest of friends.  When they had entered college, Davis, TK and Ken had all gotten a three person dorm room together while Kari and Yolei had gotten a room.  They kept the arraignment their sophomore year, but when that year had ended, they had gone apartment hunting.  Ken and Yolei currently shared and apartment, two-bedroom, while TK, Kari, and Davis had all managed to grab a two-bedroom apartment not too far from campus.  TK was majoring in creative writing, while Kari was majoring in early education and Davis was going for a business major.

            The party was loud and crowded.  After every game, the basketball team came down to one of the local clubs and held a party.  Family and friends were allowed to attend, but it was mostly a closed party.  The couch wandered around, talking to everyone.  The typical debriefing would happen at practice Monday after everyone had taken the weekend off and reflected on the game.  Typically, there was a DJ at the party, and there was one tonight as well, but there was also band equipment set up for later, whenever the Lone Wolves wanted to get up to play.

            "My brother, the basketball star!"  Matt threw an arm around TK's shoulders and brought him into a fierce hug.

            "You were great," Sora agreed as she caught him up in another hug.  TK smiled in reply.

            "Thanks.  I just tried to do my best."

            "Takeshi!"

            "I better go see what the couch wants," he grinned at them.  "I'll catch you later."

            "Hey, TK," Matt called.  TK turned in response.  "You still play?" he asked nodding towards the stage.  TK grinned.

            "Later," he replied.