Author's Note: This is more like an extended drabble than anything else. It was meant to be part of a longer story arc but I haven't had time to write in ages, and my account looked lonely because I never finish anything. Hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway. )
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In a way, it was Ken's fault for not asking why.
Ken's hair had been getting longer than he would have liked it to be, so he had decided to get it trimmed—their first year of high school would be starting soon and he wanted to look his best. He hadn't thought much of it when Daisuke decided to accompany him. He always welcomed Daisuke's company, even more so ever since it got to be too risky to bring Wormmon around with him in the real world. They'd made a plan of it—Ken would get his hair trimmed, then they'd go play some soccer and meet the others and do some hanging out in Shinjuku, and then of course they'd bring home some tasty treats for their respective digimon partners. Their summer vacation was almost at an end, so they were all enjoying the last remnants of their freedom as much as they possibly could.
It was only after Ken had told the hair stylist to just take an inch off that his serious lapse in foresight was made apparent.
"You're kidding me, dude! You're still sticking with that dorky old hair style? It makes you look like a girl! It might have been okay when you were an elementary school student, but you're sixteen years old! You're going to be a high school student, you should look like it! I'm your best friend, I can't have you embarrassing yourself or my own awesome self the very first day at a new school. Here, I have a better idea—just leave it to me!"
Ken sat mortified as Daisuke emphatically explained to the stylist exactly how Ken's hair should be cut, and as always Ken found himself unable to get a word in edgewise once Daisuke really got started. Before Ken knew it, his hair was being attacked by scissors in what was most definitely not a trim.
"Wait, I…"
"It looks awesome Ken! I shoulda thought of this sooner!"
"But…"
"Hey, you think maybe I should get my hair cut too?"
So that was how Ken ended up with the mess that was his hair now. It was an unruly mop, unlike his previous hairstyle, which had been very simple and easy to care for and always looked professional. His hair still reached his chin, but now it was layered and 'stylish', and most definitely not respectable looking. It looked like something off the cover of one of those idol magazines that Yolei was obsessed with, which was most likely where Daisuke had gotten the idea from. Honestly, he looked like a complete punk. He didn't know what his mom would think of it, and didn't really want to find out.
He was distressed enough at the change that he actually let Daisuke score a goal on him, which was a sure sign of the end of the world. After this, of course, Daisuke was on cloud nine, and was harping on about it the rest of the day. When they finally went to meet the others at Hachiko's statue, Daisuke made sure all the rest of them knew that he had scored on "The Rocket." The rest of them seemed more interested in Ken's new hairstyle, to Ken's embarrassment.
"Did you get a hair cut? It looks great, Ken," Kari said with a sweet smile.
"That's what different," TK said in surprise. "I thought you looked more relaxed than usual; you sort of reminded me of what you usually look like after playing soccer. This new one looks really looks good on you, Ken!"
Kari laughed. "Trust a guy to not notice when someone's cut their hair." She looked TK pointedly.
TK backed up, waving his hands and acting quite comically, though it probably wasn't all that fun for him, considering the disapproval he'd gotten from the girls in the past for his lack of insight. "Hey, hey, you're not still mad about that, are you? Your new haircut really does look cute. You're just so cute all the time that I didn't notice!"
The rest of them laughed. "Nice save, TS," Daisuke said with a chuckle, slapping TK on the back. Hard. Daisuke had accepted that Kari and TK were serious about each other a long time ago, but that didn't mean he'd forgotten the old rivalry. He liked nothing better than to give TK a hard time about it, and about everything else, for that matter. "But there's more important things to talk about! Didn't you hear, I scored a goal on Ken! Me, Daisuke Motomiya! Aren't you all impressed?"
Yolei snorted. "What did you do, tie Ken's legs together and make him play you? There's no way you could have scored a goal on him in an even match and you know it." She didn't leave Daisuke room to protest before she leaned over to Ken with shining eyes. She was really rather intimidating. She had layered and streaked her hair with a darker shade of purple once she entered high school (how had she gotten away with that, anyway?) and had developed a frightening affinity for glitter. He was reminded acutely of the hordes of certifiably insane girls that had started coming after him in junior high. He unconsciously backed away. "After all, Ken is even hotter than he was when I last saw him! There's no way you could've beat someone with hair as great as Ken's," she said, glaring sidelong at Daisuke.
Daisuke protested instantly. "Well you're wrong, because it was an even match and I scored a goal, and besides, my hair is way better! And I'm the one who chose Ken's hairstyle anyway," he announced proudly.
Yolei arched a brow at him. "You're telling me you actually have good taste in hair, and your hairstyle's still that spiky mess? Give me a break, now I know you're lying."
"Hey, you calling me a liar!?"
The rest of them ignored the argument thereafter. They had heard variations on what was essentially the same argument countless times over the last five years.
Cody acknowledged Ken's presence with a serious nod. "I also think your haircut suits you, Ken."
"Thanks, Cody." If you say so. They were obviously all humoring him. "Are you feeling ready for junior high?"
Cody nodded solemnly. Cody hadn't quite hit his growth spurt yet, and so was still noticeably smaller than the rest of the group. But as always, his bearing and poise made him seem like the oldest one there. "I'm a little nervous," Cody admitted evenly. He sure didn't sound nervous. It wasn't that he'd been flighty when he was younger, but their youngest friend had grown to become positively imperturbable. Cody experienced roughly as much emotional fluctuation as a rock. "I've been attending extra classes over break, however, so I'm feeling very prepared. I'm sure everything will be fine."
"I have complete faith in you," Ken told his young friend warmly. Then he winced as Daisuke's and Yolei's argument began to grow more heated, to the point that strangers in the square were starting to give them dirty looks. "As for some other people I know, however…"
It was at that point that Kari managed to break up the fight. There were no theatrics with Kari involved—all she had to do was walk up to the two of the, place her hands on their shoulders, and smile. "Why don't we all go get a bite to eat?" she suggested, not even acknowledging the ruckus they had been causing. "I've been walking around Tokyo all day and I'm starving! Why don't we all go to that burger place across the way? It's cheap and I'm short on money after all the spending I've done this month," she said with a sheepish smile.
Daisuke and Yolei dropped their argument as easily as it had begun. "Of course, whatever you say Kari!" Daisuke said with a silly grin, even as Yolei clapped her hands and announced, "Excellent idea, Kari!" If Ken knew anything about the two of them, it was that they were obsessed with food as a Digimon, and considering how much even Wormmon ate, who was one of the less enthusiastic eaters among their partners…
"And afterwards, I believe you two wanted…?" TK said with an almost grin, knowing the response he would get.
"Karaoke!" Daisuke and Yolei announced in perfect unison, grinning at each other. "I'm kicking your ass," Daisuke announced.
"Whatever," Yolei returned, rolling her eyes.
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"I wish we could bring our Digimon out with us on nights like this," Ken said wistfully. TK could barely hear him, even though Ken was practically talking into his ear over the "singing" of Yolei and Daisuke. They were performing a duet that was more an excuse for them to yell at each other at the top of their lungs. He nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. "They never really get to leave the house anymore, and I know they must be sad to missing out on all the fun we've been having this summer. And once school starts we'll be even busier…"
Kari was laughing so hard at their friends' antics that she was bent over double, and almost managed to knock over an open bottle of milk tea that they had brought with them. TK scrambled to stabilize it and prevent the bottle from spilling onto Ken's lap. Even Cody was cracking a grin, and he only came to karaoke with them because he knew they would all be sad if he didn't. Yolei and Daisuke, of course, were having the most fun of all, but they had always been the least inhibited of the six of them. The scene made him feel warm and happy, like nothing could go wrong with all of them together. But of course, not all of them were together, something they all had to try hard to ignore.
"It was so much easier back when we were in elementary school," TK said with a sigh. "It wasn't nearly so suspicious to see a kid lugging around their favorite stuffed animal. But a high school student, and a guy especially...especially with how much people have been on the lookout for Digimon the past few years. People weren't nearly so curious about Digimon when we were kids as they are now. After that battle with Armagemon…not even just on the net, in the middle of Tokyo Bay! We don't even know how many people have seen a Digimon now, let alone what type of people they are. I can understand why Gennai told us the condition for keeping Patamon and the others in the real world was to not bring them out in public, and I'm thankful that much was allowed considering there haven't been any real threats for years. But it's still sad…"
Ken nodded, looking a little too morose. Ken was much more happy and easygoing than he had been five years ago, but he was still far more prone to being gloomy than TK found acceptable. "Eventually we should be able to take them out with us again," TK said reassuringly. Which of course didn't work. In that case…
"Ken's next!" TK announced cheerfully, as Yolei and Daisuke finished their "song." Ken's head snapped up and his mouth dropped open. "But…"
"We're here to have fun, so come on, lighten up!" TK announced, pushing Ken off the seat. Ken stumbled to his feet. "Go on, sing!"
Ken blinked. "But what should I sing? I don't really know any of the songs in the catalogue…"
"Just follow the words on the screen!" Yolei said, plopping into the space he had vacated and grabbing a bag of shrimp chips.
"You can sing Orange Range!" Daisuke announced excitedly looping his arm around his best friend's shoulder. "Orange Range is great!"
"But I don't know any Orange Range," Ken said piteously.
"Yeah you do dude! You hear them when you're over at my place, I play their stuff all the time! I've even heard you singing a few lines when you weren't thinking about it."
"That…rap group you like? They're Orange Range?" Ken said in growing dismay.
"Yup! Hey, I know what song you can sing, and I even know the number for it! Here, I'll punch it into the machine…" Daisuke grabbed the controller and punched in the code for whatever song he had chosen, leaving Ken looking like a train had hit him, a not so uncommon sight. TK grinned. More than any of them, Daisuke was good for Ken. It was mostly due to Daisuke and his…enthusiasm that Ken's sad, self-disgusted spells had grown so rare. TK was deeply grateful that the two had become so close—he had grown to consider Ken one of his closest friends (something he always would marvel at, considering their initial relationship) and it hurt to see his friends in any pain.
The song started, and Ken did his best to keep up with it, looking completely nervous and out of his depth. "Sing louder!" Yolei yelled, and Ken did his best to comply. And it came to no surprise to TK when Ken eventually warmed to the song. Daisuke always seemed to do the right thing on impulse, or else he was far more smart and insightful than anyone gave him credit for. (TK found this possibility more and more likely all the time.) Ken soon began singing more confidently, like he knew the song, which he probably did considering how obsessed Daisuke currently was with the band. Soon, he was even smiling. By the end he was beaming, and he looked vaguely embarrassed by their cheering and applauding, and Yolei's catcalls probably didn't help. But he was talking cheerfully when he sat down next to Daisuke, and then they were suddenly all laughing about something funny Daisuke said. It didn't even really matter what the joke was—TK laughed more to think how wonderful it was to be with all his friends like this, because it wasn't like he could really hear what Daisuke was saying anyway. Even Cody was laughing.
It was memories like these from which hope sprung eternal.
TK turned to Kari. "Hey Kari, I'm all rested up from the last song; let's do a duet!" She acceded with an angelic smile.
He was the luckiest guy in the world.