Authors note: Wow, thanks for the reviews everyone! I was actually a little worried there, I mean... how often is it I get more than one or two reviews? So when I signed on and saw not 1, but all requested five I was pretty ecstatic. I had to play around with this chapter a bit. I wasn't sure if I should change the narration style or not, but since people seemed to like the first chapter, I'll try be consistent. Feel free to point out any errors or inconsistencies, please. I've been having some issues with that in my writing recently. I'd like to have at least two reviews per chapter now, just to keep me going. If I don't get feed back, I just can't stay interested.

Added note: There are nicknames in here that you're probably not familiar with, because they are from role play forums over the years. Need some clarification? Just send me a PM, I'd be happy to help. I've just grown accustomed to thinking them.


It all started with prom. Well, as far as I can tell. Maybe it started before that, but my story starts here, in Hikari's room with teen magazines strewn across her and Taichi's floor. After giving the place a once over, Taichi had evacuated the premises and left the girl stuff to, well, the girls. We called Sora over, but she couldn't come over till dinner time. That gave us at least an hour of floundering among prom guides, trying to find something I could afford on the salary I got from working in my parent's department store.

"What about this one," Hikari suggested, pointing to one page that had fallen open on accident when I pushed its magazine out of the way to reach the one under it. All these had cost me a fortune at the store– just another unfortunate prom expense. The dress, by the way, that she had pointed to was a pretty silk lavender one. Strapless, but not skanky or sleezy. But one look at the price caption made me wish I hadn't had lunch.

"Only if I plan on paying off my debt till I'm forty," I replied sadly, sighing as I laid down on the carpeted floor. This was becoming quite a project. And I refused to look at her face. She would have lent me money. Mimi would have flat out bought the dress and hid the receipt from me. But I couldn't bring myself to ask, to suggest...

My pride tends to get in the way of any real progress, I've realized.

"I'm sure we'll find something," Hikari assured me. Her tone was comforting. She's always had that ability to make a crummy situation seem not-so-bad, ever since I first met her. I sighed again– perhaps a little over dramatically- and pushed myself back up. "Why don't we take a break," she suggested cheerfully. Poromon and Tailmon, interpreting 'break' as 'food time', seemed to like that idea. So I accepted Hikari's offered hand and let her help me get to my feet. We left the abandoned magazines lying around. We'd face the demons when we had some food in our stomachs, we silently agreed.

"Me and Nii-san ordered pizza for lunch," Hikari said, making some idle chit chat as we sat down in front of the television. She grabbed the half-emptied pizza box from the table and set it between us. "Kaa-san doesn't like it when we order in, really, so let's finish it before she gets home." There was a twinkle in her amber eyes that made me smile. She was trying to make me not worry so much. It was just another dress, no big deal.

But I couldn't help but think that it was.

There was a cartoon on the screen. Taichi must have been watching it when he skipped out of the house to escape prom planning. Hikari flipped on the news. I don't know why, but Hikari has this thing about the news. She only watches regular television shows for maybe an hour. The news is always on when I visit, unless Taichi has control of the remote.

I swear, that's the only time I think I've ever seen Hikari annoyed at her big brother.

I knew better than to ask for a channel change, so I just dug into the pizza. We set aside a couple pieces each for the digimon– they're like bottomless pits, as Takeru once said!– before munching ourselves. We lapsed into a comfortable silence. That's how it was with Hikari. A few laughs, a few jokes and small talk, but she was really a quiet person. I respect that. Sometimes, I wish I could be that. But it'll never happen.

There was no interesting news that day– car accidents are every day news in Tokyo, and besides: there are very few stories out there that can top the one caused by the Digimon in the real world a few years ago. Everything seems so dull after that, although I'm not sure if that's a relief or not. I guess it really depends on the day I'm having.

I expected the time to drag on. I don't know why, but I did. So I was really surprised when, after what seemed like no time at all, the doorbell sounded. Hikari and I both jumped, though she scrambled to her feet and ran to the door, yelling "I'm coming, hold on!" as she did. I just sat there, twisted around so I could see whoever entered. Was it really the end of the news hour already? It must have been, because a red-haired girl... I mean, young woman (She was nearing her twenties, after all) came in bearing a bag of magazines. I groaned. Not more, please!

"Don't give me that look, Miyako," Sora teased jokingly, sitting on the floor beside me. She tipped the bag upside down, and it's contents tumbled onto the living room floor. I just looked at them doubtfully. Nothing in there, I knew, would be mine. Except in my dreams, the ones where I thought I was Mimi's sister living in a castle.

Those were very rare, insane, fleeting dreams, mind you. Reality was much more regular.

"Sora," I sighed, trying not to sound like I'd lost every thread of patience I owned (though Hikari knew that had happened hours ago). "I'll just borrow something. Or get it off the wrack." I cringed at what Mimi would say to that– buying a prom dress, or wedding dress, from the wrack was a sin in the fashion diva's eye. "These are so expensive..."

"I missed your birthday, didn't I," Sora asked casually, thumbing through one catalogue. Her eyes came to rest on a simple, elegant red dress. Smooth and shining satin, fringed with glimmering sequins along its hem, and a single, two-inch thick shoulder strap. Nothing like that, I was sure, belonged in my wardrobe. Especially when I was going stag.

"Sora..." I tried again, but this time Hikari cut me off.

"I didn't get you a present either. I was at my Obaa-san's the day of your party." A small smile, what would have been sympathetic if the same scheming gleam Taichi's eyes held wasn't present. I narrowed my eyes at her through my glasses, but that only made her smile widen. For such a sweet girl, she sure was evil.

Okay, maybe she wasn't, but you know what? This is my story. I'll cry if I want to.

"Guys," I tried protest, but they'd turned their backs to me. Sora had grabbed one magazine and had flipped open to a page not unlike the lavender dress we'd spotted in Hikari's room. I think it was the same magazine, actually. They were muttering so I couldn't hear, and Hikari nodded enthusiastically. A bad, bad sign.

And the next thing I knew, I was being dragged into the local outlet mall with Hikari on one side and Sora on the other with their arms linked through mine. We made a very sad looking human chain, with a pouting, protesting computer geek (That's me) in the middle of an athletic beauty (Sora) and a slender cutie (Hikari). Let me tell you, the highlight of my day was definitely not trying to get through the doors, though it would have been more amusing if I was watching rather than being squished and jostled.

"This is absurd," I muttered grumpily, trying to adjust my glasses by wriggling my nose (as my arms were immobile). My friends pretended not to hear me. Or rather, they ignored everything I was saying as they push-pulled me in the direction of the store they had set in mind. So I continued ranting, knowing eventually Hikari, at least, would try stem the flow of bitter resentment before it turned into seething hatred.

"It'll be fun," Hikari said to me soothingly, though I was anything but soothed. I expected Mimi to drag me to the mall. But from Sora and Hikari, it felt like betrayal. I let out a long, over exaggerated sigh as they lured me into the first store with false promises of making it as quick and painless as possible. I knew better, because after the dress, there was make up and bags and shoes to worry about too.

"Over here," Sora ordered, steering us towards a partitioned section stocked to overflowing with sequined, glittering, flashy dresses. Oh, the horrors of prom, I thought. And I was actually killing myself to be a part of this? I cast a sideways glance at each of my friends, and found it hard to still be resentful towards them. They weren't even going– Sora being too old, and Hikari being too young to go without being invited– and yet they were getting so excited. For me, I realized. And suddenly, I felt like garbage for arguing with them.

Sora had wondered off to flit from rack to rack, occasionally holding one up for me and Hikari to inspect. And I made it my job to look half-way enthused whenever Hikari tapped my arm and pointed to a dress, asking me if I thought it was pretty. Would it do? How about we look over there...

"Ooh, Miya," Sora, I swear, squealed from a few racks down. It actually took me a moment to realize who it was. Sora did not, in my memory, ever squeal before that moment. Hikari blinked too, so I don't think I was completely alone in my amazement. "Come here, come here!"

Almost reluctantly, Hikari and I abandoned our search for the 'perfect' dress to see what Sora had found. And I say reluctant because neither of us were entirely sure we wanted to know what had made Sora sound so like Mimi at that moment.

"I think they've been talking on the phone too much," Hikari murmured quietly, making me giggle. She'd read my thoughts perfectly.

"Look at this," Sora said, pulling from the rack a dress that her hand had been resting on, presumably, since she called my name. I had braced myself for the pinks or blues that the department seemed to be stuffed with, but my breath seemed to catch in my throat when my eyes registered just what she was holding. Ooookay, so it wasn't the lavender satin beauty Hikari and I had both shot secret, longing glances at while we were dress shopping from the Yagami apartment, but it was still beautiful.

Red. Faux Silk. A halter top that tied in a charming knot at the base of the wearer's neck. And a modest-looking cut that went mid-calf. A thigh-high slit made it look not-so-modest. I loved it.

"But you know I can't afford that," I said almost despairingly, having to stem a moan of longing as I took the fabric in my hands. I didn't own anything nearly this exquisite. And everyone knew it. I could see Hikari next to me, arms folded across her stomach and a frown tugging at her lips. I knew a silent discussion was going on between the two other Chosen while I gazed at the dress that in all rights, I shouldn't have ever gotten. But then the dress was being tugged out of my hands and draped over Sora's tennis-toned arm.

"That's okay. We can," she said simply, marching off to the register. Hikari took my hand when I tried stop Sora. It was like my funeral march, each foot step on the tiled floor echoing in my mind. The numbers on that tag were mind boggling.

"Look at it this way," Hikari said gently as we followed the redhead at a more leisurely pace. Well, my slowness was in morning for my dignity and pride. Hikari's was a nonchalant, keep-Miya-company kinda stride. She waited till I had raised my head a fraction of an inch to continue. "We won't get you holiday presents for a year, if it'll make you feel better. You won't owe us a cent by your next birthday," she smiled. I sighed, but didn't protest when Sora came back laden with a shopping bag. I merely thanked her. A few dozen times, maybe. Nothing much.

"Let's stop at a Payless to get your shoes," Sora suggested as we exited the store and entered the main mall, though our arms weren't linked this time. I had convinced myself somehow that this might actually be pretty entertaining. I always liked shopping, even though I never had enough money set aside to do it. Why not treat myself a tiny bit, just for prom, which was supposed to be the biggest night before a girl's wedding? Besides, it was a lot easier than arguing. Sora smiled at me, and I could see she was trying not to laugh at the confused look on my face. "We don't want the price tags to give poor Miya a heart attack."