I continued on with the cleaning, and this chapter went through some major changes. This was the first Daisuke chapter, and the original was very short. Only about 1,700 words longs. This time around I got the words to be a little under 3,000. That's pretty much double the length.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon. Go watch the Matrix.

Edit: 7/5/12 Came and revised a bit. Will continue to do so for later chapters. Cleaning up grammar mistakes, and certain wording or phrasing that I've come to not really like all that much. Just minor changes, nothing too serious. Just trying to improve the writing style, and experience for the reader.

The car ride to Urayasu, the city where Takeru's travel basketball team was supposed to be playing their last game of the year, was an awkward one for the Chosen Children. Few words were said, even fewer being genuine or well-meant, and the tension was mostly stemming from the way that Daisuke made no effort to hide the fact that he thought that Hikari should not have gone with them. None of the older Chosen Children were there, all being busy with work and college, or those being the excuses that they decided to use anyways, but all of the younger ones had decided that it would be fun to head out and support Takeru for his last big hurrah of the year. Hence the reason that they were all sitting in the rather small car that belonged to Ken's mother; even though certain persons would have preferred if certain others had decided not to go.

Ken was the one who was driving, his mother letting it be no other way, with Miyako at his side in the passenger seat, and in the back was where Daisuke, Iori, and Hikari were sitting, in that order from left to right. Daisuke, doing something that his younger and more lovelorn self would have never done, had actually requested that Iori sat in between him and Hikari, particularly for the reason of not wanting to have to talk to her. It had been years since Daisuke had had feelings for Hikari, and even then when she rejected him he held no ill will for the girl despite his sadness for being turned down. However, Daisuke had become very uncomfortable, disgusted even, with the way that Hikari had so easily betrayed Takeru's trust. She had laughed about him in casual passing to other schoolgirls, she had mocked Takeru behind his back for the way that he had bore his soul to her, and it was something that made Daisuke wonder if Hikari had ever done the same with him. The de facto leader of the younger group of Chosen Children knew that Hikari's rejections of their blonde friend had hurt him deeply because he had been there for him in private, consoling the boy and trying to think of ways to make him not feel so worthless. In his opinion, Takeru had taken the rejections harder than he should have, more than was worth for Taichi's sister, but he understood how Takeru reacted when he was forced to tell him about what Hikari had been saying behind his back; it had destroyed him.

"Maybe we should have come in a different car? It's going to be cramped with Takeru in here on the way back."

Daisuke was looking out the window of the seat he was in, watching as they passed car after car, watching as they passed people in love, and people with broken hearts. His eyes were kept on the outside, every now and again catching glances with a stranger as they passed them, but he couldn't help but listen to all the sounds that were bouncing around the interior of Ken's mother's car. He had heard Hikari break the silence with asking a question about later transportation, Iori awkwardly shifting in his seat over and over again, Ken humming a song to himself pretending not to be aware of all the tension in the car, and Miyako scoff at the mention of Takeru's name. The last sound of which reminded Daisuke of those far away days when he himself didn't like Takeru all that much.

He wasn't sure when it had happened, one day they had been rivals, fierce in his opinion, and it seemed like just the next day they were friends. Friends, Daisuke thought, didn't treat each other the way Hikari had treated her supposed best one, and he still had a hard time believing how she so easily tossed aside Takeru's heart. It was thinking about all of this that made him glad that the Chosen Child of light had spurned his advances, because now he could, and was, helping Takeru move away from a spot, a darkness, that nobody deserved to be in; he had experience in the matter. So, despite their shaky past and in spite of their candidly uncertain future, Daisuke decided that he would be there for Takeru; however he was needed.

"Takeru-kun's not coming with us on the way back. After we go eat he's leaving in a different car."

He turned and glanced at Miyako who had spoken, and he couldn't help but catch that there was a sort of quiet disdain in her voice. It was almost like a silent indignation, as if it was being held back while waiting for approval, and his eyes moved from Miyako to Hikari to see if the younger teen was somehow going to give it. He stared at her, something that Iori pretended not to notice, and he saw Hikari nervously readjust herself in her seat as she asked Miyako another question.

"Who's going to give him a ride?"

Daisuke went back to watching what was going on outside the window of the car, and he hoped that doing so would help him to ignore Hikari. She was a good comrade, in a fight at least, but it seemed to him that lately Hikari was fickle, especially when concerning Takeru. She didn't take the blonde boy's emotions seriously and brushed him aside like it was nothing, but what struck Daisuke as odd were the rumors he had heard about Hikari being jealous of Takeru's new apparent love interest. He knew from experience that Ume was not the most reputable person to get information from, having sat next to the chubby girl for most of the year, but after hearing what she had to say, Daisuke thought it quite possible that this rumor had a good chance of being true. He hoped for Takeru's sake that it wasn't true, because he knew that if Hikari let on that she even liked Takeru in the most basic sense of the word, that he would give up everything just for that miniscule chance to be with her. Takeru had already given up his pride, the most precious thing to a man whether Japanese or otherwise, and Daisuke refused to allow Takeru to give up an opportunity to make it with a girl that wasn't Hikari; to give up his chance to be happy.

"He's leaving with Ayano-chan? Can you believe that?"

Feeling Iori fidget beside him, the sensation being something that he had already gotten used to, Daisuke felt the need to move as well, and took off his goggles which he still wore after all these years. He had barely been a kid when he had first gotten them, stubbornly wearing them into his adolescence and approaching manhood, but this whole awkward business with his two friends made him start to think that it was about time that he hung them up on his mantle. They felt tainted, knowing that they belonged to Hikari's brother; she had ruined even that.

"Her? Are you serious, Miyako-san?"

Miyako scoffed again, but what Daisuke payed more attention to was the change in Hikari's inflection when she found out that Takeru was going to be leaving with Ayano after everyone was finished eating. He now knew for a fact that Ume's rumor was the truth, a rare thing for the chubby girl who had a penchant for annoying exaggeration, and made a note in his mind to thank the girl later when he had a chance. Knowing this information could help him to guide Takeru in the right direction; the one that didn't point to Yagami Hikari.

"Don't worry about it Hikari-chan, Takeru-kun will come to his senses soon enough."

It was Daisuke who scoffed this time, surprised and yet not surprised that Miyako shared Hikari's dislike of Ayano. Maybe it was a girl thing that they stood by each others sides no matter how flawed they were, or maybe it was because Miyako, like so many others, had believed that Takeru and Hikari were perfect for each other.

"Is there something you want to say Daisuke-kun?"

He looked up at the rear-view mirror to see that Miyako was angrily looking at him through the reflection, and he then moved his eyes and noticed that Hikari was glaring at him as well. They were challenging him, daring him to take back his apparent displeasure, but it was something that he refused to do. He was the Chosen Child of courage and friendship, the latter of which he seemed to think was a trait that Hikari lacked.

"The day Takeru comes to his senses, is the day he finally gives up on Hikari-chan."

The car became silent, nothing being heard except the buzzing of the road, and he felt Iori fidget beside him even more nervously then he had before. It was not lost on anyone the way that he had addressed Takeru without any honorifics, and Daisuke upon thinking about it felt that it was right. Takeru was his rival, his friend, his comrade-in-arms; Takeru was his brother.

"Excuse me?"

Ken coughed loudly purposely getting everyone's attention focused on him. Personally he wasn't a fan of drama, especially after he finally settled all the conflict that he was involved with during his Kaiser days, and he felt it as almost his duty to stop the fighting. He empathized with Daisuke and Takeru, but he also sympathized with Hikari knowing that she was not the villain that Daisuke had painted her as when he had come to him for advice in helping Takeru.

"Maybe this is something that needs to be discussed in private instead of in a car full of people who it doesn't concern?"

Miyako seemed to silently agree with Ken as she slumped back down into her seat, for the moment not going pursuing further confrontation with Daisuke, and Hikari seemed to do the same as she let the anger fade from her face and simply began to look out the window. Ken forced a smile, as did Iori, because while the air was still more tense then they would have liked, they were still glad that nothing regrettable was going to be said in their presence. However, Daisuke refused to have any of it, and decided that he would once again get what he was thinking off of his mind. Someone had crossed a line in the sand, though he wasn't sure if it was Hikari or himself, but to him it really didn't matter anymore; too many things had already gone down, too many hearts broken.

"The second that Hikari-chan made a fool of Takeru, was when it started concerning us. She makes him feel like shit while she tugs on his emotions, and we're supposed to ignore that? That's bullshit Ken, and you know it."

Ken sighed, wishing that he had just kept to humming his song. He had made a point of not being a person of conflict or drama, preferring to not even watch television shows that were mainly about those things, and he hated that he was even slightly involved in this whole Takeru/Hikari thing. Like Daisuke had said, it was bullshit, but he was at least relieved when he didn't have to add on to that shit pile when he heard Hikari speak.

"Don't pretend that you know anything about my relationship with Takeru."

With their eyes meeting each other, Daisuke wondered where all the companionship between the Chosen Children had gone. Perhaps it disappeared as they had gotten older, and as some had started to fall in love with others. Maybe it was companionship that could only be felt during times of battle, when lives were at stake, but Daisuke disregarded that already knowing it to be false. Maybe it was Takeru's fault that it was gone, because it was him that fell in love with a girl that would never want him like that. Maybe it was Hikari's fault for not knowing what exactly she desired, all the while leading Takeru on giving him hope for something she wasn't sure she could do. Daisuke wasn't even sure if he had the right to judge anybody, thinking that maybe it wasn't anybody's fault but his own. He was their leader; he was supposed to prevent this.

"Then don't pretend that him moving on isn't what's best for him."

Daisuke's eyes softened while Hikari went silent for a moment. Neither of them wanted to fight the other, and neither of them wanted Takeru to be any more hurt then he already had been. Daisuke felt almost guilty when he noticed tears forming in Hikari's eyes.

"I might feel the same about him."

It had sounded almost sincere to him, but Daisuke had a nagging thought that Hikari was just trying to justify her own feelings or actions. He couldn't be sure about things though. Maybe she was just jealous and wanted Takeru's attention solely focused on her because of some sort of misplaced vanity, or maybe she was telling the truth when she said that she might have returned their blonde friend's feelings. Daisuke had never been a cynic, that being a path that he wanted to avoid for himself, but it was hard for him concerning the situation. He stared on at Hikari, hoping that he was wrong.

"That's not fair, Hikari-chan."

The brunette turned her head away from everyone in the car, and trying to hide her tears she began looking out the window of the moving car; just as she had so many times in that day already. Daisuke was making her out to be a villain, a bitch among the bitches, and it was something that she didn't really know how to handle. She was conflicted, she knew that she had done wrong by certain people, by Takeru, but she didn't think that she had ever acted out of malice. Confusion maybe, in rashness of course, but she had never wanted to hurt anybody.

"You're an ass, Daisuke."

Miyako began glaring at Daisuke again, dirty looks becoming easier for her to give him more and more, and for a second she actually hated her formerly goggled comrade. She would be the first to admit that Hikari wasn't perfect and that she had messed up, but Daisuke had no right to make the girl cry. She would have lectured him, or blown up in his face, but Miyako lessened her scowl and put her attention back on Hikari for the moment; she wanted to make sure that her friend was alright.

"Are you okay, Hikari-chan?"

The girl in question nodded her head as she wiped the tears away from her face, and she looked to Miyako and forced a smile for everyone to see. Said smile being only one of the many fake ones that had already graced their car ride. She felt like a liar almost, she felt like she was being lied to, and it was something that Hikari hated. Things didn't used to be the way that they now were, tensions and falsehoods becoming a regular part of the way that the Chosen Children interacted with each other, and it was something that made the girl wish that the simpler days of simpler friendships had never passed them by. As everyone, save Ken who was driving, quietly watched her, as she returned their looks of uneasiness and wariness, Hikari felt that the only thing that she could do at the moment was tell the truth. Her conscience would allow her nothing else.

"I just want Takeru to be happy."

He didn't want to be a cynic, he never wanted to become that jaded, and there was something that touched Daisuke's heart as he heard at least a tiny bit of sincerity in Hikari's words. He wondered on why things had to end up so complicated all of the time, on why things couldn't be easier or brighter, and it was something that had come to eat away from him as he had to watch distrust begin to weave its way into his group of friends. He was unsure if hoping that Takeru moved on to a new girl, Ayano or otherwise, was the right thing to do on account of the way that this Hikari thing had gone down, but it was the only possibility that he saw for a better future. Personally, he thought that things were probably better for Takeru without a girl, but then Daisuke sure if Takeru would be able to forget Hikari that way. He had felt that he had failed someone, Daisuke turned his head and began looking out the window for the last time in the car ride. He was watching people, wondering who were in love, and who among them had broken hearts. Daisuke frowned when he also wondered if Hikari was now part of the latter.

"We all do Hikari-chan, we all do."

This chapter had been embarrassingly short. I'm glad I fixed it up.