Setting: "France"

Characters: The Digidestined, but mostly Takeru and Hikari, age 13 and Taichi and Yamato, age 16


Hikari had not been looking forward to this day.

Her best friend was leaving her today. She would see him again, of that she had no doubt, but she had gotten so used to seeing him almost every day in the past two years, that it was going to be so hard to give that up. But there was nothing either of them could really do about it. His mother was moving to France and Takeru had to go with her. Everyone was going to his apartment this morning to say goodbye, but she didn't want to go. She didn't want to have to say goodbye to him.

The door opened, and Taichi walked in. "It's time to go," he said. "Are you ready?"

"I'm not going," she stated irrationally, not meeting his eyes. She was seated up against the bed with her legs drawn up to her chest. She was quite aware of how stupid it was of her to say that. Taichi would simply tell her that she was, she would agree, they would go, and Hikari's heart would be ripped from her chest.

But her brother surprised her. Taichi walked toward her and sat down next to her. "I see."

"That's it?" Hikari asked, still not looking at him. "You aren't going to tell me that we have to go?"

"I'm not going to force you to go, Hikari," Taichi said. She looked up at him and only saw concern and support on his face.

"You're not?" Hikari asked incredulously.

"No," Taichi said. "Can I ask why you don't want to go? Did you two have a fight or something?"

Hikari shook her head. "It's nothing like that," she said softly. She could feel the familiar heat in her eyes and knew that she was moments away from tears. She had held them at bay for so long, ever since Takeru had spoken the words that had torn her so completely. "How can I say good-bye to him?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper and the tears that had threatened to fall began to stream silently down her cheeks.

Taichi reached an arm around her and pulled her to him. "You'll find the words," he said to her in a rare serious voice. "I think you'll regret it if you don't. Besides, it's not like you'll never see him again," he added in a lighter tone.

"Right," she said, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She laughed softly. "I probably look awful now," she said. "I told myself that I would see him off with a smile; that I wouldn't let him see me cry."

"You don't have to pretend, Hikari," Taichi told her. "Your best friend is leaving. As much as I hate to see you cry, I think you're allowed to in this situation."

She smiled at her brother. "Okay," she said. Despite her brother's word, she still held back the tears as she stood up. "We should go, or we'll be late."

Taichi stood up next to her. "Then, let's go."


"So," Yamato said drawing the word out slowly. The other Digidestined moved away to leave the brothers somewhat alone. "I guess this is it."

Takeru laughed, shaking his head at Yamato's loss for words. "Don't look so depressed, Yamato," he said clamping his hand onto his older brother's shoulder. "It's not like we'll never see each other again."

Yamato grimaced. "It's not the same," he said. "You're going to be on the other side of the world."

"I know," Takeru said still smiling. "But the Digital World has a way of making that seem not so far away." Yamato brushed a hand through his hair and chuckled softly. "What's so funny?" Takeru asked.

Yamato shook his head. "Just thinking about how I have to go to an entire different world to see my own brother, and how ridiculous that would probably sound if I told anyone else that."

Takeru laughed too. "My classmates are probably going to wonder why it seems like I disappear off the face of the earth sometimes," he said.

"Too bad you can't tell them that's exactly what happens," Yamato said, giving his brother a wry grin.

"Yeah," Takeru said. He glanced around a bit before turning back to Yamato. "Do you know why Hikari and Taichi are late?" he asked, his voice betraying how worried he was that they weren't there yet.

Yamato shook his head. "Taichi told me they were on the way," he said. He placed a hand on Takeru's shoulder. "They'll be here. Don't worry." He frowned and pulled Takeru into a hug. "I'm going to miss you, little brother."

Takeru returned the hug. "Me too," he said.

"Takeru!"

He turned out of his brother's arms. His face split into a smile when he saw Hikari and Taichi running towards them. He stepped away from Yamato to catch Hikari in his arms and twirled her around just once before setting her on the ground. "I was afraid you weren't going to make it," he told her. Though he was smiling brightly at her, he knew that she would hear the worry in his voice. She knew him too well not to.

"Sorry," she said. "I almost didn't come," she admitted.

"Why not?"

"I didn't want to say good-bye," Hikari said. "I didn't want you to see me cry, either, but Taichi convinced me that I would regret not coming. And he was right."

"I'm not going to be gone forever, Hikari," he told her.

"It doesn't matter," she said, shaking her head. He could see the tears as they gathered at the corners of her eyes. "I still don't want you to leave, Takeru."

"I don't really want to go, either," he said, admitting it for the first time. Since learning he was leaving, he had tried to play it off with his friends, saying that it didn't matter that he was leaving or how far away he was going to be. He didn't want his friends to see how much the move was saddening him. But he suddenly couldn't pretend in front of Hikari anymore. She knew him better than anymore, even himself in some ways. "I still have to go."

"I know that, too," she said.

She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face against his chest. He heard her mumble something, but he couldn't understand what she said. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, pulling away from him. She smiled at him, but he could tell it didn't nearly reach her eyes. She was forcing herself. "Good-bye, Takeru."

For once, he didn't force himself to smile back. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, something he had never done before. "Good-bye, Hikari," he whispered. He backed up from her and turned to the rest of the Digidestined, placing a smile on his face as he waved and called his farewell to the rest of them. He followed his mother to the car and climbed in the seat next to her. He looked out the window and waved again to the Digidestined, who waved back. He kept his eyes on Hikari until they drove out of sight.