As time flows on…

TAICHI YAGAMI

When I first heard about the prophecy, all I could see was Hikari as a small girl, dying in the hospital. I had told myself that I would never let anything ever happen to her again. I wanted to protect her. I'm her older brother and that's what I'm supposed to do. I know she would do anything to protect the rest of us. And that's what has me worried so much about this prophecy. Hikari was the kind of person who would put herself in danger, if it meant saving everyone else. Like the time she gave herself to Myotismon to stop him from hurting those people.

Summer is coming soon, and nothing has happened yet, but that doesn't mean it won't. We keep to our schedule of protecting the bearers of Hope and Light. It's not too hard because I've found the two spend a lot of time in the Digital World. There we have even more friends to watch after them. Word spreads faster there than with high school girls. There's always Wizardmon or Piximon or Whamon or any other odd assortment of friends we've made there to look after them.

I watch the two now, looking so carefree despite the dire circumstances that surround them. That seems to be their power. Hikari would think of others and try to bring them happiness, while Takeru would keep an upbeat attitude and try to cheer everyone up. So I've got to do my job and be brave for the Digidestined.

COURAGE

YAMATO ISHIDA

As I had listened to what my brother had gone through, I felt like I had failed as his older brother again. Takeru assured me later that I couldn't have known and he didn't blame me in the least. I know he blamed himself mostly, but he had been alone. Still, he had won. I always knew that Takeru was probably one of the strongest out of all of us. And little Patamon packs quite the punch as MagnaAngemon, too.

As Sora and I take our turns with watching the two of them, I think about what the two have gone through. Not only have they been fighting monsters since they were little kids, they were so often the targets of evil Digimon. I think Takeru had a point when he said we didn't know very well what "normal" was. I mean, we're people who go around saving the worlds for the ninth or tenth time with little (or not so little) monsters with us. Hardly normal, but I guess that's what makes us Digidestined.

No one else can do it. We're the only ones who can make a difference. And prophecy or no prophecy, with all of our friends together, we're going to make sure Takeru and Hikari are safe.

FRIENDSHIP

DAISUKE MOTOMIYA

I like things to be simple. There are bad guys and we defeat the bad guys. I liked it when it was that simple. None of this sitting around waiting for the enemy to strike who-knows-when. I just hate waiting. If I knew where the enemy was, I would take Veemon right now and take him out, then Hikari and Takeru would be safe and we wouldn't have to worry about them anymore. Seeing as we don't know who the enemy is or when exactly they are going to attack, I'm stuck babysitting. But at least I get to hang out with Hikari.

I'll admit it. I used to like Hikari. I still do, a little bit. But I recognize that she's happier with that Takeru more than she is with me. I may be dense sometimes, but you've got to give me some credit. Hikari has been mildly depressed these last four years and it takes a complete moron to realize that she's only gotten happier since that stupid Takeru came back. Lucky for them, I am not a complete moron.

Besides, Takeru owes me. I'm the one who didn't give up on him and helped him win that battle with the dark powers. But he was my rival. How can someone give up on their rival…or friend?

COURAGE/FRIENDSHIP

We reflect on what is…

SORA TAKENOUCHI

Just when you think your troubles with the Digital World are over, something else always comes up. I guess as long as the dark powers are out there, influencing Digimon to become evil, we can't really help it. It's our duty to protect the worlds as the Digidestined until we no longer can or new Digidestined are called in our place. We were chosen for this because we have the power to help our Digimon.

Yamato and I are taking our turn once again watching Takeru and Hikari. I remember when I was once like their mother figure when we had no one but ourselves in the Digital World. Takeru specifically said that when I was around he didn't miss his own mother as much. It's kind of strange to see them all grown up. They were so small and young back then. Now Takeru was a tall lean young man with a dazzlingly smile that surely melted the hearts of all the girls at school, and Hikari was a graceful, petite beauty who, from what I hear, has many a men chasing her. Too bad that the two of the only see each other.

I look at my boyfriend, who is staring intensely, always watching Takeru these days. It's a good thing I'm not the jealous type of girlfriend. I giggle and he looks at me questioningly. I just shake my head, brushing him off with 'girl stuff'. I was wondering if it occurred to Yamato and Taichi that if Takeru and Hikari did get together that would make the two of them practically brothers. Not that they weren't before.

LOVE

MIMI TACHIKAWA

I thought our fighting days were over. I hate fighting, but I know that's its necessary sometimes. I suppose I had to learn that the hard way, when Leomon sacrificed himself to save me. I don't like it, but if it is to save and protect my friends, I will do it. I'm still hoping that we find some peaceful solution to all of this. I don't want anyone else to get hurt, but I want Takeru and Hikari to get hurt even less.

I watch Takeru and Hikari together and think that they would make such a cute couple together. I've wanted to tell them this for the longest time, but when I mentioned it to Sora, she told me I should probably just let them figure it out on their own. She told me that love comes in its own time and I guess she would know, being the bearer of the Crest of Love and all. The most I can do is make sure that Hikari is looking absolutely adorable before she leaves the apartment every morning.

Koushiro is ignoring me again, being on his computer all the time. He's grown up to be kind of nice looking, in an adorkable kind of way. I hate that he ignores me, however, and I tell him that often as we take our turn watching Takeru and Hikari. Then he points out that he is trying to make sense of the prophecy for the good of our two little charges, and I kind of have to let it go because I too want our friends to be safe. Ooh, why are boys so infuriating?

SINCERITY

MIYAKO INOUE

I have to point out first that I am extremely bummed out that Ken and I are not in the same group to guard Takeru and Hikari. I have enough problems as it is, with him being in high school and me in college (my older sisters just love to tease me about it). It is completely beside the point that I see him most every other day. It's completely unfair that Takeru and Hikari get to spend everyday together, when they are not even together, while I must pine away for my own man. Jyou is nice and all, but he spends most of the time we are guarding the two worrying about all the homework and things he has to study for his classes. I guess medical school can be kind of stressful.

It's almost been a month now and nothing has happened yet. I kind of can't even blame Daisuke for his apparent impatience to go and find the evil guy and just finish this already. I'm starting to get to that point. Though, as time keeps passing, I've noticed that Takeru and Hikari don't seem particularly worried about the prophecy. I would expect this of Takeru, he's always seemed like such an easy-going guy, but Hikari used to go into maniac depressed mode whenever she interacted with the dark powers.

We're in the Digital World again. Apparently Takeru and Hikari like to hang out here. Luckily this time we're on the beach! I guess that's the good thing about being able to go to the Digital World is that you can basically pick any sort of climate you would like to go to.

LOVE/SINCERITY

What might have been…

KOUSHIRO IZUMI

I have never failed before. The Digidestined are relying on me to figure out this prophecy so that we can stop the dark powers from attacking Takeru and Hikari. Takeru's story just cemented my belief that he too is something special like Hikari, more than the rest of us, something beyond just being Digidestined.

Everything always seems to center around those two and their "guardian angels". First, with Devimon, who wanted to destroy Takeru due some unknown prophecy that it would be the youngest that would destroy him, which Angemon did. Next was Myotismon, who was so preoccupied with finding the Eighth Child that he practically ignored the rest of us, probably once again to some knowledge that it would be Angewomon who would destroy him. Even when he came back, it was due to Angemon and Angewomon with the power of the Crests of Hope and Light that Agumon and Gabumon were able to Warp Digivolve in the first place. During our battle with the Dark Masters, it was Hikari who gave Agumon the power as WarGreymon to destroy Machinedramon and it wasn't until Angemon Digivolved to MagnaAngemon that we were finally able to defeat Piedmon. Once the younger Digidestined were required for Armor Digivolving, it was the Digimon of Takeru and Hikari who were able to Armor Digivolve and help. And both Gatomon and Angemon were able to Digivolve to their Ultimate levels once before Azulongmon released his Digi-Core. Perhaps it was due to the sudden burst of Light into the Dark Ocean or the power of the Destiny Stone, or perhaps it was something more.

Mimi is mad at me again for ignoring her, but I must find out if my theories are correct. After all, the fate of the worlds could depend on what I find. I explain this to her when we are taking our turn to watch our charges, which she reluctantly seems to accept. One thing I've observed about Mimi is that she tends to really be sweet and sincere most of the time, but you do not want her to be mad at you. Girls are probably the one mystery that I will never try to solve.

KNOWLEDGE

JYOU KIDO

Knowing that the world, if not worlds, will be destroyed if you don't succeed is a pretty big responsibility. There isn't really an "it could be worse" after that. It's a little bit harder to keep up positive thinking when you have such a bleak outlook laid before you. Gomamon tells me that I need to lighten up, but as the oldest of the group and the bearer of the Crest of Reliability, I feel the need to keep a realistic viewpoint on things.

Sure it's been over two months since we first heard about the prophecy and nothing has happened, but that doesn't mean that something terrible dreadful is not going to happen anytime soon. We have to be prepared. There's no telling when a Digimon might escape into the real world and wreak havoc upon the city again. I also have exams coming up and would really wish them to be uninterrupted for once.

As I watch Takeru and Hikari, I do realize that they have grown up a lot. I kind of have to smile as I remember when I had to save Takeru from drowning when we were attacked by MegaSeadramon when I could barely swim myself. I don't think I would have to worry about that now. I guess what Koushiro said is right. We're just going to have to trust them.

RELIABILITY

IORI HIDA

Summer will be upon us in little over a month. When I first heard about the prophecy, I thought I would see Takeru's "other side" again, like I did back when Ken was the Digimon Emperor and during our battle with BlackWarGreymon. But during these last two months that we have been protecting the two, both of them have seemed almost unnaturally calm, considering the circumstances that will probably soon occur to them.

Once while I was taking my turn with Taichi, I managed to pull Takeru aside and ask him why. He answered that he and Hikari decided together that there was no point in worrying about what might occur. They wanted to live in the moment and cherish their time together with their friends and each other. Hikari had come up to them, having heard the last bit of what Takeru had said, she added that whatever was going to happen would happen. But she believed that together, they would be all right.

I've thought about those words ever since I heard them, and I have come to the conclusion that there is some truth to them. It is important not to ruin the good moments of today with the worries of tomorrow. But when those worries come, I want to be someone that the two of them can rely on for help.

KNOWLEDGE/RELIABILITY

Or what could be…

KEN ICHIJOUJI

I thought that if the dark powers were ever going to take revenge on someone, it would have been me. If anyone deserves to be attacked, it would certainly not be Hikari or Takeru. I always thought that I would be the most susceptible to the darkness, but hearing Hikari's and Takeru's own battles with the darkness has made me realize that the dark powers seem to attack what they fear the most. Miyako and Daisuke are always telling me about how I am being far too hard on myself, that I repaid my debts for all the awful things I did as Digimon Emperor a long time ago.

I don't want anyone to go through the things that I did. I know Takeru understands about losing your Digimon, since he lost Patamon back when they were battling Devimon. But I was more responsible for Wormmon's reconfiguration that Takeru was for Patamon's. Both our Digimon sacrificed themselves, but Angemon sacrificed himself to save Takeru, while Wormmon sacrificed himself to stop me.

I don't think I ever really needed Koushiro's theories to know that Takeru and Hikari were something more, something beyond Digidestined. I watch them now and you can practically see the Light and Hope that shines from them. Despite knowing that one day the dark powers may attack, they believe in themselves and in us.

KINDNESS

HIKARI YAGAMI

When I was young, I relied on my brother a lot. Takeru used to scold me a little for it, but I never could find it in myself to find any fault with Taichi. During our second adventure, I found myself starting to rely more on Takeru. He came to save me when the dark powers had tried to take me away to the Dark Ocean.

I'm having nightmares again. I don't want to tell Takeru or Taichi, because I don't want them to worry. I dream of not being strong enough, of failing and letting everyone down. Gatomon tells me I should tell the others about them, but I explain that I don't think it's the dark powers that are giving me the dreams. When Takeru left, I think I lost a little bit of myself. When he stopped talking about me, I had thought it was my own fault. Hearing about his battle alone with the dark powers, I felt like I had failed him. I should have kept trying to talk to him, like Daisuke.

I can feel his gaze on me sometimes in class and I wonder what it means. Can it be that he feels something too or is he just worrying about me…us because of the prophecy? I sometimes turn to meet his gaze. When I look into his eyes, I can see my light reflecting from them in the form of his hope. All I want to do was be near him. Touch his shoulder, his face, his heart. He is the focus of my heart, my reflection, and it was past time that I admitted to myself.

I love him.

LIGHT

TAKERU TAKAISHI

I used to wonder what would have happened if I hadn't left. Not only with my battle with the dark powers, but with…everything else. Summer is almost upon us now and it takes me back to that first summer we Digidestined were taken to the Digital World. The Digidestined are hanging around us and just waiting for when evil will strike. Hikari and I know it has to be soon. Somehow, we both feel it. Gennai hasn't told Koushiro anything yet, so all we can do is wait in anxious anticipation.

I sit here in class, hardly focused at all. After all, what student but Jyou would be focused on the last day of school before summer vacation? Well, I guess that not entirely true. There is one thing, or person I should say, that seems to be taking my attention.

Hikari. What can I say about her? She's one of those things I used to wonder about. Her light used to give me the strength to keep my hope strong. I don't want anything to happen to her. When we were younger, I used to have this idea in my head, and now that I'm older, I can't seem to get it out of head. Seeing her, being with her, she's once again become the focus of my heart. When she waves, I want to take her hand. And when she smiles, I want to taste those sweet lips. I've already admitted it to myself.

I love her.

HOPE

As time flows on, the changes begin. Slowly, the seasons change, riding in on the whispers of the wind. A fateful summer is upon us again.