a/n: I'm sorry this is so late! But it's here, the chapter I've been wanting to write since I posted this! :D Maybe it's silly, and dramatic, and weird, and rushed, but idc! I still liked writing it! :) I hope everyone enjoys part one of this Reveal! (PS, please, nobody hate on poor Taichi. He's just confused. I promise he's not a bad guy. And according to the digimon wiki, Heaven's Charm can put digimon to sleep? If that's not confirmed, idc. I'm using it anyway because it's cool.)

possible tw: implied attempted suicide. Reviews are greatly appreciated. đź’›

setting: post-chapter 24

Takeru drummed his fingers on the table in his father's apartment. It was late in the morning, and he was waiting, with Patamon resting in his lap, for Yamato to get dressed so they could leave for the picnic to celebrate the late Odaiba Memorial.

Last weekend had been a little bit of a mess, sure. He and Hikari were sick and missed the meeting, but as far as he knew, his sudden illness and request to leave hadn't drawn too much suspicion. He could've done without the embarrassment, though.

It was Taichi who left Takeru confused. He'd given Takeru such a weird look when he and Yamato arrived at the Yagami residence. Worry lingered deep within his gaze, but there was something stronger that made Takeru uneasy. He looked at him warily, like he was skeptical of him or something. Like he knew something.

Did Hikari tell him? he wondered, but dismissed that thought almost immediately. Hikari would have told him if Taichi knew about their souls, about their combined crest. And Taichi wasn't somebody who stood by the sidelines and waited to be told—he'd confront the person about the problem.

Except... this wasn't a problem. Was it?

Takeru's fingers curled into fists and his stomach twisted anxiously. His connection with Hikari wasn't a problem. Despite it almost being almost two months since Piemon's death, they both still weren't sure what all of it meant. They were still discovering new things about their bond everyday. There was still so much they hadn't discovered yet or didn't understand. But Takeru did know that this was something that couldn't be undone. It wasn't something they could go back and fix.

The proof sat just below his collarbone in the form of something similar to a tattoo. The symbol of the combined crest of Hope and Light. Takeru peeked at it slowly, curiously. He looked away when his eyes caught a glimpse of the spiderweb of scars that surrounded the marking.

Hikari didn't regret it. She'd told him that on multiple occasions, with such certainty that Takeru believed her each time. That didn't stop him from feeling guilty—she'd saved him from Piemon's demons and tied her life to his in doing so. There was nothing he could do to repay her. If he screwed up, if he did something dumb, or if he got hurt, she'd feel the consequences, no matter how big or small. And it would be all his fault.

A door clicked, and Yamato entered the room in a set of clothes that didn't have flour all over them. He examined Takeru with raised brows, lips pulling into a frown. "You ok?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yes." He shook Patamon gently, rousing him from sleep. "Ready to go?"

Yamato nodded, but looked at Takeru with open concern. "We don't have to go if you don't want to."

Takeru paused. He couldn't tell if Yamato was getting better at reading him or if Takeru was just getting worse at hiding things. "No, I want to go."

This was mostly true. Even if he tried, he couldn't hide from his friends forever. It wasn't fair to them, and it would be rude to decline their invitation, no matter how nervous he became. And... and he couldn't avoid every outdoor activity. Maybe the more he went out, the easier it would become, right? That was what he'd been telling himself since Yamato had called after their meeting last weekend to inform him and Hikari about their plans.

"It's in the digital world," Yamato went on, still eyeing him worriedly. "You sure you're up for that? We can always ask—"

"Nii-san, it's ok. Really. I'm ok." He smiled for good measure, as wide and cheerful as he could manage. "I... I want to have fun."

Because it had been nearly two months. Because he hadn't had much fun over the summer. Because his friends didn't deserve to be blown off, to be shoved aside, to be ignored. And most of them had seemed really excited for this picnic. This included Yamato—Takeru knew he wanted to see Gabumon and bring him back to Earth for the rest of the weekend. He wasn't going to ruin that. Yamato was right. They were going to the digital world—at the beginning of the summer, he'd thought of it as a second home. That... that was still true, despite all of what happened. He couldn't avoid it, either.

He couldn't let his anxiety control him. He couldn't let his anxiety ruin his relationship with his friends. He could do this. He could. This would be good for him, wouldn't it?

"Alright," Yamato said finally, reaching forward to ruffle his hair. "But if you change your mind, or if you need to leave, just ask."

"I'm sure they'll understand," Patamon added around a yawn.

Takeru nodded, smiling again, before standing and allowing Patamon to take his customary place on his head. Yamato turned around to grab the sponge cake they had prepared (or, more accurately, Yamato had prepared—Takeru just sat and handed him the ingredients because anything that involved food he was sure to mess up) and then reached for his keys. "All set?"

"Yeah," Takeru murmured.

They slipped out of the flat without another word.

"I don't think we thought this through."

"No, I don't think we did."

Takeru and Yamato had showed up to Koushiro's apartment in the middle of their conversation, which made them both understandably confused. Takeru raised his brows, frowning in concern. What was wrong?

"Did something happen?" he asked.

Miyako turned to look at him, blinking in surprise at his sudden question. She tucked the box of treats under her arm, shaking her head. "Well, it's just... you know sometimes, when we go through the portal, we don't always land on our feet..."

"It wouldn't be very fun if we ruined the picnic because the dishes everyone has prepared ended up on the ground," Koushiro finished as she trailed off.

"If we focus really hard, maybe nobody will fall," Mimi offered helpfully with a grin.

"Right." Miyako rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Confidence and optimism is all we need to keep our balance. Never mind the fact that we're going to be sucked through a computer and digitized."

"Well," Takeru murmured quietly, "we all have containers for our food. It should be fine."

"This isn't the first time we've had a picnic," Yamato pointed out. "What'd you do last time?"

Miyako rolled her eyes. "Yamato, that was like, three years ago. None of us remember."

"Has it really been three years?" Mimi blinked in surprise. "Wow. Time sure does fly, doesn't it?"

"We should do picnics in the digital world all the time," Poromon said.

"I'm pretty sure we just had containers, like Takeru said," Patamon said helpfully.

Takeru studied the group of people now gathered in Koushiro's bedroom. Mimi had made (and very meticulously decorated) about two dozen cupcakes, with Sora's help. They both sat on Koushiro's bed. Koushiro was spinning slowly and absentmindedly in his desk chair. According to him, his mother had made them all onigiri rice balls and they were chilling in the fridge while they awaited the arrival of the rest of their friends). Miyako was leaning against the wall by Koushiro's computer desk; she had brought a variety of snacks from her parent's convenient store, ranging from healthy to unhealthy. Iori was quietly sitting on the floor with Upamon and Poromon.

The picnic wasn't until noon, and it only a couple minutes passed eleven-thirty. After a few minutes, Takeru and Yamato were informed that Jou was on his way. Miyako, moments later, told them that Ken and Daisuke were heading in this direction, finally.

"'You didn't hear this from me, but the reason we're late is because Daisuke spent all morning fretting about whether or not his recipe was good enough for everyone to try.'" Miyako smiled at her phone as she relayed Ken's message aloud for everyone to hear. "That's sweet."

Mimi made a cooing noise. Sora smiled. Before anyone could give a verbal response, Takeru's own cell phone beeped, and he blinked.

Hikari sent: Nii-san and I are a couple minutes away. We ran into Jou, too.

Takeru echoed the words out loud, just as Miyako had. He was incredibly relieved to know that she was so close.

"Well, that makes everyone," Poromon said.

"Yeah," Miyako said, looking down at her partner affectionately. "Now we wait."

"Well... that worked out surprisingly well."

"Are you kidding? The frosting on the cupcakes are all ruined!"

"I'm sure they're just as tasty, Mimi!"

"I'm sure, too!"

"Me too!"

The banter went on for a while, with Mimi opening her container of cupcakes with a pout, carefully flipping them, trying not to get frosting on her fingers; the digimon glancing up at the box in her hands excitedly; and the rest of the Chosen steadying themselves from a not-so-bad-after-all landing. (Takeru may or may not have looked at the Mimi's cupcakes, messed up or not, with a longing expression. Although Yamato had a perfectly good sponge cake tucked under his arm that would taste equally sweet...)

"Where should we sit?" Iori asked, shuffling the bag of prune juice pouches in his arms.

Takeru glanced around, studying his surroundings. It was... a strange place, especially for a picnic. The land before them stretched out far and wide, with very little trees. It wasn't bare like a desert, but there certainly wasn't a lot of grass, either. A nice breeze wafted through the air, not too cold, but not too warm. There was a cave close to them, which offered shade and shelter, should they need it.

Yamato seemed to think the same thing because he nodded his head in its direction. "There. It should be cooler there."

"Maybe we should have picked a more... greener place," Miyako muttered under her breath.

"Don't look at me," Koushiro said, raising his hands in mock defense. "Our digimon picked our location, remember?"

Which was true. For whatever reason, all of the digimon who weren't on earth had decided on this place. Takeru didn't know about the rest of them, but he wasn't going to crush their spirits by asking them to pick someplace else.

"Hey, what's wrong with getting a little sun?" Daisuke challenged with a grin. "It's getting colder and colder on Earth. It'll be fun to soak up some warmth, right, Ken? V-mon?"

Ken smiled at him. V-mon beamed, bouncing around him with as much enthusiasm as his human partner. (This was, perhaps, because Daisuke was holding a considerably large pot of broth, and he looked ready to consume it all, with or without the noodles.)

"Daisuke's weird," Tailmon murmured suddenly. "Who brings hot food on a sunny day in the digital world?"

Hikari giggled. "Shh... he's very proud of his cooking. Let him be."

"Yeah! I'm excited. It smells good," Patamon chirped.

Tailmon rolled her eyes but remained quiet. Takeru heard Sora say, "Let's get set up."

There were many hums of agreement. The warm food was sure to get cold fast, and he could tell by the looks on everyone's faces that they needed to eat soon. (Although the look on his brother's face told Takeru that he'd seen eyeing those cupcakes. Yamato's gaze was silently telling him, "Dessert after lunch. No arguments.")

Takeru sighed internally. Oh, well.

It didn't take long to get everything put together. It was Jou who brought water bottles for everyone, and Hikari and Taichi had volunteered to bring the picnic blankets since cooking was never their strong point. Daisuke was telling him he still needed to cook the noodles for his ramen, because if he'd done it beforehand they'd get soggy and, jeez, wouldn't that be a shame?

(Takeru remembered a certain conversation a while back where Daisuke had told him and Ken how much of a "disgrace" the instant noodles were. He'd be disappointed in him if Takeru told him he was very fond of instant foods.)

"I'll help you get a fire going," Agumon said helpfully. "It smells tasty, Daisuke!"

Daisuke's entire face lit up. A pleased blush dusted his cheeks. "You think so?"

"I know so! My nose never fails me!" Agumon puffed up his chest with pride.

There was another round of chuckles and giggles. Takeru smiled softly as he glanced around, feeling a warmth build in his chest as he took in the expressions of his friends. Everyone looked like they were ready to have a good time. Like they were happy. And it had been a while since they were all really together like this, for reasons that didn't involve trouble in the digital world.

This felt... nice. Takeru was starting to feel genuinely glad that he'd come.

That was, until he heard a faint rumbling sound. That definitely was not somebody's stomach.

"Um, Nii-san?" Takeru whispered suddenly, the smile falling from his face. "Do you hear that?"

Yamato paused, looking at him with his eyebrows raised quizzically. Then he turned his head, staring off in the distance.

Tailmon perked her ears, listening intently. On Takeru's head, Patamon went awfully still, and even Gabumon seemed on edge suddenly.

"Something's coming," Piyomon murmured, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

The ground beneath them seemed to quake as the 'something' drew closer and closer. Takeru squinted and walked closer to the sound, trying to get a better look. The rumbling sound grew louder. Louder.

Monochromon. Dozens of them. All running frantically, one after another. Towards them.

"A stampede?" he whispered to himself, and before the realization of how truly dangerous that was could really hit him, he heard screaming.

His head snapped up to find the source, but he couldn't. He didn't have the time to react before the world went white and fuzzy for several agonizingly long moments. In that time, Patamon's familiar weight on his head had disappeared and Takeru was aware of that fact almost instantly. Instinctively, his hands reached out, trying to find him, to keep him away from harm, but his outstretched fingers groped only air.

Takeru's vision slowly came back, and he saw Patamon on the ground, unconscious. Right in the path of the stampede, which was only minutes away.

His first thought was, Go after him.

And he did. Takeru's legs moved without thinking, shouting his partner's name, moving blindly. Whatever had aimed that attack at him had separated him from his partner and he couldn't lose his partner. Not again.

He swooped down to grab him, adrenaline pumping through him like venom. But when his hands curled around his little friend, he lost his footing. His body hit the ground hard, and dust swirled around him, threatening to consume him in heavy, billowing waves. He was on the ground and he couldn't move.

Takeru was stuck on the ground and could not move.

The situation seemed terrifyingly familiar. He squeezed his eyes shut, thinking of another time he'd been trapped on the ground, unable to escape. Thinking of how he hadn't been able to breathe. Thinking of how painfully hot it had been, when the sand had climbed into his clothes and held him prisoner as a digimon had been after him and his friends...

"Takeru, take my hand!"

"I'm right here! Follow my voice!"

"Hush, hush, little boy Hope. Don't fret."

How did this happen? flitted through his mind. How did I get separated from...?

A cold shock settled through him, taking root deep in his body, consuming him whole.

...Hikari...

Fear skyrocketed through Takeru, heavy and strong enough to immobilize him. Patamon was unconscious in his arms and that terrifying herd of digimon was heading straight for them. He could not move; could not get himself or his partner to safety. He could only lay trembling on the ground, bruised and scared, and a flurry of thoughts echoed hauntingly in his mind:

If something happens to me, Hikari will suffer as well.

If I get hurt, she'll feel it, too.

If I this digimon kills me, here and now, she will die, too.

It'll be... it'll be all my fault.

What have I done?

"Tailmon, HELP!"

The kitten digimon's name fell from his lips without warning. Light spewed around them and delicious warmth bubbled in his chest, spreading through his whole body. The space just below his collarbone burned, but the sensation was not unpleasant.

For a few suspended moments, there was silence. The only sound Takeru could hear was the powerful thrum of his heart, smashing against his ribcage repeatedly like it wanted to see the outside world.

And then the every drop of sound returned. The impact of the Monochromon's attack never came. Because Angewomon stood in front of Takeru and Patamon protectively, deflecting the blow sent in his direction with the intention of causing harm to him and his partner.

"Are you alright, Takeru?" she asked slowly without looking back at him.

Takeru stared openly at her, speechless. His D3 was aglow in his pocket, having lit up the moment Takeru had called for help. What...? Did... did Takeru's distress trigger her evolution? How could that be?

The answer, he already knew. Such a phenomenon could only be traced back to his and Hikari's bond. But even with this realization, he couldn't erase the pure shock that filtered through him upon witnessing Tailmon digivolve for him.

Words were shouted. Loudly. Frantically. The next thing Takeru knew, Angewomon was in the sky, successfully guiding the enraged Monochromon away from him; and Yamato was kneeling next to him, scooping him in his arms. "Teek, hey, we gotta move—"

And they did move. Yamato all but carried him to safety, away from the fight now raging between probably driven by adrenaline and the desire to keep Takeru out of harm's way. In Takeru's arms, Patamon stirred and looked up at him with foggy eyes. "...Takeru...?"

Patamon wasn't the only one to say his name. It echoed around him in a flawless crescendo, but only when he heard Hikari's voice did he look up. Her expression mirrored his almost exactly—an odd blend of confusion, fear, relief, and worry. Her D3 was curled up in her palm, but he could still see the familiar light that seeped through her fingers. Just like the light that emitted from his pocket.

Then Yamato was lowering Takeru to the ground, panting. But he didn't release him. Held onto him tightly like he hadn't seen him in a long time.

"I'm so glad." It took Takeru a moment to realize that Yamato was actually shaking as he spoke. "Oh, Takeru... what were you thinking, running toward the Monochromon like that? They were going to crush you. Which means I could've lost you. Again. I c-could've—"

Yamato's voice broke. Guilt swam through Takeru's body, pulling him down, down, down. When would this feeling stop?

"I'm sorry," he murmured thickly, aiming the apology at his brother and Hikari. "I didn't..."

Hikari moved away from Taichi's protective embrace—which had slackened considerably as he caught sight of Takeru's and Hikari's D3s—and she hit the ground hard beside him. "We're ok. That's all that matters, Takeru."

The battle raged on for several minutes. Takeru watched with wide eyes as the rest of their partners—save Patamon, who was still disoriented and weak, tucked against Takeru's chest—fought to get the herd of feral Monochromon under control. He'd been so wrapped up in getting to Patamon that he didn't even realize that the rest of their partners had evolved as well.

"Takeru... how did you...?" Taichi was stunned, looking at Takeru with open confusion. "Tailmon is Hikari's partner."

"Hey..." Now Miyako's attention was on the two of them. "What's... your skin is glowing. There, right underneath—"

"Um..." Takeru could only glance at Hikari for help, but she looked just as lost.

"We'll talk about that later," Jou said quickly, touching Yamato's shoulder and gesturing for all of them to stand again. "C'mon, everyone, let's go a little deeper into the cave. We need to make sure they don't see us by accident."

"Jou's right. If the Monochromon see us, they'll trap us in," Sora said. "They already attacked once because we were in their way."

"I wonder what could have triggered them to attack so mercilessly," Hikari murmured as she and Takeru stood to obey Sora and Jou's commands.

There wasn't time to ponder too deeply over the question, since their only focus now was staying out of their newfound enemies' sight. Yamato was on his left side, and Hikari on his right.

"How's Patamon?" Hikari whispered after a few moments of silence.

"I think he'll be ok. He just got knocked out, and he hasn't eaten a lot today, so he feels weaker after that... attack," Takeru answered just as quietly, clutching his partner tightly to his chest as he moved. Was it even an attack? It had happened so quickly. Takeru wasn't sure how Patamon had gotten knocked away.

His partner had once again given into slumber, it seemed, but he was still breathing, and he didn't look like he was in too much pain. Takeru hadn't noticed until Miyako had pointed it out, but the marking on his collarbone was glowing. He felt the tingling sensation the moment Tailmon evolved, but he hadn't really looked down at it.

Whether Patamon knew it or not, he was covering up the mark. But a glance over showed Takeru that Hikari's symbol was out in the open for everyone to see, so bright that it stood out even through the fabric of her dark shirt.

"That makes sense," Hikari said.

Takeru nodded and hummed, still worried for his partner despite what he'd said. He wondered if Angewomon was ok. Wondered if Patamon's lack of strength was affecting her. But if she felt weak, did... did that mean she wouldn't have been able to digivolve? Takeru inwardly shook his head. He could think about it later.

Except the person in front of them chose this moment to stop walking. Even with the light of their digivices, it was dark in this cave, and both Takeru's and Hikari's attention was focused elsewhere until she bumped smack into the person's chest.

"Wha—? Nii-san, what's wrong?" Hikari said, low and slow, like she already knew what was coming but was still holding onto one last shred of hope.

Which kind sounded like something Takeru would do.

"What's going on with you two?" Taichi asked, in such a solemn voice that it made Takeru freeze. It seemed like somebody—maybe Jou again, or Koushiro—started to protest, but Taichi interrupted. "We're plenty far out, now. And, hey, I respect your space. I do. But I'm so confused, ok? And I'm worried. If you don't tell me what's going on right now, I'm going to explode."

"Taichi," Yamato warned, one hand coming down to rest on Takeru's shoulder almost protectively. "Don't start this."

Takeru's heartbeat quickened with anxiety. Especially when Taichi blatantly ignored Yamato entirely and looked straight at Takeru and Hikari. Repeated calmly, "How did you get Tailmon to digivolve? And don't try to tell me you didn't. Your digivices are kind of like a tiny flashlight right now."

"I don't know," Takeru mumbled feebly. And that was partially true.

"Taichi, please." That was Mimi's voice. She was reaching for his arm. "Let it go."

"But it involves my sister!" He shook her off, which made Takeru flinch. Very rarely did he see Taichi angry. Not at him, not at Hikari. He suddenly felt very small, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling. Taichi continued, "What happened between you two? Why are you still keeping secrets? It has to be something big, right?"

"Nii-san..." Hikari hedged, anxiety lingering in her voice. Takeru's anxiety, no doubt.

But Taichi's words stung. Deeply. Because it wasn't Takeru's fault that he'd been forced to keep so much from his family, his friends. It wasn't Takeru's fault that he'd spent his whole summer haunted by dead children. It wasn't Takeru's fault that Piemon held such a powerful grudge that he'd climbed out of Hell, seeking revenge on the chosen of Hope and his digimon partner.

And yet... it was. It was his fault. Takeru chose to make that deal with Piemon. He'd willingly offered up his soul, if it meant that everyone would be safe. It felt so right at the time, like it was his only option left. He... he just wanted peace. He wanted everything to stop.

He didn't know until after he'd stepped off that rooftop that what he'd chosen to do was far from peaceful. It was just endless pain and suffering. It was Hikari who pulled him out of that awful, awful realm of demented spirits who thought solely about satisfying their own hungry needs.

She wouldn't have had to save him if he hadn't been so foolish. She wouldn't have had to give up part of her soul if he had just realized that Piemon's intentions were forever gruesome in nature. Even if Takeru did die then—correction, even if he'd stayed dead—then who was to say Piemon would keep his end of their promise?

The very thought made Takeru shiver.

"No, Hikari, he's... he's right." Takeru swallowed shakily. "It isn't fair to keep this a secret anymore. I think he deserves to know."

Hikari looked back at him worriedly, asking with her eyes if he was certain. He really wasn't, but... but it truly wasn't fair. These were his friends, weren't they? He didn't want to lie anymore. They deserved the truth. They'd waited patiently for so long for answers.

It wasn't like they could hide it for much longer, anyway. The luminous, identical markings were highly suspicious, and it wasn't exactly normal for them to have something that was more or less a tattoo at such a young age.

In sync, Takeru and Hikari's D3s beeped and the unearthly glow faded seconds later. Their crest symbols faded as well.

Instantly, Patamon was blinking himself awake, peering up at Takeru sluggishly. "The warmth is... gone."

"I'm sorry, buddy," he whispered in response, with a smile that was shaky and sad.

"Where..." He pushed himself out of Takeru's arms, glancing around confusedly. "Where are we? Where's Angewomon?"

"I think she's Tailmon again," Hikari answered, looking down at her digivice. "Oh, no... what if she's hurt?"

"She's not," Patamon said. "Just... sleepy."

"She must have used a lot of energy to evolve," Takeru murmured softly, brows furrowing together. "And there were so many Monochromon..."

"We should see if the digimon are ok," Daisuke said. Takeru couldn't read his friend's expression from where he stood, but he sounded uncharacteristically stern. Worried.

Nobody had a chance to say anything before Daisuke took off running toward the entrance of the cave. Ken was right behind him.

"Wait, it's—it's dangerous—!" Jou was already chasing after him.

"Oh, dear," Sora said, following without hesitation.

"Are you kidding me? We just ran all the way in here," Miyako griped.

Underneath that annoyed exterior was very real confusion and concern for her own partner. Hikari started running, too, taking Takeru by the hand. Yamato wasn't far behind, and soon they were all bursting out of the mouth of the cave, scanning the area for their digimon partners.

All of the Monochromon were... asleep? Takeru raised his brows, frowning. But yes, there they were, not too far away from the cave, unconscious, but no longer posing as a threat to them.

He spotted Plotmon almost instantly on the outskirts of the crowd of slumbering digimon, meekly walking toward them. Patamon flew off toward her, with Takeru and Hikari trailing closely behind.

"Are you ok?" all three of them asked, earning a few blinks from the digimon in question.

"M'fine," she said after a pause, grinning tiredly at them. "Are you three ok? Nobody is hurt, right?"

"Right," Hikari murmured with a fond smile. She took the child digimon in her arms, holding her close in a fashion that was similar to the way Takeru held Patamon minutes earlier.

"Good," Plotmon replied, now leaning against Hikari.

Their smiles were contagious. For a few moments, it seemed Takeru's anxiety was nonexistent, and he found himself grinning at how relieved and happy both his best friend and her digimon looked. Seeing them genuinely happy made him genuinely happy.

Everyone around them was checking on their digimon, and with good reason. But it seemed like everyone was in one piece, for the most part. Which was amazing, because the evidence lay in front of them now that the herd of Monochromon were asleep that it'd taken a lot out of the digimon to calm them.

"How did you get them all asleep?" he whispered, almost to himself. There had been so many, looking so wild that it seemed nothing would put them at ease.

"I used the Heaven's Charm on them," Plotmon answered. "I didn't really want to hurt them. I just wanted them to be at ease."

"Heaven's Charm can do that?" Takeru said, and she nodded. His eyes popped. How neat.

"It seems something scared enough to trigger a stampede?" Koushiro was walking up to them, a finger curled under chin thoughtfully. "What could provoke enough fear in them to do that?"

"I've never seen so many of them together," Tentomon said in a curious voice. "That was so strange, Koushiro-han."

"I'm sorry we ran away from you, Armadillomon," Takeru heard Iori say. "It all happened so fast."

"Don't worry about it." There was a smile in Armadillomon's voice. "I'd rather you be safe, tucked away somewhere."

"I second that," came Palmon's voice.

There was a loud hum of agreements between all of the digimon, which made Takeru smile again. But it wasn't long before a stomach growled, and then another, and another, and even Patamon was looking up at Takeru with pleading eyes.

"Don't tell me this ruined the picnic?"

That stole Takeru's smile from his face. Right... the picnic. That was why they were here. And it had been interrupted by...

"We left everything by the cave," Mimi cried out suddenly in horror.

"And... back to the cave," Miyako deadpanned, moving to follow her.

"Sorry bud," he whispered, eyes softening with sympathy. He hoped everything hadn't been ruined in their rush to escape the stampede. Patamon looked really hungry. (Takeru himself felt disappointed when he realized there was probably a chance at not getting to try Mimi's cupcakes.)

"Um... even if we get everything set up the way we wanted again," Ken began hesitantly, "wouldn't the food still be kind of messed up? It didn't get trampled, but the Monochromon made a lot of things fall over."

"Ken-chan, don't say that... you're breaking poor Patamon's heart," Wormmon said quietly.

Ken and Takeru's gazes met after he spoke. Ken's eyes melted a little with amusement and pity as he saw Patamon's wobbly expression. Takeru shrugged silently, trying not to laugh, but Patamon was giving everyone the puppy-eyes. Takeru's gaze found Hikari and—

And she was looking off toward the cave, face wiped clean of emotion. Takeru frowned instantly and followed her gaze. Immediately, his stomach clenched.

Taichi was staring at them with an equally stoic expression. Yamato looked ready to kill someone. Agumon, Sora, Piyomon, and Gabumon were going back in forth between trying to diffuse an argument before it started and looking back at Hikari, Takeru, and their partners with confusion and worry.

It seemed like everyone had gone eminently quiet. Takeru couldn't hear what his brother and Taichi were talking about, but he had a very good guess.

"The cat's out of the bag, isn't it?" Plotmon whispered. "I didn't mean to spill your secret, Takeru. I just wanted you to be safe. I'm sorry."

Takeru looked back at her, eyes shining with a gratitude he couldn't express with words. "No, no, please, don't apologize! It's... I think it's better this way." Or at least... I hope so.

With that thought in his mind, Takeru pushed himself upward, extending his hand to help Hikari stand. She took it, saying woodenly, "They're going to fight."

Which made Takeru's words want to crawl back into his mouth like he'd never said them.

I don't want people to fight over me.

I don't want to cause trouble.

It wasn't supposed to turn out this way.

"Wait," he blurted without thinking, racing toward them. "Please... Nii-san, don't fight him. This is..." This is all my fault. "Please don't fight," came out again instead. "I'll explain it. I promise."

"You shouldn't explain something personal just because someone pressured you," Yamato said, tossing a glare in Taichi's direction.

"He didn't mean it like that, Nii-san," Takeru rambled on, now tugging on his brother's arm. "He's... he's worried. And it's not fair to make him worry about Hikari."

"Takeru..." she whispered from beside him.

"I'm—Yamato, are you really making me the bad guy here?" Taichi cut in, pinning Yamato with a glare of his own. "I just want to know what's so big that you have to hide it, ok? Didn't you spend enough time hiding things during the summer, Takeru?"

"I..." Takeru trailed off, torn with indecision. Once again, Taichi's comment badly stung. But what if Taichi thought something was seriously wrong? He did not wish to make anyone angry or anxious. So many emotions swirled in him, setting his stomach aflutter with guilt and unease. It was a familiar feeling that foretold a panic attack, and he started counting in his head, trying his best to squash the sensation before it got out of hand.

This time, it was Sora who came to his rescue. She give him a sympathetic look, impossibly warm and soft. "Let's see what we can salvage from the picnic, alright? Everyone is hungry. When we're all set up, then let's talk. Ok, honey?"

He nodded numbly, having already lost his appetite. Said feebly, "Ok."

Taichi muttered something akin to an agreement under his breath. Yamato put some much needed distance between himself and Taichi, walking over to Takeru to offer some semblance of comfort. Whispered in an low voice, "Are you sure about this, little bro?"

Hikari rubbed his arm soothingly. Takeru met her eyes finally, seeing nothing but encouragement and understanding. Her gaze told him, "I said I'd be here."

He nodded again, drawing in a cleansing breath. "Yeah. I'm sure."