Hey guys! I'm not gonna reply to reviews right now, but I'll PM my replies to you. I'm in a hurry, kinda. Thank you all for reading and liking the last chapter, and here's the next one!

Okay, descriptions:

Keiko- Long, choppy brown hair with front bangs and blue-green eyes. She's a little shorter than Izumi but a little taller than Michiko. She's quite pretty and has a pretty nice bod, even though her boobs are on the smaller side. xD

Izumi- Long blonde hair to the middle of her back. She's got big boobies (obvi.) and has sideswept bangs. She's got long legs and green eyes with a nice smile. She has a really nice body and nice hips. :P

Another nameless face.

"Oh, Kouji."

The raven imagined it was Izumi beneath him, writhing as he pushed his fingers in and out of her dripping sex.

"T-There!" she cried, arching up into him, grabbing at his arms. "Kouji!"

He silenced her by pushing his lips into hers. It was easier to imagine it was Izumi when she was quiet. The girl squirmed, pushing herself into her fingers, gasping against his lips.

~Come for me, Izumi.~

The girl shrieked, her walls contracting around his fingers as she hit her climax. He pulled them out, unzipping his pants and pulling his length out.

He wanted to stop putting the condom on, he wanted to stop lining himself up with her entrance, he wanted to stop it all and go home and talk to Kouichi, or ask Keiko for advice, or even pour his heart out to Izumi. But he couldn't.

It was all a blur after that.

Kouji woke up in the morning alone in his bed. He hoped he would. It was Friday, and he's taken that girl home with him right after school, hoping to have sex with her and numb the pain of everything else that was going on.

It didn't really make him feel better, but he could suppose he was less aware.

He got up, sighing as he realized he had to go to school.

"How do you feel, Izumi?" Keiko asked softly, smiling at her friend.

The blonde sighed. "I don't know. I guess I'm finally coming to terms with it, now. I really don't have a chance with Takuya, do I?"

"Don't talk like that," Tamotsu said, pursing his lips. "He and Miyu aren't gonna get married, you know."

Izumi sighed again, folding her arms over her desk and resting her chin against them. "It's easy for you two to say. You've been together forever, now. You don't have any problems in love."

Keiko fidgeted, prepared to say something but the bell rang. "I'd better get to my own homeroom." She patted the girl's head. "Don't give up, okay? Love you."

When Keiko walked out the door, Tamotsu draped himself over his blonde friend, whispering so only she could hear. "And from what Takuya's told me in the past, he and Miyu fight. A lot. It won't be long now, okay?"

Izumi smiled up at the teen. He always knew just what to say.

"Kouji?" Michiko said softly, tilting her head at the raven.

"Hn." He looked at the auburn haired girl, taking in the concerned look on her face. "What're you staring at?"

She cleared her throat. "You look really tired."

"Do I…?" he muttered, blinking slowly. He already knew that. He was fucking exhausted.

"Y-Yeah." She sighed softly. "Is everything okay? I know we're not really good friends, but you're really close with Izumi and Keiko and Junpei, and I'm close to them and we kinda hang out in the same group…"

"I'm fine," he said quietly. "Thanks."

"But you're really not," she said, looking sympathetic.

"I don't want your pity," he snapped.

"I'm not giving it to you, but I want you to be okay," she said, not phased at all by Kouji's mini-tantrum.

He sighed, cooling off. "You promise not to tell anybody?"

She nodded. "Promise."

"Well, last weekend, when we went on that trip and Izumi and Takuya kissed…" He cleared his throat. "I love Izumi. And I know that Izumi loves Takuya. It's hard to have competition like that. Because Takuya used to love Izumi too."

Michiko smiled lightly and put a hand on his forearm. "Hey, it'll be okay. I'm sure Izumi'll come around. You're the one who's been here the most for her, right? She's getting her heart broken, and if you prove to her that you're there, she'll probably realize you're better for her."

He blinked. "You think so?"

She nodded. "I know so. I think you and Izumi would be great for each other."

He smiled at the teen. "Thank you, Michiko. It means a lot."

She beamed at him and hugged him, ignoring the way his body stiffened against her. "You're welcome! If you ever need to talk, just let me know. I'm here for you."

Junpei walked into the room just then. "Anything I should know about?" He raised an eyebrow.

Michiko giggled and pulled away, walking over to her boyfriend and wrapping her arms around him. "Nope! Just talking with Kouji about something!"

He smiled at her, leaning down and kissing her cheek. "Always so helpful."

She giggled again, pushing her face into his chest. "I try!"

Kouji sighed. God, how much he wished that were him and Izumi.

"Izumi!"

The blonde blinked and turned around, her heart skipping a beat when the person who called her name came into her sights. "Takuya…"

He caught up to her, putting his hands on his knees and catching his breath. "I was calling your name, but you didn't hear me! You headed home?"

"Um, yes."

"Lemme walk you there, then."

"Ah, you really don't have to!" She waved her arms awkwardly. "I mean, I'm sure Miyu-"

"Miyu's got softball practice." He looked at her intently. "I want to walk home with you."

She couldn't help the way her heart skipped a beat. "I…"

"Well, let's go," he said, smiling at the blonde. "It's supposed to rain."

"I'm so sick of sophomore year," Tamotsu groaned, flopping down on Keiko's bed. "God…"

"Aw, come on. We've only got four more weeks of classes. Aren't you gonna miss lacrosse, mister varsity?" Keiko asked, smiling teasingly.

He smirked at her and grabbed her waist, rolling around with her for a second before he pulled her on top of him. "Yeah, I'm gonna miss lacrosse a lot. But I won't miss the schoolwork and the teachers and Miyu even more."

She tilted her head to the side. "Tamotsu… Why does Miyu act the way she does?"

He shrugged. "Beats me. Prolly an attention thing. She constantly needs to be at the center of attention. Annoying, right?"

Keiko nodded. "I just don't get her. She's so… fake. I don't know what Takuya sees in her."

"Me neither, babe." He sat up, scooting back and sitting against the headboard. He rubbed her thighs absently, looking off into space.

"What're you thinking about?" Keiko asked after a few minutes of looking at his face. She still couldn't get over how good looking he was.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm thinking about how to get rid of Miyu…"

Keiko blinked. "What?"

"See, there's some rat poison in the basement of my house-"

Keiko bonked him on top of the head with one of her pillows. "Really! What're you thinking about?" she cried, laughing.

He pushed the pillow off his head, looking directly up at his girlfriend. "I'm thinking about you."

She was struck silent. He was thinking that hard… about her…?

Then again, she didn't have to say anything, because Tamotsu had covered her lips with his.

"You've been acting strange ever since you came back from the vacation last wekend," Takuya said bluntly.

"Have I?" she asked innocently.

Takuya frowned. "I'm being serious here, Izumi. I'm really worried."

"Don't be. It's nothing."

"But it is!" He moved in front of her.

Izumi tried not to shiver. He was everything she'd imagined him to be when she dreamt of him. That messy chestnut hair, those dark brown eyes that seemed to bore through her soul. His hard tan body covered up by that school uniform, hugging it in all the right places. God, she'd never been around somebody that just made her feel so ugly.

She couldn't really say whether or not that was contributed to Miyu or not, but she knew for a fact that she just wanted to cover her face up and run away.

"Izumi!"

She jumped, staring at him with wide green eyes. "What?"

"Did you hear a word I just said?"

She decided to play her game. "Hmph!" She crossed her arms over her chest, being careful to keep them in the perfect position across her breasts. "No, I didn't. And I don't want to. I'm leaving." She stomped away.

Takuya grabbed her shoulder, turning her around to face him. "Izumi, please just talk to me! Why're you acting so weird? Why're you so mad? Did I do something?"

She almost felt bad. "Yes, you did actually! You just came back from the dead, and you didn't even make an attempt to hang out with any of us besides that disaster of a vacation last weekend! We all missed you more than anything, and maybe you don't recall being gone for a year, but we do! Sorry that Miyu's taking so much of your time or whatever, but we're your friends too, and we've known you for way longer!"

She spun around and walked away.

Yep. That felt amazing.

"Tomoki, is something bothering you?"

"No," he said, smiling at his girlfriend. "Why, does it seem like it?"

She shifted slightly. "Kinda. I just want everything to be okay. Does it have to do with Takuya coming back?"

He pursed his lips. "Are you a mind reader?"

She smiled brightly. "I've just known you for a while, I guess!"

He nodded. "Yeah. I am thinking about Takuya."

"Have you talked to him?"

"Not really. He hasn't talked to me since he's come back. He probably doesn't know half the stuff that's even going on right now."

"Hmm, do you think he's maybe intimidated by you?"

"Takuya?" He laughed. "Hah! He's not afraid of anyone or anything! He always charges ahead, braver than-" He paused, completely silent for several seconds. When was the last time he talked like that…?

"You're still a kid Tomoki," Chiaki said softly. "In your heart, you weren't prepared to be abandoned, so you put up your strong front and acted tough. I know who you really are, and I know you probably want to see Takuya more than anything. You still idolize him, after all."

"Chiaki…" He stared at her. "I…" He stared at the ground. "When he disappeared and… and nobody talked to me about it… nobody was there for me… all I wanted to do was cry."

Chiaki smiled gently at him. "Then cry."

And he did.

Kouichi didn't know what to call them.

Atsuko was always over his house, or they were always together, when she wasn't working, of course. When she did have to work, he would usually visit her at the café, stopping by for a coffee. Sometimes he'd see Keiko there too, and she grin and wink at him.

They always held hands, hugged, and once in a while, they'd kiss.

He wasn't sure what type of girl she was, because he'd heard about her, but he'd never heard bad things. What if he wasn't the only guy she was hanging out with? What if she was doing this to make her boyfriend jealous?

He'd used his secret weapon to figure things out, too. His gossip bloodhound, Izumi, had come up dry though. She said Atsuko was an extremely mysterious girl, and that she'd been unable to figure much out about her.

He'd sighed at the blonde, tossed her a treat, and sent her away.

It was hard to decide what they were. Were they dating? Were they just friends who occasionally made out? Were they just taking it slow and testing the waters first?

Maybe she'd had a bad boyfriend in the past and she wanted to be cautious…

Or maybe she was just leading him on, trying to see how long it took until he caught on…

Or maybe he was just delusional and there was never anybody named Atsuko in his life. Maybe he was actually in a mental institution and he was schizophrenic and maybe there was never a Digital World or a twin brother…

Or maybe his entire life's been a dream and everything that happened since he fell down the stairs wasn't real. Maybe he was still in a coma in the hospital and his mind was just creating a life for him to live…

Or maybe-

"Hey, Kouichi," Atsuko said, smiling at the raven as she took a seat next to him. "What's up? You looked like you were kinda dazed there."

He hummed. "Nothing. Just thinking."

"Hey, you know those aphrodisiacs you put in Akira's food on April Fool's day?" Saburo asked Keiji, staring hard at the screen as he threw a grenade at a group of soldiers.

"Yeah, what about 'em?" Keiji replied, shooting at another group.

"Well, you know Akira's had the flu for the last week, right?"

"Yeah."

"And I'm sure you can imagine I'm not getting much action out of it, correct?"

"…Yeah."

"Well, what if I put some aphrodisiac in his soup and give him a little blowjob or something? I mean, I'm starting to get desperate here. I wouldn't mind blowing him while I just jerk off or something."

Keiji paused the game, staring at his brother for several long seconds. "Let me get this straight. You honestly want to drug him so you can mack on a sick person?"

Saburo sighed. "Yeah, that sounds kinda bad, huh?"

"No. That's devotion right there." Keiji stood up. "Lemme grab those for you."

"You're the best Keiji!"

"I know."

"I really don't know what to do at this point," Takuya sighed. "I don't want to lose Izumi's friendship, but I really do find myself falling in love with Miyu."

Kouji wanted to tell Takuya to never talk to Izumi again, or to tell him to pick Miyu instead, so he could have Izumi all to himself. But he couldn't. As much of an asshole he was, he was more devoted than anything to his friends. That would never change, no matter who he dated, fell in love with or married.

"Look, I know I shouldn't talk to you about this, because I know you like Izumi…"

Kouji ticked his eyebrow. ~Love.~

"But I don't know who else to go to. I mean, there's always Tamotsu or Junpei, but… well, you're my best friend. Shouldn't I go to you first?"

"Well, can you imagine living without Izumi?" Kouji asked.

Takuya shook his head immediately. "No."

"And Miyu?"

"No."

Kouji wanted to punch Takuya in the face. Of course he could fucking live without that bitch. It's only high school, and she's not his wife or anything! He'd be fine without her.

"Well, who would you rather have move away and never see again?" Kouji asked.

Takuya stared. "I… I'd rather have Miyu move away… No… Izumi… No! Miyu! Err, I don't know, Kouji."

"You're telling me you honestly can't pick between one of your best friends and your girlfriend who you've known for two weeks?" Kouji wanted to strangle the brunette. "What the fuck's wrong with you?"

"It's like I've known her for longer than that! I can't explain it!"

"You're supposed to be the glue here! How could you even say that?"

Takuya looked pissed. "You wouldn't understand what it's like to have somebody actually love you back, would you? Maybe if you didn't push Keiko away a couple years ago you'd understand! Maybe if you didn't push everybody away you'd actually know how I'm feeling!"

Kouji said nothing. He just stared at Takuya. How could he bring that up? The whole Keiko thing was a low blow, and Takuya knew that Kouji had trust issues with people… So how could he…?

"Oh God… I'm sorry, Kouji," Takuya said, his hand over his mouth.

"I'm going home." Kouji stood up, pushing his hands into his pockets.

"Kouji, wait-"

Kouji stopped in the doorway, not turning around. "Look, I really missed you while you were gone, okay? I really wanted you to come back home. I wanted it more than anyone." He turned his head slightly. "But I wanted Takuya to come home. I wanted my best friend to come back." He opened the door. "Not you."

Takuya stared at the closed door.

He didn't know what to do. Who could he talk to now? Tamotsu? Junpei? Keiko?

He definitely couldn't talk to Izumi, Kouji or Tomoki…

So he called Miyu.

"I don't know." He pushed Keiko when the brunette swung back down. "I haven't talked to Takuya since it happened. Normally after we fight, he texts me, but now…" He stared at the necklace in his hand, using one hand to push the girl.

"Maybe you should text him first."

"I don't owe him anything," he muttered, pulling out his phone and checking to see if he had a text, which he didn't. "I'm not the one who brought things up from the past."

"What'd he say about the past?" she asked, blinking.

He paused. "He… Well, he just said I push people away." He didn't want to bring up what happened between the two of them, especially when they've been getting along so well.

"That's not okay," Keiko said softly, the wind blowing through her hair. "That doesn't sound like something Takuya would say."

"I know, I was thinking the same thing." He stopped pushing her, deciding to sit on the swing next to her. "I wish he'd never met Miyu."

"Same here." Keiko stopped her swing, sighing softly. She looked up to the moon and stars. "I really missed him, you know? It's not the same though."

"I know…" Kouji looked at the brunette.

"The only good thing that came out of it is that we got closer, though, right?"

Kouji nodded. "Yeah, I guess we did." He hated it when she got all mushy.

Keiko giggled. "Takuya's gonna come to his senses. It's just a matter of time."

My question…

What're your three favorite couples and why?